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What is the ruling on one who killed his children and then committed suicide, being psychologically ill due to bankruptcy?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A mentally ill person, if unaware of their actions or unconscious of what they are doing, is judged like an insane person and is not held accountable for their deeds. However, if they are aware, then religious rulings apply to them, and they are held accountable for sins. In both cases, the rights of human beings, such as blood money (diyya), are binding. If the killing was accidental, the blood money is due from the aqila (male relatives on the father's side). If it was intentional, the blood money is due from the killer's own wealth if they are sane. If the killer is insane, there is a difference of opinion among scholars as to whether it is due from their wealth or from the aqila.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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