Quran Places Special Emphasis on Being Kind to Elderly Parents
Verse 23 of Surah Al-Isra says: “Your Lord has ordained that you must not worship anything other than Him and that you must be kind to your parents. If either or both of your parents should become advanced in age, do not express to them words which show your slightest disappointment. Never yell at them but always speak to them with kindness.”
Respecting one’s parents is always necessary, but it is even more important when one's parents are old and have special mental and physical conditions. In old age, a person usually loses physical strength and becomes impatient. Sometimes they become difficult to please and may even behave like a child. Here, the Quran has special commandments for children on how to treat their parents.
The phrase “Your Lord has ordained” shows that this is a certain divine order for the Tarbiyah and elevation of human beings.
The phrase “you must not worship anything other than Him” is an emphasis on the importance of monotheism and the fact that if one wants to grow, he must worship the One God as without it, nothing can help him to grow.
That the order to do good to parents comes next to the order to worship the One God is an indication of the importance of kindness to parents. It also shows that a true monotheist does good to his or her parents.
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The phrase “you must be kind to your parents” is an emphasis on previous points about the significance of doing good to parents.
And the phrase “If either or both of your parents should become advanced in age”, is an emphasis on the fact that children’s responsibilities towards their parents become heavier when the parents become old and weak.
