The Short Answer

1. If a woman miscarries a fetus in which human form has become visible, such as the appearance of a head, hand, foot, or other human features, then the blood that comes out because of it is nifas.
2. If the miscarriage is only blood, a clot, an empty sac, or a piece of flesh in which no human form is visible, then the blood is not nifas. It is irregular bleeding that has the ruling of istihada if the rulings of menstruation do not apply to it.
3. The blood may be menstruation, not istihada, if it coincides with the woman’s known habit and can be considered menstruation. Therefore, not every blood after a non-formed miscarriage should be called istihada without considering her habit and the characteristics of the blood.
4. Before eighty days from the true beginning of pregnancy, the blood is not ruled to be nifas according to the preferred view of Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin and those who agreed with him, and this is the view relied upon here. After eighty days, formation may begin to appear, and it usually appears around ninety days, but the ruling depends on visible formation, not on the number alone.
5. If the situation is unclear, the woman should refer to a trustworthy doctor’s report about what appeared in the fetus, then ask a trustworthy scholar. She should not stop praying because of doubt alone.

What Is Meant by Miscarriage, Nifas, and Istihada?

Miscarriage here means a pregnancy that leaves the womb before completion, whether it happens naturally or through a permissible medical intervention.

Nifas is the blood that comes out because of the birth of a human child, or because of the miscarriage of a fetus in which human form has become visible. The basic rulings of a woman in nifas regarding prayer, fasting, and marital relations are like the rulings of a menstruating woman.

Istihada is irregular bleeding caused by a condition or disturbance, and it does not prevent prayer or fasting. When this article says, “it has the ruling of istihada,” it means that the woman treats herself as ritually pure for worship, while cleaning the blood, using protection to prevent its spread, and following the rulings of a continuous minor impurity if the bleeding continues.

As for menstruation, it is the natural blood known to a woman. It may coincide with a non-formed miscarriage, so the timing of the blood, the woman’s habit, and the characteristics of the blood must be considered, not the cause of bleeding alone.

What Makes Miscarriage Bleeding Nifas?

The guideline is that what came out must have some visible human formation, such as a head, hand, foot, fingers, or body outline by which it is known to be a human fetus.

If these features appear, then the blood connected to the miscarriage is nifas, even if the miscarriage happened before four full months. It is not a condition for nifas that the soul had already been breathed into the fetus, because nifas is connected to the appearance of human form. The breathing of the soul is connected to other rulings.

As for the mere presence of a pregnancy sac, a blood clot, tissue, or a piece of flesh in which no human features appear, that alone is not enough to rule the blood as nifas.

What Is the Evidence for Considering Fetal Formation?

The Quran indicates that the lump of flesh may be formed or unformed, as Allah says: {then from a lump of flesh, formed and unformed} [al-Hajj: 5]. The jurists built the ruling of nifas after miscarriage on the appearance of human form in the fetus.

Abdullah ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, and he is the truthful and the believed:

“The creation of each of you is gathered in his mother’s womb for forty days; then he is a clinging clot for a similar period; then he is a lump of flesh for a similar period. Then the angel is sent and breathes the soul into him, and is commanded with four matters: to write his provision, lifespan, deeds, and whether he will be miserable or blessed. By the One besides whom there is no god, one of you may do the deeds of the people of Paradise until there is only an arm’s length between him and it, then the decree overtakes him and he does the deeds of the people of Hellfire and enters it. And one of you may do the deeds of the people of Hellfire until there is only an arm’s length between him and it, then the decree overtakes him and he does the deeds of the people of Paradise and enters it.”

Agreed upon.

Hudhayfah ibn Asid, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“When forty-two nights pass over the drop, Allah sends an angel to it, who gives it form and creates its hearing, sight, skin, flesh, and bones. Then he says: O Lord, male or female? Your Lord decrees what He wills, and the angel writes. Then he says: O Lord, his lifespan? Your Lord says what He wills, and the angel writes. Then he says: O Lord, his provision? Your Lord decrees what He wills, and the angel writes. Then the angel leaves with the scroll in his hand, not adding to what he was commanded and not subtracting from it.”

Narrated by Muslim.

The scholars differed in how to reconcile the hadith of Ibn Masud with the hadith of Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with them both. Some understood the stages in the hadith of Ibn Masud as successive periods, while others understood that the beginning of shaping occurs after the first forty days, and others mentioned other ways of reconciling the narrations. Therefore, it is not correct to claim that they all agreed on one precise timeline interpretation.

