Menstruation, postnatal bleeding, and the rulings of major impurity
What hayd and nifas are, how long they last, what is forbidden during major impurity, and when prayer and intercourse resume.
When someone needs to make ghusl, they should not pray, do sujud, touch the Quran, or go into the mosque until they have made ghusl.
Hayd (menstruation) is the blood that flows from the womb of a mature woman (baligha) approximately every month.
Nifas is the blood that flows from a woman's womb after childbirth. It only counts as nifas once more than half of the baby has exited; any blood appearing before that point is istihada, not nifas.
| Aspect | Hayd | Nifas |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum duration | Three full days and nights | No minimum; some women experience no nifas at all |
| Maximum duration | Ten full days and nights | Forty days and nights |
| Colour | Any colour except pure white counts as menstrual blood | Any colour except pure white counts as nifas |
| Age | Earliest age nine; maximum age fifty-five | Follows childbirth, so no separate age limit is given |
| Minimum purity (tuhr) before the next cycle | Fifteen days, with no maximum | Fifteen days between nifas and the next menstruation |
| Becomes istihada when | Blood lasts less than three or more than ten days and nights | Bleeding continues beyond forty days, the excess only |
For anyone in a state requiring ghusl, including a menstruating or postnatal woman, prayer, prostration, tawaf of the Kaaba, touching the Quran, reciting even a part of it with the intention of recitation, writing any verse, touching or wearing an item inscribed with Quranic verses, and entering a mosque are all forbidden until ghusl is performed.
Fasting is also forbidden for a woman during menstruation or postnatal bleeding.
During menstruation and nifas, women are completely exempt from prayer and do not make it up afterwards. They must, however, make up any fasts they missed.
Sexual intercourse is forbidden during menstruation.
If a woman's bleeding stops after a full ten days and nights, intercourse is allowed even before she makes ghusl, though it is preferable to wait until ghusl has been performed. If her bleeding stops in fewer than ten days but at her usual cycle length, intercourse is not permitted until she either makes ghusl or the time of one prayer has passed, after which it is allowed even without ghusl. If bleeding stops before her usual cycle length is complete, intercourse remains forbidden until her usual number of days has fully passed, even if she has already made ghusl.
Ghusl is not obligatory for istihada (non-menstrual, non-nifas bleeding); a woman with istihada prays and fasts as normal, though it is recommended that she make a fresh wudu for every prayer. Intercourse is permitted during istihada.
Ḥayḍ is the blood that flows from the womb of a bāligha (mature woman) at roughly monthly intervals. Nifās is the blood that flows from a woman's womb following childbirth, and is only reckoned to begin once more than half of the child has emerged; blood appearing before that point is istiḥāḍah, not nifās.
| Aspect | Ḥayḍ | Nifās |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum duration | Three full days and nights | No minimum; some women experience no nifās at all |
| Maximum duration | Ten full days and nights | Forty days and nights |
| Colour | Any colour but pure white counts as menstrual blood | Any colour but pure white counts as nifās |
| Age | Earliest nine years; latest fifty-five | Determined by childbirth, not by a separate age limit |
| Minimum tuhr before the next cycle | Fifteen days, with no maximum | Fifteen days between nifās and the next ḥayḍ |
| Becomes istiḥāḍah when | Duration falls short of three days or exceeds ten | Bleeding continues past forty days, the excess only |
The conditions that oblige ghusl (janābah, the end of ḥayḍ, and the end of nifās alike) place a person in ḥadath akbar (major ritual impurity).
In this state it is forbidden to pray, to prostrate, to perform ṭawāf of the Kaʿbah, to touch the Qurʼan, to recite any part of it, even less than a full verse, with the intention of recitation, to write out a verse, to touch or wear an item inscribed with Qurʼanic verses, or to enter a mosque.
Fasting is forbidden for a woman during ḥayḍ or nifās.
During ḥayḍ and nifās a woman is entirely exempt from the obligation of prayer for that period and never makes the missed prayers up; she must, however, make up any fasts missed during it.
Intercourse during menstruation is ḥarām.
| Case | Ruling |
|---|---|
| Bleeding stops after a full ten days and nights | Intercourse is allowed even before ghusl, though it is preferable to wait until after it |
| Bleeding stops in fewer than ten days, matching her usual cycle length | Intercourse is forbidden until she performs ghusl, or until the time of one prayer has passed, after which it is allowed even without ghusl |
| Bleeding stops before her usual cycle length is complete | Intercourse remains forbidden until her usual number of days has fully elapsed, even if ghusl has already been performed |
Ghusl is not obligatory on account of istiḥāḍah; a woman experiencing it prays and fasts normally, though a fresh wuḍūʾ for every prayer is recommended. Intercourse is permitted during istiḥāḍah.
Terms on this page
Related
- The reasons that make ghusl necessary What janabah is, why ghusl becomes obligatory, and the detailed rulings for the release of semen, a wet dream, and intercourse.
- What tayammum is, and its conditions The definition of tayammum, when it stands in for wudu or ghusl, its six conditions, and the rulings of its intention.
- When wudu is fard, wajib, sunnah or mustahabb The occasions on which wudu is obligatory, necessary before an act, recommended, or simply preferable.
- What breaks wudu, and the rulings of minor impurity The things that end wudu, the things that do not despite appearances, and what is and is not allowed without it.