Fiqh of Women’s Worship

Menstruation, postpartum bleeding, istihadah, pregnancy — the rulings exist and are well documented, but almost nobody has laid them out in a form you can actually look something up in. One question per page, and wherever the schools differ, the difference is the answer.

This page is study material. It does not replace a ruling from a qualified scholar who knows your situation. The schools differ, and so do circumstances — take specific questions to a scholar in your own community.

Can you pray on your period, and do you make up the prayers you missed? A menstruating woman does not pray, and does not make those prayers up. All four schools agree. What they differ on is the seam at each end — the prayer when bleeding starts, and the prayer when it stops.
Fasting on your period: why fasts are made up but prayers are not A menstruating woman does not fast, and every missed day of Ramadan must be made up before the next one. How long you have, what happens if you miss the deadline, and where the schools differ on fidya.
Can you read Qur’an on your period? Reciting from memory, touching the mushaf, reading from a phone, entering the masjid, tawaf — the schools differ on almost all of it. Each position laid out, plus what contemporary scholars say about reading Qur’an on a screen.
How do you know your period has ended? The two signs of purity, what yellow and brown discharge mean, the minimum and maximum durations in each school, and how to perform ghusl. This is the step that decides whether you pray today.
Istihadah: bleeding, but prayer is still obligatory Not all bleeding is menstruation. Bleeding past the maximum, or outside the cycle, is istihadah — and during istihadah prayer and fasting remain obligatory. How to tell the difference, and how wudu works.
Nifas: how long postpartum bleeding lasts, and when prayer resumes During nifas a woman does not pray or fast, exactly as in menstruation. But the maximum differs by school, and if bleeding stops early, prayer resumes early. Miscarriage is a separate ruling.
Fasting while pregnant or breastfeeding: qada, fidya, or both? A pregnant or nursing mother may break her fast if she fears for herself or the child. What she owes afterwards is genuinely disputed — three positions, with the evidence for each.