A man who suffered an injury that required him to remain in a cast for more than two months, followed by physical therapy, which caused him mental fatigue and difficulty in performing wudu
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : An Egyptian citizen suffered an injury that required him to remain in a cast for more than two months, followed by physical therapy, which caused him mental fatigue and difficulty in performing wudu. He says that he left off prayer for a period of approximately four months. Now, he praises Allah that he is consistent in prayer after having recovered. Does he owe an expiation? Is this permissible for him? And what is your advice for this man, may you be rewarded?
The Shaykh : Yes. If he left off prayer with the intention that he would make it up after Allah healed him, then he must make it up, because he delayed it with the intention of making it up, believing that he was excused for delaying it. However, if he left it off out of negligence, then making it up will not benefit him, because if a person intentionally causes a time-bound act of worship to be performed outside its time, it does not suffice for him and does not clear his conscience. I say: It is obligatory for this man to pray the prayer in its time and do what he is able to do of its obligations. Many people have been afflicted in such a situation; when the time for prayer passes and they are in a state where they cannot perform it in the best manner, they say, "I will delay it until I am healed and can make it up as it should be." We say: This is a very great error. It is obligatory to pray the prayer in its time and do what one is able to do of its conditions, pillars, and obligations, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:[At-Taghabun 64:16] and His saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:286].
Such a situation occurs with patients whose clothes are impure and they cannot remove them. You find them saying, "We will delay the prayer until we recover and are healed from the illness, then we will purify the clothes and pray." This is wrong. It is obligatory for them to pray even if their clothes are contaminated with impurity, if they are unable to remove this impurity by washing or by changing the clothes. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. This is a listener who used the initials K, A, R for her name. She says in her question:
The Shaykh : Yes. If he left off prayer with the intention that he would make it up after Allah healed him, then he must make it up, because he delayed it with the intention of making it up, believing that he was excused for delaying it. However, if he left it off out of negligence, then making it up will not benefit him, because if a person intentionally causes a time-bound act of worship to be performed outside its time, it does not suffice for him and does not clear his conscience. I say: It is obligatory for this man to pray the prayer in its time and do what he is able to do of its obligations. Many people have been afflicted in such a situation; when the time for prayer passes and they are in a state where they cannot perform it in the best manner, they say, "I will delay it until I am healed and can make it up as it should be." We say: This is a very great error. It is obligatory to pray the prayer in its time and do what one is able to do of its conditions, pillars, and obligations, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْAllah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْساً إِلَّا وُسْعَهَاSuch a situation occurs with patients whose clothes are impure and they cannot remove them. You find them saying, "We will delay the prayer until we recover and are healed from the illness, then we will purify the clothes and pray." This is wrong. It is obligatory for them to pray even if their clothes are contaminated with impurity, if they are unable to remove this impurity by washing or by changing the clothes. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. This is a listener who used the initials K, A, R for her name. She says in her question: