Hadiths Regarding the Status of Mothers and Their Precedence Over Fathers in Kindness
In Islam, mothers hold a significant position, as evidenced by several authentic hadiths:
- Al-Bukhari narrates from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man approached the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and asked: “Who is most deserving of my good companionship?” The Prophet responded: “Your mother.” The man further inquired: “Then who?” The Prophet replied: “Then your mother.” The man asked again: “Then who?” The Prophet said: “Then your mother.” The man continued: “Then who?” The Prophet concluded: “Then your father.”
- Another narration states: “A man said: O Messenger of Allah, who is most deserving of my good companionship? The Prophet replied: ‘Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, and then those who are nearest to you in kinship.’
- According to Tariq ibn Abdullah al-Muharibi (may Allah be pleased with him): “I arrived in Medina and saw the Messenger of Allah delivering a sermon from the pulpit. He said: ‘The upper hand is better than the lower hand, and start with those under your care: your mother, then your father, then your sister, then your brother, and then those who are nearer, and so on.’
- Miqdad ibn Al-Aswad (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated: “Indeed, Allah commands you to be dutiful to your mothers three times, and He commands you to be dutiful to your fathers twice. Allah also directs you to prioritize those nearest to you.”
Hadiths Highlighting the Rewards of Honoring Mothers
The rewards for showing kindness to one’s mother are immense, as illustrated by the following hadiths:
- According to Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she said: “I dreamt I was in Paradise and heard the voice of a reciter. I asked, ‘Who is this?’ They replied, ‘This is Harithah ibn al-Nu’man.’ The Messenger of Allah remarked: ‘Such is the reward of kindness; he was the best in being dutiful to his mother.’
- Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated: “A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: ‘I donated a garden to my mother, but she died without leaving an heir except me.’ The Prophet responded: ‘Your donation is accepted, and your garden has returned to you.’
Hadiths Reflecting the Compassionate Affection of Mothers
The Prophet (peace be upon him) recognized and honored the deep affection mothers possess. This is evident in his words and actions:
- According to Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I enter prayer with the intention of prolonging it, but upon hearing a child cry, I shorten my prayer due to my understanding of his mother’s anguish caused by the child’s crying.”
- Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “We were traveling with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) when he went to relieve himself. We noticed a bird with its chicks, so we took the chicks. When the mother bird returned, she became distressed. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Who has caused this bird to grieve for its young? Return the chicks to her.’
Hadiths Warning Against Disrespecting Mothers
Disrespecting mothers is considered a grave sin in Islam, as clarified in several hadiths:
- Mughira ibn Shu’ba (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah has forbidden you to disrespect your mothers, to withhold their rights, to commit female infanticide, and He dislikes for you to engage in idle talk, excessive questioning, and wastefulness.”
- Abu Bakrah Nafi’ ibn al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) stated: “Shall I not inform you of the gravest of major sins?” We replied: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He proclaimed: “Associating partners with Allah, disrespecting parents.” He was reclining but then sat up and said: “And false speech, and false testimony.” He kept repeating this until we wished he would stop.
Hadiths Indicating the Priority of Kindness to Mothers Over Other Acts of Worship
Honoring one’s mother takes precedence over various acts of worship, including voluntary prayers, as demonstrated by the following narrations:
- Muwiya ibn Qahima al-Sulami reported: “Jahimah came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I intend to go to war and have come to consult you.’ The Prophet asked: ‘Do you have a mother?’ He responded: ‘Yes.’ The Prophet advised: ‘Then stay with her, for Paradise lies beneath her feet.’
- Abu Rafi’, the freedman of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), narrated from Abu Huraira that there was a man named Juriij who was devotedly worshipping in a sanctuary. His mother came to him and called him, but he chose to continue praying. She left but returned and called again. Once more, he opted to continue in prayer. The mother then prayed, saying: ‘O Allah, this is Juriij, my son, and I have called him, but he refuses to speak with me. Do not let him die until he sees the harlots.’ It was noted that had she prayed for him to be tested, he would have indeed faced trials. Juriij worked as a shepherd and eventually a woman from the village approached him and bore a son. When asked about the father, she said: ‘It is the man from the sanctuary.’ They then came with their axes and shovels, calling Juriij, who was in prayer. He chose not to respond, so they began demolishing his sanctuary. Upon seeing this, he descended and told them to ask the child. He smiled and stroked the child’s head and asked: ‘Who is your father?’ The child replied: ‘A shepherd.’ When they heard this, they said: ‘We will rebuild what we destroyed of your sanctuary with gold and silver,’ but he replied: ‘No, rather rebuild it with dirt as it was originally.’ Then he returned to worship.