Is prayer obligatory for a senile father, and should he be prevented from smoking if he abstains from food and drink because of it?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If a father reaches the age of senility (dementia) and his mind becomes confused, then prayer is not obligatory upon him, and he will not be held accountable for any deficiency in it. However, if he regains lucidity during prayer time for a duration sufficient to perform it, then it becomes obligatory upon him, because the intellect is the basis of religious obligation (taklif). You must help him pray and gently and wisely prevent him from smoking.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/51775
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 51775
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy