Nifas (postnatal bleeding)

Nifas, in the lexicon, is a woman's childbirth. The definitions as a term differ among the schools. ^{1 2} It is sound blood that comes naturally, like menstruation, and differs from istihada, which is blood of disease. ²

Capacity: nifas is an incidental condition of capacity and does not remove the duty to act or the capacity to perform; purification from it is a condition of prayer, and for fasting against analogy. ² Minimum: most jurists set no minimum; Abu Hanifa gives twenty-five days, Abu Yusuf eleven, Muhammad accepts her word, and a report from Ahmad gives four days. ^{2 4} Maximum: forty days for most Hanafis and Hanbalis, the usual Shafi'i view, and sixty days for the Shafi'is and, as the prevailing view, the Malikis. ⁴ Beginning: blood after the child is separated is nifas. Blood before birth is istihada for the Hanafis, menstruation for the preferred Maliki and Shafi'i views, and for the Hanbalis nifas from the emergence of part of the child. ³ Interruption: if it stops completely before forty days she purifies, bathes and prays. If it stops and returns, the schools differ on the gap and on combining the periods. ^{6 7 8} Excess: the Hanafis distinguish first-time mothers from those with a habit; the Malikis count blood beyond sixty as istihada; the Shafi'is have three views; the Hanbalis distinguish cases. ^{8 9} Twins: the schools differ on whether nifas starts from the first child, the last, or each child separately. ^{9 10 11} Miscarriage: if some of its form appears, it establishes nifas and ends the waiting period; if not, the views differ. ^{11 12} Ghusl: required after the blood stops, by agreement; whether it is required after a birth without blood is disputed. ^{12 13} Wound: blood that flows from a wound outside the private parts does not make her a woman in nifas. ¹³ Forbidden: as for the menstruating woman, prayer and fasting; she makes up the fast but not the prayer. ^{13 5}