Hawzah News Agency- Speaking at a scholarly gathering, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli addressed the irreplaceable role of maternal affection in human development, stressing that affection, alongside management and struggle, constitutes a fundamental human need.
“Human beings require both affection and management, as well as perseverance and struggle,” he said. “But affection is transmitted only through a mother’s milk and embrace. This is why custody, in its essence, is entrusted to the mother. If a child spends the first seven years of life immersed in maternal love and affection, the entire society will ultimately become more compassionate.”
Referring to Qur’anic teachings on human creation, the senior cleric said the mother plays a decisive role in the emergence of human life. “The Qur’an states, ‘He creates you in the wombs of your mothers,’ highlighting the profound spiritual and existential role of the mother in the formation of the human being,” he noted.
Ayatollah Javadi Amoli explained that once human creation is completed, the Almighty praises Himself with the verse, ‘So blessed is Allah, the Best of creators,’ signifying the unique and elevated status of the human being as the finest of divine creations.
“The manifestation of the ‘best of creations’ appears most clearly in the mother’s care and nurturing, not in the father’s role,” he said. “In this sense, woman is the manifestation, channel, and path of divine grace through which the best of creation comes into being and flourishes.”
He rejected any reductionist or mechanistic view of motherhood, stressing that the mother’s womb cannot be likened to a laboratory or a mere biological container. “All the divine blessings associated with human creation—from the earliest stages of life—pass through the mother’s soul and spirit,” he said. “Motherhood is not a marginal role; it is a sacred trust and a profound station.”
The senior scholar cautioned against undervaluing motherhood in favor of pursuits that deprive women of its spiritual and emotional rewards. “Nothing can be compared to the dignity, love, and status inherent in motherhood,” he said.
Ayatollah Javadi Amoli described the mother’s embrace as the primary “school of affection,” where a child undergoes a seven-year period of emotional education. “No alternative, not even preaching or formal instruction, can fill the void left by the absence of maternal affection during these formative years,” he stressed.
He warned that children deprived of genuine parental affection early in life often fail to uphold filial responsibilities later on. Citing Qur’anic verses commanding kindness, humility, and mercy toward parents in old age, he said neglect of maternal love can lead to moral and emotional erosion within families.
“Parents who are deprived of affection in their old age experience a slow, painful isolation, while children raised without deep emotional bonds may offer only symbolic gestures of care,” he said.
Reiterating the broader social implications, Ayatollah Javadi Amoli said affection transmitted through motherhood is essential for building a humane and stable society. “Management and struggle are necessary for societal order, but without affection, society becomes harsh and fragmented,” he noted.
“If children are raised in the embrace of their mothers for the first seven years of life, imbibing love, mercy, and compassion, the result will be a society characterized by empathy and moral responsibility,” he said.
The remarks are drawn from Tafsir Tasnim, Volume 69, pages 284–286, in which Ayatollah Javadi Amoli elaborates on the Qur’anic foundations of human dignity, motherhood, and social harmony.
Your Comment