very grave, and it is never permissible to give up the prayer under any circumstance. Your mother was at fault for abandoning it, although she may be excused on account of her ignorance. Nevertheless, she was obliged to ask the scholars—or for her guardian and those around her to seek a ruling on her behalf. To treat the matter lightly and act on one’s own opinion or on the words of uninformed people is exceedingly dangerous.

As you have noted, the prayer cannot be made up, for it is a purely physical act of worship that does not accept proxy. Your mother’s case is now with Allah.

With regard to the fasts she missed, a needy person must be fed for every day—this is obligatory. One needy person is to be given half a sāʿ of the staple food of the land for each missed day.

If, in addition to this feeding, you also choose to fast on her behalf, there is no harm in that, and we hope Allah will cause it to benefit her, Allah willing.

Question: Approximately how many kilograms is a sāʿ?
Answer: A sāʿ is roughly three kilograms, so each needy person would receive about one and a half kilograms of the average local food.

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The Prayer of a Person with Paralysis

Question: I am a man whom Allah has tested with paralysis for the past four years—praise be to Him. The paralysis affects the lower half of my body, from the start of the abdomen down to my feet, so that whatever normally exits from the two passages may come out without my knowledge or intent. My question concerns the prayer: how should I pray? When I am praying, something might come out without my realizing it.