Introduction .....
Respect for parents is a norm as well as a requirement
in every society .Even the primitive cultures mandated respect for parents.
The unit of the family, which forms the basis pf human development revolves
around an intrinsic love and respect between the parents and children. The
discipline and coherence that resulted from this unique relationship, and
the accompanying altruistic love essentially forms the basis of all later
developments into higher institutions, the clan, the society and ultimately
the state. Interestingly the animal kingdom also shows this sublime
characteristic with the humans.
The parents and children's relationship is reciprocally
based on mutual love and respect. This relationship is the key to the
individual happiness as well as the collective success of a society .
The Western society has been able to achieve a relative
material prosperity .But in the rat race that followed, the family as a unit
started decaying. The moral values diminished. Today the West is confused.
It is unable to handle the problems resulting from the epidemic of divorce
and the broken homes, illegitimate births and the single parent family, anew
phenomenon of this century .The children, born in adverse and unnatural
environment and deprived of love, turn into psychotics and criminals. The
West has no solution to the chaos, the problem of violent crime and the fast
disintegrating family unit.
The time has come for the humanity to submit to the
will of the Creator, the one and only one God. While the West finds itself
in the darkness, there is light at the end of the tunnel and that light is
the Quran and its eternal Message which provides solutions to all human
problems.
This small booklet translated from the original Urdu
text is one of the series of Pyame Aman Publications. An attempt has been
made by the author to put together in a small volume, the Qur’anic
injunctions, the Traditions of the Prophet and the Sayings of the Imams on
the subject in hand. For the benefit of the readers, Pyame Aman has added
toward the end, the famous Dua of the 4th Imam. While we sincerely believe
the Muslims as well as non-Muslims will benefit from this book, I most
humbly conclude here, with an excerpt from the supplication of the 4th Imam,
which is beautiful and sublime..
“ O God,
Lower before
Them (Parents), My Voice,
Make
Agreeable to Them my Words,
Make Mild
before Them my Temper,
Make Tender
toward them My Heart,
and
Turn Me into
their Companion,
Their Loving
Friend!"
_______________
NASIR SHAMSI
Jackson, NJ
