Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
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:
1- Some Muslim scholars state that Muslim women are permitted to take pills to stop menses during Hajj in order for them to be able to perform all the rituals uninterrupted.
2- The followers of this view state that the medication should be taken under the supervision of a reliable physician, and it should in no way harm the health of the woman.
3- Other scholars state that it is not necessary to suppress the menses, maintaining that controlling the menstrual cycle for the sake of Hajj and Umrah is not necessary.
Responding to your question on using pills to stop menses during hajj, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore states the following:
Menstruation is a natural process ordained by Allah, the Creator of human beings. Thus, there are certain wisdom, rationality, and benefits behind menstruation.
Among them is the production of progesterone and other female hormones essential for the well-being of a woman.
Suppressing these hormones may lead to certain undesirable side effects such as increased weight. Islam discourages inflicting harm on oneself and others.
Thus, it is better to avoid taking contraceptives unless necessary; controlling menstrual cycle for the sake of Hajj and Umrah is not necessary.
Umrah is not wajib; if it is ordained by Allah that a woman bleeds during her Umrah, then she should accept it with an open heart. Allah knows what is best for His servants. And Allah knows what is in her heart. And, in sha’ Allah, she would be rewarded for her good intention.
As for Hajj, it is not necessary to suppress the menses. Even the Prophet’s wife Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), bled during her Hajj with the Prophet.
All activities of the Hajj, except tawaf, can be performed by a menstruating woman. And this tawaf can be done any time after the first tahallul (going out of ihram). Thus there is plenty of time for the woman to do her tawaf.
But if she has taken the pills to suppress her periods, her acts of worship are still valid.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.