Is it permissible for a menstruating woman to recite the Qur’an?

Scholars differ regarding a menstruating woman's recitation of the Quran:

- The majority of jurists hold that it is forbidden for a menstruating woman to recite the Quran during menstruation until she becomes pure. They made an exception for what is recited as a form of remembrance (dhikr) and supplication (du'a). They based their view on the argument that she is in the same ruling as someone in a state of major ritual impurity (junub), who is prevented by janabah (definition) from (touching) the Quran, and on the hadith (definition): "Neither the menstruating woman nor the junub person should recite anything from the Quran," which is a weak hadith.

- Some scholars, such as Malik and a narration from Ahmad chosen by Ibn Taymiyyah, held the view that it is permissible for a menstruating woman to recite the Quran. They argued that the default ruling is permissibility and there is no sound, explicit evidence that prohibits a menstruating woman from reciting. They also argued that preventing her would cause her to miss out on reward and might lead to her forgetting (the Quran), and that analogizing a menstruating woman to a junub person is an analogy with a significant difference.

As for a menstruating woman reading from the Mus'haf (physical copy of the Quran), the preponderant opinion is the prohibition of touching the Mus'haf for one who is in a state of ritual impurity (muhdith), based on the Almighty's saying: ﴿None touch it except the purified﴾ [Al-Waqi'ah: 79], and on the hadith: "None should touch the Quran except one who is pure." Therefore, if a menstruating woman wishes to read from the Mus'haf, she should hold it with something separate, or wear gloves, or turn its pages with a stick or a pen.