Assalamu alaikum - coping with domestic abuse at home
Assalamu alaikum. using a throw away account My dad expected a wife like his mother. He comes home around 4, and if dinner isn’t ready, dishes aren’t done, or the house isn’t spotless, everything falls apart. He starts shouting about divorce and says marrying my mother was his biggest mistake. It isn’t only yelling - he has serious anger issues that sometimes turn violent, and we have to step in then. Living with him feels suffocating. I hear constant insults about how we’re careless or lazy just because there might be clothes on the bed or a room isn’t perfect. He thinks in extremes: no mercy for small mistakes. If my mum has most of dinner prepared but a few things are missing, it’s still unacceptable. He puts her down so much that now she takes it out on us and criticizes constantly. I get that he cares about cleanliness and manners - we do sometimes slip up - but he goes too far. He even insults my mum’s family and speaks badly about our deceased grandparents in ways that feel mean and unnecessary. He’s become stricter with age. Me and my three older sisters wear hijab and modest clothes, even around relatives (which isn’t always expected here). We don’t talk to non-mahram men and try to go to the masjid when we can, yet he still doesn’t trust us. He restricts where we can go and changes his “curfew” all the time. He also rarely prays - maybe once a week - and when we try to speak about Islam he gets annoyed. He used to be more devout before marriage, giving charity and praying, so I wonder if something changed and he struggles to trust Allah’s plan and focuses on the negative. I’ve come to accept that I probably can’t change their mindset, especially at their age. My main effort is to complete my fardh prayers and be as respectful as I can, though it wears me down. Emotionally I’m exhausted. Some days I hate my father; other days I remember he’s the sole provider and makes sure we eat and have good clothes. Still, I don’t think I’ll get past the hurt from how he treats my mother and the constant fighting. I need advice on how to keep my sanity and cope with this household situation while staying true to my faith and responsibilities. What can I do to protect my mental health, support my mother and sisters, and keep my iman steady?