Does Being Good to One’s Parents Compensate for Committing a Major Sin?

Assalamu alaykum,

Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for your sincerity and for your longing to mend your actions with your Lord.

Tawba

The only thing that is required of you after committing an enormity is sincere repentance. This is more effective than simply being good to parents because you communicate directly with Allah and tell Him that you regret what you did and will not do it again. See the conditions here:
https://seekersguidance.org/articles/featured-articles/what-are-the-conditions-of-making-tawba-transcript-ustadh-abdullah-misra/

Change

After repenting for your sin, you should be hopeful that Allah will accept it and the right course of action is to change one’s life and oneself. Following the light of Islam and pursuing a life of knowledge and action, and being abundant in performing good deeds is true change. Changing the company that one keeps is also essential, as one usually sins again in their presence. Being good to one’s parents can be a part of this positive change.

Mercy

Allah, Most High, told us not to despair when He said, “Say, ˹O Prophet, Allah says,˺ “O My servants who have exceeded the limits against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Qur’an, 39:53]

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Every son of Adam commits sin, and the best of those who sin are those who repent.’” [Ibn Maja] and, he said, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,  ‘The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin.’” [Ibn Maja]

Turn to Allah sincerely and change yourself, and I am certain that Allah will give you a beautiful life. May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.