Q. A friend of ours conducts meetings in his flat to discuss religious matters and offer congregational prayers. He is leaving on vacation for 2 months, but he says that he wants to spend one month away from his family home to take a course in Islam. His father needs to be looked after, as he is very old and with very poor eyesight. I told him that looking after his father is more important. Please comment.
M.M. Khan
A. A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and sought permission to join a campaign of jihad, but the Prophet asked him whether either of his parents was alive. He said that both were alive. The Prophet told him to stay with them and look after them, for that is the jihad required of him. This shows that looking after one’s old parents, who cannot cope on their own, takes precedence even over jihad. Your friend can pursue learning of Islam anywhere, in his hometown, or here in Saudi Arabia, but when he has a limited opportunity to look after his father, he should use that opportunity to the maximum. This ensures greater reward for him on the Day of Judgment.