As for the ruling of miscarriage bleeding, Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin and those who agreed with him relied on the view that the earliest time when the outline that affects the ruling of nifas can appear is after eighty days, and that it usually appears around ninety days. The practical guideline in fatwa remains the visible appearance of human form in the miscarried fetus. The number is a clue that helps determine the case; it is not a replacement for describing the fetus and referring to qualified experts. If a reliable medical report confirms clear human features earlier than that, this is a specific case that should be presented to a trustworthy scholar, and it should not be ruled on automatically from a general article.

Is This Issue Agreed Upon Among the Jurists?

The basic ruling that nifas is established when clear human form appears in the miscarried fetus is not problematic. However, the jurists differed regarding some cases in which complete shaping is not visible. The Hanafi and Hanbali schools in their relied-upon views connect nifas to the appearance of something from human form, while some Maliki and Shafi‘i jurists expanded the ruling in some cases of a lump of flesh when qualified experts testify that it is the beginning of human formation.

The view relied upon in this article is the guideline of the appearance of human form, which Imam Ahmad stated and which Shaykh Ibn Baz and Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy on them, gave fatwa according to. Whoever follows a valid fatwa from a trustworthy scholar who has reviewed the details of her case may act upon it, and rulings should not be transferred from one case to another without knowing the differences between them.

Does the Ruling Depend on Pregnancy Age in Weeks?

Pregnancy age helps in weighing the matter, but it is not the only guideline. The days mentioned below refer to the duration from the true beginning of pregnancy, not the medical pregnancy age calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period. The practical breakdown is:

1. Less than eighty days from the beginning of pregnancy: the blood is not ruled to be nifas according to the preferred view of Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin and those who agreed with him, and this is the view relied upon here.
2. From the eighty-first day to around ninety days: formation may begin to appear, so the miscarried fetus or the doctor’s report must be checked.
3. After around ninety days: human features are usually expected to have appeared, but the ruling still depends on confirmed formation, especially if the pregnancy sac was empty or fetal growth stopped early.
4. After four months: formation is generally established, and other rulings connected to the breathing of the soul enter, but reaching four months is not a condition for nifas.

It is important to know that doctors often calculate medical pregnancy age from the first day of the last menstrual period, which usually comes about two weeks before fertilization. But when jurists speak about days of pregnancy, they may mean the period from the actual beginning of pregnancy. Therefore, a woman should not turn medical weeks into a religious ruling by herself when the case is close to a dividing point. She should ask about the method of calculation and the condition of the fetus.

What If the Fetus Stopped Developing but Remained in the Womb?

The fetus may stop developing at an early stage, then not come out until days or weeks later. In this case, the mere delay in its exit does not make its developmental age older than its actual stage of growth. Rather, what matters is the age at which growth stopped and what had appeared of its formation in imaging or examination.

If the doctor states that development stopped before human features appeared, then the pregnancy was removed later, the blood does not become nifas simply because the day of removal was later. But if the fetus had formed and its features appeared before it died, then the blood that comes out because of its miscarriage or removal is nifas according to the relied-upon view.

How Does a Woman Know Whether the Miscarried Fetus Had Formed?

This may be known through one of the following:

1. Seeing clear human features in what came out, such as a head, hand, or foot.
2. A trustworthy doctor informing her that the fetus had visible human features.
3. An ultrasound or medical report that explains the stage of fetal development, which can then be shown to a scholar if uncertainty remains.

The woman is not required to inspect the miscarried fetus herself or deal with it in a way that harms her emotionally. If it came out in fragments, was removed through a procedure, or she did not see it, she may rely on the medical team’s report as far as it clarifies the matter.

What Should She Do If the Miscarried Fetus Was Formed?

If it is established that human form had become visible in the fetus, then the blood that comes out because of it is nifas, and the woman should do the following:

1. She leaves prayer while the blood of nifas is present.
2. If this happens in Ramadan, she does not fast, then makes up the fasting after becoming pure.
3. She does not make up the prayers she missed during nifas.
4. Her husband may not have intercourse with her until the blood stops and she performs ghusl.
5. If she becomes pure before forty days, she performs ghusl, prays, and fasts; she does not wait for forty days to be completed.
6. If the blood continues until forty days, then forty days is the maximum length of nifas according to the view held by most scholars and relied upon in this article.

Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:

“Women in nifas during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would sit after their nifas for forty days, or forty nights, and we would apply wars to their faces because of discoloration.”

Narrated by Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad; a number of hadith scholars graded it hasan.

Some jurists, including the Malikis and Shafi‘is, held that the maximum length of nifas is sixty days. A woman who follows a recognized madhhab, or who has received a fatwa from a trustworthy scholar after he knows her case, may act according to that fatwa. This article relies on the view of forty days, which is the view of most scholars.

What Should She Do If the Miscarried Fetus Was Not Formed?

If the miscarried fetus was not formed, then the blood that comes out because of it is not nifas. The blood is then considered as follows:

1. If it coincides with the woman’s known menstrual habit and can be menstruation by its timing and characteristics, then it may be menstruation, so she follows the rulings of menstruation.
2. If it is not menstruation, then it is irregular bleeding with the ruling of istihada. She prays and fasts, and the blood does not prevent her from worship.
3. She washes the blood from herself and from whatever it touches of her clothes according to her ability, and uses a pad or something similar to prevent it from spreading.
4. If the bleeding is continuous, she performs wudu after the time of each prayer begins according to the view of the majority of scholars, then prays the obligatory prayer and whatever voluntary prayers she wishes during that prayer time. What comes out because of the ongoing excuse does not harm her.
5. She does not have to perform ghusl for nifas simply because a non-formed pregnancy was miscarried. But ghusl is required if the blood was menstruation and she then became pure, or if another cause requiring ghusl occurred.

A woman may not leave prayer for days simply because the bleeding is heavy or painful. Heavy blood does not make it nifas as long as the miscarried fetus was not formed, though it may require urgent medical treatment.

Is Every Blood After a Non-Formed Miscarriage Istihada?

Not necessarily. The more accurate wording is: it is not nifas. It may then be menstruation if it coincides with the woman’s habit and can be considered menstruation, or it may be irregular bleeding and istihada if the rulings of menstruation do not apply.

For this reason, a woman whose miscarriage occurred at the time of her period, or whose bleeding became prolonged and confusing, needs to explain her previous habit, the date the bleeding began, the length of purity before it, and the characteristics of the blood; then she should ask a trustworthy scholar.

For the general guidelines, see The Difference Between Menstruation and Istihada.

What If the Woman Does Not Know Whether the Miscarried Fetus Had Formed?

If she did not see what came out, or it came out in fragments, or the report did not clarify its condition, she should not stop praying because of possibility alone. The basic rule is that prayer remains obligatory and the rulings of purity remain until a valid preventing cause is established.

She should gather whatever information she can:

1. The pregnancy age and how it was calculated.
2. The date when fetal growth stopped, not only the date it came out.
3. The ultrasound description: was a fetus seen, and did it have human features?
4. Was the pregnancy sac empty?
5. When did the bleeding begin, how long did it last, and did it coincide with her habit?

Then she should present this information to a trustworthy scholar. If the doctors state that the fetus had formed and then was removed by a procedure, the ruling of nifas is established even if she did not see it herself.

Does the Ruling Differ Between Natural, Medication-Induced, and Surgical Miscarriage?

The basic ruling does not change because of the way the pregnancy leaves the womb. Whether the miscarriage happened naturally, came out through medication prescribed by a doctor, or was removed through a uterine evacuation procedure, what matters is fetal formation and the blood’s connection to its exit.

As for the permissibility of intentionally ending a pregnancy in the first place, that is a separate and serious issue. It differs according to the pregnancy age, the reason, and the necessity, and it should not be decided by a general article. Rather, scholars and doctors should be consulted before taking such a step whenever possible.

When Does the Ruling of Nifas Begin After Miscarriage?

Nifas is established with certainty when the formed fetus comes out and with the blood connected to it. As for blood that comes before it exits, the jurists discussed details. According to the Hanbali view relied upon in this article: if it came out two or three days before the miscarriage with a clear sign, such as labor-like pain and the nearness of its exit, then it has the ruling of nifas, but those days are not counted within the forty-day period. If it was earlier than that, or without signs of miscarriage, it is not ruled as nifas merely because it came before the miscarriage.

