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My mother is 61 years old and she is looking after my grandfather who has reached the age of 90-odd. A long time ago he began to lose his mind and he started imagining things that are not real. He has no sense of time, and when he gets up to pray and we tell him that it is time for Zuhr, for example, we find him praying Maghrib or Fajr. He calls out to my mother in the middle of the night, telling her to get up and make him breakfast or help him get up to pray ‘Asr, for example. My question is: Does my grandfather have to pray or is it waived in his case? My grandfather sometimes calls my mother repeatedly for no reason, and sometimes he asks her what time it is and sometimes he tells her some historical story. My mother is also getting on in years and she cannot keep getting up and going to his room. If she is certain that he does not need anything and that she has met all his needs of food, wudoo’, prayer etc, can she refrain from answering him without incurring sin? Especially since he calls her a lot in the middle of the night. Praise be to Allaah. Firstly: If the matter is as you describe, then your grandfather is not obliged to pray, because of his losing his mind, The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The Pen has been lifted from three: from the sleeping person until he wakes up, from the minor until he grows up, and from the insane person until he comes to his senses.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (4403), al-Tirmidhi (1423), al-Nasaa’i (3432) and Ibn Maajah (2041). Abu Dawood said: It was narrated by Ibn Jurayj from al-Qaasim ibn Yazeed from ‘Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and he added: “And the one who is senile.” This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani inSaheeh Abi Dawood. Senility refers to when a person loses his mind as the result of reaching a great age. It is stated in‘Awn al-Ma’boodthat the report which mentions senility is da’eef (weak) because of the isnaad, but something which suggests that the meaning is valid was narrated from al-Subki. Al-Subki said: Senility may be added to these three, and it is valid. What is meant thereby is an elderly man who has lost his mind due to his great age. An old man may become confused and unable to distinguish things, which may mean that he is no longer accountable, but he is not described as insane, because an insane person may be treated whereas a senile person cannot be treated. Hence it does not say in the hadeeth “until he recovers”, because in most cases he cannot recover from it, until he dies. If he does recover from it sometimes and comes back to his senses, then he is accountable again. End quote. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) explained that senility means that one is no longer accountable: Fasting is not obligatory unless certain conditions are met: one, being of sound mind; two, being an adult; three, being Muslim; four, being able to do it; five, not being a traveller; six, being free of menses and postpartum bleeding (nifaas) in the case of women. 1 – Being of sound mind, the opposite of which is having lost one’s mind, whether that is due to insanity or senility, i.e., old age, or because of an accident which has caused one to lose one’s mind and sense of awareness. Such a person is not obliged to do anything because he has lost his mind. Based on this, the old man who has reached the stage of senility is not obliged to fast or feed poor persons instead, because he lost all sense of reason. Similarly the one who loses consciousness due to an accident etc is not obliged to fast or feed poor persons instead, because he is not of sound mind. End quote fromLiqa’ al-Baab il-Maftooh. To conclude, the person who has reached the stage of senility and has no sense of time and cannot distinguish between the prayers is not obliged to pray. Secondly: If your mother has taken care of what your grandfather needs, such as food and drink, etc, and she thinks it most likely that his calling for her is not due to some need, and it is just because of his senility, then there is no sin on her if she does not answer him, especially since that is causing her hardship. And Allaah knows best.

