why are women's periods a religious problem?

Question

serious answers please. Why are muslim women banned from praying in the mosque when they are on their periods?

Answer 1

because all through time, women have been feared. Periods were said to be bad - a time when evil spirits entered the woman's body.

Old traditions that are sadly still strong in some places

Answer 2

Well, we dont know what women used during their period, at the time the Quran was revealed, or whether they used anything at all to avoid their menstrual flow falling down their legs or onto the floor.

Muslims must wash to pray and be clean, and because you put your forehead on the floor in prayer, you want to be sure that there is no menstrual fluid on the floor and you also would like to keep the floor clean at all times.

The period is one of discomfort for women and one can lose concentration or be distracted during prayer during the period..

Women are not necessarily "banned" but this is how some people describe any exemption from any activity, especially when trying to criticise Islam.

The fast is commanded as an "at home" form of worship but Muslims still go to work and school fasting and no one will say that those who work or travel or fall sick are banned from the fast.

Some women may suffer the effects of PMS even during the period and will accept exemption from prayer under those circumstances.

It is therefore not a religious problem as such but a natural set-back, if you wish to see it this way.

Thanks for your question. You are a thinker and this should serve to set some Muslims thinking more seriously about the commands of the Quran.

Answer 3

I don't know about Muslim women but God certainly does not ban any person - male or female - from praying to him at any time! Going to a mosque or a church need have nothing to do with praying. I would even dare to suggest that any woman could pray far more freely and without hindrance on her own, in the house (if the children are out, or asleep). God can be approached in prayer at any time of the day or night.

The 'religious problem' bit is more complex. Descendants of Abraham had rules about menstruation that were a real blessing to women. Their physical condition was 'allowed for' and they got a break from routine demands. Ritual purification (washing) after 7 days signified their 'return to normal duties'. Men without harems learned a bit of self-control in the process! In the law of Moses the point was all about differentiating between the 'clean' and the 'unclean'. Similarly, pork was 'unclean' as was touching a dead body. Blood represented life, and life was a sacred gift from God. Whilst menstruating, she could not conceive; the blood flow was taking away that ability from her. That's not a problem, it's a fact of life. Of course, men who want to lord it over women will look down on them for that. Godly men will respect the female monthly cycle.

A lot of rubbish has been said about sex being sinful, citing Adam and Eve. God commanded them to procreate BEFORE forbiding the eating of the fruit from one tree. Sex is a gift from God and, so treated, is not a sin.

Answer 4

Same reason as Orthodox Jewish married couples do not sleep in the same bed when the wife is menstruating.

It's all about Eve. When she "sinned" by eating from the Tree of Knowledge and got kicked out of The Garden of Eden, God punished all women to have to endure pain at childbirth. Ever since then a woman's period is seen as negative and a reminder of how we broke our promise to God. Even in the Old Testament, women who were menstruating had to go to the Red Tent for the duration.

And yes, Muslims do believe in the Old Testament--so it's still the same issue.

Answer 5

Goes back to Old Testament (Christian Bible) also called the Torah (Jewish). Because of sanitation issues at that time (no running water, toilets, etc), any kind of contact with blood (also dead bodies, dead animals, spoled food, etc.) made one "unclean". They were unable to participate, not just in religious services, but where not to be in crowds, in close contact with other people, etc. until they had washed away the blood, germs, etc. and were again "clean". The Laws of Moses provided rituals for cleansing from each of these. Such as a woman after her period was required to bath. (Hopefully, she bathed more than one a month - but that was not always the case at the time and in that culture).

The Jewish faith still holds that people (men and women) have to go through these rituals to be cleansed. Otherwise they are also not clean before God. Christians teach that because of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, be clean before God has moved from bodily rituals and contact with fluids to a pure heart. So while they still wash after contact with blood, dead bodies, and other possible sources of germs or disease for sanitication reasons, the contact is not considered to make them spritually impure. So a Christian woman can participate in all the Christian rites and services during her flow.

Muslims still hold with the Jewish teaching that something that makes the body "unclean" (such as a woman's flow) also makes the soul or spirit unclean.

I leave it to you to judge which believe makes the most sense.

Answer 6

Musim women are not banned! It is actually a mercy from God for them to rest at the time they are sick. If you where a woman you would know what I am talking about! Major cramps, hedaches, pain.... Do you think I would want to pray 5 times a day when I have such bad pain? On those days you are also not required to fast. Pain and Hunger are not a good combo my friend!

Answer 7

It goes back to the Old testament - remember Xtianity, Judaism and Islam all share the same Abrahamic root. The culture is which these myths and legends were recorded was sickeningly misogynistic. A woman on her period is considered unclean, and anything holy that comes into contact with her is tainted. It is part of the 'shame' women are supposed to be under.
Mad and weird, like most religion.

Answer 8

hey are not banned! They go to the mosque ofcourse. I do. You have to be clean when you pray. There are several things that break your wudhu (wudhu is the process cleansing yourself before you pray, you rinse ur mouth and wash your face and rinse your hands and feet etc) Sleeping breaks your wudhu, vomiting breaks your wudhu and excessive bleeding breaks your wudhu. therefore when a woman has her period she cannot pray because she is bleeding. Its that simple.

Answer 9

buddy, Smt SARADA DEVI ( spouse of Ramakrishna Parma Hamsa), Smt Kusuma ( Kusuma Harinath pair) , Shirdi Saibaba,Gnaneswar ji, and so on in modern or cutting-edge situations are some saints or rishis you are able to say. in olden days sarvasri Lopamudra, Ahalya, Gaargi, Anasuuya, Agaststya, Gowtama, Viswaamitra, vashista, Janaka, Atri, Jamadagni, Suteekshana, Agastya braata,Baaradwaaja, Valmiki, Vyas, shuka, sounaka , Rushya Shringa, Roma paada, astaavakra, Yaagnavakkya............and so on are a number of the stunning Brahmarshis and rishis. Their existence and teachings itself are the contribution to sanatana Dharma.If we can follow everyone completely which will teach us the objective. i imagine so.

Answer 10

I believe that this one, as many religious rules, were originally based on scarce knowledge of what was happening in the human body. The period was something mysterious then it generated fear. Don't forget that these rules were developed when science was not so advanced as today!!!