Foundations · Good Character

Parental and Marital Duties in Islam

Test your knowledge of a Muslim's responsibilities towards parents and spouse.

7 questions · Easy · about 4 minutes

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7 questions, about 4 minutes.

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1. If someone is suffering badly at home, what should they avoid when trying to solve the problem?

  • Seeking help from a wise mahram relative.
  • Looking for a safe and suitable environment.
  • Travelling alone or moving to live alone. (correct answer)
  • Making du’a and asking Allah for help.

Why

A person should try to solve a difficult family situation without doing something forbidden. The source advises against travelling alone or living alone, and instead recommends seeking help from a wise mahram relative or finding a safe, righteous environment.

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2. If a son needs to get married and his father is able to help him, what should the father do?

  • Help arrange his marriage. (correct answer)
  • Delay his marriage without concern for his need.
  • Tell him marriage is never the father’s responsibility.
  • Refuse because marriage is less important than food and drink.

Why

If a father is responsible for spending on his son, and the son needs marriage, then arranging his marriage may also be part of what the father should do. Delaying marriage in such a case is described as a mistake.

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3. What is one way to honour parents after they have died?

  • Stop making du’a for them.
  • Pray for forgiveness and mercy for them. (correct answer)
  • Ignore debts they left behind.
  • Cut off ties with people they loved.

Why

Honouring parents continues after their death. A child may pray for forgiveness and mercy for them, pay their debts if able, arrange Hajj on their behalf if needed, and maintain ties with those they used to love.

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4. If one parent tells a child to cut off ties with the other parent, what should the child do?

  • Honour both parents and not obey the instruction to cut ties. (correct answer)
  • Obey whichever parent is angrier.
  • Cut off both parents to avoid conflict.
  • Obey the father in all cases, even if he orders cutting ties.

Why

A child must honour both parents. If one parent orders the child to cut ties with the other, that instruction is contrary to Islamic teaching and should not be obeyed.

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5. Who is most deserving of a person’s good companionship?

  • The mother. (correct answer)
  • The father first, then the mother.
  • Friends before family.
  • Only the person who provides financial support.

Why

The mother has major rights over her child, including love, respect, care, and good companionship. The hadith quoted in the source mentions the mother three times before the father.

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6. How should a wife handle situations where she needs to speak or act on behalf of her husband?

  • Make decisions in his presence without asking him.
  • Make him feel unimportant or lacking.
  • Be wise, consult him, and show respect for his role. (correct answer)
  • Use the situation to control him.

Why

A wife may help her husband, such as by speaking on his behalf when needed, but she should do so wisely. She should consult him, respect him, and avoid making him feel unimportant.

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7. If a wife’s mother tells her to defy a good husband and cause problems, whose right takes precedence?

  • The mother’s right, in every case.
  • The husband’s right, so long as he is not commanding sin. (correct answer)
  • Whoever is older.
  • Whoever is more upset.

Why

A mother has a great status, but her rights do not override the husband’s rights in the wife’s marriage. The wife should honour her mother in ways that do not conflict with her husband’s rightful commands.

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A note on these answers

These questions are for learning and self-testing. Explanations are drawn from the sources linked on each question and are not a fatwa. For a ruling on your own circumstances, please consult a qualified scholar.

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