THE PRAYER OF THE SICK PERSON

How should the Sick Person pray?

1. The sick person must perform the obligatory prayers standing, even if bending or leaning against a wall or a stick.


2. If he is unable to stand, then he may pray sitting, and it is better for him to sit cross-legged during the standing and bowing positions.


3. If he is unable to pray sitting, then he should pray on his side, facing the Qiblah, and the right side is better. If he is unable to face the Qiblah, he may pray in whichever direction he is facing and his prayer will be correct and he does not have to repeat it.


4. If he is unable to pray on his side, then he may pray on his back, with his feet facing towards the Qiblah, and it is better for him to raise his head a little, in order to face the Qiblah. If he is unable to direct his feet towards the Qiblah, then he may pray in whichever direction he is facing and he does not have to repeat his prayer.


5. The sick person must bow and prostrate in prayer, but if he is unable to, he may indicate them by inclining his head, making the prostration lower than the bowing. If he is able bow but not to prostrate, then he may bow at the time of bowing and incline his head at the time of prostration. If he is able to prostrate, but not to bow, then he may prostrate at the time of prostration and incline his head at the time of bowing.


6. If he is unable to incline his head in bowing and prostration, he may indicate with his eyes, closing them a little for bowing and closing them more tightly for the prostration. As for indicating with the finger, as some invalids do, it is not correct, and I know of no basis for it in the Book (of Allah) or the Sunnah or the sayings of the scholars.


7. If he is unable to incline his head or indicate with his eyes, he may pray with his heart, making the Takbir, reciting and intending the bowing and the prostration in his heart - and every person will have what he intended.


8. The sick person must offer each prayer at its stated time and do every obligation he is capable of. If it is difficult for him to perform every prayer at its stated time, then he may combine the Zuhr and 'Asr prayers and the Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers, either by advancing the 'Asr prayer to the time of the Zuhr prayer and the 'Isha' prayer to the time of the Maghrib prayer, or by delaying the Zuhr prayer to the time of the 'Asr prayer and the Maghrib prayer to the time of the 'Isha' prayer - whichever is easier for him. As for the Fajr prayer, it may neither be combined with the prayer before it, nor the prayer after it.

    Ibn 'Uthaimin

She cannot stand, so may She sit?

Question :

There is a woman who is an invalid - she has a fracture and a slipped disc in her back, and a plaster cast has been placed on her back, so she cannot pray properly, standing as one normally does, and she prayed while sitting for a month, bowing slightly. Is her prayer correct, or not?

Answer:

Yes, her prayer is correct, since she is unable to stand; and standing is an obligation in the obligatory prayers when one is able to do so. So if she is unable to do so, because of the slipped disc in her back, she may pray sitting. If she is able to stand by holding onto a stick or by leaning against a wall, then she must pray standing. Based upon this, the previous prayers of this woman were correct, as she was unable to stand. The Prophet said to 'Imran bin Husain:
"Pray standing; but if you are not able to, then sitting, and if you are unable to do this, then on your side.

     Ibn 'Uthaimin

If a Sick Person misses a Number of Obligatory Prayers, how may He Make them Up?

Question :

There is a sick person who underwent a surgical operation, and after it, he missed a number of obligatory prayers; should he pray all of them together after he recovers, or should he pray them at their time? That is, should he pray the Fajr prayer that he missed along with the current one, and Zuhr with Zuhr etc.?

Answer:

He must pray them together, at one time, because when the Prophet missed the 'Asr prayer during the battle of the Trench, he prayed it before Maghrib; and when a person misses some obligatory prayers, he must offer them together and not delay them.

     Ibn 'Uthaimin
Source:
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 2 Pages 439-440-441

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