Paradise lies at the feet of mothers

Khandaker Nazneen Sultana

Prophet (SAW) said: "Paradise lies at the feet of mothers". Napoleon said, “ Give me a good mother, I shall give you a good nation.”

According to a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): “A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, who among the people is most deserving of my good companionship?’ He said, ‘Your mother.’ He asked, ‘Then whom?’ He said, ‘Your mother.’ He asked, ‘Then whom?’ He said, ‘Your mother.’ He asked, ‘Then whom?’ He said, ‘Then your father.’” -- (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 4/13, and Muslim, 2548).

 This shows that the right of mother upon the children is three times more than the rights of father as far as kindness is concerned.

Ibn ‘Abbas (RA) reported that a woman from Juhaynah came to the Prophet (SAW) and said: “My mother vowed to go for Hajj, but she died before she did so. Can I perform Hajj on her behalf?” He said, “Yes, perform Hajj on her behalf. Do you not think that if your mother owed a debt that you would pay it off for her? Fulfil her debt to Allah, for Allah is more deserving that what is owed to Him should be paid.” --(Al-Bukhaari, 1754).  

Again the Prophet (SAW) said: "Allah has forbidden for you to be undutiful to your mothers." -- (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Apart from women’s role as a wife, the Muslim woman has a very important role as mother. Mother always takes care of her child. Breast feeding and nurturing their children. This is a well-known aspect of human nature that has been handed down from the beginning of creation.

‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (RA) said: “A man came to the Prophet (SAW) and asked him for permission to participate in jihad. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to him, ‘Are your parents alive?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Then your jihad is with them.’” -- (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2842; Muslim, 2549)  

Allah has also described about mother in many places in the Qur’an, so let us now take alook at what He has in store for the believers.

Right’s of a mother is very much important in Islam – From the view of the Al-Qur’an:

In Surah Al-Baqarah verses no. 83, 233 Allah says:

[2.83.] And remember We took a covenant from the Children of Israel (to this effect): Worship none but Allah. treat with kindness your parents and kindred, and orphans and those in need; speak fair to the people; be steadfast in prayer; and practise regular charity. Then did ye turn back, except a few among you, and ye backslide (even now).

[2.233] The mothers shall give suck to their offspring for two whole years, if the father desires to complete the term. But he shall bear the cost of their food and clothing on equitable terms. No soul shall have a burden laid on it greater than it can bear. No mother shall be Treated unfairly on account of her child. Nor father on account of his child, an heir shall be chargeable in the same way. If they both decide on weaning, by mutual consent, and after due consultation, there is no blame on them. If ye decide on a foster-mother for your offspring, there is no blame on you, provided ye pay (the mother) what ye offered, on equitable terms. But fear Allah and know that Allah sees well what ye do.

In Surah An-Nisaa verses no. 1, 11 Allah mentions:

[4.1.] O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;- reverence Allah, through whom ye demand your mutual (rights), and (reverence) the wombs (That bore you): for Allah ever watches over you.

 [4. 11.] Allah (thus) directs you as regards your Children's (Inheritance): to the male, a portion equal to that of two females: if only daughters, two or more, their share is two-thirds of the inheritance; if only one, her share is a half. For parents, a sixth share of the inheritance to each, if the deceased left children; if no children, and the parents are the (only) heirs, the mother has a third; if the deceased Left brothers (or sisters) the mother has a sixth. (The distribution in all cases ('s) after the payment of legacies and debts. Ye know not whether your parents or your children are nearest to you in benefit. These are settled portions ordained by Allah. and Allah is All-knowing, All-wise.

In Surah Al-Maidah verses no. 17, 75, 110, 116  Allah states:

[5.17.] In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ the son of Mary. Say: "Who then hath the least power against Allah, if His will were to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all every - one that is on the earth? For to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between. He createth what He pleaseth. For Allah hath power over all things."

 [5.75] Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle; many were the apostles that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how Allah doth make His signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth!

 [5.110] Then will Allah say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel and behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic.'

 [5.116] And behold! Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as Allahs in derogation of Allah.?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden.

In Surah Al-A’raf verses no. 150 Allah announces:

[7.150] When Moses came back to his people, angry and grieved, he said: "Evil it is that ye have done in my place in my absence: did ye make haste to bring on the judgment of your Lord?" He put down the tablets, seized his brother by (the hair of) his head, and dragged him to him. Aaron said: "Son of my mother! the people did indeed reckon me as naught, and went near to slaying me! Make not the enemies rejoice over my misfortune, nor count thou me amongst the people of sin."

In Surah Al- Israa verses no. 23, 24 Allah informs:

[17.23.] 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.

[17.24.] 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."

In Surah Maryam verses no. 28, 32 Allah relates:

[19.28] "O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!"

 [19.32] "(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;

In Surah Ta- Ha verses no. 38, 40, 94 Allah explains:

[20.38] "Behold! We sent to thy mother, by inspiration, the message:

[20.40] "Behold! thy sister goeth forth and saith, 'shall I show you one who will nurse and rear the (child)?' So We brought thee back to thy mother, that her eye might be cooled and she should not grieve. Then thou didst slay a man, but We saved thee from trouble, and We tried thee in various ways. Then didst thou tarry a number of years with the people of Midian. Then didst thou come hither as ordained, O Moses!

 [20.94] (Aaron) replied: "O son of my mother! Seize (me) not by my beard nor by (the hair of) my head! Truly I feared lest thou shouldst say, 'Thou has caused a division among the children of Israel, and thou didst not respect my word!'"

In Surah Al-Muminun verses no. 50 Allah notices:

[23.50.] And We made the son of Mary and his mother as a Sign: We gave them both shelter on high ground, affording rest and security and furnished with springs.

In Surah An-Nur verses no. 61 Allah tells:

[24.61] It is no fault in the blind nor in one born lame, nor in one afflicted with illness, nor in yourselves, that ye should eat in your own houses, or those of your fathers, or your mothers, or your brothers, or your sisters, or your father's brothers or your father's sisters, or your mohter's brothers, or your mother's sisters, or in houses of which the keys are in your possession, or in the house of a sincere friend of yours: there is no blame on you, whether ye eat in company or separately. But if ye enter houses, salute each other - a greeting of blessing and purity as from Allah. Thus does Allah make clear the signs to you: that ye may understand.

In Surah Al-Qasas verses no. 7, 10, 13 Allah remarks:

[28.7] So We sent this inspiration to the mother of Moses: "Suckle (thy child), but when thou hast fears about him, cast him into the river, but fear not nor grieve: for We shall restore him to thee, and We shall make him one of Our apostles."

[28. 10.] But there came to be a void in the heart of the mother of Moses: She was going almost to disclose his (case), had We not strengthened her heart (with faith), so that she might remain a (firm) believer.

[28.13.] Thus did We restore him to his mother, that her eye might be comforted, that she might not grieve, and that she might know that the promise of Allah is true: but most of them do not understand.

In Surah Luqman verses no. 14 Allah tells:

[31.14] And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.

In Surah Al-Ahzab verses no. 4, 6 Allah says:

[33.4] Allah has not made for any man two hearts in his (one) body: nor has He made your wives whom ye divorce by Zihar your mothers: nor has He made your adopted sons your sons. Such is (only) your (manner of) speech by your mouths. But Allah tells (you) the Truth, and He shows the (right) Way.

[33.6.] The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties, in the Decree of Allah. Than (the Brotherhood of) Believers and Muhajirs: nevertheless do ye what is just to your closest friends: such is the writing in the Decree (of Allah..

In Surah Az-Zumar verses no. 6 Allah notices:

[39.6] He created you (all) from a single person: then created, of like nature, his mate; and he sent down for you eight head of cattle in pairs: He makes you, in the wombs of your mothers, in stages, one after another, in three veils of darkness. such is Allah, your Lord and Cherisher: to Him belongs (all) dominion. There is no Allah but He: then how are ye turned away (from your true Centre)?

In Surah Ash-Shura verses no. 7 Allah reports:

[42.7] Thus have We sent by inspiration to thee an Arabic Qur'an: that thou mayest warn the Mother of Cities and all around her,- and warn (them) of the Day of Assembly, of which there is no doubt: (when) some will be in the Garden, and some in the Blazing Fire.

In Surah Ahqaf verses no. 15 Allah mentions:

[46.15] We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says, "O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour which Thou has bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam."

In Surah An-Najm verses no. 32 Allah tells:

[53.32.] Those who avoid great sins and shameful deeds, only (falling into) small faults,- verily thy Lord is ample in forgiveness. He knows you well when He brings you out of the earth, And when ye are hidden in your mothers' wombs. Therefore justify not yourselves: He knows best who it is that guards against evil.

In Surah Al- Mujadila verses no. 2 Allah relates:

[58.2] If any men among you divorce their wives by Zihar (calling them mothers), they cannot be their mothers: None can be their mothers except those who gave them birth. And in fact they use words (both) iniquitous and false: but truly Allah is one that blots out (sins), and forgives (again and again).

