Did they raise you for this day?

The role of parents in their child’s life is the most important and precious. No relation on earth is as pure as that of parents with their children. No matter how many children they have, they love each one of them equally and unconditionally. There is a very strange thing about parents’ love that if a child is more obedient, he or she will be more dear to them without any doubts however those who are less obedient or careless towards them, parents will still love them. This is called unconditional love where there no conditions set to love someone, you just love no matter what or how the other person is treating you. No matter you much you grow up, they still see you like a small child who used to hold their finger while walking. They give away every comfort and luxury of their life just for the sake of their kids. 

A companion of our Holy Prophet Muhammad PBUH once asked him (PBUH): 

Who deserves my good treatment the most? 

Prophet PBUH replied: Your mother.

He asked the prophet : Then who?

Prophet PBUH replied: Your mother.

He asked again: Then who?

Prophet Muhammad PBUH replied again: Your mother.

Then when he asked the similar question the forth time, Holy Prophet PBUH replied: Your father.

At another occasion, Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: 

“Paradise lies beneath the feet of mother”. 

This is the status of mother in our life. As she’s the one who carries her child in her womb for 9 months without uttering a word of anger or distress, enduring morning sickness, hormones disturbance, mood swings and a heavy weight on bladder. Then giving birth to child is no less then enduring the difficulties of those 9 months. Every inch of her body withstands the contractions and an unbearable pain that only a mother can bear for the love of her child. She knows she would go through all this for her baby but she never backs down. These hardships don’t end here, but a new phase starts, where she has to feed her baby out of her body, she keeps herself awake the entire night if her baby gets sick, and she would feed him/her and change the diapers. She becomes restless even at the slightest inconvenience to her children. 

As for father, his hard work and struggle to keep his children at ease never ends. He works day and night and sacrifices his own confort for the comfort of his children. Fathers love all their children equally but the love they have for their daughters is so pure and selfless. I have seen my own father how every time he has this one thought of keeping us happy. My sisters are married, they have their husbands to take care of them but my father still takes care of their needs as if they are his responsibility. Fathers work so hard to provide their kids quality education, good food and cloth. That’s why it is said that father’s affection is like the shade of a tree who keeps his children in comfort while damages himself in the process, but never cares for the damage he is inflicted upon with, as long as his children are happy. 

Such is the love of parents for us and that’s why God forbids us to say Uff ( an expression of anger) to them when they reach old age. Why is it prohibited in “old age”? The answer is because when they reach the old age, they will give you more chances to get angry upon them as their sense of hearing might get weak and you will have to repeat things or they might get grumpy and say you things that you may get made at. 

After seeing this selfless, pure and unconditional love of parents, what are our duties towards them? What do they deserve? What are their rights?

They deserve to be loved and respected. They must be treated the way they used to treat us. We must be ready to embrace discomforts for their comforts. But what I have seen and constantly seeing in my society is so cruel. As long as you are dependent on your parents which is a long time in eastern society, you are good towards them, you suck everything including money, their time and health out of them like leech and once you get independent or get married, you forget everything. You forget how your mother used to stay up late at night or how your father worked day and night to provide you luxuries of life. Those who gave you birth and whose life used to revolve around you, now you want to get rid of them by sending them to old house. Isn’t it heart wrenching to see them that way? Did they raise you for this day? 
Something to ponder upon……..

Thank you for reading this article! Stay happy & blessed!

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