Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

can we apply Henna while having our menstuation cycle? i have come to know that after applying henna in that period when you wash yourself or become pure at the end of the cycle, you are still considered as impure becoz the henna will still be on your hands. is that true? plz clarify. 

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Apply henna during menses

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

To the best of our knowledge, we have not come across any hadith in the authentic and established Sunnah which prohibits a believing woman from applying henna during her period of menstruation…..nor is there any reason to believe that the henna applied by the believing woman during her period of menstruation is impure after she has purified herself with a ‘ghusl’ from her menses!

 

A believing woman is at absolute liberty to apply henna whenever she wills and pleases, regardless of whether she is experiencing her menstruations or not!

 

Any person who declares or believes or informs you that it is forbidden in Islam for a believing woman to apply henna during her period of menstruation, or believes that just because she happened to apply henna during her menstruation she will remain impure even after she has purified herself should be asked to provide their proof and evidence for their restriction and prohibition from the Quran or the Sunnah…..and if they are not able to provide the evidence, and we assure you that there is none….know with absolute certainty that the prohibition and restriction is self-invented and a mere figment of their own imagination, and has nothing to do with the Guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah!

 

The only time a believing woman is specifically prohibited from applying henna is during her period of mourning at the death of her husband, which is for four months and ten days.

 

Umm Atiyyah reports that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "A woman should not mourn for any deceased person for more than three days, except in the case of her husband's death, which she must mourn for a period of four months and ten days. Such a woman (in mourning) is not to wear any (brightly) colored dress. She may wear only plain dress. During this period she should not use any adornment or eye makeup, nor wear any perfume, nor dye her hands and feet with henna.”

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan