Prayer Rules for Incontinent Elderly

Prayer Rulings for Elderly with Diapers in Islam

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

السَّــــــــلاَم عَلَيــْـــــــكُم وَرَحْمَــــــــــةُاللهِ وَبَرَكـَـــــــــاتُه

Question: A question was asked regarding an elderly and ill person who, due to necessity, must wear a diaper that is changed periodically. How should such a person perform their prayers, given the state of impurity?

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وَعَلَيْكُم السَّلَام وَرَحْمَةُ اَللهِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ‎

Respected Brother,

All actions are judged by intentions, and every person will only have that which he intended.

The conditions of a sick person vary.

If a patient is such that using water poses a risk of death, the failure of a limb, or the development of a harmful disease, then tayammum (dry ablution) is permissible for such a patient. Because Allah the Exalted says:

( ولاتقتلوا انفسكم ان الله كان بكم رحيماً)

(النساء:٤/٢٩)

"And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you."

If a patient is unable to move and has no one to provide them with water, tayammum is also permissible for them.

A person who has a wound on his body, or boils and pimples, or a broken limb, or an illness such that the use of water is harmful, and he enters a state of major impurity (janabah), then it is permissible for him to perform tayammum based on the preceding evidence. If it is possible for him to wash the healthy parts of his body, it is obligatory to wash them and perform tayammum for the remaining part.

If a patient is in a place where there is no water and no soil, and no one is present who can bring water or soil, then he should pray as he is, according to his condition. It is not permissible to delay the prayer, because Allah the Exalted says:

(فاتقواالله مااستطعتم)

( التغابن:٦٤/١٦)

"So fear Allah as much as you are able."

If it is not a hardship for the patient, he should use separate, clean clothes for prayer, otherwise, it is excused, and he can pray in the same clothes. This facilitation is inferred from the commands of Allah the Almighty and the sayings of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Water, etc., that exits from the front or back private parts invalidates wudu. If it touches the clothes or body, it is necessary to wash it. If this is a chronic matter, its ruling is that of istihadah (non-menstrual bleeding) and salas al-bawl (urinary incontinence). Meaning, just as a woman is commanded to perform wudu for every prayer after cleaning herself (istinja), the Prophet ﷺ said to the woman with istihadah:

توضئي لوقتِ كل صلاة [رواه أبو داؤد كتاب الطهارة] )

“Perform wudu at the time of every prayer.”

Purification (Taharah) for a Patient Unable to Move:

1. It is necessary for the patient to achieve purification with water. Therefore, he will perform wudu in the case of minor impurity and take a bath (ghusl) in the case of major impurity.
2. However, if he is unable to achieve purification with water, he should have dust brought on a dusty wall, a container, or a handkerchief and perform tayammum with it.
3. The method of tayammum is to strike both hands on the earth once and then wipe his face and his palms with them.
4. If a person cannot achieve purification by himself, another person can help him perform wudu or tayammum.
5. If a person has a wound on some parts of the body required for wudu, he should wash it with water. If there is a fear of harm from washing with water, he should wet his hand and wipe over that part. If wiping also affects it, then tayammum should be done for it.
6. If a person has a bandage or plaster on some parts of the body for wudu, he should wipe over that part with water; there will be no need for tayammum.
7. It is necessary for the patient to keep himself clean from all kinds of filth, but in a state of helplessness, he should pray in his current condition. His prayer is valid and does not need to be repeated.
8. It is not correct for a patient to delay the prayer until after its time has passed due to inability to achieve purification. Rather, he should achieve purification as much as he is able and pray in his current state, even if there is some impurity on his body. His prayer will be valid, there is no issue.

The Prayer of a Patient:

1. It is necessary for a sick person to offer prayer standing. However, if he cannot pray standing, he should pray sitting. If he cannot pray sitting, he should pray on his side facing the Qibla. If he is unable to do that, he can pray in any direction, and his prayer will be valid, with no need to repeat it. If he cannot pray on his side either, he should pray lying on his back with his feet towards the Qibla. If he is unable to do even that, he will pray as is possible for him in whichever direction, and he will not need to repeat it.
2. It is necessary for a sick person to perform ruku (bowing) and sajdah (prostration) while praying. But if he is unable, the prayer can be performed by gesturing with the head in such a way that the gesture for sajdah is lower than that for ruku.
3. If a sick person does not even have the strength to gesture with his head, he should perform the prayer with the intention of the heart. After the takbir and recitation, he should continue to make the intention for ruku, sajdah, standing, and sitting in his heart.
4. It is necessary for a sick person to offer all prayers at their appointed times. If this is difficult for him, he can combine Zuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha, whether he combines them by delaying (jam’ ta’khir) or advancing (jam’ taqdim), whichever is easier for him. However, the Fajr prayer cannot be combined with the one before or after it.

If your maternal grandfather is unable to use water, have him perform tayammum. If he cannot control his urination, let the diaper remain, and your grandfather should pray in that state.

This is also the ruling for a patient with leucorrhoea; she should perform wudu for the prayer and then pray. Even if her leucorrhoea continues during the prayer, her wudu will remain valid because she is compelled. As for her clothes, she should also make good arrangements for them, just as she does during the days of menstruation, and then perform the prayer. The noble Prophet ﷺ gave the same command to the patient with istihadah:

دَعِي قَدْرَ تِلْكَ الْأَيَّامِ وَاللَّيَالِي الَّتِي كُنْتِ تَحِيضِينَ فِيهَا، ثُمَّ اغْتَسِلِي وَاسْتَثْفِرِي وَصَلِّي

"Leave (prayer and fasting) for the measure of those days and nights in which you used to menstruate, then take a bath, tie a cloth, and pray."

Sunan An-Nasa’i: 354

This is also the ruling for patients with salas al-bawl (urinary incontinence). They should tie a urine bag or cloth, etc., for the continuous urine or leucorrhoea, perform wudu, and then offer their prayer.

Therefore, the same ruling applies to your maternal grandfather; he should pray with the diaper on after performing wudu. As a precaution, ensure that urine does not leak from the diaper. You are advised to change the diaper three times a day instead of two.

May Allah Ta’ala grant your maternal grandfather a complete recovery, may Allah Ta’ala turn his difficulties into ease, and may He keep his shadow over all of you for a long time. Ameen, thumma Ameen.

وَبِاللّٰہِ التَّوْفِیْقُ

ھٰذٙا مٙا عِنْدِی وٙاللہُ تٙعٙالیٰ اٙعْلٙمْ بِالصّٙوٙاب

وَالسَّــــــــلاَم عَلَيــْـــــــكُم وَرَحْمَــــــــــةُاللهِ وَبَرَكـَـــــــــاتُه