He answered:

Praise be to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Every Muslim must offer the five daily prayers at their prescribed times. No one may ever delay a prayer beyond its time, whether with or without an excuse.

An excuse does, however, permit two things: omitting what one is unable to perform and combining two prayers. Whatever obligations of prayer a person is unable to fulfil cease to be binding upon him. Allah Most High says:

“So fear Allah as much as you are able.”

And He Most High says:

“Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity.”

“We do not burden any soul beyond its capacity.”

And in the verse concerning purification, He says:

“Allah does not intend to impose hardship upon you, but He intends to purify you,” to the end of the verse.

It is reported in the two Sahīh collections that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“When I forbid you something, avoid it; and when I command you to do something, do as much of it as you can.”

A sick person therefore prays as his condition allows, as the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said to ʿImrān ibn Husayn:

“Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot, then lying on your side.”

Whatever he cannot do—whether standing, sitting, or bowing and prostrating fully—is no longer required of him. He does whatever he can. If he can purify himself with water, he does so. If he cannot, because water is unavailable or because he fears harm from using it, he performs tayammum and prays. By scholarly consensus, he does not have to repeat the prayer because of his omission of standing or sitting. Likewise, by their consensus, he does not have to repeat the prayer if he prayed with tayammum. Even if there is impurity on his body