And be humble with them out of mercy, and pray, “My Lord! Be merciful to them as they raised me when I was young.”
[The Night Journey (Surah Al-Isra) 17:24] This beautiful verse is amongst the many verses close to my heart. It was one of the core reasons why with the help of Allah, this non-profit organisation, The Abbas Foundation, aims to encourage and remind others of the importance of parents. The verse has been drawn using the Arabic calligraphy style of the Thuluth. Parents are the light in the dark, the oxygen we breathe, the blessing that money cannot buy and cherish each moment with them. Allah has given us one pair of parents that you cannot stop loving or caring for them nor anyone can replace their position, status and importance. Through the Tafsir (exegesis) of Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy upon him), we understand that in this verse Allah (The Most High) commands us to worship Him alone with no partners nor associates and to treat of parents with goodness especially as they become older. Be humble enough to speak with them with gentleness and honour them. To have mercy on them, no matter what we do, we cannot repay what they have done to us when we are born when we are young when we become older and even at our current age. Several hadiths portray their importance: Abu Huraira (may Allah have mercy upon him) reported: The Prophet, (peace and blessings be upon him) ascended the pulpit and he said, “Amin, Amin, Amin.” It was said, “O Messenger of Allah, you ascended the pulpit and said Amin, Amin, Amin.” The Prophet said, “Verily, Gabriel came to me and he said: Whoever reaches the month of Ramadan and he is not forgiven, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin. Whoever sees his parents in their old age, one or both of them, and he does not honour them and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin. Whoever has your name mentioned in his presence and he does not send blessings upon you and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin.” [Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 915; Tuhfat Al Ahwadhi 5:550] Narrated by Muawiyah bin Jahimah As-Sulaimi (may Allah mercy upon him) "I came to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I want to go for Jihad with you, seeking thereby the Face of Allah and the Hereafter.' He said: 'Woe to you! Is your mother still alive?' I said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Go back and honour her.' Then I approached him from the other side and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I want to go for Jihad with you, seeking thereby the Face of Allah and the Hereafter.' He said: 'Woe to you! Is your mother still alive?' I said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Go back and honour her.' Then I approached him from in front and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I want to go for Jihad with you, seeking thereby the Face of Allah and the Hereafter.' He said: 'Woe to you! Is your mother still alive?' I said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Go back and serve her, for there is Paradise.'" [Ahmed 3:429, Al Nisai 6:11, Ian Majah 2:930] It is reported that al-Miqdam ibn Ma'dikarib (may Allah have mercy upon him) heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), say, "Allah enjoins you to be dutiful to your mothers. Then He enjoins you to be dutiful to your mothers. Then He enjoins you to be dutiful to your fathers. Then He enjoins you to be dutiful to your next closest relative and then to your next closest relative." [Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 60; Ahmad 4:132; Ibn Majaj 2:1207] We must treat our parents with consideration, tenderness and affection. The heart needs to be passionate rather than having the duty to do it. Give a good word, a good action and continue to create good memories. Our parents are worthy of our love, our time and our affection. Pray for them. Donate causes for them as sadaqah jariya even if they are still alive. May Allah give all our parents many years of happiness, success, protection and longevity of good health.
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