Duties of children toward parents in Islam:

In Islam, honoring parents is the highest obligation after worshipping Allah SWT alone. Children are commanded to treat parents with supreme kindness, humility and absolute obedience. Key duties include providing financial support, speaking gently, respecting them, and constantly praying for their mercy, particularly in old age and after their death.

Core duties of children towards parents in Islam:

Absolute respect and kindness:

Treating them with extreme gentleness, especially as they age, and never using harsh words like saying "uff".

Obedience:

Obeying with their wishes, provided they do not dispute with Islamic laws.

Supplication:

Constantly praying for their mercy and forgiveness, such as: " My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up when I was small."

Financial and physical support:

Providing for their needs and taking care of them in their old age.

Maintaining relations:

Treating their relatives and friends with kindness.

Obedience after death:

Honoring their memory by fulfilling their rightful promises, paying debts, and continuing to behalf.

This article discusses a series of Quranic verses, then the Hadith that outline the Muslims' duties towards one's parents especially in respect of prayer and worship for them. If shows the relationship between parents and their children, in particular the duties children owe towards their parent whist they are alive. Then it explain the duty to pray for one's parents is they are deceased, and concludes with th argument that indeed we should pray for our parents and feel th benefit or such worship with reward from Allah SWT and higher ranking in one's status.

In the Quran Kareem:

    " And we have enjoined on man doing good to his parents, with trouble did his mother bear him and with trouble did she bring him forth, and the bearing of him and his weaning was thirty months. Until when he reaches maturity and reaches forty years, he says, My Lord! Grant me that I may give thanks for the favour which though has bestowed on me and my parents, and that I may do good that pleases thee and do good to me in respect of my offspring, surely I turn to thee and surely, I am own of those who submit".

This supplication can be made by the child for his parents even if they are alive in heaven. Giving thanks is the main sim here for one's parents to Allah SWT and all the benefits they bring us.

In the Quran Kareem,

     And we have enjoined on man in respect of his parents - his mother bears him with hardship upon hardship and his weaning takes two years- saying be grateful to me and to both your parents, to me is the eventual coming.

Again, Allah SWT wishes us to supplicate towards him to be grateful in our Duas and to be grateful to our parents as they did undergo suffering on our behalf.

In the Quran Kareem, 

    And we have enjoined on man goodness to his parents and if they contend with you that you should associate others with me of which you have no knowledge do not obey them, to me is you return, so I will inform you of what you did.

This verse requires a careful balance between one's duty towards Allah SWT. Allah SWT comes first but that does not stop us praying to Allah SWT to Allah SWT for our parents to be forgiven and guided to the right path. And such a test is one that supplication can be the answer to.

 

In the Quran Kareem verse 36:

   And serve Allah SWT and do not associate anything with him and be good to you parents, and to the near of kin, and the orphans and the needy and the neighbors and the companion in a journey and the wayfarer and those whom our right hands possess, surely Allah SWT does not lobe him who is proud and boastful.

Here we can see that we can obtain love form Allah SWT in the form of Al Wadud blessing if we are good to our parents. Supplication should be made to make us goof towards our parents and to obey the ayat with help from Allah SWT.

Quran Kareem 17, verse 23

   

    And your Lord has commanded that you shall not serve any but him, and goodness to your parents, if wither or both of them reach old age say not to them as much as the word ough nor chide them and speak to them a generous word.

This verse reminds us that parents can be oke helpless with old age. We owe a duty to care for them or to arrange care for them. We are not to chide them for their elderliness, but to do good to them. Again , we can supplicate to Allah SWT to make us care for them and to provide the means by which we can Care for them.

Quran Kareem 6, verse 151:

  Say come i will receive what your Lord has forbidden you remember that you do not associate anything with him and show kindness to your parents and do not slay your children for fear of poverty we provide for you and for them, and do not draw nigh to indecencies , those of them which are apparent and those which are concealed, and do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden except for the requirements of justice, this he has enjoined you that may understand.

