By Adegoke Rahmah

“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents………(Surah Al-Isra’ (17:23–24)
Obedience to parents is one of the supreme commands of Almighty Allah. He placed it after monotheism in the above Surah Q17 vs 23-24.

After the command of monotheism, good treatment of parents was ordained for us. This is enough for us to know that good treatment of parents is not a voluntary action but an obligation upon every Muslim. But nowadays we seem to have forgotten this command that we call ourselves pious Muslims, yet we shout at our parents, hiss at them, eye them, or even insult them; we even hear stories of people who fight their parents, and when they get to their old age we abandon them, people who lived their entire lives striving, suffering, working endlessly to make us successful. Is it fair that we even show a sign of annoyance to them? Certainly not, for the Qur’an says in Sur Al-Isra (Q17 vs 23)

“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. If one or both of them reach old age while with you, DO NOT SAY TO THEM EVEN “UFF” and do not repel them, but speak to them a noble word….”
“Uff” in this context means a show of annoyance.

How many of us have failed in this! We furrow our faces and squeeze them so tight when we are being scolded; we even talk back at them when the Quran says, “DO NOT SAY TO THEM EVEN “UFF””

To even make us understand the hardship and suffering of our parents, Allah says in the holy Qur’an in Sur Al-Ahqaf (46: vs 15)

“And we have enjoined upon man goodness

to his parents. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship…”

Is this not enough to humble our minds that even Allah, our creator, recognises the hardship of our parents? Why then should we not pity them and show gratitude to them by making them happy all the time by treating them well?

And talking of treating them well, how does the Quran teach us to treat our parents? Surah Al-Isra (17: 23 – 24) explains this:
“If one or both of them reach old age while with you, do not say to them even “uff”and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, “My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up when I was small.”

These verses teach a lot of lessons; not showing a sign of annoyance to them,  speaking gently and respectfully to them, being humble to them, and also making dua for them.

We owe our parents all these, and we should pay them before it’s too late (after they are dead). We have a great opportunity while they are still alive; a great loss it is for these people to reach old age, and we do not enter paradise by serving them.

The Prophet is reported to have said
“May he be humiliated! May he be humiliated! May he be humiliated!”
It was asked, “Who, O Messenger of Allah?”
He said, “The one who finds one or both of his parents in old age and does not enter paradise by serving them.”

What a great loss! What a great misfortune for one whose parent grows old while he was still alive and he does not attain Jannah through them.

Are these not enough that we turn back to Allah and repent to him for all the ways we’ve

disrespected them, frowned, hissed, insulted them, and turned over a new leaf.
رَبِّ ارۡحَمۡهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِيۡ صَغِيۡرًا
My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up when I was small. “