Salaah

Foregoing Salaah due to illness

Q: My father is 92 years old and suffered a stroke about a year ago. The stroke left him weak on one side, he is now not able to control his urine and hence he messes himself. So he now wears diapers. My father had been living with my sister and brother in-law until last month. He now lives with me in Cape Town. I have just learnt that my father hasn’t performed any Salaah for the past year. He says he can’t perform any Salaah because he is always in the state of impurity because he messes himself and he has to wear a diaper. What is the Islamic ruling in regard to this matter?

Sitting and performing Salaah in a coal mine

Q: I work on a coal mine, where the roof is not high enough to allow one to stand up straight. We work morning shift for a week and night shift the next week. Dhuhr is delayed until returning to surface when working morning shift, however salaah is performed underground when working afternoon shift. As one is required to stand upright, is it required to a) sit and pray (and then repeat the parayer when on surface) or b) stand and pray (even though one stands slightly crouched)?