Bleeding recommencing within 40 days after childbirth

Q: I had a baby on the 8 of October and I am now in nifaas. I started taking the contraceptive pill so my bleeding stopped. I will be getting a haidh cycle before my 40 days. Do I read salaah in these clean days and how should I calculate my nifaas?

A: If the bleeding starts again and continues till the fortieth day or before the fortieth day, then it will be regarded as nifaas. If the bleeding continues after forty days, then the blood seen after the fortieth day will be regarded as istihaazah. This ruling pertains to a woman who does not have a previous nifaas pattern (i.e. this is the first child that she delivered). However if she had a previous nifaas pattern, then if the bleeding commenced before forty days ended and stopped within forty days, then her previous pattern will change and the whole period of bleeding will be regarded as nifaas (e.g. her previous nifaas pattern was twenty days, however on the thirty fifth day it started and ended on the fortieth day or before the fortieth day). However, if the bleeding went over forty days, then she will follow her previous pattern and regard the extra bleeding as istihaazah (e.g. her previous nifaas pattern was twenty five days. On the thirty fifth day the bleeding started again and finished on the forty fifth day).

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

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