Prayer of Filial Piety to Parents
‘Doa Birrul Walidain”
By Asy Syaikh Muhammad bin Ahmad Abil Hubb
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Praise be to Allah who has commanded us to be thankful to our parents and to do good to them, and Who has exhorted us to seek benefit through obedience to them and by doing good to them, and Who has encouraged us to lower our wing out of mercy towards them in acknowledgement of their greatness and superiority, and has enjoined upon us to display mercy and compassion towards them just as they cherished us during our childhood.
O Allah, bestow mercy upon our parents (3x)
Forgive them their sins and be pleased with them with pleasure by which You would shower them with Your complete pleasure and by which You would make them dwell in Your abode of honour, security and forgiveness (paradise) and make descend upon them, in great proportions, Your good and gracious favours.
O Allah, grant them complete forgiveness with which You erase their sins and their persistent wrongdoings. Bestow mercy upon them such as would enlighten their place of sleep in their graves. And provide them with security on the ‘Day of Fear’ (Day of Judgement) at the time of their resurrection.
O Allah, show sympathy towards their weakness just as they showed sympathy towards our weakness. Show mercy towards their dependence upon You just as they displayed mercy towards us during our state of dependence upon them and show compassion towards them just as they showed compassion towards us when we were small.
O Allah, preserve for them that love with which You had filled their hearts, and the sympathy with which You filled their bosoms, and the kindness with which You preoccupied their limbs. Accept and reward their strive for our sake, and do not leave unrewarded their efforts in our cause. Reward them for that effort which they extended in our way, and the care that they accorded to us - with the best reward You have ever granted to those who strive in sincerity and are sincere guardians.
O Allah, bestow good upon our parents many times more than the good they used to do to us, and look upon them with mercy just as they used to look upon us with mercy.
O Allah, grant them the reward of that which they did not discharge from the rights of Your Lordship because of their preoccupation with our upbringing. Overlook their neglect of Your service because of the preference they give to our service
O Allah, forgive them from the sins of the doubtful things they embarked upon because of that which they earned for our sake. Do not punish them for that which they were led to because of their zealous display of desire, due to their love for us that overwhelmed their hearts. Bear on their behalf - all wrongs that they committed in that which they performed and strived for our sake and show mercy to them in the abode of decay (grave) that exceeds their mercy upon us during their lifetime.
O Allah, all that which You guide us to, from acts of obedience, from making it easy upon us to perform good deeds, and from giving us the ability to accomplish from pious acts, we ask You O Allah, that You give a share of the rewards to them and that which we commit from evil deeds and earn from sins and bear from liabilities, do not cause any sin from us to reach them and do not burden them with any portion of our sins.
O Allah, just as You made us a cause of their happiness during their lifetime, make us their cause of happiness after death.
O Allah, do not let news about us that would hurt them reach them, and do not saddle them with the burden of our sins which they are unable to bear.
O Allah, do not disgrace them amongst the dead because of the despicable deeds we perform and the shameful acts we commit. Make their souls happy with our deeds at the place of the meeting of the souls - when the pious ones delight at their pious progeny, and do not expose them to disgrace, due to the evil that we commit.
O Allah, whatever we read from the Quran which You find commendable, and whatever prayer we perform which You accept, and whatever charity we perform which You give increase to and whatever pious deed we perform which You are pleased with.
We ask You, O Allah, that you make our parents’ allotment greater than our allotment, and their portion more abundant than our portion and their share of its reward greater than our share for You have enjoined us to do good to them and encouraged us to be thankful to them, and You are more suited to bestowing good than the doers of good and more entitled to the display of attachment than those whom we (children) have been commanded to show attachment to (parents).
O Allah, make us the delight of our parent’s eyes on the Day of Witnesses (Day of Judgment), and make them hear of us the best of calls on the Day of Calling (Day of Judgment). Make them parents who are most proud of their children until You join us with them and the believers altogether in the Abode of Your Generosity and Dwelling of Your Mercy (paradise) and the place of Your saints together with those upon whom You have bestowed Your favours from the Prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs and pious servants and an excellent company do they make. Such is the bounty from Allah and it is sufficient that Allah knows all things.
O Allah, send blessings and salutations aplenty upon our leader Muhammad, the unlettered Prophet and his family and his companions.
Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power who is free from that which they ascribe to Him and peace be upon the Messengers and praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all creation.
Aamiin.