This verse has a slightly different focus by requiring kindness towards parents which again supplication can be made for. In fact, turning to our Lord to make us obey the verse and bless us with the means by which we can obey the Verses is looked at favourable by Allah SWT, who rewards worship in many ways.

Quran Kareem 27, verse 19:

    So he smiled at her word and said "My Lord grant me that I should be grateful for thy favour which though has bestowed upon me and my parents and wishes to do good thou is pleased with, and make me enter by the mercy into the servants the good ones".

This is Hazrat Sulaiman's Dua for his parents which can be followed.

Quran Kareem 14, verse 41.

     " O Our Lord grant me protection and my parents and all the believers in the day when the reckoning will come to pass".

This is Dua by Ibrahim, which again can be followed.

In the Quran Kareem, verse 28.

      " My Lord forgive me and my parents and those who enter my house believing, men and the believing women, and do not increase the unjust in nought but destruction".

There is great blessing in following the Prophets example and the shariah towards parents is restated by the Prophethood of Muhammad SAW and upon all the Prophets mentioned here. 

As we can see from above, there is an obligation and duty towards one's parents. The duty to pray for them is found and reiterated throughout the Quran Kareem especially in these verses. Also, supplication was made for their parents by the Prophets of Hazrat Nuh, Hazrat Sulaiman and Hazrat Ibrahim.

The following Hadiths also rule on the matter, with discussion at the end of which require worship for one's parents especially after they have passed away.

It is reported that a person said to the messenger who amongst the people is most deserving of my good treatment? He said: your mother again your mother, again your mother then your father.

The messenger was asked O messenger of Allah SWT  which deed is best? He said, prayer in its  proper time, what is next? Jihad in the way if Allah SWT.

This Hadith places sincere worship of Allah SWT in front of good treatment of parents.

It was also reported in a Hadith that:

"The mother is the middle of the doors of Paradise."

The way to paradise is through good treatment of mothers.

In another Hadith 

" Paradise is under the feet of mothers".

Again the way to paradise is good treatment of mothers.

Again the way to paradise is good treatment of mothers.

In another acceptable Hadith:

 The Prophet said that it will be said to children on the day of resurrection enter paradise. They will say our Lord, not unless our fathers and mothers enter. Allah SWT will say, why do I see them hesitant to enter paradise? They will say " oh our Lord our fathers and mothers." Allah SWT will say enter paradise, all of you and your parents.

Children and naturally inclined to care for their parents and to be concerned for them on judgement day is an example of the love and mercy Allah SWT has places between children and their parents.

Another Hadith:

The messenger of Allah SWT said۔ When the human being dies, his deeds and except for three; ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child that prays for him.

Finally a person should provide for his death in three ways, or have relatives provide for him after his death.

On- going charity in his of her name such as all and any of the verses in the Quran Kareem that preach Zakat.

Beneficial knowledge in the way of producing Quran Kareem and Hadith to donate to people.

A righteous child who prays for his parents in the way outlined above, brings benefit to his parents.

They deserve our respect, kind treatment, obedience, provision and sustenance and perhaps most importantly of all our sincere worship to Allah SWT for their benefit in multifarious ways. If they have passed away,  then going through the relevant sharia and supplicating as directed will allow them to receive ongoing benefit in the garden, and when they reach the garden. And Allah Subhan o Taala knows best.

Duties of children towards their parents in Islam:

Children must show humility, respect and compassion to their parents. They must neither be condescending nor superior to them, for Allah SWT says: " And treat them with humility and tenderness and say, " Lord, be merciful to them both, as they raised me up when I was little ".

Duties towards your parents as a child:

We have to live with them and render service. Taking care of parents is a dharma. We should not counter and make arguments what they had done to us and should not desert them. It is our responsibility and a bounden duty.

Responsibilities of a child:

• Respect others: Be respectful of parents, guardians, teachers and others who provide care, education or training.
• Adhere to standards of behavior
• Avoid illegal actions.
• Take care of your health.
• Be responsible for your studies.
• Respect the rights of others.

Duties and responsibilities of parents towards their children:

• Discipling the child.
• Choosing and providing doe the child's education.
• Agreeing to the child's medical treatment.
• Naming the child and agreeing to any change of name.
• Looking after the child's property.

