Question:
After childbirth, bleeding continues for 20–30 days. Should she avoid prayer all those days? Or follow the ruling of Bukhari 228 & 325 regarding irregular bleeding?
Answer:
The hadith they are referring to is this: A woman came to the Messenger of Allahﷻ (peace be upon him) and said, “O Messenger of Allahﷻ, I experience menstruation, and once it begins, it does not stop. It continues throughout the whole month. I never become pure. In such a condition, should I pray or not? Which days should I consider as menstruation, and which days should I consider as days of prayer?”
The Messenger of Allahﷻ (peace be upon him) said: “This is an illness. It is not menstruation. Menstruation normally lasts five days, ten days, seven days — it does not continue the whole month. If it continues throughout the month, it is not menstruation; it is a condition related to the veins (a medical issue). So calculate based on your previous normal cycle. Before this illness began, how many days did your menstruation usually last? If it was five days, then now also consider five days as menstruation. During those five days, leave the prayer. The remaining 25 days, even if bleeding continues, you should pray. But perform ablution (wudu) for every prayer.”
This is what is mentioned in the hadith they are referring to (Bukhari 228, 325).
Now the question they are asking is: That hadith concerns menstruation. But after childbirth, bleeding may continue for 20 days. What is the ruling in that case?
There is no connection between the two. Menstruation is a monthly occurrence that Allahﷻ has created as a system. If bleeding continues throughout the entire month, it is clear that it is not menstruation. It would then be understood as bleeding caused by illness.
Post-partum bleeding (nifas) is different. Post-partum bleeding can last some days — for some women five days, for some ten days, maybe even 20 days — but it will end within a definite period. Only if it continues endlessly for many months would there be a question whether it is due to illness or childbirth.
If it lasts 20 days, then she should leave prayer for those 20 days. While the bleeding continues, she cannot pray. The concession mentioned in the hadith applies only if the bleeding is due to illness. So the key question is: Is the bleeding due to childbirth or illness?
If it is due to childbirth, and if 20 or 30 days of bleeding is possible (I do not know whether it is possible — that must be investigated), then as long as it continues due to childbirth, she remains in post-partum bleeding and does not pray.
Nowadays, one may consult a doctor. If the doctor confirms that this is not post-partum bleeding, but bleeding caused by some medical condition, then the ruling mentioned in the menstruation hadith can be applied. If it is confirmed to be illness-related, then she calculates her normal menstruation days and follows that ruling.
But if it is simply post-partum bleeding, even if it lasts longer — three days, five days, ten days, or even 30 days — as long as it eventually stops and is recognized as post-partum bleeding, then she refrains from prayer for however many days the bleeding continues.
There is no fixed number of days legislated in advance. The ruling is based on the presence of bleeding. However many days it lasts, she leaves prayer accordingly.