Midrashic Influence on Islamic Folklore: The Case of Menstruation

Abstract

Abstract Islamic sources indicate that Muslims often sought to distance themselves from the Rabbinic Jewish laws of menstruation. A study of Islamic folklore on menstruation demonstrates that Muslim authors have adopted Jewish Midrashim on the subject, with certain alterations. In the following article, I will attempt to examine several Midrashic sources regarding menstruation that may have been absorbed into some Islamic sources. I will further seek to explain the differences between the Jewish and Islamic texts.