Allah has granted a great amount of honour to human beings as He states in the Qur’an:

وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَـٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَـٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا
We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours above a great part of Our Creation. [Al Israa 17: 70].

By no means then can we diminish mankind mentally, emotionally, physically, or in any other way like race, gender, and colour. Man should always wish for others what he wishes for himself. There should be no place for selfishness or egoism.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, in one of his narrations, states that the faith of the faithful is incomplete unless he desires for his brother what he desires for himself.

Even though the elderly are less productive and often need care, making some societies put them away in nursing care homes, Islam gives them a status with a blessing.

“Goodness is with your elderly,” according to Majma’ al Zawai’d’s hadith 12618.

There is also a hadith saying the best of you are the ones who live longer and carry out good deeds.

As one can see, Islam does not consider the elderly as burdens on society. In fact, it recognizes the favour they have given to society and tries to pay them back by recognizing them and giving them the special status they deserve.
In addition to the status elderly people have in Muslim society, Islam gives them a number of rights, showing appreciation for what they offer society. In at least five passages the elderly’s rights are detailed.

First, people are to honour them and show them respect. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “One way of showing highness to Allah is to honour the elderly Muslim.” In another narration, he says, “He is not from us whoever does not have mercy on our young and reverence for our elders.”

It is clear in these narrations the amount of respect society should give to the elderly regardless of their social status or financial situation. As a result, the elderly should receive respect and be taken care of.

Second, people should treat the elderly with respect by greeting them first instead of waiting for the elder to start. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “The younger should greet the older first.”

Third, younger people should politely address their elders by calling them “uncle” or “aunt” as the companion of the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Omamah Ibn Sahl (RA), narrated. He said they visited the companion Anas (RA) and they found him praying; after Anas (RA) finished his prayer, he asked “oh uncle! Which prayer have you offered?” (Al Bukhari 549).

Fourth, people should allow the elderly to speak first, and not ignore or dismiss them. There was a group of people who came to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to inform him about a situation, and one of the younger people in the group started speaking. Then, the Prophet ﷺ uttered a phrase which meant “let your elderly speak first” (Al Bukhari 3173).

Finally, younger people should avoid insulting the elderly or humiliating them. In one narration, we read, “Whoever humiliates an elder, he shall not die until Allah makes somebody insult him and humiliate him when he gets older.

These are some of the rights of elderly people that Islam has enforced on Muslim society. It does not consider them a burden on society; instead, Islam requests society to take care of them and show them the respect they deserve. At the end of the day, the elderly are human beings, and they should be treated as such.