Doing Good to Parents Given Same Emphasis as Tawheed
This is a clear indication of the significance that Islam attaches to being kind to parents.
There are several verses in the Holy Book containing the phrase “Wabil Walidayni Ihsana (do good to your parents or treat your parents well)”. Here are two to them.
In Verse 83 of Surah Al-Baqara, which is about Bani Isra’il, there is a command to treat parents well right after ordering Tawheed: “(Remember) when We made a covenant with the Children of Israel, you shall worship none except Allah. Show kindness to your parents, to kinsmen, to the orphans, and to the needy, and speak of goodness to people. Establish your prayers and pay the obligatory charity.”
It is interesting that even ordering to establish prayers and pay Zakat comes after instructing to be kind to parents.
Read More:
Another verse, which addresses all Muslims, also stresses doing good to parents after warning against Shirk and ordering monotheism:
“Worship God and do not associate anything with Him. Be kind to parents and near kinsmen, to the orphans and to the needy, to your neighbor who is your kindred, and to the neighbor at your far side, and the companion at your side, and to the destitute traveler, and to that which your right hands owns. God does not love he who is proud and struts.” (Verse 36 of Surah An-Nisa)
This verse, too, highlights the order of priories in doing good and being kind to others, with parents given the highest priority. The last sentence in the verse “God does not love he who is proud and struts,” indicates that doing good should be with humbleness and not with arrogance. It also reveals that neglecting parents, kinsmen and the poor in society is a result of arrogance and conceit.
