Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: From this hadith, it is understood that after the parents, the siblings of the parents and other relatives and close ones, each according to their respective status, are deserving of good treatment. Therefore, every rightful person should be given his due right. In the case of conflict or competition, the right of the parents will take precedence.

Hadith Commentary:
It is understood that the mother’s rank is three times greater than that of the father because she is of the delicate gender (sinf-e-nazuk), and she greatly relies on the support of her grown son; therefore, she possesses a very great right.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
From this hadith, it is understood that the status of the mother is three times greater than that of the father because the mother endures more hardship and difficulty in the upbringing and nurturing of the child. There is a clear indication of this in the Noble Qur’an, as Allah the Exalted says:
“We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years.” (: Luqman 31:14)
(2)
The mother has three prominent services: first, bearing the hardships of carrying the child during pregnancy; second, risking her life at the time of childbirth; third, for a full two years, turning her own blood into milk and fulfilling the service of nursing. The father does not share in these services; therefore, in serving the parents, the mother has three portions and the father has one portion. And Allah knows best.

Benefits and Issues:
➊
The parents are the most deserving of good treatment.
When children are weak, the parents fulfill all their needs; similarly, when the parents become weak due to old age, it becomes the duty of the children to serve them and fulfill all their needs.

➋
The mother is more deserving of good treatment than the father because she endures greater hardship in raising the child, and due to her tender-heartedness, she cannot forcefully have her demands accepted by her children. Therefore, her needs should be fulfilled without her having to ask.

➌
Some people think that by giving cash, they have fulfilled the rights of their parents.
This is not correct. Even if one lives far from them, it is necessary to keep in contact with them through letters and correspondence, to inquire about their well-being, to go and visit them, to spend some time with them, to consult them in one’s affairs, to try to keep them happy, and to attend to other such matters.
These are the emotional and psychological needs of the parents, and fulfilling them is even more important than fulfilling their physical needs.

➍
The closer the relationship, the greater its right; for example:
The rights of real brothers and sisters are greater than those of paternal or maternal cousins, etc.

Benefits and Issues:

➊
It is permissible to swear an oath in order to add emphasis to one’s statement.

➋
By making a preliminary statement before giving an answer, the questioner becomes fully attentive to the response, as in the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) saying:
“I will certainly tell you.”

➌
It is only permissible to swear by Allah alone, as is established in authentic ahadith.
The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Allah forbids you from swearing by your fathers. So whoever swears an oath, let him swear by Allah or remain silent.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Adab, Chapter: Whoever did not see expiation necessary for one who said it out of interpretation or ignorance, Hadith: 6108)
Therefore, in this hadith, ‘by my father’ means ‘by the Lord of my father.’
In the Arabic language, it is common to omit words when the context makes the meaning clear.
For example, (wa’s’al al-qaryah)
“Ask the town.”
(Yusuf 12:82)
i.e., (wa’s’al ahl al-qaryah)
“Ask the people of the town.”

➍
However, if the mother commands something that is religiously prohibited or disliked, and the father forbids that wrongful act, then it is necessary to obey the father, and this is not contrary to showing kindness to the mother.

➎
Giving charity (sadaqah) while in good health is more virtuous, because at that time, love for wealth is stronger in the heart, and spending it feels more difficult due to the fear that circumstances may worsen in the future. Whereas, at the time of death, one thinks that now I will not be able to use it, so let me benefit by giving it in charity.
At that time, love for wealth no longer remains in the heart.

➏
It is religiously valid to give charity in the last days of life.
The meaning of the hadith is that one should make a habit of giving charity even in normal circumstances.