Question:
Assalamualaikum, I’m going to hold my wedding reception at a set date. However, I’m concerned that I would not be able to perform my prayer to attend to the invited guests, at the same time it will be a hassle to remove the makeup (that is paid for). Furthermore, the time for Zuhur prayer is in the middle of the ceremony. Thus, I plan to take pills that would delay my menstruation so that I will have my period on the day of the ceremony. My question is, what is the ruling of me taking the pill for this reason?
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wbt,
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
We will start by stating that between the rights of Allah SWT and the rights of creations, then the rights of Allah SWT are the obligatory priority. The Prophet PBUH said:
إنَّ لِرَبِّكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، ولِنَفْسِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا، ولِأَهْلِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا
"Your Lord has a right on you, your soul has a right on you, and your family has a right on you;”
Sahih al-Bukhari (6139)
Prayer is the rights of Allah SWT and is obligatory to be fulfilled regardless of the situation except when a person is menstruating. While, for wedding receptions ceremony, it is related to the rights of individuals of which can be arranged by the person herself and her family.
Furthermore, when considering the situation of the questioner, the main reason of taking pills to plan her menstruation cycle is to avoid having to perform prayer which would affect the makeup applied for the ceremony. The question is, is the intention of taking pills to purposely plan one’s menstruation cycle to avoid having to perform prayer so that her makeup isn’t ruined an excuse accepted by syara’? Thus, we will explain the intention issue of taking pills to plan the menstruation cycle and the circumvention issue (hilah) used to achieve the purpose.
Intention
Intention according to Ibn Abidin is the purpose of obedience and getting closer to Allah SWT through one’s actions. (See Rad al-Mukhtar, 105/1). The intention of a person is important to evaluate each of his action and determine the purpose of worship. From Umar bin al-Khattab RA, I heard the Prophet PBUH said:
إِنَّمَا الأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَاتِ وَإِنَّمَا لاِمْرِئٍ مَا نَوَى
“(The value of) an action depends on the intention behind it. A man will be rewarded only for what he intended. “
Sahih Muslim (1907) and Sahih al-Bukhari (1)
The wisdom from the hadith is that good intention and sincerity only towards Allah SWT will be rewarded based on the intention of a person. (See al-Wafi fi Syarh al-Arba’in al-Nawawi yyah (14)). The intention is what differentiates whether the worship is accepted or rejected by Allah SWT. An act performed only for worldly benefit and boasting is unbeneficial.
The same is stated in an Islamic legal maxim:
الأَمُوْرُ بِمَقَاصِدِهَا
“Every matter is evaluated based on its purpose.”
Coming back to the issue of the intention of taking pills to avoid from the responsibility of performing prayer, it is more of just an excuse of custom based on the pressures of society and a great deviation from the true meaning of worship.
Circumvention (Excuse/Hilah)
Among the meanings of hilah الْحِيلَةُ is the competency of managing certain matters, such as artfully or cleverly changing something in order to achieve his goal or purpose. (See: al-Mausuah al-Fiqhiyyah al-kuwaitiyyah 2/101), See: al-Hiyal; 109). According to 4th Edition of Kamus Dewan, helah means deception, trick, circumvention, and made-up excuses. Jurists divided hilah into two categories; permissible and impermissible hilah.
Permissible hilah, it is practised with good intention and defending the truth. The use of hilah should not contradict the syara’ and maqasid Syariah. Hilah in accordance with syara’ is accepted by the majority of jurists. (See Mausuah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah 18/330)
Impermissible (haram) hilah is when it is used to achieve purposes that contradict syara’ and involving syubhah (doubtful) matters, such as abrogating or changing the rulings of syara’ by neglecting the wajib and permitting the haram which contradicts maqasid Syariah. [(See: al-Mausuah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah 18/330), (See: Muwafaqaat 3/578)]. For example, a person finds an excuse to avoid from performing the obligation of prayer, fast and zakat or finds reasons for something that is prohibited for him such as drinking wine when the time of prayer begins until the time for prayer ends. [See: Muwaafaqaat (3/106-107)]
Coming back to the issue of taking pills to plan one’s menstruation cycle with the excuse that it will be hard for her to remove her makeup to perform the ablution for prayer, then it is considered as impermissible hilah (excuse) that is prohibited. The reason is it is a person’s way of finding excuses to avoid performing the obligation of prayer. Furthermore, the reality of makeup for a bride is to showcase her beauty on her wedding day ceremony and this is a contradiction of syara’ What should be considered carefully is that a bride should avoid from tabarruj. Imam al-Syaukani said that al-tabarruj is showcasing and displaying (her beauty and adornment) for the eyes of others (to look at). (See Fath al-Qadir, 4/61). Allah SWT states:
وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَى
“And abide in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance.”
Surah al-Ahzab (33)
Syeikh al-Maraghi stated in his book that the prohibition of showcasing a woman’s beauty and adornment to men is practised by previous women in the times of ignorance. (See Tafsir al-Maraghi, 22/6)
However, Islam does not deny the natural desire of a woman to want to be beautiful, especially on her wedding day. Thus, minimal and natural makeup is permitted by syara’.
Hence, the use of medication to plan for one’s menstruation cycle such as pills, injections or devices inserted into the vagina must be in accordance with the purpose of Syariah.
Conclusion
To conclude, according to the above-presented discussion and arguments, the use of medication to plan for a person’s menstruation cycle with the intention to avoid performing obligatory prayer with the excuse of maintaining her makeup on her wedding day is prohibited. The reason is, both the intention and excuse are not accepted by syara’ and a violation of the rights of Allah SWT who has obligated His slaves with the worship of prayer. Marriage is one of the commandments in Islam, thus the ceremony for it should also be held in accordance with Syariah so that it will be a blessed ceremony. Thus, we advise everyone to prioritize the commandments of religion over worldly matters. However, there is another alternative for brides which is to choose a date where her menstruation is expected. Although, this must be agreed by both the bride and groom for after marriage, the husband has a right upon his wife. At the same time, this does not mean that it is permissible for the bride to put on heavy makeup (tabarruj) for her wedding reception in front of other ajnabi. The reason is excessive adornment (tabarruj) for a wife is only for her husband.
Lastly, we pray that Allah SWT will grant us all the correct understanding in this religion and guide us so that we are able to practise all His commandments.