References to parents have been made at least 15 times in the Holy Quran. There are numerous traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) on this subject.

1. The Status of Parents inIslam
All religionsandall societieshave givenparentsanhonorablestatus.Froma purelymaterial viewpoint,
we findourselvesindebtedtoourparents,particularlyourmother.She notonlynourishedusinher
womb,butwentthroughpainand suffering.She lovedusevenbefore we were born.She toiledwhen
we were totallyhelplessinfants.She spentsleeplessnightscaringforus.Ourparentsas a teamprovided
for all our needs:physical,educational,psychological,andinmanyinstances,religious,moral,and
spiritual.Ourindebtednesstoourparentsisso immense thatitisnotpossible torepayitfully.Inlieuof
this,itbecomesobligatoryforusto show the utmostkindness,respect,andobediencetoourparents.
The positionof parents,andthe mutual obligationsandresponsibilities,have beenaddressedinIslamin
great detail.The Quraniccommandments,aswell asthe sayingsof ProphetMuhammad(SAW) guide us
inthismatter.The parent-childcode of behaviorinIslamisunique,sinceruleswerelaid downbyDivine
command.
Referencestoparentshave beenmade atleast15 timesinthe HolyQur'an. There are numerous
traditionsof the ProphetMuhammad(SAW) onthissubject.Iwill firstquote some of the Quranicverses
here:
"And We haveenjoined on man (to be good) to his parents.In travailupon travaildid his motherbear
him,and in two yearswashis weaning.Show gratitudeto Meand to thy parents;to Me is thy final goal."
(Chapter31:verse14)
Accordingto the above verse,gratitude toAllah(SWT) andtoparentsgo handin hand.Gratitude to
Allah(SWT) isincomplete withoutshowinggratitude toone'sparents.Since beinggrateful toAllah
(SWT) is a formof ibadah (worship)whichearnsheavenlyrewards,itcantherefore be saidthatbeing
grateful toone'sparentsalsoearnsheavenlyrewards.
"Thy Lord hathdecreed that ye worship nonebutHim, and thatye bekind to parents.Whetheroneor
moreattain old age in thy life, say notto thema word of contempt,norrepel them,butaddressthemin
terms of honor. And outof kindness,lowerto them thewing of humility,and say,"my Lord! bestowon
themThy Mercy,even asthey cherished me in childhood." (17:23,24)
"We haveenjoined on man kindnessto his parents;in pain did his motherbearhim, and in pain did she
give him birth."(46:15)

2. Thus,Allah(SWT) has enjoinedonusto show kindness,respect,andhumilitytoourparents.We are
commandedtodo this,eventhoughtheymayhave injuredus.The onlyexceptiontothe above
commandis made inthe followingverse:
"We haveenjoined on man kindnessto his parents;butif they strive (to force) theeto join with Me
anything of which thou hastno knowledge,obey themnot." (29:8)
Some of the traditionsof ProphetMuhammad(SAW),andof the learnedmembersof hisfamily,about
our responsibilitiestowardourparentsare quotedhere:
 "Paradise liesunderthe feetof the mother."
 "Allah'spleasure isinthe pleasureof the father,andAllah'sdispleasure isinthe displeasure of
the father."
 "He whowishestoenterParadise throughitsbestdoormustplease hisparents."
 "It isa pitythatsome people maynotattainParadise,onaccount of not servingtheirold
parents."
 "If a personlookswithlove athisparents,Allahwritesinhisfavorthe rewardequal tothe
performance of one Hajj."[Someone asked,"will thispromise be goodif one looksathisparents
one hundredtimesaday?"The HolyProphet(SAW) replied,"evenif one doessoahundred
thousandtimesaday, Allahgivesthe rewardaccordingly."]
 "A manor womanisboundto be good to hisor herparents,eventhoughtheymayhave injured
himor her."
ImamJa'far al-Sadiq(Rahimullah.),the great-great-grandsonof the HolyProphet(SAW) isreportedto
have quotedImam'Ali (RA) that,"disobedience toparentsisa majorsin."He alsostatedthat,"If a
personlooksatthe face of hisor herparentswithwrathful eyes,despitethe factthatinjustice wasdone
to himor her bythe parents,hisorher salah (prayer) will notbe acceptedbyAllah."
Accordingto one of the Hadith-e-Qudsi,the followingisreportedaboutthe statusof parents:
"Allah hascommanded thatif anybody praysequalto theinvocationsperformed by theprophets,such
prayerswill do no good if thatperson hasbeen cursed by his or her parents."

3. It has alsobeenrelatedthatthe veryfirstwordswhichhave beenwrittenonthe Lauh-e-Mahfuz(The
HeavenlyPreservedTablet) are:
"I amAllah, and thereis no deity exceptMe. I ampleased with thosewith whomtheirparentsare
pleased,and I amdispleased withthosewith whomtheir parentsaredispleased."
The Holy Prophet(SAW) isreportedtohave said:"Onthe Day of Judgment,mypersonwill notbe seen
by those whodrankliquor,those whoonhearingmyname didnot invoke the blessingsof Allahonme,
or those whowere cursedand disownedbytheirparents."
'Ali ibnal-Husain(RA) isreportedtohave said:"The rightof your motheronyou isthat you shouldknow
that nobodycouldendure the trouble andthe conditionsunderwhichshe protectedyouandnourished
youwiththe juice of her life,andtriedwithherheartandsoul to satisfyall yourneedsinrelationto
hunger,thirst,dress,etc.She passedsleeplessnights,sufferinganxieties.She providedyouwithshelter
againstheatand cold,and protectedyoufromailments.Itisnotpossible foryoutocompensate her,or
thankher enoughforall the services,exceptthatAllahmaygive youguidance forthat.The right of your
fatheron youisthat you should knowthatitis he whobrought youintoexistence,andyouare a branch
of the tree of hislife."
Accordingto a reliable tradition,itisrelatedthataman came to the HolyProphet(SAW) andaskedhim
to whomhe shouldrenderkindness.The prophettoldhimtobe kindtohismother.Three timeshe put
the same questiontothe prophet,andthree timeshe gotthe same answer.Whenhe askedthe
questionthe fourthtime,he wastoldtobe kindto hisfather,indicatingthatthe mother'srighttook
precedence overthatof the father.
Parents' duties: Islamhasassignedcertaindutiestoparentsthattheymustfulfill.If theyfail inthose,
theywill be questionedaboutit.Besidesprovidingthe basicnecessitiesof life,Islamrequiresthatthe
parentsteachtheirchildrenaboutthe Onenessof Allah(SWT),the Quraniccommandments,values,the
Prophetsandtheirteachings,andthe moral code of Islamas accordingto the Quran and the Sunnah
(teachings) of the ProphetMuhammad(SAW).

4. Let uspray to Allah(SWT) that He guidesusto be respectful,kind,andobedienttoourparents,and that
we continue toshowthemhumilityregardlessof the power,position,wealth,andinfluence we may
possess.Letusalsopray that we be patient,kind,thoughtful,and friendlywithourchildren,aswe guide
themthroughtheirlives,andthatwe discharge ourresponsibilitiestowardsthemasrequiredbyour
religion,sothatAllah(SWT) maybe pleasedwithus,andmayHe Blessandrewardus, bothinthis world
and inthe Hereafter.
By
SyedHasanAkhtar,M. D.
Austin,Texas
Member,IslamicResearchFoundationInternational,Inc.
References:
- Holy Quran,AbdullahYusuf 'Ali'sTranslation
- Bedtime Stories,byPeermohammedEbrahimTrust
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