Giving Priority to People with Special Needs
25-11-2018 | IslamWeb
Question:
I have heard many Hadiths on how Prophet Muhammad treated individuals who has special needs. He gave them his full attention and took care of their needs. If an individual who has special needs is in contact with someone who is a teacher/someone who they look up to, is that someone suppose to to go them first than the average human being?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.{C}
We cannot authoritatively assert that the teacher or others has to give priority to people with special needs over others, especially that disabilities differ in their types and degrees. However, doing so may be an obligation in some special cases that may cause some harm to this weak person if he is not given priority.
In general, this group should be given special consideration and care because of the weakness that they are affected with.
Indeed, the Sharee’ah gave them consideration in regard to the religious obligations that they have to carry out, so the Sharee’ah reduced and facilitated the matter for them. Allah Says (what means): {There is not upon the blind any guilt or upon the lame any guilt or upon the ill any guilt [for remaining behind]. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger - He will admit him to gardens beneath which rivers flow; but whoever turns away - He will punish him with a painful punishment.} [Quran 48:17]
The Prophet gave permission in Hajj for the weak, the women, and the children to start moving away from Muzdalifah at night [i.e. before the beginning of Fajr to go to throw the Al-‘Aqabah pebbles] before people crush them down because of the overwhelming crowd. This is just one example among so many.
It is well known that we see in reality that people usually appreciate giving priority to the people with special needs over others as a way of mercy to them, and this makes them [this category of people] happy. So the person who favors them or gives them priority over others is not considered to be a wrongdoer.
For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 117945.
Allah knows best.