Part One
Praise be to Allah, Who has bestowed favours upon His servants and detailed for
them their rights and duties. He likes it for His servants to do good deeds and hates it for
them to do evil deeds, and He has promised the truthful great rewards. I bear witness that
there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, the One Who answers His servants’
supplications; and I bear witness that our prophet and master, Muhammad, is His servant
and messenger, who was supported by miracles. O Allah! Bestow Your prayers, peace,
and blessings upon Your servant and messenger Muhammad and upon his family and
Companions, who defended Your religion by fighting in Your cause and by clear
evidence.
Now then,
Fear Allah. Do not neglect the obligations He has imposed upon you, nor
transgress the boundaries He has set for you. Those who fear Allah will achieve success,
while those who follow their evil desires are the true losers.
Servants of Allah!
Know that the servants’ deeds are either for them or against them. Allah does not
benefit by His servants’ obedience to Him, nor is He harmed by their disobedience.
Allah, Exalted be He, says:
(Whosoever does a good deed, it is for his ownself, and
whosoever does evil, it is against (his ownself). Then to
your Lord you will be made to return.) (Al-Jathiyah: 15)
Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
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(Whosoever does an evil deed, will not be requited except
the like thereof; and whosoever does a righteous deed,
whether male or female and is a true believer (in the
Oneness of Allah), such will enter Paradise, where they will
be provided therein (with all things in abundance) without
limit.) (Ghafir: 40)
Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, says in the holy hadith:
“O My servants! You will never have the power to do Me any harm,
nor will you have the power to bring Me any benefit. O My servants!
It is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense
you for, so let him who finds good (in the Hereafter) praise Allah
and let him who finds other than that blame none but himself.”
(Reported by Muslim; part of the hadith narrated by Abu Dharr, may
Allah be pleased with him).
The benefits of discharging the duties imposed upon the servant will ultimately go
to the servant himself, and it is he who will actually reap the reward for doing such duties
both in this world and in the hereafter. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
(So whoever does righteous good deeds while he is a
believer (in the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism),
his efforts will not be rejected. Verily! We record it for him
(in his Book of deeds).) (Al-Anbiya’: 94)
Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
(Verily, as for those who believed and did righteous deeds,
certainly We shall not make the reward of anyone who
does his (righteous) deeds in the most perfect manner to
be lost.) (Al-Kahf: 30)
A morally accountable person who neglects certain duties or abandons them
altogether will suffer the harm and punishment fornot respecting the rights prescribed in
the religion, for if he does not observe the rights of the Lord of the Worlds, he will harm
none but himself in this world and in the hereafter. Allah is Self-Sufficient and He stands
in no need of all the worlds. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
(If you disbelieve, then verily, Allah is not in need of you,
He likes not disbelief for His slaves. And if you are grateful
(by being believers), He is pleased therewith for you.
...)(Az-Zumar :7)
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Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
(O mankind! It is you who stand in need of Allah. But Allah
is the Rich (Free of all needs), the Worthy of all praise.)
(Fatir: 15)
Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, also says:
(Behold! You are those who are called to spend in the
Cause of Allah, yet among you are some who are
niggardly. And whoever is niggardly, it is only at the
expense of his ownself. ...) (Muhammad: 38)
Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
(And whoever earns sin, he earns it only against himself.
And Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise.)( An-Nisa’: 111)
The right of the Lord that should be preserved is true monotheism (tawhid –
beliefin the Oneness of Allah). Allah has promised the greatest reward for those who
believe in His Oneness. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
(And Paradise will be brought near to the Muttaqun (pious)
not far off.(It will be said): “This is what you were
promised, –(it is) for those oft-returning (to Allah) in
sincere repentance, and those who preserve their covenant
with Allah” (by obeying Him in all what He has ordered,
and worship none but Allah Alone, i.e. follow Allah’s
Religion, Islamic Monotheism).)(Qaf: 31-32)
Those who neglect the right of Allah, Might andMajesty be to Him, by
associating partners with Him and seeking the help of intermediaries whom they worship
and supplicate instead of Allah to remove their afflictions and calamities and provide for
their needs, and in whom they put their trust, will indeed be doomed to total loss for
associating partners with their Lord, and their endeavours in this life will be in vain.
