The ruling on the prayer of one who does not memorize al-Fatihah
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: My mother (may Allah reward her with good) is diligent in praying at its times, and she loves to do good for her children and for those in need. I love her and wish her all good, but she does not distinguish what she says in the bowing, prostration, and tashahhud, and she has a mispronunciation in al-Fatihah that changes the meaning. She memorizes some poetry and sayings, and she says, “I do not know.” She says it is sufficient that the shaykhs say that for one who does not know, the tasbih is sufficient. Her children have no obstacle to teaching her. I hope you will urge her to do so, and urge us to do what benefits her.
Answer:
Yes, if she accepts teaching and benefits from it, meaning she understands when she is taught, it is obligatory for you to teach her, and it is not permissible for her to pray until she learns al-Fatihah, at least al-Fatihah. It is necessary, and her prayer is not accepted without it. As for if she does not accept teaching, meaning she does not understand the explanation, and even if she is taught, she does not understand or grasp it, she prays according to her condition. Allah the Exalted said:[At-Taghabun 64:16]
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: My mother (may Allah reward her with good) is diligent in praying at its times, and she loves to do good for her children and for those in need. I love her and wish her all good, but she does not distinguish what she says in the bowing, prostration, and tashahhud, and she has a mispronunciation in al-Fatihah that changes the meaning. She memorizes some poetry and sayings, and she says, “I do not know.” She says it is sufficient that the shaykhs say that for one who does not know, the tasbih is sufficient. Her children have no obstacle to teaching her. I hope you will urge her to do so, and urge us to do what benefits her.
Answer:
Yes, if she accepts teaching and benefits from it, meaning she understands when she is taught, it is obligatory for you to teach her, and it is not permissible for her to pray until she learns al-Fatihah, at least al-Fatihah. It is necessary, and her prayer is not accepted without it. As for if she does not accept teaching, meaning she does not understand the explanation, and even if she is taught, she does not understand or grasp it, she prays according to her condition. Allah the Exalted said:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ
Source
الحث على إتقان الصلاة — alfawzan.live
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.