Short answer
In the Hanafi school, if bleeding goes past 10 days, only your usual number of days is your period and the rest is istihadah. You make ghusl, pray from day 11, and make up the prayers you missed after your usual days ended. A first-time bleeder counts 10 days as her period.
When bleeding exceeds 10 days, a woman with a habit counts her habit days as hayd and everything beyond them as istihadah, so she makes up the prayers of the days past her habit. A girl whose first bleeding exceeds 10 days counts 10 days as hayd. During istihadah she prays and fasts, making wudu for each prayer time.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The maximum is 15 days; beyond that she distinguishes by the colour and strength of the blood, or else follows her habit.
- Hanbali
- The maximum is 15 days; beyond it she follows her habit, then the colour of the blood.
- Maliki
- The maximum is 15 days; a woman with a habit counts her habit plus up to three extra days (istizhar), never beyond 15, and a first-time bleeder counts up to 15.
Explanation
This is one of the most common worries, especially after starting or stopping hormonal contraception, around puberty and before menopause. The answer depends on your habit: the number of days of your last valid period.
How it works:
- While bleeding is under 10 days, treat it as your period, even if it is longer than usual. If it stops by day 10, all of it was your period, and your habit has changed to the new number.
- Once it passes 10 days, look back. Your usual days, say 6, were your period. Days 7 onwards were istihadah.
- Make ghusl as soon as day 10 is complete, then pray and fast as normal.
- Make up the prayers of the days after your habit: in the example, days 7 to 10.
- First period, no habit: 10 days are the period, and the rest istihadah.
During istihadah you are treated as a person with an ongoing excuse. Make wudu once in each prayer time and pray as many prayers as you like in that time. See what is istihadah. Fasting and intercourse are allowed.
The Prophet ﷺ gave this same answer to Umm Habibah, whose bleeding did not stop: stay away from prayer for as long as your period used to hold you back, then bathe and pray. Irregular cycles can be complicated, especially when the habit itself shifts, so write down your dates and ask a mufti. Track missed prayers with the qada calculator.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:286
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًۭا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ ﴿٢٨٦﴾
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people."
The rulings for prolonged bleeding are built on ease and capacity.
Sahih Muslim 334
Sahih... امكثي قدر ما كانت تحبسك حيضتك ...
"Stay away as long as your menstruation used to hold you back, then bathe."
A woman with prolonged bleeding follows her usual number of days.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on menstruation and istihadah. Bleeding over ten days is referred back to the habit.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Taharah, chapter on menstruation. Rulings for a beginner, a woman with a habit, and one who has forgotten her habit.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.