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As-salāmu ʿalaikum

My younger sister (17) has found islam al-Hamdu li-Llāh and now she tries as strict as possible to be a correct muslima in everything. She asked me to write some questions here. As she is physically disabled (she sits in a motoriszed wheelchair because her body ist very weak. She is able to move herselfe from head to the chest a little but can't move her fingers and can't stretch her arms wider than to her arm rests. Which much help she is able to stand on her tiptoes for a short time but not able to move her legs or feet, bow her upper body, kneel with her bottom on her heels, because of shortened tendons, sitting on the ground without supporting herselfes with her hands) this is werry difficult for her. Also doing whudu herselfe is impossible. Because she does not life at home the whole year its not possible to give her support for 5 prayers a day and 5 times whudu. Would it be enough if she gets washed in her bed in the morning once and then doing the first prayer in a way correct as possible with the help she needs and the other 4 prayers in her chair and/or bed? Which rules she has to follow during whudu and praying in all situations/Positions? Are there MUSTS that my be difficult?

She also wears now thick black and long skirts but is not able to cover her feet because her skin on the feet is very sensitive (if she would whear shoes or socks or cover her feet with a fabric, a seam could couse her pain from red pressure marks) and her legs are often stretched from spasm so that her feet are stretched out and are fully visible. Should she cover her feet regardless of pain if she wants to be verry correct? Is a small towel on her feet enough during prayer?

Thank you verry much for your answer!

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Well we have several issues here I hope I'll address all of them to the best of my knowledge:

wudu':

If it is possible to help her for wudu' than this should be the best practice. However I know people who are not even able to move their hands etc. so the practice here is tayamum using a stone (see for example 4:43 and 5:6), as tayamum in some cases is allowed. I might need to check whether this would apply in this special case, but I remember the words of Allah saying:

Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. .. (2:286)

So she needs to be ritually clean for the prayer, but if she can't reach the water by herself she might be able to take a stone and wipe on it doing tayamum if she isn't able to do so I don't think Allah would consider her sinning if she didn't pray on time and wait until somebody can help her. And here's a detailed fatwa I just found on this matter islamqa #71202, which may present some different opinion.

prayer

She is asked to pray all the prayers preferably and if possible at time!

And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience]. (2:43)

... Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times. (4:103)

And she can pray in the way she finds ease at if she can sit, while sitting, if she needs to lay down then this way or on her side if necessary -for instance she is sitting in the wrong direction and has nobody to help- she can even pray without facing the qiblah.

Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides ... (3:191)

And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. ... (4:103)

And because of:

Indeed, I am Allah . There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance. (20:14)

Hijab and covering

She must be covered for prayer in a way that hides at least all of her body except her face and hands (maybe even feet), but this cover doesn't need to be part of her clothing for example if she sites she can put a sheet on some body parts or have them put on her.

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As far as I know, kuran excluded some people from 5 times prayer everyday. Masha allah . she wish to pray 5 times. The thing is, she can cover her as much as she can. Or she can pray without any body in the prayer room. Like you said small towel also enough.

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  • We wrote that it's better for a disabled person to pray with help to do any-thing as correct as possible, instead of praying alone, sitting or lying (sitting on a wheelchair my be inaceptable if it's possible to transer to the ground?) she let this morning do whudu in her, transferred with help on the floor. She did pray without rukku to prevent falling down. She asks if prayer is/would not be fully acceptable if her body isn't still during prayer cause of spasms. Is she to much worried or if not, is it acceptable that an assistance hold her legs/feet in place during praying?
    – user21384
    Mar 2, 2017 at 16:25
  • Yes. Not completed without rukkuh. You should not give any assistance to her. No need. Whatever happened to her is by the Allah. She could ask someone pray for her. That is enough she could read the kuran ,listening kuran aayath and asking dua.
    – Noorul
    Mar 3, 2017 at 3:53
  • I've wrote;: The salat of one who performs it sitting on a chair is not accept-able because there is no darurat (extreme necessity) for sitting on a chair. One who can sit on a chair can sit on the floor as well, and therefore one has to perform salat sitting on the floor. If one is too ill to get up from the floor after salat, whereas it would be easier for one to stand up if one sat on a chair, then someone should help one rise to one's feet. If he/she is able to pray by leaning on a person/object should do so. Would it so be correct to and let her do rukkuh on a higher level?
    – user21384
    Mar 3, 2017 at 8:54
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    The people who are excluded from praying 5 times a day are women in their menses and child bed and also none accountable people and none else. So this doesn't fully apply here as if she is "pure" for praying than she is asked to pray all 5 times!
    – Medi1Saif
    Mar 3, 2017 at 11:36
  • Thank you Medi1Saif for your detailed answers! So i guess we can be shu-re that her prayer was mostly right. She will train herself to do rukkuh as good as possible. But as she feels often werry weak in cold weather and her spasm (cramping and shaking of her legs and feet) is stronger she my have to sit for the biggest part of her prayer.
    – user21384
    Mar 3, 2017 at 15:23

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