Can a woman perform الطواف while she is menstruating?

The majority of scholars from all four schools agree that ritual purity is a condition for the validity of الطواف, just as it is for الصلاة. Therefore, a menstruating woman should not perform الطواف until her menstruation ends and she performs الغسل. This is based on النبي's instruction to Aisha when she began menstruating during الحج: 'Do everything the الحاج does, except do not perform الطواف around the House until you are pure.' She was instructed to continue with all other rites of الحج but to delay her الطواف.

الشيخ ابن باز stated that a menstruating woman must wait until she becomes pure and then perform الغسل before doing الطواف. If she is performing الحج, she can do the standing at عرفة, stay at مزدلفة, stone the الجمرات, and perform all other rites except الطواف, which she delays until she is pure. He emphasized that there is no time limit for الطواف al-Ifadah, so she should not rush or compromise her purity.

الشيخ ابن عثيمين mentioned that in cases of extreme necessity — such as when a woman's travel group must leave and she cannot stay behind — some scholars from the Hanbali school permitted الطواف with menstruation as a concession, citing the principle that conditions are waived when impossible to fulfill. However, this is a minority view, and the stronger position عند the majority is that she must wait. Modern travel arrangements generally allow women to delay their departure, reducing the need for this concession.