وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا
Wakhfid lahuma janahad-dhulli minar-rahmati wa qul Rabbir-hamhuma kama rabbayani saghira
And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say: My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up when I was small.
The complete Quranic instruction pairs a physical action with a verbal du'a. "Lower the wing of humility" — like a bird sheltering its young — is the posture you must adopt before speaking the words. Your body matches your words: gentle, humble, lowered. "Kama rabbayani saghira" — as they raised me when I was small — invokes the memory of their sacrifice during your most helpless years. The sleepless nights, the patient feeding, the constant worry. You ask Allah to repay a debt you can never fully repay yourself. The greatest scholars would sit at their mothers' feet even after becoming leaders of nations.
Related Du'as
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لِوَالِدَيَّ فِي أَعْمَارِهِمَا وَأَجْسَادِهِمَا وَارْزُقْهُمَا الصِّحَّةَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ
O Allah, bless my parents in their lives and their bodies, and grant them health and well-being.
Hasanرَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ
My Lord, inspire me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do righteous deeds that please You.
Sahihفَلَا تَقُل لَّهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُل لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا
Do not say to them 'uff' (a word of contempt) and do not repel them, but speak to them a noble word.
Sahihاللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُمَا وَارْحَمْهُمَا وَعَافِهِمَا وَاعْفُ عَنْهُمَا وَأَكْرِمْ نُزُلَهُمَا وَوَسِّعْ مُدْخَلَهُمَا وَاغْسِلْهُمَا بِالْمَاءِ وَالثَّلْجِ وَالْبَرَدِ
O Allah, forgive them both, have mercy on them, grant them well-being, pardon them, honor their reception, expand their entrance, and wash them with water, snow, and hail.
Sahih