Allah said next,

﴿وَبِالْوَلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا﴾

(be kind and dutiful to your parents;) meaning, Allah has commanded and ordered you to be kind to your parents. Allah said in another Ayah,

﴿وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّـهُ وَبِالْوَلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـناً﴾

(And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents.) ﴿17:23﴾ Allah often mentions obeying Him and being dutiful to parents together. Allah said,

﴿وَوَصَّيْنَا الإِنْسَـنَ بِوَلِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْناً عَلَى وَهْنٍ وَفِصَالُهُ فِى عَامَيْنِ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِى وَلِوَلِدَيْكَ إِلَىَّ الْمَصِيرُ - وَإِن جَـهَدَاكَ عَلَى أَن تُشْرِكَ بِى مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلاَ تُطِعْهُمَا وَصَـحِبْهُمَا فِى الدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفاً وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَىَّ ثُمَّ إِلَىَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴾

(Give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination. But if they (both) strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not; but behave with them in this world kindly, and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience. Then to Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do.) ﴿31:14-15﴾ Therefore, Allah ordered children to be dutiful and kind to their parents, even if they were idolators. Allah also said,

﴿وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَـقَ بَنِى إِسْرءِيلَ لاَ تَعْبُدُونَ إِلاَّ اللَّهَ وَبِالْوَلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا﴾

(And (remember) when We took a covenant from the Children of Israel, (saying): Worship none but Allah and be dutiful and kind to parents.) ﴿2:83﴾ There are several Ayat on this subject. It is recorded in the Two Sahihs that Ibn Mas`ud said, "I asked Allah's Messenger about which deed is the best. He said,

«الصَّلَاةُ عَلَى وَقْتِهَا»

(The prayer, when it is performed on time.) I said, `Then' He said,

«بِرُّ الْوَالِدَيْن»

(Being dutiful to parents.) I asked, `Then' He said,

«الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ الله»

(Jihad in Allah's cause.) Ibn Mas`ud said, "The Messenger of Allah said these words to me, and had I asked him for more, he would have said more.''