We are five brothers, so is it obligatory for us to go to jihad in this situation, or must we seek permission from our parents before going?
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The questioner : As for now, O Shaykh, we are five brothers and all of us are in Saudi Arabia, while our father and mother are in Jordan. So, for example, is jihad not required of us in this matter?
The Shaykh : Yes, the people of Makkah know its valleys best, and the owner of the house knows what is in it best. I have seen the father, but, what Allah willed, he is strong; I mean, he is not a very old man. But even so, you know his condition better, and I know the mother’s condition better. I cannot say she is strong.
The questioner : No, O Shaykh, she is strong, stronger than the father.
The Shaykh : I cannot make a judgment; it goes back to you. First, if you see that the father is managing his affairs and his benefit, and likewise his wife, then it is said that going to jihad—and not just for livelihood, but for jihad in the path of Allah—there is no obstacle. However, if the father or the mother, or both together, are in need of a son to help them and be by their side, then in that case, all of you would be sinners.
The questioner : It is necessary for a son to be with his father; I feel this.
The Shaykh : That is a given.
The questioner : He brings his belongings and sits with them. Despite that, if I were to tell the father, “I will stay with you,” he would not accept it.
The Shaykh : He would not accept it?!
The questioner : Yes, he says, “Your benefit and your children,” meaning, “Bring your belongings,” meaning, he does not accept it.
The Shaykh : He does not accept it; may Allah increase his good.
The questioner : But we feel that we are five, and all of us are far from him, and he is the one who gets tired, goes down, and goes out; that is what we feel.
The Shaykh : The matter has two rulings: the ruling of obligation and the ruling of what? Negation. If he is in need of one of you, it becomes obligatory for you five. And if he is, as you report about him, and you are truthful, not in need, then in that case, going to him and staying with him is recommended, unless we imagine a hypothetical scenario where he gets angry if one of you goes to him to serve him. In that case, we tell him, “This is it.” Therefore, going to him remains open, even at the level of recommendation.
The Shaykh : Yes, the people of Makkah know its valleys best, and the owner of the house knows what is in it best. I have seen the father, but, what Allah willed, he is strong; I mean, he is not a very old man. But even so, you know his condition better, and I know the mother’s condition better. I cannot say she is strong.
The questioner : No, O Shaykh, she is strong, stronger than the father.
The Shaykh : I cannot make a judgment; it goes back to you. First, if you see that the father is managing his affairs and his benefit, and likewise his wife, then it is said that going to jihad—and not just for livelihood, but for jihad in the path of Allah—there is no obstacle. However, if the father or the mother, or both together, are in need of a son to help them and be by their side, then in that case, all of you would be sinners.
The questioner : It is necessary for a son to be with his father; I feel this.
The Shaykh : That is a given.
The questioner : He brings his belongings and sits with them. Despite that, if I were to tell the father, “I will stay with you,” he would not accept it.
The Shaykh : He would not accept it?!
The questioner : Yes, he says, “Your benefit and your children,” meaning, “Bring your belongings,” meaning, he does not accept it.
The Shaykh : He does not accept it; may Allah increase his good.
The questioner : But we feel that we are five, and all of us are far from him, and he is the one who gets tired, goes down, and goes out; that is what we feel.
The Shaykh : The matter has two rulings: the ruling of obligation and the ruling of what? Negation. If he is in need of one of you, it becomes obligatory for you five. And if he is, as you report about him, and you are truthful, not in need, then in that case, going to him and staying with him is recommended, unless we imagine a hypothetical scenario where he gets angry if one of you goes to him to serve him. In that case, we tell him, “This is it.” Therefore, going to him remains open, even at the level of recommendation.