Caring and being respectful to elders is a part of the religion :

In Islam, serving one’s parents is a duty second to prayer, and it is their right to expect it. It is considered despicable to express any irritation when, through no fault of their own, the old become difficult.Allah has said in Quran ( 17:23-24 ):

Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. If one of them or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them a word of disrespect, or scold them, but say a generous word to them. And act humbly to them in mercy, and say, “My Lord, have mercy on them, since they cared for me when I was small.” (Quran, 17:23-24)

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), was a perfect example in caring and teaching humanity how to care for all mankind especially elderly. He taught caring for the elderly irrespective of sex, color, or religion, and he himself set a great example in practicing the principles he taught. This article highlights Islamic teachings related to treating the elderly, and gives glimpses of how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) put them in effect.

A Duty of the Young

Anas ibnMalik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "If a young man honors an elderly on account of his age, Allah appoints someone to honor him in his old age." (At-Tirmidhi; ranked hasan by Al-Albani)

The Prophet here advises the young of the Muslim society, who will be tomorrow's elderly, to honor the elderly. Continuous application of this Prophetic advice helps bridge the gap between generations and spreads an atmosphere of love and understanding between the young and the old. Consider here also the generalization in the Prophet's words: "If a young man honors an elderly;" the hadith requires honoring the elderly regardless of their color or religion.

In another hadith Muslims are told to be merciful to all people, Muslim and non-Muslim:

Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "By Him in Whosehand my soul is, Allah does not bestow His mercy except on a merciful one." They (the Companions) said, "All of us are merciful." The Prophet replied, "Not only that each of you has mercy upon the other, but to have mercy also upon all people." (Abu Ya`la; authenticated by Al-Albani)

A Sign of Reverence for Allah

Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "It is out of reverence to Allah to respect the white-headed (aged) Muslim." (Abu Dawud; ranked hasan by Al-Albani)

In the hadith above, the Prophet considered respecting the elderly a way to show reverence for the Almighty. He linked reverence for the Creator and His creatures with veneration of the All-Powerful and the weak elderly. The hadith implies all kinds of respect and care for the elderly: Health care, psychological care, social care, economic care, ending illiteracy, providing education, and other forms of care that the international community calls for today.

In one hadith, the Prophet disavows those who do not venerate the elderly and considers them alien to the Muslim society:

He is not one of us who does not show mercy to our young ones and esteem to our elderly. (At-Tirmidhi and Ahmad; authenticated by Al-Albani)

Practical Examples

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "The young should (initiate) salutation to the old, the passerby should (initiate) salutation to the sitting one, and the small group of persons should (initiate) salutation to the large group of persons."‏ (Al-Bukhari)

In the hadith above, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gives practical examples of Islamic etiquette and starts with a token of respect to the old. Thus the young should take the initiative toward the aged in greeting and also helping, showing kindness, visiting, advising, phoning, and so on.

The danger of disrespecting your parents

The Holy Prophet (S) 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.” Elsewhere, it is mentioned, “One who hurts his parents, hurts me and one who hurts me has hurt Allah. And the one who hurts Allah is accursed.” Āq al-Walidayn is Not Eligible For Divine Forgiveness The wretchedness of the Āq al-Walidayn 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.” 3 When Jibrīl (a.s.) said this, the Holy Prophet (S) uttered, ‘Amen’! DONT disrespect, shout, ignore, annoy, disobey, disregard, disturb our parents. They were looking after us when we were nothing but an easy prey to anything around. They were awake during the nights to make us sleep and feel us secured. We may not remember a thing in the childhoo...

Medical, Scientific and religious Reasons for not Eating Pork:

People ask me all the time, Why don't you eat pork? ...Is it for religious reasons? ...Are you vegetarian? Are you a Muslim or a Jew ? Do you know that pork taste good ? Honestly, just today I was even asked for sound scientific evidence affirming the danger of eating pork. I will share a few findings with you. Medical and Scientific Reasons for not Eating Pork: This is a direct quote from "What the Bible Says About Healthy Eating" by Dr. Rex Russell. He attended Baylor School of Medicine in Houston, Texas and did his residency at the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Minnesota. Let us watch this short video , let the conversation begin: "One reason for God's rule forbidding pork is that the digestive system of a pig is completely different from that of a cow. It is similar to ours, in that the stomach is very acidic. Pigs are gluttonous, never knowing when to stop eating. Their stomach acids become diluted because of the volume of food, allowing all kind...