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For children, - Mother Sacrifice: Few 'Lovely' Inspiring Lies of My Mother (A heart-wrenching story)

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1. The story began when I was a child; I was a son of a poor family in Africa. We did not even have enough food. Whenever meal times came, mother would often give me her portion of rice. While she was removing her rice into my bowl, she would say "Eat this rice, son. I'm not hungry". That was Mother's First Lie. 2. When I was growing up, my persevering mother gave her spare time to go fishing in a river near our house, she hoped that from the fish she caught, she could gave me a little bit of nutritious food for my growth. After fishing, she would cook some fresh fish soup, which raised my appetite. While I was eating the soup, mother would sit beside me and eat the rest of the fish, which was still on the bone of the fish I had eaten. My heart was touched when I saw that. I then used my chopstick and gave the other fish to her. But she immediately refused and said "Eat this fish, son. I don't really like fish." That was Mother's Second Lie. 3. Then, when I was in Junior High School ... to fund my studies, mother went to an economic enterprise to bring some used-match boxes that would need to be stuck together. It gave her some money to cover our needs. As the winter came, I woke up from my sleep and looked at my mother who was still awake, supported by a little candlelight and with perseverance she would continue the work of sticking some used-match boxes. I said, "Mother, go to sleep, it's late, tomorrow morning you still have to go to work." Mother smiled and said "Go to sleep, dear. I'm not tired." That was Mother's Third Lie. 4. The final term arrived ... mother asked for leave from work in order to accompany me. While the sun was starting to shine strongly, my persevering mother waited for me under the heat for several hours. As the bell rang, which indicated that the final exam had finished, mother immediately welcomed me and poured me a cup of tea that she had brought in a flask. Seeing my mother covered with perspiration, I at once gave her my cup and asked her to drink too. Mother said "Drink, son. I'm not thirsty!" That was Mother's Fourth Lie. 5. After the death of my father due to illness, my poor mother had to play her role as a single parent. She had to fund our needs alone. Our family's life was more complicated. No days without suffering. Our family's condition was getting worse, a kind uncle who lived near our house assisted now and then. Our neighbors often advised my mother to marry again. But mother was stubborn and didn't take their advice; she said "I don't need love." That was Mother's Fifth Lie. 6. After I had finished my studies and got a job, it was the time for my old mother to retire. But she didn't want to; she would go to the marketplace every morning, just to sell some vegetables to fulfill her needs. I, who worked in another city, often sent her some money to help her, in fulfilling her needs, but she would not accept the money. At times, she even sent the money back to me. She said "I have enough money." That was Mother's Sixth Lie. 7. After graduating with a Bachelors Degree, I then continued to do a Masters Degree. It was funded by a company through a scholarship program, from a famous University in America. I finally worked in the company. With a good salary, I intended to bring my mother to enjoy her life in America. But my lovely mother didn't want to bother her son. She said to me, "I'm not use to." That was Mother's Seventh Lie. 8. In her old age, mother got stomach cancer and had to be hospitalized. I, who lived miles away, across the ocean, went home to visit my dearest mother. She lay in weakness on her bed after having an operation. Mother, who looked so old, was staring at me in deep thought. She tried to spread her smile on her face ... but it was a noticeable effort. It was clear that the disease had weakened mother's body. She looked so frail and weak. I stared at my mother with tears flowing. My heart was hurt ... so hurt, seeing my mother in that condition. But mother with the little strength she had, said "Don't cry, my dear. I'm not in pain." That was Mother's Eighth Lie. After saying her eighth lie, my Dearest mother closed her eyes forever!

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * Ruling on raising the voice in dhikr after the prayer

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Some brothers raise their voices in dhikr after finishing the prayer, especially Fajr prayer, based on the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas and others, to such an extent that they disturb other worshippers. When they are told about this they say: We are following the Sunnah and if they raised their voices like us they would not hear us and we would not be disturbing them. Is what they are doing correct? Should the others raise their voices when among them there are uneducated people and elderly people who cannot keep up with the group. How much should may the voice be raised?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The fuqaha’ differed with regard to raising the voice in dhikr after the prayer. Some of them were of the view that it is Sunnah and some regarded it as makrooh and said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not do that all the time; he only did that in order to teach people then he stopped doing it.
The reason for the difference of opinion is that they differed concerning the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (805) and Muslim (583) from Abu Ma’bad, the freed slave of Ibn ‘Abbaas, that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) told him that people used to raise their voices in dhikr when they finished an obligatory prayer at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Ibn ‘Abbaas said: I used to know when they had finished (the prayer) by that, when I heard it.
According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari (806) and Muslim (583), Ibn ‘Abbaas said: We knew when the prayer of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had finished from the takbeer.
But they differed as to whether this indicated something that was done all the time or not, and whether it went against the verse (interpretation of the meaning):“And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings and in the afternoons, and be not of those who are neglectful” [al-A’raaf 7:205]or not.
