How a fasting woman can handle menstruation
What you need to know:
- The same goes for those whose postnatal bleeding coincides with Ramadhan. All these women are not allowed to fast until their bleeding ends.
During Ramadhan, most women will have a week or so in which they are unable to join in the major religious practices of the holy month: fasting and praying. When their menstrual period begins, many find that their level of engagement with the high spiritual atmosphere of the month drops.
The same goes for those whose postnatal bleeding coincides with Ramadhan. All these women are not allowed to fast until their bleeding ends.
For many of these women, frustration and a sense of lacking spirituality sets in. This, however, shouldn’t be the case. Menstruation, postnatal bleeding, and other feminine concerns are all part of Allah’s creation, which He created in perfect wisdom.
To refrain from ritual prayer (the salaat) and ritual fasting (the sawm) during this time is actually considered a form of worship, and, if done with the intention of obeying God, it earns women good deeds.
After Ramadan ends, these women have the choice of fasting or paying fidiyah (feeding one poor person) for each day they missed during Ramadhan.
