What should my friend do, given that her postpartum bleeding (nifas) has continued for nine months, and she has prayed only rarely during this period, knowing that the maximum duration for nifas is 60 days? And how should she make up for the prayers of the remaining six months?

The blood that flows after the postnatal period (forty days), if it coincides with the time of menstruation, then it is menstruation. If it occurs outside of that time, it is irregular bleeding (istihada). A woman experiencing istihada fasts, prays, and her husband may have intercourse with her. She performs ablution for each obligatory prayer. Scholars have differed regarding whether a woman experiencing istihada must make up the prayers she missed due to ignorance. Sheikh Al-Islam and Ibn 'Uthaymeen favored the opinion that she is not obligated to make them up, because the Prophet did not command the woman with istihada to make up what she had missed. However, it is more cautious to make up the missed prayers as much as possible, especially if there was some negligence in inquiring about the matter.