Thanking Allah and making dua for parents.

Q. What is the appropriate way to thank Allah (S.W.T) verbally for His blessings? What sacred words should be uttered or what zikar should be done as a SHUKAR?

Secondly, what is the way to pray for your alive parents i.e. for their long life, health and maghfirat because there is no guarantee of life. If I die before my parents then I would not be able to make Dua for height of their Darjaat and Maghfirat. So, I want to do this in my life but don’t know the exact islamic way of this. What is the Dua for this purpose?

A. Saying the following, is a very good way of verbally thanking Allah for His blessings
‘Allahumma lakal Hamd Wa lakash Shukr’.

‘O Allah to You belong all praises and to you belong all thanks’.
This should be recited frequently.

Allah has given us a very beautiful dua to make for our parents. He has asked us to pray for them (who are alive) in the following words:
‘Rabbir Hamhuma kama Rabbayani Saghira’

‘My Lord! Bestow on them Your mercy, as they did bring me up when I was small’. (Quran 17:24)

You can make supplications for them for every good thing, but the above dua of the Quran is a very comprehensive one, which have been revealed directly by Allah Himself. In the dua, Allah has asked us to pray for His mercy (for them) since this is very important to them. Experience has shown that when parents become old, they really do not turn towards comfort, luxury, pleasure and enjoyment. Their days of pleasure and enjoyment have gone with youth and maturity, and as they grow older they look forward for love, care, attention, compassion and mercy. As such, when we (as children) pray for Allah’s mercy, then Allah will take care of them in the best possible manner.

And Allah knows best.

Mufti Waseem Khan