I have read somewhere in Islamic Law rules (forgive me for my weakness in reference) that the insane are excused; they will have no reckoning and all their sins will be forgiven. "Allah burdens not an individual more than his capability" Quran 2.286
is there any doubt in it? a hadith says: 'the pen [of shariah] is lifted [from holding accountable] three: the sleeping until they wake up, the demented until they recover, and children until they reach puberty'. imam taqiyuddin as-subki, (the father) has written a monograph explaining this hadith and titled it: 'ibraaz al-Hikam, min Hadithi rufi`a'l qalam'. the imam explains that there is temporary insanity and dementia - this hadith holds true for both. an anecdote: a demented woman was brought before sayyiduna `umar accused of adultery; he ordered that she be stoned. as they were preparing for the stoning, sayyiduna `ali was passing by and asked: 'what is [the problem] with her?' they replied: 'she is an insane woman from such and such a family who has committed adultery; [umar] has ordered that she be stoned'. mawla `ali said: 'take her back'. and he went to sayyiduna `umar and asked him: 'O commander of the faithful, did you not know that the law does not hold accountable three: the demented until the recover, the sleeping until they wake and children until they grow up?' sayyiduna `umar said: 'why not?' mawla `ali said: 'then why should this [insane] woman be stoned?' sayyiduna `umar replied: 'there is no reason'. mawla `ali asked: 'then release her'. and she was released. ---- also, people in coma or those unconscious can be included in the 'sleeping' category. ------- Allah ta'ala knows best and we seek Allah's refuge.
Here's a question: if someone gets Alzheimer's, do they then fall under the category of those who are no longer held responsible by the Shariah? i.e. similar to those who are majnun?
Bro AH, this is an extremely valuable and interesting post, which touches the heart and mind. Praise be to Allah SWT, Knower of all ailments and their hidden cures. May peace and salutations be upon His first prophet Adam (AS), His final Prophet RasulAllah (Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam), the Noor of the Worlds, and all the Prophets that came in between. Aameen! A dear friend's mother was diagnosed with Dementia 9 months ago and the sad reality of this degenerative ailment is very painful even for me to see. A once independent and fully active individual is no longer able to do the normal activities of daily living without the constant support of family and friends. I urge everyone to read this article because keeping up to date with such matters I believe should be incumbent on us all. May Allah SWT grant us the Tawfeeq to take proper care of our health, considered by Rasulallah (Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam) to be the right of the body (Bukhari as-Sawm 55) Regards
Alzheimer's disease (AD), also called Alzheimer disease or simply Alzheimer's, is the most common type of dementia. Alzheimer's is a degenerative and terminal disease for which there is no known cure. In its most common form, it afflicts individuals over 65 years old, although a less prevalent early-onset form also exists. It is estimated that 26.6 million people worldwide were afflicted by AD in 2006, which could quadruple by 2050, although estimates vary greatly. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7525228.stm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer's_disease http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alzheimers/AZ99999 http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/ here is a pdf-link: basic information about alzheimers (2.4MB)
