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Fatwa CenterAnswer father's call or start prayer
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. If I am about to pray but my dad calls me on the phone and speaks about what matches to bet on (my dad gambles quite a lot), is it still permissible for me to pray? The reason I am asking is that if I am reciting Quran in prayer and he is talking about gambling, then is that not haram? I do not know whether this is from Waswaas (devilish whisperings) or not, but I would be greatful for an answer. May Allaah reward you.
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 
is His slave and Messenger.
You should respond to the call of your father before starting your prayer if it is an obligatory prayer and you do not fear that its prescribed time will end.
Ibn Battaal said in Sharh Saheeh Al-Bukhari, “As regards the saying of Mujaahid, 'If the Iqaamah (second call to prayer) is called and his father or his mother calls him, then he should respond to them;' it is probable that his (Mujaahid's) order to respond to them relates to the case when the time of the prayer is long enough while he has not yet started the prayer; in which case, he can both respond to his parents and then perform the prayer during its prescribed time.”
You must also give priority to responding to your father if your prayer is an optional prayer [supererogatory prayer] because answering the call of either parent comes in priority over performing an optional prayer. Rather, some scholars are of the view that it is an obligation to interrupt the optional prayer after having started it, or to shorten it, in order to answer the call of one of your parents.
Mawaahib Al-Jaleel fee Sharh Mukhtasar Khaleel reads, “The author of An-Nawaadir said, 'If one’s father comes to speak to him while he is praying an optional prayer, then he should shorten his prayer and conclude it with the Salaam and speak to his father. The same thing was reported from the Prophet . Similarly, if his mother calls him, then he should answer by saying 'Subhaan Allaah' and then shorten his prayer and end it with Tasleem (the Salaam).”
The apparent meaning is that it is not permissible for him to interrupt it; this is the apparent meaning, because even if responding to the call of his father and mother is obligatory, it is also obligatory to complete the optional prayer (after having started it). One may combine between the two matters by saying the Tasbeeh (Subhaan Allaah) loudly and shortening the prayer, unless he is not able to do this at all, in which case two obligations coincide, so he gives priority to the more emphasized one, and there is no doubt that responding to the parents is more emphasized because it is an obligation by the consensus of the scholars while there is a difference of opinion regarding completing an optional prayer.
If your father’s call is about gambling, then you should advise him and draw his attention to the seriousness of this matter and the necessity of staying away from it.
For benefit on the best way to advise a sinful father, please refer to fataawa 23587 and 19274.
Allaah knows best.
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