Among those who favoured raising the voice in dhikr after prayer were al-Tabari, Ibn Hazm, Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] and others.
Among those who were of the view that it was for teaching only were al-Shaafa’i and the majority.
Al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: My view is that the imam and the person praying behind him should remember Allaah after they finish praying, but they should recite dhikr in a low voice unless he is an imam who is to be learned from, in which case he should recite in a loud voice until he thinks that it has been learned from him, then he should recite quietly, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“And offer your Salaah (prayer) neither aloud nor in a low voice” [al-Isra’ 17:110], meaning – and Allaah knows best – du’aa’; “neither aloud” means do not raise your voice and “nor in a low voice” means, so low that you cannot hear yourself.
I think that what Ibn al-Zubayr narrated about the tahleel (reciting Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah) of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),and what Ibn ‘Abbaas narrated about his takbeer is like what we have mentioned above. Al-Shaafa’i said: I think he only raised his voice a little in order to teach the people, because most of the reports that we have quoted do not mention reciting tahleel or takbeer after saying the tasleem.
Some reports say that dhikr was recited after the prayer, as I have described, and some say that he did not recite any dhikr after prayer.
Umm Salamah stated that he would stay after the prayer and she did not refer to any dhikr out loud, and I think he only stayed to recite some dhikr that was not said out loud. End quote fromal-Umm(1/127).
Ibn Hazm (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Raising the voice in takbeer following every prayer is good. End quote fromal-Muhalla(3/180).
al-Bahooti said inKashshaaf al-Qinaa’(1/366), referring to Ibn Taymiyah’s view regarding reciting dhikr out loud as mustahabb: The Shaykh (i.e., Ibn Taymiyah) said: It is mustahabb to recite tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer out loud following every prayer.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on this issue and he replied:
Reciting dhikr out loud following the obligatory prayers is Sunnah. This is indicated by the report narrated by al-Bukhaari from the hadeeth of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the people used to recite dhikr out loud when they finished obligatory prayers at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He said: I used to know when they finished (the prayer) by that, when I heard it. This was also narrated by Imam Ahmad and Abu Dawood. Inal-Saheehaynit is narrated that al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say when he finished the prayer: “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah… (There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate…).” And words cannot be heard unless the speaker says them out loud.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) and a number of the earlier and later generations favoured this view, based on the hadeeths of Ibn ‘Abbaas and al-Mugheerah (may Allaah be pleased with them). Reciting out loud is general and applies to every dhikr that is prescribed after prayer, whether it is tahleel (sayingLaa ilaaha ill-Allaah(there is no god but Allaah), tasbeeh (sayingSubhaan Allaah(Glory be to Allaah)), takbeer (sayingAllaahu akbar(Allaah is Most Great)) or tahmeed (sayingAl-hamdu Lillaah(praise be to Allaah)), because of the general meaning of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas. There is no report from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to suggest differentiating between tahleel and other dhikrs, rather in the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas it says that they would know that the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had ended from the takbeers. Thus the view of those who say that the voice should not be raised in tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer is refuted.
With regard to those who say that raising the voice in these dhikrs is an innovation (bid’ah), they are wrong. How can something that was known and practised at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) be a bid’ah? Shaykh Sulaymaan ibn Sahmaan (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: It has been proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did that and approved of it, and the Sahaabah used to do that at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) after he taught it to them, and he approved of them doing it, so they acted upon the teachings of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him); they did it and he approved of that after teaching them and he did not criticize them.
As for the argument that reciting out loud is disapproved because of the verse“And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings and in the afternoons” [al-A’raaf 7:205], we say: the one who was enjoined to remember his Lord within himself, humbly and with fear, was the same one who used to recite dhikr out loud following obligatory prayers. Does the one who says this know better what Allaah meant than His Messenger did? Or does he believe that the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) knew what was meant but went against it? Moreover, the verse speaks of dhikr at the beginning and end of the day (“in the mornings and in the afternoons”), not the dhikr that is prescribed following prayers. In his Tafseer, Ibn Katheer interpreted reciting out loud as meaning too loud or extremely loud.
