Is it permissible for a sick person to combine prayers in one time?
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The questioner : Is it permissible for a person, if he is sick and has several prayer times upon him, to combine them in one time and pray them? Please inform us of this.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for the sick person to pray each prayer in its time, unless it is difficult for him, in which case he may combine Dhuhr and Asr, and Maghrib and Isha. In this case, he prays according to his condition: he prays standing, and if he cannot, then sitting, and if he cannot, then on his side. He prays with water, and if he cannot, then with earth, and if he has neither water nor earth, he prays without water or earth according to his condition, based on the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:[At-Taghabun 64:16].
He gestures with his head if he is praying on his side. If he cannot gesture with his head, he gestures with his eye, according to many scholars. If he cannot do that, he prays with his heart: he says the takbir and recites, then intends the bowing with his heart, the rising with his heart, the prostration with his heart, and the rising from it with his heart, and so on.
The important thing is that as long as the mind is sound, the prayer is not dropped, and he prays it in its time in whatever condition he is in, according to his ability. He prays each prayer in its time, unless it is difficult for him, in which case he may combine Dhuhr and Asr, or Maghrib and Isha. The important thing is that he does not leave the prayer.
Many sick people, if they cannot pray sitting or pray on their side with gestures, leave the prayer and say, "If Allah heals me, I will pray." This is a great error; this is from Satan, because he does not know; perhaps he will not be healed, perhaps he will die, and thus he will have left the prayer intentionally.
And the obligatory, as we mentioned earlier, is that he prays according to his condition. Many sick people have impure clothes and say, "My clothes are impure, and I will not pray in them until Allah heals me or I change the clothes." This is also an error. We say: change your clothes if you can, and if you cannot, pray in them even if they are impure. Is this not your ability? And Allah the Exalted said:[At-Taghabun 64:16] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 7288.
So the important thing is that the sick people should fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in themselves. And how good it would be if a guide from among the scholars were placed in every hospital to visit the sick and teach them how to pray and how to purify themselves, so that they worship Allah with knowledge, because these sick people do not know; perhaps these are their last days. So it is obligatory for the sick person and the non-sick person to ask about their religion.
Therefore, we say: learning knowledge is obligatory in what a person needs. So whoever wants to pray, he must learn how to pray. And whoever has money, he must learn which monies are subject to zakah, how it is distributed, and to whom it is distributed. And whoever wants to perform Hajj, he must learn about Hajj so that he worships Allah with knowledge. Is it not the case that if one of us wants to travel to a country whose road is not known, does he not ask?
Yes, he will ask, and he cannot go out like that. The path to Paradise, you must know about it and how to proceed toward Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
In summary, we say: It is obligatory for the sick person to pray the prayer in its time with purity using water if possible, and if not, with tayammum, and if nothing is found with which to perform tayammum, then without tayammum. With pure clothes, and if he is unable, then with the clothes even if they are impure. He prays standing, and if he is unable, then sitting, and if he is unable, then on his side, and if he is unable to move his head, then with his eyes, according to the opinion of some scholars: he closes his eyes slightly for the bowing and more for the prostration. If he does not do that, he prays with his heart.
The important thing is that he does not delay the prayer from its time, unless it is difficult for him to perform each prayer separately in its time and combine Dhuhr and Asr, or Maghrib and Isha, in which case he may do so, either combining by bringing forward or combining by delaying, according to what is easiest for him.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O honorable Shaykh.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for the sick person to pray each prayer in its time, unless it is difficult for him, in which case he may combine Dhuhr and Asr, and Maghrib and Isha. In this case, he prays according to his condition: he prays standing, and if he cannot, then sitting, and if he cannot, then on his side. He prays with water, and if he cannot, then with earth, and if he has neither water nor earth, he prays without water or earth according to his condition, based on the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْHe gestures with his head if he is praying on his side. If he cannot gesture with his head, he gestures with his eye, according to many scholars. If he cannot do that, he prays with his heart: he says the takbir and recites, then intends the bowing with his heart, the rising with his heart, the prostration with his heart, and the rising from it with his heart, and so on.
The important thing is that as long as the mind is sound, the prayer is not dropped, and he prays it in its time in whatever condition he is in, according to his ability. He prays each prayer in its time, unless it is difficult for him, in which case he may combine Dhuhr and Asr, or Maghrib and Isha. The important thing is that he does not leave the prayer.
Many sick people, if they cannot pray sitting or pray on their side with gestures, leave the prayer and say, "If Allah heals me, I will pray." This is a great error; this is from Satan, because he does not know; perhaps he will not be healed, perhaps he will die, and thus he will have left the prayer intentionally.
And the obligatory, as we mentioned earlier, is that he prays according to his condition. Many sick people have impure clothes and say, "My clothes are impure, and I will not pray in them until Allah heals me or I change the clothes." This is also an error. We say: change your clothes if you can, and if you cannot, pray in them even if they are impure. Is this not your ability? And Allah the Exalted said:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْAnd if I order you to do something, then do of it as much as you can.
إذا أمرتكم بأمر فأتوا منه ما استطعتمSo the important thing is that the sick people should fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, in themselves. And how good it would be if a guide from among the scholars were placed in every hospital to visit the sick and teach them how to pray and how to purify themselves, so that they worship Allah with knowledge, because these sick people do not know; perhaps these are their last days. So it is obligatory for the sick person and the non-sick person to ask about their religion.
Therefore, we say: learning knowledge is obligatory in what a person needs. So whoever wants to pray, he must learn how to pray. And whoever has money, he must learn which monies are subject to zakah, how it is distributed, and to whom it is distributed. And whoever wants to perform Hajj, he must learn about Hajj so that he worships Allah with knowledge. Is it not the case that if one of us wants to travel to a country whose road is not known, does he not ask?
Yes, he will ask, and he cannot go out like that. The path to Paradise, you must know about it and how to proceed toward Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
In summary, we say: It is obligatory for the sick person to pray the prayer in its time with purity using water if possible, and if not, with tayammum, and if nothing is found with which to perform tayammum, then without tayammum. With pure clothes, and if he is unable, then with the clothes even if they are impure. He prays standing, and if he is unable, then sitting, and if he is unable, then on his side, and if he is unable to move his head, then with his eyes, according to the opinion of some scholars: he closes his eyes slightly for the bowing and more for the prostration. If he does not do that, he prays with his heart.
The important thing is that he does not delay the prayer from its time, unless it is difficult for him to perform each prayer separately in its time and combine Dhuhr and Asr, or Maghrib and Isha, in which case he may do so, either combining by bringing forward or combining by delaying, according to what is easiest for him.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good, O honorable Shaykh.