Particulars of Nifaas When Giving Birth to Twins

Last updated on July 30th, 2025 at 08:36 pm

1. A woman gave birth to twins. She started bleeding with the first delivery. Before 40 days passed, she delivered her second baby and bled. This bleeding is nifaas if it does not surpass 40 days.
2. If she delivered the second baby after 40 days from the first, then what she sees after 40 days from the birth of the first till the second delivery, will be isithaadhah.
3. Example #1:

• A baby was born.
• The mother experienced bleeding for 20 days.
• She remained clean for the next 30 days.
• Then on the 50th day she bled till the 55^th
• On the 59^th day she gave birth to the second baby.

In this case her nifaas was the 20 days from the birth of the first baby. What she saw on the 50^th to the 55^th is isithaadhah. It cannot be nifaas because the 40-day nifaas period has passed, and it furthermore cannot be haidh as she still has a child in her womb.

4. With the delivery of the second baby she should immediately have a ghusl and start offering her Salaat.
5. Example #2:

• Her habit (aadat) in nifaas is 20 days.
• She bled after the 1^st child for 20 days.
• After 20 days she delivered the twin and bled for 21 days.

In this case, her routine days of nifaas (aadat) remains unchanged, that is 20 days – the 20 days which commenced when she gave birth to the first child. The second spell of bleeding exceeded 20 days, hence her aadat remains unchanged.

6. Example #3:

• Her aadat is 20 days in nifaas.
• She had 20 days of bleeding upon delivering the first baby.
• On the 20^th day she gave birth to the twin and bled for 20 days.
• The total number of days of bleeding was 40 days.

In this case, her nifaas has changed from 20 days to 40 days. The bleeding after the second baby (the twin) is also nifaas.

7. To summarize, the bleeding within 40 days of the first baby’s birth is nifaas, whilst it will be isthaadhah if it continues or commences after 40 days and it is before the birth of the twin. If the bleeding is after the twin, however, it could be either istihaadhah or haidh.

8. If the woman who gave birth to twins, triplets, etc. is a mu’taadah, that is she has a fixed number of days of nifaas, then in the case of the first bleeding exceeding 40 days her previous cycle of nifaas will be taken into account and the rest will be istihaadhah.

(Manhalul Waarideen, Bahrur Raaiq)