Some hadith about Mother:

1. On the authority of Abdullah bin Masud, who said: the messenger of Allah, (SAW) narrated to us :"Verily the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother's belly for forty days in the form of seed, then he is a clot of blood for a like period, then a morsel of flesh for a like period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows the breath of life into him and who is commanded about four matters: to write down his means of livelihood, his life span, his actions, and whether happy or unhappy. By Allah, other than Whom there is no Allah, verily one of you behaves like the people of Paradise until there is but an arm's length between him and it, and that which has been written over takes him and so he behaves like the people of Hell-fire and thus he enters it; and one of you behaves like the people of Hell-fire until there is but an arm's length between him and it, and that which has been written over takes him and so he behaves like the people of Paradise and thus he enters it." – ( Bukhari and Muslim)

2. It was reported that ‘Abd-Allah ibn ‘Umar (RA) said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (SAW) says ‘each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock. The imaam is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. A man is the shepherd of his family and is responsible for his flock. A woman is the shepherd of her husband’s house and is responsible for her flock. A servant is the shepherd of his master’s wealth and is responsible for his flock.’ I think that he said, ‘A man is the shepherd of his father’s wealth and is responsible for his flock. Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock.’” --  (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 853; Muslim, 1829)  

3. Ibn ‘Umar (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Three men went out walking and rain began to fall on them. They entered a cave in a mountain, then a rock fell (blocking the entrance to the cave). They said to one another, Pray to Allah by virtue of the best deeds that you have done. One of them said, O Allah, my parents were elderly and I used to go out and tend to my flocks, then I would milk them and bring the milk to my parents for them to drink from it, then I would give some to my children. One night I came home late and found them sleeping. I did not want to wake them, and the children were crying at my feet. I kept waiting and the children kept crying until dawn broke. O Allah, if You knew that I did that for Your sake, then open a way for us through which we can see the sky. So a way was opened for them…”-- (Al-Bukhaari, 2102; Muslim, 2743)!  

4. Abu Hurayrah (RA) said: “I was calling my mother to Islam, when she was still a mushrik. One day I called her to Islam and she said something about the Messenger of Allah (SAW) that upset me. I came to the Messenger of Allah (SAW), weeping, and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I was calling my mother to Islam and she refused. Today I called her and she said something about you that upset me. Pray to Allah to guide the mother of Abu Hurayrah.’ The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: ‘O Allah, guide the mother of Abu Hurayrah.’ I left, feeling hopeful because of the Prophet’s prayer. When I got home, as I came near to the door I saw it was ajar. My mother heard my footsteps and said, ‘Stay where you are, Abu Hurayrah!’ I could hear the sound of water. She washed herself, got dressed and put on her khimar (head covering). Then she opened the door and said, ‘O Abu Hurayrah, I bear witness that there is no Allah except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.’I went back to the Messenger of Allah (SAW), weeping with joy, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, good news! Allah has answered your prayer and has guided the mother of Abu Hurayrah.’ He praised and thanked Allah, and said, ‘That is good.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah to make my mother and me dear to His believing slaves, and to make them dear to us. ‘The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, ‘O Allah, make this slave of Yours (meaning Abu Hurayrah) and his mother dear to Your believing slaves, and make the believers dear to them.’ There is no believer who hears of me or sees me, but he loves me.” (Reported by al-Bukhari, 4546).

5. Abu Hurayrah (RA) said: Once Hakim bin Hizam came to the Prophet  (SAW) of Islam and asked: "To whom should I be kind?" The Prophet replied, "Your mother." Hakim asked, "Then to whom?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." Hakim asked, "Then to whom?" The Prophet replied, "Your mother." Only when Hakim asked the fourth time that, "Then to whom?" the Prophet replied, "Your father." A man once consulted the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) about taking part in a military campaign. The Prophet asked the man if his mother was still living. When told that she was alive, the Prophet said: "(Then) stay with her, for Paradise is at her feet." -- (Al-Tirmidhi)

The mother has many major rights over her child:

 These rights are innumerable, like

*Love and respect, as much as possible, because she is the most deserving of people of her children’s good companionship.

*Taking care of her and looking after her affairs if she needs, that is the children’s duty. Did she not take care of him when he was a child and stay up with him at night and bear it all with patience?

* Treating with one’s mother with respect and kindness, and lowering the wing of humility to her, not answering her harshly or glaring at her, not raising one's voice to her, but being as humble towards her as a slave towards one’s master.

* Not offending them or saying or doing anything that they dislike.

*Spending on her if she is in need.

*Obeying her when she tells you to do something good.

* You have to be patient with your mother and put up with the harsh treatment on her part, which at times may be upsetting to you. By treating her with respect and dealing with her kindly, you will earn her good pleasure and love. Try to avoid things that will provoke her and make her angry, even if they are in your interests, without causing harm to yourself.

* After one’s mother dies, it is Sunnah to fulfil any vows that she had made, and to give charity and perform Hajj and ‘Umrah on her behalf.

*After she dies, it is also Sunnah to honour her by maintaining ties with those whom she used to keep in touch with, such as her relatives and friends.

(This article have published in the

--‘Editorial page’ of ‘The News Today’ on August 15, 2006.

-- Weekend magazine ‘Escapade’ of ‘The News Today’ on October 6, 2006).