Question:

Can the father be involved in his children’s educational welfare if they are living separately with their mother?

Answer:

All perfect praise is for Allah ﷻ, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah ﷻ, and that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is His Messenger.

The father should contribute to the upbringing, guidance, and education of his children, especially where he can give benefit to them. This is a legal guardianship which Allah ﷻ has bestowed upon the father. He should continuously make beneficial choices for them and lookout for their welfare. It is his responsibility to assure they have good opportunities and that they become positive contributors to society. He should spend upon them according to his financial ability as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an: “Let the wealthy man spend according to his wealth” (Surah at-Talaq: 7)

If the father is fulfilling his duty, the mother or any other person should not ask from him for more than what he can provide. Likewise, if the mother is financially stable and can provide a better education for her children, she can do so.

The Qadi while settling any dispute between husband and wife, will always take the safeguarding and welfare of the children into consideration.

And Allah ﷻ knows best.

This fatwa is written by Dr. Hafiz Muhammad Munir Al-Azhari