Is It Shirk to Only Pray Because My Parents Told Me To?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
Is It Shirk to Only Pray Because My Parents Told Me To?
Answer
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for being dutiful to your parents; a great act of worship.
Most Beloved Deed
It was narrated from Abu Darda’ that my close friend (the Prophet) (Allah bless him and give him peace) advised me: “Do not associate anything with Allah, even if you are cut and burned. Do not neglect any prescribed prayer deliberately, for whoever neglects it deliberately no longer has the protection of Allah. And do not drink wine, for it is the key to all evil.” [Ibn Maja]
Narrated `Abdullah: “I asked the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), ‘Which deed is the dearest to Allah?’ He replied, ‘To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times.’ I asked, ‘What is the next (in goodness)?’ He replied, ‘To be good and dutiful to your parents’. I again asked, ‘What is the next (in goodness)?’ He replied, ‘To participate in Jihad (religious fighting) in Allah’s cause.’ `Abdullah added, ‘I asked only that much, and if I had asked more, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would have told me more.’” [Bukhari]
Parents
No, praying for this reason is definitely not shirk. Rather, I commend you for listening to them. In sha Allah, I pray that you come to love the prayer and find that it guides you, reminds you, and increases your love for Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace).
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[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, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin and completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
