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1. Our Parents Hold Our Best Interests At Heart
Obedience to our parents
is the key to their
unconditional love and care and ultimate sacrifice for us. These reasons should force us to consider
the situation very closely before we disobey our parents.
There are many predatory men and women in the world unknown
to us. Many people in the world today make a living by exploitating others. For example, do you think a pimp would go to his
daughter for whoring services? Certainly not. He would rather hunt for someone else's child. What is professed as true intentions
by some people may be far different from what is real. Things in the world are not what they seem on the surface. Therefore,
we better listen to Allah (S.W.A) and obey our parents because Allah (S.W.A) is our ultimate best friend, our protector and
our helper who will never hurt us, and He trusts our parents our parents with our wellbeing. Allah (S.W.A) speaks:
"Fighting
is prescribed upon you, and you dislike it. But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you
love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows and you know not(2:216).
As hard and as repugnant
our parents' wishes for us could get, still to Allah (S.W.A), they are the best for us to trust with our lives, and we should
abide. Allah (S.W.A) wants us to depend on our parents' experience, at least all the time before the age of forty when man
reaches full maturity. Allah (S.W.A) speaks:
"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, 'Oh my lord! Grant
me that I may be grateful for my favor which you have bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness
such as you may approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to You and truly do I bow (to You) in Islam
(46:15)".
"Such are they from whom we shall accept the best of their deeds and pass
by their ill deeds: (they shall be) among the companions of the Garden: a promise of truth, which was made to them(46:16).
Young
children, teenagers and young adults, may not understand implied language and hidden agendas of strangers. They may only perceive
what is apparent and real. In the absence of this skill, it is our parents to translate this implied language and explain
the hidden agendas for us, and we must listen. It may come to you as a surprise, but many times, people always put their interests
first. The quote below holds true for many people.
"We have permanent interests and not permanent
friends".
The person who made this statement could not have explained this situation better.
Be very careful. Before you sign for any packages, let your parents determine for you whether your interests will be well
taken care of. At this stage of life, when we are not even sure what our best interests are, we need the best counselors -
those who are ready to sacrifice their lives for ours - our parents. We must not do anything behind our parents' backs. Anything
done this way is most likely to end up in disaster. We must not be disobedient to our parents. It is a big sin before Allah
(S.W.A). He speaks:
"But (there is a one) who say to his parents 'Fie on you! Do you hold out to
me the promise that I shall be raised up even though generations have passed before me (without rising again)? And they, too,
seek Allah (S.W.A)'s aid, (and rebuke the son): 'Woe to you! Have faith! For the promise of Allah is true.' But he says, 'This
is nothing but tales of the ancients(46:17)!"
"Such are they against whom is proved
the sentence among the previous generations of jinn and men that have passed away; for they will be (utterly) lost(46:18)
"And
to all are degrees according to the deeds which they (have done), and in order that (Allah) may recompense their deeds, and
justice be done to them(46:19)".
"And on the day that the unbelievers will be placed
before the fire, (it will be said to them): 'You received your good things in the life of this world, and you took your pleasures
out of them: but today, shall you be recompensed with a penalty of humiliation: for that you were arrogant on earth without
just cause, and that you ever transgressed(46:20)".
To Be Continued
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