Verse 222 of Surah Al-Baqarah in the Holy Quran addresses the subject of menstruation and its related rulings in marital relations. As one of the pivotal verses in Islamic jurisprudence, it pays special attention to social and familial issues pertinent to women. This treatise, adopting a scientific and systematic approach, examines this verse alongside associated topics in the form of interpretive lectures. The objective is to provide a comprehensive and specialised analysis of the verses content and related discussions, preserving all nuances and meanings, structured in an elevated manner suitable for an academically proficient audience. The works architecture is designed to prevent dispersal by categorising subjects into defined sections, offering a coherent exposition of rulings, ethics, and social matters concerning women.
Verse 222 of Surah Al-Baqarah is situated within a collection of verses that respond to peoples inquiries on various issues. This verse and the subsequent one (223) specifically concern womens matters in marital relations with their husbands, and not familial relationships such as those involving mothers, sisters, or maternal aunts. This question-and-answer structure constitutes a pedagogical method employed by the Holy Quran to clarify ambiguities and elucidate rulings. The verses focus on conjugal relations signifies the importance of this subject within the Islamic social system and reflects divine wisdom in addressing sensitive and natural matters related to women with dignified and precise language.
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْمَحِيضِ ۖ قُلْ هُوَ أَذًى فَاعْتَزِلُوا النِّسَاءَ فِي الْمَحِيضِ ۖ وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىٰ يَطْهُرْنَ ۖ فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
Translation: They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: It is a harm; so keep away from women during menstruation and do not approach them until they have purified themselves. Then, once they have purified themselves, come to them from where Allah has commanded you. Indeed, Allah loves those who repent and loves those who purify themselves.
This verse responds to a question about menstruation with clear and dignified language. By describing it as a harm (أَذًى), it alludes to the natural and necessary aspect of this phenomenon. The injunction to distance oneself from women during these days is not due to impurity but rather to preserve their physical and psychological well-being. The emphasis on purity and repentance at the verses conclusion reveals divine wisdom in safeguarding human dignity and spiritual health.
The Holy Quran, when addressing sensitive matters such as menstruation, employs a combination of explicitness and allusion to provide clear instruction while maintaining decorum and refinement. This method contrasts with Eastern cultures, which, due to excessive emphasis on modesty, concealed such issues leading to ignorance; and Western cultures, which, through immodesty, breach sanctities. The balanced and scholarly approach of the Quran resembles a gentle breeze rustling through the branches of knowledge, simultaneously imparting awareness and preserving reverence.
In some traditional religious societies, excessive emphasis on modesty sometimes resulted in concealment and ignorance, depriving especially young women of awareness about natural phenomena like menstruation. This ignorance occasionally led to irrational fears and even severe psychological harm, including suicide among young women. Conversely, Western cultures, by promoting awareness without safeguarding boundaries, have fostered immodesty and shamelessness. The Holy Quran, akin to a beacon amid these two extremes of darkness, demonstrates a middle path encompassing both knowledge and chastity.
In certain religious communities, misinterpretations of modesty have caused the neglect of essential teachings regarding issues like menstruation, leading to ignorance and social harms. Historical reports indicate that some young women, unaware of menstruation as a natural phenomenon, regarded it as something abnormal and terrifying, sometimes resorting to tragic acts such as suicide. This harm was the consequence of neglecting instruction on rulings and natural phenomena under the guise of modesty.
Contemporary relative awareness regarding marital matters and menstruation in Islamic societies owes more to Western cultural influences, which, despite immodesty, have increased awareness. This influence, akin to a breeze from foreign lands, while beneficial in raising awareness, lacks complete compatibility due to absence of religious roots and at times contradicts Islamic values. This reality underscores the necessity to develop an Islamic educational system that is both enlightening and respectful of religious principles.
Experience from teaching Islamic rulings in deprived areas such as the villages of Kermanshah reveals the profound ignorance among people, especially women, regarding fundamental rulings like ritual bathing and menstruation. In this experience, a simple treatise was compiled and repeatedly taught by a young girl, effectively conveying rulings to the populace. This approach, like sowing a seed in fertile soil, illustrates the impact of simple and appropriately tailored education.
Generally, religious scholars have paid insufficient attention to issues of cleanliness, awareness, and hygiene, focusing primarily on abstract discussions. This neglect, like dust settling on the mirror of knowledge, has left people uninformed about essential rulings such as menstruation. This critique underscores the urgent need to reform religious education programs with an emphasis on practical rulings.
Verse 222 and subsequent verses, including verse 223 (Your women are a tillage for you), along with verses related to divorce and oaths, address marital issues and related rulings with admirable order and dignity. This structure, akin to a harmonious melody, prevents cognitive overload of the audience and provides instruction with appropriate spacing.
نِسَاؤُكُمْ حَرْثٌ لَكُمْ فَأْتُوا حَرْثَكُمْ أَنَّىٰ شِئْتُمْ ۖ وَقَدِّمُوا لِأَنْفُسِكُمْ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ مُلَاقُوهُ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Translation: Your women are a tillage for you; so come to your tillage as you wish, and send forth [righteousness] for yourselves. And fear Allah and know that you will meet Him. And give good tidings to the believers.
This verse, by likening women to a tillage, refers to their vital role in continuing the lineage and preserving the family system. The emphasis on piety and the meeting with Allah serves as a guiding light for observing divine limits in marital relations.
Islamic narrations, such as the hadith stating: Frequent intimacy with women kills the heart, highlight the psychological impact of marital relations. The Holy Quran, by measured articulation of rulings, akin to
