Making up missed prayers for the sick person after his death and the ruling on delaying them
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
If a person dies in his deathbed illness and was unable to perform the obligatory prayers due to his inability, are they made up for him after his death?
The Shaykh:
Some people make a mistake in this regard. Some people, when they fall ill, become lax in prayer and do not pray, saying, “When I am cured, I will make it up.” This is a mistake. He may die in the hospital. This is a mistake. It is obligatory for him to pray according to his condition: standing, sitting, on his side, or lying on his back, as you heard in the lecture. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did it this way. If he is unable to use water, he prays with tayammum. If he prays with tayammum when there is no water, he prays according to his condition, even if his clothes are impure. Even if he prays while impure, he prays according to his condition. So fear Allah as much as you are able.
If he is able to perform wudu, he performs wudu. Even if he dies, he performs tayammum. If he is able to change his clothes, he changes his clothes. If he is able to change and pray, he changes and prays. As for being lax and saying, “Later, if Allah heals me, I will pray,” this is a mistake. It is not permissible. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the sick person: “Pray standing. If you cannot, pray sitting. If you cannot, pray on your side. If you cannot, pray lying on your back.” The one who does not find water performs tayammum. The one who is unable performs tayammum. He has no excuse. This is a mistake. It is obligatory for the Muslim to remind his brothers. For example, if he sees his sick brother, he reminds him of these matters and says to him, if he fears that he is making a mistake in this, he reminds him and clarifies it to him, so that this falls under the category of cooperating in evidence and piety. If he dies and did not pray, he is subject to punishment, or forgiveness; because he left it due to a doubt, due to an ignorant prison where he thinks this is better. So the ruling for the one who left it intentionally, or out of laxity, is not the same. Some people leave it thinking that this is what is prescribed, and that if he prays it after the illness, it will be better, praying it in a more complete manner. This is great ignorance. And Allah is the One to be sought for help. Yes.
Another questioner:
If he left it, meaning he promised himself that if he recovered.
The Shaykh:
No, this is a mistake, a mistake.
Another questioner:
He must leave it and not be blessed.
The Shaykh:
It is not pleasing to Him, but, if Allah wills, He will grant him forgiveness from Allah.
Another questioner:
If he left it, meaning the prayer, he left it intentionally, deliberately, and did not pray at all.
The Shaykh:
If he was lax, he is a disbeliever; he is not washed and no prayer is performed over him.
Another questioner:
And do not gather grilled meat at the airport.
The Shaykh:
My intention is that he says you are impure and sees that delaying it is better due to his ignorance. This is a doubt.
Another questioner:
Does this ruling apply to the one who prays an obligatory prayer and leaves an obligatory prayer, meaning he prays Fajr and leaves Dhuhr and Asr, and prays Maghrib, for example, and leaves Isha and Fajr? Does his ruling apply to the ruling of the disbeliever?
The Shaykh:
Except if he repents. As long as he prays sometimes and is lax sometimes, he is a disbeliever, until he repents from his bad deed. If the one in authority can, if the one in authority lets him escape, yes.
If a person dies in his deathbed illness and was unable to perform the obligatory prayers due to his inability, are they made up for him after his death?
The Shaykh:
Some people make a mistake in this regard. Some people, when they fall ill, become lax in prayer and do not pray, saying, “When I am cured, I will make it up.” This is a mistake. He may die in the hospital. This is a mistake. It is obligatory for him to pray according to his condition: standing, sitting, on his side, or lying on his back, as you heard in the lecture. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did it this way. If he is unable to use water, he prays with tayammum. If he prays with tayammum when there is no water, he prays according to his condition, even if his clothes are impure. Even if he prays while impure, he prays according to his condition. So fear Allah as much as you are able.
If he is able to perform wudu, he performs wudu. Even if he dies, he performs tayammum. If he is able to change his clothes, he changes his clothes. If he is able to change and pray, he changes and prays. As for being lax and saying, “Later, if Allah heals me, I will pray,” this is a mistake. It is not permissible. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the sick person: “Pray standing. If you cannot, pray sitting. If you cannot, pray on your side. If you cannot, pray lying on your back.” The one who does not find water performs tayammum. The one who is unable performs tayammum. He has no excuse. This is a mistake. It is obligatory for the Muslim to remind his brothers. For example, if he sees his sick brother, he reminds him of these matters and says to him, if he fears that he is making a mistake in this, he reminds him and clarifies it to him, so that this falls under the category of cooperating in evidence and piety. If he dies and did not pray, he is subject to punishment, or forgiveness; because he left it due to a doubt, due to an ignorant prison where he thinks this is better. So the ruling for the one who left it intentionally, or out of laxity, is not the same. Some people leave it thinking that this is what is prescribed, and that if he prays it after the illness, it will be better, praying it in a more complete manner. This is great ignorance. And Allah is the One to be sought for help. Yes.
Another questioner:
If he left it, meaning he promised himself that if he recovered.
The Shaykh:
No, this is a mistake, a mistake.
Another questioner:
He must leave it and not be blessed.
The Shaykh:
It is not pleasing to Him, but, if Allah wills, He will grant him forgiveness from Allah.
Another questioner:
If he left it, meaning the prayer, he left it intentionally, deliberately, and did not pray at all.
The Shaykh:
If he was lax, he is a disbeliever; he is not washed and no prayer is performed over him.
Another questioner:
And do not gather grilled meat at the airport.
The Shaykh:
My intention is that he says you are impure and sees that delaying it is better due to his ignorance. This is a doubt.
Another questioner:
Does this ruling apply to the one who prays an obligatory prayer and leaves an obligatory prayer, meaning he prays Fajr and leaves Dhuhr and Asr, and prays Maghrib, for example, and leaves Isha and Fajr? Does his ruling apply to the ruling of the disbeliever?
The Shaykh:
Except if he repents. As long as he prays sometimes and is lax sometimes, he is a disbeliever, until he repents from his bad deed. If the one in authority can, if the one in authority lets him escape, yes.
Source
ندوات الجامع الكبير مع الأسئلة - 55 — archive.org (42:39)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.
