Does Being Undutiful to Ones Parents Result in Having Undutiful Children

24-6-2026 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalamu'alikum,Thank you for the previous replies. I have frequently heard a claim from people in my community that children who are impious or disobedient ('aqq/عَاق) to their parents are punished by Allah by having children who will grow up to be disobedient and impious to them in return. Is there any authentic basis for this concept in the Quran, the Sunnah, or the statements of the early scholars (Salaf)? Jazakum Allahu Khairan
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

It has been reported in the hadith narrated by Al-Ṭabarānī, may Alaah have mercy upon him, from Ibn ʿUmar may Allaah be pleased with him: "Honor your fathers (parents), so that your sons (children) will honor you." Al-Mundhirī may Allaah have mercy upon him graded it as ḥasan (sound). The implication of this hadith is that abandoning dutifulness and obedience to one’s parents – which is, undutifulness (ʿuqūq) – is a cause of one's own children becoming undutiful toward him. However this consequence, at times may not occur, whether due to repentance or some other preventing factor, by the wisdom of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, in withholding this requital from the undutiful person. The matter rests entirely in the Hands of Allah, the Al-Mighty, Who is just when judging, and Who wrongs no one in the slightest.

Allah Knows best

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