By Muhammad Mujahid
As the calendar turns to May 10, International Mother’s Day serves as a poignant reminder of the widening chasm between our elevated spiritual rhetoric and the dismal sociological reality facing the Indian mother. From the zenith of spiritual veneration to the nadir of lived isolation, the trajectory of the aging mother in India today demands an urgent post-mortem of our modern values.
The Theological Ideal vs. The Secular Reality
In Islamic theology, the status of motherhood is absolute. The Prophetic tradition – “Heaven lies beneath the feet of the mother” – is not merely a sentimental trope but a foundational pillar of social ethics. This reverence is a cross-cultural constant; every civilization has historically positioned the mother as the earthly silhouette of the Creator’s compassion.
Yet, as we navigate the complexities of the 21st century, we must ask: where do we truly place her? Is she the heartbeat of the home, or has she become an inconvenient shadow relegated to its darkest corners?
The poet Munawwar Rana captured this hierarchy of values with heartbreaking precision:
“Kisi ko ghar mila hisse mein ya koi dukan aayi, Main ghar mein sab se chota tha mere hisse mein Maa aayi.”
(In the partition of assets, one claimed the house, another the shop; being the youngest, my inheritance was Mother.)
The poet’s irony underscores a grim truth: in a world obsessed with tangible assets, the “asset” of a mother’s presence is increasingly viewed as a liability.
Divine Mandates and Economic Agency
The Qur’anic framework does not stop at emotional platitudes. It codifies the mother’s dignity through divine law, intertwining the service of parents with the worship of the Divine. By highlighting the physical toll of gestation and childbirth, the scripture mandates a lifetime of gratitude. More importantly, it provides for her economic agency, granting inheritance rights and placing the burden of her maintenance squarely on the shoulders of the men in the family.
From the resilience of Hazrat Maryam to the concept of the mother as the “first school,” faith identifies the mother as the architect of generations. Yet, as Anwar Jalalpuri reminds us, this is a debt beyond the reach of any ledger:
“Yeh aisa qarz hai jo main ada kar nahi sakta…”
(This is a debt I can never repay; as long as I draw breath, I cannot bear her displeasure.)
The Crisis of ‘Feminisation of Ageing’
When we pivot from scripture to the cold statistics of 2024, the “spiritual superpower” narrative collapses. India is currently witnessing a silent crisis: the Feminisation of Ageing. While women are outliving men, this longevity is often a curse rather than a blessing.
A majority of elderly women in India are widows, trapped in a cycle of economic dependency. After a lifetime of “unpaid care work” that built the very foundations of the family, these women are forced to beg their children for basic sustenance. It is a civilizational failure when a mother’s survival becomes a matter of her children’s “charity” rather than her inherent right.
Allama Iqbal’s lament serves as a haunting warning for the modern professional:
“Main teri khidmat ke qabil jab hua tu chal basi.”
(By the time I became capable of serving you, you were gone.)
When the Guardians Fail
The data from 2024 reveals a sickening irony: the primary perpetrators of elder abuse are often the sons themselves. The erosion of the joint family system in favour of the “nuclear” unit has turned homes into silos of isolation. As the youth migrate toward urban centres and global horizons, mothers in rural heartlands are left to serve a sentence of “eternal waiting,” often without access to basic healthcare.
The Path Forward: Beyond Legislation
State intervention, such as the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, is necessary but insufficient. Laws can mandate a check, but they cannot mandate a heartbeat.
True reform requires:
Social Security: Robust state-sponsored safety nets to ensure economic autonomy, and
Cultural Recalibration: Viewing the care of a mother not as a burden to be managed, but as a blessing to be earned.
A mother is not just an individual; she is a social institution. If her face is devoid of a smile, the society’s claim to progress is a delusion. We must bridge the gap between the sanctity of our texts and the security of our streets. To honour her is not just a religious duty; it is the final test of our humanity.
