Sheikh Zoubir Bouchikhi, Imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston’s Southeast Mosque, states: “Whoever considers the women during their menstruation or post-natal bleeding ‘unclean’ is ignorant about Islam and its beautiful teachings. The reason why Islam prohibited women from praying and fasting during their menstruation is for their own good. Islam gives women a break every month because of the tremendous hardship they endure due to the changes in their hormones, but no Muslim scholar said that they are unclean.
Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told his wives and the wives of the believers, therefore to all the Muslim women not to pray or fast during menstruation wherein he said: ‘If a woman is in her period, then she can neither pray nor fast.’ But, whoever thinks that women are prohibited from praying and fasting during menstruation because they are unclean is totally wrong; it is rather for the good of women and for their health not to fast nor pray.