Rights of Parents in Islam
Rights of Parents in Islam
Rights of Parents in Islam
Umer Farooq
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
Dear brothers and sisters, in these verses, Allah commanded us to worship only
Allah and then after this Allah says to serve your parents, to treat your parents with
Once a person asked to Holy Prophet (peace be upon him): "Which is the most
favoured deed in the sight of Allah?" He said, "Prayer at its (mustahabb: preferred)
time." The person asked again, "Which is the most favoured deed after that?"
Abdullah ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said, "An obedient son who
looks at his parents with mercy and affection receives the reward of one accepted
Hajj (pilgrimage) against every such look. Sahaba asked, "What if he look them
like that a hundred times during the day?" Prophet (PBUH) replied, "Yes, a
parents by their children even if the parents are non-Muslims. They are still parents
and gave birth to them and brought up them by bearing the same pains and
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
religious differences, it is the duty of Muslim children to serve and treat them with
But if they ordered you to associate with Allah do not obey them but accompany
Once the Sayyidah Asma asked the Holy Prophet (PBUH), "My mother, is a
Mushrik and she comes to see me. Is it permissible for me to entertain her?"
Prophet (PBUH) replied "respect the bond of relationship with your mother and
entertain her.
Dear brothers and sisters, treating well with father has lots of rewards. Abu Darda
reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "A father is the main gate of
In another Hadith, Prophet said, The pleasure of Allah is in the pleasure of a father
Once a man complained to the Holy Prophet about his father who took away his
[money &] belongings whenever he liked. The Prophet (pbuh) called his father,
who was a very old man, and asked him the details of the matter. He said, "O'
Messenger of Allah, there was a time when he (the son) was weak and helpless
while I had strength and wealth. I never hesitated to give him my belongings
whenever he needed them. Today I am weak, while he is rich and now he keeps his
belongings from me." Hearing this, tears came to the eyes of the Prophet, and he
said to the son, "You and your belongings belong to your father. You and your
The verse which I have recited before, Allah says in Surrah Bani-Israel. Allah
has commanded, “Worship only Allah, and show kindness to parents. If one of
them or both of them attain old age with, never say unto them any word of disgust
nor reproach them, but address them with excellent speech. And show them
humbleness. And say, ‘My Lord, have mercy on them even as they nourished me
in my childhood. Your Lord knows best what is in your minds; if you are righteous,
then surely, He is Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him again and again. And
give to the kinsman (blood relatives) his due, and to the poor and the wayfarer, and
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
Dear brothers and sisters, the old age of parents, when they become helpless and
dependend on children for everything they need and their life is at the mercy of
disobeyence shown by children at such a time breaks their heart. At the old age, the
physical illness and diseases also make our parents irritant. Almighty Allah aware
of such conditions and he ordered the children to provide them comfort and
reminds them of their own childhood. When the children were helpless and
depending on their parents. Allah have given some important instructions relating
1. Do not say even 'uff to them. Uff covers every word or expression that shows
one's displeasure. Even if someone breathing a long breath after hearing something
from parents, dear brothers and sisters it is also included under this word 'uff '. In a
Hadith narrated by Caliph Ali, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said which means, the
thing that hurts parents in the lowest of the low degree is forbidden.
2. “Do not behave them badly ”: This is the second instruction. 3. “Address them
with respectable words” - Talk to them softly with love, grace and concern for
them. Sa'id ibn Mussaiyyab said, like a slave talking to his strict master!'
