Letters: A society’s moral test is how it honors its elders |
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In much of today’s world, youth is celebrated while age is quietly set aside. Advertisements promise eternal vitality, and societies that once revered elders now too often view them as burdens. Yet throughout history and faith, the measure of a moral society has been how it treats those who came before — the people who built the foundations upon which we stand.
To honor the elderly is to honor time itself. Their faces carry the lines of sacrifice, and their stories are libraries of wisdom. In the rush of modern life, we forget that experience is an education no institution can offer. A society that neglects its elders loses its memory; it becomes rich in information but poor in wisdom.
In Islam, reverence for elders is a sacred duty. The Prophet Muhammad said, “He is not of us who does not show mercy to our young and respect to our elders.” The Quran likewise commands believers to treat parents with tenderness: “Do not say to them even a word of irritation ... but speak to them a noble word” (17:24).
All this reminds us that caring for the elderly is not merely a social obligation but a sacred act of compassion and faith.
Published Nov. 24, 2025
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