MY MOTHER, MY BEST FRIEND

From being scared of her as a child to calling her my best friend as an adult, from hiding my mistakes from her to sharing every little detail of my life with her, from obeying her out of fear to loving her with understanding and respect, from running away after making mistakes to running straight to her with every problem, from misunderstanding her love to appreciating every sacrifice she made, from believing she was too strict to realize she was my strongest support, from keeping secrets from her to having no secrets at all, from childhood fear to lifelong friendship. Like this, me and my mother have come a long way, and I am sure most of you can relate to this.

Honestly, as a child I used to think of my mother as the strictest person because she is always strict and wants me to be perfect in everything like my grades, my way of speaking and literally everything. Whenever I make a mistake, I am more scared of her reaction than the mistake itself.

Being an elder daughter i had lots of responsibilities I must be more disciplined, I must be a role model for my younger sibling, and I should not act in a way that would give me a bad remark. When I think about it, now it makes me laugh because as the years passed, me and my mother bonded differently. She is no longer the strict parent I used to know and became my best friend to whom I can say anything without being scared or worried about what she might say.

She changed herself a lot too to try to understand my point of view in every situation and started to support me in what I want and never forced me to do what she wants. This change didn’t happen overnight. It happened through lots of heart-to-heart conversations, heated arguments and moments when she stood beside me even after I had failed. As time flew by, I stopped hiding it from her and started showing my emotions and to my surprise, she has become my safest place where I can hide when life gets tough and the world becomes unbearable.

A mother's love is one of the greatest blessings a person can ever receive. Her endless sacrifices, care, and unconditional support make her not only our first teacher but also our best friend. The importance of honoring and being grateful to our mothers is beautifully emphasized in the Holy Qur'an:

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ ۖ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْنًا عَلَىٰ وَهْنٍ وَفِصَالُهُ فِي عَامَيْنِ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيْكَ ۖ إِلَيَّ الْمَصِيرُ

"And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the final destination."[ SURATHUL LUQMAN:14].

If i could meet my younger self, i would tell her that the mother she was once afraid of telling something or asking for something is now her biggest supporter, her mentor, her comfort zone, her secret keeper, her teacher, her role model, her confidante and at last her best friend for whom she would do anything just to put a smile on her face.

A best friend is someone who accepts you at your best and your worst, stands by you without expecting anything in return, and loves you unconditionally. For me, I am fortunate that it is none other than my mother who has also spent half of her lifetime looking after me and now it is my time to return the favor. To show my gratefulness I am concluding this article with a beautiful dua for all the mothers out there:

  رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيّ

 “My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents.”

Author: Aafiya Shanaz N, Unit President, GIO Villivakkam. Date: 07 August 2026 #SuhbatUmmi

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