“Ladies, I used to wonder why I would have to get my period in Ramadan. I would pray so hard for it just to miraculously not come. It felt so isolating not to participate in tarawih or fast and guilt which came with eating was real for me.
But as I studied Islamic scholarship, I realized that our greater communities put so much shame and guilt and anxiety on a natural, beautiful, critical experience. Being made to feel like your period coming at a time of heightened worship is not a curse nor a punishment- that toxic misconception is not from God or from Islam!
Your period is a blessing and a gift!
Aisha (r), more righteous than all of us women and men combined, got her period when she went to make Hajj with the Prophet (s). How devastated must she have been, after all of those years of waiting to make this journey, coming back into Mecca with the beloved of God (s) and His worshippers. And yet the Prophet (s) simply gently told her, “This is a thing which God has ordained for the daughters of Adam.” And then he guided her in the fiqh rulings of worship.
He (s) didn’t make her feel like she couldn’t participate, like she couldn’t reach God in this time, like every door of worship was closed to her. He told her, “So do what all the pilgrims do with the exception of the Tawaf round the Kaba” (Bukhari). He ensured she felt like she was still a part of her community’s Hajj experience, and that the small of which she didn’t participate in, she was taught what to do instead.
When you go through all of the ugh of menstruating, remember, “Whatever befalls a Muslim of exhaustion, illness, worry, grief, nuisance or trouble, even though it may be no more than a prick of a thorn, earns him/her forgiveness by God of some of his/her sins” (Bukhari). Your physical and emotional pain, it is not overlooked: it’s a means of forgiveness and your ranks raised.
You get your period in Ramadan because God knows it is the best for your body *and* He knows that not making Salah, not fasting, this submission is the best form of worship for you in this time.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us, “When a slave falls ill or travels, then s/he will get reward similar to that s/he gets for good deeds practiced at home when in good health.” (Bukhari).
You are rewarded for eating in Ramadan and nourishing your body when it’s vulnerable in this state. For resting and recharging your body instead of spending hours praying. You’re rewarded for the fasting and salah you would be doing if you could. And even if you don’t feel you need to eat or rest, you’re rewarded for simply submitting to His guidance.
It isn’t a punishment, a curse or a sign of God not accepting your prayers. It is a blessing, it’s a time to honor and nurture your mind and body, and with the right intention, every minute of it can be an act of worship.”
Credit: Via Ustadha Maryam Amir