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Fatwa CenterYour Duty Is Only to Advise Your Brother Kindly and Gently
Question
As-salamu aleykum.I study Islam for many hours during my days but I have this constant burden on my heart that I am sinful for not teaching my family and especially my younger brother who is 16 and doesn’t pray regularly. I feel like they are not open for these topics and don’t like to go beyond the cultural norm, Allah knows why. I simply don’t know how to approach them and it hurts me that more and more days are passing with my brother missing prayers. I feel like his years of missed prayers are on my shoulders and it’s heavy on the heart. My parents don’t seem to care about his Islamic knowledge and think that this is how the youth is nowadays and they will find their ways into Islam one day eventually. What should I do?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
May Allah increase your keenness on goodness and your desire for it. You have a duty towards your brother, so do not let him be a prey to deviation. Rather, you should teach him and explain to him and choose the methods that are most appealing to his heart. Win his love with gifts and the like and be a good role model for him. If he loves you, he will willingly and wholeheartedly listen to your advice. You should advise him kindly and gently, give him religious booklets and pamphlets, and share useful informative posts to his social media accounts that urge him to love Allah, remind him of His blessings upon him, and encourage him to adhere to the teachings of Islam.
Remind your parents that they have a duty towards their son and clarify to them kindly and gently that they need to command him to pray and urge him to observe the prayers regularly. If you do so, you will have cleared your liability regarding this duty, and you will have done your part. Allah, The Exalted, is the One Who grants guidance, so do not overburden yourself with what Allah, The Exalted, does not charge you with. Your duty is only to inform and advise him, and Allah, The Exalted, guides whomever He wills to the straight path.
Allah Knows best.
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