Salaam all,
This is 2:222
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْمَحِيضِ قُلْ هُوَ أَذًى فَاعْتَزِلُواْ النِّسَاء فِي الْمَحِيضِ وَلاَ تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىَ يَطْهُرْنَ فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللّهُ إِنَّ اللّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
Wayasaloonaka AAani almaheedi qul huwa athan faiAAtaziloo alnnisaa fee almaheedi wala taqraboohunna hatta yathurna faitha tatahharna fatoohunna min haythu amarakumu Allahu inna Allaha yuhibbu alttawwabeena wayuhibbu almutatahhireena
The Aya says:
And they ask you (Muhammad) about the time and place of menses. Say: it is harm, therefore, make yourselves apart from the women in menses, and do not come near them until they enter into cleanliness. So, if they entered cleanliness then come to them from where ALLAH ordered you. Verily, Allah loves the ones that return to him, and loves the ones that enter cleanliness.
My personal note:
The be apart message here is related to sex rather than be apart in a general fashion. This is because the part of the AYA that talks about come to them, points to the sexual coming to the women. So, the message is against having sex with women that are menstruating for there may be some harm.
Translation of the transliterated words:
Wayasaloonaka: and they ask you
Note: WA means and. YASALOONAKA the root is S-Hamza-L and it means asking. YASALOONA is the third person plural past tense of a verb that is derived from the root. This verb means they arrive asking/questioning in a literal sense and that means they ask. KA is a singular you. Therefore YASALOONAKA means they ask you.
AAani: about
Almaheedi: the menses/the time and place of menses.
Note: the root is Ha-Y-Dhad and it means menses. ALMAHEEDI is the time and place of the menses in the literal meaning of the word. This will be used as the menses itself here or the time and place of it.
qul: Say
Note: the root is Qaf-W-L and it means speech or saying. QULI is an order form of a verb that is derived from the root. This verb means say.
Huwa: he
Note: points to the menses.
Athan: harm/unclean
Note: the root is Hamza-TH-Y and it means harm. ATHAN is harm. This word is also used for something that can be unclean or potentially harm.
faiAAtaziloo: therefore separate yourselves/make yourselves withdrawn from.
Note: FA means therefore. iAATAZILOO is derived from the root Ain-Z-L and it means being apart from someone or something. One concrete meaning of the word is the cloud that does not rain, therefore separated it’s rain from the land. Another concrete meaning is coitus interruptus where the man withdraws before the ejaculation. iAATAZILOO is the second person plural present or future tense order form of a verb that is derived from the root. It means you (plural) make yourselves apart or make yourselves withdrawn from.
Alnnisaa: the women
Note: the word means the women. It has two potential roots that may be related to it. The first N-S-Y and it is the one used for women. This same root is used for the sciatic nerve as a concrete word and for forgetting. The relation between the different meanings is only in an indirect manner. Another root is N-S-Hamza and it means putting things behind in time or space of delaying things. Concrete words are the women that have a delay in the menses because of possibility of pregnancy.
Fee: in
Almaheedi: the menses/the time and place of menses.
Note: the root is Ha-Y-Dhad and it means menses. ALMAHEEDI is the time and place of the menses in the literal meaning of the word. This will be used as the menses itself here or the time and place of it.
Wala: and not
Taqraboohunna: you (plural) come near them (for sex)
Note: the root is Qaf-R-B and it means nearing. TAQRABOO is the second person plural present or future tense of a verb that is derived from the root. This verb means you (plural) become nearing. HUNNA means them and it is a feminine word. The don’t come near them is for sex in this situation and not just being near them is bad.
Hatta: until
Yathurna: they become clean/the menses stops
Note: the root is Ta-H-R and it means cleaning or clean in all it’s aspects. YATHURNA is the third person plural feminine present or future tense of a verb that is derived from the root. This verb means they become clean, which really means they stop the menses in this situation.
Faitha: therefore if
Tatahharna: they entered cleanliness
Note: the root is Ta-H-R and it means cleaning or clean in all it’s aspects, physical and non physical. TATAHHARNA is the third person plural feminine past tense of a verb that is derived from the root. This verb suggests the situation between clean and unclean or at the border between the two. In this case, it is pointing to the just entered cleanliness.
