Would it be Sinful and Wrong to Do a Sin If One Knows One’s Parents Directed Them to it in The Past?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Say if you were about to do a sin that someone assisted or if it was a sin that the parent would be sinful, for example, if the child picked it up from the parent or any other way a parent is responsible for a child’s sin, would it be a normal thought process not to do the sin because you don’t want that person to be sinful? Would it be rude of you to do that sin, as you are also making your parents sin?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question.

It is good to realize when doing something wrong and to be mindful that the sin does not go to any of our loved ones. Generally, we should think of others, too; this way, we can prevent them from committing sins.

Accountability for Enabling Sin

If our actions enable or facilitate sinning for others, we incur a share of the blame. Allah says: “Whoever intercedes for a good cause will have a share in the reward, and whoever intercedes for an evil cause will have a share in the burden. And Allah is Watchful over all things.” [Quran 4:85]

Parental Responsibility and Accountability

Abdullah ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) say: “Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock. The ruler is a shepherd, and he is responsible for his subjects. A man is a shepherd over his family and responsible for his family. A woman is a shepherd over her husband’s house and is responsible for her household. A servant is a shepherd over his master’s property and responsible for his master’s property.”

In the narration, an additional statement is attributed to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him): “A man is a shepherd over his father’s property. He is responsible for his subjects, and each of you is a shepherd and responsible for his flock.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

Parents have a great responsibility to raise their children in a good manner. If they fail to fulfill this responsibility and their children end up committing sins, then they will be held accountable for their failure. However, if the parents have done their best to raise their children well and the children still end up sinning, then the parents will not be held responsible for their children’s actions. The knowledge of this lies with Allah Most High, and no human being can directly attribute sin to the wrong guidance or lack of good deeds of the parent.

I would like you to go through the valuable answers and links below. You will receive guidance and direction in sha Allah.

Related 

• Will I Have a Bad Child Because I Was Bad With My Mother? – SeekersGuidance
• Are We Accountable for the Sins of Others if We Had an Indirect Role Therein? – SeekersGuidance
• What Is the Ruling on Raising Children in Islam? – SeekersGuidance
• Children and Sinful Parents
• How Much Is One Responsible for Aiding Others in Committing Sins? (seekersguidance.org)
• All of You are Shepherds and Responsible – Truth for the Youth- How to be a Muslim in the 21st Century – Imam Yama Niazi – SeekersGuidance
• Shepherding Our Sons & Daughters (seekersguidance.org)

Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.