Advice to parents to be gentle with their children and to refrain from cursing them

Question:
May Allah reward you with good and do you good. You are speaking of another case: my mother frequently curses her children, both sons and daughters, for a reason or without one. She does not supplicate except with evil, and very serious evil. She caused my eldest brother to fall ill with a mental illness, as he is very religious and fears punishment. Because of the many times he heard her cursing him and us, he contracted this illness. He is now a patient at a mental health clinic. I request that you direct a word to us and to our parents, hoping that Allah will make your words beneficial. May Allah reward you with good.

Answer:
First, the children must not anger their parents; a child must not anger his parents, because this leads to them cursing him, and a parent’s supplication is answered. So the child should be gentle with his parents, treat them well, and be kind to them. If he does these things, it is generally the case that the parents will not put him in a difficult position or become angry with him, let alone curse him. On the contrary, they will supplicate for him with good and success if he treats them well and fulfills what he can of their rights with gentleness, kindness, lowering the wing of humility, and gentleness, as Allah the Exalted has commanded.
Second, a parent must not reach the point of cursing his children, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade a person from cursing himself or his children, lest it coincide with a time when supplication is answered, and because a parent’s supplication is answered. So parents should be gentle with their children, and not resort to cursing them. They should be forbearing and merciful to their children. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, is gentle and loves gentleness, and . So parents should be gentle with their children and not curse them, even if the children commit whatever wrong they may commit. A parent can reprimand his son, advise him, and admonish him without resorting to cursing. Or he can instruct someone to advise this son, advise him regarding his parents, and remind him of the rights of parents that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has mentioned, and what He has forbidden regarding undutifulness to parents. Mutual advice achieves the intended purpose. As for cursing children with evil, this is harmful to the children and harmful to the parents as well.