Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
A woman who begins menstruating before performing Tawaf al-Ifadah should normally wait until she becomes pure, as this Tawaf is an essential pillar of Hajj. In cases of genuine necessity, some scholars permit performing it during menstruation under specific conditions.
Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
If a woman menstruates after completing all Hajj rites except Tawaf al-Ifadah, she should ideally wait for purity (ṭaharah) to perform this essential pillar of Hajj. The pilgrimage remains incomplete without it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) to delay her Tawaf until she was pure. The best approach is to stay in Makkah, perform ghusl, complete Tawaf al-Ifadah, and then fully exit Ihram.
However, in unavoidable necessity—like travel constraints or visa issues—some scholars, including Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim, allow performing Tawaf during menstruation. This concession requires genuine necessity, no possibility of delay, sanitary protection, and often an expiation (fidyah or dam).
Tawaf al-Ifadah is obligatory and usually needs purity; this concession is for extreme cases only. Leaving without completing Tawaf al-Ifadah invalidates Hajj. Female pilgrims should plan ahead and communicate with group leaders.
👉 Read also:
- Is Tawaf Al-Ifadah Part of Hajj?
- Sunnah Acts of Tawaf
- What If Wudu Breaks during Tawaf?
- What Is the Etiquette of Performing Tawaf?
- Is Tawaf Al-Wada` Required for `Umrah?
Almighty Allah knows best.