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
fourth instruction. 5. When the parents died, pray to Allah for their mercy by
And remember the time when We took a promise from the children of Israel: ‘You
shall worship nothing but Allah and show kindness to parents and to kindred and
orphans and the poor, and speak to men kindly and observe Prayer, and pay the
Zakat;’ then you turned away in aversion, except a few of you. (2-83)
Once a man said to the Prophet (PBUH) “I promised with you for Hijra or
emigration and working in the way of Allah for seeking reward.” The Prophet said,
“Are one of your parents living?” He said, “Yes, both are living.” Prophet said,
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
“Do you seek reward from Allah?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “Then return to
Abdullah ibn Umar reported that a person presented himself before the Holy
him, "Are your parents alive?" He submitted, "Yes, they are." Prophet said, Then
Once a man came to Prophet and said that "I am coming for Hijra- emigration
while my parents were crying at home. The Prophet (PBUH) replied return to them
Dear brothers and sisters, you all heard that famous hadith in which the Prophet
said, "While three persons were walking, rain began to fall and they had to enter a
cave in a mountain. A big rock rolled over and blocked the mouth of the cave. They
said to each other, 'Make dua to Allah by remembering the best deed you have
And one of them said, 'O Allah! My parents were old and I used to go out with my
animals. On my return I would milk (the animals) and take the milk in a vessel for
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
my parents to drink. After they had drunk from it, I would give it to my children,
family and wife. One day I was delayed and on my return I found my parents were
sleeping, and I disliked to wake them up. The children were crying at my feet
(because of hunger). That state continued till the sun rises and my parents wake up.
O Allah! If You regard that I did it for Your sake, then please remove this rock so
that we may see the sky.' So, the rock was moved a bit.
It is reported that a person came to the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) and submitted, "0
messenger of God I have committed a very big sin and buried my daughter alive
when I was an unbeliever. So please show me a good deed that may result in my
forgiveness by Allah." The Prophet asked, "Is your mother alive?" He replied in the
negative. The Holy Prophet then asked, "Is your mother's sister alive?" He said,
"Yes." The Prophet said, "Go and behave nicely with your aunt. Then the Holy
Prophet added, "It would have been better that his mother been alive," because
good behaviour with mother is very effective in removing consequences of big sins.
The Prophet (PBUH) said, Three supplications are surely acceptable: the
supplication of the oppressed, the traveler and the parents for their children.
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
Abu Hurairah related that the Prophet (PBUH) said. "There are four people who
will never enter into the paradise as Allah declared 1) a drunker, 2) a usurer, 3) he
who taken the orphan's property without a legal cause and 4) he who shows
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
And worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and show kindness to parents,
and to relatives, and orphans, and the needy, and to the neighbour that is a kinsman
and the neighbor that is a stranger, and the companion by your side, and the
wayfarer, and those whom your right hands possess. Surely, Allah does not love the
proud and the arrogant
Imam Qurtubi says that, in the above verse Allah has made it necessary (wajib) to
respect and treat parents well by combining it with the command to worship Allah.
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
And remember when Luqman said to his son while encouraging him, ‘O my dear
son! Do not associate any partner with Allah. Surely, associating partners with
Allah is a great sin. And We have ordered on man concerning his parents.
In this verse the Allah commanded to be grateful to Allah and to his parents. This
proves that, after obligation of worshipping the most exalted Allah, obeying parents
is most important and being grateful to parents like being grateful to Allah is wajib
Abdullah bin Umar asked the Prophet "Which deed is the dearest to Allah?" He
replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times." I asked, "What is the
next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents." I again
asked, "What is the next (in goodness)?" He replied, "To participate in Jihad
Dear brothers and sisters, it is a great sin to misbehave and disobey our
parents. The Prophet was asked about the great sins. Prophet (PBUH) said, They
are:-To join others in worship with Allah, To be undutiful to one's parents, To kill a
person (which Allah has forbidden to kill), And to give a false witness." (Bukhari
3-821)
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
Prophet (PBUH) also said, "As for all those other sins, Allah can postpone the azab
till the day of Judgment but the sin of behaving bad with the parents, disobeying
the parents cannot be delayed. Allah started his punishment in this world and much
Prophet (PBUH) also said, May Allah curse or send lana on those who insult or
Prophet (PBUH) also said. "It is one of the greatest sins that a man should curse his
parents." It was asked (by the people), "O Allah's! How does a man curse his
parents?" The Prophet said, "The man abuses the father of another man and the
latter abuses the father of the former and abuses his mother." (Bukhari 8:4)
This means if someone abuses the parents of others, he is actually abusing his own
parents.