Allah will not accept any compensation or ransom from them, and on the Day of
Judgement it will be said to them, “Enter the Fire along with those who enter,” unless
they repent of the sin of associating partners with Allah.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said,“A man dwelling in Hellfire
will be asked, ‘If you had all that is in the earth, would you use it to redeem
yourself from Hellfire?’ He will say ‘Yes’. It will then be said to him, ‘You were
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ordered to do something much easier than that –you were ordered not to
associate any partners with Allah’”(Reported by Al-Bukhari).
If the morally accountable person neglects his obligations and disregards the due
rights of others, he will be depriving himself of great rewards in this world and in the
hereafter. If he falls short of fulfilling some of these obligations, he will be depriving
himself of good commensurate with his negligence in discharging his duties towards
others, apart from the punishment that will be inflicted upon him.
In our life we go through times of hardship and times of ease, times of deprivation
and times of plenty, but life is not only for attaining the rights that are due to us. On the
Day of Judgement, all adversaries will gather before Allah, Who will then wrest the
rights from the oppressors and restore them to those whom they have wronged and whose
rights they neglected.Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “All rights will certainly be paid to
those to whom they are due on the Day of Judgement, such that the hornless
sheep will get its claim from the horned sheep”(Reported by Muslim).
Next in importance to the rights of Allah and His Messenger are the rights of
parents. Due to the great importance of the rights due to parents, Allah has mentioned
them in conjunction with His own right. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
(And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but
Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of
them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to
them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address
them in terms of honour. And lower unto them the wing of
submission and humility through mercy, and say: “My
Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up
when I was young.”) (Al-Isra’: 23-24)
Allah, Exalted be He, also says:
(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. To
Me is the final destination.) (Luqman: 14)
Allah attaches such great importance to the parents’ rights because He created you
and brought you to life through them. The mother suffers the greatest forms of hardship
during the various stages of pregnancy and comes close to death during childbirth.Allah,
Exalted be He, says:
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(And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to
his parents. His mother bears him with hardship and she
brings him forth with hardship ...)(Al-Ahqaf: 15)
In addition, the breastfeeding of the child is one of the signs of Allah.
On the other hand, the father protects his children, raises them up, and strives for
getting provision for them. Both parents seek treatment for their children when they are
sick. They stay up late so that their children may sleep soundly and toil so that they can
rest. They endure hardships so as to provide a life of comfort for them, bear their troubles
so as to make them happy, and educate them so that they may achieve perfection and
uprightness, wishing only that they lead a life better than theirs.Children, therefore,
should not wonder at Allah’s repeated commandments to honour parents or at His
repeated warnings against disobeying them.
No matter how hard a man tries, he can never be completely dutiful to his father
except in one case. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “No son can compensate his father
(for what he did for his sake) unless he finds him a slave, buys him, and then
sets him free’” (Reported byMuslim, Abu-Dawud, and At-Tirmidhi).
Parents are gates to Paradise; whoever honours his parents will enter Paradise and
enjoy its delights. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Shame on him! Shame on him!
Shame on him!” It was said, “Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “He whose
parents, or one of them, reach old age during his lifetime but does not enter
Paradise”(Reported byMuslim).
O Muslim!
If your parents are pleased with you, then the Lord is pleased with you. Abdullah
ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, narrated that the Prophet, peace
and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah’s pleasure lies in the parent’s pleasure, and
Allah’s displeasure lies in the parent’s displeasure”(An authenticated hadith,
reported by At-Tirmidi and by Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak, who classified it as
authenticated).
Honouring one’s parents is realized by obeying them in all that does not lead to
disobeying Allah, acting on their orders and advice, treating them with kindness, and
seeking to make them happy. One should spend liberally on them to make them live at
ease, show mercy and compassion to them, feel grieved at whatever saddens them, keep
their company, honour their friends, and maintain ties with the people they love as well
as with their relatives. One should also refrain from causing any harm to them, desist
from doing whatever they forbid, love to see them live long, and ask forgiveness for them
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very often during their life and after their death. Dishonouring parents is the opposite of
all that.
One of the signs of the Last Hour (the Day of Judgement) is that dishonouring
parents will become widespread. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said,
“Among the signs of the Last Hour is that rain will be extremely hot, children will
be a source of grief to their parents, evil-doers will abound, and the righteous will
subside.”
