A woman who is menstruating wishes to perform Hajj, what is she to do? Does she enter Ihram and make the Talbiyah for Hajj and ‘Umrah? Shaikh Rabee’ Ibn Hādi Al-Madkhali

Question: My wife is menstruating and she wishes to perform Hajj, what should she do? The questioner asked an imām (of the masjid) who told him: ‘There is no prohibition if she starts bleeding due to child-birth for her make ghusl (take a bath) and enter into Ihrām and then make the Talbiyah for Hajj or ʿUmrah – there is no problem in that.

Answer: This answer is correct just as this man has stated in his fatwa for you – his fatwa is correct. ʿA’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was menstruating and she entered into Ihrām. Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said to her: “Do whatever the pilgrim in Hajj does other than Tawāf of the House until you have made ghusl [after your menses has ceased].” (Bukhāri, no. 294, Muslim, no. 1211 from ʿA’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her)

Meaning, that menstruation does not affect her rites of Hajj, or her Ihrām except for the Prayer and Tawāf. Asmā bint ʿUmays gave birth to Muhammad Ibn Abī Bakr As-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with them) – so she asked the Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) what she should do. He responded: “Take a bath (ghusl) and bind a cloth over the area of bleeding, then enter into Ihrām.” (Muslim, no. 1218, An-Nasā’ee, no. 291 from Jābir Ibn ʿAbdillāh, may Allah be pleased with him)

The point is that he commanded her to enter the state of Ihrām – to take a ritual bath and then enter Ihrām. So, if a Muslim woman is menstruating and she wishes to perform Hajj, then there is nothing upon her except to take a bath and then make the Talbiyah for Hajj. However, when she arrives in Makkah, she does not make Tawāf of the House (i.e., the Kaʿbah).

So, if she becomes pure before going to ʿArafah (9th Dhul-Hijjah), she should make Tawāf of the House – but if she does not become pure, she participates in every rite of Hajj and every apparent act of Hajj except for Tawāf. Meaning, that she should stand at ʿArafah and her standing [in supplication] is correct, she spends the night in Muzdalifah and her night there is correct, she stones the Pillar, she sacrifices the animal (al-Hadyi) and so on. In this manner, she carries out all the outward rites of Hajj except the Tawāf [which she does once she is pure].

Ref: Majmooʿ Kutub was Rasā’il wa Fatāwā Fadeelah ash-Shaikh al-ʿAllāmah Rabeeʿ Ibn Hādi ʿUmayr al-Madkhali, 15/365-366.