By Raheel Rojas

I like many of you have Christian parents. I have given them dawah but they are not Muslim yet. I have given up the verbal dawah and I am now working on refining my Islamic manners. As Muslims we are to be totally respectful and mainly obedient to our parents even though they are not believers. Ever since I started on the refinement I have seen a change in my parents receptiveness in Islam.

DON’T GIVE UP ON YOUR PARENTS
I was very down at the progress of my dawah with my parents. I got on Pal Talk and talked to this knowledgeable brother and asked him if it was ok to stop praying to Allah to help my parents become Muslim. What happened was that I asked my mother “If God told you to become Muslim would you?” The answer was no. As I saw this as an open rebellion against the very concept of Allah I asked the brother about giving up dawah. He said “What’s the matter with you she’s your mother, never give up, never give up! Tell me brother are you the only Muslim in the family?” I said yes, Then he asked me “Do you have brothers and sisters?” I said yes, He said “Brother I guarantee you that your parents will see the difference between you and your siblings. They will be convinced of the truth because of your morals.”

RESPECT FOR MAMI AND PAPI
Most of us are obedient to our parents. As Muslims we are not supposed to be disobedient. But this is not enough to show the grand respect Muslims have towards their parents. The Sahaba were the best to their parents. Some of them did not look at their parents face out of respect. A sahaba gave advice to a youngster to never sit before his parents sat down. One Sahabi stayed awake all night next to his mother’s bed waiting for her to wake up to apologize to her for doing something wrong or suspected as wrong. Respect brothers and sister but how do we do it?

MAKE THEM FEEL GREAT FOR HAVING A MUSLIM CHILD
In the hadiths it is said that Allah will not look at a person who treated their parents bad on Judgment day. Never ever get angry or impatient with your parents. Never show that you are annoyed with them. When they ask you to do something take it as an order and do it right away. They may be surprised at your promptness. Do Extra stuff, clean the dishes without being asked, make their bed, serve them water or other halal drinks, ask them all the time if they need any assistance, great them beinos dias, beinos noches. If you don’t live with you parents then visit them often or separate one day out of the week to eat with them. By doing this you are gaining rewards from Allah and giving dawah by your actions.

THEY WILL SEE A CHANGE
I used to be a firecracker. Easy to anger and I always thought I was right. Now, I cannot imagine myself doing even the smallest thing unpleasant to my parents on purpose without feeling great regret. Even though my mother sometimes calls me a goat due to my beard I don’t express my pain nor am I tempted to slack in my duties towards her, my reward is with Allah the Most Exalted and High. They know I am different now and they do like it. I guess I am a nice goat rather than a mean goat 🙂

WHEN TO QUIT
The only time you can quit on Mami and Papi is when they die. Even if they are on their death bed you can try to get them to say the Shahada, inshallah. Make your life a testimony to them about Islam. If it ever gets to that point Mami or Papi will review their life as they are breathing their last breaths and they will remember the kindness and respect you gave them throughout the time they knew you as a Muslim. This may touch their hearts and they may inshallah depart this world as a Muslim.