An elderly woman with a medical condition, specifically a blood clot, has approximately five children; two of them do not pray. What is the mother’s responsibility?
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The questioner : He says: May your excellenceThe Shaykh : An elderly woman with a medical condition, specifically a blood clot, may Allah protect you and our Muslim brothers from it, has approximately five children; two of them do not pray. What is the mother’s responsibility? Is she sinful, or is it the father’s responsibility?
The Shaykh : Yes, the responsibility for the children lies with the father. The evidence for this is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):Sahih al-Bukhari 2751 As for the hidden matter that occurs in the home and the father is unaware of, the mother informs the father of it, and thereby her conscience is cleared. However, the difficult part is the questioner’s statement that she has two sons who do not pray. This is a problem of the utmost difficulty. If they do not pray, neither in the mosque nor at home, and they are adults of sound mind, then they are disbelievers. This is because abandoning prayer is major shirk (associating partners with Allah) that expels one from the religion, may Allah protect us from that. We have a small treatise on this matter; it is small in size but great in meaning, explaining the evidence from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), as well as the statements of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), that abandoning prayer entirely is disbelief that expels one from the religion. Its practitioner is considered an apostate. If he returns to Islam and prays, that is what is required. Otherwise, it is obligatory for the one in authority to kill him, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sunan Ibn Majah 2535Sahih (Darussalam).
However, Allah the Exalted has not closed the door of repentance; the door of repentance is open. Therefore, the one who abandons prayer should repent to Allah. He is not required to make up the prayers he previously abandoned, but he should start anew and pray. Repentance demolishes what came before it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said. I hope that this woman, and indeed I hope that the father of the children, will pay attention to these two sons who do not pray. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, the responsibility for the children lies with the father. The evidence for this is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
and a man is a guardian of his family and is responsible for his charges
الرجل راع في أهله ومسئول عن رعيتهWhoever changes his religion, execute him.
من بدل دينه فاقتلوهHowever, Allah the Exalted has not closed the door of repentance; the door of repentance is open. Therefore, the one who abandons prayer should repent to Allah. He is not required to make up the prayers he previously abandoned, but he should start anew and pray. Repentance demolishes what came before it, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said. I hope that this woman, and indeed I hope that the father of the children, will pay attention to these two sons who do not pray. Yes.