Is it permissible to resort to man-made courts to lift the oppression inflicted by a father, knowing that the father practices sorcery and threatens with it, prevents his children from maintaining kinship ties, withholds financial support from his daughters, abuses them verbally, and expelled them from the home? And how does Islamic law protect the rights of children in such cases? And is the hardship they are experiencing a tribulation (balā’) or a test (ibtilā’)?

A father is responsible for his children, and he must strive to reform them and protect them from corruption. Children have rights over their fathers, and if the fathers abstain from fulfilling these rights, it is permissible for the children to raise the matter to the ruler to claim their rights, while being cautious not to resort to man-made laws except out of necessity. The father's described behavior is strange, and the children should search for its cause. If it is his nature, then wise individuals should advise him to fear Allah in his practice of magic, his expulsion of his children, and his slandering of his daughters' honor. Caution must be exercised against mistreating the father, even if he mistreats them, for honoring him is obligatory upon the children in all circumstances. What has happened may be a trial that raises ranks and expiates sins.