ALWAYS ZAYN

7'

Tomorrow is the day. . .

Nana stood tall in front of her students -females- looking at the throngs. Today will be her last day here and she wants to make most if it by talking about the topic every female will want to hear. They ask her to talk about Menstruation a long time ago but she said she wants to tackle more about it before transporting it to them. She is going to resign today and none of the students were happy about it, both male and female and even some of the teachers she doesn't talk to. She is kind of happy that she'll be missed but also sad. She loves them each in her own kind of way but half her deen is also calling out to her.

Her soon to be in-laws house which by the way is where she's going to live, is not close to her house nor the Islamic school so now she'll have to resign, she doesn't even know what to do. She has no other choice! She has accepted the marriage proposal two days after the day she prayed Istikharah and her answer was very clear. That night, she had a dream about him and another night then she find herself searching for him on social medias but didn't find him -or maybe because she doesn't know his last name and is afraid to ask her mother. Her mother was ecstatic and they set the date a month later.

"They're ready and we are more than ready, why wait?" Her mother had said when she told her about what happened when they set the date with some of the family members she doesn't know.

"But-" she was about to argue when her mother cut her off for the nth time that week, her mother can be very bossy when she wants to.

"There is this hadith I saw in your book once. Prophet (peace be on him) said, 'Three things should not be delayed; Salat when it's time comes, Burial when the funeral has arrived, and the marriage of a single a woman when a man of equal status has proposed.' You can't back out girl," her mother beamed before kissing her cheek and flaring away.

She's got her!

"We're ready, Mu'allimah (female teacher in Arabic)!" One of the students shouted from the back of the class. She smiled though her niqab before she starts to stroll around the class, roll by roll. The class has five rolls, each seat has space for two people and the class is very big making the students many also.

"Assalamu Alaikum!" She greeted, going back to the front of the class with her book in between her fingers. They all answer her taslim.

"As you all know, today, we're going to talk about menstruation. Feel free to ask me whatever question is it after I am done, don't be shy! We're all girls here." She chuckled when some of the girls squirmed. "I'll answer some of the questions that were asked earlier by your mates." She bow her head to her book to read the question aloud and repeat it twice before going to the next.

"What are allowed and what are not allowed for a woman to read on days when she is menstruating or having postnatal bleeding? More precisely, what are prohibited and permitted during these days?" She read the first question, making sure they're writing it before skipping to the answers.

"The following are the things that are prohibited for a woman on the days when she is menstruating or having postnatal bleeding: She cannot perform namaz (salat, ritual prayer). It is declared in a hadith-i sharif 'A menstruating woman cannot perform namaz' (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud).

"She cannot fast (narrated by our mother Hadrat Aisha) that fasts are not observed during menstruation and must be made up later while namazes that are not performed during menstruation are forgiven (Bukhari).

"She cannot read the Qur'an while touching it. It is declared in a hadith, 'A woman and a person who is junub (ritually impure person because of sexual intercourse or a semen discharge) cannot read the Qur'an Al-Karim.' (Tirmidhi).