How does Allah punish a child born with a permanent illness or disability, such as blindness or limb amputation, given that the Noble Verse "Say: Why then does He punish you for your sins?" implies that punishment is due to sins? What sin did this child commit to deserve this fate, and is he required to be patient with tribulation while not being held accountable?

Sins are dangerous and cause the destruction of nations and torment in the afterlife, as happened to the peoples of Thamud, 'Ad, Noah, and Pharaoh. Allah Almighty says: (Have they not seen how many generations We destroyed before them whom We had established in the land as We have not established you, and We sent [rain from] the sky upon them in showers and made rivers flow beneath them? But We destroyed them for their sins, and We produced after them another generation.) and (As was the custom of the people of Pharaoh and those before them. They denied the signs of their Lord, so We destroyed them for their sins, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh, and all of them were wrongdoers). However, trials are not limited to sins; they may also be for raising ranks and increasing good deeds, as in the hadith: "The people most severely tested are the prophets, then the next best, then the next best," and "The greatness of the reward is with the greatness of the trial. Verily, when Allah loves a people, He tests them." Thus, the trials of prophets and children, such as being born blind, are not due to sins; rather, it is a trial by which Allah may honor the parents if they are patient. There are examples of scholars and poets who were born blind and achieved great accomplishments, such as Qatadah ibn Di'amah and Bashshar ibn Burd. The trial of young children is not due to sins, and patience is prescribed for them, though it is not obligatory.