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Duties to Parents
Introduction: obedience to parents is a divine virtue. Penn said, ‘next to God, thy parents.’ Thus our parents are be-all and end-all of our life.
What they are: our parents are the source of our life on earth. They have brought up us with great care and affection from our infancy. They are our best guides, friends, and well-wishers. They are next to god to us.
The dignity of parents: obedience to parents is a religious duty. Allah says, “Be grateful to me and your parents.” Islam says, ‘To please parents is to please god and to displease them is to displease him.’ Islam further says, “heaven lies at the feet of mother”. Hinduism says, “Mother is superior to heaven.” Moses taught his people, “Honor thy father and thy mother so that your days might be long.” Great men assert, “If there is anything heavier than the sky is a father.”
Instances from history: all the great men of the world were obedient to their parents. Hazrat Abdul Quader (R.A), Hazrat Baizit Bostami (R.H), George Washington, Napoleon, Sir Syed Ahmed, A.K Fazlul Haq, Pandit Iswar Chandra were all the most obedient sons of their parents. We all know that Hazrat Baizid Bostami kept standing beside the bed of his ailing mother all the night with a glass full of water in his hand lest his calling might disturb his mother’s sleep. Again, we know that Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani was so devoted to his mother that he did not hesitate to speak the truth to the robbers about his having 40 Mohars in his pocket sewed by his mother. He did it so to carry out his mother’s order, ‘my dear son, never tell a lie.’ Besides, we hear Napoleon Bonaparte utter about the mother’s, ‘give me a good mother and I will give you a good nation.’ Alexander, the great, says, ‘only one drop of my mother’s tears can instantly efface my order containing even one hundred verses.’ When a boy, George Washington was about he came to bid farewell to his mother, he saw tears in her eyes. He then turned around and said to his servant, ‘fetch my box back, I shall not go away to break my mother’s heart.’ Such examples of devotedness to mothers can be multiplied.
Our duties to them: the contribution of our parents to our life is beyond description. Our existence on earth would be impossible without their loving care and affection. We have a lot of duties towards our parents. Our first and foremost duty is towards good and our second duty is towards parents. Ruskin says, “Man has three duties to perform: duty towards God, duty towards parents and duty towards mankind.” We have to carry out whatever they order us to do and avoid whatever they forbid us to do. We should mind that our parents are heavenly blessings to us on earth. Our holy Qur’an says, “Be mindful to your parents. Please them and carry out their orders. Do not show any annoyance at them when they are old. Always pray to God for their good and peace.” This is why we should be grateful to them and treat them most kindly and lovingly. Let me recall Alexander’s great saying, “One drop of my mother’s tears might obliterate my orders of hundred lines.” We should all pray to god for their betterment both in this world and in the world hereafter.
Merits of obedience: obedience is said to be the first law of heaven. Obedience to parents is a great boon blessing. Disobedient children can never be happy. It brings utter grief and ruin for them.
Conclusion: obedience to parents is a sacred duty for us. We should, therefore love and honor our parents with all the regard and warmth of our heart.