Kindness to Parents

1. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa and Ali ibn Ibrahim from his father all from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from abu Wallad al-Hannat who has said the following: “I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) about the meaning of ‘kindness’ in the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘. . . and that you must be kind to your parents. . . .’ (17:23) The Imam said, ‘It means to behave with them in a good manner, not to make them ask you for help, even though they are self-sufficient. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has said, “You can never have extended virtue and righteousness unless you spend part of what you dearly love for the cause of Allah.’” (3:92) “The narrator has said that the Imam then said, ‘The words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, “If either or both of your parents should become advanced in age, do not express to them words which show your slightest disappointment. Never shout at them but always speak to them with kindness,” (17:23) if they say harsh words to you, do not say ‘Uff (expression of disappointment) to them, and do not shout at them if they beat you. Allah has said, ‘Speak kind words to them.’ The Imam said, ‘If they beat you say to them, “May Allah forgive you,” and this will be the kind and noble word from you.’ Allah has said, “Be humble and merciful toward them. . . .” (17:24) The Imam said, ‘Do not have an eyeful look at them except with kindness and tender heart, do not raise your voice over their voice or your hands over their hands and do not walk in front of them.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

69. Ali Bin Ibrahim, from his father, from Ibn Mahboub, from Muhammad Bin Is’haq Al-Madany, who has narrated the following: Abu Ja’far (asws) having said that: ