https://www.khutbah.info/rights-of-the-elderly/ Indeed, our faith is a religion of virtues, merits, and noble qualities. It has given everyone their due rights. The greatest of these rights is the right of Allah Almighty, by worshipping Him alone, dedicating deeds sincerely to Him, accepting His shariah, and being content with His decree. Then, the right of the Messenger ﷺ by accepting his message, following his guidance, learning his Sunnah, and spreading his guidance. Our perfect Shariah and great faith have guaranteed the rights of all creatures, each according to what they are due. Among the rights that Islam has guaranteed and stressed, and assigned virtue and reward to fulfilling, are the rights of the elderly, whether they are parents, relatives, neighbors, or strangers.
إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ ,نَحْمَدُهُ ,وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ , وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا ,مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ , وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ , وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Verily, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, we seek His assistance and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Him from the evils of our selves. Whoever Allah guides, none can misguide. Whoever He misguides, none can guide. And I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
يَا أَيُّهَا الّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ – آل عمران:102
Al Imran 102 : O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.
Oh people:
Indeed, our faith is a religion of virtues, merits, and noble qualities. It has given everyone their due rights. The greatest of these rights is the right of Allah Almighty, by worshipping Him alone, dedicating deeds sincerely to Him, accepting His shariah, and being content with His decree. Then, the right of the Messenger ﷺ by accepting his message, following his guidance, learning his Sunnah, and spreading his guidance. Our perfect Shariah and great faith have guaranteed the rights of all creatures, each according to what they are due.
Among the rights that Islam has guaranteed and stressed, and assigned virtue and reward to fulfilling, are the rights of the elderly, whether they are parents, relatives, neighbors, or strangers.
Allah, the Most High, says:
وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُلْ لَهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا * وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُلْ رَبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا-الإسراء 23-24
Al-Isra (17) 23-24: (23) And your Lord has decreed that you worship not except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], “uff,” and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. (24) And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, “My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.
Thus, the rights of parents are obligatory, and our Lord, the Almighty, has given a special instruction regarding them when they become elderly, as advanced age brings about weakness and need. How beautiful is dutifulness to parents! How great is kindness to them in their advanced age and weakness!
Our religion also preserves the rights of the elderly by respecting and honoring them in word and deed. When they grow old, they are given the title of uncle to make them feel respected and honored. They are given priority upon entering a place. And when there are discussions they are given precedence in speaking. Abu Umamah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
صَلَّيْنَا مَعَ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ الظُّهْرَ ثُمَّ خَرَجْنَا حَتَّى دَخَلْنَا عَلَى أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ فَوَجَدْنَاهُ يُصَلِّي الْعَصْرَ قُلْتُ يَا عَمِّ مَا هَذِهِ الصَّلاَةُ الَّتِي صَلَّيْتَ
We prayed Dhuhr with ‘Umar bin ‘Abdul-‘Aziz, then we went out and entered upon Anas bin Malik, and we found him praying ‘Asr.'” I said: “O uncle, what is this prayer that you prayed? [Bukhari 549, Muslim 623]
Both Bukhari and Muslim narrated that Sahl bin Abi Hathma said:
فَأَقْبَلَ هُوَ وَأَخُوهُ حُوَيِّصَةُ وَعَبْدُ اَلرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ سَهْلٍ, فَذَهَبَ مُحَيِّصَةُ لَيَتَكَلَّمَ, فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم “كَبِّرْ كَبِّرْ” يُرِيدُ اَلسِّنَّ, فَتَكَلَّمَ حُوَيِّصَةُ, ثُمَّ تَكَلَّمَ مُحَيِّصَةُ
Then Muhayyisa went with his brother Huwayyisa and ‘Abdur Rahman bin Sahl to the Prophet (ﷺ) and Muhayyisa started to talk. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him, “Let the elder speak first.” So Huwayyisa spoke, then Muhayyisa spoke. [Bukhari 7192, Muslim 1669]
The Prophet ﷺ gave precedence in speaking to the elder out of respect.
The Prophet ﷺ stressed the rights of the elderly. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
مَنْ لَمْ يَرْحَمْ صَغِيرَنَا وَيَعْرِفْ حَقَّ كَبِيرِنَا فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا
Anyone who does not show mercy to our young and does not realize the right of our elderly is not one of us. [Sunan Abi Dawud 4943, Grade: Sahih (Albani)]
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
الْبَرَكَةُ مَعَ أَكَابِرِكُم
The blessing is with your elders. [Ibn Hibban 559, Grade: Sahih (Albani)]
Abu Musa, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إِنَّ مِنْ إِجْلَالِ الله إكْرامَ ذِي الشَّيبةِ المسلمِ, وَحَامِلُ الْقُرْآنِ غَيْرَ الْغَالِي فِيهِ وَلَا الْجَافِي عَنْهُ, وَإِكْرَامُ السُّلْطَانِ الْمُقْسِطِ
Part of glorifying Allah is honoring the gray-haired Muslim, and the one who commits the Quran to memory and does not exaggerate pronouncing its letters nor forgets it after memorizing, and honoring the just ruler. [Sahih Abu Dawood 4883, Grade: Hasan (Albani)]
From the rights of the elderly upon us is initiating the greeting of peace. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
يُسَلِّمُ الصَّغِيرُ علَى الكَبِيرِ
The young shall initiate the greeting to the elderly…” [Bukhari 6231, Muslim 2160]
And from their rights is not to speak in their presence on general matters except with their permission and go ahead. Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ شَجَرَةً لاَ يَسْقُطُ وَرَقُهَا، وَإِنَّهَا مَثَلُ المُسْلِمِ، حَدِّثُونِي مَا هِيَ، قَالَ: فَوَقَعَ النَّاسُ فِي شَجَرِ البَوَادِي، قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ: فَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي أَنَّهَا النَّخْلَةُ، فَاسْتَحْيَيْتُ، ثُمَّ قَالُوا حَدِّثْنَا مَا هِيَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: هِيَ النَّخْلَةُ
Indeed there is a tree that does not shed its foliage, and it is similar to the Muslim. Tell me what it is? The people started thinking about the trees of the desert. Abdullah said: It occurred to me that it is the date-palm tree, but I felt shy. Then they said: “Tell us what it is, O Messenger of Allah.” He said: “It is the date-palm tree.” [Bukhari 62, Muslim 2811a]
Observe the etiquette of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, as he did not speak in the presence of the elders.
