Why are mothers regarded to be superior to fathers as parents? After all both share in the upbringing and development of a child?
The basic reason to regard a mother superior to a father seems to be that generally the sacrifices made and hardships borne by her easily outnumber the contribution made by her counterpart in this regard. Of course there may be exceptions to this principle, but they are few and far between.
The Qur’ān says:
And We have enjoined on man about his parents -- in travail upon travail did his mother bear him and in two years was his weaning -- that show gratitude to Me and your parents. (31:14)
And We have enjoined upon man to show kindness to his parents. In pain did his mother bear him and in pain did she give him birth. (46:15)
No doubt a father has a great role in the upbringing and development of his offspring. However, the pain and hardship a mother goes through before and right after child birth gives her a marked edge over the father. Consequently, based on these verses, some Ahādīth also say that a mother’s right is three times as much as a father’s.
Abū Hurayrah reports that once a person came to the Prophet and asked ‘Who deserves the most virtuous behaviour from me’. The Prophet replied: ‘Your mother’. The person then inquired: ‘Then who’. The Prophet replied: ‘Your mother’. The person further inquired: ‘Then who’. The Prophet replied: ‘Your mother’. The person once again asked: ‘Then who’. The Prophet replied: ‘Your father’. (Bukhārī, Kitābu’l-Adab)