The following are some of the important aspects that have to be respected in a Muslim home:
Parents
While respect for elders is fast decreasing in general, shocking incidents regularly come to light indicating the level to which respect for parents has fallen. The Quraan declares: “Do not even say oof to them (parents).” (Surah Israa’ v23) The word “oof” in the Arabic language is to denote the slightest degree of displeasure. How then can it ever be permissible to talk harshly to one’s parents or to argue with them? Yet, parents are physically abused by their children. May Allah Ta‘ala save us. Such treatment towards parents will only invite calamities upon oneself.
The Quraan Majeed
The Book of Allah Ta‘ala deserves the greatest honour and respect. Among the dictates of the honour and respect of the Quraan is that the Quraan should be learnt, recited regularly, acted upon and also handled correctly. The Quraan should always be kept with respect and be carried with respect. Children should never carry their Quraans to school in their school bags slung behind their backs or swinging on their sides. The Quraan must always be covered properly and carried in the right hand close to one’s heart. Never carry the Quraan in the left hand or swing it on one’s side. The disrespect to the word of Allah Ta‘ala is the cause for many of our difficulties and hardships. It is necessary that we always handle the Quraan with the greatest respect and stress the same upon our children. Have a special place in our homes where the Quraans will be kept respectfully.
The same applies to Islamic literature. Many pamphlets, magazines and newspapers contain the name of Allah Ta‘ala, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and aayaat of the Quraan. These should never be disposed off. Rather a special box (an A4 paper box is a good idea) should be kept at home where these papers and magazines could be kept respectfully. When the box is full, it should be burnt, buried respectfully or deposited into the literature disposal boxes that are available in our masaajid. Bishr Haafi (rahimahullah), a great saint, was blessed with wilaayat (sainthood) on account of him showing respect to a small piece of paper that contained the name of Allah Ta‘ala.
Azaan
When the azaan is called out, all the members of the home should stop whatever they are doing and listen attentively to the azaan. Everyone should reply to the words of the azaan and recite the masnoon du‘aa at the completion of the azaan. It is makrooh and disrespectful to talk worldly things and engage in our mundane duties whilst the azaan is called out. Many people attained lofty positions in the hereafter on account of showing respect to the azaan.
Domestic Workers
The domestic servants in our homes are also worthy of respect. Among the last advices of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) to the Ummah was to be kind to our servants. We may have bought their time and service but we have not purchased their respect. Our children must be taught to address the servants respectfully. At times little children call them by their first names which is highly disrespectful. They should rather address them as uncle or aunty, as this displays more respect. At times, the children even speak to them harshly. The children as well as the adults must at all times display respect even to the workers at home.
Neighbours
Experience has proven that life becomes extremely enjoyable if neighbours respect each other’s rights. There are numerous ahaadeeth that explain the rights of the neighbour which have already been discussed previously (Part 1 and Part 2).
Food
Among the great bounties that Allah Ta‘ala has blessed us with is food and water. Thousands of people all over the world do not even have basic food requirements. Alhamdulillah, Allah Ta‘ala has blessed us with abundance in food and drink, yet at times, Allah Ta‘ala forbid, we disrespect the food. A great saint of our country, used to say that a nation that does not respect food and water can never progress in life. Unfortunately, on many occasions food is wasted and thrown away into dustbins. Thousands of litres of water are just wasted on account of not closing taps after use. In the recent past, it was common for people to collect even the crumbs that fell onto the tablecloth and feed it to the ants. Food that is wasted or cannot be consumed for some reason could easily be stored away in a packet in the freezer and at some later stage fed to animals rather than throwing it away into the dustbin. Even the birds will eat our leftover food if it is kept somewhere in the garden instead of it being thrown away. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) has taught us that even if a morsel of food falls onto the ground, it should be picked up and eaten. It must not be thrown away.