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Wants to reconcile between his step-mother and his uncle’s wife

Question

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. Aslamu Alaikum, I live in the USA with my father and my uncle (father's uncle). My father divorced my mother and married another lady and built a floor on top of my uncle's house in the village back in Yemen. I respect and care for my stepmother and my aunt but they don't get along. My aunt is a smart but very stubborn lady even though she prays she has weak faith. My stepmother tried to be friendly but my aunt was talking behind her back so that is why they don't get along. Now my father tried to reconcile between them and still they wouldn't get along so he sent my stepmother and my two stepsisters back to her village which is like 15 min away from our village. My question is what should my father and uncle do? I don't want to go back to Yemen where my aunt and stepmother don't get along. I would try to help them but I feel like it is their husband's duty to reconcile between them. Do I have any authorization to try and reconcile between them?

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

Reconciling between people who are at dispute is one of the most important acts by which one gets closer to Allaah; for more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 88590.

Therefore, your father and your uncle should try to reconcile between their wives. If you are able to do this, then do so, because it is not an obligation that it is your father and uncle who should do so. However, they (the two women) should be advised about the seriousness of cutting off ties with the Muslims, and the texts in this regard should be made clear to them; some of which are already discussed in Fataawa 86090 and 84976.

On the other hand, if the wife of your uncle backbites the wife of your father, then she should be advised about this and the seriousness of backbiting should be made clear to her.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 81748.

Allaah Knows best.

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