amna
1
Dear respected scholars,
I hope you are doing well. I am in dire need of help and do not have access to knowledgeable people. I did not see this specific question in other forums. My question is about how can I, as a daughter, honour my emotionally abusive parents when I cannot afford to leave home?
Context:
I am living in an emotionally abusive home where my elderly father and eldest brother have always been convinced by shatyaan to not commit the effort to take care of the home or their family (finances, home-maintenance, etc). My beloved mother and other older brother have bent over backwards to pick up the slack of the other two for as long as I can remember. This has been wearing down on them for not years but decades. Because of this, shaytaan has made our home his playground.
I know that, in Islam, Allah commands us to do excellence to our parents. He also wants us to maintain ties of kinship. I also know that we are encouraged to be patient, forgive, and do not become angry. I also know that women do not necessarily have an obligation to financially provide.
My Challenges:
I am chronically struggling with showing excellence to my parents, as well as forgiving, being patient, and controlling my anger in general with all of this. Anger is a huge problem for me, and I am aware this emotion comes from a percieved sense of injustice. As a woman, I also have unique challenges.
Sometimes I try to ignore my parents or brother when I am feeling upset, but if I speak to simply let them know I am feeling upset it comes out badly. It angers me so much to see my father being manipulated by shaytaan to upset my mother or brothers. My mom is also sometimes manipulated by shaytaan, which also takes a toll on me. Also, if my mother asks me to do something small, like drink medicine or put on lotion, I cannot find myself to listen (I have graduated university mashAllah, by the way).
My problem is that, if I am able to maintain my composure, I then must endure the bad behaviours of others which inevitably comes back to affect me in a negative way. Then the cycle repeats.
What I am doing about it:
The most I can find myself doing to honour my parents is cleaning the home and making food to lift the burden from my mom to have to do all of this herself. We have a group chat so I recently started trying to recognize each family member for something good they did that week. I also have made a plan to send some money to my parents each month from my income, alhamdullillah.
I try to repeat what Yusuf AS said (ma'adhullah) so that I am protected from shaytaan. This helps but, long term, I do not know how to figure out how to truly let go of the injustices I see. I also cannot move out right now. Looking for a higher paying job so I can support myself. I feel overwhelmed by how many things I have to do. I don't feel I am ready for marriage, as I have become extremely pessimistic about most men and do not want to carry this attitude with me over in wedlock.
I have tried getting couple's therapy for my parents, but it was Allah's will that it did not work out (they both decided to no longer continue therapy). My beloved aunts have also spoken to my mother about the situation at length, which I appreciate them immensely for, yet there is sadly no getting through. I also try to council my parents when I am feeling stable-headed or via text if not. Sometimes it works for a short while, then we are back to square one. I believe that shaytaan, once again, laughed at our family. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raijun.
I pray in tahajjud that my father and brother are guided. I seek forgiveness from Allah for my faults. Maintaining my health is a challenge, but I do try to go to the gym and maintain good hygiene/skin care, which was recommended to me in therapy. I journalnas well. I live in a very cold place, so going out with friends is a challenge at this time. I also study Qur'an frequently which definitely helps tremendously in soothing me by reminding me that Allah will not allow any of my good deeds go to waste. What keeps me going is my determination to please Allah.
My Question:
Dear scholars, I desperately want to honour my parents, as I know it is a major sin to disrespect them, but I find myself getting worse and worse. I don't know if I can face Allah with this.
I hope you could kindly also provide some further points of clarification:
1. Because I am a daughter, I have different responsibilities than my brothers. What are these responsibilities and how best can I fulfill them?
2. To what extent do I need to honour and obey my parents?
3. How can I make a plan to improve in respecting my parents and letting go of my anger?
4. What further steps can you recommend?
Jazak Allah khair
