Is it valid for a woman to pray if she becomes pure before completing forty days after childbirth, and is it permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
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The questioner : Is it valid for a woman to pray if she becomes pure before completing forty days after childbirth, and is it permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Yes. If a woman experiencing post-natal bleeding becomes pure before the completion of forty days, her ruling is the same as that of women in a state of ritual purity in every respect. It is obligatory for her to pray, and it is obligatory for her to fast if it is Ramadan, and her fast is valid. It is permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her, even before the completion of forty days, because if prayer is permissible, then intercourse is even more so. The dislike held by some scholars regarding this has no evidence for it. The original ruling is that post-natal bleeding is a harm, like menstruation. When this harm is removed and the woman becomes pure from it, it is permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her, just as if she had become pure from menstruation.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : For this reason, if a woman’s custom is to menstruate for seven days, but she becomes pure after five days, it is obligatory for her to pray and to fast if it is Ramadan, and it is permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her, even if her customary days are seven and she became pure two days before her usual time. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes. If a woman experiencing post-natal bleeding becomes pure before the completion of forty days, her ruling is the same as that of women in a state of ritual purity in every respect. It is obligatory for her to pray, and it is obligatory for her to fast if it is Ramadan, and her fast is valid. It is permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her, even before the completion of forty days, because if prayer is permissible, then intercourse is even more so. The dislike held by some scholars regarding this has no evidence for it. The original ruling is that post-natal bleeding is a harm, like menstruation. When this harm is removed and the woman becomes pure from it, it is permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her, just as if she had become pure from menstruation.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : For this reason, if a woman’s custom is to menstruate for seven days, but she becomes pure after five days, it is obligatory for her to pray and to fast if it is Ramadan, and it is permissible for her husband to have intercourse with her, even if her customary days are seven and she became pure two days before her usual time. Yes.