Welcome to Islam
Accept Islam for your salvation
Live according to Islam for your spiritual progress
Muslim Students
HOW I CAN HELP MY PARENTS
By: Syed Abid Ali
These are the suggestions of how to help your loving parents that Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala) has given you. First of all you should have respect for your parents. Listen to their commands, like if they tell you to clean up your room, wash the dishes, help them clean the car, sweep the floor, clean the table, vacuum the floor. Do their chores like help them throw the garbage out. Obey them. Be obedient and helpful with all the problems they have. Give them medicine when they are sick.
Give them your love. Do well in studies to make your parents proud of you. You should try to pay back what your parents do for you. Like when they cook for you, wash your clothes, buy new clothes for you, work for you, help you in your education and they give you their love. We are very lucky because some children do not have caring parents like our parents.
To disobey one’s parents, to ignore their feelings, or to disregard their comfort and happiness in any other way has been characterized by Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) as a grievous sin. Don’t upset them by watching too much television, stealing and getting involved in fights when they told you not to.
When you do a chore for them be happy to do it, not sad. Never disobey them by things that you were asked not to do. Sometimes you are tired and sleepy so you disturb your parents by annoying them, making trouble when they are doing something important like when they are writing a resume for work.
But they don’t have the respect they need to have. If you ever have something like that, try to avoid it. This by the way happens to lots of people all around the world.
We shall obey our parents with good behavior like show respect when our parents are talking. It is our duty to look after their needs and comfort them with our respect. We should talk to them with a low voice as respect. When they are old we shall take care of them so that they will never feel neglected. We should ask forgiveness from our parents when we commit a mistake knowingly or unknowingly.
Never argue with your parents or else Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala) will be very angry at you. Whenever you do something, do not let your parents feel upset and angry by your behavior towards them.
You could help your parents in so many ways. But the one that gives you the most thawaab (heavenly reward), pleases Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala) and the best one is to be obedient and have respect for them. That’s why I talked about those two the most.
Make du‘a for them in your prayers to thank Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala) for your parents. Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said that whoever pleases their parents, pleases Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala) and whoever angers their parents, angers Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta‘ala). So be good to your parents.
If you are good to your parents, when you grow up, your children will be good to you. If you are bad to your parents, when you grow up, your children will be bad to you. So if you are good to them it’s good for you too, not only for your parents.
Dhu’l Hijjah 1420, March 2000