What is the ruling on the prayer and charity of an elderly woman who lacks discernment?
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Question:
I have a mother who is very old, and she has suffered from a chronic illness for twenty years. Her illness is mental, and when it occurs, she does not have discernment and does not pray. The illness subsides for some time and she prays, but when she sleeps, I do not wake her for prayer so that she can rest. Do I sin in doing so? Knowing that if she recovers, the illness does not return to her except after a day or two.
Answer:
This varies:
If she is in a state where she does not have discernment, then there is no making up of prayers required of her. If two or three days or more pass while she does not have discernment, then she owes nothing; because accountability is the basis of rulings, so if discernment is removed from her, accountability is removed from her.
And if she recovers at some times and her mind returns to her, she prays. If she recovers in the morning and the midday prayer time arrives while she is of sound mind, she prays the midday prayer. If the afternoon prayer time arrives while she is of sound mind, she prays the afternoon prayer, and so on.
And if her mind is absent from her for two, three, four days, or less, or more, she is not ordered to make up the prayers. And if she sleeps at night, she should be woken up at the end of the night at the call to the dawn prayer. She should sleep early, and it is upon you to wake her for the dawn prayer. If her mind is with her, she prays. If she does not have her mind, then nothing is required of her. If you wake her, her condition will become clear to you. If it becomes clear to you that her mind is with her, she will get up and pray. If it becomes clear to you that her mind is not with her, do not be harsh with her.
Q: What is the ruling on charity from her money as well?
The Shaykh: No, do not expose the money to charity. The money should be preserved until the matter of Allah is completed. If she dies, it belongs to the heirs. As for during her lifetime, it should be preserved, except in the matter of spending on her. If you spend on her from it—for example, on clothes or medicine—there is nothing wrong with it.
I have a mother who is very old, and she has suffered from a chronic illness for twenty years. Her illness is mental, and when it occurs, she does not have discernment and does not pray. The illness subsides for some time and she prays, but when she sleeps, I do not wake her for prayer so that she can rest. Do I sin in doing so? Knowing that if she recovers, the illness does not return to her except after a day or two.
Answer:
This varies:
If she is in a state where she does not have discernment, then there is no making up of prayers required of her. If two or three days or more pass while she does not have discernment, then she owes nothing; because accountability is the basis of rulings, so if discernment is removed from her, accountability is removed from her.
And if she recovers at some times and her mind returns to her, she prays. If she recovers in the morning and the midday prayer time arrives while she is of sound mind, she prays the midday prayer. If the afternoon prayer time arrives while she is of sound mind, she prays the afternoon prayer, and so on.
And if her mind is absent from her for two, three, four days, or less, or more, she is not ordered to make up the prayers. And if she sleeps at night, she should be woken up at the end of the night at the call to the dawn prayer. She should sleep early, and it is upon you to wake her for the dawn prayer. If her mind is with her, she prays. If she does not have her mind, then nothing is required of her. If you wake her, her condition will become clear to you. If it becomes clear to you that her mind is with her, she will get up and pray. If it becomes clear to you that her mind is not with her, do not be harsh with her.
Q: What is the ruling on charity from her money as well?
The Shaykh: No, do not expose the money to charity. The money should be preserved until the matter of Allah is completed. If she dies, it belongs to the heirs. As for during her lifetime, it should be preserved, except in the matter of spending on her. If you spend on her from it—for example, on clothes or medicine—there is nothing wrong with it.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.