If a Woman with Postdelivery Bleeding becomes Clean before the Expiration of Forty days, may she Fast, Pray and perform Hajj?
Question :
Is it permissible for a woman with postdelivery bleeding to fast, pray and perform Hajj before the expiration of forty days, if she is clean (i.e. the bleeding has stopped)?
Answer:
Yes, it is permissible for her to fast, pray and perform Hajj and Umrah, and it is permissible for her husband to have sexual intercourse with her during the forty days, if she becomes clean. If she became clean after twenty days (for example), she should perform Ghusl, pray and fast, and she becomes permissible to her husband. As for the narration of 'Uthman bin Abi Al-'As, which states that he disapproved of that, it is considered as being dislike (not prohibition), and it is his Ijtihad may Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him - and there is no evidence for it. The correct opinion is that there is no sin in that, if she has become clean before forty days, because her cleanness is correct, and if the blood comes to her again during the forty days, the correct view is that she is considered to be (still) afflicted with post-partum bleeding for forty days, but her fasts and prayers during the days when she was clean is all correct and she does not need to repeat any of them, so long as she was clean (at the time).
Source:
Ibn Baz
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 2 Pages 117-118