The ruling on placing one’s father, an alcoholic, in a shelter.
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The questioner : Shaykh, this is a story, may Allah reward you with good. One of the worshippers came to consult me about raising this to you, if Allah wills, so we can see the ruling in it. This man is afflicted with his father, may Allah protect us from such, who is an alcoholic.
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : He has reached the age of eighty.
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah.
The questioner : No prayer, no worship, no, and so on.
The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : He came crying, so I said, meaning the son, I am not able to say anything to him, and where am I supposed to take him? So I said, I am not able to keep him in the house; he goes out and brings him back. The emergency police put him in the back of the car, behind the trunk.
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah.
The questioner : They push these people, the neighbors, some on the right and some on the left, just watching. So he says, “They have exposed me in the neighborhood.”
The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : So I do not know what the solution is. This is my situation, Shaykh. What is the solution for a case like this?
The Shaykh : There is no solution for him except patience.
The questioner : Is there really no option, Shaykh, for him to take him to the shelter and pay for his expenses himself?
The Shaykh : What does he do in the shelter?
The questioner : The shelter keeps him; he stays in the shelter, eats and drinks and sleeps in the shelter, and does not go out.
The Shaykh : Does he have a wife?
The questioner : No, he does not.
The Shaykh : He does not have a wife?
The questioner : He does not have a wife, no.
The Shaykh : Ah, by Allah, the matter requires thinking from another angle.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If this son’s thinking in forcing him into the shelter is for the reason you mentioned about him, it appears that it is permissible.
The questioner : It appears so, according to his statement.
The Shaykh : But we fear what we fear: that he wants to get rid of him, not because he is an alcoholic, and perhaps this son is married, Allah knows best.
The questioner : He is married.
The Shaykh : He is married, that is the case. So what I fear most is that the intention behind his question, “Is it permissible to force him into the shelter?” is to get rid of him, even if he were not an alcoholic. Therefore, convey the ruling to him with this detail, and Allah knows best what is in his heart. If it is the aspect you mentioned about him, then it is permissible, without doubt, because as long as he places him as you described, he will certainly be prevented from such addiction in the shelter, and he will be provided with food, drink, and everything necessary. Yes, and at the son’s expense, as I said. So this forcing is less harmful than leaving him free.
Then I add to what I mentioned that what completes the indication of the son’s good intention toward this father is that he visits him from time to time, not that we forced him into the shelter and the connection between them was cut off while he is still alive. Then perhaps he will repent to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, after he finds himself confined and prevented from these forbidden things. But I wonder: is the shelter an Islamic shelter in its dealings with those who seek refuge in it? In the sense of: do they cut off the alcohol from him, or do they say, “It is not on us, we will do it gradually”?
The questioner : I do not know, by Allah.
The Shaykh : You do not know? If so, this must also be brought to the son’s attention.
The questioner : Suppose the opposite case, which is that they give him the alcohol gradually.
The Shaykh : Yes, but do they mean by “gradually” complete prohibition, or continuing with this small amount? If they mean by “gradually” reaching complete prohibition for this addicted person, then I also see that there is no obstacle.
The questioner : There is no obstacle. May Allah reward you with good, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : He has reached the age of eighty.
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah.
The questioner : No prayer, no worship, no, and so on.
The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : He came crying, so I said, meaning the son, I am not able to say anything to him, and where am I supposed to take him? So I said, I am not able to keep him in the house; he goes out and brings him back. The emergency police put him in the back of the car, behind the trunk.
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah.
The questioner : They push these people, the neighbors, some on the right and some on the left, just watching. So he says, “They have exposed me in the neighborhood.”
The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : So I do not know what the solution is. This is my situation, Shaykh. What is the solution for a case like this?
The Shaykh : There is no solution for him except patience.
The questioner : Is there really no option, Shaykh, for him to take him to the shelter and pay for his expenses himself?
The Shaykh : What does he do in the shelter?
The questioner : The shelter keeps him; he stays in the shelter, eats and drinks and sleeps in the shelter, and does not go out.
The Shaykh : Does he have a wife?
The questioner : No, he does not.
The Shaykh : He does not have a wife?
The questioner : He does not have a wife, no.
The Shaykh : Ah, by Allah, the matter requires thinking from another angle.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If this son’s thinking in forcing him into the shelter is for the reason you mentioned about him, it appears that it is permissible.
The questioner : It appears so, according to his statement.
The Shaykh : But we fear what we fear: that he wants to get rid of him, not because he is an alcoholic, and perhaps this son is married, Allah knows best.
The questioner : He is married.
The Shaykh : He is married, that is the case. So what I fear most is that the intention behind his question, “Is it permissible to force him into the shelter?” is to get rid of him, even if he were not an alcoholic. Therefore, convey the ruling to him with this detail, and Allah knows best what is in his heart. If it is the aspect you mentioned about him, then it is permissible, without doubt, because as long as he places him as you described, he will certainly be prevented from such addiction in the shelter, and he will be provided with food, drink, and everything necessary. Yes, and at the son’s expense, as I said. So this forcing is less harmful than leaving him free.
Then I add to what I mentioned that what completes the indication of the son’s good intention toward this father is that he visits him from time to time, not that we forced him into the shelter and the connection between them was cut off while he is still alive. Then perhaps he will repent to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, after he finds himself confined and prevented from these forbidden things. But I wonder: is the shelter an Islamic shelter in its dealings with those who seek refuge in it? In the sense of: do they cut off the alcohol from him, or do they say, “It is not on us, we will do it gradually”?
The questioner : I do not know, by Allah.
The Shaykh : You do not know? If so, this must also be brought to the son’s attention.
The questioner : Suppose the opposite case, which is that they give him the alcohol gradually.
The Shaykh : Yes, but do they mean by “gradually” complete prohibition, or continuing with this small amount? If they mean by “gradually” reaching complete prohibition for this addicted person, then I also see that there is no obstacle.
The questioner : There is no obstacle. May Allah reward you with good, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.