aforementioned matters, together with their denial of the Day of Recompense, having an effect in bringing them into the Fire, there would have been no benefit in mentioning them. Had they not been punished for them, they would never have occurred to their minds.

The first reason is: “We were not among those who prayed”—that is, they neglected the prayer.

The second is: “Nor did we feed the poor”—that is, they neglected zakat.

The third is: “We used to indulge in vain discourse along with those who indulged in it”—such as mocking the verses of Allah.

The fourth is: “And we used to deny the Day of Recompense.”

His statement, “legally accountable,” is the second condition. When you find the term mukallaf in the words of the jurists, what is meant is one who has reached puberty and is of sound mind, for there is no legal accountability during childhood or in the case of insanity.

For a male, puberty is attained through one of three signs: completing fifteen years of age, the growth of pubic hair, or the emission of semen accompanied by desire. For a female, it is attained through four signs: the preceding three, and a fourth—menstruation. Thus, once she menstruates, she has reached puberty, even if she is only ten years old.

The opposite of one who is of sound mind is the insane person—that is, one who has lost his reason—whether insane, feeble-minded, or senile. Anyone who has no sound mind, under whatever description, is not legally accountable. None of the religious obligations are binding upon him: neither prayer, nor fasting, nor feeding others in place of fasting. In other words, nothing at all is obligatory upon him, except what has been excluded, such as financial obligations. Accordingly, a senile person—that is, one afflicted by dementia—is not required to fast, nor to feed others in its place, because he has lost legal capacity, namely sound reason.

Is one who has lost his mind due to an accident like the senile person?