permissible. He said: “It is not found in the land of my people, so I find myself averse to it.” (1)

His statement, “It is recommended that she perform ghusl for every prayer,” means that the woman experiencing irregular bleeding should perform ghusl for the time of each prayer, not for the performance of each prayer. The evidence for this is that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, instructed her to do so. (2)

This applies if she is able to perform ghusl for each prayer. Otherwise, she combines Zuhr and Asr, and Maghrib and Isha. Thus, instead of performing ghusl five times, she performs it three times: once for Zuhr and Asr, once for Maghrib and Isha, and once for Fajr.

This ghusl is not obligatory. Rather, what is obligatory is the ghusl performed when menstruation comes to an end; anything beyond that is sunnah.

It also has a medical benefit, because it causes the blood vessels to contract; when they contract, they close up, thereby reducing the bleeding. It may even stop through this washing, because the blood of irregular bleeding is blood from a vein, and venous blood clots with coldness.

The maximum duration of postnatal bleeding is forty days, ........

His statement, “The maximum duration of postnatal bleeding is forty days”: postnatal bleeding is the last of the categories of blood, for there are three: menstrual blood, irregular bleeding, and postnatal bleeding. Some add a fourth type, namely disordered blood, while others include disordered blood under irregular bleeding.

Postnatal bleeding—pronounced with a kasrah on the nun—derives from the expression, “May Allah relieve his distress.” It is called nifas because it brings relief to the woman; that is, because it relieves her distress.