( وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الْمَحِيضِ ۖ قُلْ هُوَ أَذًى ) (And they ask you about menstruation. Say, “It is harm…): The answer to this question about menstruation is “harm” because the Jews and polytheists pre-Islam used to insult the woman and never considered her as having rights or opinion. Islam, however, has honored humans and women. This question (And they ask you about menstruation.): Meaning, is it allowed for a man to approach his wife during the menstruation? What is the rule with respect to menstruation? The Jews used to prevent women during menstruation from eating from the same dish with them since they used to consider them as impure so they keep them away from everything. Some others did not stop the sexual intercourse with women during menstruation. That’s why we have a question about the same issue here, and the answer reflects the value and greatness of Islam and how it elevated the women’s position through this question: (And they ask you about menstruation. Say, “It is harm,). First of all, it is harm irrespective of what menstruation or menstrual blood is. The menstrual blood gathers at the wall of the womb to prepare it for conceiving. It is meant for nourishing the embryo and it stops when the woman conceives. However, when the woman is not pregnant, the blood expires and goes out. Thus, it is harmful for both the man and the woman. So, the rule starts with stating that menstruation is “harm.”
( فَاعْتَزِلُوا النِّسَاءَ فِي الْمَحِيضِ ) (so keep away from wives during menstruation…): A man shouldn’t have intercourse with his woman during menstruation. Why? Because the woman has emotions and feelings, and the blood goes out of her causing her fatigue and a certain neurological and psychological status due to that physiological process. During that period, the man should honor his wife by not having intercourse with her in order not to bother her and not to harm her (the man and the woman). The woman should be honored and highly regarded by her husband.
( وَلَا تَقْرَبُوهُنَّ حَتَّىٰ يَطْهُرْنَ ۖ فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ ۚ ) (And do not approach them until they are pure. And when they have purified themselves, then come to them from where Allah has ordained for you…): You must not have intercourse with them (until they are pure.) (And when they have purified themselves,). So, there is a difference between the two conditions; (until they are pure.) means that the menstrual blood stops, and (And when they have purified themselves,) refers to that they have washed themselves.
( فَإِذَا تَطَهَّرْنَ فَأْتُوهُنَّ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَكُمُ اللَّهُ ۚ ) (And when they have purified themselves, then come to them from where Allah has ordained for you….): Come to them from where pregnancy happens.
( إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ ) (Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves.): Islam is the religion of cleanliness and purity: you wash your face, hands, legs, ears and head five times a day. Yet, you find Muslims not caring much about the cleanliness ordered by Islam in their places and streets. Ablution, purity and purifying are all about cleanliness, a cleanliness of the appearance that matches the inner cleanliness. There is appearance and heart, and when the latter is clean, the former should be clean as well and not dirty. This is the answer by Allah (swt), indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves. Allah (swt) loves the repentant and the one who purifies and keeps his inward and outward clean.