Imam Earl Abdulmalik Mohammed, leader in the society of Muslim-Americans (People of Imam W. Deen Mohammed), Addresses Women's Concerns in Faith
May 7, 2019
As-Salaam Alaikum.
An important question was asked of me today from a female about female concerns. At first I did not want to share the answer with all of you because the question was private. But the answer is too important to remain private, but I am protecting the privacy of the person that is asking. It is for those who are with me and your families and persons trusted by you. It is a sensitive matter, and most people who have not been introduced to correct knowledge will not appreciate it fully because they are products of ritual thinking and they are not free.
To the questioner, I thank you for your questions. I will not use your name here because I want to share my answer with the men, too. I am answering these questions for you specifically, but also in a way that you can share them with people you know and trust. Maybe, when I am released you can help arrange a sister's meeting where I will address some of these matters. Your questions, and the answers I am giving you, are liberation for the thinking of women and their understanding in the religion. What you will be introducing to them will mean a great change in their lives. It will be a reformation in their lives, and therefore it can create problems for those who don't understand or don't want to understand, or those who have a corruption in their hearts and their thinking. Therefore, guard what I am telling you here. I am speaking here as I would to my own daughters or a wife. It is the teaching of the Mujeddid-Mahdi, the Guided-Reformer -Imam W. Deen Mohammed, and I am his understanding and voice in this world now. Hear him in my words:
QUESTION: Is it ok for a woman to fast and pray while she is on her period?
ANSWER: This is a very important question. It is not only the woman, as an individual, that al-Islam is addressing. And you are asking this question as one woman, and to know what your Lord-Creator is asking. In no instance is the Holy Qur'an addressing the woman, the female, as only one individual woman. It is addressing women as a womb for man in the moral and intellectual development for man's society. Not 'man' as a male, but 'man' as a human mind. Whenever you read the Qur'an and you see a reference to a woman it is to bring your attention to the systems or environment that forms the human mind for its function in and to uphold human society.
So, Allah says that the flow of blood that we understand to be the menstrual cycle, is an illness and disturbance. An illness and disturbance? And that the mate should not approach her. This is a natural process that Allah has made, but here is the Lord-Creator referring to it as an illness and disturbance. The blood flow is a Sign of something in the womb that forms man's mind, that He is describing as a discomfort in the function of that womb. And that man should not approach. What man? The husband, the natural mate. The natural mate for the womb. That is man's mind. His thinking for the good health of the society should not approach the blood flow. The womb is created to hold and nourish the life, and the blood flow that comes monthly like the new moon is a disruption in the order of the womb. But, it happens normally. It happens as a consequence of the life-germ in the female not coming into contact with the life-germ of the male. It is an alert that the womb of society is without the suitable mate and its function is not fulfilled. The suitable mate cannot mate with the womb in that condition. Children of ignorance who grow up with no respect for human life are formed from the womb that is pushing blood out. And the blood flows. Where do we see blood flowing in human society? When the human life is not respected for its true purposes. Where do we see blood spilt? In wars, injustices, strife, etc.
This blood flow happens monthly, and the months are exact according to the pathways or phases of the moon. The moon is a very strong Scriptural symbol for the condition and types of knowledge manifesting and influencing man's world. So, this turbulence in the womb happens consequentially in the life of human society. The blood flow happens as a consequence of something not happening in that womb. Human societies are always struggling to come to the right balance, where the female urge (womb of man) and male urge (mind of man) are at peace and functioning so new life is developing. But when the new life is not developing, there is the flow of blood. When the true human society is not functioning properly, there is the spilling of blood. So, Allah shows us this great Sign in the monthly courses of the woman. He shows us this great Sign in your individual female body.
So, the Prophet said that the blood flow does not separate you from the obligation of prayer, it separates you from the prayer congregation. Even a male who is bleeding has to stop the blood flow before he can join the congregation in prayer. There is no wudu or purification ritual with a constant blood flow. The blood flow is to alert the society of the need for the discipline of prayer and the need for the discipline of fasting. When the woman is asked not to fast or pray during her cycle isn't that drawing attention to her condition? Someone might say "Sister So and So, this is Ramadan. Why aren't you fasting?" Is she elderly? Is she ill? Oh, she must be on her menstrual cycle. So, your condition is not hidden from the sight of the people. Your condition is known because you are not fasting. This is what Allah wants to show us. Those engaged in war and spilling blood don't have their mind on praying and fasting. Their mind is on spilling blood. Their minds are on increasing the blood flow to win the war. They are separated from prayer and fasting because of what they are engaged in. But why is Allah showing us this with the female? Because the society that is being ripped apart by war, is supposed to be the womb for the healthy human mind. How can the healthy human mind develop properly from that condition of constant strife?
The Prophet said that if a woman has a continuing cycle -a constant blood flow, then if she is able to stem the flow of blood, she can pray as normal. So, then we see that it is not the menstrual cycle in the individual woman that is an illness, it is the spilling of blood that is preventing the normal function of the mating of the human mind (male urge) with the natural environment (female urge) Allah created. Trouble in the thinking of man that has created conditions which do not favor the development of the proper human thinking are creating the situation for war and strife. If the blood flow is controlled then the obligation for prayer remains. Also, the Prophet said that the woman on her cycle should make up the fasts she misses, but she does not have to make up the prayers. She is excused from the prayer. Why? Because her cycle itself is Guidance, as I have described here. The menstrual cycle is a Sign, and the Signs of Allah are the Ayaats or Verses of Guidance. The prayers are the recitation of the Verses or the Signs, the Guidance. It is recitation of the Qur'an in the Prophet's tradition. The Qur'an and the Prophet's tradition are Guidance. The Prophet's tradition teaches us the recitation of the Qur'an. So, those who say the Sunnah is not purity are wrong. Dead wrong. The Sunnah is purity, and we would not have the Qur'an in the proper discipline without seeing Muhammed. You who want to say the only pure is the Qur'an do not have correct language. Allah revealed purity upon and for purity. Man's pure state was created by Allah so that He could reveal to it. Muhammed is human life in its perfect nature and pure state. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the nature in its perfect and pure state. It is the perfect nature of Adam that G'd established the whole destiny of man upon. The Sunnah is the stretch of time where man reaches his purity in Muhammed.
So, why does the woman have to make up the fasts? Because the fasting is the teaching of the discipline of self-restraint. To restrain human life for the purpose of making honorable, decent choices. To discipline the thinking. After the blood flow of war and strife, human society must discipline and guard its thinking. It must correct the focus of its thinking. It must fast from the influences that brought on the condition for the blood being spilled in the first place. It must restore its proper thinking and orientation.
As an individual female, you must appreciate that Allah has made you a Sign. So, now, with this understanding you are free to choose your way. This is why Imam W. Deen Mohammed said that a pregnant woman can fast. Her womb is full of the new life, and in fasting she is teaching and influencing the new life that has been placed there as a consequence of the mating of the male and female urge, to discipline his/her thinking and protect his/her world. We are not speaking of the physical restraint from eating and drinking calories. She is not fasting from that. She needs those physical calories. We are speaking of disciplining what influences she is taking in that is symbolized as eating and drinking and digesting. The new life is forming in the environment she is responsible for. So, it is a disciplined environment, free of the toxins in the world. And she breaks her fast with purity only -dates or water. She breaks her fast with the calories of the date -the Prophet's choice of food from the earth. She breaks her fast with Muhammed's diet.
There is much here. I know you will appreciate it. Allah has made you free to choose with faith and intelligence. This understanding will free you, and your children who come up under this thinking.