Children and Sinful Parents

Answered by Shaykh Abdurragmaan Khan

Question: Assalam alaykum,

I’ve been told that children may become ill and undergo tribulations because of the wrongdoings of the parents. I’d like to know if there’s any truth to this in Islam? My mother in law blames my husband for the sickness of my children.

Answer: Wa alaykum al-Salam

Shukran for writing to us.

The general rule within our sacred law is that no soul will suffer the sin of another. Allah says in the Glorious Quran, “And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another” [35:18]. Accordingly, it is incorrect of your mother in law to blame her son for the illness of her grandchildren.

That being said, the actions and lifestyle of parents inevitably have an impact on the children. Most of their learning is observation, and more than often, children adopt the way of their parents. Also, it is possible that through the good deeds of parents that Allah may keep harm away from children, however, the knowledge of this lies with Allah, and no human being can directly attribute the harm afflicted upon a child, to the lack of good deeds of the parent.

May Allah grant your children complete cure, may He remove their pain, grant them piety and make them the coolness of your eyes, Amin.

And Allah knows best
Wassalam
[Shaykh] Abdurragmaan Khan

Shaykh Abdurragmaan received ijazah ’ammah from various luminaries, including but not restricted to: Habib Umar ibn Hafiz—a personality who affected him greatly and who has changed his relationship with Allah, Maulana Yusuf Karaan—the former Mufti of Cape Town; Habib ‘Ali al-Mashhur—the current Mufti of Tarim; Habib ‘Umar al-Jaylani—the Shafi‘i Mufti of Makkah; Sayyid Ahmad bin Abi Bakr al-Hibshi; Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf; Shaykh Mahmud Sa’id Mamduh; Maulana Abdul Hafiz al-Makki; Shaykh Ala ad-Din al-Afghani; Maulana Fazlur Rahman al-Azami and Shaykh Yahya al-Gawthani amongst others.