Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamaliakum,

Wanted to find out what the majority of scholars and any hadith relating to the following two questions:

1. If the primary income of a parent is from interest, should the young adult leave the parents? Even if they are old. ( I know that there is a hadith that states that the 2nd biggest sin is too not take care of your parents if you find either one of them in old age)

2. The rights of a wife compared with the rights of the parents. Meaning if the wife wants her own home should the wife be entiteld to her own home... Should it be separate from the parents.

Waiting for your reply.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Interest parents wife rights

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Q-1: If the primary income of a parent is from interest, should the young adult leave the parents? Even if they are old. ( I know that there is a hadith that states that the 2nd biggest sin is too not take care of your parents if you find either one of them in old age)

If the primary income of the parents is from the ‘haraam’ or forbidden, and the parents spend of this amount on their children who are not of age; there is absolutely no sin upon the children. The parents have a responsibility towards the care of their children upto the age of puberty, and they will be held accountable and responsible in the Just Court of Allah for their source of earnings.

If the children are of age of understanding and realize that the income of their parents is from the ‘haraam’, they should in all humility, wisdom and patience strive to instill the fear of Allah Subhanah into their parents and try to help their parents save themselves from a severe accounting in the Just Court of Allah Subhanah in the Hereafter. If the parents do not fear Allah and do not heed the advice of their children, the children must strive to earn their own halaal earnings to take care of themselves and their family.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 17 Surah Bani Israel verses 23-24:

Your Lord has enjoined the following: You should not worship anyone but Him Alone! Treat your parents with great kindness; if either or both of them attain old age, do not even say ‘uff’ to them; nor rebuke them; but speak to them kind words. Treat them with humility and tenderness and pray, “O our Lord, be merciful to them, just as they brought me up with kindness and affection in my childhood.”

After the rights due to Allah Subhanah, in Islam the biggest rights in all mankind is due to one’s parents. Regardless of what deeds the parents do in transgression to the laws of Allah Subhanah, there is absolutely no excuse for the children to leave them, or dishonor them, or speak evil about them, or ridicule them, or disobey them in any way in the ‘maaroof’ or matters of equity and justice.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 31 Surah Luqman verses 14-15:

14 And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command) "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.

15 But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not (in that matter); yet bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to Me (in love): in the End the return of you all is to Me and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that ye did."

Allah Subhanah commands and guides the believers that even if one’s parents are disbelievers or polytheists, other than refusing their command to worship deities other than Allah Subhanah or any command in transgression of the Divine Laws, the children are to bear them company in this life with justice and consideration and treat them with absolute awe, honor, kindness, tenderness and humility in all other matters of life.

Regardless of what beliefs one’s parents may hold, regardless of what deeds they may do in transgression or ignorance of the laws of Allah and His Messenger (saws); their believing sons and daughters are bound by their command of their Lord to be merciful and dutiful to them, and never ever to say even a word of rebuke or ridicule to them in any way whatsoever. But rather they are commanded to show them absolute respect and honor, and constantly supplicate their Lord to have Mercy upon them.

Your Statement: I know that there is a hadith that states that the 2nd biggest sin is too not take care of your parents if you find either one of them in old age)

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 3.821 Narrated by Anas

The Prophet (saws) was asked about the ‘Kabaair’ or Great Sins. He (sws) said, "They are:--

(1 ) To join others in worship with Allah,

(2) To be undutiful to one's parents,

(3) To kill a person (which Allah has forbidden to kill) (i.e. to commit the crime of murder),

(4) And to give a false witness."

Indeed being undutiful and disobedient to one’s parent is listed by the Messenger of Allah (saws) amongst the ‘Kabaair’ or Great Sins in Islam. It seems that the maybe the hadith you are referring to regarding finding one of the parents in old age is the following:

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6189 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘Let him be humbled into dust! Let him be humbled into dust!’ It was asked: ‘O Allah's Messenger (saws), who is he?’ He (saws) said: ‘He who sees either of his parents during their old age or he sees both of them, but he does not enter Paradise.’

The above beautiful narration and advise of the Messenger of Allah (saws) whereby he (saws) invokes a curse on the person who missed a great and easy opportunity to enter the Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah Subhanah by serving his old parent or parents. The words of wisdom from the Messenger of Allah (saws) mean to imply that one of the best ways to enter the Mercy and thus Paradise of Allah Subhanah is to be obedient and dutiful to one’s parents. The Hadith implies that Allah Subhanah forgives many a short-coming of His believing slaves if they are obedient and dutiful to their parents in their old age; and if a son or a daughter were given that opportunity to serve their parents in their old age, but did not avail this opportunity to get their sins forgiven and earn generous rewards for their Hereafter; they are indeed unfortunate and humbled to the dust!

Q-2: The rights of a wife compared with the rights of the parents.

Allah Subhanah has assigned and commanded the believers to give each the rights that are due from them in full, without compromising the right of the others. Thus it is the duty of the believing man to give his due right to his parents in full, without compromising the rights that are due to his wife in the least. If the man fails in giving the rights due from him to either of the two in full, he will be in transgression of the Divine Commands and thus held severely accountable for his transgression in the Just and Supreme Court of the Majestic Lord on the Inevitable Day of Judgment.

Q-2A: Meaning if the wife wants her own home should the wife be entiteld to her own home... Should it be separate from the parents.

The wife is well within her given rights in Islam to demand that her husband provide a separate house or dwelling for her away from his family (his parents, his brothers, his sisters, etc); and if the husband has the means he must strive to accede to this demand of his wife and provide her a separate house.

But the wife has absolutely no right to demand that the husband leave his family and move into the new house and live with her!

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan