Mother may give money to son she lives with apart from her other children

20-3-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

What is the ruling when a mother lives with one son and gives that son the benefits that she receives from the government apart from the son whom she does not live with. The son whom she lives with provides all the care for her and pays for everything. Is she required to both give them the same? The wife of the other son thinks that she should be giving them the same amount as she gives the others; this is causing jealousy. The son whom she lives with calls for her appointment, gets her pills, and deals with insurance and all paperwork while the other son and his wife do not do anything and do not want her living with them. If they are willing to accept her, which they will not do, then the son whom she lives with would not care that she does not give them the money because they would not be taking care of her and would not feel like they had the right. She gives the other son and his wife gifts, just like the son whom she lives with, but she feels that she should be paying for the rent and for utilities as well, so that is why she gives the son whom she lives with the money. Is this favoring one child over other? Is this haram?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. 

As long as the mother gives her son money in return for living with him and benefiting from his house and using its facilities and so on, then she is not obliged to give her other children the same like him, because this is not a pure gift; rather, this is included in her own expenses on herself.

The son is not obliged to spend on his mother as long as she has sufficient money to spend on herself. Therefore, what the mother is doing is permissible (it is not haraam), and this is not favoring one son over another.

Allaah knows best.