Maintaining one’s mother
Question:-
A person has been giving his mother a monthly allowance of a certain amount for many years. He now has to pay his mother for her share in a house which she inherited from his late father. Can he now instead of giving her a monthly allowance, give his mother a monthly payment in lieu of her share, as he doesn’t have the means to pay for the share at once. Is this permissible?
Answer:-
Firstly, the son will have to enquire from his mother whether she is prepared to sell her portion of the house to him, or not. If she accepts to sell her portion of the house to him, a price should be stipulated which both parties are happy with, including a fixed payment plan, which both parties agree upon. On concluding the deal, the son will become the owner of the portion of the house that he purchased from his mother.
Now that the mother will have sufficient funds for her herself (as she will be receiving funds monthly in lieu of her share that was sold), it will not be obligatory on the son to spend on her any longer. She may fulfil her needs with her personal funds received from the sale of the property. However, once her funds are depleted and she no longer has funds to fulfil her needs, her son will have to once again fulfil her needs and necessities, irrespective of his financial position at the time.
(قَوْلُهُ الْفُقَرَاءِ) قَيَّدَ بِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَا تَجِبُ نَفَقَةُ الْمُوسِرِ إلَّا الزَّوْجَةَ (قَوْلُهُ وَلَوْ قَادِرَيْنِ عَلَى الْكَسْبِ) جَزَمَ بِهِ فِي الْهِدَايَةِ، فَالْمُعْتَبَرُ فِي إيجَابِ نَفَقَةِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ مُجَرَّدُ الْفَقْرِ، قِيلَ وَهُوَ ظَاهِرُ الرِّوَايَةِ (رد المحتار ص623 ج3)
وجوب نفقة الأم على ولدها ولو كان فقيرًا – وأما نفقة الأم، فإنها لزمته في حال الفقر، لقوله تعالى: {وصاحبهما في الدنيا معروفًا}، ولم يفرق بين حال الفقر والغنى، فإذا أمكنه سد جوعتها، لزمه ذلك.
وجوب نفقة الأب الزمن على ولده ولو كان فقيرًا
وأما الابن، فإنه لا يجبر في حال الفقر على نفقة أبيه إذا كان سليمًا لا زمانة به؛ لأنه يمكنه السعي للكسب والنفقة على نفسه، كما يسعى الابن الكبير، والأم ليست كذلك، إذ ليس لها نهوض لكسب.
فإن كان الأب زمنًا لا يقدر على الكسب: أجبر الابن على أن يدخله في نفقته وكسبه، كما قلنا في الأم. (شرح مختصر الطحاوي للجصاص ص309 ج5)
ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai
Date: 24 Rajab 1444 / 15 February 2023