Must children spend on needy parents?
Short answer
If the parents are needy and the children are able, their maintenance is obligatory according to capacity and need, and this is part of the obligatory dutifulness to parents.
Evidence and explanation
The Shaykh made clear the obligation of maintaining parents who are unable when the children are able, and linked it to dutifulness to parents and capacity.
Scholar referenced
This editorial summary is based on the original source linked below and is not presented as a verbatim quotation from the scholar.
From the text of the answer (Arabic, with an English translation)
Original answer — Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz
وجوب النفقة على الوالدين — فتوى ١٦٩٢٧- Question
«رسالة من أحد الإخوة المستمعين يقول: أنا أعمل في المملكة في بقالة صغيرة الحجم تكسب في اليوم مكسبًا يتراوح بين مائتين أو ثلاثمائة ريال، ولدي زبائن وأنا متزوج ومقيم هنا ولدي طفلة ومصاريف عائلية أخرى لا أستطيع أن أصرف على الوالد أو الوالدة، ولدي أخوان بالإضافة إلى أسرتي لكن أحد إخوتي رفض أن يساعدني في مصاريف الوالدين، فما هو»
English translation (unreviewed): A letter from one of the listeners, who says: I work in the Kingdom in a small grocery that earns between two and three hundred riyals a day; I have customers, and I am married and live here with a young daughter and other family expenses; I cannot spend on my father or mother, and I have two brothers besides my family, but one of my brothers refused to help me with my parents' expenses. What is ...
(excerpt from the question)
- From the text of the answer
«عليك أن تصرف على الوالدين والأولاد إذا كان الوالدان عاجزين لا يستطيعان الكسب والنفقة على أنفسهما من مالهما فتقسم ما لديك وما تحصل بين الجميع حسب طاقتك بين أولادك وأبويك ونفسك وزوجتك حسب الطاقة، وعلى أخويك أن يساعدا في ذلك، يلزمهما أن يساعدا في نفقة والديهما إذا كانا يستطيعان ذلك، فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ [التغابن:١٦]، ونفقة أولادك وأبويك إذا كانا عاجزين عليك وهكذا زوجتك، وعلى أخويك أن يساعدا إذا كانا يستطيعان من مالهما أو من كسبهما وهذا واجب، هذا من بر الوالدين الواجب على الأولاد، ويكون التوزيع على حسب الطاقة، توزيع ما لديك يصنع به الطعام»
English translation (unreviewed): You must spend on your parents and children if the parents are unable to earn and to spend on themselves from their own money, so divide what you have and what you earn among all according to your capacity, between your children, your parents, yourself and your wife, according to capacity; and your two brothers should help with that; they must help with their parents' maintenance if they are able. “So fear Allah as much as you are able” [al-Taghabun: 16]. The maintenance of your children and your parents, if they are unable, is on you, and likewise your wife; and your brothers should help if they are able from their money or their earnings, and this is obligatory; it is part of dutifulness to parents which is obligatory on children, and the distribution is according to capacity; distribute what you have so that food is made ...
The Arabic excerpts matched the original page word for word by an automated check and have not had human scholarly review. The English translations are unreviewed translations made for this site; they are not an approved Shari‘ah translation. Rely on the Arabic original.
Source
The obligation of maintaining parents
Title of the original page (Arabic): وجوب النفقة على الوالدين
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him