How Should I Pray If I Am Sick?
Answered by Shaykh Bassem Itani
Question
How should I pray if I am sick?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, his Family, and all his Companions.
If you are unable to stand during the prayer due to your illness, or if standing would worsen your condition or delay your recovery, or if you experience dizziness or severe pain, then you are permitted to pray while seated, either in the position of the one who sits for the Tashahhud or in any manner that allows for bowing and prostration.
If you are unable to prostrate, you may pray by indicating the movements while seated, lowering your head more for prostration than for bowing.
If you are unable to pray while seated, then you may pray by indicating the movements while lying on your back with your legs towards the Qibla and bending your knees so that your legs are not extended towards the Qibla, raising your head slightly so that your face is towards it. Alternatively, you can pray on your right or left side. Worship is to be performed according to one’s capacity.
Allah (Most High) says:
“Allah does not require of any soul more than what it can afford.” [Quran, 2:286]
“And (He) laid upon you no hardship in the religion.” [Quran, 22:78]
The noble companion Mus‘ab Ibn ‘Umayr (Allah be pleased with him) suffered from hemorrhoids, a condition that causes bleeding in the rectum, and he asked the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) about how to pray. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to him:
“Pray standing, and if you cannot, then sitting, and if you cannot, then on your side.” [Bukhari]
Here, I must point out two things:
- There is a common practice among sick people who pray by indicating movements to raise something to their faces to prostrate on it, which is disliked and should be avoided.
- If the sick person is unable to indicate movements with their head, they should not indicate with their eyes, heart, or eyebrows. If the number of missed prayers exceeds a day and a night, the obligation to make them up is waived. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Finally, I pray that Allah cures you of your illness. By the grace of Allah in our Sacred Law, the one who prays while seated or indicating movements does not have their reward diminished compared to when they are standing because they are excused. It has been established that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“If a servant becomes ill or travels, the reward is written for him as if he were doing good deeds while he was healthy and residing.” [Bukhari]
[Shaykh] Bassem Itani
Shaykh Itani has a rich background in both academic and administrative fields. He has held significant positions in many governmental and non-governmental institutions in Lebanon and abroad. This includes his role as a member of the Academic Committee at SeekersGuidance and a senior teacher with the free online global seminary.
From 2020 to 2021, he served as the Dean of the College of Da‘wa – University for Islamic Studies (Lebanon) – Postgraduate Studies. He was the Director of Dar Iqra for Islamic Sciences from 1998 to 2018. Shaykh Itani is a well-versed teacher in several academic subjects, including Fiqh, Usul, Aqida, and Tafsir. He has supervised and examined numerous Master’s and Doctoral theses at various universities and colleges in Lebanon.
His contributions to Islamic sciences are also evident in his writings and research. His notable works include “The Relied-upon Statements of Imam Zufar in the Hanafi School,” “Collective Ijtihad: The Sublimity of Thought in the 21st Century,” and “Custom and its Impact in Islamic Jurisprudence.” Shaykh Itani has actively participated in numerous scientific conferences and seminars, both in Lebanon and internationally. He is linguistically adept, excelling in Arabic, proficient in French, and comfortably conversant in English.
