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Her needy non-Muslim mother smokes and has a boyfriend

Question

Salam, I feel like I'm walking on a very thin line here. My mother is non-Muslim and practices haram habits such as smoking and having a boyfriend. I am able to talk to her and visit her when I can but I'm not sure if there's anything else I could do besides that. She is in a very hard finacial situation and I"m afraid that providing her with any support would allow her to keep up with her habits. If I were to buy her grocies would that not only give her to money to buy cigarettes? I just know that if she were to leave her boyfriend and stop smoking she would be better off but she won't listen to me. Could there be any better action for me to take? Jazak Allah Kharin for any advice

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

The mother has a great status in Islam, and we are Islamicly ordered to be kind and dutiful to the mother even if she is not a Muslim. The best kind of dutifulness and kindness that you can do to your mother is to call her to embrace Islam. Her disbelief in Allaah is the worst evil deed, so we advise you to earnestly supplicate Allaah to guide her to Islam, and you should clarify the good characteristics of Islam to her, especially through your dealings with her, being kind to her and gifting her. If you fear that she will use the money that you give her in the disobedience of Allaah, then you may bring her the food, drink and clothing –and so forth –that she needs instead of giving her money.

As regards her having a boyfriend and smoking cigarettes, then both of these acts are forbidden. You may for instance remind her of the harm and disadvantages that smoking has on the health of a person, and other things which may make her quit smoking. With regard to the boyfriend that she has, you may suggest to her to marry him instead of taking him as a boyfriend.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 86378.

Allaah Knows best.

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