What is the ruling regarding a 66-year-old father who is a believer and fasts Ramadan, but does not pray, and did not learn how to pray in his youth, and now finds it difficult to learn and memorize due to his old age and poor memory, knowing that he does not deny the obligation of prayer and wishes to perform it if he could? Is there a way for someone who does not memorize Al-Fatihah to perform the prayer, and will Allah forgive him?

Prayer is one of the greatest acts of worship and rituals of Islam. It is the pillar of the religion and the distinguishing factor between disbelief and faith, and Allah has commanded us to preserve it. Your father's negligence in prayer requires sincere repentance before death. His repentance is fulfilled by praying according to his ability. If he is unable to recite Surah Al-Fatihah by heart, he should recite it from the Mushaf (Qur'an) and try to learn it. If he is unable to do that, he has several legitimate alternatives: he can pray in congregation behind an Imam, and his inability to recite Al-Fatihah will not harm him; or he can say, instead of Al-Fatihah, "Subhan Allah, walhamdulillah, wa la ilaha illa Allah, wallahu akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah" (Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Allah, and there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest, and there is no might or power except with Allah); or he can repeat some of this remembrance for a duration equivalent to Al-Fatihah; or he can stand for a duration equivalent to the recitation of Al-Fatihah and then complete his prayer.