Quick answer
How long does nifās (postpartum bleeding) last?
Nifās ends when purity is established, even if that is well before a school’s maximum. The maximum is not universal: well-known school positions include 40-day and 60-day limits.
The report of Umm Salamah (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhā) describes women in nifās waiting forty days in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ (Sunan Abi Dawud and al-Tirmidhi). Jurists did not turn that report into one identical maximum across all four schools: well-known Hanafi and Hanbali positions use 40 days, while well-known Maliki and Shafi‘i positions use 60 days.
If bleeding stops before 40 days and the signs of purity appear, ghusl is performed and worship — prayer, fasting, recitation of Qurʾān, intimacy — resumes immediately. There is no obligation to wait the full 40 days.
If bleeding returns within the 40-day window after purity has been observed, the majority view (Hanafi, Hanbali, and one position in Shafiʿi) treats it as a continuation of nifās. The woman stops praying again until purity returns. The Maliki school treats the gap of 15+ days of purity as the end of nifās; bleeding after that is istiḥāḍah.
Bleeding beyond the applicable maximum is addressed under that madhhab’s rules and may involve ḥayḍ, istiḥāḍah, or habit-based analysis. Do not apply a universal day-41 transition across schools. Noor’s guidance should follow the selected rule context it actually supports.
This summary draws on the established positions of the four Sunni madhhabs. For your specific situation, consult a qualified scholar.