What is the ruling on the postpartum (nifas) period, and when can I pray?

The rulings regarding the postpartum period (nifas), including prayer, fasting, and other matters, depend on the presence or absence of blood. As long as blood is present, it is forbidden for the woman to pray, perform circumambulation (tawaf), touch the Qur'an, stay in the mosque, or engage in sexual intercourse. The maximum duration of this period is forty days according to the majority of scholars, as stated by Ibn Qudamah and Al-Tirmidhi, and it has been narrated from the Companions and the Tabi'in. Meanwhile, Malik and Al-Shafi'i hold that the maximum duration is sixty days.

The period is calculated from the beginning of the bleeding caused by childbirth. If the forty days pass and the blood stops, or even before that, the woman is considered pure, so she performs ghusl (ritual bath), prays, and resumes practices that were previously forbidden to her. If the bleeding continues after forty days, there is a detailed explanation mentioned in related fatwas.