Mother First, Then Father

📖Sahih al-Bukhari 597
Narrated Abu Huraira: A man came to Allah’s Messenger ﷺ and asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Who is most deserving of my best companionship?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “Your mother.” The man asked, “Then who?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Your mother.” He asked again, “Then who?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Your mother.” On the fourth time, the man asked, “Then who?” The Prophet ﷺ said, “Your father.”

This powerful narration highlights the elevated status of women in Islam, specifically the mother. The Prophet ﷺ repeated “your mother” three times before mentioning the father, showing that the role of a mother in giving birth, nurturing, and raising a child is unmatched in value and sacrifice.

What We Learn Today:

1. Women, Especially Mothers, Hold a Status Above Men in This Duty:
   This hadith is a clear declaration of Islam’s honor for women, a woman (the mother) is mentioned three times more than the man (the father) when it comes to deserving love, respect, and good companionship.
2. Motherhood is a Sacred Role:
   No modern title or social position compares to the importance Islam places on motherhood. Her physical, emotional, and spiritual sacrifices are recognized by Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
3. Islamic Equality is Based on Role, Not Rebellion:
   While modern ideologies chase identity through defiance, Islam gives women their dignity not by comparing them to men, but by honoring them for their divine role.
4. Respecting Women Begins at Home:
   The foundation of Islamic values starts with respect for the mother, which then extends to women in society.

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Quranic Context:

📖Quran 31:14
And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship. Her bearing and weaning is thirty months. So be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the final return.
Gratitude to the mother is directly tied to gratitude to Allah, her sacrifices are mentioned in detail.

📖Quran 46:15
And We have enjoined upon man to be kind to his parents. His mother carried him in hardship upon hardship, and his weaning is in two years. Give thanks to Me and to your parents. To Me is the [final] destination.
This verse again singles out the double burden the mother bears, reinforcing why she is more deserving.

📖Quran 17:23
And your Lord has decreed that you not worship 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.
Respecting and honoring parents, especially in their old age, is a divine command just beneath worship.

This hadith is not just a praise of motherhood, it is a clear proof that Islam raised the status of women in a way no other ideology or religion has. Her role is not hidden, secondary, or optional, it is central, honored, and triple in reward.