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By

Hujjatul Islam Moulana Muntazir Mehdi Rizvi (Lecture 14- 2007)

Transliteration
[031:014 Wawassayna (and We have enjoined on) al-insana (man) biwalidayhi (to his
parents) hamalat-hu (bore him) ommuhu (his mother) wahnan (in weakness and
hardship) AAala (upon) wahnin (weakness and hardship) _wafisaluhu (and his
waning) fee (is in) AAamayni (two years) ani (that) oshkur (you give thanks) lee (to
Me) waliwalidayka (and to your parents) ilayya (unto Me) almaseeru (is the final
destination)] Surah Luqman

[031:015 Wa-in (but if) jahadaka (they both strive against you) AAala (on) an (to
make) tushrika (you join in worship others) bee (with Me) ma (what) laysa (not) laka
(you have) bihi (of it) AAilmun (knowledge) fala (then not) tutiAAhuma (obey them)
wasahibhuma (but behave with them) fee (in) alddunya (the world) maAAroofan
(kindly) waittabiAA (and follow) sabeela (the path of) man (of whom) anaba (turns in
repentance and in obedience him) ilayya (to Me) thumma (then) ilayya (to Me)
marjiAAukum (will be your return) faonabbi-okum (and I shall tell you) bima (of
what) kuntum (you used) taAAmaloona (to do)]

Translation
[031:014 And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and good to his parents. His
mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning
is in two years – give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination.]
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By

Hujjatul Islam Moulana Muntazir Mehdi Rizvi (Lecture 14- 2007)

[031:15 But if they both strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others that
of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not; but behave with them in the world
kindly, and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and on obedience.
Then to Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do.]

Exegesis
In the verses mentioned above there is an important issue Allah is discussing that one
should be thankful to others. So it is the main basic civilized humanity and Islamic
morality. The decree of the holy Quran that mankind has been advised to obey its
parents, and especially mother who bears her baby with physical weakness at the peril of
her life, thanks should be rendered to them. Also to Allah. And Allah also told us that in
the end all people would return to him for the rewards and regards against the maneuvers
done in this mortal world. Allah says Wa-in (but if) jahadaka (they both strive against
you) AAala (on) an (to make) tushrika (you join in worship others) bee (with Me), and
whom you don’t know that who could be parallel to Allah fala (then not) tutiAAhuma
(obey them), don’t obey and follow them. But along with it wasahibhuma (but behave
with them) fee (in) alddunya (the world) maAAroofan (kindly), don’t share the
activities of you with your parents if they are asking you to worship other than Allah.
But in the worldly affairs of the life we have been asked to deal and treat them kindly
with humble attitude. Though you are moumin and they are mushrik. man (of whom)
anaba (turns in repentance and in obedience him) ilayya (to Me), and the people who
do repentance of their every act and they seek guidance from “Allah”, follow their path of
action. It means that our every action, thought, move, in the end would go to Allah for its
results. Then the time would come Allah says we would be shown our all results of the
actions of the mortal world.
So today our main concern would remain on the entity of thanks rendered to our parents
and to Allah Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala. Because morals are the sap of life. Without them,
life becomes stone like terrain and blasted-tree domain. In the holy Quran the state of
being beholden to somebody else has also been explained – Ehsan.
Allah is telling us in clear and open words that we are not supposed to worship parallel to
Allah. Also there is clear decree from Allah that we are supposed to beholden to our
parents. In point of fact, Allah intends to tell us the respect of parents is of prime
importance. But the point to be noted that the prime importance in connection with
giving them high respect does not mean that we should now worship them like Allah
Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala. Only we have to give them respect, humble aptitude and we also
should be beholden to them. These would be considered pious acts in the books of Allah
Subhana-Wa-Ta’aala. And if any one of them reach their older age we don’t have to
take them with least possible uncompassionate manner. Allah also has directed us that
even we have to talk to them with humble manner of communication. Further we have to
bow us down before them with obedience and love. We should pray to Allah that the
manner how they gave us their kindness and attention, You also give them Your kindness
and attention.
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By

Hujjatul Islam Moulana Muntazir Mehdi Rizvi (Lecture 14- 2007)

Before I proceed ahead I wold like to say that when we are gathered for seeking Islamic
knowledge we should be attentive and devotional. Because oftenly at the end of the
lecture most of us again try to seek clarification on the very same topic. Dr. Baderul
Hassan said a verse:

Maal Islam ney bantaa to chali bheer ki bheer

Khoon Islam ney manga tu behater nikley

When Islam distributed the booty, it swarmed and thronged

And came out only seventy two, when blood demanded by Islam

Again it is being explained that Allah has strictly stopped us to be rough and harsh with
our parents. We should be beholden to them in all affairs of the life. Only we should be
careful not to obey them if they stress to worship us other than Allah Subhana-Wa-
Ta’aala. When parents get old, they behave like children. And you and we perhaps may
become harsh to them. Allah dislikes and discourages it. We should not forget that they
are our parents. Why don’t we recall our past when we were children? Our parents
would bear and tolerate our foolish acts. So now we should not forget that now they are
behaving like children. So we should not treat them with harsh words.
In all holy Quran it is mentioned that we should be beholden to our parents not to our
children. We have to talk to them in the humblest possible way. Allah is karim, Quran is
karim – delicate. So we have to talk to our parents in a delicate way of manners. Imam
also told us that if your parents are even beating you, there should be only one sentence
on our tongue that may Allay forgive and pardon them. If a son sees his parents with the
sight of love, he would be given the sawaab of Hajj-e-Maqbool. If you were doing pious
acts with your parents you age would be extended. Allah would give you its reward.
Your offspring would do pious acts with you.
It is mentioned in narrations that once a man began complaining about his father to
Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi wa sallam). On hearing it Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu
'alayhi wa sallam) called his father. His father told Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi wa
sallam) that when he used to have wealth, his son would enjoy the wealth of him. He
further told that he nursed his son by giving everything what he could gather for his son.
Now his father wanted to have something from his wealth, he minded and spoke harsh to
him. When his father told this then Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi wa sallam) began
weeping and crying. Other people and companions came over there and gathered.
Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi wa sallam) explained that in doing that kind of act with
father, each and every particle of the universe weeps. After it Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu
'alayhi wa sallam) addressed the son of that father “ you and your all
commodity is of your father’s. Go and give all your wealth to your father.” Once a man
was carrying his mother on his back and was doing tawaf of Ka’bah. Muhammad (Salla
'Llahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was also doing tawaf. Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi wa
sallam) congratulated him. That man asked Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi wa sallam)
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By

Hujjatul Islam Moulana Muntazir Mehdi Rizvi (Lecture 14- 2007)

if he completed his right. On it Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said that you
do not even complete the right of your mother when a cry comes out of her mouth in
labor pangs. Here from we can imagine that how much is the high level of the respect of

the parents. be humble before

your parents immensely”. The holy Quran guided us that we should bow down before
the parents with extreme love and humble heart from the core of our emotions.
There are billions of people who are in other country to earn bread and butter. So if their
parents call them form their native country to give them money for affairs of their
circumstances, the people in foreign countries should forthwith send them money.
And when Muhammad (Salla 'Llahu 'alayhi wa sallam) prays to Allah Subhana-Wa-
Ta’aala for his parents then what would be the status of the prays to Allah? Easy to
understand. And Allah is Rahim only for moumineen.
And I would like to tell you that even one should not proceed before one’s father. It is
the level of the respect and prestige of the parents. And if father is going with you, it
must be in mind that your steps should be behind the pace of your father. The life pattern
of Ahlul Bayt is full of the examples regarding the respect of parents. You should do
research by yourself too.