What is nifas?

What counts as nifas

Nifas is the postnatal bleeding doctors call lochia. It counts as nifas after a vaginal birth and also after a C-section, as long as blood comes out. After a miscarriage, scholars look at how far the pregnancy had gone: if the baby had started to take a human shape (many scholars say from around 80 to 90 days), the bleeding afterwards is nifas. Before that, it's usually treated as irregular bleeding (istihada), so prayer continues. In that situation, it's worth asking a local scholar.

How long does it last?

There's no minimum. If the bleeding stops after a week, nifas is over, and you take a ghusl and pray. Umm Salamah said that women in nifas at the time of the Prophet ﷺ used to wait forty days (Sunan Abi Dawud 311). The schools set a maximum:

• Hanafi and Hanbali: 40 days at most.
• Maliki and Shafi'i: 60 days at most.

Bleeding that continues past that limit is treated as istihada: you make wudu for each prayer time and pray.

What's paused, and what isn't

• Prayer: not prayed, and you don't make it up later.
• Fasting: not done; missed Ramadan days are made up later.
• Intercourse: not allowed until the bleeding ends and you've had a ghusl.
• Still open to you: dua, dhikr, listening to the Quran, and loving care for your baby, which is itself worship. See Do I have to pray while on my period?

Allah honours this stage of a mother's life:

When it ends

Once the bleeding has stopped (a white discharge or a clean, dry cotton pad), take a ghusl and pray the next prayer. See How do I do ghusl? If bleeding stops and then returns within the 40 or 60 days, the schools differ on how to count it, so ask a scholar you trust. Postnatal health also matters: follow your doctor's advice, and if you feel low for weeks, reach out. See Can I get help for postpartum depression as a Muslim?