Seeking Islamic Guidance: Dealing with Difficult Family Ties
Assalamu alaikum. I'm a man over 30. Growing up, my father had a very harsh temper. I was often scared of him; he would shout and even hit me over small matters. My mother, for years after marriage, wasn't allowed to visit her own parents who lived nearby, which always felt wrong. I lived at home until recently. While my father is somewhat calmer now, my mother's behavior weighs heavily on me. She never respected my privacy, always wanting to know everything, interrupting my work to clean or demand I join guests, and even making jokes at my expense in front of others, treating me as incapable. This environment affected my health-I developed severe headaches, struggled with anger, and felt deep psychological distress. At 15, I overheard my father speaking inappropriately about intimate matters with my aunt, which deeply troubled me. He is a person who prays and has performed Hajj, yet he has been dealing with riba (interest) for over two decades. I've also witnessed my mother engaging in questionable conversations with non-mahram men online, and my father once caught her sharing personal photos. Their actions fill me with a sense of disgust and repulsion. Alhamdulillah, I moved out a year ago and am now married, preparing to live with my wife. My mother calls multiple times a week, but each contact brings back aggression, headaches, and that feeling of disgust. My elder brother moved out early and has been under psychiatric care due to the family strain. Contact with my parents makes me unwell; my mother often guilt-trips me. I'm even trembling as I write this, with a lingering headache from avoiding her calls. I simply wish to live peacefully with my wife and future children, fearing this stress could harm my marriage. From an Islamic perspective, is it permissible to limit contact for a period like 6-12 months to protect my well-being? Must I inform my father of my mother's actions without solid evidence? Am I obliged to answer her weekly calls? I seek advice grounded in our deen.