Short answer
Carry on with every rite except tawaf: stand at Arafah, stay at Muzdalifah and Mina, stone and make dhikr. Delay tawaf al-ifadah until you are pure; in the Hanafi school there is no penalty for that delay. The farewell tawaf is dropped. If your period stops you finishing the umrah of tamattu before Arafah, Hanafi rules let you switch to Hajj.
A woman in menses does everything a pilgrim does except tawaf. Tawaf al-ifadah waits until she is pure, with no dam for delaying past the 12th. The farewell tawaf is dropped. A mutamatti'ah who cannot do her umrah's tawaf before Arafah leaves the umrah, enters Hajj, makes up the umrah later and owes a dam for leaving it.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- A woman who cannot finish her umrah before Arafah adds Hajj to it and becomes a qarin; she does not leave the umrah.
- Maliki
- She adds Hajj to her umrah and becomes a qarin.
- Hanbali
- She adds Hajj to her umrah and becomes a qarin.
Explanation
A'ishah got her period on the way to Hajj and wept. The Prophet ﷺ told her it was something Allah had decreed for the daughters of Adam, and to do everything the pilgrim does except tawaf of the House until she was pure. When Safiyyah got her period after tawaf al-ifadah, he asked if she had done that tawaf, and on hearing yes, let her leave without the farewell tawaf.
- Allowed: ihram, Arafah, Muzdalifah, Mina, stoning, dua and dhikr. Sa'i is allowed if it comes after a tawaf done while pure.
- Not allowed: tawaf and staying in the mosque.
- Tawaf al-ifadah: wait for purity and ghusl, then do it, even after the 12th, with no penalty (see delaying tawaf al-ifadah).
- Farewell tawaf: dropped (see tawaf al-wada).
- Tamattu before Arafah: in the Hanafi school, following A'ishah's case, she leaves the umrah, enters ihram for Hajj, does her Hajj, then performs the missed umrah afterwards and gives a dam.
The hardest case is a flight home before she becomes pure, with tawaf al-ifadah not done. Without it she stays bound by ihram with respect to her husband. Hanafi texts say a tawaf al-ifadah done in that state counts but is sinful and requires a badanah (a whole camel or cow), so scholars discuss it only as a last resort. This needs a mufti, ideally before you travel. Many women use medication to delay the period for Hajj; most scholars allow it if it is safe for you. See also umrah on your period.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:286
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًۭا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ ﴿٢٨٦﴾
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people."
Allah does not burden her beyond her capacity.
Sahih al-Bukhari 305
Sahih... افعلي ما يفعل الحاج غير أن لا تطوفي بالبيت ...
"Do everything the pilgrim does, except do not perform tawaf of the House."
A woman in menses does all the rites except tawaf.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1757
Sahih... أحابستنا هي قالوا إنها قد أفاضت قال فلا إذا ...
"Is she going to hold us back? They said she had done tawaf al-ifadah. He said: then no."
Once tawaf al-ifadah is done, the farewell tawaf is dropped for her.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Hajj, bab al-tamattu'. A mutamatti'ah who gets her period before Arafah leaves her umrah, like A'ishah.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hajj, bab al-jinayat. No dam for delaying tawaf al-ifadah because of menses; a badanah for doing it in menses.
- al-Mughni (Ibn Qudama), Kitab al-Hajj. The Hanbali view that she becomes a qarin.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.