Question:
After menstruation stops, must a woman perform ghusl before engaging in marital relations?
If we compare two Tamil translations of Qur’an 2:222 — one translation says: “Do not approach them until they become pure. When they become pure, go to them as Allahﷻ has commanded you.”
Another translation adds: “When they become pure and bathe, then go to them…” You are asking: Which translation is correct? What does the Qur’anic verse actually say?
Answer:
The Arabic wording of 2:222 does not contain the word “bathe” (ghusl). It says: “Do not approach them until they become pure (ḥattā yaṭhurna). When they become pure (fa idhā taṭahharna), then go to them as Allahﷻ has commanded you.”
There is no explicit word meaning “bathe” in the verse. So, a translation that inserts “after bathing” is not translating a word present in the verse — it is adding an interpretation.
My translation — “when they become pure” — follows the literal wording of the verse.
What does “becoming pure” mean? “Becoming pure” in this verse refers to:
️ The cessation of menstruation; Not the act of bathing itself. Menstruation is described as a harm (adha). When the bleeding stops, the state of impurity ends.
So:
- During menstruation → husband must not approach
- When menstruation stops → she is pure
- Then marital relations become permissible
The verse itself does not make ghusl a condition for marital intimacy.
Is ghusl obligatory after menstruation? Yes — but for prayer, not for intimacy.
This is clarified in a hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 320), where the Prophetﷺ told Fatimah bint Abi Hubaysh:
“When menstruation comes, leave the prayer. When it ends, wash (perform ghusl) and then pray.”
Notice carefully: The command to bathe is connected to prayer. When is ghusl obligatory? Ghusl becomes obligatory when:
- One wants to pray
- One wants to resume acts requiring ritual purity
It is not required for:
- Eating
- Drinking
- Dhikr
- Normal daily activities
- Even marital relations (after bleeding stops)
Just like:
If a husband has intercourse and becomes in need of ghusl — he may eat, sleep, or do other activities before bathing. Ghusl becomes obligatory only when prayer time comes. The same applies here.
Why do some scholars say ghusl must happen before intimacy?
Because they interpret “becoming pure” as bathing. But linguistically: The verse only mentions purity (cessation), not bathing. Adding “after bathing” into the translation is an interpretive addition — not a direct translation.
Conclusion
- The Qur’anic wording does not explicitly require bathing before marital relations.
- “Purity” in the verse refers to menstruation stopping.
- Ghusl becomes obligatory for prayer — not for intimacy.
- Therefore, inserting “after bathing” into the translation is interpretive, not literal.
Ghusl becomes obligatory for prayer — not for intimacy. Therefore, my translation that sticks to: “When they become pure…” is closer to the actual Arabic wording.