Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

 

Period can never exceed more than 15 days. Any bleeding that comes after is reckoned as due to istihadah or chronic bleeding. In this case you are to perform ghusl and resume prayer as you would do normally except that you should clean yourself and perform a fresh wudu’ prior to standing up for prayer.

 

If before this condition occurred you have had a pattern of menses of six or seven days, then you should reckon the same as your period, and the bleeding that follows should be attributed to istihadah unless the bleeding is the same in density and color, etc., as menses; in this case you may do well to  seek the advice of your geneocologist to find out whether the bleeding you are experiencing is of menses or istihadah.

 

As for the general rule to follow to determine whether your menses has ended or not you may benefit from the following advice of Umm `Atiyyah, one of the eminent women companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “We never paid attention to the brownish stain appearing after expiry of menses.”

 

For further details, let me cite here one of my earlier answers:

 

“You are free of menses only when your bleeding has completely stopped, and you see the white discharge, following your regular pattern. However, after you have seen the white discharge, if you experience pinkish or brownish discharges, you need not worry. Umm Atiyyah, the Prophet’s companion, said, ” During the Prophet’s time, we never used to pay attention to the pinkish or brownish discharges that followed the expiry of menses.”  (Reported by Imam Bukhari and others).

 
All the above, however, is conditional on the fact that your menses period did not exceed fifteen days. For bleeding after fifteen days cannot be reckoned as menses; rather it is reckoned as istihadhah (abnormal bleeding). In the case of istihadhah, you need to pray after having taken a full bath at the end of your period; then you wash your private and make wudhu before each prayer. Washing and wudhu should only be done immediately prior to each salah.

 

 

Allah Almighty knows best.