Dear Editor,

Unlike many other special occasions, including globally recognised ones such as Easter and Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day has hardly ever had a detractor.

Islam, in one of its parables, indicates that the three mortal people who should be honoured the most, in decreasing order, are mothers, mothers, and mothers.

It is the word of God which commands, even preceding the commandments that prohibit murder, adultery, theft, false accusations, and covetousness, that we “honour thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee”. However, the importance of a mother must be kept in context of how we are blessed by her, lest we miss the good part of her being or, worse, be cursed by it.

A mother by default is a woman and, therefore, for her to be a virtuous mother she must be a virtuous woman. The last chapter of the book of Proverbs tells us that “a virtuous woman” and, by extension, a virtuous mother is one who is diligent, kind, noble, and fears God. It is then she shall be praised, even when there are no words, gestures, gifts, or second Sunday of May each year with which to do so.

Andre O Sheppy

astrangely@outlook.com