Parents... Ultimately Whose Responsibility?

If parents' prayers are with you, your destiny is made.

This is a wealth that shows its effect for generations.

Parents are a great blessing from Allah Almighty, the value of which no one can fully appreciate. A mother's love and a father's affection are a treasure for a person's entire life. Unfortunately, a wrong concept has taken root in our society that serving and taking responsibility for parents is only the duty of sons, while daughters are considered separate from this duty after marriage. However, reality, morality, and religion all negate this thinking. Parents are as much the responsibility of daughters as they are of sons.

The sacrifices that parents make for their children are not specific to one gender. A mother raised both her son and daughter with the same love, and a father worked equally hard for the future of both. When parents never differentiated between whether it was their son or daughter, then children also do not have the right to differentiate in responsibility. The requirement of gratitude and service is that both sons and daughters acknowledge the favors of their parents.

Islam has given a very high status to the rights of parents. In the Holy Quran, there is an order to treat parents well, and this order is for every child, whether it is a son or a daughter. The Holy Prophet ﷺ declared serving parents as a means of attaining Paradise. Islam nowhere says that a daughter is not responsible for her parents after marriage. Therefore, from a religious point of view, separating daughters from parents is completely wrong.

In our society, it is generally thought that a son becomes a support in old age and a daughter is someone else's wealth. This thinking is not only an insult to the daughter but also ignores her abilities. Today's daughter is educated, aware, and independent. She is proving her abilities in every field. When she can serve society, why can't she serve her parents?

It is also worth considering that the responsibility of parents is not limited to financial help only. Parents also need respect, love, time, and attention just as much. Many daughters understand the feelings of their parents better and prove to be a strong emotional support for them. A phone call, a smile, and a few loving words can give parents the happiness that even great wealth cannot give.

Putting pressure on a daughter after marriage that she is now only responsible for her in-laws is an unfair attitude. The love of a daughter for her parents never diminishes, so why should her responsibility be considered less? If sons can handle both homes, then daughters can also fulfill this duty with balance.

In the end, it can only be said that for a civilized and just society, it is necessary that we change this thinking. The responsibility of parents is the joint responsibility of both son and daughter. Until we consider daughters as equal partners in this duty, the family system cannot be complete. In serving parents lies a person's true success and Allah's pleasure, and this service is equally a source of happiness for both sons and daughters.