Dear brothers and sisters, spending on parents has also lots of reward and ajer.
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
They ask you as to what they should spend. Say, "Whatever you spend of good
is [to be] for parents and relatives and orphans and the needy and the traveler.
And whatever you do of good - indeed, Allah is Knowing of it."
not associate anything with Allah even if you are killed and burnt on that account.
Second, don't be disobedient to your parents even if they command you to abandon
Dear brothers and sisters, treating well with parents is not only limited to their life.
Our religion instructed us to do it also after their death. But how we can treat well
with parents after their death? It has been reported from Abdullah ibn Umar that the
Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, the noblest regard one can show to a father after his
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
And Abu Usayd al-Badri reports that he was sitting with the Holy Prophet (PBUH)
when an Ansari came and asked, "O, Prophet, does some right of my parents
remain on me even after they have died?" Prophet (PBUH) said, Yes. Praying and
seeking forgiveness for them, fulfilling the promises they had made to someone,
being kind and respectful to their friends and showing mercy and generosity to their
blood relatives. These are the rights of your parents still due against you, even after
them.
Abdullah bin Dinar reported that Abdullah bin `Umar met a bedouin on his way to
Makkah, he greeted him, offered him to mount the donkey he was riding and gave
him the turban he was wearing on his head. Ibn Dinar said to him: "May Allah
make you pious! Bedouins can be satisfied with giving him anything (i.e., what you
have given the bedouin is too much). Upon this, `Abdullah bin `Umar said, the
father of this man was one of my fathers friends whom he loved, and I heard
Messenger of Allah saying, "The finest act of goodness is the good treatment with
Dear Brothers and sisters, although Islam recognizes both parents, mothers have
given particular gratitude and respect. This attitude of Islam is better understood if
we realize the hardships and suffering that mothers experience in their lives.
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
The Prophet (PBUH) said Your Heaven lies under the feet of your mother
(Ahmad)
Once a man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Messenger of God! Who among the
people is the most worthy of my good company? The Prophet said: Your mother.
The man said, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man further
asked, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man asked again,
‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your father. (Bukhari, Muslim).
hadith:
Once, when the Holy Prophet was talking to his companions a man came and
addressed him, "O Messenger of Allah! A young man is dying. People are asking
him to recite Shadada but he is unable to do so. Then the Prophet (PBUH) went to
the house of the dying man. The Messenger of Allah advised him to offer the
kalimah. The man indicated that he was unable to do so as the words could not
Prophet (PBUH) then called the mother of the dying man whom he had disobeyed
persistently throughout his life. When his old mother came, the Holy Prophet
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
asked, "Respected lady, is he your son?" She replied Yes. Propeht (PBUH) asked
her "O respected lady, if we threaten to throw your son in a fire, will you accept
this or will you forgive him?" The Lady replied that she would definitely forgive
him. The Holy Prophet then said to her, "If so, making Allah and me your
witnesses, declare that you are now pleased with him!" The old woman readily
declared, "O ' Allah, You and your Messenger be my witness that I am pleased with
The Holy Prophet turned to the dying man and asked him to recite Shahada. By the
virtue of the forgiveness of his mother he found the words flowing out of his mouth
and he recited the Kalimah. Seeing this, the Holy Prophet praised Almighty Allah
and thanked Allah by saying, "Thanks to Allah that He saved this man from the
A man once came to the Prophet (pbuh) and sought his advice about taking part in
the Holy War (Jihad) with him. The Holy Prophet asked him whether his mother
was alive? He answered in the affirmative. The Holy Prophet then told him. "Go
back home and serve her as heaven is under her feet." (Ibn-e-Majah, Nasai)
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
Dear brothers and sisters, fact is that mother deserves service, love, submission,
obedience and gratitude from the children more than the father. This is because a
mother generally makes more sacrifices and faces greater hardships than a father
while bringing up the children. She feeds them and takes care of them by
sacrificing her comforts in the day and her sleep in the night without any greed.
