Dear Islamic brothers! As respecting and honouring elders becomes a means of salvation for sinners in the Hereafter, at the same time, the slightest bit of disrespect towards them can also become a means of eternal loss and destruction of deeds. Disrespecting one’s own elders is a Satanic act. This was the very reason why Satan was humiliated, disgraced and thrown out of the court of Allah Almighty. Satan was not disobedient before that, but in fact, he worshipped for thousands of years. He was the treasurer of Paradise. He was a Jinn, but became مُعَلِّمُ المَلَکُوت, i.e. the teacher of angels, due to his acts of worship and extensive knowledge. When he became disrespectful towards   Sayyiduna Aadam عَـلَيْـهِ الـسَّـلَام, then all his acts of worship went in vain. Humiliation and disgrace became his destiny, and he became deserving of painful punishment in the Hellfire.

Dear Islamic brothers! Disrespecting elders results in our own loss and respecting them results in our own benefit. How beautifully an Arab poet has said:

مَاوَصَلَ مَنْ وَصَلَ اِلَّا بِالْحُرْمَۃِ

وَمَاسَقَطَ مَنْ سَقَطَ اِلَّا بِتَرْکِ الْحُرْمَۃِ

Whatever a person attained is only due to the virtue of showing respect
and whatever a person lost is only due to not showing respect.

Dear Islamic brothers! Our teachers are also included amongst our elders. Our pious predecessors رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ used to show great respect and reverence towards their teachers. In their presence, they would remain silent and continue learning with their gazes lowered. Some would show such deep respect for them, that they would even consider it to be an act of disrespect to mention a ruling whilst their teachers were still alive. In relation this, let us listen to two stories:

Study circle of Imam Husayn

When praising the study circles of Sayyiduna Imam Husayn رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ, Sayyiduna