Quick answer
What is nifās (postpartum bleeding)?
Nifās is the bleeding that follows childbirth. During nifās a woman does not pray or fast, and once it ends she performs ghusl and resumes worship. Its maximum duration is generally 40 days across the four madhhabs.
Nifās is the blood that flows from the womb following childbirth. It is treated similarly to ḥayḍ in worship: during nifās a woman does not pray or fast, may not perform ṭawāf, and the same rulings on recitation and intimacy apply.
Nifās begins with the bleeding that accompanies or follows birth. There is no fixed minimum — if a woman bleeds only a few days and then sees the signs of purity, her nifās has ended and she performs ghusl and resumes worship immediately.
The maximum duration of nifās across the Hanafi, Shafiʿi, Hanbali, and Maliki madhhabs is generally 40 days, based on the report of Umm Salamah (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhā): 'The women in nifās during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to wait forty days.' (Sunan Abi Dawud, Tirmidhi)
Bleeding that continues beyond 40 days is generally treated as istiḥāḍah: the woman performs ghusl, resumes prayer, and makes wuḍū before each prayer. Noor's postpartum mode tracks the 40-day window from the day of birth and lets you know when it closes.
This summary draws on the established positions of the four Sunni madhhabs. For your specific situation, consult a qualified scholar.
Go deeper
Postpartum bleeding (nifās) in Islam