Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * Why is fasting haraamfor menstruating women?

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We would like to know the reason why menstruating women do not fast even though fasting has nothing to do with impurity.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The believer has to submit to the ruling of Allaah and accept it even if he does not know the reason behind it; rather it should be sufficient for him that Allaah and His Messenger have commanded it. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allaah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed into a plain error”
[al-Ahzaab 33:36]
“The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to Allaah (His Words, the Qur’aan) and His Messenger , to judge between them, is that they say: ‘We hear and we obey.’ And such are the successful (who will live forever in Paradise)”
[al-Noor 24:51]
Secondly:
The believer should believe with certainty of faith that Allaah is Wise and that He does prescribe anything except in accordance with His ultimate wisdom, and He does not enjoin anything except that which is in people’s best interests and He does not forbid anything except to protect people from its harm and evil. How well Ibn Katheer put it inal-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah(6/79) when he said:
The law of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the most complete of laws; it did not leave any good thing that is recognized by the wise as being good but it enjoined it, and it did not leave any evil thing that is recognized by the wise as being evil but it forbade it. It has not enjoined anything of which people could say, ‘Would that this were not enjoined,’ and it has not forbidden anything of which people could say, ‘Would that this were not forbidden.’
We may understand the reasons, or they may be hidden from us, and most or part of them may be hidden from us.
Thirdly:
The scholars are unanimously agreed that it is forbidden for a menstruating woman to fast, and that she has to make up the days that she misses because of menstruation if that was an obligatory fast, as in Ramadaan.
They are also agreed that if she does fast, her fast is not valid. See question no. 50282.
The scholars differed as to the reason why the fast of a menstruating woman is not valid.
Some of them said that the reason is not known to us.
Imam al-Haramayn said: We do not know why her fast is not valid, because purity is not a prerequisite for it.
Fromal-Majmoo’, 2/386.
Others said: The reason why Allaah has forbidden menstruating women to fast at the time of their period is out of mercy towards them, because loss of blood weakens them and if a woman were to fast when menstruating, she would be weakened both by menstruation and by fasting, in which case fasting would be an unfair burden and may even be harmful.
Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said inMajmoo’ al-Fataawa(25/234):
With regard to menstruation we say:
Islam brings moderation in all things, and going to extremes in worship is a kind of unfairness that the Lawgiver forbids, and commands us to be moderate in worship. Hence Islam tells us to hasten breaking the fast and to delay suhoor, and it forbids continual fasting. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The best and most moderate of fasting is the fast of Dawood (peace be upon him). He used to fast alternate days and he would not flee when meeting the enemy.” Moderation in worship is one of the greatest aims of the Lawgiver. Hence Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“O you who believe! Make not unlawful the Tayyibaat (all that is good as regards foods, things, deeds, beliefs, persons) which Allaah has made lawful to you, and transgress not. Verily, Allaah does not like the transgressors”
[al-Maa'idah 5:67]
Forbidding permitted things is regarded as a transgression which goes against moderation. And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“For the wrongdoing of the Jews, We made unlawful for them certain good foods which had been lawful for them — and for their hindering many from Allaah’s Way;
161. And their taking of Ribaa (usury) though they were forbidden from taking it”
[al-Nisa’ 4:160]
Because they went astray, they were punished by being forbidden good things, unlike the ummah that follows the middle way, for whom good things are allowed and bad things are forbidden. As this is the case, the fasting person is forbidden to eat and drink things that strengthen him and nourish him, and he is forbidden to deliberately cause his body to eject things that may weaken him. Otherwise if he were allowed to do that, he would be a transgressor and one who goes to extremes in his worship, and he would not be moderate.
Things that come out of the body are of two types. The first type is those that are unavoidable or which come out in a manner that does not cause any harm. There is nothing wrong with these, like urine and stools, because they do not cause any harm and they cannot be avoided. If they need to come out, that does not harm a person, rather it benefits him; the same applies if a person vomits and cannot help it, or experiences a wet dream, which also cannot be helped. But if a person vomits deliberately and ejects the food and drink that give him nourishment, or masturbates accompanied by feelings of desire … and the menstruation that causes blood to flow. A menstruating women can fast at a time other than the times when she is bleeding, because then she will be fasting at a time when she is in a good state, when she is not losing blood which gives strength to the body. Fasting at the time when she is bleeding would weaken her physically and would mean that she is fasting at a time when she is not in a good state, so she is commanded to fast at times other than menstruation.

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Menstruation and Post-Natal bleeding, - Dought& clear, - * Her period comes twice a month – should she stop praying and fasting each time?

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I have some health problems and my period comes twice each month, and lasts for seven to ten days each time. How should I fast in Ramadaan, and how should I pray?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The ruling depends on the reason for it; if the reason is present, the ruling applies. If there is menstrual blood which is known by its characteristics and colour, then the woman must follow the rulings on menstruation, and prayer, fasting and intercourse are forbidden at that time, even if it happens more than once in a month and even if it lasts more than the usual number of days each month.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about a woman whose period came, then she became pure and did ghusl, then after she had prayed for nine days, she started to bleed again, so she did not pray for three days, then she became pure and prayed for eleven days, then her period came again as usual. Should she repeat the prayers she offered during those three days or should they be regarded as part of her period?
He replied:
When the period comes it is hayd (menstruation) regardless of whether a long time or a short one has passed between it and the previous period. If a woman has her period then becomes pure, then after five days, or six, or ten, her period comes again, she should stop praying because this is hayd. This applies all the time. Every time she becomes pure then her period comes again, she has to stop praying etc. But if she bleeds continually and it only stops for a short while, then she is mustahaadah (one who suffers from istihaadah or non-menstrual vaginal bleeding), and in that case she should only stop praying for the duration of her normal menses.
Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 11 Shawwaal 230.
And Allaah knows best.

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