Did the elderly burn, or did our hearts?
Elderly souls, advanced in years, never imagined they would live far from their children and grandchildren, who filled the homes with joyful noise...
He was joking with them, and they were joking with him...
He was playing with them, and they were playing with him...
They made him less irritated and more joyful..
In his hand, that familiar cane pointing toward what he desired...
His neighbor would knock on the door, inviting him for a coffee, shared with tales of memories and adventures.
He would sit on the house’s threshold, basking in the sun, watching people pass by — different in colors and shapes — with immense joy and delight.
But... Ahhh...
A piercing question lingers after witnessing that heart-wrenching incident at the elderly care home:
Did the elderly burn, or did our hearts?
I cry out, a voice laden with sorrow and grief: Our hearts burned... then burned again and again... And the cause? The betrayal of children... then the betrayal of children... then the betrayal of children.
Yes...
You, the ungrateful child... You neglected, disrespected, and failed... By the Lord of the Kaaba!
Yes...
Our hearts were scorched with grief and regret... Grief... for a generation that raised us with their sweat and toil until we became who we are today. Regret... for this generation, distant from their Lord, their faith, and the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
This son no, all his sons could not bear him... They complained and grumbled
This daughter no, all his daughters were too busy with their husbands and children, as though they were born without parents.
And this daughter-in-law... Whispering to her husband time and again:
"How long will this go on?"
Using every cunning and deceptive method...
Delaying meals...
Blocking visitors...
Neglecting cleanliness...
Isolating him from close and distant kin...
Until gloom consumed his heart...
He was wishing for an escape from this situation to something better, though torment weighed heavily on his soul.
And the devil rejoiced...
They all echoed:
"Let’s put him in a care home. He’ll be at peace, and so will we."
Forgetting... deliberately forgetting... as a stain covered their hearts, ears, and eyes.
Allah says:
"It is Allah who created you in weakness, then made strength after weakness, then after strength made weakness and white hair. He creates what He wills, and He is the Knowing, the Competent." [Ar-Rum: 54]
And commanded:
"And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him and be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both reach old age while with you, say not to them ‘uff’ (a word of disrespect), nor shout at them, but address them in terms of honor." [Al-Isra: 23]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"May his nose be rubbed in the dust, may his nose be rubbed in the dust, may his nose be rubbed in the dust — the one who lives to see his parents, one or both, during their old age and does not enter Paradise (by being dutiful to them)." [Muslim]
He also told a man who sought permission for jihad:
"Are your parents alive?"
"Yes," the man replied.
"Then your jihad is in serving them."
And the Prophet (peace be upon him) informed his companions of a man from Yemen who would come among them — a man whose prayers would always be answered. His name was Uwais Al-Qarni, blessed
with divine honor.
What was his secret?
"He was devoted to his mother," excelling in his service and kindness to her.
In conclusion, dear generation:
Fear your Lord and remember... You are heading toward the station of old age, riding the train of this fleeting life.
If you show kindness, kindness will be shown to you...
If you show respect, you will be respected...
If you wrong others, you will be wronged...
And your Lord is never unjust to His servants...
What goes around comes around
"Is the reward for good anything but good?" [Ar-Rahman: 60]
I ask Allah to have mercy on our parents and to grant us the grace of honoring them in life and after their passing. Ameen...
