The Prayer of the Patient Who Cannot Move His Head

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, if a patient is unable to move his head, such as someone who was in an accident and is confined to his bed, but his mind is intact, is it said that the prayer is dropped from him?

Answer:
Some jurists say that he should pray even with his eyes, as you have heard. So if he prays with his eyes, that is the safer course? The safer course is that he prays even with his eyes; he indicates with his eyes, pointing with his eyes for the bowing and pointing with his eyes for the prostration, without moving his eyes. This is the safest, there is no doubt. And although the most precise scholars say there is no evidence for this, it is a matter of preference. Yes, because it was mentioned in a narration, or rather, it was not established by his eyes. It was mentioned in a hadith that he indicates with his eyes, but they say this hadith was not established. So if one acts upon it out of caution, that is better, and this is what puts people’s minds at ease. Yes.