Writen by:
Ameer of Ahl-us-Sunnah Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadri Razavi Ziyae (may his exalted blessings continue)
The Final Prophet of Allah, Muhammad Arabi ﷺ, stated:
"Show mercy, and mercy will be shown to you."
- (Musnad Ahmad, 2/565, Hadith: 6552)
May Allah Almighty bless us with compassionate hearts. A truly compassionate person will show kindness to everyone, whether young or old. If a child makes a mistake, such a person will forgive, saying, "It’s just a child, let it go!" In contrast, a hard-hearted individual does not know the ways of mercy and kindness. Such a person might scold or even hit a child without reason.
It is a fact that children often make mistakes without realizing they are wrong. In such cases, how can one be harsh? A child would not even understand why they are being treated harshly. At such moments, the compassion and kindness of an elder can save the child and rectify their behavior with gentleness. Showing mercy to younger ones prevents hatred and distances.
If children are ignored, criticized, or scolded for every little thing, they may become rebellious. For example, when a younger sibling doesn’t respect the elder, it often stems from the elder’s harshness, scolding, or overbearing behavior. Respect is a two-way street. If an elder brother shows kindness, the younger one will naturally feel compelled to respect him from the heart.
Once, a person told me that their younger brothers wouldn’t listen to them. I advised them to address their younger brothers with respect, using terms like “dear brother.” Later, they returned and shared that the advice worked—after speaking respectfully, their younger brothers started listening and showing respect in return.
Thus, elders should show kindness to younger ones, and younger ones should respect their elders. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said:
"He who does not show mercy to the young and does not respect the elders is not one of us."
- (Tirmidhi, 3/369, Hadith: 1926)
This means such a person is not on the path of the Prophet ﷺ (Mirqat al-Mafatih, 6/560).
May Allah Almight, grant us the ability to show kindness to the younger ones and respect our elders.
Allah’s Name to commence with, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. ,” is a declaration of faith, an invocation of Allah’s presence in whatever you’re about to undertake.
