Q: I have a seventy-year-old mother who lives in Syria. I am her only male child. I left the country three years ago. Please keep in mind the difficult conditions prevailing in the country, especially in the distressed governorate of Hamah. Of course, the news reached you about it. That is why I prefer not to travel there. However, my mother lives there alone. Last month, she was afflicted with a disease that has made her incapable of moving. My mother wishes that I send my wife to Syria to help her during this painful sickness. My wife does not want to travel because of the difficult conditions there and because of her four children who are unable to help themselves. Even more, one of those children is young and requires continuous care, especially that he is sick and needs special care. Moreover, she does not want to travel alone. I am intending to send my wife with the teachers who will travel to Syria at the end of this school year, but my wife does not want to. The question is: Is there any obligation in Shari`ah (Islamic law) that a wife should nurse her mother-in-law? If my wife does not travel, will I be undutiful to my mother who may be angry at me because of this?