The Ruling on Making Up Fasting in Ramadan and the Prayer of the Absent

The questioner : Honorable Shaykh, my mother was afflicted with a liver disease. The doctors decided to perform a liver transplant for her. She fasted for several days of Ramadan before the operation. After the liver transplant, her health improved slightly, then her health began to weaken and deteriorate. She fell into a coma after a few months, waking up and then losing consciousness again, until she passed away (may Allah have mercy on her). My question is: What is the ruling on the days she did not fast in Ramadan? Also, at the end of her life and during her coma, she sometimes prayed and sometimes did not pray due to her illness. What is the ruling on the prayers she did not perform during the period of coma and the lucidity that preceded her death?

The Shaykh : As for the fasting she left off due to her inability to fast, she must feed a poor person for each day. Either you give charity to the poor people for the number of days, and they eat in the morning or evening, or you give each poor person the amount of one kilo of rice, and provide meat with it, about the same weight. This is regarding the fasting. As for the prayer she left off while in a coma, she owes nothing at all. Likewise, anyone who is unconscious owes no prayer. So if it is reported that someone was involved in an accident and became unconscious for a day, two days, three days, or more, and then regained consciousness and recovered, he owes nothing, because this is a coma. It is not like a sleeping person. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the sleeping person, when he wakes up, to pray whatever he missed. But if a sleeping person... I think this is a farmer. Yes. If it is true that the coma was caused by something, such as... near the time of prayer, and he does not regain consciousness until after the time of prayer has passed, then he must make it up. Why? Because this is by his own choice. If he chose it, he must make up what he missed while unconscious. As for one who becomes senile, he owes nothing. If a person becomes senile due to old age or is afflicted with a condition that disturbs his mind, he owes nothing, neither fasting nor prayer. As for zakah, it is obligatory because it is due on wealth. What? Because money does not follow food, and clothing does not follow food. It is necessary to feed [the poor]. Yes.