Offering Salah while lying with one's legs opposite to the Qiblah

Q 1: Should a bedridden patient who is suffering from two fractured legs and a fracture in his left hand and is staying in a hospital for treatment, offer Salah while he is lying opposite to the direction of Qiblah (direction faced for Prayer towards the Ka‘bah)? Note that the position of the bed cannot be changed because of the medical equipment above the patient’s head.

A: It is permissible for him to do so, if he cannot change the position of the bed or face the Qiblah by himself, because (Part No. 6; Page No. 373) Allah (Glorified be He) says, So keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him as much as you can . Q 2: Is it permissible for this patient to combine and shorten Zhuhr and ‘Asr Prayers together and Maghrib and ‘Isha’ Prayers together. He lives in Al-Khobar and is now receiving treatment in Riyadh. Is it permissible for him to only perform Tayammum (dry ablution with clean earth), for it is difficult for him to perform Wudu’? A: It is permissible for him to combine and shorten Salah, for he takes the ruling applied to travelers if his stay is for treatment and he does not intend to stay for more than four days. However, if he intends to stay for more than four days in Riyadh, he should offer the four-unit Salahs in full. It is permissible for him to combine Zhuhr and ‘Asr Prayers together at the time of either of them, and Maghrib and ‘Isha’ together at the time of either of them. It is also permissible for him to perform Tayamum, if he is unable to use water and there is no one to help him perform Wudu’. He should perform Istijmar (cleansing the private parts with a hard material after urination or defecation) three times or more using hard tissue paper until the place becomes purified before performing Wudu’ or Tayamum.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.