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 ارْزُقْنِي بِرَّ وَالِدَيَّ حَيَّيْنِ وَمَيِّتَيْنِ وَلَا تَحْرِمْنِي أَجْرَهُمَا
O Allah, grant me the ability to be dutiful to my parents — whether alive or deceased — and do not deprive me of their reward.
Atharرَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي ۖ إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do righteousness of which You approve. And make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed I am of the Muslims.
Sahihإِذَا مَاتَ الْإِنْسَانُ انْقَطَعَ عَنْهُ عَمَلُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ ثَلَاثَةٍ: إِلَّا مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ جَارِيَةٍ أَوْ عِلْمٍ يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ أَوْ وَلَدٍ صَالِحٍ يَدْعُو لَهُ
When a person dies, his deeds come to an end except for three: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, or a righteous child who prays for him.
Sahihاللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِأَبِي وَلِأُمِّي وَلِمَنْ كَانَ لَهُمَا وُدًّا
O Allah, forgive my father, my mother, and those who were dear to them.
Hasan