Accused of insanity: Do the religious obligations fall away?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Fatwa number ( 20891 )
Q: A medical report was issued against me stating that I am suffering from a schizoaffective disorder, and this is medically explained as insanity. In reality, I am not insane or mentally ill, and the report issued against me is unjust; it comes from the Shari'ah Medical Committee in al-Ta'if . The question is: It is known that the insane person is relieved of religious obligations. Should I abandon the religious obligations, such as prayer—knowing that the hospital said I am
insane and I would bear their burden—or should I perform the obligations? Especially since I do not believe I am insane. Please advise us, may Allah reward you with good, and peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.
A: The religious obligations are not lifted from the Muslim as long as his intellect remains, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[At-Taghabun 64:16] So as long as the Muslim is able to act, he performs of the obligatory what he is able to do, and the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih al-Bukhari 7288 . And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: A medical report was issued against me stating that I am suffering from a schizoaffective disorder, and this is medically explained as insanity. In reality, I am not insane or mentally ill, and the report issued against me is unjust; it comes from the Shari'ah Medical Committee in al-Ta'if . The question is: It is known that the insane person is relieved of religious obligations. Should I abandon the religious obligations, such as prayer—knowing that the hospital said I am
insane and I would bear their burden—or should I perform the obligations? Especially since I do not believe I am insane. Please advise us, may Allah reward you with good, and peace be upon you and Allah's mercy and blessings.
A: The religious obligations are not lifted from the Muslim as long as his intellect remains, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
So fear Allah as much as you are able
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْAnd if I order you to do something, then do of it as much as you can.
إذا أمرتكم بأمر فأتوا منه ما استطعتم
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.