Article by Shaykh Abu Uthman Muhammad Al-Anjaree Hafidhahullah. English translation by Shaykh Abu Abdullaah Nabil Chogle Hafidhahullah. Given on 2nd February 2025.
Today, my dear brothers and sisters listening via this live telelink and those who inshallah
will listen to the recording as well, I’m going to read out and go through an article
done by our Sheikh Muhammad Al Anjiri, Hafidha Allah, entitled What have you done or what
did you do for your mother?
And it’s a lovely article, this article written by our Sheikh Muhammad Al Anjiri, Hafidha
Allah.
The Sheikh had written this article way back in 1998 and published it in one of the local
newspapers in Kuwait, in Jaredatul Qabas, the Qabas newspaper, and it has in it a really
good reminder for those of us whose mothers are still with us, and for those of us whose
mothers are probably not with us but as a reminder of the tremendous status of our mothers
in Islam and the reminders as well for us, and my dear brothers and sisters, in what
you need to do in terms of being dutiful for your mother for the sake of Allah subhanahu
wa ta’ala.
So our Sheikh began by mentioning the title of course, What did you do for your mother?
And the Sheikh said, Hafidha Allah, isn’t it enough of a sin, isn’t it enough of a
sin and regret for a person to waste the opportunity of his mother’s life without being dutiful
to her and doing good for her, especially when your mother is at an advanced age, especially
when your mother is old.
And the Sheikh said, oh who you read my article, oh who reads my article, remember that your
mother’s life is limited and you do not know when it will end.
So have you taken the opportunity of your life to be dutiful to her and to do good to
her?
And look at the words of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam and Muhammad sallallahu alayhi
these words about who is the most deserving of us being dutiful to in this world.
He sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, the most deserving in birr of people is your mother,
then your mother, then your mother, collected by Imam al-Bukhari and his sahib.
And he sallallahu alayhi wasallam also said, may the nose of a man meaning be rubbed in
dust who has both of his parents or one of them and does not enter paradise with them
meaning by way of being dutiful to them.
Rather look at the incident that happened in the life of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi
wasallam and sheikh al-anjiri he said, and bite your finger in regret if you are amongst
those negligent people.
A man came to the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam wanting to fight alongside with our
prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
An amazing opportunity, what an opportunity.
But he did so without the consent of his parents.
So he asked the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam about that.
So our sheikh sheikh Muhammad al-anjiri he said, so the one who does not speak from his
desires meaning Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam from one of the attributes of Muhammad
is that he doesn’t speak from his desires as Allah mentions in the Quran.
So Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam told him, told his companion, go back and go to
them.
Rather the prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was not satisfied with that and said, and
make them laugh as you make them cry.
So this companion went out wanting good for himself and his family.
And sheikh al-anjiri he said, keep in mind that the shaheed, the one who dies in Islam
has the right to intercede for his family on yawm al-qiyamah but the parents satisfaction
was greater.
So sheikh al-anjiri he said, all you who neglected your mother’s rights, where are you regarding
these texts and the proofs?
Compare yourself with these texts and proofs.
If you are the one who says about your mother that she made a mistake and she transgressed
and that she went too far and that she distanced herself, then know that you are the one who
is wrong according to the sharia and this is nothing but from the evils of your soul
and from the shaitan.
So look at the statement of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala which means, if they endeavor in
jahadak, if they endeavor to make you associate with me, with Allah, that which you have no
knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in this world with appropriate kindness.
So sheikh said, is there any clarification after this verse?
Look at the statement of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, if they endeavor to make you associate
with me, that which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in this
world with appropriate kindness.
So ahibhu ma fit dunya ma’rufa, accompany them in this world with appropriate kindness.
That is, if your parents command you to disbelieve your lord or your prophet sallallahu alayhi
wasallam, do not obey them but your lord has stipulated that you accompany them in kindness
and treat them well, even if they are enemies of Allah and his messenger.
Is this matter and the situation greater than that?
Remember the words of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, and your lord has decreed that you do not
worship except him, and to your parents with good treatment, and if one or both of them
attain old age while they are with you, and do not say to them even a word out of disrespect,
and do not repel them but address them with a generous word, and lower to them the wing
of humility out of mercy and say, and say, my lord have mercy upon them as they brought
me up when I was small.
