The Committed Believer · Parents, Kinship & Neighbours

Parental and Kinship Responsibilities in Islam

Explore duties towards parents, kin, and neighbors as per Islamic teachings.

8 questions · Medium · about 4 minutes

Test yourself properly, with scoring and instant feedback.

8 questions, about 4 minutes.

Take the quiz
Show questions and answers Spoilers: every answer and explanation for all 8 questions.

1. What should a father do if his son needs marriage and the father is able to help him?

  • Help arrange his marriage and not delay it without a valid reason. (correct answer)
  • Prevent marriage until all siblings are ready.
  • Refuse help because marriage is never part of maintenance.
  • Tell him to abandon marriage even if he fears temptation.

Why

A son should continue honouring his father, but a father should not prevent or unnecessarily delay marriage when the son needs it. If the father is obliged to spend on the son’s basic needs and is able, then helping him marry may also be required when marriage is needed to keep him chaste. The son should protect himself from temptation through taqwa, lowering the gaze, avoiding bad company, fasting if unable to marry, and making du‘a.

View source on IslamQA →

2. What is one of the mother’s greatest rights over her child?

  • Love, respect, and good companionship. (correct answer)
  • Obedience in sin.
  • Being ignored after she becomes old.
  • Only being honoured after death.

Why

The mother has many major rights over her child. Among the greatest are love, respect, good companionship, care when she needs help, avoiding hurtful words or actions, and spending on her if she is needy and has no one else to provide for her. Obedience to her is required in what is good, but not in sin. After death, a child may still honour her through du‘a, fulfilling vows, charity, Hajj or ‘umrah on her behalf, and maintaining ties with those she loved.

View source on IslamQA →

3. Who must help support poor parents when the parents’ own income is not enough?

  • Their children, male and female, who have surplus wealth. (correct answer)
  • Only the eldest son.
  • Only the children who live nearest to them.
  • Only unmarried children.

Why

Poor parents who have no sufficient income or wealth should be maintained by their children who are financially able. This applies to male and female children if they have surplus wealth beyond their own needs and the needs of their dependents. In the case of shared inheritance or rental income, each heir must receive their rightful share; one sibling may not withhold the others’ shares by claiming to spend on the mother. The children should then agree to cover whatever maintenance the mother still needs.

View source on IslamQA →

4. What responsibility does the head of a household have regarding the family’s religious duties?

  • Teach and advise the family and encourage them to fulfil Allah’s commands. (correct answer)
  • Prevent obligatory prayers in congregation without a valid reason.
  • Leave all religious teaching to imams only.
  • Tell children to obey parents even when that means disobeying Allah.

Why

A father or head of household is responsible for teaching, advising, and guiding the family regarding religious duties. He should encourage prayer and obedience to Allah, not forbid what Allah has commanded. If a father tells a mature son not to pray in congregation without a valid excuse, he is not obeyed in that sinful command, though he must still be treated with kindness and respect. The son should try to convince him gently and may seek help from someone the father respects.

View source on IslamQA →

5. If relatives mistreat someone and close mixing increases hurt, what may the person do?

  • Limit contact to salam and reduce visits or conversation. (correct answer)
  • Completely sever kinship ties out of anger.
  • Only speak to them if they apologize first.
  • Retaliate against them in the same way.

Why

Upholding kinship remains important even when relatives fall short or mistreat a person, and there is reward for maintaining ties despite their bad treatment. But if mixing with them increases hurt and resentment, the person may reduce visits and conversation and limit contact to greeting them with salam. Greeting with salam protects the person from the prohibited kind of shunning, while still allowing distance from harm.

View source on IslamQA →

6. What is one of the most important forms of upholding kinship ties?

  • Enjoining good and forbidding evil. (correct answer)
  • Avoiding all advice to prevent conflict.
  • Visiting constantly even when it causes harm.
  • Only giving money to relatives.

Why

Upholding kinship includes tangible and intangible forms. Tangible forms may include giving wealth, while intangible forms include enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, which is described as the most important form of upholding kinship. If relatives are harmful or corrupt and a person fears being influenced by them, ties may be maintained through safer means such as du‘a, advice, letters, phone calls, and brief contact, without allowing them to cause harm.

View source on IslamQA →

7. What is the ruling on upholding kinship ties?

  • It is obligatory to the extent that one is able. (correct answer)
  • It is only recommended for close relatives.
  • It is required only when relatives are poor.
  • It is discouraged if relatives live far away.

Why

Upholding kinship ties is obligatory according to one’s ability, starting with the closest relatives and then the next closest. It may be done by visiting when possible, writing, phoning, checking on them, or helping financially if the relative is poor and one is able. If circumstances prevent visits, a person should still maintain ties through whatever means are available, because Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity.

View source on IslamQA →

8. Who are the kindred with whom kinship ties must be upheld?

  • All blood relatives on the father’s and mother’s sides. (correct answer)
  • Only relatives who inherit from you.
  • Only those permanently forbidden to marry.
  • A spouse’s relatives as obligatory kin for the other spouse.

Why

Scholars differed over the definition of the kindred whose ties must be upheld. The correct view cited is that it includes all blood relatives on both the father’s and mother’s sides, whether or not they inherit and whether or not they are mahrams. A spouse’s relatives are not the other spouse’s kindred in this technical sense, but they should still be treated kindly as part of good treatment between spouses and to increase love.

View source on IslamQA →

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.

More in Parents, Kinship & Neighbours

Browse all 281 quizzes or explore guidance topics.