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Is it permissible for daughters to refuse their elderly father's marriage unless he relinquishes the house to them, out of fear that the new wife might share in the inheritance?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A man is entitled to marry regardless of his age or the number of his children, and no one has the right to prevent him. His children's objection to his marriage or their conditioning it on him writing the house over to them is a forbidden act of disobedience (ʿuqūq), for a person's possessions are his to dispose of as he wishes during his lifetime and while in good health.

The fear of the new wife sharing in the inheritance is unfounded, for provisions (rizq) are predestined, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed, the Holy Spirit inspired in my heart that no soul shall die until it completes its term and fully receives its provision. So, fear Allah and be graceful in seeking [provision], and let not the delay in receiving provision lead anyone of you to seek it through disobedience to Allah, for verily, what is with Allah can only be attained through obedience to Him.”

The daughters must fear Allah and refrain from disobedience. For, honoring one's father is among the greatest acts of closeness [to Allah], and disobeying him is among the gravest forbidden acts. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The father is the middle gate of Paradise; so if you wish, squander that gate or preserve it.” The father should not pay attention to this disobedience; rather, he should do what he sees as beneficial for himself and dispose of his property as he wishes.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy