Fatwa #1447210 August 2006Pakistan
Do I bound to take permission from my father for the second trip with my wife, as my brother family is looking after him?
Question
I m trying to contact you since long time but failed because every time when I wonna enroll my question, the entries stopped. I m very disturbed these days. The problem is that I got married five months ago. The marriage was totally arranged. I talked my wife at the wedding night, first time. My mother has died last year. According to my parents wish, I accepted my uncle’s daughter. She is a daughter of my mother’s brother. After marriage, my father ordered me to leave your wife with him alone. I obeyed the order & left my wife for two months with my father & brother alone in a 600 yard bungalow to look after my father. There was no lady there for two months, to whom my wife can talk. I met my wife on weekends only (i.e. Saturday & Sunday). I m working in another city. It takes almost 2 hours to reach home.
After 2 months, my father migrated to my work place with my wife. My wife oversee him like his father but he didn’t give reward to her. I joined new firm after consulting my father. My new firm sent me for job purpose. Right now, I m in . I left my wife with my father & brother’s family (i.e. having wife & 2 children). When I was departing from for , my father called me & told me in front of my wife that she didn’t take care of me from the starting. I ordered her to watch my father as yours. She agreed as she was not feeling well for almost 2 weeks. Doctors told her to take bed rest but I forced her to oversee father because he needs attention after my mother departure. My father told me that she is telling lie. She is okay. ALLAH knows better what was the condition of my wife when I left her. My company didn’t allow me to take your wife with u. After reaching , when I call at home, my father told me that your wife went home with her mother without my permission. As I told u that she was not in good health in my presence, she went home because no one is at my home to look after her. Now the situation is that every one including my brothers & sisters are against me & my wife. They told me that you’ve made the plan that when I leave for , my wife can move to her house. They are calling me gambler. ALLAH knows better, who is a gambler. As a Muslim & son, I left my wife to oversee father. I am very sincere towards my father because his wife is not alive.
Mufti sahib, please help me out because this situation has put me in hot water. My brothers & sisters are telling me to leave your job & come back immediately. My father is among my 4 brothers & 4 sisters. My father doesn’t insist me to come back. He told me that you can take your decision well. I m okay here. All brothers & sisters are taking care of him. My brother is trying to capture my car which I left for family use. He is telling me that this is not your car. It’s a family car. ALLAH knows better. I purchased the car after taking loan from my father & I m returning this money on monthly basis as settled among me & father as a contract.
Please guide me what I’ve to do because I m not concentrating towards my job. My wife is with her mother right now. She is not feeling well. Two days before, she went at home to look after father as I forced her to go but my brother & sister didn’t allow her to stay at home because she is not feeling well. They told her that we are here to look after father not you. You can go to your mother’s home again & come when u r alright. I wonna my wife to stay at home so that I can feel better here in that my wife is with my father. According to the contract, I can leave for on 6th September,2006. I’ve joined this firm after knowing that I’ll have to go for 3 months.
May Almighty ALLAH bless you, your family & give u reward in the world as well as life here after. Sir, I wonna ask u something about my tribulations that I’ll leave Italy on 2nd September,2006 & return back to Pakistan on 20th September,2006 as my project is in full flow. I joined this firm after taking permission from my father. This job mainly depends on foreign projects. That’s why I’ve to stay abroad now. I m planning to take my wife with me because she wants to live with me. I left her this time because company didn’t allow me family accommodation. Now the company is offering me family accommodation for the second trip & onwards. My questions ar
1- Do I bound to take permission from my father for the second trip with my wife, as my brother family is looking after him?
2- If my father tell me to go alone after leaving my wife with him, do I’ve to obey this order?
As I transferred my car documents to my younger brother because he wants increment in his salary as car allowance. He told me that if you transfer your car to my name then I‘ll able to get Rs 5000/- increment as a car allowance per month. I transferred my car to my younger brother. Now they are saying that it’s a family car because they know that I’ve transferred it to younger brother. I’ll talk to my father after returning back to . My question is
3- If my father has the same opinion as others as I m expecting, do I bound to give him money as decided. Right now I m paying Rs 20,000/ month as decided between me & my father. If this happens then I’ll have to buy my own car then I’ll not be able to give Rs 20,000/- to my father. As he is wealthy enough. My brothers are well settled & looking after him. I’ve taken Rs 2,90,000/- after deciding that I’ll pay within 1 ½ year (i.e. Rs 20,000/ month). Please guide me regarding this matter. I m a man who is giving almost half of his salary since 2001 till date.
