Mother, mom, mama, maa, ami, mooj, as we may call her, all her names are lovely and beautiful. A scale can be used for measurement but there is no scale that can fathom the affection and attachment of a mother for her child. A mother is the substratum of her child and therefore of whole humanity. From the start of life to the end, mother is like a life support for a child. The care and concern a mother has for a child is one of a kind and incomparable. A few lines for my mother won't express it all, I make but a little effort to admit my infinite love I have for her....

She has given me life and she gives me love. For nine months she is my home. She is my first sight when I am only in the cradle. She sings the first lullaby I ever hear when I was a crib dweller. She is the first syllable that I speak. She is the lilt of my accent when I have no accent as an infant. She has the meanings of my stammers and lisps which no one could understand. She is the first face I seek among millions and she is the last that I want to see. She is my first embrace and last resting place. She introduces the world to me to introduce herself to the world. She is the first hand to pick me up from a toddling fall. She is a face among faces that cheers and brightens up my face. She offers me peaceful abode after a through expiring work. She is always around to repair my wounds and free me from worries. She knows my pain and worries when others don't know. Her gentle touch and encouragement removes my wildest fears and horrors. She is the one who feels pride when I am honored. She struggles to sees me go up the places she had never seen for herself. 

My mother is the buzz of bees and prayer of nightingale in my home. She is the ocean of peace and thrill of activities in my home. When she is in home, joy and happiness is in my home. When she is away emptiness swallows in. She is a spring of Joys and laughter, knowledge and wisdom, mercy and kindness. When she is, the kids are bouncing and bubbling in her shade. She is a brave heart whenever clouds come. She is an innovator and a schemer. She has a key for every affair. She has an answer for all my questions. She has a recipe for all my issues.

Mother is the firmament above my head and her lap is the ground beneath my feet. She is my earth and she is my sky. Her majesty is so high that our religion Islam pulled the paradise beneath her feat. Seeing her worries God made the Safa and Marwa a part of Haj and Umrah obligations. Even Quran speaks the word of their obedience. "And treat your parents with Ehsaan".

If God’s mercy and kindness has some form it is the mother. She is source of all affection and love for her child. She cares when others don't even bother. I thank you my mother for all you have given me. The more I thank the more I am thanking less.

In whatever place she is, I request my fellow brethren, love your mothers and respect them. Let they be well cared for and given the place they deserve. Show them when their sons are alive our mothers have nothing to fear. For in their service lies the success of this world and the hereafter.

(Author is a writer and can be mailed at: rouf.maqbool@gmail.com)