I gave birth to a child last year and I did not have menses, and now after a whole year, I had some discontinued brown discharges and some red bleeding; they stop one day and then they come again. So, am I obliged to fast or not?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.

 These brown spots with some red blood which you had after this long period are considered menses. So, you are obliged to stop fasting and performing prayers during the time you have these discharges. However, when they stop, you are obliged to perform all your religious obligations, fast and perform the prayer. Furthermore, you have to add all the days during which you have bleeding, and if the total is more than the maximum period of menses, which is fifteen days, then the bleeding after this period is considered bleeding outside the monthly menses.

For more benefit on the ruling on bleeding outside the monthly periods, please refer to Fatwa 84479.

Allaah Knows best.