This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahih Fazail-e-Amaal.
Allah Almighty says:
﴿وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا۔ وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا۔﴾
"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 with you, do not say to them a word of disrespect, nor 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.'"
Reference: (17-Al-Isra:23,24)
Allah Almighty addressed the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) explicitly commanding monotheism, and only after that commanding good treatment of parents, to instill in the human heart and mind that after the oneness of Allah and fulfilling His rights, no right in this world is greater than the rights of parents. The probable reason is that Allah Almighty is the Creator and Originator of man, so His worship is obligatory. After the sperm of the father is placed in the mother's womb, the mother bears the burden for nine months enduring hardships, and when by Allah's power the child is born from the mother's womb, he is completely helpless and weak, unable even to move. At that time, the mother and father become the child's support after Allah, losing their peace of day and rest of night for his protection, making every effort to care for him, raising him under the shade of their compassionate gaze. So, for his existence and survival, after Allah's power and lordship, the love and compassion of these two work. The way Allah, the Lord of Glory, taught humanity to treat parents well implies that a person should leave no effort in honoring, respecting, and serving his parents. When both or either of them become old, he should cast a compassionate and loving gaze upon them, feel heartfelt comfort in serving them, and if any hardship comes while serving them, he should not say "uff" (a word of annoyance) and should treat them with utmost love and respect, humbling himself before them, not speaking harshly, not raising his voice, and consider serving them as a cause of success and good fortune in this world and the Hereafter. Because today, those two have become dependent on the person who was the most dependent on their help since birth, until he grew up under their shade of affection.
Qafal wrote under ”واخفض لهما جناح الذل“ that just as a bird covers its chicks with its wings out of utmost protection and when it wants to fly and land on the ground, it folds its wings, similarly, when a boy grows up and the parents become old, he should always protect them and remain before them with great humility and modesty. This part of the verse contains a profound indication towards humility and modesty. Saeed bin Jubair explained its interpretation as: O human! Show humility and modesty to your parents as a servant does before his harsh and strict master.
After that, Allah Almighty seems to say that do not be content with your compassion and love for your parents, but as long as you live, pray for them daily in at least the five prayers that Allah may have mercy on them forever, forgive them, and grant them a place in Jannat al-Firdaus, just as they raised you with utmost compassion and love when you were small and unable to move.
Reference: (Tafseer ar-Rahman: 1/803-804)
عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص رضي الله عنهما قال: أقبل رجل إلى نبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فقال: أبايعك على الهجرة والجهاد، أبتغي الأجر من الله تعالى. قال: فهل من والديك أحد حي؟ قال: نعم، بل كلاهما. قال: فتبتغي الأجر من الله تعالى؟ قال: نعم. قال: فارجع إلى والديك، فأحسن صحبتهما .
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar and bin Aas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrate that a man came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said: I pledge allegiance to you for migration and jihad and seek reward from Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: "Are any of your parents alive?" He replied: Yes, both of them are alive. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: "Do you seek reward from Allah?" He said: Yes. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Then go back to your parents and serve them well."
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Jihad, Chapter: Jihad with the permission of parents, No: 3004. Sahih Muslim, Book of Righteousness and Maintaining Ties, Chapter: Kindness to Parents and Who is More Right to It, No: 2549.
عن عبد الله بن عمرو رضى الله عنه عن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: رضى الرب فى رضى الوالد، وسخط الرب فى سخط الوالد .
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The pleasure of the Lord lies in the pleasure of the father, and the displeasure of the Lord lies in the displeasure of the father."
Reference: Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Book of Righteousness and Maintaining Ties, Chapter: What Has Been Related About the Virtue of Pleasing Parents, No: 1899. As-Silsilah as-Sahihah, No: 516.
Benefit:
In the above noble hadith, the word "الوالد" does not refer only to the father. Rather, it means both mother and father, i.e., the parents. As is evident from the classification by Imam Tirmidhi, may Allah have mercy on him:
باب ماجاء فى الفضل فى رضا الوالدين
"In this statement, the virtue of obtaining the consent of the parents."
It should be noted that among the parents, the mother holds greater virtue. And she is more deserving of good treatment among them.
عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : نمت، فرأيتني فى الجنة، فسمعت صوت قاري يقرأ، فقلت: من هذا؟ فقالوا: هذا حارثة بن النعمان . فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : كذاك البر، كذاك البر . وكان أبر الناس بأمه.
Sayyida Aisha Siddiqah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "I slept and saw myself (in a dream) in Paradise, and I heard the voice of a reciter who was reciting. I asked: Who is this? They replied: This is Haritha bin Nu'man." The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "This is the reward of goodness, this is the reward of goodness." And he (Haritha) was the one who treated his mother with the best behavior among the people.
Reference: Musnad Ahmad: 152/6. Musannif Abdul Razzaq, number: 20119.
Sheikh Shoaib has called it "authentic chain."Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, which deed is most beloved to Allah Almighty? He replied: "Performing prayer on time." I asked: Then which one? He said: "Good treatment of parents." I asked: Then which one? He said: "Jihad in the way of Allah."
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Prayer Times, Chapter on the virtue of praying at its time, number: 527. Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Chapter explaining that faith in Allah Almighty is the best of deeds, number: 85.
