Should I try to calculate lost prayers from a period of illness and treatment and make up for them (almost seven months)? Note that I wasn't in a state of concentration, and when I started to be conscious and aware, I started to perform my prayers regularly again, al-hamdulillah. Should I make up the lost prayers with every current obligatory prayer, or were they not required of me because I wasn't in a state of full consciousness?

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful,

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessing be upon the Messenger of Allah, upon his household, his companions and true followers. To proceed:

The prayer is the most stressed obligation in Islam after the twin confession of faith, and it is not cancelled by illness; rather, a sick person must offer it in whatever way he is able. So, if he cannot pray standing up, he may pray sitting down, and if he cannot do that, then [lying down] on his side.

As for loss of consciousness, the People of Knowledge have differed over its effect on the obligation to make up the prayers.

Imam Malik and Imam al-Shafi`i held that an unconscious person does not have to make up any prayers unless he has regained consciousness during a portion of its time period. That is because Aishah asked Allah's Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) about a man who had lost consciousness and not prayed, and Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "There is no making up [the prayers] from that [loss of consciousness], unless he falls unconscious and wakes up during its time period, so he should pray it."

The Hanbali scholars took the position that it is obligatory to make up the prayers, by analogy to the sleeper, their evidence being that `Ammar lost consciousness for days and he did not pray. Then, three days later, he came to and asked, "Have I prayed?" So, it was said, "You have not prayed in three [days]." He then said, "Give me an ablution [water with which to perform ablution], so he performed ablution, and then prayed [the prayers for] that night." Also related by Abu Mijlaz that Samrah ibn Jundub said, "An unconscious person - leaves the prayer or is therefore leaving the prayer – must pray with every prayer, a prayer like it. This is what the Sahabah did and what they said, and there is no known dissenter, so this is a consensus. Also, loss of consciousness does not absolve anyone from the obligation of fasting, nor does it affect the unconscious person's right as legal guardian, and therefore, it resembles sleep. They declared the evidence of Imam Malik and Imam al-Shafi`i to be weak in that their hadith is false. It was related by Al-Hakim ibn Sa`d, and Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) prohibited his hadith [from being narrated]. Ibn al-Mubarak graded him as weak and Imam al-Bukhari said, "They left him [they did not narrate hadith from him]." Also, in its chain of narrators is Khârijah ibn Mus`ab.

To sum up, you should make up the prayers you missed in order to transcend the differing opinions and avoid falling into sin, especially in light of your statement, "Note that I wasn't in a state of concentration…" which does not indicate full loss of consciousness. In order to make this easier, you could pray one prayer with every prayer like it.

We ask Allah to complete His favor of health and well-being upon you and to shower you with blessings, both apparent and hidden.

And Allah Almighty is the Most High, and He knows best.