Excerpt from the book: Ahkām wa Masā’il – In the Light of Qur’an and Sunnah by Shaykh Mubashir Ahmad Rabbani
After the birth of a child, after how many days is a man allowed to have relations with his wife? Please explain in detail.
It is narrated from Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها:
"During the time of the Prophet ﷺ, women who had postnatal bleeding (nifās) used to refrain (from prayer and intimacy) for forty days."
Musnad Aḥmad (6/200, Ḥadīth 2709), Sunan al-Tirmidhī (139), al-Mustadrak al-Ḥākim (1/175), Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Ṭahārah, Bāb: Mā Jā’a fī Waqt al-Nufasā’ (311)
Imām al-Tirmidhī رحمه الله said:
"The scholars are unanimous that women experiencing postnatal bleeding should abstain from prayer for forty days—unless she becomes pure before forty days, in which case she should perform ghusl and offer prayer."
① After childbirth, a woman is considered to be in a state of nifās (postnatal bleeding).
② The maximum duration for nifās is generally considered to be forty days. During this time:
③ However, if the bleeding stops before forty days, and she becomes pure (ṭāhirah), then:
④ The rulings of nifās are identical to those of ḥayḍ (menstruation) in terms of prohibitions related to ṣalāh and sexual intimacy.
❖ Question:
After the birth of a child, after how many days is a man allowed to have relations with his wife? Please explain in detail.
❖ Answer:
It is narrated from Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها:
"During the time of the Prophet ﷺ, women who had postnatal bleeding (nifās) used to refrain (from prayer and intimacy) for forty days."
Musnad Aḥmad (6/200, Ḥadīth 2709), Sunan al-Tirmidhī (139), al-Mustadrak al-Ḥākim (1/175), Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Ṭahārah, Bāb: Mā Jā’a fī Waqt al-Nufasā’ (311)Imām al-Tirmidhī رحمه الله said:
"The scholars are unanimous that women experiencing postnatal bleeding should abstain from prayer for forty days—unless she becomes pure before forty days, in which case she should perform ghusl and offer prayer."
✿ Ruling:
① After childbirth, a woman is considered to be in a state of nifās (postnatal bleeding).
② The maximum duration for nifās is generally considered to be forty days. During this time:
She does not perform Ṣalāh (prayer).- Her husband may not have intercourse with her.
③ However, if the bleeding stops before forty days, and she becomes pure (ṭāhirah), then:
She must perform ghusl (ritual bath).- She can resume praying.
- Her husband may resume marital relations with her.
④ The rulings of nifās are identical to those of ḥayḍ (menstruation) in terms of prohibitions related to ṣalāh and sexual intimacy.
Conclusion:
- If postnatal bleeding continues, intercourse is prohibited up to forty days.
- If the bleeding ceases before that, the wife may be approached after performing ghusl.
- The minimum time is based on the cessation of bleeding, not a fixed number of days.
