Rulings on Menstruation and Postnatal Bleeding that every Muslim Woman must Know
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May the most complete and perfect blessings and peace be upon the one sent as a mercy to the worlds — our Master Muhammad — and upon his family, his companions, and those who follow his guidance until the Day of Judgment:
In view of the importance of the topic of menstruation, Istiḥāḍah (irregular bleeding), and postnatal bleeding — and due to their connection to the validity or invalidity of certain acts of worship, and the permissibility or prohibition of certain actions — and in light of the many questions received by the General Iftaa`Department regarding these matters, I have decided to compile and clarify the most important rulings related to them. These rulings address the most common scenarios and lay down general principles that will make it easier for women to learn and apply them. I ask Allah The Almighty for benefit and acceptance.
First: The Meaning of Menstruation (Ḥayḍ), Istiḥāḍah, Postnatal Bleeding (Nifās), and Purity (Ṭuhr)
Menstruation (Ḥayḍ): A natural (innate) blood that exits from the innermost part of a woman’s womb at a specific time.
Postnatal Bleeding (Nifās): The blood that comes out after childbirth, once the womb is emptied of the entire fetus.
Istiḥāḍah (Irregular Bleeding): Blood caused by a medical condition (illness), which comes out at times other than those of menstruation or postnatal bleeding.
Purity (Ṭuhr): The state of the womb being clean and free from menstruation and postnatal bleeding.
Second: How Menstruation and Purity Are Recognized
Red blood, yellowish discharge (Sufrah), brownish discharge (Kudrah), and colored secretions during the time of menstruation are all considered menstruation (Hayḍ); and during the time of postnatal bleeding, they are considered Nifās. Therefore, a menstruating or postpartum woman is not considered pure, and her ritual bath (Ghusl) is not valid until she sees the white discharge (Al-Quṣṣah Al-Bayḍāʾ), which signifies purity, or until all the signs of menstruation mentioned above completely cease.
Third: The Age of Menstruation
The minimum age at which a woman experiences menstruation is the completion of nine lunar years. If she sees blood before this age, it is considered Istiḥāḍah.
There is no fixed maximum age for menstruation. A woman’s menstruation may stop for several years, an elderly woman may still menstruate, or her bleeding may cease completely until the end of her life.
Fourth: The Minimum, Usual, and Maximum Duration of Menstruation
The minimum duration of menstruation is one full day and night (24 hours). If a woman sees blood for less than this period and then it stops, it is not considered menstruation but rather Istiḥāḍah.
The usual duration of menstruation is 6 to 7 days.
The maximum duration of menstruation is 15 days. If the bleeding exceeds this period, it is considered Istiḥāḍah.
If a woman sees blood for hours, then it stops for several hours, then returns, and this pattern continues, if the total cumulative hours of bleeding reach 24 hours within the maximum menstruation period (15 days), then all of that is considered menstruation.
Fifth: The Minimum, Usual, and Maximum Duration of Postnatal Bleeding (Nifās)
The minimum duration of postnatal bleeding is a moment.
The usual duration of postnatal bleeding is 40 days.
The maximum duration of postnatal bleeding is 60 days; anything beyond that is considered Istiḥāḍah.
Sixth: The Ruling on Intermittent Purity during Menstruation and Postnatal Bleeding
Intermittent purity (the temporary stopping of menstruation or postnatal bleeding) during the menstruation period is still considered menstruation. For example, if a woman menstruates for 3 days, then her bleeding stops for 1 or 2 days, then the bleeding returns for another 3 days, the total period is considered one continuous menstruation.
Intermittent purity during the postnatal bleeding period is considered postnatal bleeding, provided the total duration does not exceed 15 days. If it exceeds 15 days, the new bleeding is considered a new menstruation.
For example, if a woman experiences postnatal bleeding for 25 days, then her bleeding stops for 4 days, then she sees bleeding for another 10 days, all this is considered postnatal bleeding.
