In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate
"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"
Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with
Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah
guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one
can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness
that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah
As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu
Mothers Day & Fathers Day - An Islamic View
Honoring Parents Is a Daily Obligation in Islam
by Christine Benlafquih
Special days are set aside in many countries to
honor mothers and
fathers.
How does Islam view the national and international holidays of
Mothers Day and Fathers Day ?
Scholars Objections to Mothers Dayand
Fathers Day
Although honoring and respecting ones parents is incumbent upon
Muslims, most scholars object to the observance of Mothers Day and
Fathers Day.
This is because:
* Celebrating holidays other than Islamic holidays is regarded as
bidah (innovation) and therefore forbidden.
* Muslims should
adhere to their own religion and avoid following non-Muslim traditions.
* Mothers and fathers should be loved, respected, obeyed and
appreciated every
day, with no need to single out special days to honor them.
The well-known scholar Shaykh Abd al-Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah be pleased with
him) said: "Undoubtedly singling out one day in the year to
celebrate and honor mothers or families is one of the newly-innovated
matters that were not done by the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) or by his blessed companions, so we must not do
that and we must warn the people against it, and be content with that which
Allah and His Messenger have prescribed."
Honoring Parents 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 honor, respect and show
gratitude to their elderly parents, and are expected to care for and
support them.
“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 honor. 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.'” (Qur'an 17:23)
High Status of Mother in Islam
In Islam, a mother has especially high status. She is to be given
greater respect and honor than the father due to the difficulty of
pregnancy, childbirth, nursing and child rearing.
This is reinforced in a well-known hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah
be pleased with
him) :
“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).
In another famous hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is quoted as
having said, "Paradise
lies at the feet of the mothers."
Holidays (Eids) in Islam
Muslims already observe three established holidays (eids) in Islam:
Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and the weekly Jumuah 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 Mothers Day and
Fathers 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.
Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to
post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in
not-for-profit publications.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveIslam_LiveIslam/
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