This devotion is lifelong. This is the reason why the Holy Qur'an has given more
importance to the mother and stressed upon the children to be more considerate and
Once a person came to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and complained that his mother
was ill tempered. The Holy Messenger said, "She was not ill tempered when she
kept you in her womb for nine months." The person insisted and saying "I am
telling you the truth that she is ill-tempered." The Holy Prophet said, "She was not
ill-tempered when she used to keep awake the whole night for your sake and feed
you." Then that man said, I have compensated all these favors of my mother", The
Prophet then asked, "How have you compensated her? That person replied, "I have
helped her to perform hajj by putting her on my shoulders,". The Holy Prophet then
stated, "Can you also return the pains which your mother face at the time of your
birth?"
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
Dear brothers and sisters, Prophet (PBUH) often said, I wish I have my mother and
when I stood for the prayer of Isha and started to recite Surrah Al-Fatiha, then I
heard the voice of my mother by saying "Mohammad" and I wish to break my salah
When Prophet (PBUH) went on the Mairaj, he heard the voice of Harisa Bin
Nauman in Jannah. Prophet asked to angels Harisa is in Mecca but how I heard his
voice. Then angels replied Hairsa take care of his mother too much and Allah
ordered us whenever Harisa recited Quran then whole people of Jannah will hear
his voice.
Prophet (PBUH) once asked to Umer Al-Khitab. Prophet asked, Umer in your life
one person will come. His name will be Owais, his tribe will be Amir, his family
will be Kern and his complexion will be black, his height will be medium and on
his back there will be one white sign. When you will meet him, then requested him
to pray for you. Umer said why I asked him for prayer. Prophet (PBUH) replied He
served his mother a lot and when he raised his hand for prayer then Allah never
reject his prayers. Dear brothers and sisters, Allah never rejects the prayers of those
people who extraordinary served their parents with kindness and respect. But how
we know this? Who are men of Kroners and dollars, living in Trondheim, far away
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
from the parents? Sending them kroners and satisfied that our parents are happy
without us.
Dear brothers and sisters, when mother of Prophet (PBUH) died, the age of our
Prophet was only six years. Prophet, his mother Amna and Umme-Aimen were
going to Medina when his mother was died at the place of ABWA. In the book of
Seera, its writen when mother of Prophet was dying, our Prophet was crying and
saying Ama, Ama. I have no other except you. You are the only one for me.
Then his mother gathered her all strength and told him, My son, the time of my
death is come, but I believe a day will come when you will enlighten the whole
world and whole world will get light from you. Amna was died. After 57 years,
when our Prophet was going to perform his last Hajj. The whole caravan travelled
through the way of Abwa. Prophet (PBUH) ordered the people to place their tents
at the same area where his mother was died and he himself went to the grave of her
mother and then sahaba see, the Prophet cried a lot. He placed his head in his laps
Dear brothers and sisters, this is the eve of Eid, most of us are far from their parents
and missing them. Lucky are those whose parents are living with them, this is the
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Rights of Parents in Islam by Dr. Umer Farooq
time to get Jannah by serving them. Prophet (PBUH) said, "your parents are your
Paradise and your Hell." We can get Jannah by treating them and we can also get
Prophet (peace be upon him) once said: Disgraced is he, disgraced is he, disgraced
is he.' The Sahaba said: 'O, Prophet, who is disgraced?' He said: 'The person who
found his father and mother, or one of them, in old age and still he did not enter the
For those of us that have lost one or both parents there are still actions that can be
taken to honor them. Make daily Du'a' for them, give charity on their behalf or in
their name to Masjid and Islamic schools, read Qur'an on their behalf, distribute
Islamic literature in their name. Abu Huraira ® reported from the Prophet (PBUH)
that Allah shall raise the position of a pious person in Jannah. He shall ask, “O my
Rabb! Why have you done this?” Allah will give him answer that it is due to
Istighfar from your child who they did for you.” Let us pray that we will all do our
best to respect our parents, honor them, be kind to them, help them, and please
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