seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Quran 17:23. Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and that you be good to your parents. If either of them or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them a word of disrespect, nor scold them, but say to them kind words.
24. And lower to them the wing of humility, out of mercy, and say, “My Lord, have mercy on them, as they raised me when I was a child.”
25. Your Lord knows best what is in your minds. If you are righteous—He is Forgiving to the obedient.
26. And give the relative his rights, and the poor, and the wayfarer, and do not squander wastefully.
27. The extravagant are brethren of the devils, and the devil is ever ungrateful to his Lord.
28. But if you turn away from them, seeking mercy from your Lord which you hope for, then say to them words of comfort.
29. And do not keep your hand tied to your neck, nor spread it out fully, lest you end up liable and regretful.
30. Your Lord expands the provision for whomever He wills, and restricts it. He is fully Informed, Observant of His servants.
And here is the commentary.
Obedience to parents is placed next to submission to Allåh, for among fellow beings none has a greater claim upon a person than his parents. Moreover, obedience to parents is the seed from which, if the child is properly taught this lesson, springs the great obligation of obedience to all constituted authority.
While enjoining charity, the Holy Qur’ån also draws attention to economy, thus indicating the golden mean. Those who waste wealth are called the devil’s brethren, because they are ungrateful to God for wasting away what He has given them out of His grace.
The hoping for mercy from the Lord means standing in need of the bounty of the Lord, i.e., not having aught to give to the needy. In that case one should still speak to the needy gently and not chide him with harshness. A saying of the Holy Prophet declares a gentle word spoken to a fellow man to be a deed of charity.
By the shackling of the hand to the neck is meant being niggardly in one’s expenses, and by stretching it forth to its utmost extent, being so profuse as to waste away all one’s substance. The verse supplies a general rule regarding the mean to be adopted in one’s ordinary expenses, and thus inculcates the duty of economy.
The shackling of the hand to the neck.... paints a picture to me.... I see someone stuck in a contraption where their head and hands locked in position and they have to stand there.... not moving.... while everyone else goes on with their life.
Something like this comes to mind..... it's called a pillory by the way. Makes a human kind of useless.... right? I think we should go back to that.... instead of jail or prison.... give us back the pillory and some tomatoes!Now... for the next part of that verse 29.... take your hand and make a fist... like you are holding something... now... turn your fist.... palm side down... and open your hand wide... so whatever you might have had in your hand would fall out.... that's what I see described here. It's hard to be charitable when you don't appreciate need.
So this section was titled "Moral Precepts" in the commentary. The first "Moral Precept" was.... honor your parents.
I didn't like my mother. She was abusive. I started running away from there when I was a toddler. When I was about twelve years old.... I "left home".... I hiked two miles to the nearest McDonalds and applied for a job. I scored an interview at twelve years old.... but they wouldn't hire me.... because I was twelve years old. I was tall enough... and smart enough.... just twelve years old.... a little young. My plan was to sleep out behind the McDonalds until I got my first paycheck and then I could get my own place. I wound up leaving home when I was right out of high school. I didn't like my mother.... but I obeyed her... and I always tried to do what was right.
I did what was right.... because if I didn't.... there was a bush out front that made terrific switches. I also took the switching when my sisters and my brother didn't do right.... because it was easier on me to take the switch.... my hide was already tanned. I didn't like my mother..... but now that I'm 71..... I'm starting to respect why she was such a mean woman. Her mother was an abusive woman too....and her mother before her..... it's what she knew.... it's how it worked.... she was just being a good mom the way her good mom had been.
Honor your mom and dad.... remember reading that in the Bible?
We serve the same God..... we have the same commandments.
My parents taught me "Moral Precepts".
