Is It Sinful to Be in the Presence of a Parent Misusing Money?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
Is it sinful to be present when a parent is misusing someone’s money, even if I try to distance myself and advise them gently?
Answer
Thank you for your question. If you are gently advising your parent not to misuse the money and you are doing your best to enjoin the good and forbid the wrong, you are not sinful.
Enjoining Good
Allah Most High has told us in the Quran,
“You are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allah. Had the People of the Book believed, it would have been better for them. Some of them are faithful, but most are rebellious.” [Quran, 3:110]
Please continue to strive with your parent to teach them, to raise the standards of goodness and to exalt the shari‘a, insha’Allah, it will sink in one day.
Please make this prophetic dua regularly:
اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ سَرِيرَتِي خَيْرًا مِنْ عَلَانِيَتِي وَاجْعَلْ عَلَانِيَتِي صَالِحَةً اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ صَالِحِ مَا تُؤْتِي النَّاسَ مِنَ الْأَهْلِ وَالْمَالِ وَالْوَلَدِ غَيْرِ الضَّالِّ وَلَا الْمُضِلِّ
“O God, make my inner nature better than my outer and make my outer nature good. O God, I ask Thee to give me some of the abundance Thou givest to men, in family, property and children, which neither strays nor leads astray.” [Tirmidhi]
Please review the guidelines for enjoining good and forbidding wrong here:
- What Are the Criteria for Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil?
- Embracing Excellence – Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil
- Is One Being Nosy by Commanding the Good and Forbidding Evil?
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied ‘aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
