Illness and Prayer
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
One who misses a rak'ah of the Eid prayer or the prayer for rain
Question: If a ma'mum misses a rak'ah of the Eid prayer or the prayer for rain, is it obligatory for him to say the takbirat several times like the imam before reciting al-Fatihah, or not?
Answer: If a person misses the Eid prayer or the prayer for rain, it is recommended for him to make it up in its proper form. If he misses the entire prayer, he makes it up in its proper form, including the additional takbirat. Likewise, if he misses part of it, such as one rak'ah, he joins the imam in what remains. When the imam concludes the prayer with the taslim, he stands and performs what he missed in its proper form, including the takbirat. And Allah the Exalted knows best.
[Illness and Prayer]
Question: The questioner says: He has been unable to perform the prayer and fasting for two and a half years due to hemiplegia, which afflicted him and continued with him during this period. Afterwards, he was able to sit and move slightly, so he returned to performing the prayer and fasting according to his ability. However, he is distressed regarding the past two and a half years because he left off the prayer and fasting during that time, and he is unable to make them up. What should he do, and what is obligatory upon him?
Answer: The sick person prays according to his condition: standing if he is able, or sitting and indicating the ruku' and sujud with his head, or lying on his side and indicating the ruku' and sujud in the same way.
So leaving off the prayer during the period of illness is an error on your part. As long as your mind is sound and your thinking is present, you pray according to your condition. [al-Baqarah: 286] You pray according to your capacity, even if on your side, and you indicate the ruku' and sujud with your head, facing the qiblah, or lying down with your feet toward the qiblah, and your head and face facing the qiblah, indicating the ruku' and sujud.
The point is that the sick person does not leave off the prayer as long as his mind is present and his thinking is sound. Leaving off the prayer when you are able to perform it, even in the manner we mentioned, is an error. It is obligatory upon you to make it up, and you make it up according to your ability. If you are able to make it up consecutively and all at once, that is obligatory. Otherwise, you make it up according to what you can, even if you distribute it, for example, over the days according to
your ability until you have made it all up, even if in periods where you make up what you can in each period; that is obligatory upon you.
As for fasting, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has granted a dispensation for the sick person to break his fast if fasting is difficult for him or if it increases his illness. However, it is obligatory upon him to make it up. So it is also obligatory upon you to make up the fasting you left off during the period of illness. The making up is according to your ability: if you are able to make it up consecutively, you do so; otherwise, it is permissible for you to make it up separately according to your ability. As long as you, praise be to Allah, are now performing the prayer and fasting in their proper time, you are able to perform the makeup prayer and the makeup fasting that is upon you. This is to be done according to your ability and in a manner that does not burden you in the future. And Allah the Exalted knows best.
Question: Regarding the fasting, it appears that until the time he sent the message, he had not fasted due to his inability to fast. Is his illness considered one from which recovery is not expected?
Answer: He says that he is fasting as makeup, as he mentioned in his question that he is fasting in its proper time.
Question: The sick person returned to performing the prayer and fasting according to his ability. Is he required to make them up?
Answer: As long as he is able to fast, he is able to make it up, if Allah wills, but it is to be according to his condition. However, if the illness is chronic and he cannot fast with it, and recovery from this illness is not expected, he feeds a poor person for each day.But he says: His ability to fast has returned to him.
Question: In the case of feeding, does he feed for the past and for the present if the month of Ramadan approaches?
Answer: He feeds for every fast he left off from Ramadan, past and present, every fast he left off and is unable to make up because the illness persists with him. He feeds a poor person for each day.
Question: If a ma'mum misses a rak'ah of the Eid prayer or the prayer for rain, is it obligatory for him to say the takbirat several times like the imam before reciting al-Fatihah, or not?
Answer: If a person misses the Eid prayer or the prayer for rain, it is recommended for him to make it up in its proper form. If he misses the entire prayer, he makes it up in its proper form, including the additional takbirat. Likewise, if he misses part of it, such as one rak'ah, he joins the imam in what remains. When the imam concludes the prayer with the taslim, he stands and performs what he missed in its proper form, including the takbirat. And Allah the Exalted knows best.
[Illness and Prayer]
Question: The questioner says: He has been unable to perform the prayer and fasting for two and a half years due to hemiplegia, which afflicted him and continued with him during this period. Afterwards, he was able to sit and move slightly, so he returned to performing the prayer and fasting according to his ability. However, he is distressed regarding the past two and a half years because he left off the prayer and fasting during that time, and he is unable to make them up. What should he do, and what is obligatory upon him?
Answer: The sick person prays according to his condition: standing if he is able, or sitting and indicating the ruku' and sujud with his head, or lying on his side and indicating the ruku' and sujud in the same way.
So leaving off the prayer during the period of illness is an error on your part. As long as your mind is sound and your thinking is present, you pray according to your condition.
Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَاThe point is that the sick person does not leave off the prayer as long as his mind is present and his thinking is sound. Leaving off the prayer when you are able to perform it, even in the manner we mentioned, is an error. It is obligatory upon you to make it up, and you make it up according to your ability. If you are able to make it up consecutively and all at once, that is obligatory. Otherwise, you make it up according to what you can, even if you distribute it, for example, over the days according to
your ability until you have made it all up, even if in periods where you make up what you can in each period; that is obligatory upon you.
As for fasting, Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has granted a dispensation for the sick person to break his fast if fasting is difficult for him or if it increases his illness. However, it is obligatory upon him to make it up. So it is also obligatory upon you to make up the fasting you left off during the period of illness. The making up is according to your ability: if you are able to make it up consecutively, you do so; otherwise, it is permissible for you to make it up separately according to your ability. As long as you, praise be to Allah, are now performing the prayer and fasting in their proper time, you are able to perform the makeup prayer and the makeup fasting that is upon you. This is to be done according to your ability and in a manner that does not burden you in the future. And Allah the Exalted knows best.
Question: Regarding the fasting, it appears that until the time he sent the message, he had not fasted due to his inability to fast. Is his illness considered one from which recovery is not expected?
Answer: He says that he is fasting as makeup, as he mentioned in his question that he is fasting in its proper time.
Question: The sick person returned to performing the prayer and fasting according to his ability. Is he required to make them up?
Answer: As long as he is able to fast, he is able to make it up, if Allah wills, but it is to be according to his condition. However, if the illness is chronic and he cannot fast with it, and recovery from this illness is not expected, he feeds a poor person for each day.But he says: His ability to fast has returned to him.
Question: In the case of feeding, does he feed for the past and for the present if the month of Ramadan approaches?
Answer: He feeds for every fast he left off from Ramadan, past and present, every fast he left off and is unable to make up because the illness persists with him. He feeds a poor person for each day.