Am I Sinful for Paying My Mother’s Rent Against Her Wishes?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

I pay my mother’s rent as she is mentally ill and has a debt of £9,000. Despite this, she curses and insults me for covering the rent and asks me to leave.

However, staying ensures both of us have an affordable home. Am I sinful for continuing to pay the rent against her wishes to secure housing for both of us?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

Allah (Most High) commands us to honor and care for our parents, even in difficult circumstances:

“And We have commanded people to honor their parents. Their mothers bore them in hardship and delivered them in hardship. Their weaning takes two years. So be grateful to Me and your parents. To Me is the final return.” [Quran, 31:14]

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) also said: “You and your wealth belong to your father.” [Ibn Maja] This hadith highlights a child’s duty to financially support their parents when needed, which extends to one’s mother as well.

Given your mother’s mental illness and financial hardship, covering her rent is an act of dutifulness (birr) and charity. If staying in the home ensures affordable housing for both of you and is necessary for her well-being, you are not sinful for continuing to pay the rent despite her protests. Instead, you are fulfilling an Islamic duty of care and financial support.

However, if the situation becomes harmful or unbearable, you may need to explore alternative solutions, such as seeking external financial aid, professional support, or mediation through family members. Remain patient, make dua for her, and uphold kindness despite her difficulties. Your reward is with Allah (Most High).

And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Mohammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.