The majority of scholars have agreed that it is not permissible for a menstruating woman to stay in the mosque; rather, she is allowed to pass through it. This is the opinion followed by the four Imāms.

They base their ruling on the following evidence:

– The verse of the Qurʼān: “or in a state of Janābah,^[188] except those passing through [a place of prayer],” [An-Nisāʼ 4:43] Menstruation is considered more impure than sexual impurity (Janābah). A person in a state of Janābah can remove their impurity through ritual bathing (Ghusl), whereas for a menstruating woman, her purification comes with the cessation of her menstrual period, even if she performs ritual bathing before that.

– The verse of the Qurʼān: “And they ask you about menstruation. Say: “It is harm,”” [Al-Baqarah 2:222] We have also been commanded in the Qurʼān to remove any harm and impurity from mosques.

– The narration of the Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him) to ʽAāʼishah: “Get me the mat from the mosque,” and when she replied: “I was menstruating,” he said: “Your menstruation is not in your hand.” [Narrated by Muslim]. This Ḥadīth indicates that the Prophet affirmed something subtle that it is not permissible for her to remain in the mosque but allowed her to pass through in order to get the mat. If it were permissible for her to stay in the mosque at all times, he would have explicitly stated so.

However, it is important to narrow the scope of the prohibition here and restrict it only to the prayer area, not the entire mosque. The prohibition applies only to the space designated for congregational prayer. If a menstruating woman sits in a place in her home designated for prayer, she is not prohibited from doing so. Likewise, if she sits in an area in the mosque designated for eating, celebrating, or gathering, she is also not prohibited from doing so. This also applies to adjacent rooms connected to the mosque and places for services and work, even if they are part of the building.
Fatwa issued by Dr. Khālid Naṣr