If a person becomes insane or loses his memory, is it necessary for him to perform the prayers he has missed in that period later as qada?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Whether a person with insanity (majnūn) is held religiously accountable for acts of worship differs depending on whether they are classified as majnūn aṣlī (permanent insanity) or majnūn ʿāriḍī (temporary or accidental insanity).

In this regard, a person with majnūn aṣlī is not held accountable for any acts of worship, such as prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, expiations, etc. (1); However, for those with majnūn ʿāriḍī, accountability depends on the duration of the mental illness.

If the illness continues for at least a full day (meaning they miss all five daily prayers), for the entire month of Ramadan (regarding fasting), or for a full year (regarding the obligation of Hajj), then the person is relieved of the obligation. If the illness ends after these periods have passed, the missed acts of worship do not need to be made up. But if the illness ends before these periods are completed, then the person is required to make up for the missed acts of worship. (2)

Accordingly, if someone afflicted with insanity or memory loss remains in that state for at least a full day—meaning they miss at least five obligatory prayers—and later regains their sanity, they are not required to make up those missed prayers.

Sources:

1) Abū Zahra, Usūl al-Fiqh, p. 340.
2) al-Sarakhsī, Usūl al-Sarakhsī, vol. 2, p. 344; Muwaffaq al-Dīn Ibn Qudāmah, al-Mughnī (Riyadh: Dār al-Kitāb al-ʿArabī, 1403), vol. 3, p. 96; Celal Yıldırım, Kaynaklarıyla İslâm Fıkhı, Uysal Kitabevi, vol. 1, p. 408.

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