🏡 Rights & responsibilities · #272

We are caring for frail parents at home. How do we balance this with our life as a couple?

Caring for frail parents is a great good deed, but it needs to be arranged so it does not erode the relationship between husband and wife. Allah commands us to lower ourselves to our parents “out of kindness” (Surah al-Isra' 17:24), and a spouse who supports this shares in that reward. Divide the caregiving so no one person carries it all, and get help from family or services if you can afford it. Set aside a little special time for the two of you so the relationship stays alive. Appreciate the sacrifice of a spouse who cares for their in-laws, because that was not originally their obligation. Look after your own health too. See maintenance of parents.

Sources

Surah al-Isra' 17:24

← PreviousMy husband has just retired and is now at home all the time, and we have started to clash. What should we do?Next →I am exhausted from caring for a parent with a long-term illness. Is it sinful to feel tired and stressed?

Related questions

I am so busy caring for my frail parents that I am neglecting my own health and household. What should I do?You cannot pour from an empty vessel; looking after yourself is a condition for being able to keep caring for oth…My elderly parents live far away from us. How can I still care for them and be dutiful?Distance does not cancel dutifulness; it simply asks you to be more creative in showing it. Call them often, and…My husband works far away and we rarely see each other. How can we keep our closeness from afar in the right way?Distance tests closeness, but the bond can be kept through contact that is frequent, honest and dignified. Set times t…The burden of caring for our parents has fallen on me alone among my siblings. How can I get the others to share it?Caring for parents is a shared responsibility of all the children, not only the one who lives closest or has the softest…Is it sinful to place our parents in an elderly care home because we cannot care for them fully?What is required is that parents are well cared for and not neglected, and how that is done differs according to each f…Our children are all married now and the house feels empty. How do we adjust?The empty-nest stage is a new beginning for the two of you, not the end of your role. A quiet house may feel stra…

This answer is general reference, not a fatwa. For your situation, consult the religious affairs office, a Syarie lawyer or your state Syariah Court.

Comments or feedback

Read only by the MYPolygyny administrator — never published.

About Us · Ask · Site Map · Privacy · Editorial policy · Disclaimer