Omitting Salaah due to illness

Q: I had an outpatient surgical procedure on my back this morning. Al-Hamdu-Lillah, it went well. However, I was put to sleep for the procedure and am now home. Subban'allah, I was able to pray Salat Fajr early this morning before departing for the hospital - however, I was still in recovery semi conscious when Dhuhr Salah time came and went. I greatly desire to offer Asr, Maagrib and Isha today - however, I am still in tremendous pain from the procedure, am still foggy and not clear headed from the anesthesia and post surgical pain medication I was given (I was in excruciating pain after waking up), am feeling nauseous from the anesthesia - and also wonder how do I make wudu given the fresh wound of the place of the IV is on my hand? Should I try to get in the prayers today under the circumstances, or would it be better to wait until tomorrow when I will be stronger, more clear-headed and in far less pain in order to pray with proper concentration and make up the missed prayers after offering regular Salah at their proper times? I am still dizzy from the medications I was given today and right now am laying down and not in the state of wudu. I'm very concerned and don't know what the right thing to do is.

A: On account of your illness, you should not omit performing your Salaah. Even in this condition one is not excused from performing the Salaah. It is mentioned in the Hadith that if one is unable to perform the Salaah standing, then he should sit and perform the Salaah and if he is unable to sit and perform the Salaah, then he should perform the Salaah while lying down. If you are unable to make wudhu due to pain, you should make tayammum and perform your Salaah.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

 

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)