Be Good to Your Parents
Al-Isra 17:23–24. Also known as Verse about parents in the Quran, Rabbir hamhuma kama rabbayani saghira, Do not say uff to your parents
۞وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعۡبُدُوٓاْ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلۡوَٰلِدَيۡنِ إِحۡسَٰنًاۚ إِمَّا يَبۡلُغَنَّ عِندَكَ ٱلۡكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَوۡ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَآ أُفّٖ وَلَا تَنۡهَرۡهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوۡلٗا كَرِيمٗا ﴿٢٣﴾ وَٱخۡفِضۡ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحۡمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱرۡحَمۡهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرٗا ﴿٢٤﴾
Waqada rabbuka alla taAAbudoo illa iyyahu wabialwalidayni ihsanan imma yablughanna AAindaka alkibara ahaduhuma aw kilahuma fala taqul lahuma offin wala tanharhuma waqul lahuma qawlan kareeman Waikhfid lahuma janaha alththulli mina alrrahmati waqul rabbi irhamhuma kama rabbayanee sagheeran
23Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and that you be good to your parents. If either of them or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them a word of disrespect, nor scold them, but say to them kind words. 24And lower to them the wing of humility, out of mercy, and say, “My Lord, have mercy on them, as they raised me when I was a child.”
Verses 23 and 24 of Surah Al-Isra, the 17th surah, are the best-known verses in the Quran about parents. They come straight after the command to worship Allah alone, and they set out how to treat parents, especially when they grow old.
Verse 24 ends with a short dua that many Muslims say for their parents every day: My Lord, have mercy on them as they raised me when I was small.
What it means
Worship none but Him, and be good to parents
Verse 23 opens with a decree from your Lord that you worship no one but Him and that you treat your parents with excellence. The two commands are placed side by side, which shows how high the right of parents is.
When they reach old age with you
The verse then imagines one or both parents growing old while in your care. This is the time when patience is hardest, and the verse speaks to it directly.
Not even a sigh of irritation
It forbids saying even uff to them, a small sound of annoyance, and forbids rebuking them. Instead, the instruction is to speak to them with gracious words.
Lower the wing of humility
Verse 24 asks the child to lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy. The image is of a bird lowering its wing over its young, now reversed: the child shelters the parent.
A prayer for their mercy
The verse ends with a dua: My Lord, have mercy on them, as they raised me when I was small. It ties the child's prayer to the memory of being cared for.
Where it sits in Surah Al-Isra
These verses begin a series of commands in Surah Al-Isra that runs to around verse 39. Verse 22 forbids setting up another god with Allah. Verses 23 and 24 address parents. Verse 25 says Allah knows what is in people's hearts and forgives those who return to Him. Then come commands to give relatives, the poor and travelers their due without waste (verses 26 to 28), to keep a middle course in spending (verse 29), not to kill children for fear of poverty (verse 31), to avoid adultery (verse 32), to protect the orphan's property and keep promises (verse 34), to give full measure (verse 35), and not to walk the earth arrogantly (verse 37). The Quran returns to parents in other places too, including 31:14, 46:15 and 29:8.
How it is used
Many Muslims recite the dua at the end of verse 24 for their parents, both living and deceased. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim report that a man asked the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ who most deserved his good companionship, and the Prophet ﷺ said your mother three times, then your father. Sahih Muslim reports that the Prophet ﷺ spoke of the loss of the person who has one or both parents reach old age and still does not enter Paradise through caring for them.
Questions
Where does the Quran say not to say uff to your parents?
In Surah Al-Isra, 17:23. The same verse tells believers to speak to their parents with gracious words.
What is the Quranic dua for parents?
The best-known is at the end of 17:24, asking Allah to have mercy on one's parents as they raised you when you were small. Another is the prayer of Abraham (Ibrahim) in 14:41, asking forgiveness for himself, his parents and the believers.
Do I have to obey my parents if they tell me to do wrong?
The Quran, in 29:8 and 31:15, says not to obey parents if they push you to associate partners with Allah, but to keep treating them kindly in this world. For specific situations, it is best to ask a trusted scholar.