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Is Paradise to be found under the feet of all mothers, including the mother who does not pray or fast, brings alcohol and strange men into her house, commits indecencies, and financially controls her children? And is a husband's obedience to his mother in these matters correct from a religious perspective? And is the wife who avoids such a mother and looks down upon her with disdain and avoids helping her sinful?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Hadith, "Paradise lies beneath the feet of mothers," was narrated as a Marfu' Hadith (attributed to the Prophet), but it is weak and fabricated. However, its meaning is sound, as conveyed in the Hadith of Mu'awiyah ibn Jahima, where the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to him, "Stay with her, for Paradise is beneath her feet," and "Stay at her foot, for there is Paradise." This applies to all mothers, whether righteous, disobedient, or polytheistic, due to the generality of the Hadith and Allah's Almighty saying: {And accompany them in the world with kindness.} Therefore, honoring one's mother and obeying her are among the strongest reasons for entering Paradise, especially in her old age. A son should gently advise his mother and prevent her from being alone with non-mahram men. As for the wife, she should treat her mother-in-law with gentleness and kindness and advise her softly, so that perhaps Allah may grant her repentance.

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

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