Question:-
If my mother is poor and unable to maintain herself then will I, as her son, be responsible to maintain her? If her daughter maintained her, can she claim the monies spent on her mother from me (her brother)?
Answer:-
The Fuqaha have written that if the mother is poor and unable to maintain herself, then the responsibility of maintenance will be upon the son, even though he may be a poor person, as the mother is unable to go out to earn. The following textual references attest to this ruling.
وَأَمَّا الْأُمُّ إذَا كَانَتْ فَقِيرَةً فَإِنَّهُ يَلْزَمُ الِابْنَ نَفَقَتُهَا وَإِنْ كَانَ مُعْسِرًا ، وَهِيَ غَيْرُ زَمِنَةٍ ؛ لِأَنَّهَا لَا تَقْدِرُ عَلَى الْكَسْبِ وَإِذَا كَانَ الِابْنُ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى نَفَقَةِ أَحَدِ أَبَوَيْهِ وَلَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِمَا جَمِيعًا فَالْأُمُّ أَحَقُّ ؛ لِأَنَّهَا لَا تَقْدِرُ عَلَى الْكَسْبِ (الجوهرة النيرة كتاب النفقات)
وَيُجْبَرُ الْوَلَدُ الْمُوسِرُ على نَفَقَةِ الْأَبَوَيْنِ الْمُعْسِرَيْنِ مُسْلِمَيْنِ كَانَا أو ذِمِّيَّيْنِ وَالْأُمُّ إذَا كانت فَقِيرَةً فإنه يَلْزَمُ الِابْنَ نَفَقَتُهَا وَإِنْ كان مُعْسِرًا (الفتاوي الهندية ص564 ج1)
ماں اگر فقیر اور تنگ دست ہو تو اس کا نفقہ بہر صورت بیٹے پر واجب ہوگا ، چاہے بیٹا موسر ہو یا معسر ہو اور چاہے ماں کسب معاش پر قدرت رکھے یا نہ رکھے —فتاوی عثمانیہ ص۴۰۰ ج۶
Now, if your mother was unable to maintain herself and your sister maintained her, then she is entitled to claim all such expenses from you with the proviso that, there was an agreement between your sister and yourself that all amounts spent in maintaining your mother will be recouped from you at a later stage. She will have to provide proof for all such expenses. If such an agreement did not exist, then the act of maintaining your mother carried out by her will be considered as Tabarru (voluntary act/gesture of goodwill) for which she will be rewarded in the court of Almighty Allah, but cannot be claimed at this stage.
A Mas’ala is discussed in Fataawa Mahmoodiyya on Page 401, vol.25, where an adopted son spent on his step-father’s house without entering into any formal agreement. Hadrat Mufti Saheb Rahimahullah stated that his spending is an act of Tabarru (a voluntary act) for which one cannot claim any expenses.
وَإِنْ قَالَ صَاحِبُ الثَّوْبِ عَمِلْتَهُ لِي بِغَيْرِ أُجْرَةٍ وَقَالَ الصَّانِعُ بِأُجْرَةٍ … لِأَنَّ الْمَنَافِعَ لَا قِيمَةَ لَهَا إلَّا مِنْ جِهَةِ الْعَقْدِ (الجوهرة النيرة – اجارة المشاع)
لان من دفع دين غيره بغير امره فلا رجوع له علي الدائن –ولا علٰي المديون —-والمتبرع لا يرجع بما تبرع علٰي غيره كما لو قضي دين غيره بغير امره (فتاوي تنقيح الحامديه ص248 ج2)
ALLAH TA’ALA KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai
Date: 24 Shawwal 1443 / 26 May 2022
