Source: Aḥkām al-Masājid by Shaykh Muḥammad Munīr Qamar (pp. 225 onwards)
In certain mosques in our lands, some majdhūb (mentally disturbed) individuals lie in the verandas or side-rooms, spreading filth. Some of them remain unclothed, shameless, and beg from the people. Others roam the streets behaving wildly, frightening children and women with their disheveled hair, filthy bodies, and frightening appearances. Some even hold stones, utter blasphemous words, or curse openly, while some remain uncovered to the point that their private parts are exposed.
Yet, sadly, many Muslims—though themselves sane—regard such indecent and irreligious individuals as “saints”, massage their hands and feet, and seek blessings and wishes from them. May Allah protect the Muslims from ignorance and misguidance.
True sainthood (wilāyah) is entirely different, rooted in faith, purity, and obedience, not in madness and filth.
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) in his classic work al-Furqān bayna Awliyāʾ al-Raḥmān wa-Awliyāʾ al-Shayṭān writes:
“A servant can only be a Walī of Allah if he is a believer and God-fearing. Whoever seeks closeness to Allah without performing good deeds and abandoning evil deeds cannot be a Walī of Allah.”
Thus:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The pen is lifted from three: from the sleeper until he wakes up; from the insane until he regains sanity; and from the child until he reaches puberty.”
(Abū Dāwūd 3698; al-Nasāʾī 3210; Ibn Mājah 2041; Ibn Ḥibbān; al-Dārimī; Musnad Aḥmad; al-Ḥākim – all with supporting chains)
Similarly, ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) narrated in an authentic chain:
“The pen is lifted from three: from the insane until he regains his mind; from the sleeper until he awakens; and from the child until he reaches puberty.”
(Abū Dāwūd; al-Tirmidhī 1150; Ibn Mājah 2042; Ibn Khuzaymah; Ibn Ḥibbān; al-Ḥākim – declared ṣaḥīḥ)
The Situation in Some Mosques
In certain mosques in our lands, some majdhūb (mentally disturbed) individuals lie in the verandas or side-rooms, spreading filth. Some of them remain unclothed, shameless, and beg from the people. Others roam the streets behaving wildly, frightening children and women with their disheveled hair, filthy bodies, and frightening appearances. Some even hold stones, utter blasphemous words, or curse openly, while some remain uncovered to the point that their private parts are exposed.
Yet, sadly, many Muslims—though themselves sane—regard such indecent and irreligious individuals as “saints”, massage their hands and feet, and seek blessings and wishes from them. May Allah protect the Muslims from ignorance and misguidance.
True sainthood (wilāyah) is entirely different, rooted in faith, purity, and obedience, not in madness and filth.
The Criterion of True Wilāyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) in his classic work al-Furqān bayna Awliyāʾ al-Raḥmān wa-Awliyāʾ al-Shayṭān writes:
“A servant can only be a Walī of Allah if he is a believer and God-fearing. Whoever seeks closeness to Allah without performing good deeds and abandoning evil deeds cannot be a Walī of Allah.”
Thus:
- A mad or insane person cannot be a Walī, for neither his faith nor his acts of worship are valid.
- If insanity is permanent, such a person is maʿdhūr (excused) and considered marfūʿ al-qalam (the pen of accountability is lifted).
Prophetic Evidence
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The pen is lifted from three: from the sleeper until he wakes up; from the insane until he regains sanity; and from the child until he reaches puberty.”
(Abū Dāwūd 3698; al-Nasāʾī 3210; Ibn Mājah 2041; Ibn Ḥibbān; al-Dārimī; Musnad Aḥmad; al-Ḥākim – all with supporting chains)
Similarly, ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه) narrated in an authentic chain:
“The pen is lifted from three: from the insane until he regains his mind; from the sleeper until he awakens; and from the child until he reaches puberty.”
(Abū Dāwūd; al-Tirmidhī 1150; Ibn Mājah 2042; Ibn Khuzaymah; Ibn Ḥibbān; al-Ḥākim – declared ṣaḥīḥ)
Implications
- A person who is permanently insane is not accountable in Sharīʿah.
- If insanity is intermittent, then in his sane moments he is accountable, and if he commits disbelief, hypocrisy, or sin
