The Mother

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There is nothing, perhaps, more important in Islamic teachings after one’s obedience to Allah and His Messenger than one’s obedience and proper treatment to one’s mother. The Quran and Sunna mention and stress repeatedly the importance of one’s duty and obedience to his/her mother.

The Mother in the Quran:

In chapter 17 of the Quran, in verse 23, Allah mentions that He has decreed that we treat our parents well, and stresses on this treatment when they reach old age. He forbids us from saying even ‘uff,’ in a sign of being tired from listening to one’s parents, and He commands us to speak to them in gentle and kind words.

In chapter 31, in verse 14, Allah repeats the importance of obeying one’s parents, and emphasizes the importance of the mother. He describes the period of childbearing as increasing weakness upon weakness. And He goes on to remind us of the two-year period of weaning, and commands us to be grateful to Him and to our parents.

And in chapter 46, in verse 15, Allah repeats the importance of obedience to parents again, and stresses once more on the hardships the mother endures in the upbringing of her children. He mentions the early days of childbearing and upbringing, reminding us of the hardship our mothers go through in raising us.

The Mother in the Sunna:

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) stressed on numerous occasions the importance of the mother. In one hadith, he stresses that the mother is the most deserving person of one’s fine treatment. A companion asked him who is the most deserving of a fine treatment, and he replied “Your mother.” The companion asked, “Then who.” And the Prophet replied again, “Your mother.” The companion repeated the question, and the Prophet replied again with the same answer.

In one hadith, the Prophet Muhammad commanded a man who requested to join the Muslim army to return to his parents and put his best effort in serving them. The Prophet first asked him, “Are your parents living?” When he replied by “Yes”, the Prophet said, “You should put in your best efforts (in their) service.”

In another hadith, the Prophet mentions that one’s treatment of his/her parents may be the reason for one’s entry or prevention of entry into Heaven. He said, “Let him be humbled in to dust. Let him be humbled into dust.” The companions asked who he was referring to. The Prophet Muhammad replied, “He who sees either his parents during their old age or he sees both, but he does not enter Paradise.”

The above verses and hadith are but a fraction of the words written in the Quran and Sunna of the major importance of one’s treatment towards his/ parents, and especially towards his/her mother. With the spread of senior-citizen compounds and with the distractions of daily life, it is important that we remind ourselves of these verses and hadiths as to avoid upsetting our parents and to improve their well-being and happiness, both for Allah’s sake and for theirs.

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