Respect for parents is an essential aspect of Islam, and disobedience to them is considered a grave sin. The Quran and Hadith have explicitly warned of the severe consequences of disrespecting parents.
The Quran emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive relationship with our parents and treating them with utmost kindness and respect. Moreover, disobedience to parents may not only lead to the threat of punishment in the hereafter but also immediate consequences in this life.
We’ll explore why Islam punishes us for disrespecting our parents so severely and why keeping a loving relationship with them is so important. So keep reading.
Punishment for Disrespecting Parents in Islam: According to the Quran and Sunnah
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Disobedience to parents is considered a major sin in Islam, and the consequences for such actions are described with severity in Islamic books.
1. Hellfire as a Consequence
Disobedience to parents is explicitly mentioned in the Quran as a major sin that can lead to severe punishments, including hellfire in the afterlife. The Holy Prophet(PBUH) said:
“Beware! Abstain from angering the parents. The fragrance of Paradise is perceived even at a distance of a thousand years, but those who are disobedient to parents and those who cut off ties with relatives will not be able to smell it.”
The Holy Prophet(PBUH) also said:
“One who displeases the parents, (it is as if) he has displeased Allah. One who angers both his parents (it is as if) he has angered Allah.”
This displeasing them can result in eternal punishment. Allah warns us in the Quran:
۞ وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـٰنًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ ٱلْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّۢ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًۭا كَرِيمًۭا
“For your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And honour your parents. If one or both of them reach old age in your care, never say to them ˹even˺ ‘ugh,’ nor yell at them. Rather, address them respectfully.” [Surah: Al-Isra:17, Ayat:23]
Also, Allah Says:
۞ وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَـٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَـٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍۢ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًۭا
“˹Beware of˺ the Day We will summon every people with their leader.1 So whoever will be given their record in their right hand will read it ˹happily˺ and will not be wronged ˹even by the width of˺ the thread of a date stone.” [Surah: Al-Isra:17, Ayat:70]
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said,
“… Whoever comes into the morning and both his parents are angry with him, he comes into the morning with 2 doors of hellfire open to him. Whoever goes into the evening with both parents are angry with him, he goes into the evening with 2 doors of hellfire open to him. And if he has just one parent, then one door is open for him…”
When the companions realized that the Prophet (PBUH) told them about the significant position of parents, one of them asked:
“Even if the parents were oppressive to them?” The Prophet (PBUH), replied, “Even if they oppress the child, even if they oppress the child, even if they oppress the child.”
2. Immediate Punishment in This Life
Unlike some sins that may be deferred to the Day of Resurrection, the mistreatment of parents is warned to bring immediate consequences in this life. According to a Hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad, those who harm their parents severely will be punished promptly.
One who doesn’t deal with his/her parents well may lose his Iman during the time of death. It is narrated by Imam Ahmad that a man came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said,
“O Messenger of Allah, there is a young man named Alqama here who is dying. He was told, ‘Say Laa ilaaha ill-Allah,’ but he could not say it. The Prophet (PBUH) asked, ‘Did he not say it during his lifetime?’ He said, ‘Of course.’
Then the Prophet (PBUH) sent for his mother who said that she was angry with him because he used to favor his wife over her. Then the Prophet (Pbuh) gathered firewood and told his mother that he would burn her son before her very eyes.
She said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, he is my son and I cannot bear to see you burning him in front of me!’ The Prophet (PBUH) said, ‘O mother of ‘Alqamah’, the punishment of Allah is more severe and long lasting. If you want Allah to forgive him, then forgive him (yourself).
By the One in Whose hand is my soul, his prayer, fasting and zakat will not benefit him so long as you are angry with him.’ So the woman forgave her son and after some time he died after uttering the shahaadatayn (twin declaration of faith).”
Abu Huraira (Ra) related that the Prophet (PBUH) said, “There are four people who will not enter Paradise as Allah decreed: a drunkard, a usurer, he who appropriates the orphan’s property without a legal cause and he who shows disrespect to one’s parents.”
Also Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (‘a) said,
“Allah will not accept the Salat of the person who stares angrily at his parents. Even though they (parents) may be unjust.”
3. Barriers to Divine Forgiveness
Disobedience to parents is a barrier to divine forgiveness. The misery of the Āq al-Walidayn (means that the son or the daughter causes disrespect to parents by speech or actions) is sufficiently evident from the fact that the trustworthy Jibrīl (a.s.) has cursed him and said,
“One who is blessed with parents but does not fulfill their (his parent’s) rights will not be forgiven (his sins) by Allah.”
When Jibrīl (a.s.) said this, the Holy Prophet (S) uttered, ‘Amen’!
So it is clear that disrespecting parents in Islam carries significant consequences, both in this life and the Hereafter.
Final Words
The punishment for disrespecting parents in Islam is a severe and ultimate consequence that should not be taken lightly. We must maintain a positive relationship with our parents, treat them with the utmost kindness, and seek forgiveness when we falter.
Disobedience to parents not only constitutes a grave sin but can also lead to immediate punishment in this life and serve as a barrier to divine forgiveness. May we all strive to honor our parents, recognize their sacrifices, and seek their blessings in every step of our journey toward righteousness.
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