Postpartum bleeding (nifaas) stopped after two weeks, and she had yellowish discharge; when does she become pure?

It is known whether menses or nifaas (postpartum bleeding) has ended by one of two signs:

1.. Emission of the white discharge, which is something known to women.

2.. Complete dryness, such that if a piece of cotton and the like were to be inserted, it would come out cleanr, with no trace of blood or yellowish or brownish discharge on it.

Al-Baaji said in al-Muntaqa Sharh al-Muwatta’ (1/119): What is usual regarding the end of menses [or nifaas] is two things:

The white discharge. ‘Ali ibn Ziyaad narrated from Maalik that it resembles maniy (semen). Ibn al-Qaasim narrated from Maalik that it resembles urine.

The second thing is dryness, which means that if the woman were to insert a piece of cotton or cloth into her vagina, it would come out dry, with no trace of blood on it.

Usually women vary in that regard. Some of them usually see the white discharge, and some of them usually see dryness. If a woman usually sees one of the two things, and she sees it, then we may rule that her menses [or nifaas] has ended. End quote.

What appears to be the case from your question is that complete dryness did not occur in your case; rather the bleeding stopped after two weeks, but the yellowish discharge continued, with some slight bleeding two weeks after the bleeding had stopped. Hence, you are still in nifaas, and you made a mistake by praying before nifaas had ended.

Shaykh Muhammad al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about a woman who had postpartum bleeding for two weeks, then it gradually turned into something like mucus of a yellowish colour, and that continued until the end of the forty days. Do the rulings on nifaas apply to this substance that followed the bleeding, or not?

He replied: Regarding this yellowish discharge or mucus, so long as there was no clear sign of purity in it, it comes under the same ruling as the bleeding, so she does not become pure until this discharge ends. "Fataawa al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, p. 304"

Secondly:

The maximum duration of nifaas (postpartum bleeding) is forty days. If you become pure (i.e., the nifaas ends) before that, that is fine. If this yellowish discharge or bleeding continues beyond the forty days, if that coincides with your menses, then the yellowish discharge or blood is due to menses, and if it does not coincide with your menses, then it is istihaadah (irregular bleeding).

At-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The scholars among the companions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the Taabi‘een and those who came after them are unanimously agreed that the one who is bleeding following childbirth (nifaas) should refrain from praying for forty days, unless she sees the tuhr (sign that the bleeding has ended) before that, in which case she should do ghusl and pray. If she sees any blood after forty days, then most of the scholars say that she should not refrain from praying after forty days. This is also the view of most of the fuqaha’, and it is the view of Sufyaan ath-Thawri, Ibn al-Mubaarak, ash-Shaafa‘i, Ahmad, and Ishaaq. "Sunan at-Tirmidhi"

The scholars of the Permanent Committee for Ifta’ said: If the woman who is bleeding following childbirth sees the tuhr (sign that the bleeding has ended) before the end of forty days, then she should do ghusl and pray and fast, and her husband may have intercourse with her.

But if the bleeding continues beyond forty days, then she should regard herself as coming under the ruling on one who is pure, as forty days is the maximum duration of nifaas according to the more correct of the two scholarly views. Any bleeding that occurs after forty days is regarded as irregular bleeding that comes under the ruling on istihaadah, unless it coincides with a regular period, in which case she should regard it as menses, and refrain from praying and fasting, and it is haraam for her husband to have intercourse with her. "Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (5/417)"

And Allah knows best.