As for the argument that reciting out loud is disapproved because of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “O people, take it easy”, the one who said “O people, take it easy” is the same one who used to recite dhikr out loud following the prescribed prayers. There is a place for this and a place for that, and truly following means following every text when appropriate.
Moreover, the context of the phrase “take it easy” indicates that they used to raise their voices in a manner that caused them hardship, hence he said “take it easy”, i.e., be kind to yourselves and do not exhaust yourselves; there should be no hardship or undue effort in reciting dhikr out loud.
As for the one who says that it disturbs others, it may be said to him: If you mean that it disturbs those who do not have the habit of doing that, once the believer understands that it is Sunnah, it will no longer disturb him. If you mean that it disturbs other worshippers, then if there is no one among the worshippers who joined the prayer late and is making up what he missed, then the raising of voices will not disturb them at all, which is what actually happens, because they are all taking part in it. But if there is someone among them who joined the prayer late and is making up what he missed, if he is so close to you that you will be disturbing him, then you should not recite so loudly as to disturb him, so that he will not become confused in his prayer, but if he is far away from you then he will not be disturbed by your reciting out loud.
From what we have mentioned it is clear that the Sunnah is to raise the voice in dhikr following the obligatory prayers, and that does not go against any saheeh text or sound opinion. End quote.
He also said: When voices are mingled with one another then there will be no disturbance, as you can see on Fridays when the people all read Qur’aan out loud, then someone comes and prays and he is not disturbed by that.
And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: What matters is the correct view, which is that it is Sunnah to recite dhikr following the prayers in the manner prescribed, and it is also Sunnah to recite it out loud but not to raise the voice so much that it becomes annoying, because that is not appropriate. Hence when the people raised their voices in dhikr at the time of the Messenger SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when they were coming back from Khaybar, he said: “O people, take it easy.” What is meant by raising the voice is that which does not cause hardship or annoyance. End quote fromMajmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen(13/247, 261).
Secondly:
From what we have mentioned above it is clear that the matter is broad in scope, and that the difference of opinion is an ancient matter. Perhaps the correct view is that which was mentioned by the Shaykh (may Allaah have mercy on him) about raising the voice, but it should be raised in a manner that does not cause annoyance.
What I mentioned about uneducated people and the elderly, I will repeat it once again. It may be appropriate to read the words of the Shaykh to them so that they may learn the Sunnah and be encouraged to apply it.
May Allaah help us all to do that which He loves and which pleases Him.
And Allaah knows best.

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Prayer, - Dought & clear, - * If she is afraid that it will be found out that she has become Muslim, how should she pray?

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A non-Muslim girl wants to learn about Islam and testify to Islam in front of Allah. She wants to pray and to do all religious commitments. Is she permitted to pray dhuhr and ‘asr only and leave the other prayers due to the difficulty she will meet at home?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We ask Allaah to help and guide this girl and to open her heart to Islam, and to fill her heart with the light of faith. We advise her to do that and not to hesitate, and to announce her Islam to her Lord, and to bear witness to the testimony of Islam, and to do whatever she can of its rituals.
Secondly:
The Muslim is obliged to offer the five prayers every day and night, and it is not permissible to omit any of them, no matter what one’s excuse, so long as one is of sound mind.
If this girl cannot pray Maghrib, ‘Isha’ and Fajr for fear that her family may find out that she is Muslim, then she should not avoid praying, but she can do the following:
1- Join Maghrib and ‘Isha’ at the time of the earlier or later prayer, and pray them in secret. Reciting out loud in the prayers in which Qur’aan is recited out loud, such as Fajr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’, is Sunnah, not obligatory. The same applies to raising the hands when saying the opening takbeer and when saying the takbeers when changing posture, and placing the right hand over the left when standing. All of these are Sunnah actions.
2- She may limit herself to doing the pillars and essential parts of the prayer. So she may recite al-Faatihah and not recite a soorah after it, and she may recite just one tasbeehah when bowing and prostrating. Thus she will be able to do the prayer in a few minutes. Girls are usually able to close the door of their rooms for a few minutes, such as when they change their clothes and the like, so she can do the prayer during that time.
