The Ruling on the Fasting of the Mentally Incompetent

Question:
He asks another question and says: There is a man who is weak-minded, but he is not insane; however, he cannot distinguish between many things. For example, no matter how much we try with him, he cannot count from one to ten. Is it obligatory for a man like this to fast and pray, and to be held accountable for them, given that he is assigned some tasks that lead to his thirst, such as herding? Please advise us, may Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
If he is of sound mind in the sense that he understands that Allah has made fasting and prayer obligatory upon him, that he was created to worship Allah, and that he can distinguish regarding his wealth—whether in securing it or in his dealings with it—then he is among those of sound mind, and he is required to perform what Allah has made obligatory upon him, such as prayer and others. However, if his mind is disordered, and the disorder of his mind is evident, and he is among the mentally incompetent who do not have a mind by which they distinguish between truth and falsehood, between good and evil, between their own wealth and the wealth of others, and the like, then the matter is clear: if he is of sound mind, the obligations apply to him; if he is not of sound mind, they are lifted from him, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) . Therefore, the one who resembles the insane in his inability to connect matters and his lack of proper conduct, because his mind is absent, is not held accountable. Yes. We seek help from Allah. May Allah reward you with good.