However, if she has postnatal bleeding for 25 days, then remains pure for 15 days, then sees blood again, this new bleeding is considered a new menstruation.
If the total number of days of menstruation plus the following purity reaches 15 days or more, then any return of bleeding is considered Istiḥāḍah, because the maximum period of menstruation has ended.
For example, if a woman menstruates for 8 days, then remains pure for 8 days, and then sees blood again, this new bleeding is considered Istiḥāḍah, because the maximum menstruation period of 15 days has passed.
Seventh: The Minimum and Maximum Duration of Purity (Ṭuhr)
1- The minimum period of purity between one menstruation and the previous one is 15 days. If the bleeding returns before 15 days have passed, it is considered Istiḥāḍah.
For example, if a woman menstruates for 6 days, then remains pure for 11 days, and then the bleeding returns, it is Istiḥāḍah because the total days of menstruation plus the following purity did not reach 15 days.
2- There is no maximum limit for purity; menstruation may stop for years and then return, or it may stop completely and never return until death.
3- If the total number of days of purity after menstruation reaches 15 days or more and the woman then sees blood, it is considered a new menstruation.
For example, if a woman menstruates for 4 days, then remains pure for 15 days, then sees blood again, it is a new menstruation.
4- If the total days of postnatal bleeding plus the following purity reach 60 days, and then she sees blood after that period, it is considered a new menstruation.
For example, postnatal bleeding for 60 days, then remains pure for 7 days, then sees blood again, it is a new menstruation.
5- If the total days of postnatal bleeding reach 60 days, then she remains pure for any number of days, even if less than 15 days, and then sees blood, it is a new menstruation.
For example, if a woman experiences postnatal bleeding for 60 days, then remains pure for 3 days, then sees blood again, it is a new menstruation.
Eighth: Ruling on an Increase beyond the Usual Menstruation Duration
A woman with a regular menstruation cycle—such as 7 days—if her menstruation increases in a particular month but does not exceed 15 days, then all of it is considered menstruation (Hayḍ).
A woman with a regular menstruation cycle—like 7 days—if her menstruation exceeds 15 days, then she is considered Mustaḥāḍah (experiencing irregular bleeding).
In this case, if she can distinguish between types of blood, then:
The strong, dark, or red blood is considered menstruation.
The weak, pale, or pinkish discharges (e.g., smears or light bleeding), whether before or after the stronger blood, are considered Istiḥāḍah.
If she cannot distinguish, she returns to her previous menstrual cycle, and any days beyond her regular duration (e.g., over 7 days) are treated as Istiḥāḍah. She must make up the prayers for the days beyond her regular menstrual cycle that she missed.
If her period increases due to a specific cause—such as using a contraceptive device or taking medication—and it does not exceed 15 days, then this new duration becomes her new menstrual cycle.
Ninth: Actions Prohibited for a Menstruating or Postnatal Woman
The following actions are prohibited for both menstruating women and those in postnatal bleeding (Nifās):
Performing prayer (Salāh).
Carrying or touching the Mus'haf (physical copy of the Qur’an).
Reciting the Qur’an, even from memory.
Performing Tawāf (circumambulation) around the Ka‘bah.
Staying in the mosque (i.e., remaining inside it).
Fasting.
Sexual intercourse, and any physical contact between the navel and the knees without a barrier (i.e., touching that area directly).
Tenth: When a Woman May Resume What Was Prohibited Due to Menstruation or Postnatal Bleeding
A woman is not permitted to resume any of the acts that were prohibited due to menstruation (Hayḍ) or postnatal bleeding (Nifās) until she has both become pure (Tāhir) and performed Ghusl (ritual bath) — with one exception:
Fasting becomes permissible as soon as she becomes pure, even before performing Ghusl.
If a woman becomes pure before dawn (Fajr), it is valid for her to intend to fast, and she may delay Ghusl until after Fajr, and her fast will still be valid.
