HONOURING ONE’S PARENTS

In the Quran, God says: “We have enjoined man to show kindness to his parents.” (29:8) In several other places in the Quran, similar verses appear, strongly emphasizing that a person must treat their parents with the utmost kindness and fulfill all their rights. Even if parents speak harshly to their children, the children should not take their words negatively. Instead, they must not allow their love or service toward them to diminish in any way. They are required to uphold good conduct toward their parents—regardless of how the parents behave.

The significance of treating one’s parents well is highlighted in a well-known hadith: “A man once came to the Prophet of Islam and asked, ‘Who among people is most deserving of my good companionship?’ The Prophet said, ‘Your mother.’ The man asked, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said, ‘Your mother.’ The man asked again, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said, ‘Your mother.’ The man asked a fourth time, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said, ‘Your father.’” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2548)

There are many hadiths that emphasize the importance of serving one’s parents. From these reports, it becomes clear that after God, parents hold the greatest rights over a person. One reason for this is that, among all human beings, an individual is most indebted to their parents. For this reason, it becomes a moral responsibility for every person, once they reach adulthood, to serve their parents in every possible way. In their old age, children should care for their parents just as their parents once cared for them in childhood.

Another important point is that by serving their parents, a person trains themselves to become someone capable of serving the broader human community. They learn to look at all human beings with compassion, to treat everyone with respect, and to become someone who fulfills the rights of others.