A PATH TO ALLĀH’S PLEASURE

 FAJR REMINDER: A PATH TO ALLĀH’S PLEASURE

By: Umm Affān

Rabī' Al-Awwal 3, 1448 (16-August-2026)

The scholars have pointed out that the Pleasure of Allāh is connected to the pleasure of one's parents, just as the Anger of Allāh is connected to their anger. Therefore, the one who leaves this world while his parent is angry with him has placed himself in a grave danger and exposed himself to the Anger of Allāh.

Allāh (ﷻ) says: “And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents.” [Sūrah Al-Isrā' (17): 23-24] This demonstrates the tremendous status of dutifulness to parents. Al-‘Iḥsān—the highest level of goodness—is not merely encouraged; it is a necessary obligation. Allāh has mentioned dutifulness to parents alongside worshipping Him alone, highlighting their great virtue and the seriousness of their rights.

Therefore, the two are inseparable. You cannot attain complete dutifulness to Allāh while neglecting the rights of your parents. Likewise, genuine dutifulness to one's parents must be founded upon obedience to Allāh. The true essence of worship cannot be properly established while a person deliberately neglects the rights of those whom Allāh has commanded him to honour.

This is further demonstrated by the tremendous glad tidings given by the Prophet (ﷺ) to a man who mentioned his acts of worship. Yet, even with those great acts of worship, the Prophet (ﷺ) attached a condition to the glad tidings: that the man must not commit ‘Uqūq (disobedience/abuse) against his parents.

‘Amr Ibn Murrah al-Juhanī (Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anhu) said: A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: “O Messenger of Allāh, I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allāh and that you are the Messenger of Allāh; I perform the five daily prayers, pay the Zakāh on my wealth, and fast the month of Ramaḍān.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Whoever dies upon this will be with the Prophets, the truthful, and the martyrs on the Day of Resurrection, like this”—and he raised his two fingers—“provided that he does not disobey his parents.” [Musnad Aḥmad 24299]

The importance of this matter is also reflected in the statement attributed to ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Abbās (Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anhumā), who drew attention to three important pairs mentioned in the Qur’ān. He said: “There are three verses that were revealed with three things paired with them; one of them is not accepted without its companion.” He then mentioned the three pairs:

(1) Obedience to Allāh and obedience to His Messenger (ﷺ). [Obey Allāh and obey the Messenger]. Whoever obeys Allāh but does not obey the Messenger (ﷺ) has not fulfilled what is required.

(2) Ṣalāh and Zakāh. [Establish prayer and give (the compulsory) charity]. Whoever establishes Ṣalāh but refuses to give Zakāh has not fulfilled the obligation.

(3) Gratitude to Allāh and gratitude to one's parents. “Be grateful to Me and to your parents.” [Sūrah Luqmān (31): 14] Ibn ‘Abbās said that whoever is grateful to Allāh but is ungrateful to his parents has not fulfilled this command. [Adh-Dhahabī, al-Kabā’ir, p. 40, under “The Eighth Major Sin: Disobedience to Parents.”]

Dutifulness to one's parents is not an obligation that was introduced only for this Ummah. Previous nations were also commanded to honour their parents, and the righteous among them were distinguished by their dutifulness. Allāh (ﷻ) praises Yaḥyā, the son of Zakariyyā, saying: “And (We made him) sympathetic to men as a mercy (or a grant) from Us, and pure from sins and he was righteous, And dutiful towards his parents, and he was neither an arrogant nor disobedient (to Allāh or to his parents).” [Sūrah Maryam (19): 12-14]

In the same Sūrah, Allāh (ﷻ) mentions the words of ‘Eesā (called Jesus), who informed his people of his obligation towards his mother: “And dutiful to my mother...” [Sūrah Maryam (19): 32]

Sadly, many people treat the matter of dutifulness to parents lightly, while Allāh has given it tremendous importance. The rights of parents are not matters to be taken casually or postponed until it is too late. A believer should therefore strive throughout his life to honour his parents, speak kindly to them, serve them, and avoid anything that may cause them hurt or displeasure.

I beseech Allāh (ﷻ) to make us among those who are ever dutiful to our parents, who fulfil their rights while they are alive, and who continue to honour them after their death through righteous deeds. Aameen.