What Are My Responsibilities towards My Younger Sister, Who Is Involved in Sins?
Answered by Shaykh Khalid al-Kharsa
Question
What are my responsibilities towards my younger sister, who is involved in sins?
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
In General
The responsibility involves repeated advice, praying for her in her absence, and seeking good companionship for her.
In Detail
A Muslim must realize that this world is a place of obligation and carrying out duties, including caring for family and relatives. The closer the kinship, the greater the responsibility. Allah Almighty says, “Bid your people to pray, and be diligent in ˹observing˺ it.” [Quran, 20:132].
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Each of you is a shepherd and each is responsible for his flock.” [Bukhair, Muslim] A brother is responsible for advising his sister and reminding her so that she turns to Allah. He should try to secure her needs so that she trusts him as a sincere advisor concerned for her welfare. He must also turn to Allah for her protection and to prevent her from going astray. Thus, he fulfills his duty and absolves himself before Allah.
[Shaykh] Khalid al-Kharsa
Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Khalid al-Kharsa is a distinguished scholar from Syria, born in Damascus in 1960. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Da‘wa Islamiyya in Tripoli, a higher diploma in Comparative Fiqh from the University of Omdurman in 1998, a master’s degree in Comparative Fiqh from the Faculty of Shari‘a and Law at the University of Omdurman in 2002, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Fiqh from the same institution in 2010.
He acquired knowledge and spiritual guidance from Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Farfur, Shaykh Abdul Razzaq al-Halabi, Shaykh Muhammad Adib al-Kallas, and Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri, may Allah have mercy on them all.
He received Ijazas from several scholars, including Shaykh Muhammad Amin Siraj, Shaykh Abdul Ghani al-Daqar, Shaykh Muhammad Sa‘id al-Kahil, Shaykh Malik bin al-Arabi bin Ahmad al-Sharif al-Sanusi, Shaykh Muhammad Usman Bilal, the Mufti of Aleppo, and others.
Shaykh Khalid lived in Damascus for 52 years, where he engaged extensively in educational and social activities before being displaced from there. He moved to Istanbul at the end of 2015 and co-established “Markaz Jami‘at al-‘Ilm Wa al-Hidaya” within two months of his arrival. In Istanbul, he is active in educational roles. He serves as the director and teacher at the Sheikh Abdul Razzaq al-Halabi Institute, a lecturer at Dar al-Fuqaha, and a teacher at the Dar al-Funun Waqf.
His scholarly works and research include his tahqiq on “al-Rasa li al-Salihat min al-Nisa” by Hafiz Yusuf bin Abdul Hadi, “Adab al-Murta‘i in the Science of Dua (Supplication),” “al-Isti‘ana bi al-Fatiha,” “Rashat al-Aqlam – Explanation of Kifayat al-Ghulam” by Shaykh Abdul Ghani al-Nabulsi in Hanafi Fiqh, “al-Hada’iq al-Wardiyya fi Ajla al-Naqshbandiyya” by Khani, and “al-Arba‘in al-Tusiyya” by Muhammad bin Aslam. May Allah preserve him and make his contributions beneficial.