Duties of children in the family:

• Behaving appropriately, being kind and minding their manners.
• Taking part in the home by carrying out any duties.
• Respecting their parents and appreciating that there is only one of them and acknowledge the hard work that they are doing.

The rights of children over parents:

We often hear about the rights of our parents in Islam. Our mothers, our mothers, our mother our mothers.......then our fathers this has been ingrained in our minds from first we could talk. And how important it is that we respect them, serve them, serve them care for them and above all, honor them.

And it does not stop there. Following their deaths, our duty to them continues with our ongoing Dua for them, Sadaqah on their behalf, Hajj it necessary, even upholding the visitation of the friends they held dear in life when we have the chance. Such a sweet and civil integration of generations have Allah SWT and his Messenger bequeathed to us as Muslims.

Yet too few of us, I think, ponder the rights of children in Islam - more specifically, the rights children hold over parents. The fruit of our marriages, the joy of our eyes, so integral a part of the pleasure of our lives, clearly our children deserve of our lives, clearly our children deserve our contemplation as to what we ought to give them if truly we love them and fear Allah SWT. Says Allah SWT u by way of meaning: Wealth and Children are the adornment of the life of this world.

1: The five precedent preserves:

In his book the rights of children, Ahmad Shawqi Ibrahim highlights 10 rights of the unborn child over his parents, as well as a child's rights during and following birth. To put this in context, Islam enshrines  five protections endowed to human beings by Allah SWT, and with which he encumbers us to preserve for ourselves and all others: Protection of lineage, self, mind, wealth,  and religion. Should we compromise or cause to be lost any one of these, we forfeit earning the pleasure of Allah SWT for he has obliged us to meet the purposes of each of these rights, and all of them together.

Child rearing and divine reward:

Protection of lineage entails more than raising a religious child. It begins even before that child is born, encompassing the duty of a man and a woman to make of themselves righteous believers, a man choosing for himself a righteous woman in marriage, and a woman so choosing a righteous man. Embedded in this marriage selection must be the sincere intention to have children - whose rights to existence Allah SWT thus hallows even before they are anything to be mentioned.

The child's right of lineage includes his or her parents ' obligation to rear him to be dutiful and obedient to Allah SWT, his Messenger and his parents, that he might take his place among the righteous of this Ummah.

This is a heavy responsibility on mothers and fathers, indeed, its consequences being as far- reaching as possible. Allah SWT shall question us as to what we did, or failed to do, in the performance of this arduous, endeavor on the day of judgement. For those human beings whose good accounts on that day are light, whose eternity thus hangs in the balance, will straight away seek to blame the generations who came before them to save themselves from divine  cursing. Children will point to their parents as the ones who deprived them of guidance, who failed to teach them the rights of Hazrat Adam AS, leaving them ignorant, to eat and drink from Haram, even as the cattle.

It was only that our forefathers associated gods from of old, and we were merely their posterity following after them. 

In a famous Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad SAW said: 

   All of you resemble a herdsman. Just as a herdsman protects hua herd, so you too should protect your households. This responsibility is not just for the masjid Imam, or the leader of a people. The Prophet Muhammad SAW enjoins this upon mother's and fathers, sons and daughters, and every member of the Ummah who takes up any responsibility, none being greater than family. 

Also, Allah SWT states in the Quran Kareem:

     " O you who believe! Save yourselves And your families from a fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are Angels, stern and severe. They do not disobey Allah SWT in whatever he commands them. (Indeed) They do whatever they are commanded. ( Thus to whoever enters hellfire, it shall be said:) O you who disbelieve! Make no excuses this Day. Indeed, you are only being recompensed for all ( the evil) that you have done ( in life).

In addition, the Prophet Muhammad SAW advised his companions by urging them to appropriate marriages and large families, on account of the benefits and bounty that come with affectionate wives and children in Numbers:

The rewards of raising righteous children:

The blessing of children is superabundant, plenteous enough to spread happiness to families of mother and father alike. Yet the work of proper child raising is lengthy and difficult in due proportion. By turns, strenuous and complicated, child rearing can weaken the hope from a parent's troubled heart and tax one's emotional psychological strength.

