Wife serving her husband’s father
My husband’s father has come to live with us and he is sick with Alzheimer’s which is causing a lot of problems and stress. What are my duties towards him?.
Answer
Praise be to Allaah.
The wife is not obliged to serve her husband’s father, mother or any of his relatives; rather it is good manners, if she lives in the same house, to serve his parents. But obliging her to do that is not permissible. So it is not permissible for her husband to force her to do that, and it is not obligatory for her. What I advocate is that the wife should be patient in serving her husband’s father and remember that it will not harm her, rather it will make her more respected and loved by her husband. And Allaah is the Source of strength. End quote.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him).