One of the worst forms of dishonouring parents is to send one or both of them to
elderly care homes and deprive them of their children’s care. Allah forbid! For this is
contrary to the ethics of Islam and is in no way a form of good manners.It is also among
the worst forms of dishonouring parents to act arrogantly towards them, assault them
through beating, humiliation, and verbal abuse, or deprive them of what they need. Abu
Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace
and blessings be upon him, said, “The scent of Paradise can be smelt from the
distance one could travel in five hundred years, but one who dishonours his
parents will not even smell it [let alone enter Paradise]”(Reported by At-Tabarani).
Allah, Exalted be He, says:
(Worship Allah and join none with Him (in worship); and
do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, Al-Masakin (the
needy), the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour
who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the
wayfarer (you meet), and those (slaves) whom your right
hands possess. Verily, Allah does not like such as are
proud and boastful.) (An-Nisa’: 36)
May Allah bless you and me with the Great Qur’an and make us benefit from its
verses and wise words and benefit from the guidance and right sayings of the Imam of all
Messengers. I have said what you have heard and I ask forgiveness of Allahfor myself,
for you, and for all Muslims. Ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the Oft-Forgiving, the
Most Merciful.
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Part Two
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. I bear witness that there is no god but
Allah alone, Who has no partners, the All-Mighty, the Most Strong; and I bear witness
that our prophet and master, Muhammad, is His servant and messenger, the true to his
promise, the trustworthy. O Allah! Bestow Your prayers, peace, and blessings upon Your
servant and messengerMuhammad and upon his family and all his Companions.
Now then,
Fear Allah as He should be feared, and grasp the trustworthy handhold of Islam.
Servants of Allah!
In addition to being a means of gaining great rewards and blessings, observing the
parents’ rights testifies to one’s good manners. It is one of the most admirable qualities
that are only observed by those who are of good nature, noble descent, and refined moral
character.
There is no reward for good other than good. A favour that one does is to be met
by gratitude and loyalty, and one good turn deserves another. None would deny the
favours of others except those who are ill-mannered, ill-intentioned, and devoid of
chivalry – those who are unblessed and arrogant. Allah, Exalted be He, says:
(... And do not forget liberality between yourselves. Truly,
Allah is All-Seer of what you do.) (Al-Baqarah: 137).
Allah, Exalted be He, tells us that ‘Isa (Prophet Jesus), peace and blessings be
upon him, said of himself:
(“And dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant,
unblest.”) (Maryam: 32).
Allah says of Yahya (Prophet John), peace be upon him:
(And dutiful towards his parents, and he was neither
arrogant nor disobedient (to Allah or to his parents).)
(Maryam: 14)
He also says about the miserable, wretched man who dishonours his parents:
(But he who says to his parents: “Fie upon you both! Do
you hold out the promise to me that I shall be raised up
(again) when generations before me have passed away
(without rising)?” While they (father and mother) invoke
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Allah for help (and rebuke their son): “Woe to you!
Believe! Verily, the Promise of Allah is true.” But he says:
“This is nothing but the tales of the ancient.”) (Al-Ahqaf: 17)
Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “A man once came to the
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah!
Who amongst the people is most deserving of my good treatment?’ He said,
‘Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, and then the
next closest to you from among your relatives” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and
Muslim).
Servants of Allah!
(Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy)
on the Prophet (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him)) and also His angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive
him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to
bless) him (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon
him)), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic
way of greeting (salutation, i.e. As Salamu ‘Alaikum).) (Al-
Ahzab: 56)
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If a person asks Allah to send
blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him ten times
over.”Therefore, ask Allah to bestow His peace and blessings on the master of those who
preceded us and those who are yet to come, and the Imam of Messengers.
O Allah! Bestow Your bountiful peace and blessings upon Muhammad and his
family, as You bestowed Your peace and blessings upon Ibrahim and his family, You are
All-Praiseworthy, All-Glorious.
O Allah! Be pleased with all the Companions. O Allah! Be pleased with the
Rightly-Guided Caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, along with all Your
Prophet's other Companions, with the Tabi’un (the contemporaries of the Prophet’s
Companions after his death), and with those who follow them in righteousness until the
Day of Judgment. O Allah! Be pleased with us together with them, by Your benevolence,
generosity, mercy, and grace, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!
O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and
glory to Islam and Muslims. O Allah! Grant power and glory to Islam and Muslims; You
are the All-Mighty, the Most Strong! O Allah! Grant victory to Your religion, Your
Book, and the Sunnah of Your Prophet, O All-Mighty! O Most Strong! O Lord of the
Worlds!
