Abdul Muqit Chowdhury :
The Holy Quran ordains obligations to parents. It has directed ‘kindness to parents’ and forbidden ‘harsh’ treatment. It is of such importance that the worship of a disobedient son/daughter is not accepted by Allah.
It is also true in the
context of fasting or any special prayer in this month. The slightest displeasure of the parents shall become the greatest bar to one’s acceptance to Allah. Virtuous deeds will be in vain if the parents are displeased because of ‘harsh’ treatment. According to the Quranic injunctions, they are to be served ‘with tenderness and humility’ in their lifetime and after their death the son/ daughter should pray : “My Lord ! Have mercy on them.”
We may have a glance over two verses related to parents:
“Thy Lord hath decreed, that ye worship none save Him, and (that ye show) kindness to parents. If one of them or both of them attain to old age with three, say not ‘Fie’ unto them, nor be repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word.”
“And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy and say : My Lord! Have mercy on them both as they did care for me when I was little.” (Verse : 23, 24, Sura Isra /Bani Israil 17, The Meanings of the Glorious Qur’an by Marmaduke Pickthall).
And the translation of the verses 23 and 24 by Allama Yusuf Ali : “Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, not repel them , but address them in terms of honour.”
“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.” (Verse 23, 24, Sura Isra/ Bani Israil 17, The Holy Quran Translation and Commentary)
Allama Yusuf Ali comments : 1. “The spiritual and moral duties are now brought into juxtaposition. We are to worship none but God, because none but God is worthy of worship, not because “The Lord Thy God is a jealous God, visiting the inequity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” (Exod. xx5)
“Note that the act of worship may be collective as well as individual : hence the plural ta’budu. The kindness to parents is an individual act of piety ; hence the singular taqul, qul etc.”
2. …”The metaphor is that of a high-flying bird which lowers her wing out of tenderness to her offspring. There is a double aptness (i) when the parent was strong and the child was helpless, parental affection was showered on the child : When the child grows up and is strong and the parent is helpless, can he do less than bestow similar tender care on the parent ! (ii) But more : he must approach the matter with gentle humility : for does not parental love remind him of the great love with which God cherishes His creatures ? There is something here more than simple human gratitude : it goes up into the highest spiritual region.”
3. “Note that we are asked to honour our father and mother, not “that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Exod xx12), but upon much higher and more universal grounds, such as befit a perfected revelation. In the first place, not merely respect, but cherishing kindness, and humility to parents, are commanded. In the second place, this command is bracketed with the command to worship the One True God : parental love should be to us a type of divine love. : nothing that we can do can ever really compensate for that which we have received. In the third place (see next verse) our spiritual advancement is tested by this : We can not expect God’s forgiveness if we are rude or unkind to those who unselfishly brought us up.”
The Holy Quran ordains obligations to parents. It has directed ‘kindness to parents’ and forbidden ‘harsh’ treatment. It is of such importance that the worship of a disobedient son/daughter is not accepted by Allah.
It is also true in the
context of fasting or any special prayer in this month. The slightest displeasure of the parents shall become the greatest bar to one’s acceptance to Allah. Virtuous deeds will be in vain if the parents are displeased because of ‘harsh’ treatment. According to the Quranic injunctions, they are to be served ‘with tenderness and humility’ in their lifetime and after their death the son/ daughter should pray : “My Lord ! Have mercy on them.”
We may have a glance over two verses related to parents:
“Thy Lord hath decreed, that ye worship none save Him, and (that ye show) kindness to parents. If one of them or both of them attain to old age with three, say not ‘Fie’ unto them, nor be repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word.”
“And lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy and say : My Lord! Have mercy on them both as they did care for me when I was little.” (Verse : 23, 24, Sura Isra /Bani Israil 17, The Meanings of the Glorious Qur’an by Marmaduke Pickthall).
And the translation of the verses 23 and 24 by Allama Yusuf Ali : “Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, not repel them , but address them in terms of honour.”
“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.” (Verse 23, 24, Sura Isra/ Bani Israil 17, The Holy Quran Translation and Commentary)
Allama Yusuf Ali comments : 1. “The spiritual and moral duties are now brought into juxtaposition. We are to worship none but God, because none but God is worthy of worship, not because “The Lord Thy God is a jealous God, visiting the inequity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.” (Exod. xx5)
“Note that the act of worship may be collective as well as individual : hence the plural ta’budu. The kindness to parents is an individual act of piety ; hence the singular taqul, qul etc.”
2. …”The metaphor is that of a high-flying bird which lowers her wing out of tenderness to her offspring. There is a double aptness (i) when the parent was strong and the child was helpless, parental affection was showered on the child : When the child grows up and is strong and the parent is helpless, can he do less than bestow similar tender care on the parent ! (ii) But more : he must approach the matter with gentle humility : for does not parental love remind him of the great love with which God cherishes His creatures ? There is something here more than simple human gratitude : it goes up into the highest spiritual region.”
3. “Note that we are asked to honour our father and mother, not “that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Exod xx12), but upon much higher and more universal grounds, such as befit a perfected revelation. In the first place, not merely respect, but cherishing kindness, and humility to parents, are commanded. In the second place, this command is bracketed with the command to worship the One True God : parental love should be to us a type of divine love. : nothing that we can do can ever really compensate for that which we have received. In the third place (see next verse) our spiritual advancement is tested by this : We can not expect God’s forgiveness if we are rude or unkind to those who unselfishly brought us up.”
