Are those afflicted with autism classified Islamically as mentally incompetent, taking into consideration the effect of autism on communication, perception, understanding meanings, and expressing emotions?

Autism Spectrum Disorder varies in degrees, and its jurisprudential rulings differ according to its impact on the mind, as follows:

1. If it causes a loss of discernment, and the person is described as intellectually disabled, then accountability is waived by consensus. 2. If it does not affect their perception and ability to distinguish right from wrong, and the condition remains limited to isolation, diminished sensation, or difficulty understanding language, then jurisprudential accountability remains. 3. If their condition is unstable, such that they lose their perception sometimes and regain it at other times, then they are accountable when perceptive, and accountability is waived when the ailment occurs. They are accountable for what they perceive and excused from what they are unable to perceive.

The fundamental principle is that accountability and human responsibility are linked to the presence of a perceiving intellect. If it is lost or impaired, then accountability is waived, or Allah will judge with absolute justice.