Women making up missed Salah (prayers) due to menstruation

Question: Are women required to make up missed Salah (prayers) due to menstruation?

Praise be to Allah

Summary:
Women are not required to make up the obligatory prayers missed during menstruation. This is a consensus in Islam, as menstruation is considered a natural occurrence, and the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed that women are exempt from both fasting and prayer during this time. While missed fasts from Ramadan are to be made up, the same does not apply to missed prayers.

Detailed Answer:
The ruling that women do not need to make up prayers missed due to menstruation is based on several authentic sources. When a woman menstruates, she is exempt from both prayer and fasting. However, she is only required to make up any missed fasting (from Ramadan) but not the prayers. This is supported by a narration where Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked about this matter, and she said: “We used to menstruate during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and we were commanded to make up for the fasts that we missed but were not commanded to make up for the prayers.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 335).

This ruling is widely agreed upon among scholars, as it is seen as a relief from Allah for women, considering the regularity of menstruation and the difficulty it would pose to make up several missed prayers each month. This is also consistent with Islam’s principles of mercy and practicality in religious obligations.

And Allah Knows Best