Is it permissible for me to give my mother the one thousand riyals that were returned to me, knowing that my father paid it for my housing insurance, and he does not remember it, and my mother is asking for it on the grounds of his financial neglect towards her and the children, despite his ownership of sufficient wealth?
The basic principle is that it is not permissible to take another's property except with their permission, based on the Almighty's saying: ﴿O YOU WHO HAVE BELIEVED, DO NOT CONSUME ONE ANOTHER’S PROPERTIES UNLAWFULLY, BUT ONLY [IN LAWFUL] TRADE BY MUTUAL CONSENT FROM YOU.﴾, and the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "The property of a Muslim is not lawful except with his willing consent." An exception to this is a wife taking sustenance for herself and her children if the husband is stingy and does not provide for them. In such a case, she may take from his wealth without his knowledge, within reasonable bounds, as mentioned in the hadith of Hind bint Utbah.
Accordingly, if the father is deficient in providing the obligatory maintenance, it is permissible to take from his money without his knowledge to complete the maintenance. However, if he is fulfilling the obligatory maintenance, it is not permissible to take anything from his money without his knowledge, even if he is restrictive with luxuries. In this case, the mother's obedience is not obligatory, and the money must be returned to the father.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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