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Chapter 10

Important Fiqh Rules 2 , For Mothers

Nifs

What is Nifs?

From the time when the child birth takes place, the blood seen by the mother is Nifs,

provided that it stops before or on completion of the tenth day. While in the condition of

Nifs, a woman is called Nafsa.

1. The blood which a mother sees before the appearance of the first limb of the child is

not Nifs.[3!

". #t is possible that Nifs blood may be dischar$ed for an instant only, b%t it never

e&ceeds 1' days.[3(!

3. #t is not necessary that the baby is f%lly $rown. )ven if a deficient baby is born, theblood seen by the mother for ten days will be Nifs. The term *child birth+ m%st be

applicable to it.[3!

-. #f a woman do%bts whether she has aborted somethin$ or not, or whether the thin$

aborted is a child or not, it is not necessary for her to investi$ate, and the blood which is

dischar$ed in this sit%ation is not Nifs.[3('!

Thin$s which are obli$atory and forbidden for someone in the state of Nifs

n the basis of preca%tion, haltin$ or pa%sin$ in a /as0id and other acts which are

forbidden for a hidh a woman in the condition of haydh2 are also forbidden for a Nafsa

and those acts which are obli$atory for a hidh are also obli$atory for a Nafsa.[3(1!

How long does Nifs last?

#t is possible that Nifs blood may be dischar$ed for an instant only, b%t it never e&ceeds

1' days. ependin$ on the normal habit of the woman+s haydh, the r%les of the len$th of

Nifs differ as follows[3("!4

1. For a woman who has a fixed habit of haydh:

a. 5er Nifs will be e6%al to then normal d%ration of haydh.

b. #f her habit is less than ten days, after this time she has a choice to leave o%t her 7alt

%ntil ten days, or act as a m%stahadha a woman in the condition of istihadha28 however, it

is better to leave o%t 7alt for one day in addition to the re$%lar n%mber of days she hada period for before pre$nancy2.

c. #f, however, the blood contin%es to be seen even after ten days, then all they days after

the normal d%ration of haydh, %ntil the 1'th day, will be istihadha, and she sho%ld $ive

9adha of the acts of worship not performed d%rin$ this time %pto the 1'th day as she

will have followed the r%lin$s of istihadha after the 1'th day anyway2.

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d. When actin$ as a m%stahadha, she m%st refrain from acts forbidden to a Nafsa as well

%ntil the 1(th day.

)&ample4 #f the haydh d%ration of a woman has always been si& days and her blood

comes for more than si& days, she sho%ld treat si& days as Nifs and on the th, (th, th

and 1'th day, if the bleedin$ does not e&ceed ten days2 it will be her choice either to

abstain from all acts of worship or adopt the r%les of istihadha. #f, however, she seesblood for more than ten days, all the days in e&cess of her habit%al d%ration of haydh will

be treated as the days of istihadha and 6ad will have to be offered for 7alt missed if she

chose to abstain from all acts of worship on the th, (th, th and 1'th day.

2. For a woman who does not have a fixed habit of haydh

a. 5er Nifs will be ten days, and the rest will be istihdha.

b. #t is a recommended preca%tion that while actin$ as a m%stahadha, to refrain from acts

forbidden to a nafsa from the 1'th to the 1(th day.

When the period of Nifs is over[3(3!

When a woman becomes rit%ally clean from Nifs, she sho%ld do :h%sl and perform acts

of worship. #f she sees blood a$ain, once or often, there are two possibilities4

1. The total n%mber of days on which blood is seen immediately after childbirth and the

intervenin$ days d%rin$ which she remains rit%ally clean is 1' days or less than 1' days,

then all of it will be Nifs.

#n the intervenin$ days, as a preca%tion, she will perform all that is obli$atory for a

rit%ally clean woman and also refrain from all acts which are forbidden to a woman in

Nifs. 7o, if she had kept fasts, she will $ive their 6ad.

". #f the blood which she saw later e&ceeds ten days then a$ain, the r%les differ dependin$

on the normal habit of the woman+s haydh4

a. For a woman who has a fixed habit of haydh

;s a preca%tion, she sho%ld consider the blood seen after the normal haydh d%ration to be

istihdha8 therefore she sho%ld act as a m%stahadha, and also avoid all that is forbidden to

a nafsa.

b. For a woman who does not have a fixed habit of haydh

7he sho%ld co%nt the first ten days as Nifs, and the rest as istihdha.

etermining haydh[3(-!

The r%les of determinin$ a woman+s first haydh after childbirth is a$ain dependin$ on thenormal habit of the woman+s haydh4

1. For a woman who has a fixed habit of haydh:

a. #f blood is seen contin%o%sly for a month or more after $ivin$ birth to a child, the

blood seen for the days e6%al to her haydh habit will be Nifs, and the blood seen after

that for ten days will be istihdha, even if it coincides with the dates of her monthly

haydh.

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b. ;fter the lapse of ten days of istihdha, if bleedin$ contin%es, then it is haydh if it falls

in the days of habit, irrespective of whether it has the si$ns of haydh [3(

bleedin$ does not occ%r in the days of haydh habit, she sho%ld wait %ntil the days of her

habit, even if it means waitin$ for a month or more and even if blood has the si$ns of

haydh.

)&ample4 ; woman has a fi&ed haydh habit is from "'th to "th of every month. 7he$ives birth on the 1'th of a $iven month, and she contin%es to see blood for a month or

more8 her Nifs will be seven days, e6%al to her haydh days, and will be from 1'th to

1th of that month8 now, the blood which she contin%es to see from the 1th to the "th,

i.e. for ten days, will be istihdha even tho%$h it falls in her days of haydh habit.

c. #f she has no fi&ed habit of commencement time of haydh, she sho%ld make an effort to

reco$nise her haydh by its si$ns, and if that is not possible beca%se the blood seen after

Nifs often remains of one type for a month or more2, then she sho%ld adopt the habit

prevailin$ amon$ her blood relatives mother, sisters, etc.2 to determine the days of

haydh. #f that also is not possible, then she has an option of fi&in$ her days of haydh.

[3(=!2. For a woman who does not have a fixed habit of haydh

a. ;s e&plained earlier, the blood seen for the first ten days will be treated as Nifs, and

as for the ne&t ten days it will be istihdha. The blood seen thereafter can be either haydh

or istihdha, and in order to ascertain whether it is haydh, she sho%ld follow the r%le as

above, i.e. reco$nise haydh by its si$ns, by the prevailin$ habit amon$ relatives, or fi&in$

her own days of haydh.

!aby"s #rine

/akin$ thin$s rit%ally clean from the %rine of a s%cklin$ child

#f anythin$ becomes na0is with the %rine of a s%cklin$ child, who has not yet started

takin$ solid food, and, as a preca%tion, is less than two years old, the thin$ will be rit%ally

clean if water is po%red over it once, reachin$ all parts which had been na0is. ;s a

recommended preca%tion, water sho%ld be po%red over it once a$ain. #f it is a carpet or

dress, etc. it will not be necessary to s6%ee>e it.[3(!

Notes:[3!Islamic Laws, ?%le

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[3(=!Blease refer to the haydh section of the ?islah for more information.[3(!Islamic Laws, Rule1="