All religions and societies of the world have emphasized on the status of parents the reason being that we owe everything that we are and we have, to them. They took care of us when we couldn’t even say the word parents and continued to watch over us their entire life. They sacrificed their own comfort and freedom to give us ours. They put our needs and our desires above their own and never even said a word about it. Their love and sacrifice for their children has granted them a great status and it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to acknowledge their love and return them with the love and respect that they truly deserve.
Islam too has discussed the status of parents in detail and commanded its believers to show kindness and affection to the parents. In the Quran itself Allah Subhan wa Ta’alla has made fifteen references to parents which depicts that Islam has rewarded parents with a great dignity. Not only the Quran but we can also find many hadith which show the elevated status of parents. To learn Quran online please visit our website Online Quran Lessons. We offer online Quran classes to students of all ages. Our expert online Quran teachers can help you understand the meaning of Quran and can also help you learn tajweed online. For details of the courses offered by us please visit our website. You can also register yourself for our free trial classes using our website.
Here we would like to quote some of the verses of the Holy Quran which depict the esteemed position Islam has awarded to parents:
Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or more attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say, “my Lord! Bestow on them Thy Mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood.
[QURAN 17:23-24]
We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth.
[QURAN 46:15]
And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents. In travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in two years was his weaning. Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents; to Me is thy final goal
[QURAN 31:14]
In the above verse it is stated that we should show gratitude to our parents as we show gratitude to the Almighty Allah. Since the showing of gratitude to Allah is a form of worship and rewards in Jannah, we can conclude that the showing love and gratefulness to parents is also a form of worship and Allah Subhan wa Ta’alla will reward us with Jannah in return.
We would also like to quote here some hadith and quotes of the Ahle Bait which will help us in understanding the dignified status of parents in further detail:
He who wishes to enter Paradise through its best door must please his parents.
[Prophet Mohammad s.a.w.w.]
It is a pity that some people may not attain Paradise, on account of not serving their old parents.
[Prophet Mohammad s.a.w.w.]
If a person looks with love at his parents, God writes in his favor the reward equal to the performance of one Hajj.
[Prophet Mohammad s.a.w.w.]
A man or woman is bound to be good to his or her parents, even though they may have injured him or her.
[Prophet Mohammad s.a.w.w.]
On the Day of Judgment, my person will not be seen by those who drank liquor, those who on hearing my name did not invoke the blessings of God on me, or those who were cursed and disowned by their parents.
[Prophet Mohammad s.a.w.w.]
The right of your mother on you is that you should know that nobody could endure the trouble and the conditions under which she protected you and nourished you with the juice of her life, and tried with her heart and soul to satisfy all your needs in relation to hunger, thirst, dress, etc. She passed sleepless nights, suffering anxieties. She provided you with shelter against heat and cold, and protected you from ailments. It is not possible for you to compensate her, or thank her enough for all the services, except that God may give you guidance for that. The right of your father on you is that you should know that it is he who brought you into existence, and you are a branch of the tree of his life.
[Imam Zain ul abideen]
Disobedience to parents is a major sin. If a person looks at the face of his or her parents with wrathful eyes, despite the fact that injustice was done to him or her by the parents, his or her salah (prayer) will not be accepted by God.
[Imam Jaafar Sadiq]
Someone asked the Prophet Mohammad s.a.w.w:
“Will this promise be good if one looks at his parents one hundred times a day?”
To which the Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w.) replied:
“Even if one does so a hundred thousand times a day, God gives the reward accordingly.
It has also been narrated that the first few words written on the Lauh e Mahfooz (preserved tablet) include:
I am God, and there is no deity except Me. I am pleased with those with whom their parents are pleased, and I am displeased with those with whom their parents are displeased.
The above mentioned ayah and hadith are evidence enough that parents are the door to jannah and one cannot enter the paradise without giving parents the love and respect that they have are worthy of. Their love and affection towards us has made us in debt to them and the only way to pay back is to offer our gratitude and affection to them and take care of them as they did for us. Only then can we expect to enter paradise.
You can learn more hadith about the respect of parents and learn Quran online by taking online Quran classes at our website Online Quran Lessons. You can also learn tajweed online here.
May Allah give us the strength to be a source of happiness for our parents. (Ameen)