Do I Lose in Reward by Paying a Rent to My Parents in Order to Get a Tax Break?

Answered by Ustadh Salman Younas

Question: Assalam aleykum

I live in house which is owned by my parents and our country allows me to save taxes by paying a rent to my parents. Does it reduce my reward on spending on parents if I do that?

Answer: assalamu alaykum

If you have the sincere intention of paying your parents this rent in order to assist them, ease their burden, and give them the respect they deserve due to what God and His Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) commanded, it is hoped that you will get the full reward of this act even if you benefit from it in other ways.

The most important thing here is to ensure that your intention is not primarily or merely to get a tax break. The way you can know whether this is the case is by asking yourself: would I give this money to my parents if I were not receiving a tax reduction due to it? Why am I doing this?

You should continuously ask God to accept your good deeds and purify your intentions.

[Ustadh] Salman Younas

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Salman Younas graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Political Science and Religious Studies. After studying the Islamic sciences online and with local scholars in New York, Ustadh Salman moved to Amman. There he studies Islamic law, legal methodology, belief, hadith methodology, logic, Arabic, and tafsir.