Our beloved Prophet (saw) instructed us to respect all those who are old and at the same time we are to have mercy on the young. The Prophet (saw) said:” I advise you to be good to the elderly, and to have mercy on the youth.” (Ad-Daylami).
Islam teaches us to respect the elderly whether they are parents, relatives or any other persons. The word elderly has been used in the Qur’an to mean: Shaikh, kabir, ‘ajooz, arzalil ‘umur, kibar, etc.
Anas bin Malik (ra) reported that he heard the Prophet (saw) saying, “Allah the Exalted has said,’ Son of Adam, I shall go on forgiving you as long as you call Me and expect my forgiveness whatever your sins may be. I care not, son of Adam even if your sins should be so numerous as to reach the lofty regions of the sky. You should supplicate to Me for forgiveness and I shall forgive you. Son of Adam, If you come to Me with an earth full of sins and meet Me not associating anything with Me, I will grant you as much pardon as fill the earth.” (Tirmidhi)