Teaching the Elderly Person Prayer
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Question: My paternal grandmother prays the five obligatory prayers in their entirety, but unfortunately her prayer is incorrect from beginning to end. Sometimes she does not bow, and she does not recite the tashahhud; instead, she recites al-Fatihah in place of the tashahhud. In addition, she says the taslim after every rak'ah. This is what she does, and we are not pleased with what she does. My eldest brother clarified to her that her prayer is incorrect, but her reaction was to curse us, expose us, and start crying. Even if we teach her the correct prayer, she cannot learn it because she is accustomed to her way of praying. Is she sinful for that, and is anything obligatory upon us? What should we do? Please issue a ruling, and may Allah reward you.
Answer: This woman is not free from one of two conditions:
Either: Either her mental state is impaired and she does not understand what is said to her, in which case there is no blame on her;because of His saying, the Exalted: [Surat al-Taghabun: 16], and as long as you have clarified the error to her and she is unable to understand, there is no blame on her, if Allah wills, because this is the limit of her ability.
However, if her mind is sound and she did this out of ignorance, then she has no excuse, because when an ignorant person finds someone who can explain it to him and teach him, his excuse is removed, and it is obligatory for him to take the path of correctness.
Therefore, it is obligatory for you to repeat the explanation to her, to warn her of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and to tell her that this does not absolve her from responsibility. This is what is within your capacity. If she corrects herself, praise be to Allah; otherwise, you have fulfilled the obligation, so ask Allah for her guidance.
Answer: This woman is not free from one of two conditions:
Either: Either her mental state is impaired and she does not understand what is said to her, in which case there is no blame on her;because of His saying, the Exalted:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْHowever, if her mind is sound and she did this out of ignorance, then she has no excuse, because when an ignorant person finds someone who can explain it to him and teach him, his excuse is removed, and it is obligatory for him to take the path of correctness.
Therefore, it is obligatory for you to repeat the explanation to her, to warn her of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and to tell her that this does not absolve her from responsibility. This is what is within your capacity. If she corrects herself, praise be to Allah; otherwise, you have fulfilled the obligation, so ask Allah for her guidance.