Respect for elders in Islam

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “It is out of glorification of Allah, Almighty, to honour a grey-haired (old) Muslim” (Narrated by Abu Dawud). Thus in honouring a Muslim elder by treating him with respect, gentleness and compassion, one is glorifying Allah, because elders have a special status in the sight of Allah.

Muslim society is supposed to show respect and reverence for the elderly. This is evidenced in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), transmitted from Amr ibn Shuayb, “He is not one of us who does not have mercy on our young and does not respect our elders.” (Narrated by AtTirmidhi).

The words “not one of us” in this hadith mean that disrespect for elders is a great sin; therefore the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) shows that he has nothing to do with one who commits this sin.

Respect for one’s elders is one of the signs of a noble character in a young man. It is reflected in many aspects of our lives, including in our relationships with people. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) warned against having a disrespectful attitude towards elders. AtTabarani in the book “Al Kabir” relates that Abu Umamat (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whoever belittles the following three is not a (true) Muslim but a hypocrite: a just ruler, a teacher of goodness (scholar) and an aged Muslim.”

Belittling elders can be expressed in ridicule, jokes and rude speech, as well as in unethical behavior in their presence. Many of us have seen how young people, when meeting old men in the streets, try to mock them by imitating how elders walk or talk. We can see the same behavior in our schools or colleges where students make fun of and even insult their teachers. Such behaviour is a sign of one’s bad manners and it is parents who are responsible for this attitude.

Today, unfortunately, many have forgotten about the sunna concerning the upbringing of children. Parents spend little time in the raising and education of their children and, few people pay attention to teaching respect for elders. Moreover, there are parents who, on the contrary, instill egoism and disrespect to adults in their children. When an elderly person gets onto a bus or minibus, there are often young people who may not even step aside, to say nothing of giving way to the older person. These young men are unaware that they will certainly experience this sort of attitude themselves when they grow old.

One should always remember the words of the best of the creations the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), “If a young man honours an elderly person on account of his age, Allah appoints someone to honour him in his old age.” (Narrated by At Tirmidhi).

From this hadith it is clear that if a young man shows disrespect for the elderly, Almighty Allah will send to him those who will treat him in a similar way in his old age. The underlying reason for such an attitude is the absence of qualities of shamefulness or bashfulness in a person. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “All of shamefulness is good.” (Narrated by Muslim).

Therefore, it is necessary to instill the quality of feeling shame in children from an early age, so as to make them ashamed to commit improper acts.

• ADIL IBRAGIMOV
• THEOLOGIAN