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What is the ruling of the Sharia on dealing with a father who mistreats his children and wife verbally and physically, prevents them from communicating with their relatives, and mocks their acts of worship, and what is the reward of those who are patient with him, and what is his recompense from Allah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is not permissible for a man to assault his children with insults and beatings without a legitimate Shar'i justification. Whoever is afflicted by this should be patient. Children are obligated to be dutiful and benevolent towards their father, no matter how badly he behaves. As for his insulting religion, that matter is more severe, and he must be advised and warned about the gravity of that. If he repents, then praise be to Allah. But if he persists, his wife is not permitted to cohabit with him, and she must seek separation from him. If the matter necessitates referring the case to the Sharia court, then she should do so. However, his disbelief does not negate his children's obligation of dutifulness towards him.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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