It is haram (forbidden) for a woman to perform Salah (ritual prayer) while she is in a state of menstruation (hayd) or postpartum bleeding (nifas). There is a scholarly consensus (ijma') on this matter, based on clear evidence from the Sunnah.

The ruling is that she must cease praying as soon as her period begins and should not resume until the bleeding has completely stopped and she has performed ghusl (full ritual bath) to purify herself.

Unlike an obligated fast missed during Ramadan, a woman is not required to make up the prayers she misses during her menstrual cycle. This is a mercy and concession from Allah, as prayers occur five times every day, and making them all up would constitute a significant hardship, unlike the fasts of Ramadan which are only for one month of the year.

The basis for this ruling is the authentic hadith where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed Fatimah bint Abi Hubaysh, "When your menstruation begins, then leave the prayer." (Sahih al-Bukhari).

Furthermore, the distinction between making up fasts but not prayers is explicitly established in the hadith of Mu'adhah, who asked 'Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "'Why does the menstruating woman make up the fasts but not the prayers?' 'Aishah said: 'Are you a Haruriyyah (a member of a Kharijite sect)?' I said: 'I am not a Haruriyyah, but I am asking.' She said: 'That used to happen to us, and we were commanded to make up the fasts, and we were not commanded to make up the prayers.'" (Sahih Muslim).

Therefore, a woman in this state should not pray, touch a copy of the mushaf, or perform tawaf around the Kaaba, but she is encouraged to engage in other forms of remembrance (dhikr), such as tasbeeh, takbir, making du'a, and seeking knowledge.