My brother & sister are not allowing me to talk my father. Every time I phone father, they involve in our conversation & the call ends without taking well wishes from my father. They told me whatever you have to tell him, first come here immediately after leaving your job & then talk. They are misguiding my father as my family (i.e. me & my wife) is concerned. When I was with my father, I didn’t call anyone to look after father because I think that I m enough to look after my father. I left my wife alone with him & my elder brother for two months in the early period of my marriage. At that time, my elder brother with his family was also there in his separate apartment (i.e. in Hyderabad ) but I obeyed my father & didn’t call anyone to oversee father. She remained alone for 2 months without having another female. If he is not feeling well then what is the responsibility of my brothers who are with father right now. I am not here to visit or for fun. I am here because of my job purpose. They are telling me that father didn’t allow you to go for . ALLAH knows better that I’ve joined this firm after consulting my father. He sea off me at the airport also after granting me too many prayers. Right now my brothers & sisters are making false statements (rumor) among me & my father. My father doesn’t told me to leave your job & come here to look after me. He told me that you can take your decision well. It’s my family members who are torturing me because they think that I m the only one to over see father. I haven’t compare myself while watching over father. It’s only my brothers who are comparing. If I m out of station then they have to watch over father because my job mainly depends on foreign projects. My question i
4- If my father order me to leave job, do I’ve to obey? As I m married now. How will I fulfill the requirement of my father & wife then?
5- As our religion is concerned, do I bound to give half of my salary to my father after marriage, as he is wealthy enough & my elder brother is also looking after him? How can I distribute my salary?
Please take this e-mail as urgent because I’ve to solve this problem as soon as possible
Thanking you in anticipation
Answer
There are four aspects to your query:
• Father
• Wife
• Brothers/Sisters
• Job
Before we proceed, it is vital that you understand the following:-
This issue that you are faced with is indeed sensitive and intricate. It concerns key role players in your life. Therefore, you will have to tackle the issue with wisdom, diplomacy and patience. You will have to separate emotions from practical and factual issues. Only if you do so, you will be able to solve the concern at hand in an amicable and effective way.
Your commitment and concern for the wellbeing of your father is commendable. Allah has commanded us to respect and revere our parents. Surely, you will be rewarded tremendously in this world and the hereafter.
You state that you had left your wife to take care of your father in your absence. Firstly, it is important to know that it is not the Shar’ie responsibility of your wife to look after your father. She had done so for two long months out of her goodwill and gesture. It is upon you and your family to acknowledge her services and recognize her sacrifice.
Your father had mentioned to you that she had fell short in fulfilling her duty. At this point you should understand a son will always remain stretched between his wife and his parents. This is a fact which you will have to accept. The ideal approach in such a situation is to remain silent and not comment on either party. You should play a more dual role in the sense that your wife feels that you are on her side and also not compromising on the respect of your father. It is imperative that in this situation you always assure a feeling of security to your wife. You should never ever say or do something that would create a sense on insecurity or instability in your wife. That would then fuel the situation and could ruin your entire life. Therefore you know that your wife have sacrificed and given her full to serve your father. You should personally thank her and afford her a token of appreciation.
Your wife is sick and she is not able to serve your father. It is natural that a newly wed bride who is young and always remained pampered under the kindness and love of her parents will become physically sick in this situation. Your separation from her in this initial stage of the marriage is another hurdle for her. Therefore, you as the husband should take cognizance of all this and consider the feelings of your wife. It is against Shariah for you to coerce your wife to serve your father.
Your brothers and sisters have now availed themselves to take care of their father. Where were they when your young wife was taking care of their father? Suddenly they have become committed to look after their father and have a total disregard to your wife? Surely this is unjust and unfair.
You state that your brothers and sisters deprive you from talking to your father and always create a negative impression of you and your wife by your father. Furthermore, they intend to usurp your motor car and have turned your wife away from the home. From this we understand that they are deceptive and have an agenda against you and your wife. This is common in many families where one brother/sister are progressive and the others cannot simply digest this brothers/sisters progress. They then try different methods and ways to discredit this brother/sister. It is possible that you are experiencing the same.
In this situation our advice is that you set down your priorities and have a vision in life. Certainly your father is your priority and then your wife. As a son you are responsible to take physical care of your father if there is nobody besides you. Since you have brothers and sisters, the responsibility is shared among you. You must volunteer your help and an appropriate mechanism could be created to overcome any difficulty in shouldering your responsibility.
Your wife is your lifelong companion and confidant. You can confide in her that which you would not do with others. Therefore, the concern and wellbeing of your wife can never be compromised over the petty excuses of your brothers and sisters. She is bound by you and nobody else. If you wish her company in your travel, it is your sole prerogative and no one including your father has a right to refuse her. You are newly wed and in experienced. Together you and wife will have to face the challenges of life. If you are separated in this early period of your marriage and do not have sufficient time to bond with each other ,especially after your wife going through this traumatic imbalance, this will have serious implications in your marriage at a later stage.
Allah has blessed you with a good job and you should not sacrifice that at all cost. Keeping the respect of your father, fulfilling the rights of your wife and concentrating on your job is now your task. As a man you will have to swim through this ocean of challenges and reach your ultimate goal of winning all those around you. Be rest assured if you have done so, you have won the battle.
In conclusion, your priorities have to be set out and you must maintain them at any cost. This attitude is the secret to conquer the waves of the ever challenging life that we all live. Fulfill your duties to Allah and He will assist you in all difficulties. Pray and supplicate to Him in solitude and such prayers never go unanswered.
May Allah grant you the strength and courage and afford you the wisdom and patience to pass this difficult phase of life with tolerance and courage. Ameen
And Allah Knows Best
Muhammed Zakariyya Desai
Student: Darul Ifta
Checked and Approved
Mufti Ebrahim Desai