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The question

How can an elderly foreign woman, a recent convert to Islam, be taught how to pray, considering that she cannot memorize the Quran correctly, there is no mosque near her, she does not remember the number of rak'ahs and prostrations or their specific invocations, and she does not reside in the questioner's country?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

To teach a woman how to pray, explain to her that the first thing she does is say the opening takbir (Allahu Akbar), then recite Al-Fatihah.

Also, teach her the rest of the dhikr (remembrances) of the prayer.

If you limit yourself to teaching her the pillars and obligations until she masters them, there is no harm in that.

If she cannot memorize the obligatory dhikr, she can read them from a paper.

If she cannot memorize Al-Fatihah and the obligatory dhikr, she can say instead of Al-Fatihah: "Subhan Allah, wal-hamdu Lillah, wa la ilaha illa Allah, wa Allahu 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).

If she is unable to do all of that, she should do what she can, and what she is unable to do is waived for her.

As for the number of rak'ahs (units of prayer), she can count them on her fingers.

She should strive to find the nearest Islamic centers and communicate with trusted websites in her language.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported

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Where this answer came from
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
125706
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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