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Is the action of a son considered disobedience (عقوق) if he conceals it from his parents, knowing or fearing their displeasure, regardless of whether they had previously forbidden him, or whether they learned of his action after or before a prohibition, and is there a difference of opinion on this matter?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

It is not permissible for a child to commit what is unlawful according to Sharia, whether their parents forbid them from it or not, or whether they know about it or not, because Allah Almighty says: "It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair," and because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "What I have forbidden you, avoid." If the parents forbid him from the unlawful, then avoiding it becomes more emphasized, and the sin for committing it becomes greater. However, if he commits it without prior prohibition from them, it is not considered disobedience (to parents) merely by the act of committing the unlawful without their knowledge. But if his parents previously forbade him, and then he committed it, this falls under disobedience, because he has disobeyed Allah Almighty and disobeyed his parents.

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

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