Yet the Prophet Muhammad SAW speaks words of high promise to the struggling parent that refill one's faith and spirit: If one has three daughters and bears troubles caused by them patiently, Allah SWT will elevate him to the highest level of Paradise. A man heard this and asked him: 

     " O Messenger of Allah SWT! Will he still go to heaven if he has two daughters ( and does the like)?" " Even two, he answered. They did not ask him about one".

Indeed, heart and hope spill over for the distressed parent, from the Giver and with holder of children and the dispenser of punishment and reward. In one interpretation of the Ayah in Surat Al- Taghabun: Your riches and your children may be but a trial, but in the presence of Allah SWT, they will be the highest reward.

The rights of children persist through life, but they begin in what some Scholars have termed the second life that is, the life in the womb- the first life being the covenant of faith in a pre- earthly existence when Allah SWT drew all humanity forth from the loins of the children of Hazrat Adam AS to swear our belief in his solidarity lordship over us. Here, we will outline these 10 rights of the child in womb, and defer exposition of later rights to future writings.

1. The right of selection pertaining to it's mother:

The first and most important right of a child is that of its father making a wise selection of its mother. Only Allah SWT knows if a man and women shall bear children. Nonetheless, a would be father is obligated to choose a righteous wife - a woman strong in her religion and sincere in her devotion to Allah SWT u- as the would- be mother of his children. For if Allah SWT has decreed for them children, she is the one who shall carry the child inside her and during this important period and in the crucial formative stages of life after birth, be the primary, molding force in the child's personality and development. If she is not steadfast in her religion, or  she is faulty in her tarbiyah of the child, that is, in its education and cultivation, this will negatively influence the child's spirit and disposition, effects that may be devastating, even irreversible. 

The Prophet Muhammad SAW admonished Muslims in a famous Hadith about marriage: A woman is wedded for four things: Her money, lineage, beauty or religion. Choose the religious lest your hand be in the dust. There are two general, different interpretation for this last phrase used by the Prophet Muhammad SAW. The first - lest your hand be in the dust - interprets this as a warning, dust being associated here with destruction. The second - and your hands be rubbed with dust- is thought idiomatically to mean " may your prosper". For those who deem that this is not a phrase of supplication by the Prophet Muhammad SAW it may be interpreted as and you have dusted your hands with blessing.

This Hadith implies a hierarchy as to the reasons that men tend to marry women, the religious quality being the least likely inspiration for men to wed. The categorical endorsement of the Prophet Muhammad SAW to marry religious women is, therefore,  a strong commendation to Muslim men to break with this existing norm, and to raise this cause for marriage to their first priority. For it is the bidding of Allah SWT that we spend our lives in the company of the righteous believers and that we refrain from even so much as a wistful glance at the glamorous and prestigious of the world. And no companionship is more regular than that if one's wife.

2. The right of selection pertaining to its Father:

In the previous Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad SAW highlighted religion as the controlling quality to be found in a virtuous woman to choose for marriage. Another report likewise emphasizes the strength of righteousness for men as husbands,but adds to thus a broader assessment of character quality.

     If there comes to you to marry one whose religious commitment and character you are pleased with, then marry to him, for if you do not do this, there will be fitnah in tha land and widespread corruption.

This shows that for the father, the most important thing is his righteousness in religion. But guardians are further urged to discern the suitor's uprightness, disposition and manner including as these relate to his personal and social affairs. The husband is ultimately the decisive authority in the family ana with the children. He is the shepherd of the family flock and made responsible for their provision. Allah SWT states: 

     Now, their father was a righteous man; so your Lord intended for both to reach full maturity and then to bring forth their treasure for themselves, as a mercy from your Lord.

This shows that a righteous father benefits his children. Moreover, the fruits of that tree of righteousness continue to bloom, even long after his death.

