GI: Without suffering or pain, life would be meaningless

 

Filial obedience entails abundance in livelihood and a long blissful life

 

The Grand Imam has given good news of the great reward awaiting those who endure patience and affliction in worldly life. Compared to the reward of afterlife bliss awaiting those afflicted, their affliction is nothing. The Prophet (pbuh) said, “On the Day of Resurrection, among the people of Hell, a person who had led the most luxurious life in this world will be brought up, dipped in the Hellfire, and asked: ‘O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any comfort? Did you happen to get any luxury in your worldly life?' He will reply: ‘By Allah, my Lord, I never did.’ And then one of the people of Paradise who had experienced extreme misery in the life of this world, will be dipped in Paradise. Then he will be asked: ‘O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any misery? Did you ever encounter difficulty in your worldly life?’ He will say: ‘By Allah, my Lord, I never did. I neither experienced misery nor passed through hardship.’” His Eminence pointed out that this hadith makes it easy for us to endure hardship and warns us against careless indulgence in worldly pleasures.

 

In the twenty-third episode of Imam Al-Tayyeb TV program, the Grand Imam said that the believers’ share of Allah’s Name Al-Barr is to show absolute obedience and submission to Allah. Besides, one should not be harsh or rude in dealing with people in actions and words. Regarding mother and father, children’s Barr (kindness/filial duty), means utmost respect. A child should not even say ‘ugh’ or yell at them as indicated in the Quran. Filial ingratitude is a major sin. 

 

The Grand Imam pointed out a common issue these days which is the parents’ disappointment at their children’s ingratitude, which is at times a reflection of the parents’ maltreatment of their own parents. This results from a lack of proper upbringing and proper moral education to name but a few causes. But today, children would yell at their parents and even reproach them. Filial ingratitude is one of the gravest of the major sins. Referring to the Noble Quran, Allah says, “Worship Allah and associate none with Him. And be kind to parents.” This implies that filial ingratitude comes directly next to polytheism. On the other hand, filial obedience entails abundance in livelihood and a blissful life and leads to Paradise. 

 

His Eminence called for meetings at the level of ministers of education to mend or rectify the relationship between children and parents as well as education, pointing out that pre-university curricula in Al-Azhar underscore filial duty, but unfortunately, this is not the case in other schools.