Luqman’s Advice to His Son (Part 2)

by Shazia Arif

Part 1

Bismillah

Our parents, who are they? They are our caretakers, our sustainers, and our first love. What responsibilities did they not fulfill as our parents? What struggles did they go through to bring us to where we are today?

Previously, we discussed the first advice Luqman gave to his son which was about the severity of committing shirk. The next advice Luqman gave his son was about the rights of parents on their children.

“And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness...” Qur'an, 31:14.

Your mother carried you in her womb for a long 9 months. A pregnant woman gains 25-35 pounds, on average, during her pregnancy. To those who have never been pregnant, just imagine so much extra weight added to your body along with fatigue, mood changes and hormonal imbalances during pregnancy. Those women who have been pregnant know exactly how much weakness a woman goes through during this stage.

“...and his weaning is in two years...” Qur'an, 31:14

Nursing a child for a maximum of 2 years is hard work. Any woman who has nursed children can tell you how long these 2 years may seem to them. Many of the mother’s nutrients go to the child, which again, causes a lot of weakness to the mother. In this regard, Allah Almighty continues in the same verse 14 of the Chapter 31,

“...Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination.” Qur'an, 31:14

At the end, our return is to Allah subhana wa ta’ala and if we show gratitude to Him and our parents He will reward us greatly for this act.

“But if they endeavour to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness...” Qur'an 31:15

Don’t follow your parents if they follow another religion other than yours, and if they ask you to disobey Allah, you do not follow them in that regard. This is because, after all, Allah’s subhana wa ta’ala obedience is most high. However, that does not mean you can treat your parents in a bad manner, rather Allah subhana wa ta’ala commands that you must continue to treat your parents with kindness and respect in this world.

“Sa`d bin Malik said, "This Ayah, was revealed concerning me. I was a man who honored his mother, but when I became Muslim, she said: `O Sa`d! What is this new thing I see you doing Leave this religion of yours, or I will not eat or drink until I die, and people will say: Shame on you, for what you have done to me, and they will say that you have killed your mother.' I said, `Do not do that, O mother, for I will not give up this religion of mine for anything.' She stayed without eating for one day and one night, and she became exhausted; then she stayed for another day and night without eating, and she became utterly exhausted. When I saw that, I said: `O my mother, by Allah, even if you had one hundred souls and they were to depart one by one, I would not give up this religion of mine for anything, so if you want to, eat, and if you want to, do not eat.' So she ate.''- Tabarani

“...and follow the way of those who turn back to Me [in repentance]...” Qur'an 31:15

Follow those people who will lead you to the path of Allah, and these people will be the ones who turn to Allah subhana wa ta’ala in repentance. This is also in indication that we should always repent to Allah subhana wa ta’ala.

“...Then to Me will be your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do.” Qur'an 31:15

At the end we will return to Allah subhana wa ta’ala . Allah subhana wa tala will show us what our deeds were, whether we were obedient to our parents or not. Whether we respected them, or humiliated them.

From this article, we learnt:

- Importance of obeying one’s parents

- Importance of obeying Allah subhana wa ta’ala over our parents; there is no obedience to the creation if there is disobedience to the Creator

- Importance of always respecting one’s parents

- The high rank of a mother in Islam

To conclude there is a short du’a from the Qur’an that we all can make and memorise for our parents’ inshaAllah:

رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا

rabbirhamhuma kama rabbayanee sagheera

“My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small." Qur'an, 17:24

I'd love to hear your views on this topic. Please post comments in the section below!

Posted in: Advice,family,Love,Love for the sake of Allah,luqman,Parents,Part 2,Relationships and love,Relatives,Shazia Arif