The Key to Paradise: Honouring Parents

SHOWING KINDNESS TO PARENTS
In our religion, serving and respecting parents is considered one of the highest virtues. Allah has commanded us to please our parents and treat them with kindness by ordering this issue in the Surah Isrâ of the Holy Qur'an. The verse says, ‘Your Lord has strictly commanded you to worship Him alone and to do good to your parents. If one or both of them reach the age of old age in your presence, do not say ‘ouch’ to them, do not rebuke them, and speak kind words to them.’ This commandment reminds us that respect for parents is an integral part of our servitude to Allah.

The Prophet (SAW) emphasised many times that serving parents and treating them with compassion is of great value in the sight of Allah. In one of his hadiths, he said, ‘The prayers of parents will not be rejected in the sight of Allah,’ reminding us that obtaining their consent will open the doors of Allah's mercy for us. In another hadith, he said, ‘The smell of Paradise can be heard from a distance of five hundred years. However, the one who rebels against his parents cannot smell it,’ emphasising the value of parental consent in the hereafter. These examples show how valuable the consent of parents is in the sight of Allah.

RIGHTS OF THE PARENTS
Many stories about the importance of serving parents have survived to the present day. It is told that one of the Companions made his elderly mother circumambulate the Kaaba on his back. After completing his circumambulation, he turned to the Prophet (SAW) and asked, ‘O Rasulallah, have I paid my mother her due?’ and the Prophet said: ‘Even if you make her circumambulate the Ka'bah many times on your back, you cannot repay her for one labour pain.’

One day Ibn ‘Umar (r.a.) was carrying an old man on his back. When others who saw this asked, ‘Why are you carrying this man on your back?’ he said, ‘This man is a friend of my father. I serve him in this way for the sake of my father and the right of friendship, ‘he said. This behaviour of Ibn ‘Umar shows how valuable the service to parents and those they cherish is in the sight of Allah. Ibn ‘Umar's sacrifice teaches us that parental love should be shown not only to our own parents, but also to their loved ones.

THE KEY TO JANNAH
In short, serving parents is one of the most sacred duties in the world and is of great importance in the sight of Allah. Receiving their prayers, pleasing their hearts and responding to their needs is one of the secret keys to rising on the path of servitude. Every moment spent serving our parents is a valuable act of worship that increases our closeness to Allah and elevates our spiritual rank. Therefore, with the intention of being an acceptable servant in the sight of Allah, we should show all our efforts for their consent.

HOW TO HONOUR THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY?
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) emphasized that we can continue to show kindness to our parents even after their passing. In a hadith, he said, “When a person dies, all their deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for them”. This hadith illustrates that we can bring blessings to our deceased parents by praying for them, performing good deeds, and giving charity in their name, which adds to their record of good deeds.
Additionally, sacrificing an animal on behalf of those who have passed is another way to remember them and bring them blessings. By offering a sacrifice in their name and distributing the meat to those in need, we perform a virtuous act that can benefit the soul of the deceased. The Prophet encouraged his followers to pray and perform acts of goodness for those who have passed, assuring that such acts would contribute to the deceased’s record of good deeds. These forms of worship serve both as blessings for our lives in this world and as a means of elevation for the deceased in the hereafter.