What is the ruling on one who abandons prayer due to suffering from facial palsy, fearing that purification will be incomplete because water does not reach the hair, and how can one atone for years of negligence in performing prayer?

Abandoning prayer is one of the gravest sins and major transgressions, and its sin in the sight of Allah is greater than the sin of taking a life, seizing property, committing adultery, stealing, and drinking intoxicants. A group of scholars has gone as far as to say that one who abandons prayer is an apostate, committing major disbelief. Prayer is never waived for a Muslim as long as his intellect remains intact, even if he is severely ill. One who has abandoned prayer must repent to Allah, and he must make up the missed prayers according to the majority of scholars, whereas Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah holds that he is not obligated to make them up but rather should increase in voluntary prayers.