How does the Bible view and treat women during their menses ?

How does the Bible view menses ? How does the Bible treat women who have menses ? In the Bible we read that a menstruous woman is unclean seven days and must be "put apart". The author of the Bible argues that whoever touches her is unclean. He also argues that the bed and furniture shall become unclean when touched by a women in her menses. This discriminating law can be found in the book of Leviticus [ the third book of the Pentateuch ] , Chapter 15, Verse 19-30:

And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. And if it be on her bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even. And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean. And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she shall be unclean. Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. And whosoever toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even. But if she be cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the Lord for the issue of her uncleanness. 1

Women become unclean during their menstruation which is normal. However it is abnormal to argue that everything they touch also becomes unclean ! Secondly it's very insulting to demand that women during their menses should not be touched and be "put apart" for seven days ! The Bible treats the women who are having their menses as a disease that men must stay away from ! After periods, women must offer not only a sin atonement but a burnt offering. The Bible specifies "two turtles or two young pegeons" , which must be taken to the priest. The priest then begs "an atonement for her before the lord for the issue of her uncleanness". Here we can clearly see how much the Bible discriminates women. In Leviticus 20:18 we can clearly see that menstruation is viewed or described as a "sickness" :

And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 2

The insults do not stop here. In the Book of Ezekiel a just man is described as:

But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, [And] hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, 3

So in order to be considered a lawful and just man, one must not "hath come near to a menstruous woman", and act put on par with lifting "up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel". It's obvious that the Bible dislikes menstruating women. In another passage [ lamentations 1:8-17 ] even women's bodies are denigrated:

Jerusalem hath "grievously sinned"; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward. Her filthiness [is] in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. O LORD, behold my affliction: for the enemy hath magnified [himself]. The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things: for she hath seen [that] the heathen entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command [that] they should not enter into thy congregation. All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul: see, O LORD, and consider; for I am become vile. [Is it] nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the LORD hath afflicted [me] in the day of his fierce anger. From above hath he sent fire into my bones, and it prevaileth against them: he hath spread a net for my feet, he hath turned me back: he hath made me desolate [and] faint all the day. The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, [and] come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into [their] hands, [from whom] I am not able to rise up. The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty [men] in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, [as] in a winepress. For these [things] I weep; mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed. Zion spreadeth forth her hands, [and there is] none to comfort her: the LORD hath commanded concerning Jacob, [that] his adversaries [should be] round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them. 4

The Jewish feminist Naomi Graetz comments:

Why do the prophets and rabbis need such myths and metaphors to depict their relationships with God ? What is gained by blaming the people for their female weaknesses ? ...The Prophets condemn men and use female sexuality to represent male sin, which humiliates them, by placing them in the inferior female position. 5

Notice how a woman's body is used to humiliate men for their sins. Women are clearly treated and seen as inferior human beings here with filth in their skirts during menstruation. As Muslims we consider the Prophets innocent of such insulting statements. Women's bodies are again denigrated in the Book of Ezekiel:

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. 6

Bible scholar John Gill in his classic commentary comments on this verse:

sin is of a defiling nature; it defiles the bodies and souls of men; it defiles their own, and it defiles others; it defiles a land, and the inhabitants of it, and makes them loathsome and abominable to a pure and holy God: "their way was before me, as the uncleanness of a removed woman": of a menstruous woman in the time of her separation; when she was debarred the company of her husband, and might not enter into the sanctuary of the Lord: this shows what an evil thing sin is, what an uncleanness it is in the sight of God, how abhorrent sinful ways are to him; and though he was the husband of these people, yet, because of their sins, he separated from them, and removed them from and out of their land, as not fit to be in his presence, nor to live there. 7

Notice how the uncleannes of a menstruous woman is used to describe the seriousness of the sins commited by the children of Israel [ against God in the past ]. So again female sexuality is used to represent male sin. The Bible moreover led Saint Jerome to the conclusion that nothing is so unclean as a woman in her periods:

Nothing is so unclean as a woman in her periods; what she touches she causes to become unclean. 8

John Shelby Spong moreover cites for us the view of one of the early church fathers on menstruation:

One of the early church fathers explained menstruation by suggesting that women were really castrated males and that the menstrual cycle was the way the female body, one each month, mourned its lost organ. 9

In Islam menstruation is seen as something natural and normal. Women who have their monthly periods in Islam are not considered unclean to a point where anything they touch becomes unclean as the Bible clearly states it. Our Prophet showed us that we can have normal relationships and contact with our wifes during their monthly periods. The Prophet abolished the biblical law of putting women apart for seven days during their menses. In Sahih Muslim we read that:

