The ruling on one who is unable to memorize al-Fatihah and what he should say in its place in prayer
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The second question of Fatwa No. ( 10260 )
Q2: I have a mother and sisters, and despite repeatedly teaching them to memorize al-Fatihah, they have not been able to memorize it. What is the ruling on their prayers?
A2: Reciting al-Fatihah in prayer is a pillar, and it is obligatory for women to learn it.
It is also obligatory for their guardians to continue teaching them what is required to know in prayer, such as al-Fatihah and others. If the time for prayer becomes narrow and they are unable to know it, they should pray according to their ability, and their prayers are valid; due to the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:286] and His saying: [Al-Ma'idah 5:6] and His saying: [At-Taghabun 64:16] The one who is unable to memorize al-Fatihah is ordered to say: (Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, Allah is the Greatest, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah); due to the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: Mishkat al-Masabih 858 The hadith was narrated by Ahmad and Abu Dawud and al-Nasa'i, and it was authenticated by Ibn Hibban
and al-Daraqutni and al-Hakim . And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q2: I have a mother and sisters, and despite repeatedly teaching them to memorize al-Fatihah, they have not been able to memorize it. What is the ruling on their prayers?
A2: Reciting al-Fatihah in prayer is a pillar, and it is obligatory for women to learn it.
It is also obligatory for their guardians to continue teaching them what is required to know in prayer, such as al-Fatihah and others. If the time for prayer becomes narrow and they are unable to know it, they should pray according to their ability, and their prayers are valid; due to the generality of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلا وُسْعَهَاAllah does not intend to make difficulty for you
مَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ حَرَجٍSo fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْa man who came to the Prophet and said, “I am unable to learn any of the Qur’an, so teach me something which will suffice me.” He told him to say, “Glory be to God; Praise be to God; There is no god but God; God is most great; There is no might and no power except in God.”
جاء رجل إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: إني لا أستطيع أن آخذ من القرآن شيئًا فعلمني ما يجزئني منه، فقال: قل سبحان الله والحمد لله ولا إله إلا الله والله أكبر ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله العلي العظيمand al-Daraqutni and al-Hakim . And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.