Is a husband entitled to compel his wife to make their son address his grandmother as "Mama"? And would the wife be sinful if she refused?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
There is no harm in a child calling his grandmother "Umm" (mother), for indeed a grandmother is a mother. There is no objection to addressing someone other than one's biological mother with that term as a sign of respect and honor. However, regarding your husband forcing you to accustom the child to this, he has no right to do so, and you are not sinful for not obeying him, because the obligatory obedience is specific to matters of marriage and its related affairs. Nevertheless, it is advisable not to oppose him, as there is no harm in it, and in obeying him there is mutual affection and harmony.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/170968
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 170968
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy