When Did Menstruation Occur?
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتْ دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِسَرِفَ وَأَنَا أَبْكِي، فَقَالَ ” مَا لَكِ أَنَفِسْتِ ”. قُلْتُ نَعَمْ. قَالَ ” هَذَا أَمْرٌ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى بَنَاتِ آدَمَ اقْضِي مَا يَقْضِي الْحَاجُّ غَيْرَ أَنْ لاَ تَطُوفِي بِالْبَيْتِ ”. وَضَحَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ نِسَائِهِ بِالْبَقَرِ
Narrated `Aisha:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) entered upon me at Sarif while I was weeping (because I was afraid that I would not be able to perform the Hajj). He said, “What is wrong with you? Have you got your period?” I replied, “Yes.” He said, “This is a matter Allah has decreed for all the daughters of Adam, so perform the ceremonies of the Hajj as the pilgrims do, but do not perform the Tawaf around the Ka`ba.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) slaughtered some cows as sacrifices on behalf of his wives
[Bukhari no. 5559]
Although the Hadith above shows that menstruation is something Allah has written for the women, Hafidh Ibn Hajr rahimahullah mentioned that there is another opinion that it began with the women of Bani Israeel.
He said rahimahullah:
“That is the women of Bani Israeel and it is indicated by Abdur-Razzaq from Ibn Mas’ud with a Saheeh chain that he said:
كان الرجال والنساء في بني إسرائيل يصلون جميعا ، فكانت المرأة تتشرف للرجل ، فألقى الله عليهن الحيض ومنعهن المساجد
The men and women of Bani Israeel used to pray together. So the women used to adorn for the men. So Allah gave them menstruation to prevent them from the masjid.
“…al-Dawaadi said there is no contradiction between the above Hadith and the narration because the women of Bani Israeel are from the daughters of Adam. So like this, the statement of the Prophet sallahu alayhi wa salam about the daughters of Adam being given menstruation is general intending by it a specific meaning. I say (Hafidh Ibn Hajr): It is possible to combine between them by saying the Hadith is general and the long duration of menstruation was given to the women of Bani Israeel as a punishment for them not that it was the beginning of its existence [menstruation]”
It was reported by at-Tabari and other than him from Ibn Abbas and other than him about the statement of the Exalted in the story of Ibraahim:
وامرأته قائمة فضحكت
And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed
[11:71]
To mean that she menstruated. The story mentioned earlier is from Bani Israeel without a doubt. It was reported from Haakim and Ibn Mundhir with a Saheeh chain from Ibn Abbas radiallahu anhumma who said:
أن ابتداء الحيض كان على حواء بعد أن أهبطت من الجنة
Menstruation began at the time of Hawwa after Allah send her down from Jannah.
And if it is like that, then the daughters of Adam are her daughters. And Allah knows Best”
And Allah Knows Best
Translated by
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