Whoever began bleeding hours or days before the fetus came out should mention the timing of the blood and the signs of miscarriage when asking a scholar, and should not make all the earlier blood nifas without detail.

What If Nifas Blood Stops and Then Returns?

If the miscarried fetus was formed and the woman sees purity before forty days, she performs ghusl, prays, and fasts, and what she did during purity is valid.

If clear blood returns within the forty days, the correct view according to a number of scholars is that it returns to the ruling of nifas. As for yellow or brown discharge that is separate after verified purity, then in principle it is not made nifas by itself.

If the blood goes beyond forty days, she performs ghusl and prays according to the relied-upon view here, and the extra blood is istihada, unless it coincides with the time and characteristics of her menstruation, in which case it is menstruation.

For more detail, see Postpartum Bleeding in Islam: Essential Rulings on Nifas.

Does She Have to Make Up Prayers If She Thought the Blood Was Nifas, Then It Became Clear That It Was Not?

If it becomes established that the miscarried fetus had not formed and that the blood was not menstruation, then she left prayer during a time when prayer was obligatory upon her. The basic ruling is that she should make up the prayers she missed.

However, if a long time has passed, or she does not know the number of days, or there remains a possibility that some of the blood was menstruation, or she had acted upon a previous fatwa, then she should not judge herself from a general article. She should ask a trustworthy scholar and mention the details, because making up prayers is affected by the established ruling, her knowledge of it, and the scholarly discussion regarding the excuse of ignorance.

When Does a Woman Perform Ghusl After Miscarriage?

1. If the blood was nifas, she performs ghusl when purity is verified or when forty days are complete according to the relied-upon view.
2. If the blood was menstruation, she performs ghusl when menstruation ends and purity is verified.
3. If the blood was istihada, no special ghusl is required because of istihada. Rather, she cleans the blood and performs wudu for prayer according to the details mentioned earlier.
4. If she had a procedure, the procedure alone does not make ghusl for nifas obligatory. Rather, she looks at the type of blood and the condition of the miscarried fetus.

See How to Make Ghusl After Menstruation and Postpartum Bleeding.

When Should Urgent Medical Care Be Sought?

Pregnancy bleeding and miscarriage are also medical matters, and treatment should not be delayed while waiting to know the religious ruling. A woman should contact her doctor when bleeding occurs during pregnancy, and seek urgent care if any of the following appears:

1. Heavy bleeding that quickly fills a large sanitary pad, or bleeding that continues heavily.
2. Severe pain in the abdomen or pelvis, or pain at the tip of the shoulder.
3. Severe dizziness, fainting, or obvious weakness.
4. Fever, chills, or discharge with a foul smell.
5. Pain or bleeding continuing in an unexpected way, or suspicion that tissue remains inside the womb.

She may need imaging or follow-up of pregnancy hormone levels to confirm that the miscarriage is complete and that there is no ectopic pregnancy, bleeding, or infection. The religious ruling does not replace this medical follow-up.

Gentleness Toward a Woman After Miscarriage

Losing a pregnancy is physically and emotionally painful, and miscarriage by itself is not proof that the woman was negligent or that she is being punished. Her husband and family should comfort her, help her with treatment and rest, and avoid blame and hurtful questions.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“No fatigue, illness, worry, sadness, harm, or distress afflicts a Muslim, even a thorn that pricks him, except that Allah expiates some of his sins through it.”

Agreed upon.

Common Mistakes

1. Considering every blood after miscarriage to be nifas.
2. Considering every blood after a non-formed miscarriage to be istihada, even though it may coincide with menstruation.
3. Relying only on the heaviness or color of the bleeding to decide that it is nifas.
4. Relying on the number of weeks without knowing how the pregnancy age was calculated or the condition of the fetus.
5. Making four months a condition for nifas.
6. Leaving prayer when there is doubt about fetal formation without asking or verifying.
7. Waiting for a full forty days even after verified purity.
8. Ignoring heavy bleeding, pain, or fever under the assumption that these are normal miscarriage symptoms.
9. Requiring the woman to inspect the miscarried fetus herself when it is possible to refer to a doctor’s report.

Related Articles

• Postpartum Bleeding in Islam: Essential Rulings on Nifas
• The Difference Between Menstruation and Istihada
• How to Make Ghusl After Menstruation and Postpartum Bleeding
• How Does a Woman Know Her Menstruation Has Ended?