Back to search

How can the issue be resolved of a father demanding half of his son's property and project, which the son started with money from his father 15 years ago, with the father citing the sayings: "The slave and what he owns belong to his master" or "You and your wealth belong to your father," especially given that the father did not stipulate anything when giving the money nor did he request a partnership?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed on the permissibility of a father revoking a gift he made to his child, holding two opinions:

1. The First Opinion (Jumhur/Majority): It is permissible for a father to revoke a gift he made to his child. They cite the hadith: "It is not lawful for a man to give a gift and then revoke it, except for a father in what he gives to his child," and the hadith of Nu'man ibn Bashir.

2. The Second Opinion (Hanafis): It is not permissible for a father to revoke a gift he made to his child. They cite the saying of Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him.

The preponderant view is that of the Jumhur. However, they stipulated that for revocation to be permissible, the property must remain in the child's possession and not have been disposed of. If the child sells it or disposes of it in any way, the father's right to revoke the gift is forfeited.

Based on this, it is not permissible for a father to revoke a gift he made to his child after the child has spent the money and bought with it what he needs for his trade or work. This is by consensus among scholars.

The father is advised to fear Allah and not unjustly consume his child's wealth, as the child has an independent financial standing. The child is advised to treat his father with kindness and offer what pleases him to avoid conflict.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy