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Fatwa CenterAt pain to guide his non-practicing family to the right path
Question
As-Salaamu alaykum warahmatulah wabarakatuh. May allah bless you for conveying the message and helping the ummah.
Dear brother, i have an issue with my parents. i live in the US and was born here. My family tho muslims by blood, are not religious in anyway, nor are any of my relatives (dont adhere to the five pillars at all). Recently; alhamdulilaahi rabbil alamein, allah put the great love of islam in my heart - for the quran and the sunnah. Ever since then ive been trying to get eveyone to come onto the straight path, but sometimes im met with opposition not only to the conveyance of the message, but also to my actions(adhereing to quran and sunnah). the rpoblem with my family and relatives is that they grew up in a communist regime that greatly hampered religion in society. i try my best to get them to do the right thing(honestly is does sometimes really hurt me about the man things they do that go against the quran and sunnah) and they eventually will insha'allah. It is very burdening to my soul to see my parents/relatives talk bad thing, put alcohol on the table, etc...; what am i to do? Am i required to avoid and stay out of these situations where vain talk in engaged and so many other countless haram acts are done, even if it means distancing myself from my family? The only refuge i get is when i go to the mosques and i spend time with other loving muslim brothers. may allah forgive if what i say is wrong, but sometimes i feel like everyone related to me is a kafir. tho i know they believe, they live as kafirs do.
i also have an issue with my parnets and their business, which includes selling/serving pork/cigarettes. alcohol... i advise them as much as i possibly can to leave this but my father last week told me to "stop preaching to him" and walked away. my parents work long hours,it burdens my hearts that they suffer,so i try to be there to help when im not in school even tho i detest it. am i required to not be there and help?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
First of all, we praise Allaah who guided you and blessed you with the love of the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu Sunnah 'alayhi wa sallam, and for making you steadfast on His Obedience. We ask Allaah to make you firm on His Religion until you die and enable you to guide other people to the truth, and comfort your eyes by guiding your family and relatives to the Straight Path.
Firstly, we advise you to fear Allaah and then continue to call your parents, family and relatives to Islam and not despair if they are not guided. You have the best example in the Prophets and Messengers of Allaah, may Allaah exalt thier mention. For example, the Prophet Nooh (Noah) 
continued to call his people to Allaah and did not despair for a period of 950 years, and when Allaah said to His Prophet Muhammad (what means): {Arise and warn.} [Quran 74:2], he called the people to Allaah without any despair for a period of more than twenty years until he died. Therefore, you should keep advising and calling them to Allaah as Allaah may guide them thanks to you, especially your parents because they have a great right on you more than any other person. In doing so, you should make use of beneficial books, tapes and every beneficial means. Also, you should endeavour to supplicate Allaah to open their hearts to Islam.
As regards what you should do when they commit sin either verbally or practically, then you are obliged to advise them. If they do not accept, then you should stand and leave because it is not permissible for you to sit with them if they say a forbidden speech or put intoxicants (alcohol) on their table because the Prophet said: “Whoever believes in Allaah and the Last Day should not sit at a table where intoxicants are served.” [At-Tirmithi]
Moreover, you are not permitted to help your parents in selling intoxicants or pork or other prohibitions because, if you do so, you are helping them in disobeying Allaah; Allaah Says (what means): {Help you one another in virtue, righteousness and piety but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment.} [Quran 5:2]
For more benefit, please refer to Fataawa 90278, 83991, 87573 and 84743.
Allaah Knows best.
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