Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
In Islam, a man must support his mother if she lacks income, but this support should not exceed the care he gives his wife and children. The Quran emphasizes fairness and spending according to one’s ability.
In his response to your question, Prof. Dr. Monzer Kahf, Professor of Islamic Finance and Economics at Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, states:
Understanding Financial Obligations in Islam
The Quran does not give percentages of what one should spend on his close relatives especially parents, brothers and sisters. However, it gives guiding principles and people implement them.
Spending Must Align With One’s Ability
In this regard, the Quran requires that every person must spend according to his/her ability.
{O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which
are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded. O you who have disbelieved, make no excuses that Day. You will only be recompensed for what you used to do.} (At-Tahrim 66:6-7)
When Is Supporting the Mother Obligatory?
If one’s mother has no income or wealth to spend on herself, her son is definitely required to spend on her to make her live as well as he and his own children and wife do.
Spending on all next of kin is based on fulfilling their needs and providing for them good quality of living depending on his financial ability.
Balancing Support Between Mother and Children
It is not appropriate to make some (whether mother or wife) live higher than the other. This is the application of the rules of the Quran.
📚 Read Also: Spending on Wife and Children: Any Reward?
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.