Fatoohunna: therefore come to them
Note: FA means therefore. ATOOHUNNA is derived from the root Hamza-T-Y and it means coming. The concrete word is the valley that runs with water that came from another place’s rainfall, therefore, coming from somewhere else. ATOO is an order form of the verb addressed to a plural masculine and it means You come to or you make come to. HUNNA is them and it is feminine.
Min: from
Haythu: where
Amarakumu: He ordered you/ He ordered you to implement.
Note: the root is Hamza-M-R and it means implementing or ordering to implement. AMARA is the third person singular past tense of a verb that is derived from the root. This verb means HE arrived implementation or He arrived order to be implement. KUMU is plural you. AMARAKUMU means HE ordered you or he ordered you to implement.
Allahu: Allah/GOD
Inna: verily
Allaha: Allah/GOD
Yuhibbu: loves
Note: the root is Ha-B-B and it means in concrete seed. This word also means love. As if the seed is the product of love or the love will end up in a seed. YUHIBBU is the third person singular present or future tense of a verb that is derived from the root. This verb means in a literal sense, HE becomes loving. This, in effect means, HE loves
Alttawwabeena: The ones that return in an ultimate fashion (to GOD)
Note: the root is T-W-B and it means return or ultimate return. The concrete word that is derived from this root is TABOOT and it means coffin, therefore the thing in which we ultimately return to the earth. ALTAWWABEEN are the ones that return to GOD or return in an ultimate way to GOD
Wayuhibbu: and HE loves
Note: WA means and. YUHIBBU is derived from the root is Ha-B-B and it means in concrete seed. This word also means love. As if the seed is the product of love or the love will end up in a seed. YUHIBBU is the third person singular present or future tense of a verb that is derived from the root. This verb means in a literal sense, HE becomes loving. This, in effect means, HE loves
Almutatahhireena: the ones who enter cleanliness.
Note: the root is Ta-H-R and it means cleaning or clean in all it’s aspects, physical and non physical. ALMUTATAHHIREENA are the ones that are in and out of cleanliness in a literal sense. This, generally means that they enter in cleanliness all the time whenever they become unclean.
Salaam all and have a great day
Hussein
4 comments:
Salam,
I am wondering, is there any mention that women during menstruation must not pray? Or is it implied by the fact that one must be clean tp pray and menstruation is a state of uncleanliness?
Thanks and salam,
Houda
Thank you sister for your question,
The Aya does not directly address the issue of prayer of the woman who is menstruating. However, as you suggested, it may be addressing it in an indirect way through the issue of TAHARA= ritual cleansing.
I hope this helps and take care sister.
Hussein
In my understanding Quran is fully explained and detailed, i.e. Allah (SWT) did not leave any gap for anyone to fill in that gap. There are two places where Allah (SWT) explained about what to do regarding "Menstruation" - in 2:222 it instructs men not to approach their wives if they are in the period of menstruation And they can approach them once they have passed that period and cleansed themselves. It is self explanatory that after this period, a proper cleansing is required which is bath/ghusl. Bath itself is a ritual to cleanse oneself. And second time in 65:4 where Allah (SWT) gave the waiting period law for women (if not menstruating or menstruation age has passed, i.e. in menopause but they may not be aware of that) after divorce. And the only time Allah (SWT) asked not to approach prayer if intoxicated [4:43]. I might be unaware of any other verse where Allah (SWT) might have asked women not to pray while in menstruation.
You might find plenty of hadiths/exegesis/tafsirs which are not Allah's (SWT) words and not Prophet's words/sayings. Prophet's words/sayings are only what Allah SWT taught him through Quran [69:38-40- So I swear by what you see And what you do not see, That this [Quran] is verily the word of an honoured messenger].
Forgive me if you feel it is not appropriate response to this comment and if I shouldn't have commented at all. May Allah (SWT) forgive us all.
Wa Alaykum Assalam,
Your post has ideological leanings which you are entitled to. It is better not to be ideological in writing notes on blogs dedicated to understanding the Qur'an. However, your translation of the Arabic as "Do not approach" for the verse 2:222 is inaccurate. The Arabic words "LA Taqraboo" literally means "Do not come near". Do not come near is self explanatory but also has a wide range of understanding that ranges from isolating them in a different place, room or outside the house (which is done in some cultures) to only not having intimate sexual relationship with them. However, we find from the conduct of the prophet upon him be peace with his wives that the intimate sexual relationship was the intent of the word and not the rest of the range of meaninings.
Salaam alaikum
Hussein
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