The Deaf and Mute Man: Is He Accountable Like the Rest of the Muslims?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : One does not issue a ruling except based on knowledge, or on a strong presumption after independent legal reasoning. Yes?
The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : Yes, please go ahead, and may Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
The questioner : The question is: Is the deaf and mute man accountable like other Muslims?
The Shaykh : The deaf and mute man has lost two of his senses, namely hearing and speech, but he retains sight. Whatever he understands of the Islamic religion through sight is not excused from him, and whatever he does not understand is excused from him.
As for matters whose means of transmission is hearing, if he does not understand them through sign language, they are excused from him. Accordingly, if he does not understand anything of the religion, we say: if his parents are Muslim, or if his father or his mother alone is Muslim, he is a Muslim by following them. And if he is an adult, sane, and independent, his case is left to Allah, but as long as he is living among Muslims, we rule that he is a Muslim in appearance.
The questioner : He learns some things.
The Shaykh : He is taught some things through sign language, and I know those at the Institute for the Deaf and Mute in Riyadh; they understand through sign language more and faster than through speech, because there are people who translate for them using sign language, and they understand immediately.
The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : Yes, please go ahead, and may Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
The questioner : The question is: Is the deaf and mute man accountable like other Muslims?
The Shaykh : The deaf and mute man has lost two of his senses, namely hearing and speech, but he retains sight. Whatever he understands of the Islamic religion through sight is not excused from him, and whatever he does not understand is excused from him.
As for matters whose means of transmission is hearing, if he does not understand them through sign language, they are excused from him. Accordingly, if he does not understand anything of the religion, we say: if his parents are Muslim, or if his father or his mother alone is Muslim, he is a Muslim by following them. And if he is an adult, sane, and independent, his case is left to Allah, but as long as he is living among Muslims, we rule that he is a Muslim in appearance.
The questioner : He learns some things.
The Shaykh : He is taught some things through sign language, and I know those at the Institute for the Deaf and Mute in Riyadh; they understand through sign language more and faster than through speech, because there are people who translate for them using sign language, and they understand immediately.