What is the ruling on a woman who was responsible for a child, and then he died in a water pool?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Please go ahead.
The questioner : There is a division of duties among the women in the house.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : There is a division of duties among the women in the house such that one of the women is responsible for the house, and all matters of the house are within her responsibility, including looking after the children. On one occasion, one of the children went out and fell into a water pool and died. What is required of this woman?
The Shaykh : Nothing is required of her, as long as she did not neglect her duty.
The questioner : No, it was beyond her control.
The Shaykh : Nothing is required of her, because this boy killed himself. It is customary for children to go in and out of the house, and one does not expect to hold their hand all the time. So there is no harm; nothing is upon her. But are these women wives, or are they relatives of the household?
The questioner : There are wives among them, and there are relatives of the household.
The Shaykh : No, my intention is regarding the wives. It is obligatory to be just between them. One should not leave this one with the cooking, the baking, and the washing, while the other has nothing to do but serve dinner or lunch.
The questioner : I mean, fasting is not required of her, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : I mean, fasting is not required.
The Shaykh : Did you understand my last statement?
The questioner : Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : It is necessary to be just between the two wives.
The questioner : May Allah will it
The Shaykh : Now, as for the first issue, I told you that nothing is upon her, meaning she does not owe an expiation.
The questioner : She is fasting three days now.
The Shaykh : If she wishes to break her fast, nothing is upon her, unless she saw the pool in front of her and left the boy and went away, leaving him there.
The questioner : You have been asking for a ruling all your life, meaning she said you issued a ruling of fasting and she fasted, but I said, "No, it appears there is doubt. Let me verify it myself." I am coming to verify it myself.
The Shaykh : The point is, we said nothing is upon her. The responsibility lies with the one who neglected or transgressed. Did the woman see the pool in front of her and leave the child and go away?
The questioner : No, she did not see it in front of her.
The Shaykh : It is finished. She did not neglect her duty, just as if, for example, we assume that this child opened the door and went out to the street and a car ran over him, the one responsible would be the one who ran him over, not the people of the house.
And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
The questioner : There is a division of duties among the women in the house.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : There is a division of duties among the women in the house such that one of the women is responsible for the house, and all matters of the house are within her responsibility, including looking after the children. On one occasion, one of the children went out and fell into a water pool and died. What is required of this woman?
The Shaykh : Nothing is required of her, as long as she did not neglect her duty.
The questioner : No, it was beyond her control.
The Shaykh : Nothing is required of her, because this boy killed himself. It is customary for children to go in and out of the house, and one does not expect to hold their hand all the time. So there is no harm; nothing is upon her. But are these women wives, or are they relatives of the household?
The questioner : There are wives among them, and there are relatives of the household.
The Shaykh : No, my intention is regarding the wives. It is obligatory to be just between them. One should not leave this one with the cooking, the baking, and the washing, while the other has nothing to do but serve dinner or lunch.
The questioner : I mean, fasting is not required of her, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : I mean, fasting is not required.
The Shaykh : Did you understand my last statement?
The questioner : Yes, indeed.
The Shaykh : It is necessary to be just between the two wives.
The questioner : May Allah will it
The Shaykh : Now, as for the first issue, I told you that nothing is upon her, meaning she does not owe an expiation.
The questioner : She is fasting three days now.
The Shaykh : If she wishes to break her fast, nothing is upon her, unless she saw the pool in front of her and left the boy and went away, leaving him there.
The questioner : You have been asking for a ruling all your life, meaning she said you issued a ruling of fasting and she fasted, but I said, "No, it appears there is doubt. Let me verify it myself." I am coming to verify it myself.
The Shaykh : The point is, we said nothing is upon her. The responsibility lies with the one who neglected or transgressed. Did the woman see the pool in front of her and leave the child and go away?
The questioner : No, she did not see it in front of her.
The Shaykh : It is finished. She did not neglect her duty, just as if, for example, we assume that this child opened the door and went out to the street and a car ran over him, the one responsible would be the one who ran him over, not the people of the house.
And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.