When a Woman has a Miscarriage in the Third Month
Question:
I am a woman who suffered a miscarriage one year ago, in the third month, and I did not pray until I had become clean, but I have been told that I should have prayed. What should I do, as I dont know the exact number of days?
Answer:
It is well known to the scholars that when a woman miscarries after three months, she does not pray, because when she miscarries a foetus which is clearly a human from, the blood which comes out is postnatal blood and she should not pray during this time. The scholars say that it is possible for the shape of the foetus to be distinct if eight-one days have passed - and this is less than three months. So if she is certain that the foetus was miscarried after three months, then the blood she suffered from was the blood of menstruation. But if it was before eighty days, then the blood she suffered from her was caused by illness and she should not stop praying because of it. So this questioner must try to remember, if the foetus was miscarried before eighty days, she must make up the prayers, and if she does not know how many prayers she missed, she must investigate, estimate and make up the number of prayers she missed according to the best of her recollection.
Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-`Uthaymeen
Fatawa Islamiyah Vol. 2 Page 122
