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 اغْفِرْ لِأَبِي وَلِأُمِّي وَلِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُمَا وُدًّا
O Allah, forgive my father, my mother, and those who were dear to them.
Hasanاللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا صَدَقَةً جَارِيَةً عَنْ وَالِدَيَّ
O Allah, make this an ongoing charity on behalf of my parents.
Sahihاللَّهُمَّ 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.
Hasanاللَّهُمَّ 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