it is permissible for a woman to take them when they temporarily halt menstruation so that she can carry out an act of worship—such as ḥajj or the fast of Ramadan. This is something allowed; there is no objection to it. A ruling of prohibition needs evidence, and there is no evidence forbidding a woman from using pills that suspend her menses; indeed, the jurists have explicitly stated that this is permissible.
As for birth-control pills, to the best of my recollection they were not the issue raised on the programme. The questioner—or the critic—has conflated the two types of medication, and he ought to verify the matter before lodging an objection.
His citation of the ḥadith in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said that menstruation is something Allah has decreed for the daughters of Adam, and that because of it a woman leaves off prayer and fasting, does not indicate that she is forbidden to take something that blocks menstruation for a limited time. None of the prophetic reports provide evidence prohibiting the use of menstruation-delay pills.
This point can confuse some beginners in the pursuit of knowledge. They assume that if a woman’s menses are held back by such pills, her fasting and prayer during her customary period would be invalid—even though no blood is flowing. This is a mistaken understanding, for the rulings that oblige a woman to refrain from prayer and fasting are triggered only when menstrual blood actually appears. If the blood is arrested and does not come out, no such rulings apply, because in that state she is not considered menstruating.
Question: What is the Sharʿī ruling on taking birth-control pills?
Answer: With regard to birth-control pills, the ruling is nuanced. If the intention is to bring pregnancy to a permanent end, that is impermissible unless there is a legitimate Sharʿī excuse—such as the woman’s being physically unable to bear a pregnancy, or a real fear that pregnancy would destroy her health or threaten her life. In that situation, it is permissible for her to take birth-control pills.