sister
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is it haram to cut ties with my brother after all he’s done

salam everyone, sorry this is gonna be kinda long but i just need to let it out and know if i’m sinning for how i feel and not talking to him anymore. my older brother, mid 20s, has been trouble since day one. growing up he was always rebellious, school called my parents all the time. in middle school it got worse, he’d skip to smoke weed and deal drugs. his grades tanked. honestly i don’t get why he got into that life, we’re not poor-upper middle class, nice area, our parents are good muslims who never caused us trauma. just no reason except he’s drawn to haram things. my poor mom and dad were stressed nonstop, they’re so caring and never got a break. high school he barely went, would leave home and we’d get absence calls. he got deeper into dealing, police almost nabbed him. he’d disappear for days. my parents, strict and loving, were broken. they sent him to our home country to finish school, hoping distance would fix him. he lived there like five years with relatives but still hung with bad crowd, missed curfew, even got arrested once over gang stuff-my family pulled strings to get him out. just endless trouble and my parents always rescuing him. they spent so much, maybe $100k, on private school there thinking good influences would help. nope. he came back around 20, got jobs while studying but still lied about where he went, ignored curfew. my dad’s a good man but when angry he acts awful to my mom, they’d argue. this was everyday for years. so draining, toxic. you might wonder why i hate him so much. last year, around March, he lost his job, got stressed about “his bills”-no idea what bills, he lives with us and dad pays his car and school stuff. he started dealing again, heavy. refused part-time work because of his ego, said it’s beneath him. he wasn’t even job hunting, just lied and chased that haram street life. gone all night, aggressive, disrespectful. he got arrested for assault, was in jail a week then house arrest. living with him on house arrest changed everything. i used to be indifferent, i was young and didn’t grasp my parents’ pain. but he became the worst. he’d invite his druggie friends over at night to “discuss his case” but they’d just drink and mess around. my mom and i found out-i never thought he’d touch alcohol. one night, 1am, his friends were here, mom told them to leave. i heard her scream-cry like never before, ran down and saw him shoving her up the stairs. she fell into me, sobbing that he hit her. she had a panic attack, hitting herself, saying how exhausted she is-he never gave her peace, not since birth. i tried calming her while he stood over us calling her crazy. he smashed a pillow on her face, she could’ve suffocated. i pulled it off, then he flipped a table at her, i blocked it somehow. got her to her room, the attack lasted hours. i was terrified, dad was working night shift, and my brother was so dangerous. i had to lie and act like he was right just to survive. next day i confronted him sober, he said he’d do it again. no remorse. i hate him. he’s disgusting. those months of house arrest, he’d get drunk and torment us every night, angry drunk, ranting and scaring us. no sleep. i’m in undergrad, failed a course because i couldn’t function. fear in my own home. he attacked my dad once too. my parents paid tens of thousands for his lawyer and bills, he treated us like dirt and got princess treatment. house arrest ended in May, he went straight back to dealing-even with drug charges that got dropped by a miracle. so selfish. my parents sent him to our home country again to live with uncle. uncle’s trying but he won’t stop drinking and drugs. mom still pays his expenses, i’m so mad. he doesn’t deserve it. my mom still sees him as her baby, she’s so loving. he even scammed dad’s bank account for thousands. heartless. i haven’t spoken to him in months. i can’t. he traumatized me. those drunk violent months changed me. i feel sick seeing his face or photos, his voice on the phone makes me panic. i found out he hit his wife too (he’s married, not a girlfriend-astaghfirullah). he’s awful. i hate the trouble he still causes, something happened just today. my mom’s not the same, she’s zoned out, always worrying, barely talks. he stole my mother. some days i avoid her because i can’t stand seeing her like this. she says she feels she’ll drop dead from a heart attack or get hospitalized. i just listen, helpless. i cut him off. i know severing family ties is a major sin, but am i wrong to hate him and not speak? i’m so uncomfortable, enraged, upset by his existence. he’s not a man, just a child. i pray Allah forgives me, sometimes i wish he’d pass so we can finally live in peace. astaghfirullah if that’s wrong. please tell me, am i sinning? btw i’m 22F, being a sister made it scarier because of the strength difference. jazakAllah khair for reading.

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sister
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Oof, this hit home. You're in my duas. Don't feel guilty for avoiding trauma. Maybe minimal salam is enough? But you must heal first. Hugs.

sister
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Sister, my heart aches for you. You're not wrong to protect yourself and your mom. Allah knows your pain. It's not cutting ties, it's surviving. May He grant you peace.

sister
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Wallahi, your story made me cry. That pillow incident... I can't. Your hate is justified, but pray for hidayah for him from afar. You don't owe him closeness.

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