Parental Permission and Jihād in Islam — The Sharī‘ah Perspective
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori❖ When Parents Give Permission for Jihād
The noble Sharī‘ah commands obedience and kindness to parents as a fundamental obligation. In contrast, Jihād is not always individually obligatory (Fard ‘Ayn) — hence, in many cases, parental rights are given precedence over voluntary participation in Jihād.
✦ ➊ Priority of Parents over Jihād (Unless Jihād is Fard ‘Ayn)
Narration of Ibn Mas‘ūd رضي الله عنه:
He asked the Prophet ﷺ:
"Which deed is most beloved to Allāh?"
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
"Performing Ṣalāh at its proper time."
He asked, "Then what?"
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Being dutiful to one's parents."
He asked, "Then what?"
The Prophet ﷺ said:
الجهاد في سبيل الله
"Striving in the path of Allāh."
[Bukhārī: 527; Muslim: 139; Aḥmad: 1/409; Tirmidhī: 173; Nasā’ī: 1/292; Ibn Khuzaymah: 327]
Conclusion: The rights of parents take precedence over Jihād, as long as Jihād is not Fard ‘Ayn.[Refer: Nayl al-Awṭār: 4/686]
✦ ➋ Jihād Is Replaced by Service to Parents When It Is Fard Kifāyah
Narration of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr رضي الله عنهما:
A man sought permission from the Prophet ﷺ to go for Jihād. The Prophet ﷺ asked:
"Are your parents alive?"
He replied, "Yes."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
فَفِيهِمَا فَجَاهِدْ
"Then strive in serving them."
[Bukhārī: 3004; Muslim: 2549; Tirmidhī: 1671; Nasā’ī: 6/10; Ibn Ḥibbān: 318, 320]
✦ ➌ Make Your Parents Smile, As You Made Them Weep
In another narration, a man said:
"I came to you to fight in Jihād, but I left my parents weeping."
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
فَارْجِعْ إِلَيْهِمَا، فَأَضْحِكْهُمَا كَمَا أَبْكَيْتَهُمَا
"Go back to them and make them laugh just as you made them weep."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah: 2242; Abū Dāwūd: 2527; Aḥmad: 2/160; Ibn Mājah: 2782; Ibn Ḥibbān: 419; Ḥākim: 4/152; Musnad al-Ḥumaydī: 584; Muslim: 2549]
✦ ➍ Parental Permission is a Condition in Non-Obligatory Jihād
Narration of Abū Saʿīd رضي الله عنه:
A man migrated from Yemen to join the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ asked:
"Do you have any relatives in Yemen?"
He said, "My parents."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"Did they give you permission?"
He said, "No."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
فَارْجِعْ إِلَيْهِمَا وَاسْتَأْذِنْهُمَا، فَإِنْ أَذِنَا لَكَ فَجَاهِدْ، وَإِلَّا فَبَرَّهُمَا
"Return to them and seek their permission. If they allow you, then fight. Otherwise, treat them kindly."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 2207; Aḥmad: 3/75; Ḥākim: 2/103; Ibn Ḥibbān: 422]
✦ ➎ "Paradise Lies Beneath the Feet of the Mother"
Narration of Muʿāwiyah ibn Jāhima رضي الله عنه:
Jāhima came to the Prophet ﷺ seeking consultation for Jihād. The Prophet ﷺ asked:
"Do you have a mother?"
He said, "Yes."
The Prophet ﷺ said:
ألْزِمْهَا، فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ تَحْتَ رِجْلَيْهَا
"Stay with her, for Paradise is beneath her feet."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Nasā’ī: 2908; Ibn Mājah: 2781; Aḥmad: 3/429; Bayhaqī: 9/26]
❖ Scholarly Consensus on the Issue
✔ The Majority of Scholars (Jumhūr)
They hold that:
- It is obligatory to seek permission from both parents (or even one of them) before going for Jihād — as long as it is not Fard ‘Ayn.
- Disobeying parents for a non-obligatory Jihād is harām, because kindness to parents is Fard ‘Ayn, while Jihād is Fard Kifāyah.
Refer:- Nayl al-Awṭār: 4/687
- Al-Mughnī: 13/26
✔ Position of Prominent Scholars:
➤ ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه
➤ ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān رضي الله عنه
➤ Imām Mālik رحمه الله
➤ Imām Awzāʿī رحمه الله
➤ Imām al-Shāfiʿī رحمه الله
— All affirmed that seeking parental permission is obligatory unless Jihād becomes Fard ‘Ayn.
✔ Imām Awzāʿī رحمه الله said:
"Parents are not to be obeyed if it leads to abandoning an obligatory act. Once worship becomes individually obligatory (like Ṣalāh), parental permission is not required."
[Al-Mughnī: 13/27]
✔ Imām al-Baghawī رحمه الله stated:
- If parents are Muslim, and Jihād is not Fard ‘Ayn, then one must not go without their permission.
- If Jihād becomes Fard ‘Ayn, or if parents are non-Muslim, then one may go without permission — regardless of whether Jihād is individual or collective.
[Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 5/525]
❖ A Minority View: Relying on the Commander’s Decision
Some scholars argue:
- Permission from parents depends on the Muslim commander.
- If the commander requires it, then permission must be sought, as seen in some Hadiths.
- If he does not require it, then it is not necessary — this is based on numerous incidents involving the Sahābah in the major battles (e.g., Badr, Uḥud, Aḥzāb), where the Prophet ﷺ did not require anyone to go back and obtain parental permission.
