What is the ruling on a menstruating woman and one who is not in a state of ablution (wudu') reciting the Qur’an by looking at it, and is it obligatory for a menstruating woman to wash her private parts, and what is the ruling on menstruation continuing for three days, then stopping, then returning?

It is permissible for a menstruating woman to read the Qur’an for fear of forgetting it, and this is the view preferred by Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. It is permissible for someone who is not in a state of ablution to recite the Qur’an without touching the Mushaf, though it is better to recite while in a state of purity. It is not permissible for a junub (one in a state of major ritual impurity) to recite the Qur’an, except for a small amount for seeking refuge. A menstruating woman is not required to wash her private parts. Scholars differed regarding the ruling on recurrent cessation of menstrual blood within 15 days: Maliki and Hanbali scholars hold that ghusl (ritual bath) and prayer are obligatory with each cessation (known as talfeeq - patching), while Hanafi and Shafi'i scholars consider all days to be menstruation until the usual period is completed or 15 days are exceeded (known as sahb - dragging). If the intermittent bleeding exceeds 15 days, she is considered to have istihaadah (non-menstrual vaginal bleeding) by scholarly consensus.