Re: [Split Thread] The Joint Family System
The entire discussion after the second post about the hadis about waking parents up and feeding the kids. It can be interpreted many ways and each post so far has added to the notion of rigidity.
Just to point out one thing - the Quran states openly we can not eat pork. It is forbidden. The Hadis says we can. That shows flexibility in light of the situations of life. Same goes with parents and taking care of them. You have to be flexible and balanced. That is the aim of Islam. Not literal strict interpretation of the words. But the essence of the faith. In case of Islam it is our duty to take of our parents but that does not mean we all start living together in the same 2 bedroom house, because Islam said we should.
You should take in to account your personal choices and situations, the views of parents and the rest. What if your parents don’t wish to live with you? What if its not physically possible being in different countries? Or they can’t move due to health reasons. Yes it is fine and dandy what Islam says about joint families and whatever else. Whenever religion becomes a basis for discussion it always turns into a my way or the highway type of discussion, which can be seen by all the responses to my post.