Waiting for 40 days after childbirth before starting to perform Salah

Question:

After giving birth, should a woman wait for 40 days absolutely to start performing Salah?

Answer:

After childbirth, a woman experiences a bleeding. This bleeding is called Nifaas. According to the Shari’ah, there is no minimum delay for Nifaas. It can be 1 day just as it can be 10 days or even more than this or less than this. But the maximum delay is 40 days. It means that the Nifaas of a woman can stop before 40 days also. Therefore, she does not need to wait for 40 days absolutely to start performing Salah. As soon as she stops bleeding, she must do Ghusl and start performing Salah. And she can also have intimate relationships. If she has complications that prevent her from making Ghusl, then she can do Tayammum.

Normally, Tayammum is performed with soil. But it can be performed with stones or bricks also. That is, one has to strike the palms of both hands once on a stone or brick and then pass the palms on the entire face. Then again for a second time, one should strike the palms of both hands on a stone or on a brick and pass them on the arms up to the elbow. That is, one passes the left hand on the right arm and the right hand on the left arm.

[English version of "Attane 40 jours après l'accouchement pou commence faire namaz" – Al Jamiat – Vol.4 No.10]