Is a father sinful if he refrains from spending on his son’s university education due to the son’s negligence in his studies, which results in increased financial burdens on the family? Does the ruling differ if the son’s negligence is unintentional? And is the son sinful if he continues to perform supererogatory acts of worship and memorize the Quran, even though, in the view of his family, this affects his obligatory studies?

We thank the questioner for his eagerness to memorize the Quran and Sunnah and for his diligence in performing supererogatory acts of worship, which may be a motivation for his university academic achievement, while emphasizing the importance of time management and utilizing health and free time. It is possible to reconcile the study of Sharia sciences and university studies, as both are communal obligations (fard kifaya), and there is no contradiction between them. The questioner should continue performing supererogatory acts without them distracting him from his studies, knowing that his father is not obliged to pay for his university tuition fees, as these are not considered obligatory expenditures.