Man is the only being which has the distinction of being...

Man is the only being which has the distinction of being able to conduct himself within the framework of a series of contractual laws. As these laws are framed by a competent authority and then imposed on man, they naturally involve a sort of hardship for him. That is why they have been given the name of 'obligation'. In order to bind man to carry out a certain obligation, the law-giver has to observe certain conditions.

In other words only a man fulfilling certain conditions shoulders the responsibility of carrying out the obligations. The conditions which must be fulfilled in case of every obligation are as under: (i) Puberty: When man reaches a certain stage of his life there appear some sudden changes in his body, his feelings and his thoughts. The appearance of these changes is called puberty. It is a natural stage attained by everyone. It is not possible to determine an exact time when one attains puberty.

Some individuals reach this stage earlier than others. That largely depends on the personal characteristics of the individuals as well as their regional and environmental conditions. What is certain is that women reach the stage of natural puberty earlier than men. From legal point of view it is necessary to fix a definite age of majority in order to achieve uniformity.

It may be either the average age of puberty or the minimum age of it (in addition to another condition of maturity which is understanding as described in Islamic jurisprudence). On this basis an individual may reach the age of natural puberty, but may not be considered to have attained legal majority.

In accordance with the view held by the majority of the Shi'ah Ulema the legal majority of man from the point of view of age has been fixed at his completing 15 years and entering the 16th year and that of a woman at her completing nine years and entering the 10th year. Legal majority is one of the conditions of the legal capacity for the implementation of obligations.

In other words, a person who has not reached this stage, the law is not addressed to him; unless it is proved that he has attained natural puberty before reaching the age of legal majority. (ii) Sanity: Another condition of the liability for the discharge of obligations is sanity. A lunatic lacking the power of understanding has no obligations, his case being similar to that of a minor during the period of his minority.