WHY IS SEXUAL INTERCOURSE FORBIDDEN DURING MENSTRUATION?

Praise be to Allah.

Allah has forbidden men to have sexual intercourse with their wives during Menstruation.

Allah says in Glorious Quran:

“They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore, keep away from women during menses” [al-Baqarah 2:222]

From the above verse, it is clearly forbidden by Allah to do it and He, subhana-wa-taala has told us that it is harmful to both men and women.

Science has revealed some of the harms that are disclosed in this verse but they have not fully managed to describe all of them. In this article, we will try to discuss some of those.

Having intercourse with a menstruating woman must be avoided because it results in an increase in the flow of menstrual blood as the veins of the uterus are congested and prone to rupture. Hence, they get damaged easily and may result in injury. The walls of the vagina are also susceptible to injury so the likelihood of inflammation is increased. Also, mans penis can also be inflamed due to irritation caused during intercourse.

Having intercourse during menstruating is also off-putting to both the man and the woman because of the presence of blood and its smell. It may make a person uninterested in sex.

Dr. Muhammad al-Baar said, “speaking of the harm that may be caused to the menstruating woman: The lining of the uterus is shed during menstruation, and the uterus is scarred as a result, just like when the skin is flayed. So it is vulnerable to bacteria and the introduction of the bacteria that are to be found at the tip of the penis poses a great danger to the uterus.”

Hence we can conclude that the penetration of the penis into the vagina at the time of menstruation is the induction of germs at the time when the body is unable to fight them off.

Some doctors also believe that harm is not limited to the uterus and sexual organs but may be spread to other organs as well.

1. The spread of infection to the fallopian tubes, which may then become blocked, which in turn may lead to infertility or ectopic pregnancy, which is the most dangerous kind of pregnancy.

2. Infection may be spread to the urethra, bladder, and kidneys; Diseases of the urinary tract are serious and chronic in many cases.

3. An increase of germs in the menstrual blood, especially gonorrhea germs.

4. It may cause immense pain in the pelvic region in women as menstruation is accompanied by pains, the severity of which varies from one woman to another.

5. Many women suffer depression and stress during menstruation and intercourse may cause an increase in it.

6. Women’s sexual desire decreases and many women have no interest at all in sex during their periods. The entire reproductive system is in a state that is akin to sickness, so intercourse at this time is not natural and serves no purpose, rather it can cause a great deal of harm.

It is not the only woman who is affected by this rather men may also be affected by this action. It may cause infection which may result in sterility in men. The severe pains suffered as a result of this infection may be even worse than the sterility it causes.

And there are many other harmful effects, some of which have not yet been discovered, but Allaah has referred to them when He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say: that is an Adha (a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses), therefore, keep away from women during menses and go not unto them till they are purified (from menses and have taken a bath)”

[al-Baqarah 2:222]

Allaah has described it as adha, a harmful thing both for the wife and for the husband, and other harmful effects about which Allaah knows best.

Thus it becomes clear that the prohibition on intercourse at the time of menstruation is not just because of the blood, rather it is for many reasons as stated above.

However, it is permissible for a man to be intimate with his wife, without having intercourse (at the time of menstruation).

And Allah knows best.