An open letter to Jehovah Witness :

A letter to Jehovah Witness by Rachidm: Dear Jehovah’s Witnesses: I would like to share with you some biblical research based upon my discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses friends. My wife used to be a Jehovah Witness. When we got married, I, as a Muslim told her ; "you have the right to practice your religion". I even offered to give her a ride if needed to the Kingdom hall ( Jehovah Witness place of worship ) . With an open mind, I supported her and told her I would never mind her practicing and preaching her religion. During our first couple years of blessed and happy marriage together, I was privileged to engage with my parents in law (upon their request) in a comparative study between Islam and their beliefs. Although they were discouraged from dialogue since they believe their way is the only correct way, I always enjoyed a good open discussion about religion in general. My Mom in law offered me a copy of the New World Translation...

Jehovah's Witness converts to Islam

“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden”. (Quran 35:18)

The idea of Jesus dying on the cross is central to the Christian belief. It represents the conviction that Jesus died for the sins of mankind. The crucifixion of Jesus is a vital doctrine in Christianity; however Muslims reject it completely. Before describing what Muslims believe about Jesus’ crucifixion, it may be useful to understand the Islamic reaction to the notion of original sin. When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree in paradise, they were not tempted by a serpent. It was Satan who deceived and cajoled them, whereupon they exercised their free will and made an error in judgement. Eve does not bear the burden of this mistake alone. Together, Adam and Eve realised their disobedience, felt remorse and begged for God’s forgiveness. God, in his infinite mercy and wisdom, forgave them. Islam has no concept of original sin; each person bears responsibility for his own deeds. “And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s bur...

Imam Abu Anas Abdulhadi of Masjid Al Furqan

THE DOCTRINE OF ORIGINAL SIN

Greetings of peace, This post is an answer to a new friend whom I recently met and respect , a devout Christian passionate about sharing his religion with others , who challenged me to provide some proofs regarding why Muslims don't accept the doctrine of original sin; a doctrine ( including the concept of trinity ) that was added by the Church at the Council of Nicaea some 325 years after Jesus left the earth. Notice I say left the earth ( meaning resurected alive by Allah ) and not died yet or crucify as some claims , but that is a topic for another day. Back to the doctrine of original sin. Are we born with so called Original sin or born innocent ? Is a Newly Born Baby really a Sinner? Islam Challenges The Concept of Original Sin. Let us found out why ? let's take a look at the following passages from The Bible: (Deuteronomy 24:16) “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children...

http://rachidm.blogspot.com/2010/12/listen2quran.html

Allah is the Most Generous by Dr. EL Sayed Ramadan , PhD

Please tune in today to your weekly radio program Islam4mankind starting from 1:07 to 2 pm live from radio station Laprimira1220 am station Allah is the Most Generous : Main Points 1. The Oneness of Almighty in His Lordship, Godhood and Attributes. 2. Allah's Attributes are expression of His Greatness and Love. 3. What the Qur'an says about Allah's Attributes. 4. What the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said about the Attributes of Allah, the Almighty God. 5. Allah is the Most Generous as emphasized by the Qur'an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) . 6. Manifestations of Allah's Generosity. 7. Our responsibility towards this great Attribute of the Almighty God. Was-Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakatuh Dr. EL SAYED RAMADAN, PhD Lecturer at Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt Department Of Islamic Studies In English Imam of Masjid Fresno Islamic Center ...

Imam Johari Abdul Malik will be guest speaker next Thursday Radio Islam4mankind

Imam Abdul Malik serves as the director of Community Outreach for the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center. He was the first Muslim Chaplain installed at Howard University. The imam is the former chair of Government Relations for the Muslim Alliance in North America [MANA founded by Imam Siraj Wahhaj] and is the founding President of the Muslim Society of Washington, DC Inc. Known nationally for his fundraising efforts for masjids, schools and relief organizations, Imam Johari is a founding member of the Muslim Advocacy Commission of Washington, D.C. and “Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence” [MMADV] and has edited a book on “What Islam Says About Domestic Violence”. In his native Brooklyn community his mother kept the family busy with community service. From an Episcopal choir boy-who visited the deep southern Pentecostal “COGIC” holiness church during his summer vacations as youth-until at confirmation the teachings of the Ten Commandments exposed what he believed were contradictions wit...

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