Birr al-Walidayn - Azhari Mahmud 1
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Birr al-Walidayn (Filial Piety) is an Islamic devotional and ethical treatise by contemporary author Azhari Ahmad Mahmud, focusing on the obligations, virtues, and practical manners of honoring and serving parents in Islam.
Content and Structure
The work opens with an exposition of the concept of birr al-walidayn (dutifulness to parents), emphasizing that parental devotion is linked directly in the Quran with the worship and oneness of God. The author quotes classical definitions of filial piety, including the statement of al-Hasan al-Basri that it entails spending whatever one possesses on them and obeying them in whatever they command so long as it is not an act of disobedience to God, as well as al-Qurtubi's commentary on the meaning of ihsan (excellence) toward parents.
The author organizes the treatise into several practical topics and thematic sections:
Manifestations of Dutifulness
The book outlines the primary ways in which a Muslim expresses filial piety:
- Obedience: Obligatory obedience in all permissible matters, noting the juristic view—such as that attributed to Ahmad ibn Hanbal referencing al-Hasan—that a person should break a voluntary fast if requested by their parents.
- Humility and speech: Lowering one's voice, speaking gently, and maintaining reverence and humility before them, citing the ascetic practice of Ibn Awn, who freed two slaves after accidentally raising his voice when answering his mother.
- Seeking permission: Requesting their leave before embarking on long travels for seeking knowledge or other pursuits, including voluntary participation in military expeditions.
- Financial support: Providing maintenance, clothing, and shelter, referencing the prophetic narration أنت ومالك لأبيك ("You and your wealth belong to your father").
- Supplication: Consistently praying for their mercy and forgiveness, both during their lives and following their deaths.
Virtues of Filial Piety
The text enumerates the spiritual and worldly merits of honoring parents based on prophetic hadiths and sayings of the early Muslims (salaf):
- It is among the deeds most beloved to God and a direct path to Paradise.
- Parental pleasure brings the pleasure of God, while their displeasure incurs His wrath.
- It serves as a cause for longevity, expansion of sustenance, and expiation of major sins, citing Ibn Abbas's statement that he knew of no deed closer to God than dutifulness to one's mother.
Care in Old Age and After Death
Mahmud addresses the heightened obligation of caring for parents during their advanced age, highlighting the severe prophetic warning against neglecting elderly parents. He further details duties toward deceased parents, which include seeking forgiveness on their behalf, giving charity in their name, and upholding ties with their friends and extended relations.
Historical Exemplars
The work concludes with a compilation of historical anecdotes demonstrating extreme devotion to parents among early scholars and notable figures:
- Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir spending the night massaging his mother's feet while his brother spent the night in prayer.
- Zabyan ibn 'Ali standing on his feet throughout the night near his sleeping mother so as not to disturb her when she was upset.
- Muhammad ibn Sirin exhibiting profound humility and speaking in a subdued tone whenever in the presence of his mother.
- Zayn al-Abidin refraining from eating from the same dish as his mother out of fear of taking a morsel she might have looked at first.
- Dharr ibn 'Umar walking behind his father by day and ahead of him by night, and never ascending to a roof situated directly above his father.
- Al-Fadl ibn Yahya al-Barmaki warming water with his own body heat and a lamp in prison so his father could perform ablution.
- Hujr ibn Adi testing his mother's bed with his own back before she lay down to ensure it was comfortable.
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