Father Prevents Son from Eating Certain Kinds of Lawful Food

28-2-2023 | IslamWeb

Question:

assalamualaykum. Please awnser my question straight and dont send me another fatwa as i get confused sometimes by it. My dad doesnt let me do so many things. He doesnt let me have rice, or chocolate, or chewing gum, or energy drinks, or chips, or let me have cold water etc, saying that it is harmful for me. Does this mean that i have to listen to him in this regard as it is very hard to not eat rice as i love rice or to have chips etc. Does this mean that i can NEVER have it again or that i have to make sure that I am having these things in moderation.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

There is no doubt that the position of the father is great, and that whatever the child is able to honor him is a good thing, whether it is something that must be obeyed or not.

The child does not have to obey his parents if they order him to eat a specific thing or prevent him from eating a certain thing that does not result in harm from eating it, as decided by scholars, because preventing him in this case, is not reasonable.

You should strive to gain your father's satisfaction and try to convince him, even if it is through those close to him, whether relatives or friends, to combine the two benefits.

Allah knows best.