Question: A woman suffers from dementia and whilst performing Salah she cannot remember the amount of raka’ats she has performed. Under these circumstances what should she do?
Answer: In this situation, A solution would be to perform her Salah in congregation in which a male mahram person leads her in Salah ie. Husband, son, brother etc.
Another option would be that when she performs Salah; a second person should do Talqeen (i.e. to inform her of which raka’at she is currently performing).
Mufti Muhammad Shafee rahmatullahi alayhi writes in his Tafseer, Ma’ariful Quran, Volume 1 Page 379-380):
“As we have already noted, Al-Bukhari reports a hadith from the blessed companion Abdullah ibn Umar, relating how the people of Quba turned towards the Baytullah even in the course of their prayers as soon as they heard the commandment about the change in direction.
Commenting on this incident, the great Hanafi scholar Al-’Ayni says:
وفيه جواز تعليم من ليس في الصلاة من هو فيها وفيه استماع المصلي لكلام من ليس في الصلاة لا يضر صلاته (عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري الصفحة 392 جز6 )
“This hadith establishes the rule that a man who is not offering his prayers may teach or instruct the man who is engaged in his prayers. In another place Al-Ayni also adds that from this hadith, Al-Tahtawi has derived the rule that if a man engaged in his prayers hears the words spoken by one who is not so engaged it does not invalidate his prayers.
(Umdah al- Qari)
It is also stated in Shami, (pg 100 volume 2):
( ولو اشتبه على مريض أعداد الركعات والسجدات لنعاس لحقه لا يلزمه الأداء )
ولو أداها بتلقين غيره ينبغي أن يجزيه كذا في القنية
حاشية:( قَوْلُهُ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَجْزِيَهُ ) قَدْ يُقَالُ إنَّهُ تَعْلِيمٌ وَتَعَلُّمٌ وَهُوَ مُفْسِدٌ كَمَا إذَا قَرَأَ مِنْ الْمُصْحَفِ أَوْ عَلَّمَهُ إنْسَانٌ الْقِرَاءَةَ وَهُوَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ ط .
قُلْت : وَقَدْ يُقَالُ إنَّهُ لَيْسَ بِتَعْلِيمٍ وَتَعَلُّمٍ بَلْ هُوَ تَذْكِيرٌ أَوْ إعْلَامٌ فَهُوَ كَإِعْلَامِ الْمُبَلِّغِ بِانْتِقَالَاتِ الْإِمَامِ فَتَأَمَّلْ .
It is also stated in Fatawa Hindiyyah (page 138, volume 1)
مُصَلٍّ أَقْعَدَ عِنْدَ نَفْسِهِ إنْسَانًا فَيُخْبِرُهُ إذَا سَهَا عَنْ رُكُوعٍ أَوْ سُجُودٍ يُجْزِيهِ إذَا لَمْ يُمْكِنْهُ إلَّا بِهَذَا ، كَذَا فِي الْقُنْيَة
It is also stated in Al Bahr ur Raiq (page 204 volume 2)
وَلَوْ كَانَ يَشْتَبِهُ عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ أَعْدَادُ الرَّكَعَاتِ أَوْ السَّجَدَاتِ لِنُعَاسٍ يَلْحَقُهُ لَا يَلْزَمُهُ الْأَدَاءُ وَلَوْ أَدَّاهَا بِتَلْقِينِ غَيْرِهِ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُجْزِئَهُ ا هـ .
It is also stated in Al Mawsu’ah al Fiqhiyyah (page 356 volume 36):
وَكَذَلِكَ لَوِ اشْتَبَهَ عَلَى الْمَرِيضِ أَعْدَادُ الرَّكَعَاتِ وَالسَّجَدَاتِ بِأَنْ وَصَل إِلَى حَالٍ لاَ يُمْكِنُهُ ضَبْطُ ذَلِكَ ، فَصَرَّحَ الْحَنَفِيَّةُ عَلَى أَنَّهُ لاَ يَلْزَمُهُ الأدَاءُ ، وَلَوْ أَدَّاهَا بِتَلْقِينِ غَيْرِهِ فَيَنْبَغِي أَنْ يُجْزِئَهُ .
It is also stated in An Nahr ul Faiq (page 334 volume 1):
قيد بتعذر القيام لأنه لَوِ اشْتَبَهَ عَلَيه أَعْدَادُ الرَّكَعَاتِ أَوْ السَّجَدَاتِ لَم يَلْزَمهُ الْأَدَاءُ وَلَوْ أَدَّاهَا بِتَلْقِينِ غَيْرِهِ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ تُجْزِئَهُ كَذَا فِي ((الْقُنْيَة))
(M. Uddin1/12)