So sheikh al anjiri hafidh of Allah he said, it is forbidden for you to say uff, so fear
Allah in yourself.
It’s forbidden even to say uff, so fear Allah in yourself.
And among the means of being dutiful to your mother is to constantly communicate with her
and meet her needs and listen to her words.
Even if her words do not agree with your nature and mood, but be a listening ear to her because
she will be happy with that.
Help her to do good and remind her of Allah without it being boring and pay attention
to this.
Sheikh al anjiri hafidh of Allah he said, remind her of Allah without it being boring
or going beyond the limits of the guidance of the chosen one meaning Muhammad sallallahu
As Ibn Mas’ud radiallahu ta’ala anhu said about our noble messenger sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam that he would alternate between admonitions for his sohaba, for his companions,
for fear of them becoming bored.
And you should give your mother many gifts for gift pleases the soul and makes the heart
happy.
And this is what we look from the as sheikh al anjiri said, min fihi Muhammad meaning
from the mouth, meaning the statements of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam when
he said, give gifts to one another and you will love one another in meaning, al hadith.
So if your family and the sheikh gives a scenario now, if your family is at odds with your mother,
for example, then know that oppression is forbidden for your family.
You’re not allowed to oppress your family in this.
And you must be steadfast and approach them as much as you can.
And you’re able to with good.
But the limit that you have is that you have no right to go beyond is that you speak harshly
to your mother.
That is, you still speak to your mother in a soft way.
You do not raise your voice and you oppress her.
And oppression has many forms.
Sheik has just given a few examples.
You must be just with your family without oppressing your mother.
And if your mother transgresses that you do not have the right to transgress against her
on your part because it is the work of the shaitan and that is his evil.
So sheikh Al Anjeri Hafidhullah said, take advantage of her life and bring her into the
abode of happiness with kindness and good company and help her to fulfill her needs.
Take on the task of even making a pretense of righteousness, even if you have to.
It’s difficult on you to be to be righteous to your mother.
Take on this pretense of being righteous to your mother.
Do it.
And if patience is not in your nature, then be patient in order to be righteous to her.
Basically do it, even if it’s not within you.
Try it.
Do it.
So that you may please Allah SWT and this is in obedience to Allah SWT.
And here is a story, sheikh Al Anjeri Hafidhullah finishes off this lovely article by mentioning.
He says, here is a story which is a witness to the guidance of the righteous in taking
the trouble to be dutiful to parents.
That is, strive hard to be dutiful to your parents.
And the sheikh said, I mean the story of Ashab Al Kahf from one of the men of the cave who
brought milk while his parents were asleep.
And he stood by the head waiting until they woke up.
And this was whilst his children needed to drink, but he held back until his parents
woke up and they drank until they were satisfied.
Then he gave what was left to his children and his family.
And this action pleased Allah SWT and brought him closer to him, brought him closer to Allah
SWT.
So sheikh Al Anjeri Hafidhullah, he mentions a few lines of Arabic poetry, which means
what dutifulness, what an action of dutifulness and what a deed.
And this is how our sheikh Hafidhullah finishes off this lovely article entitled, What did
you do for your mother?
It’s a lovely reminder for us, my dear brothers, from who we’ve got, our mothers with us,
that you strive, that Allah gives us tawfiq in striving to be dutiful to our mothers,
acting upon the advices that the sheikh has given and other than that, buying gifts for
her, listening to her, now making it boring for her, doing whatever you can to fulfill
her needs.
And we’ll finish with that.
I chose this because it’s one of those articles which our sheikh has written, Hafidhullah,
and it’s a lovely reminder.
And I’ll go through my notes and I’ll post it out for the brothers as a PDF file for
reference as well.
And inshallah, hopefully, we’ll have Sheikh Al Anjeri join us next week, inshallah, if
he can, and maybe I’ll request from the sheikh to give us furthermore advices around this
topic.
And if the brothers have any questions as well, or you’d like any more clarification,
we can ask the sheikh to do that for us in the next lesson.
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.
Take care, brothers.
Thank you.