The ruling on a sick person who leaves off prayer during his illness

This message came to us from the listener (Sh. 'A. Sh.) from al-Ta'if. He says: My father had surgery at the hospital and stayed in the hospital for more than fifteen days. He did not pray forty-four obligatory prayers that were due before the surgery. The pain became severe for him and he did not pray those four, as for the forty, he was in a state of anesthesia and was unable to perform the complete ritual purity that would enable him to perform the prayer. Therefore, I ask you to guide him regarding making up the missed prayers and expiation. What do you say about that? May Allah guide you.
Answer: If a person dies and he has prayers upon him, they are not made up on his behalf. Allah has not prescribed making them up. However, it is incumbent upon the family of the sick person to pay attention to reminding him of the prayer. He should pray according to his condition, sitting, standing, on his side, or lying on his back, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded 'Umaran ibn al-Husayn. He said: .
So it is incumbent upon the family of the sick person to pay attention to this, encourage the patient, direct him, and teach him so that he prays according to his condition in his illness. Even if his clothes are ritually impure, if it is easy to wash them or replace them with others, praise be to Allah. Otherwise, he prays according to his condition: [al-Taghabun:16]. And so with the bed, he prays on it even if it is ritually impure: [al-Taghabun:16]. But if it is easy to change the bed or the clothes to something pure, that is obligatory. And if it is not easy, he prays according to his condition, even if he did not perform ablution and even if there is ritual impurity in the clothes, and so with the bed. And if he is able to perform ablution or dry ablution, it is obligatory for him to do so. Instead of ablution, water should be brought to him and he should perform ablution. And if he is not able to use water, some earth should be brought to him so that he can perform dry ablution. He rubs his face and his hands with it, as is well known. And if he is unable to do this and this, and it is not facilitated, he prays according to his condition: [al-Taghabun:16].
But many people do not care about these matters. They leave the patient alone, and the patient may interpret that his illness has become severe and that he will do it when his illness eases. And death may come to him and he does not do it. So this is not permissible. Rather, it is obligatory that the patient prays according to his condition with water or dry ablution, standing, sitting, on his side, or lying on his back according to his condition: [al-Taghabun:16]. This is the obligatory. As for if his sensation has changed, such as if something struck him that changes his mind, then there is no prayer upon him. If the mind changes, there is no prayer upon him. But as long as his mind is with him, prayer is upon him. And if he took anesthesia and his recovery from the anesthesia was delayed by a day or two, this is like the sleeper. When he wakes up, he prays what he left.
As for if he was struck by a disorder in his mind, such that his mind was disordered due to the illness and a long period passed over him, then there is nothing upon him. There is no making up upon him even if he recovers after that. And if he makes it up out of precaution, that is good. But there is no making up upon him, on the correct opinion, if the period is long. As for if the period is one day, two days, or three, he makes it up after he recovers from his unconsciousness and the loss of his mind.
And in any case, the prayer is not made up on his behalf, whether he did it intentionally out of ignorance or due to an illness from the illnesses. The prayer is not made up. Only fasting is made up. If he dies and he has fasting upon him that he neglected to make up, it is made up on his behalf. As for if he dies and he has fasting upon him that he was not able to make up, he died in his illness and was not able to make up the fasting, then there is no fasting upon him. But some people may recover from their illness, they may be cured, then they delay and do not make up what is upon them of Ramadan fasting. So this is made up on their behalf. Their awliya (close friends of Allah); their heirs make it up on their behalf. Yes. As the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . And he was asked several questions, peace and blessings be upon him. Some of the questioners said: . He compared what is upon them of fasting to a debt. So he commands their awliya (close friends of Allah) to make it up. As for the prayer, he did not command anyone to make it up on his behalf, peace and blessings be upon him. Yes.
The presenter: But regarding fasting, is it a specific example for Ramadan or for all fasting?
The Shaykh: The correct opinion is that it is general. Some of the scholars of knowledge restrict it to the vow and say: This is for the vow specifically. But that is a weak opinion. And the hadiths are general regarding Ramadan and other than it; fasting of Ramadan and fasting of expiation. So this is made up on their behalf by their awliya (close friends of Allah). Yes.