TThe Obligatory Prayers: Some sick individuals make a major error by deliberately missing prayers when it is clear that they are In situation where they deliberately need the prayer an act that links them directly to Allaah. He says: "Guard strictly the [five obligatory] prayers especially the middle prayer." (Q2[Baqarah]:238) So, your sickness should not prevent you from observing your five daily prayers. However, you may modify the manner of performing it as indicated in the sunnah.
How The Sick Person Should Purify Himself: The sick person is required to purify himself with water performing ablution for minor impurity and taking the spiritual bath (ghusl) for major impurity. If he is unable to purify himself using water due to weakness or fear of increasing his illness or delaying his recovery, then he may perform Tayammum. The way to perform to perform Tayammum is to strike the clean earth with his hands once, then wipe whole face with them, then wipe his hands, one with other.
If he his unable to do this, then another person should help him in making ablution ,or perform in Tayammum, if he could not do it alone or with assistance, he should pray without performing either, and his prayer will b correct. If a certain part of the body which is to be purified has a wound which prevents the use of water, then he may wet his hand with water and then wipe over it. If wiping over it may also cause harm, then he may perform ablution as usual for other part and afterwards perform Tayammum for the site of the wound. If he has a fracture in one of his limbs, which is covered with dressing or cast, he may wipe over it with water instead of washing it and it does not require Tayammum, because the wiping takes the place of washing .if the person losses one of the parts to be washed during the ablution such as arm, foot or leg etc., the obligation of washing it drops, even if there is an artificial replacement ( e.g an artificial limb) is placed.
However, if the arm is severed to the elbow, one should still wash the elbow, and if the foot is severed to the ankle, one should still wash the ankle. It is permissible to make Tayammum using a wall, or anything which is clean and contains dust. If the wall is covered with anything which is not from earth, such as paint, then one should not make Tayammum with it unless there is dust over it. If a person perform Tayammum for prayer, and remain in a state of purified state until the time of next prayer, then he may pray with the Tayammum he made before he does not need to repeat it for the second prayer, since he remains purified and nothing has invalidated it. (Shaykh ibn `Uthaymeen's contribution in fatawa islamiyya: Islamic verdicts ,vol. 2 ,pp. 22-23 and al-Lu'Lu ath-Thameen,pp.73-74)
How The Sick person Should Pray: The sick person must perform obligatory prayers standing. Even if by bending or leaning against a wall or stick. If he is unable to stand, then he may pray sitting and it is better for him to pray crossed legged during the standing and bowing position .If he is unable to pray sitting then he will 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 does not have to repeat it. if he is unable to pray on his side, then he may pray on his back with his feet facing the Qiblah and his 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 does not have to repeat his prayer The sick person must bow and prostrate in prayer ,but if he is unable to do so, he may indicate them by inclining his head, making the prostration lower than bowing. If he is able to bow but not prostrate then he may bow at the time of bowing and incline his head at the time of prostration.
If he his able to prostrate but not able to bow, then he may prostrate at the time of prostration and incline his head at the time of bowing. 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 prostration. As for indicating with the finger, as some individuals do, it is not correct, and [Ibn `Uthaymeen] know of no basis for it in the Book [of Allaah] or the sunnah or the sayings of the scholars.
If he his unable to incline his head or indicate with his eyes, he may pray with his heart, making the takbeer, reciting and intending the bowing and the prostration in his heart and every person will have what he intended.
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 `Ishaa prayers, either by advancing the Asr prayers to the time of the Zuhr prayer and the time of `ishaa prayer to the time of the Maghrib prayer, or by delaying the Zhur to the time of the Asr prayer, and the Maghrib to the time of the `Ishaa 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. (Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen's contribution in Fatawa Islamiyah: Islamic verdicts, vol.2,pp.439-41.)
How May the Sick Make Up Missed Obligatory prayers?
He must pray them together at one time, because when the prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) 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 both and not delay them. However, if this is not possible as a result of extreme fatigue, etc then he must make up for them as early as possible according to his ability.
He may perform a number of prayers; as his energy allows; for instance, he may perform he prayers of two days or more at forenoon (i.e., before noon), then after Zhur likewise and so on. If prayers are too many in number, and missed them due to negligence and laziness, then he should perform lots of non-obligatory prayers and maintain the present obligatory prayers. If an insane person regains sanity, he does not have to perform the prayers during his insanity, As he was unaccountable.
So is a person in coma. (Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen’s and Shaykh Ibn Jibreen's contribution in Fatawa Islamiyah: Islamic Verdicts, vol.2,pp. 140-42 and Shaykh Ibn Jibreen's contribution in Fatawa Shariyyah, p.58).
The Obligatory Prayers
Some sick individuals make a major error by deliberately missing prayers when it is clear that they are In situation where they deliberately need the prayer ,an act that links them directly to Allaah. He says: “Guard strictly the [five obligatory] prayers especially the middle prayer.” (Q2[Baqarah]:238)
So, your sickness should not prevent you from observing your five daily prayers. However, you may modify the manner of performing it as indicated in the sunnah.
How The Sick Person Should Purify Himself
The sick person is required to purify himself with water, performing ablution for minor impurity and taking the spiritual bath (ghusl) for major impurity. If he is unable to purify himself using water due to weakness or fear of increasing his illness or delaying his recovery, then he may perform Tayammum.
The way to perform to perform Tayammum is to strike the clean earth with his hands once, then wipe whole face with them, then wipe his hands, one with other. If he his unable to do this, then another person should help him in making ablution or perform in Tayammum if he could not do it alone or with assistance, he should pray without performing either, and his prayer will be correct.
If a certain part of the body which is to be purified has a wound which prevents the use of water, then he may wet his hand with water and then wipe over it. If wiping over it may also cause harm, then he may perform ablution as usual for other part and afterwards perform Tayammum for the site of the wound. If he has a fracture in one of his limbs, which is covered with dressing or cast, he may wipe over it with water instead of washing it and it does not require Tayammum, because the wiping takes the place of washing. If the person losses one of the parts to be washed during the ablution such as arm, foot or leg etc., the obligation of washing it drops, even if there is an artificial replacement ( e.g an artificial limb) is placed. However, if the arm is severed to the elbow, one should still wash the elbow, and if the foot is severed to the ankle, one should still wash the ankle.
It is permissible to make Tayammum using a wall, or anything which is clean and contains dust. If the wall is covered with anything which is not from earth, such as paint, then one should not make Tayammum with it unless there is dust over it. If a person perform Tayammum for prayer and remain in a state of purified state until the time of next prayer, then he may pray with the Tayammum he made before he does not need to repeat it for the second prayer, since he remains purified and nothing has invalidated it. (Shaykh ibn `Uthaymeen’s contribution in fatawa islamiyya: Islamic verdicts ,vol. 2 ,pp. 22-23 and al-LuLu ath-Thameen,pp.73-74)
This article was culled from from Deen Communication Limited