PARADISE LIES AT THE FEET OF THE MOTHER

The Prophet of Islam said, “Paradise lies at the feet of the mother.” (Musnad Al-Shihab, Hadith No. 119)

The above Hadith is generally understood in a way that is opposite to its actual meaning. It is taken as a Hadith discussing the high position a mother is accorded. This is not the right approach.

In all its teachings, Islam places the onus on the individual to fulfil one’s duties, irrespective of what others do. The Prophet laid the foundation of a duty-conscious society. This is mentioned in the following Hadith of the Prophet, in which he says:

“A believer should be duty-conscious, and as far as his rights are concerned, he should ask for them from God.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 7052)

This Hadith emphasizes the importance of a mother’s role in her children’s lives by training them in duty consciousness and in leading a principled life.

Children are constantly in the company of their mothers. In the initial period of their life, they observe and follow her. They are exposed to her way of thinking in their day-to-day life. As the children follow the path she is treading, a mother should be highly conscious of the path she walks on. The path to Paradise is a path of hard work, learning, discipline, positivity, and virtue. Such understanding of the above Hadith puts the entire weight on a mother’s role in grooming a child toward a good life by training them on duty-conscious lines, which is crucial. This Hadith is a serious call to mothers to develop their personalities along positive lines so they become models for others to emulate, as the children tend to follow them.