The Blessing of Parents
Parents are a significant blessing in a person’s life. There is something incredibly beautiful about enjoying the presence of one’s parents while they are alive, listening to their advice, and benefiting from their guidance in one’s life. It is essential for children to express gratitude to God for this blessing and to show kindness and appreciation to their parents. As stated in the Holy Quran: (Until, when he reaches maturity, and reaches [the age of] forty years, he says, ‘My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to work righteousness of which You will approve and make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed, I am of the Muslims.’)
Hadiths on Honoring Parents
Numerous Hadiths convey the importance of honoring parents and the virtues of being good to them. Some notable Hadiths include:
- The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: (May his nose be rubbed in dust! May his nose be rubbed in dust! May his nose be rubbed in dust! It was asked, ‘Who, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said: ‘Whoever witnesses one or both of his parents in old age, then does not enter Paradise.’)
- The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, stated: (The pleasure of Allah is in the pleasure of the parents, and the displeasure of Allah is in the displeasure of the parents.)
- Abdullah bin Mas’ud asked the Messenger of Allah about the best deeds in the sight of Allah. The Prophet replied: (Prayer at its proper time.) Abdullah then asked, ‘What next?’ The Prophet said: (Being good to parents.) Abdullah further asked, ‘What next?’ The Prophet replied: (Jihad in the way of Allah.) The Prophet shared these with me, and had I asked for more, he would have increased his response.)
- A man approached the Messenger of Allah and sought permission to engage in jihad. The Prophet asked him: (Are your parents alive?) Upon receiving a ‘Yes,’ the Prophet said: (Then strive in their service.)
- A man asked the Prophet: (O Messenger of Allah, who is most deserving of my good companionship?) The Prophet replied: (Your mother.) The man then asked, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: (Then your mother.) The man continued to ask, and the Prophet repeatedly replied: (Then your mother.) Finally, the man asked again, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: (Then your father.)
- A man named Jahm asked the Messenger of Allah, saying: (O Messenger of Allah, I wish to go on a campaign, and I have come to consult you.) The Prophet asked: (Do you have a mother?) The man replied: (Yes.) The Prophet advised him: (Then stick to her, for Paradise lies beneath her feet.)
- The Prophet said: (The parent is the middle of the gates of Paradise; so keep this gate or lose it.)
- The Messenger of Allah stated: (One of the major sins is to curse one’s parents. It was asked: O Messenger of Allah, how can one curse his parents? He said: A man insults the father of someone, and that person then insults his father; similarly, if he insults a man’s mother, that man will insult his mother.)
- The Prophet said: (Shall I inform you of the greatest of the major sins?) They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He replied: (Associating partners with Allah and disobedience to parents.)
- Three men were trapped under a rock in a cave. One began to invoke Allah, saying: (O Allah, my parents were elderly, and I had a wife and young children whom I tended. Whenever I milked my animals, I would start with my parents before my children. One day, I was delayed and returned to find them asleep. I was reluctant to wake them, yet my children were crying at my feet. I continued to wait until dawn. If You know I did this seeking Your pleasure, then grant us a way out of here, so we can see the sky.) Allah then opened a gap for them, and they saw the sky.)
Rights of Parents Over Their Children
The Prophet Muhammad emphasized the necessity of being good to parents, honoring them, and recognizing their contributions. Below are some Quranic verses and Hadiths outlining the rights of parents over their children:
- Being good to them: Allah said, (And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], ‘uff,’ and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.) Additionally, in another verse, Allah states: (And worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, and to parents, do good.) He also says: (And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents.)
- Expressing gratitude to them: Allah commanded, (And be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination.)
- Obeying them: The Messenger of Allah said: (And obey your parents, even if they command you to leave the world, leave for them.)
- Supporting them financially: The Prophet said: (You and your wealth belong to your father; indeed, your children are among your best earnings, so eat from the earnings of your children.)
- Caring for them in their old age: Allah stated: (If one or both of them should reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], ‘uff,’ and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, ‘My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.’)
- Praying for them: Allah says: (And say, ‘My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.’)