Ruling on a sick person delaying prayer due to inability to perform wudu or tayammum
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Q: Our honorable father, the distinguished Shaykh: Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz, the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom, may Allah preserve him.
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
One day, I suffered from diarrhea and vomiting—may Allah protect you—which required me to be taken to the hospital emergency room at 2:00 PM. When the specialist doctor determined that I was suffering from kidney failure and required dialysis three times a week, he stated that the medication had to be administered along with the dialysis. They began the dialysis at 2:00 PM promptly. I expected it not to take long, as I had undergone dialysis the previous day, but they did not finish and remove the lines and bindings until after the Maghrib adhan.
My question, O Shaykh: Is there a sin upon me for delaying the Asr prayer until Maghrib, because I was unable to perform wudu or tayammum, and unable to move while the machines were attached to me? The chair I sleep on faces a direction other than the qiblah, and I was hesitant to pray in that state. I asked them to remove the bindings so I could perform tayammum, but the specialist informed me that it was not possible, as doing so would require re-sterilization and changing some of the machines and medications. What is required of me, and what should a Muslim do in such a situation, especially since the person undergoing dialysis is conscious and his senses are with him, and he does not fall under the ruling of the one from whom the pen is lifted? Please give us a ruling, and may Allah reward you.
A: And upon you be peace, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
It is obligatory for one like you to perform the prayer at its proper time according to your ability, even by tayammum if you are unable to use water, and even facing a direction other than the qiblah if you are unable to face it. If one is unable to do so, it is permissible for him to delay the prayer. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he was occupied on the Day of the Trench with fighting the polytheists and thus delayed the Asr prayer, postponed it until after Maghrib, then he prayed Maghrib afterward. This is indicated by the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Surat al-Taghabun: 16]. May Allah cure you of all evil and guide everyone to understanding in their religion, for He is the All-Hearing, the Near.
And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
One day, I suffered from diarrhea and vomiting—may Allah protect you—which required me to be taken to the hospital emergency room at 2:00 PM. When the specialist doctor determined that I was suffering from kidney failure and required dialysis three times a week, he stated that the medication had to be administered along with the dialysis. They began the dialysis at 2:00 PM promptly. I expected it not to take long, as I had undergone dialysis the previous day, but they did not finish and remove the lines and bindings until after the Maghrib adhan.
My question, O Shaykh: Is there a sin upon me for delaying the Asr prayer until Maghrib, because I was unable to perform wudu or tayammum, and unable to move while the machines were attached to me? The chair I sleep on faces a direction other than the qiblah, and I was hesitant to pray in that state. I asked them to remove the bindings so I could perform tayammum, but the specialist informed me that it was not possible, as doing so would require re-sterilization and changing some of the machines and medications. What is required of me, and what should a Muslim do in such a situation, especially since the person undergoing dialysis is conscious and his senses are with him, and he does not fall under the ruling of the one from whom the pen is lifted? Please give us a ruling, and may Allah reward you.
A: And upon you be peace, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
It is obligatory for one like you to perform the prayer at its proper time according to your ability, even by tayammum if you are unable to use water, and even facing a direction other than the qiblah if you are unable to face it. If one is unable to do so, it is permissible for him to delay the prayer. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he was occupied on the Day of the Trench with fighting the polytheists and thus delayed the Asr prayer, postponed it until after Maghrib, then he prayed Maghrib afterward. This is indicated by the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْAnd peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.