3. The right to protection from Shatan before conception:

Repeatedly, the Quran Kareem warns us that Shatan is an avowed enemy to man. He begins his assault on the human being from the very first moment, in the act of conceiving a new human creation. He comes to the father and mother at the time of affection and seeks to distract them from invoking Allah SWT. If he succeeds, Shatan imparts deception into the life of the unborn.

The Prophet Muhammad SAW, therefore taught us a supplication to be spoke when we engage in marital relations so as to protect any child that may come of it:

 Bismillah Allahuma! Jannibna Al - Shaytan. Wa Jannib al- Shaytan ma razaqtana.

The Prophet Muhammad SAW said: 

   If one of you has gone into his wife and gas said: " In the name of Allah SWT! Avert from us Shatan. And avert Shatan from what you shall grant us; then Shatan will not trouble any child destined to come from them.

4. The right to be wished for and wanted by parents:

We have seen that Allah SWT has established in the Quran Kareem that children are among the greatest treasures and blessings of this world. Moreover desiring and having children in the Sunnah of the Prophets and messengers. Long without heir, the aged Prophet Zakariyyah entreated his Lord with utter sincerity saying: And( mention the tiding of) Zachariah. Behold! He called upon his Lord: My Lord! leave me not alone (childless) when you are the best of inheritors. The story of his entreaty and the annunciation of the coming of Yahya , John, as a prophet -son is reheated.

The Quran Kareem gives us this and other examples of the righteous believers sincerely seeking wholesome believing offspring through supplication. Even those whom Allah SWT tests by withholding children from them follow this great Sunnah of engaging Allah SWT with sincere Dua for the divine blessing of righteous children.

5. The right to parents sincere in their intention to raise one up for Allah SWT:

  Indeed, actions are (accounted) but by intention, said the Prophet Muhammad SAW. So significant is this principle in Islam that Bukhari recorded it as the first reported Hadith in his Sahih compilation. For it means that an action is rewarded, validated, adjusted issues forth with and is accompanied by its intention. Thus, having children is meant to be something to be intended and pursued strictly for the sake of Allah SWT.

6. The right to life:

Islam strictly prevents taking the life of children. Allah SWT says in Surat Al- Isra: And you shall not ever kill your children for our indigence. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, ( the act) of killing them us an enormous sin.

When it comes to having children, one should not fear poverty, for Allah SWT is the one who provides. This includes going into the womb to kill one's Child, whether it be for fear of poverty or the displeasure at the encumbrance with children. A life is a life, in womb or after birth.

7. The right to protection and medication:

An extension of the right to life, the right to protection and medication charges a mother with the obligation of not subjecting her child to harm, even potentially. The unborn is a trust from Allah SWT. Thus whatever behavior puts a child or mother at risk- be it in doing something or in leaving something undone- the mother us responsible for this before Allah SWT, and he will call her to account for it in the hereafter.

Muslims are distinguished from many of the religious practiced by people before them by their prophetic instruction to seek out cure- which shows no sign of lack of faith in Allah SWT, but rather Allah SWT honors the rational and action- oriented disposition with which Allah SWT gifted man. The Prophet Muhammad SAW said:

            There us a cure for every disease, and when the cure is applied to the disease it is cures with the permission of Allah SWT. Also: he who sent down the disease sent down the cure. This serves as general advice for us to provide medicine and remedy to the young and old alike.

8. The right of provision:

Nafaqah( providing for wife and children) is among a husband's prime responsibilities. This includes food, drink, clothing, shelter and medicine. In a beautiful statement, the Prophet Muhammad SAW said:

         Most assuredly, you spend not wealth sincerely for the sake of Allah SWT save that you are given reward for it- even the morsel you put into the mouth of your wife.

9. The rights of its lineage:

It is the right of a child that he should carry the name of his father in such a way that it links every child with his or her actual paternity. It is a sin to disconnect a child, or to prevent him or her from knowing, his biological paternity, no matter the circumstances - even if that child is orphaned or fostered by another.

Duties of children towards their parents in Islam:

There are many ways in which one can show parents kindness and respect, paying them a visit is one  of the forms of dutifulness towards parents, in addition to treating them well, addressing them politely, trying  humble oneself before them, giving them gifts and so  on.

