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Fatwa CenterIt is better for father to leave his heirs wealthy than to leave them poor
Question
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu. Thank you so very much for your website. I am a single 34-year-old female, and I have been living with my parents my entire life. My parents have been supporting me the entire time, praise be to Allaah, and I am very grateful for this. Several years ago, my father lost his job, and he has been trying different business ideas to try and make money. He has been wasting a lot of our family's money and has been spending money on things that I feel are not right (like paying for things for other people that are not family and not Muslims and, for that matter, not acceptable). His business deals have not worked out, and we had to sell our home and furniture and so on in order to try and pay off our, and mostly his, debts. I have been trying to help out financially by using my savings. His attitude towards my mother and myself can be very hurtful and mean. He has not apologised for anything that has happened, and the situation is becoming quite desperate. I feel that the money that he is spending on others is rightfully ours and that he is wasting our money. I wish to know what rights I, as a daughter, have in this circumstance. I feel that the money being wasted is my inheritance being lost. I appreciate your advise. May Allaah reward 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.
You did well by acknowledging the favors of your parents on you, expressing your gratitude for them, and striving to repay the debts of your father. Indeed, this is a manifestation of the dutifulness and kindness required of the children towards their parents. May Allaah reward you generously for that and bless you with earning the pleasure of your parents. Verily, this is a great path to Paradise. ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar 
reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, "The pleasure of the Lord lies in that of the parent, and the wrath of the Lord lies in that of the parent." [At-Tirmithi - Al-Albaani graded it saheeh (sound)]
Your father has the right to freely dispose of his wealth and offer donations to whomever he wishes, whether it be to a Muslim or a non-Muslim, as long as he donates this money to lawful activities and does not fall short in fulfilling the obligation of supporting his dependents whom he is legislatively obliged to support financially as a result.
It is true that he should not lose sight of the rights of his heirs over him and should strive in leaving part of his wealth for them so as to spare them the need for people's help, as has been instructed by the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas 
reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, "It is better for you to leave your heirs wealthy than to leave them poor, begging people." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
There is no harm in kindly giving him advice regarding this matter. However, he is not obliged to save his wealth for his heirs, and it is not considered one of the rights of his heirs over him.
You should also know that one of your rights over your father is that he provides for you until you get married if you have no wealth to provide for yourself. If you have wealth to provide for yourself, then he is not obliged to provide for you. For more benefit, please refer to fataawa 19274 and 23587.
Allaah knows best.
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