Eleventh: What a Menstruating or Postnatal Woman Must Make Up from Acts of Worship
A woman must make up the days of fasting that she missed during Ramadan due to menstruation (Hayḍ) or postnatal bleeding (Nifās).
A woman is not required to make up the prayers (Salāh) she missed due to menstruation or postnatal bleeding.
If a woman gets her period or gives birth after the time of a prayer has entered, and she had enough time to make Wudū’ and perform the prayer, then she must make up that prayer after she becomes pure and performs Ghusl.
For example: If she began menstruating 15 minutes after Zuhr time entered, she must make up Zuhr after she becomes pure.
If a woman becomes pure from menstruation or Nifās before the end of a prayer time, even if only enough time remains for Takbīrat Al-Iḥrām (the opening Allāhu Akbar), she must make up that prayer.
For example: If she becomes pure just before Isha`, she must make up Maghrib.
If a woman becomes pure before the end of ʿAṣr, she must make up both Zuhr and ʿAṣr.
Similarly, if she becomes pure before Fajr, she must make up both Maghrib and ʿIshā’.
Twelfth: What Is Required of a Woman Experiencing Istihādah
A woman with Istihādah must make a new Wudū’ (ablution) for each obligatory prayer after its time has entered. She should:
Clean herself (Istinjā’),
Place a pad or cloth to prevent soiling (Taḥaffuẓ),
Perform Wudū’,
And pray immediately without unnecessary delay, unless there is a valid excuse such as:
Covering her ʿAwrah (nakedness),
Waiting for a congregation,
Performing a regular Sunna before the obligatory prayer.
She must change the pad with each new Wudū’ and may not pray more than one obligatory prayer with that Wudū’.
However, she may pray as many voluntary (Nafl) prayers as she wishes with the same Wudū’, unless it is broken by another nullifier.
A woman with Istihādah must fast. She is not allowed to break her fast unless there is a valid reason, such as illness or travel.
It is permissible for her husband to have marital relations with her during the time of Istihādah.
Thirteenth: Ruling on a Woman Who Mistakenly Thought She Had Become Pure
If a woman believes she has become pure (i.e., free from menstrual or postpartum bleeding) before the end of the maximum duration of Hayḍ or Nifās, and she fasts, but then her bleeding returns, and it becomes clear that she was mistaken — her fasts during that time are invalid, and she must make them up, just like the other days of menstruation or Nifās.
Any woman who thought she was pure and performed Ghusl (ritual bath), but then sees signs of blood again, such as redness, yellowness, or brownish discharge, and she is still within the time frame of Hayḍ or Nifās, then her Ghusl is invalid, and she must repeat the Ghusl after being certain that she has become pure.
Fourteenth: Ruling on a Woman Who Had Part of Her Uterus Removed and Then Saw Blood
A woman who has had part of her uterus removed, and sees blood during the time of menstruation, then that blood is considered menstrual blood (Hayḍ).
Fifteenth: Ruling on Blood Discharge Before Childbirth
The blood that comes before childbirth, and before the womb is emptied, is considered Istihāḍah. Therefore, a pregnant woman during labor should do what a Mustaḥāḍah does regarding prayer — if she is able. If she is unable to pray, then she must make up those prayers after she becomes pure from Nifās.
Sixteenth: Ruling on Blood Discharge After Miscarriage
The blood discharged by a woman after a miscarriage is considered Nifas and carries all the same rulings.
Seventeenth: Ruling on Blood Resulting from Surgical Operations
Blood resulting from surgical operations—such as cleaning procedures or fibroid removal—outside the time of menstruation or postpartum bleeding is considered Istihādah.
Note:
This booklet addresses the most common and general issues related to menstruation and postpartum bleeding in a simplified manner, in accordance with the Shafi’i school of thought. As for rare or complex matters, as well as the detailed rulings and reasoning behind certain issues, one must refer to comprehensive scholarly works or consult a qualified scholar for a specific fatwa.