And from their rights is visiting them in their homes. During the liberation of Mecca, Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, brought his father to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw him he said:
هَلَّا تَرَكْتَ الشَّيْخَ فِي بَيْتِهِ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَنَا آتِيَهُ فِيهِ ، قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، هُوَ أَحَقُّ بِأَنْ يَمْشِي إِلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنْ تَمْشِيَ أَنْتَ إِلَيْهِ، فَأَجْلَسَهُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ثُمَّ مَسَحَ صَدْرِهِ، وَقَالَ لَهُ “أَسْلِمْ” فَأَسْلَمَ.
“Why didn’t you leave the sheikh (respectful title for an elderly man) in his house so that I could go to him there?” Abu Bakr said: O Messenger of Allah, He has more right to walk to you than you to walk to him. He ﷺ then seated him in front of him, wiped his chest, and offered him saying “Accept Islam” and he did.[Ahmad 26956, Grade: Hasan (Arnaout)]
And from their rights is honoring them in gatherings, sitting before them with respect, not stretching your legs out in front of them and treating them with kindness, compassion, and mercy. It is also very important not to be busy with your phone in their presence and neglect them. It is regrettable that some people visit their parents or elderly relatives, and after the greeting, they take out their phones and start switching between apps, leaving the elders to look at them with sadness and regret. What a bad habit.
And from their rights is for those leading the prayers to not lengthen the prayer in a way that goes against the Sunnah and causes them hardship. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِذَا أَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ النَّاسَ فَلْيُخَفِّفْ, فَإِنَّ فِيهِمْ الصَّغِيرَ وَالْكَبِيرَ وَالضَّعِيفَ وَذَا الْحَاجَةِ, فَإِذَا صَلَّى وَحْدَهُ فَلْيُصَلِّ كَيْفَ شَاءَ
When one of you leads the people in prayer, he should be brief, for among them are the weak, the elderly, and those with needs. If he prays alone, he may pray as he wishes. [Bukhari 703, Muslim 467a]
أَقُولُ مَا تَسْمَعُونَ وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
I say what you have heard and I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and you from every sin. So seek forgives from Him, Verily He is Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
Second Khutbah
الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ , وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَاْ إِلَهَ إِلَّاْ اَللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَاْشَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدَاً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ
All praise is to Allah, and peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah and I bear witness that Mohammad is His slave and messenger.
Oh Muslims:
So fear Allah, and give your elders their due rights, especially in old age, for they are in the greatest need of care. How much we need effective upbringing and beneficial Islamic manners! Children should know the value of the elders, respect them, greet them first, consult them for advice, listen to their speech, and show them reverence and respect.
Children should be raised to respect the elderly, knowledgeable of their rights, whether on the road, in gatherings, or other situations. Also, to give them priority, stand with them, and facilitate their affairs.
It is regrettable that some children evade fulfilling the rights of their elderly parents. Sometimes, it even leads to them being left in nursing homes, forgotten even from visits. Undoubtedly, this is clear negligence and may even be considered being undutiful if the children are capable of caring for their parents but neglect them. Such individuals are likely to face reciprocal treatment. The days will pass and a time may come whereby their children abandon them just as they abandoned their parents. As you sow, so shall you reap.
O Allah, make us among those who honor their parents, whether they are alive or have passed, and help us to respect our elders and to have mercy upon the young. Indeed Allah is All Hearing, Answering.
هَذَا وَصَلُّوا وَسَلِّمُوا عَلَى نَبِيِّكُم كَمَا أَمَرَكُمْ بِذلِكَ رَبُّكُمْ , فَقَالَ
I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon your Prophet as your Lord commanded:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Al Ahzaab (33) 56: Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.
اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنا فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنا فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنا فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لنا فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنا شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ إِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلاَ يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْتَ
O Allah, guide us with those whom You have guided, grant us well-being among those You have granted well-being, be an ally to us along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless what You have bestowed upon us, and save us from the evil of what You have decreed. For verily You decree and none can decree over You. He whom You support can never be humiliated. Glory is to You, our Lord, You are Blessed and Exalted.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْنا مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ نَعْلَمْ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَاذَ بِهِ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَنَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ كُلَّ قَضَاءٍ قَضَيْتَهُ لَنا خَيْرًا
O Allah, We ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we seek refuge with You from all evil, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we ask You for the good that Your servant and Prophet has asked You for, and we seek refuge with You from the evil from which Your servant and Prophet sought refuge. O Allah, we ask You for Paradise and for that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed, and we seek refuge in You from Hell and from that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed. And we ask You to make every decree that You decree concerning us good
عِبَادَ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
Servants of Allah. Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.
اُذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ واشْكُرُوهُ يَزِدْكُمْ واسْتَغْفِرُوهُ يَغْفِرْ لكُمْ واتّقُوهُ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مَخْرَجًا وَأَقِمِ الصّلَاة
Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favors – He will increase you therein. And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.
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