What is the duration of the postpartum period (nifas)?

Postpartum bleeding (nifas) is the bleeding that occurs for a certain period after a woman gives birth, has a miscarriage, or undergoes an abortion. A woman in this state is called a "nufasa" (postpartum woman). The duration of nifas can vary for each woman, depending on her physical constitution, genetics, and environmental factors.

There is no minimum limit for the duration of nifas. According to the Hanafi school, the maximum duration is forty days; according to the Shafi'i school, it is sixty days. Any bleeding that occurs after these maximum periods is not considered nifas but is regarded as irregular bleeding (istihada). If the bleeding stops for a while during the nifas period and then resumes, the days when the bleeding stopped are still counted as part of the nifas period. (Aliyyü’l-Kârî, Fethu bâbi’l-‘inâye, 1/148; Shirbini, Mughni’l-muhtaj, 1/294)

Women are prohibited from engaging in sexual intercourse during menstruation and nifas, and it is also forbidden for others to have sexual relations with them during these times. Additionally, women in a state of menstruation or nifas cannot perform prayers (salat), fast (sawm) (Bukhari, Hayd, 6 [304]; Muslim, Hayd, 67-69 [335]), or circumambulate the Kaaba (tawaf). (Bukhari, Hayd, 1, 7 [294, 305]; Muslim, Hajj, 111, 119-120 [1211]) Women do not need to make up the prayers missed during menstruation or nifas, but they must make up the fasts they missed. (Muslim, Hayd, 67-69 [335])

If a woman's postpartum bleeding stops before forty days, she should perform a full ritual bath (ghusl) and may resume her acts of worship.

Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu