Case:
The reciting of the Qur'an by a menstruating woman either via direct
looking or silently (in her heart) without the actual uttering by the tongue is
permissible. The majority of the scholars are with the opinion that it is not
prohibited for her to utter the Qur'anic recitation. Imam Bukhari, Ibn Jareer At-
Tabaree and Ibn Al-Munthir, Imam Malik, and Imam Ash-Shaafi'ee (in one of
his earlier sayings) are with the opinion that it is permissible for her to recite the
Ayah (verse in the Qur'an).
Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymeeyah said: "Basically, there
is no Sunnah to prevent her from reciting Qur'an. The "hadeeth" that: "A
menstruating woman and the one who is in state of Jannabah* should not recite
anything of the Qur'an", is a weak hadeeth as agreed upon by the knowledgeable scholars of Hadeeth. In fact women at the time of the Prophet (SAAW) used to have their monthly cycles of menses.
Had the recitation of Qur'an been prohibited for them (as it is the case with Salat)
*Takbeer: saying Allahu Akbar (Allah is The Greatest); Tasbeeh: saying Subhana Allah (Most Glorified is Allah); Tahmeed: saying Al Hamdulil'lah: All Praise is due to Allah.
*Saheeh Al-Bukhari (Arabic-English) V.1, P.179, Hadeeth # 296.
*Agreed upon Hadeeth. In Saheeh Al-Bukhari (Arabic- English), V. 1, P. 192, Hadeeth # 321.
*Jannabah: Is the state in which a man (or a woman) has sexual discharge during sexual intercourse or in a dream, etc. In this state a Muslim is not allowed to pray or do other kinds of worships unless and until he (she) performs Ghusl (have a full shower) or do Tayammum if he/she cannot use water for any reason.*
then the Prophet (SAAW) would have made it clear to his Ummah (Islamic
community) and his wives would have known about it and they would have
dissipated this knowledge to the people. Because no one had related a prohibition by the Prophet (SAAW) about this issue, then it cannot be made unlawful especially when it is known that he (SAAW) did not prohibit it at the time when menses was very much present. Accordingly, recitation by the tongue is not Haram (legally unlawful).*This author said: "having known the dispute between the scholars about this matter, then it is more proper for the menstruating woman not to recite Qur'an by the tongue except when it is necessary e.g. if she is a teacher or if she is preparing for an exam."