Thabit narrated it from Anas: "Among the Jews, when a woman menstruated, they did not dine with her, nor did they live with them in their houses; so the Companions of the Apostle [ may peace be upon him ] asked The Apostle [ may peace be upon him ] , and Allah, the Exalted revealed:" And they ask you about menstruation; say it is an 'Adha' [ a harmful thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is having her menses ] , so keep away from woman during menstruation" to the end [ Qur'an, ii. 222 ]. The Messenger of Allah [may peace be upon him] said: Do everything except intercourse. The Jews heard of that and said: This man does not want to leave anything we do without opposing us in it. Usaid b. Hudair and Abbad b. Bishr came and said: Messenger of Allah, the Jews say such and such thing. We should not have, therefore, any contact with them [ as the Jews do ]. The face of the Messenger of Allah [ way peace be upon him ] underwent such a change that we thought he was angry with them, but when they went out, they happened to receive a gift of milk which was sent to the Apostle of Allah [ may peace be upon him ]. He [ the Holy Prophet ] called for them and gave them drink, whereby they knew that he was not angry with them. 10

The Muslim men can still be loving and be near their wives and touch them too when their wives are having their monthly periods. Our beloved Prophet was romantic and intimate with his wifes during their monthly periods. He embraced and touched his wifes during their monthly periods. Many hadith proof this:

Aisha reported: "The Messenger of Allah [may peace be upon him] would recline in my lap when I was menstruating, and recite the Qur'an." 11

Aisha said: "If one of us was menstruating and the Messenger of Allaah [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] wanted to be intimate with her, he would tell her to wear an izaar [ sheet covering the lower-half of the body ] at the peak of her menstruation, then he would be intimate with her." 12

Abu Dawood narrated from 'Ikrimah from one of the wives of the Prophet [ peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him ] that when the Prophet [ peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him ] wanted to engage in any intimacy with one of his wives when she was menstruating, he would put a piece of cloth over her private part. 13

Aisha, the wife of the Apostle (may peace he upon him), reported:"The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) put out from the mosque his head for me as he was in I'tikaf, and I washed it in the state that I was menstruating" 14

E:

Umm Salama reported: "While I was lying with the Messenger of Allah [ may peace be upon him ] in a bed cover I menstruated, so I slipped away and I took up the clothes [which I wore] in menses. Upon this the Messenger of Allah [may peace be upon him] said: Have you menstruated ? I said: Yes. He called me and I lay down." 15

It is reported from 'A'isha that she observed: "When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was in I'tikaf, he inclined his head towards me and I combed his hair, and he did not enter the house but for the natural calls [ for relieving himself ] 16

Abu Huraira reported: "While the Messenger of Allah [may peace be upon him] was in the mosque, he said: O Aisha, get me that garment. She said: I am menstruating. Upon this he remarked: Your menstruation is not in your hand,and she, therefore, got him that." 17

H:

Aisha reported: "I would drink when I was menstruating, then I would hand it [the vessel] to the Apostle [may peace be upon him] and he would put his mouth where mine had been, and drink, and I would eat flesh from a bone when I was menstruating, then hand it over to the Apostle [may peace be upon him] and he would put his mouth where mine had been." 18

Being intimate by kissing, embracing, touching etc. parts that are above the navel and below the knee. This is permissible according to scholarly consensus. 19

Ibn Kathir in his tafseer on Surah 2:222 writes:

Abu Ja`far bin Jarir related that Masruq went to Aishah and greeted her, and `A'ishah greeted him in return. Masruq said, "I wish to ask you about a matter, but I am shy.'' She [ Aishah ] replied, "I am your mother and you are my son.'' He said, "What can the man enjoy of his wife when she is having her menses'' She [ Aishah ] said, "Everything except her sexual organ.''This is also the opinion of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, Al-Hasan and `Ikrimah. 20

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References and Notes:

[1]

The Bible, Leviticus 15:19-30 [ King James translation ]

[2]

The Bible, Leviticus 20:18 [ King James translation

[3]

The Bible, Ezekiel 18:5-6 [ King James translation ]

[4]

The Bible, Lamentations 1:8-17 [ King James translation ]

[5]

See: Naomi Graetz, "Jerusalem the Widown" , Shofar, Winter 1999

[6]

The Bible, Ezekiel 36:16-17 [ King James translation ]

[7]

See - http://studylight.org/com/geb/view.cgi?book=eze&chapter=036&verse=017 -

[8]

Quoted from marina Warner, "Alone of All Her Sex" , p. 76. See also: Barbara G. Walker, "The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets" p. 643

[9]

John Shelby Spong, "The Sins of Scripture" , p. 96 & 97

[10]

See: Muslim [302]

[11]

Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Menstruation, Book 003, Number 0591

[12]

See: Al-Bukhaari [302] and Muslim [2293]

[13]

See: Abu Dawood [272] , Al-Haafiz said: its isnaad is qawiy [strong] ; it was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in "Saheeh Abi Dawood" , 242

[14]

Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Menstruation, Book 003, Number 0584

[15]

Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Menstruation, Book 003, Number 0581

[16]

Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Menstruation, Book 003, Number 0582

[17]

Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Menstruation, Book 003, Number 0589

[18]

Translation of Sahih Muslim, The Book of Menstruation, Book 003, Number 0590

[19]

See: Sharh Muslim by al-Nawawi, and al-Mughni, 1/414

[20]

See: Tafseer Ibn Kathir Surah 2:222, see - http://www.theholybook.org/en/a.45761.html -