What is the ruling of the Sharia concerning a 70-year-old woman whose health has deteriorated, who has been afflicted with diabetes and dizziness, and who has begun to neglect her prayers, so she does not know the number of rak'ahs for each obligatory prayer, and does not pray Fajr, even though she was diligent in performing the obligatory prayers and supererogatory acts during her youth and good health?

Prayer is not waived for a sane person. It is out of Allah's mercy for His servants that He does not burden them with what they cannot bear. If your mother's illness overwhelms her to the point of losing her mind throughout the entire prayer time, then prayer is not obligatory for her, as the religious obligation is lifted from her. This is based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "The pen is lifted from three: from the sleeper until he awakens, from the child until he matures, and from the insane person until he regains his sanity." However, if she regains consciousness with enough time remaining to perform the prayer, then it becomes obligatory upon her, according to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Whoever catches one rak'ah of the prayer has caught the prayer." If she frequently doubts the number of rak'ahs, she should not pay attention to her doubt, but rather take the greater number and perform the two prostrations of forgetfulness, unless she is certain of a deficiency or an excess, in which case she should act upon certainty. If she misses Fajr prayer due to loss of sanity, there is no blame on her. However, if it is due to negligence, then she must be advised and reminded of the seriousness of neglecting prayer.