Parental Rights on Children

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions. Islam ordered us to be kind and dutiful to our parents and to help them with every means possible: money, effort etc.. This is in addition to addressing them politely, and treating them patiently. Allah, The Almighty, says{what means}: “Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: "My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood."{Al-Isra`(23-24)}. Therefore, Islam considers kindness to parents one of the best actions by which a person gets nearer to Allah, The Almighty. This is because they give birth to their children and raise them righteously , so they(children) attain happiness in this world and in the Hereafter. The Prophet(PBUH) said: “The best of' the deeds or deed is the (observance of) prayer at its proper time and kindness to the parents.”{Muslim} Accordingly, Islam gave parents rights that their children are obliged to fulfill, even if they(parents) were non-Muslims. This is to the exception of ordering their children to disobey Allah, then there is no obedience to them, as there is no obedience to a creature in disobeying the creator. Allah, The Almighty, says{what means}: “"But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to me (in love): in the end the return of you all is to Me, and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that ye did."{Luqman/15}. One of the rights of parents is showing them absolute respect at all times: sons and daughters must address them softly and must not raise their voice in their presence. Islam also stresses that children are obliged to provide for their parents and meet their desires and needs as much as possible, without complaining. Article(197/A) of the Jordanian Civil Status Law states, “A wealthy person, male or female, young or old is obliged to provide for his poor parents, even if they were capable of earning their living.” Islamic Sharia has warned against severing kinship ties with parents and disobeying them to avoid the severe punishment for such a thing, in the Hereafter. Not only that, but it has also warned that those who commit such a thing will be punished in this world before their death. Our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah will defer whatever wrong actions He wills until the Day of Rising, except disobeying parents. He will punish the one who commits that thing in this world before he dies."{Al-Hakem}. And Allah knows best.