What is the ruling on prayer for a mother suffering from a brain disease that causes seizures and lack of awareness of her actions, and who is often asleep and unable to speak?
If the mother loses her mind and discernment, prayer is not obligatory for her, because the mind is the locus of accountability. And whoever loses their mind due to insanity or the like is not accountable, so prayer and other acts of worship are not obligatory for them, according to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "The pen is lifted from three," and he mentioned among them the insane person. However, if her mind sometimes leaves and sometimes returns, then prayer is obligatory for her in the state when her mind is not gone, and she prays according to her condition. And whatever she is unable to perform from the conditions and pillars of prayer is waived for her.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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