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O Allah! We ask You to help us adhere to the guidance of Your messenger,
Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. O Allah! Grant us and grant all Muslims
sound understanding of Your religion. O Allah! Help us and help all Muslims perform
acts of obedience to You. O Allah! Help us perform acts of obedience to You and help us
avoid acts of disobedience to You.
O Allah! Do not to leave us to ourselves for the blink of an eye and make good all
our affairs; there is no god but You! O Allah!We seek refuge in You from the evil within
ourselves and from our wrong deeds. O Allah! Protect us and our offspring from Satan,
his offspring, his devils, and his soldiers, O Lord of the Worlds! O All-Mighty! O Most
Strong! O Allah! Protect Muslims and their offspring from Satan and his devils, O Lord
of the Worlds!
O Allah! We ask You to guide us to what You love and accept. O Allah! We ask
you for Paradise and for every word or deed that brings us closer to it, and seek refuge in
You from Hellfire and from every word or deed that brings us closer to it.
O Allah! Forgive us the sins that we have committed and the sins that we may
commit in the future; forgive us the sins that we have committed in secret and the sins
that we have committed in public; and forgive us what You know better than we do. You
are the Expediter and the Delayer! There is no god but You!
O Allah! Forgive the sins of our dead. O Allah! Forgive the sins of our dead. O
Allah! Forgive the sins of our dead and the sins of all dead Muslims, by Your mercy, O
Most Merciful of all the merciful!
O Allah! Ease our tasks, comfort our hearts, and ease the tasks of all Muslims and
all believers, men and women, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!
O Allah! Clothe the naked among the Muslims. O Allah! Clothe the naked among
the Muslims, and feed the hungry among them, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Dispel
the fear of the frightened among them. O Allah! Protect all Muslims, O Lord of the
Worlds! O Allah! Protect their religion, their lives in this world, and their honour, O
Owner ofMajesty and Honour! O Allah! Protect us from the evil of all evil-doers!
O Allah! Protect Muslims from the evil within themselves and from their wrong
deeds.
O Allah! Foil the plots of the enemies of Islam. O Allah! Foil the plots of the
enemies of Islam. O Allah! Thwart the plans of the enemies of Islam with which they
intend to harm and offend Islam, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!
You are Powerful over all things!
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O Allah! Protect our homelands from every evil and harm, O Lord of the Worlds!
O Allah! Grant us safety in our homelands and make good our rulers.
O Allah! Guide the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to what You love and
accept. O Allah! Lead him to Your guidance and make his deeds pleasing to You. O
Allah! Help him do all that is good, O Lord of the Worlds! O Allah! Guide his two
deputies to what You love and accept and to that which is good to Islam and Muslims, O
Owner ofMajesty and Honour!
(... Our Lord! Give us that which is good in this world and
that which is good in the Hereafter, and save us from the
torment of Hellfire!) (Al-Baqarah: 201)
O Allah! Help the debtors pay off their debts. O Allah! Help the debtors among
Muslims pay off their debts, and release our prisoners as well as all Muslim prisoners, O
Lord of the Worlds! You are Powerful over all things!
O Allah! Cure the sick among us. O Allah! Cure the sick among us. O Allah!
Cure the sick among us and the sick among all Muslims. O Allah! Relieve the distress of
the afflicted among us, by Your mercy, O Most Merciful of all the merciful!
Servants of Allah!
(Verily, Allah enjoins Al-‘Adl (i.e. justice and worshipping
none but Allah Alone – Islamic Monotheism) and Al-Ihsan
[i.e. to be patient in performing your duties to Allah,
totally for Allah’s sake and in accordance with the Sunnah
(legal ways) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and
kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them, e.g.,
wealth, visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of
help, etc.): and forbids Al-Fahsha’ (i.e. all evil deeds, e.g.
illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism, to
tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right,
etc.), and Al-Munkar (i.e. all that is prohibited by Islamic
law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of
evil deeds, etc.), and Al-Baghy (i.e. all kinds of
oppression), He admonishes you, that you may take
heed.) And fulfil the Covenant of Allah (Bai’ah: pledge for
Islam) when you have covenanted, and break not the
oaths after you have confirmed them, and indeed you have
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appointed Allah your surety. Verily! Allah knows what you
do.) (An-Nahl: 90-91)
Remember Allah, the Most Great, the Sublime, and He will remember you. Thank
Him for His favours and He will give you more. Verily, remembrance of Allah is greater
than all, and Allah knows what you do.
