What is the ruling of the Shari'ah regarding the treatment of a mentally ill person, and is it permissible to hit him or mock him, and how is repentance from such actions when he does not know?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, what is the ruling of the Shari'ah in your view regarding the treatment of a mentally ill person? Is it permissible to hit him or mock him? And how is repentance from such actions when he does not know?
The Shaykh : A mentally ill person has no reason, and hitting him is of no benefit; this is the general rule that hitting him is of no benefit, though it may sometimes be beneficial. If hitting him for discipline is beneficial, there is nothing wrong with hitting him, just as one hits a child. If it is not beneficial, it is not permissible, because it is causing pain without benefit. As for mocking him and making fun of him, I fear that the mocker and the one who makes fun of him will be punished with what happened to this mentally ill person. I fear that his reason will be taken from him, or that the reason of his sons or daughters will be taken from them. Let a person fear Allah in himself and thank Allah who has spared him from what this mentally ill person has been afflicted with.
It is known that a person does not like to be mentally ill, and madness is not by his choice, but it is a trial and test from Allah. How can you mock something for which the one afflicted with it has no capacity, and which is not by his choice? The one who mocks a mentally ill person is like the one who mocks a person whose face is not beautiful, or whose stature is not straight, or the like of that. So a person should thank Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) who has spared him from what these afflicted people have been afflicted with, and he should ask Allah for their well-being. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you and bless you. Your Eminence, this questioner, H. A. J. from al-Dawasir, says: Your Eminence.
The Shaykh : A mentally ill person has no reason, and hitting him is of no benefit; this is the general rule that hitting him is of no benefit, though it may sometimes be beneficial. If hitting him for discipline is beneficial, there is nothing wrong with hitting him, just as one hits a child. If it is not beneficial, it is not permissible, because it is causing pain without benefit. As for mocking him and making fun of him, I fear that the mocker and the one who makes fun of him will be punished with what happened to this mentally ill person. I fear that his reason will be taken from him, or that the reason of his sons or daughters will be taken from them. Let a person fear Allah in himself and thank Allah who has spared him from what this mentally ill person has been afflicted with.
It is known that a person does not like to be mentally ill, and madness is not by his choice, but it is a trial and test from Allah. How can you mock something for which the one afflicted with it has no capacity, and which is not by his choice? The one who mocks a mentally ill person is like the one who mocks a person whose face is not beautiful, or whose stature is not straight, or the like of that. So a person should thank Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) who has spared him from what these afflicted people have been afflicted with, and he should ask Allah for their well-being. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you and bless you. Your Eminence, this questioner, H. A. J. from al-Dawasir, says: Your Eminence.