Is it permissible to supplicate, seek forgiveness, and give ongoing charity for a grandmother who passed away suffering from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, and who did not pray, but who encouraged her children to pray and performed some acts of worship such as fasting and Hajj? Is it true that some schools of thought permit offering food as expiation for missed prayers, and what is the validity of her children praying the missed prayers on her behalf?

May forgiveness and mercy be granted to the woman. It is permissible to supplicate and seek forgiveness for her, and to dedicate the reward of righteous deeds to her. However, it is not legislated to perform prayers on her behalf. As for feeding the poor in lieu of missed prayers, this is the view of the Hanafis, who mandate a bequest for feeding on her behalf. It is also reported from the Shafi'is that it is permissible to feed for each prayer. An ordinary person is allowed to follow any of these two opinions by تقليد (imitating/following) a scholar whom they trust.