3- If she wants to do wudoo’, she can do wudoo’ in the bathroom where no one can see her, as if she is relieving herself. If she is unable to do wudoo’ then she can do tayammum, even if she uses the wall or furniture of the house and prays with this tayammum.
4- If we assume that she cannot hide from her family even for a few minutes in which to pray, and she is afraid that if they find out she is Muslim she will suffer real harm, then it is permissible for her to pray whilst sitting, gesturing for the bowing and prostrating. If that is not possible then she may pray sitting and intending in her heart to bow and prostrate, whilst facing the qiblah. If she is unable to face the qiblah, then she may pray facing in any direction. If we assume that she can only pray whilst lying down, then she may do that. The point is that prayer is not waived for one who is accountable under any circumstances.
The basic principle concerning that is the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope” [al-Baqarah 2:286]and the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Pray standing, and if you cannot then sitting, and if you cannot then on your side.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1117) and Abu Dawood (952).
The fuqaha’ mentioned some cases in which the requirement to face the qiblah and bow and prostrate is waived, such as when fleeing from a wild animal or a flood or when fighting breaks out on the battlefield, when there is not enough time to do the prayer properly with all its essential parts.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said inal-Mughni(1/258): To sum up: if the fear is so intense that one cannot pray facing the qiblah or one needs to walk or is unable to do some of the essential parts of prayer, either because of permissible flight from an enemy, flood, wild beast or fire and the like, which one can only escape by fleeing, or when engaging in fighting the enemy or when fighting breaks out on the battlefield, and there is a need to charge and retreat and stab and strike and chase, then he may pray according to his situation, whether he is walking or riding, facing the qiblah if possible, or facing any other direction if that is not possible.
If he is unable to bow and prostrate, he may gesture to indicate them, and lean forward more for prostration than bowing, according to what he is able to do. If he is unable to gesture, then it is waived. If he is unable to stand or sit and so on, then they are waived. If he needs to stab and strike and charge and retreat, he may do that. He should not delay the prayer until the time for it is over because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):“And if you fear (an enemy), perform Salaah (pray) on foot or riding” [al-Baqarah 2:239]. And Maalik narrated from Naafi’ that Ibn ‘Umar said: If the fear is greater than that, they may pray walking, standing on their feet, or riding, facing the qiblah or otherwise. Naafi’ said: I do not think that Ibn ‘Umar narrated it from anyone but the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). End quote.
Indeed the fuqaha’ have stated that the prisoner or the one who is afraid that his being Muslim will be discovered should still pray.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (2/140): If he flees from an enemy in a permissible sense, or he flees from a flood or wild animal or fire, and he cannot escape it except by fleeing, then he may pray in the manner that is permitted in the case of extreme fear, whether he fears for himself or his property or his family. If a prisoner fears for his life if he prays, or if someone is hiding in a place, then they should pray however they are able to. This was stated by Ahmad with regard to the prisoner. If the one who is hiding is sitting and cannot stand, or he is lying down and cannot stand up or move, then he should pray according to his situation. This is the view of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan. Al-Shaafa’i said: He should pray and repeat it (later on), but this is not correct, because the one who is afraid should pray according to what he is able to do, and he does not have to repeat it, as is also the case for one who is fleeing. It makes no difference whether one is travelling or not, because what makes it permissible is fear of death, and that is the same in both cases.
Whenever he can find a refuge to do his prayer, such as if the one who is fleeing from a flood can climb to a high place and the one who fears an enemy can enter a fortress where he will be safe from the enemy’s attack and from harm, then he should pray there then come out, and he does not have the right to offer the prayer of extreme fear, because that is only permitted in cases of necessity, so it is only to be done when necessary. End quote.
To sum up: this girl has to offer the five prayers, and it is not permissible for her to omit any of them. But she may perform the prayer in whatever way she can, which includes offering the prayer of extreme fear if necessary.
And Allaah knows best.

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