There is nothing wrong with supporting your son financially, even if he does not pray

13-1-2014 | IslamWeb

Question:

I have a shop which my son is directly in charge of. The shop needs repairs that would cost a sum of money. My son is an honest person with regards to money. He is active, fears Allaah and does not take drugs or commit sins – as far as I know. We have a good reputation, praise be to Allaah, and everything in the shop is lawful. However, my son does not pray, not because he denies the obligation of prayer but only out of laziness.
My question is: Is it permissible for me to give my son the money needed for repairing the shop, hoping that it would improve and start making profit, since it does not make profit in its current condition, but rather incurs loss. Is it permissible for me under Sharee‘ah to support my son with the needed money while I know that he does not pray? May Allaah bless you.

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, is His slave and Messenger.

There is nothing wrong with giving financial support to your son who abandons the prayer so that his business improves and makes a profit, as long as you believe that this would most probably benefit him and would not result in wasting the money. You may utilize it as a means to call him to return to Allaah through offering the prayers. Remind him that he is in grave danger for abandoning the prayer, which is a pillar of Islam. Whoever abandons it has destroyed his religion and there is no share of Islam for the one who wastes it for his saying, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam: "Nothing stands between an individual and disbelief and polytheism except abandoning the prayer.” [Muslim]

Moreover, abandoning the prayer might be the cause of his misery and deprivation of provision. Thawbaan  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him narrated that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Nothing increases one’s life time except dutifulness to one`s parents and nothing prevents the Decree except invocation. Indeed, the individual may be deprived of provision because of the sins he commits.” [Ahmad and Ibn Maajah; Al-Albaani: Hasan] 

We advise you to invoke Allaah intensely to guide your son. May He Grant us and him and you and all Muslims guidance and success.

Allaah Knows best.

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