My parents do sinful things. What can I do?

Question:
My parents do sinful things. What can I do?

Answer:
Walaikum assalam,
Ibn Abidin (Allah have mercy on him) quotes Fusul al-`Allami as stating,
�If one sees one�s parents doing wrong, one corrects them once. If they accept, then so be it. If they do not listen and dislike being corrected, one is quiet and busies oneself with supplication and seeking forgiveness for them, for Allah will take care of that which one disliked regarding their affairs.� [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, 3.189]
There are two considerations in a case like this:
a) the right of Allah, which is to command the good and forbid the wrong
b) the right of the parents, which is that one show them respect at all times.
One has to act on both rights, and give both their due, for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) commanded us to, �Give everyone who has a right their right.�[Bukhari & Muslim]
Thus, when one commands one�s parents�or others worthy of respect�one must do so in a respectful manner. The scholars explain that this was the way of all the Messengers of Allah (peace and blessings be upon them all) when they called to Allah. This is manifest in the manner in which Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) called his father to the truth:
(Remember) when Abraham said unto his father Azar: Do you take idols for gods? Lo! I see you and your folk in error manifest. [Qur�an, 6.074]
He did not say, �You are in manifest error,� which would have indicated disrespect to the person of his father. Rather, Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him) pointed to his father�s actions along with his community�s actions and counseled that these actions were manifest error. This fulfilled his duty to Allah, and the parental right to respectful conduct.
And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,

Faraz Rabbani.
Source: spa.qibla.com