is commanded to do what he can, while what he cannot do remains waived. Thus, he is commanded to pray naked, with ritual impurity present, or facing a direction other than the qiblah if that is all he can manage. Likewise, circumambulation while riding or being carried is permissible for a valid excuse, according to explicit scriptural evidence and scholarly agreement; without such an excuse, it is disputed.

Similarly, a sick person may perform an obligatory prayer sitting or riding, although this is not permissible in an obligatory prayer without an excuse. Praying in a direction other than the qiblah, praying naked, praying without cleansing oneself after relieving oneself, and praying in an impure garment are all forbidden in both obligatory and voluntary prayers. Nevertheless, performing the obligatory prayer despite these prohibited circumstances is better than abandoning it. The same applies to the prayer in times of fear, which may involve considerable movement, turning one’s back to the qiblah, separating from the imam during the prayer, making up what one has missed before the closing salutation, and other things that are impermissible without an excuse.

If it is objected: “Circumambulating during menstruation is like praying or fasting during menstruation, neither of which is permissible under any circumstances.”

The reply is: There is never any need to fast during menstruation, since she is obliged to fast one month, and fasting outside Ramadan can take its place. If she may not perform the obligatory fast during menstruation, then voluntary fasting is all the more impermissible, since she has the alternative of fasting when free of menstruation. Likewise, someone offering voluntary prayers at prohibited times has the alternative of offering them at other times. Thus, she never needs to fast during menstruation, and this harm is not permitted when it can be avoided, just as it is impermissible to offer a prayer