Why Tampons are not Haram before Marriage for a Girl
C J Ahmed-011.03.2023
Using Tampons before marriage for a girl is not haram in Islam. Tampons are menstrual products like pads and are used to con troll the flow of menstrual blood in girls and women. Below are the two strong arguments proving why it is halal to use Tampons.
1. Tampons are Similar to sex toys and sex toys are halal in Islam
There is this wrong attitude by Muslims that Tampons are products that are inserted into the vagina and doing so could jeopardize the girl’s virginity due to the possibility of it sometimes tearing the hymen. First of all, the virginity cannot be checked on whether or not the hymen is broken because not all women have hymens and in some women, the hymen will never break eve n after sexual intercourse or penetration. The backward and tribal beliefs of some Muslims have led them to believe that it is disliked to put on Tampons. The use of Tampons is often compared to using sex toys such as dildos. Th e use of sex toys are not haram in Islam be it sex toys such as dildos and vibrators which are inserted into the vagina. Masturbation is not haram in Islam. Masturbation or Istimna is the stimulation of your own sexual organ to enjoy sexual pleasure. There are varying opinions among the four main schools of thought. Some completely forbid it while the others dislike it. When it comes to the textual sources of Islam which are the Quran and the authentic hadiths, the word masturbation is not mentioned. Islam is basically silent on masturbation and this clearly indicates that masturbation was never forbidden in Islam. M ost Muslims have started to regard masturbation as something that is wrong and sinful in Islam. There have been various fatwas by scholars among the Salaf who have mistakenly given their fatwa stating that masturbation is haram. All of these fatwas are based on one verse in the Quran which has nothing to do with masturbation. The verse is as follows,
"And those who guard their chastity. Except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, - for them, they are free from blame. But whoever seeks beyond that, and then those are the transgressors."
(Al Quran23.5-7)
The above verse in the Quran is taken out of context and has been used as proof to forbid masturbation. The verse quoted above only mentions about sexual relations between persons other than ones wives and slaves and masturbation is only a thing that you engage with yourself and not others. Imam Shafi was the first person to use this verse to argue that masturbation is haram and many others have blindly taken this position of his without scrutinising what he has said. If you observe the verse carefully, you would understand that there is no mention of the word masturbation being forbidden. the word" But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors." as being taken out of context and interpreted to mean that the masturbator is a transgressor as he is seeking something beyond what his right hand possesses. This verse only means about things what Allah (swt) and his Rasool (sal) have clearly explained in the Quran and Sunnah of what is sexual transgression. In the Quran and the authentic hadiths, what are mentioned as sexual transgression are adultery, fornication and homosexuality.
2. Even the women during the time of th e prop het (sal) used cotton to block menstrual blood
Tampons are generally made out of cotton because cotton has the ability to absorb liquid such as blood. There is authentic evidence to prove that the women among the sahaba were advised by the prop het (sal) to use cotton to block the menstrual blood. The below hadith mentions this,
Hamnah bint Jahsh menstruated at the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and she came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “I have a strong, prolonged flow of blood.” He said to her: “Block it with cotton.” She said, “It is greater than that. My blood gushes.” He said, “Consider yourself to be on your menses each month for six or seven days known to Allah, then do ghusl and pray and fast for twenty-three or twenty-four days. Delay Zuhr prayer and bring ‘Asr forward, and do ghusl for them. And delay Maghrib and bring ‘Isha forward and do ghusl for them. This is the more beloved of the two ways to me.” (Ibn Majah-Graded Hasan Sahih by Sheikh Albani)
It is clear that using Tampons is not haram in Islam irrespective of the girl or woman is married or not. Muslims should stop believing in backward ides such as hymen tearing and virginity and should only stick to the Quran and the authentic hadiths.
Using Tampons before marriage for a girl is not haram in Islam. Tampons are menstrual products like pads and are used to con troll the flow of menstrual blood in girls and women. Below are the two strong arguments proving why it is halal to use Tampons.
1. Tampons are Similar to sex toys and sex toys are halal in Islam
There is this wrong attitude by Muslims that Tampons are products that are inserted into the vagina and doing so could jeopardize the girl’s virginity due to the possibility of it sometimes tearing the hymen. First of all, the virginity cannot be checked on whether or not the hymen is broken because not all women have hymens and in some women, the hymen will never break eve n after sexual intercourse or penetration. The backward and tribal beliefs of some Muslims have led them to believe that it is disliked to put on Tampons. The use of Tampons is often compared to using sex toys such as dildos. Th e use of sex toys are not haram in Islam be it sex toys such as dildos and vibrators which are inserted into the vagina. Masturbation is not haram in Islam. Masturbation or Istimna is the stimulation of your own sexual organ to enjoy sexual pleasure. There are varying opinions among the four main schools of thought. Some completely forbid it while the others dislike it. When it comes to the textual sources of Islam which are the Quran and the authentic hadiths, the word masturbation is not mentioned. Islam is basically silent on masturbation and this clearly indicates that masturbation was never forbidden in Islam. M ost Muslims have started to regard masturbation as something that is wrong and sinful in Islam. There have been various fatwas by scholars among the Salaf who have mistakenly given their fatwa stating that masturbation is haram. All of these fatwas are based on one verse in the Quran which has nothing to do with masturbation. The verse is as follows,
"And those who guard their chastity. Except from their wives or (the captives and slaves) that their right hands possess, - for them, they are free from blame. But whoever seeks beyond that, and then those are the transgressors."
(Al Quran23.5-7)
The above verse in the Quran is taken out of context and has been used as proof to forbid masturbation. The verse quoted above only mentions about sexual relations between persons other than ones wives and slaves and masturbation is only a thing that you engage with yourself and not others. Imam Shafi was the first person to use this verse to argue that masturbation is haram and many others have blindly taken this position of his without scrutinising what he has said. If you observe the verse carefully, you would understand that there is no mention of the word masturbation being forbidden. the word" But whoever seeks beyond that, then those are the transgressors." as being taken out of context and interpreted to mean that the masturbator is a transgressor as he is seeking something beyond what his right hand possesses. This verse only means about things what Allah (swt) and his Rasool (sal) have clearly explained in the Quran and Sunnah of what is sexual transgression. In the Quran and the authentic hadiths, what are mentioned as sexual transgression are adultery, fornication and homosexuality.
2. Even the women during the time of th e prop het (sal) used cotton to block menstrual blood
Tampons are generally made out of cotton because cotton has the ability to absorb liquid such as blood. There is authentic evidence to prove that the women among the sahaba were advised by the prop het (sal) to use cotton to block the menstrual blood. The below hadith mentions this,
Hamnah bint Jahsh menstruated at the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and she came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “I have a strong, prolonged flow of blood.” He said to her: “Block it with cotton.” She said, “It is greater than that. My blood gushes.” He said, “Consider yourself to be on your menses each month for six or seven days known to Allah, then do ghusl and pray and fast for twenty-three or twenty-four days. Delay Zuhr prayer and bring ‘Asr forward, and do ghusl for them. And delay Maghrib and bring ‘Isha forward and do ghusl for them. This is the more beloved of the two ways to me.” (Ibn Majah-Graded Hasan Sahih by Sheikh Albani)
It is clear that using Tampons is not haram in Islam irrespective of the girl or woman is married or not. Muslims should stop believing in backward ides such as hymen tearing and virginity and should only stick to the Quran and the authentic hadiths.