Whose maintenance takes precedence — the parents’ or the children’s?

Question

Question: If a person’s income is not sufficient to provide for both his family and children and his parents, what is the ruling of the Shari‘a? Who takes precedence?

Answer

He should pay everyone their wajib maintenance, even if with hardship and privation; may Allah Most High grant blessing (baraka).

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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