Significance of Treating Old Parents with Humility and Mercy
God says in Verse 24 of Surah Al-Isra: “Be humble and merciful towards them and say, ‘Lord, have mercy upon them as they cherished me in my childhood.’”
The words used in this verse refer to lowering wings in humbleness, a beautiful comparison.
It compares how children should treat their elderly parents to a bird that lowers its wings to gather its chickens and protect them from the cold and prepare a warm and cozy environment for them. Even though the bird may be in trouble, it provides peace and warmth to its chickens. This is what parents did when their children were young, and now the children should do the same when their parents are old.
According to Hadith, examples of humility in dealing with parents include looking at them with respect and kindness. Also, children should not raise their voices when talking to their parents, nor should they go ahead of their father and mother.
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So this verse says that just as parents spread the wings of mercy and kindness over their children, children should do the same for their parents when they are old. And they should know that tolerating the bad behavior of the parents and serving them out of mercy and respect will have extraordinary results, especially spiritual results, for the children.
