Two thumbs up for Mothers!

Talking to my mother a few days ago, I was struck by the importance of parents, especially mothers. She was sharing with me how she had missed her own mother, whom she lost to sickness while in middle school, all these years.  My religion, Islam, has taught me that the sacrifices made by parents entitle them to kind treatment by their children.  This admonition has trained me to respect all maternal figures. 

Although Amma (as I call her) lives thousands of miles away in Pakistan, she is a constant source of guidance for whatever problem I am faced with. Yes, I may not always agree with her or understand every solution she proposes, but it sure feels good to be able to share with somebody who has nothing but complete sincerity to offer on every occasion.

Now that I am a mother of three myself, I have acquired greater insight into things only a mother could see and understand. Sure, there were many times growing up when I got upset with Amma; but looking back I can see that she was only trying to help or guide me.

After marriage, I have been introduced to a new maternal figure, my mother in law. A few days ago she lost her own mother whom she had been caring for tirelessly for the past three years.  I truly believe my mother in law must have earned her spot in "paradise" for how she tended to her mother, as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) admonished us:

“Paradise lies under the feet of your mother.”

According to Islam, like some other prominent faiths, one attains heaven or hell depending on what one does in this world.  Caring for parents, especially mothers, is considered one of the guaranteed ways to achieve heaven.

I would like to quote a verse from the Quran, which says:

Thy Lord has commanded, “Worship none but Him, and show kindness to parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age with thee, never say unto them any word expressive of disgust nor reproach them, but address them with excellent speech.  And lower to them the wing of humility out of tenderness.  And say, ‘My Lord, have mercy on them even as they nourished me in my childhood.” (17:24, 25)

This verse made me realize that God has urged us to be extremely caring towards our parents. It is like a complete cycle, where children are taken care of by their parents and when the parents become old, they are taken care of by their children.  This is the norm in a Muslim society.

I have seen so many verses in the Quran that address the kind treatment of parents and relatives as a whole, but none of them say anything specifically about ‘Parents-in-Law.’  Perhaps the reason is that those who are trained to give respect to their own parents inevitably show respect to those of others.

In the 10 years of married life, my mother in law and I have had our differences and it has taken me time to adjust to an additional maternal figure but I have learned to love and admire her for many reasons. Like my own mother she is always there to offer me her sincerity.

The support I get from both mothers is priceless and I feel very blessed to have them in my life. Two thumbs up for Mothers!