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Fatwa CenterFather is not entitled to control son's career choices
Question
As-salamu alaykum I seek guidance on a matter. To keep things short I am 21 year old male living with my father (mother and father seperated). I recently graduated from university with a Aerospace Engineering. With my major, there are very few job oppertunities and most are either on outskerts of the country (airports) and the rest are in manufacturing factories in coutries abroad such as America and Germany. The issue im having is that my father is refusing to allow me to relocate where I can find a suitable job within my field. i had the same issue when deciding to go to university, but I choose to commute every day for 3 hours (one way) to university to keep him happy. I have discused this with my mother and she is more than happy for me to rellocate. My father is unwilling to allow me to go and insists that I find any job in engineering regardless if its in my major or not. I spoke to him about this and tried to be resonable however he is insisting and threatens to disown me if I do anything other than what he says.My question is: Does he have the right to control my decision is which job i take and relocatation? Even tough my mother is happy with this. And If I relocate without his permission is this a ground for him to disown me? ( Our parents are our path to Paradise)
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 
is His slave and Messenger.
Your father has no right to prevent you from the work that you want to do, and you are not obliged to obey him in this matter. The jurists stated that the son is permitted to travel in order to seek a living without the permission of his father.
Ibn Nujaym 
from the Hanafi School, said: “With regard to travel for trade and for Hajj, it is permissible for the son to travel without the permission of his parents, as there is no fear of death in his travel.” [End of quote]
Therefore, you should try to convince your father about what you wish to do. You should do so in a gentle and soft manner and explain to him that you wish to do what is best.
If he agrees, praise Allaah! But if he insists on refusing, then it is permissible for you to travel wherever you wish for work.
It is not permissible for your father to disown you because of what you mentioned. For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 131695 and 295399.
Allaah Knows best.
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