Summary
A heartfelt reminder that our parents are not a permanent part of our worldly lives as mentioned in Sūrat al-Isrāʾ 17:23, this captured thought explores the Islamic duty of honouring our parents, especially as they grow older, and encourages us to recognise their presence as an amānah and an opportunity for worship before that opportunity passes.
Your parents are not background characters
"Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you show excellence to your parents." (Al-Isrā' 17:23)
One observation has stayed with me for many years.
We naturally think about the passage of time in relation to ourselves. We think about our careers, our families, our ambitions, and the years that lie ahead. Rarely do we pause to consider that, while our lives are moving forward, our parents are moving into a stage of life that Allah specifically draws our attention to in the Qur'an.
It is remarkable that, immediately after commanding His worship, Allah commands excellence towards parents. Then He singles out the period of their old age. It is as though the Qur'an is teaching us that there will come a time when our parents will need us differently from how we once needed them.
Parents are one of Allah's greatest coverings over our lives. Their du'ā' for us is a blessing whose true value is known only to Allah. Their concern for us does not end when we become adults, nor does their happiness at seeing us thrive diminish with age.
In our pursuit of serving our communities, building our careers, and raising our own families, it is easy to assume there will always be another opportunity to visit, another opportunity to sit with them, another opportunity to ask about their health, or simply another opportunity to make them smile.
The Messenger ﷺ taught that despite the immense virtue of serving one's parents in their old age, there are people who will still allow that opportunity to pass them by. That lesson has always struck me, because it reminds us that honouring our parents is not simply a social responsibility. It is one of the greatest acts of worship available to us.
Perhaps one of the most overlooked realities of life is that our parents are not a permanent chapter in it. Allah has entrusted them to us for a time, and He has entrusted us to them for a time. The wise person recognises that this trust should not be taken for granted.
Your brother
Sajid Umar
Location: 'somewhere en route to the hereafter'
12/02/1448 (AH) - 27/07/2026