- Salaah for the sick

If a person due to illness cannot stand and pray Salaah then they should sit and pray Salaah. Whilst seated he should perform Ruku by leaning far forward and pray 'Subhana Rabbial Azueem' and then sit back up straight and then go into Sajda as normal. If he is not able to pray Salaah whilst being seated then he should lay down and pray.

The method is to lay down flat and point the feet towards Qibla and keep the knees up and keep a pillow underneath the head so that the face is pointing towards Qibla and the head is higher than the rest of the body. To perform Ruku and Sajda by actions, for the Sajda lean the head completely forward and for the Ruku lean the head slightly forward. In the same way Salaah can also be prayed lying on your left or right side.
 

When can an ill person miss Salaah?
1) When an ill person cannot even move his head then the Salaah is forgiven and there is no need to use the eyes to perform the actions or eyebrows or to pray with an intention only in the heart. If six Salaah pass like this then there is no need to perform Qadha as this is also forgiven and there is no need for Fidya (monetary compensation). If the time like this is less than six Salaah then Qadha is obligatory even if the health is only a little better that the person can now move his head to perform the actions [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Bahar etc.].

2) If an ill person is in a state whereby he cannot keep count of the Rakats and Rukus or Sajdas then there is no need for him to perform Salaah on time [Durr-e-Mukhtar etc.].

3) To stand in all Fardh Salaah, Witr, Eid Salaah and the Sunnahs of Fajr is obligatory and if Salaah is prayed whilst sitting down without genuine reason then the Salaah will not count [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Radd-ul-Mohtar].

4) Because the Qayam is Fardh therefore without a genuine religiously recognised reason it cannot be missed, otherwise the Salaah will not count. Upto the extent that if you can lean on a stick, servant or wall then it is Fardh to do this and if you can only stand for a small amount of time like whilst saying Allaho Akbar in Takbeer-e-Tahrimah then it is Fardh to start the Salaah whilst standing and then sit down afterwards otherwise the Salaah will not count. If you have a slight headache or flu or a cold or a small wound where people can walk about, is in no way a reason to pray the Salaah whilst being seated and if you have done so then it has not counted and you must pray Qadha for them [Guniya, Bahar-e-Shariah].

5) If a person leaks drops of urine or blood if he stands and doesn't if he sits then it is Fardh for him to pray whilst seated as long as there is no other way of stopping his illness.

6) A person is so weak that if he goes to the mosque to pray the Salaah with Jamaat then he will have to sit down and pray Salaah, but if he remains at home then he can pray the Salaah standing, then it is Fardh for him to pray the Salaah at home with Jamaat if possible otherwise alone [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Radd-ul-Mohtar].

7) If an ill person prays whilst standing then he cannot pray the Qur'an at all and if he prays whilst seated he can pray the Qur'an, then it is Fardh for him to pray whilst sitting down and if he can pray a little bit of the Qur'an whilst standing then it is Fardh to pray as much as he can whilst standing and then the remainder whilst seated [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Radd-ul-Mohtar].

8) If a blanket is put underneath the ill person praying Salaah and it has become impure but if you were to change it, it will become impure again then continue to pray the Salaah on the original blanket and if the blanket is changed then the new blanket will not become as impure as quickly but by changing the blanket it will cause great distress to the ill person then do not change it [Alamgiri, Durr-e- Mukhtar, Radd-ul-Mohtar, Bahar]. 

9) If a person is drowning and he can gain support from a stick then it is Fardh for him to pray the Salaah as long as Amar-e-Kasir is not performed and if he does not pray and he survives then he must perform Qadha [Durr-e-Mukhtar, Radd-ul-Mohtar, Bahar].