Home
Discover Islam
Quran Recitations
Lectures
Fatwa
Articles
Fiqh
E-Books
Women
Boys & Girls 
Enter Question
View By Subject
Fatwa Of The Week
Selected Fatwa
Fatwa CenterName of Moza/Mooza; caring for elderly non-Muslim parents
Question
Could you please give me the meaning of the name Moza/mooza and if it has been the name of any person associated with our Prophet? My next question is: I want my parents who are old to stay with us. But they are not Muslims. I fear that they may bring out their religious practices in our home which I don't want. I am afraid to tell them I am a Muslim as my mother's health is very weak. I am really help less in this situation. Please advise.
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. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
First of all, we congratulate you upon embracing Islam and we ask Allaah to make you firm and steadfast on this religion until the Day you meet Him.
As regards your first inquiry, we do not know of any source or text that any female companions of the Prophet 
had this name. However, in Arabic the term Moozah linguistically means the singular of Mawz, the name of a known fruit (a banana).
Concerning your second inquiry, the answer is that we are urged in Islam to be kind and dutiful to the parents even if they are non-Muslims. Allaah says (which means): {But if they endeavour to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness.}[Quran 31:15]. One of the ways of being kind to them is to let them live with you in order to fulfil their needs. Likewise, another way of being kind to them is to endeavour to call them to Islam with all possible means, especially your mother who is about to die as we understood from your question. However, if you fear any harm in your religion by them living with you in the same house, or you fear that they would practise their religious rites in your house while you will not be able to forbid them from doing so, then you can be kind to them as much as you can but you are not obliged to let them live with you.
In Fataawa Hindiyah (Hanafi books) the following text is written: 'If a man or a woman has non-Muslim parents, he/she has to spend on them, be kind and dutiful to them, serve them and visit them, but if he/she fears that they will attract him/her to disbelief if he/she visits them, then it is permissible for him/her not to visit them.'
Allaah knows best.
Search Fatwa
Fatwa Subject
