Mother's Day
To such a magnanimous lady in every way
Her pleasure is a visa for you in Jannah(heaven) to stay
Celebrating her not only once a year
A mother is so precious and dear.
Take lesson and to Allah sincerely pray
That Mother's Day should be celebrated EveryDay!
The Prophet Muhammad [Allah's peace and blessings be upon him] said:
"Jannah[Heaven] lies under the feet of your mother" (Hadith-Ahmad, Nasai).
"Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and do good to parents. If any one of them or both of them reach old age, do not say to them: uff (a word or expression of anger or contempt) and do not scold them, and address them with respectful words" [Quran-17:23]
Although honouring and respecting one's parents is incumbent upon Muslims, care should be taken that it is not done in an unislamic way. Our dear and beloved Mother is to precious to be honoured Only Once a Year on Mother's Day. Particular care should be taken to honour this great lady Every Day!
Honoring Mother's in Islam
The ties of kinship are very important in Islam, with emphasis given to the relationship between children and parents. Children are required to respect and obey their parents unless doing so involves a sin. Furthermore, adult children must continue to honour, respect and show gratitude to their elderly parents, and are expected to care for and support them. In the event the parent has passed away, children should make dua(pray) for them, give charity on their behalf(e.g. sponsoring a well etc) , perform Haj and Umrah on their behalf and treat their friends in a kind manner.
High Status of Mother in Islam
In Islam, a mother has especially high status. She is to be given greater respect and honour than the father due to the difficulty of pregnancy, childbirth, nursing and child rearing. This is supported by many ahadith:
Ø Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated :"A man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, who among the people is most deserving of my good company?' He said, 'Your mother.' He asked, 'Then who?' He said, 'Your mother.' He asked, 'Then who?' He said, 'Your mother.' He asked, 'Then who?' He said, 'Then your father.'" (al-Bukhaari and Muslim).
Ø Abu Usaid Saidi said: We were once sitting with Rasulullah when a man from the tribe of Salmah came and said to him: O Messenger of Allah! do my parents have rights over me even after they have died? And Rasulullah said: Yes. You must pray to Allah to bless them with His Forgiveness and Mercy, fulfill the promises they made to anyone, and respect their relations and their friends (Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah).
Ø Abdullah ibn Amr related that the Messenger of Allah[pbuh] said: The major sins are to believe that Allah has partners, to disobey one's parents, to commit murder, and to bear false witness (Bukhari, Muslim)
Ø It is narrated by Asma bint Abu Bakr that during the treaty of Hudaibiyah, her mother, who was then pagan, came to see her from Makkah. Asma informed the Messenger of Allah of her arrival and also that she needed help. He said: Be good to your mother (Bukhari, Muslim).
Islamic Perspective on Mother's Day
Islamic Scholars are unanimous that celebrating Mother's Day does not have it basis or origins in Islam. In fact it has its origins in Non- Muslim culture and today it is being promoted mainly due to commercial purposes. Therefore mother's should be loved, respected, obeyed and appreciated every day, with no need to single out special days to honour them. Muslims already observe three established holidays (eids) in Islam: Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and the weekly Jumu'ah eid. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned Muslims not to add or remove anything from their religion, saying: "If somebody tries to introduce into this faith of ours (Islam) something which is not a part of it, it is to be rejected and that person is condemned." (al-Bukhaari and Muslim)Therefore, Muslims should be satisfied with their faith and avoid the traditions and holidays of non-Muslims, including Mother's Day and Father's Day. While the intention of honoring parents is good, Muslims should be honoring their parents each and every day, and not limiting that level of respect and affection to a single day each year.
We thus can conclude that Islam has emphasized on respecting and honouring mothers, as is evident from the Quran and Hadith. We are not only required to honour mothers during their life time, rather after their demise as well.
May Allah Ta'ala grant us all the tawfeeq to fulfill the rights of our mothers and be recipients of their dua's not once a year but EVERY DAY!, Amin.
