Intimacy: When Periods Enter Our Conversations

It is a voice note in a family WhatsApp group. A sister in Dakar quietly asks how to explain to her twelve-year-old daughter what is happening to her. Replies come in quickly: some speak of shame, others of silence, an aunt reminds everyone that this should not be discussed in front of men. The girl herself looks at her phone and wonders if her body is a problem. This seemingly ordinary moment touches something deep: how we welcome women's bodies and the words that surround them.

The Quran addresses menstruation with simple, direct words. It says it is a discomfort, a passing state, and it invites calm during that time. But it immediately adds that once purification is complete, the relationship resumes normally. The text does not speak of a curse or moral impurity: it speaks of a natural rhythm, a time for oneself, and a return to tenderness. The verse ends by reminding us that God loves those who turn back to Him and those who take care of their cleanliness. Nothing in this passage justifies disgust or humiliating exclusion.