Rights of children:

Allah SWT has given children rights over their parents just as the parents have rights over their children.

Hazrat ibn Umar said: 

     " Allah SWT has called them Abrar ( righteous) because they honoured ( Barru) their fathers and children. Just as your father has rights over you, so too your child has rights over you".

The Messenger of Allah SWT said, according to a Hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar, and your child has rights over you".

Rights id children before birth:

The child's rights over their parents include some that come even before the child is born, for example:

    Choosing a righteous wife to be a righteous mother.

Hazrat Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet Muhammad SAW said".

 

       " A woman may be married for four reasons: her wealth, her lineage her beauty and her religious commitment. Marry the one who is religiously committed, may your hands be rubbed with dust-".

Sheikh Abd- al- Ghani al- Dahlawi said:

    "Choose from among women those who are religiously committed and righteous, and who are of good falls, for if a woman is of illegitimate falls, this bad characteristic may be passed to her children. Allah SWT says:

      "The adulterer - fornicator marries not but an adulterer - fornicatress or a Mushrikah; and the adulteress fornicatress, none marries her except an adulterer - fornicator or a Mushrik".

Rather Islam recommends compatibility for the purpose of harmony and to avoid a person being shamed if he marries into a family that is not compatible".

Rights of children after birth:

It is Sunnah to do thank for the child when he is born:

  Anas ibn Malik said:

     " The son of Abu Talha returned he said, "what happened to my son?" Umm Sulayman said, He is quieter than he was. " The she brought him his dinner and he ate, then he has marital relations with her, and when he finished she said, " They buried the child". The following morning , Hazrat Abu Talha went to the messenger of Allah SWT and told him what had happened. He said, "Did you have marital relations last night?" He said, "Yes".  He said, " O Allah SWT ", She later gave birth to a boy. Abu Talha said to me, " keep him until I bring him to the Prophet Muhammad SAW". He brought him to the Prophet Muhammad SAW took him and said, " Is there anything with him?" They said, " Yes some dates", The Prophet Muhammad SAW took some and chewed it, then he took some from his mouth and put it in the child's mouth and named him Abd- Allah"...

Al- Nawawi said:

     " The scholars are agreed that it is mustahab to do tahnik with dates for the child when he is born; ur that is not possible then to use some similar kind of sweet. The dates should be chewed until they become soft enough to be swallowed, then the child's mouth should be opened and a little of the dates put in his mouth".

The child should be given a good name, such as Abd- Allah or Abd Al- Rahman.

Nafi narrated that ibn Umar said: The Messenger of Allah SWT said: 

   " The most beloved of your names to Allah SWT are Abd- Allah and Abd al- Rehman ".

It is muatahab to give the child a Prophet's name:

 Anas ibn Malik said: The Messenger of Allah SWT said:

     " A child was born to me last night and I called him by the name of my father Ibrahim".

Samurah ibn Jandub narrated that the messenger of Allah SWT said: 

    " Every child is in promise for which should be slaughtered for him on the seventh day, his head should be shaved ana he should be named". 

Allah SWT says:

 

     " And when Luqman said to his son when he was advising him: " O my son! Join not in worship others with Allah SWT. Verily, joining others in worship with Allah SWT is a great zulm( wrong) indeed".

Al- Manawi said: 

    " Just as your parents have rights over you, so too your child has rights over you, rather many rights, such as teaching them the Individual obligations, teaching them Islamic manners, giving them gift equally, whether that is a gift a waqf or other gift. If preference is shown with no reason, that is regarded as invalid by some of the scholars and as mahrukh by others".

Conclusion:

Children are commanded to treat their parents with the highest level of respect, kindness, and obedience, as emphasized in the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They must speak gently, care for them in old age, fulfill their needs, and never show disrespect—even in moments of disagreement. Serving parents is regarded as a path to Allah’s pleasure and a means of attaining success in both this life and the hereafter. Therefore, fulfilling these duties is not just a social responsibility but a religious obligation that reflects gratitude, humility, and righteousness.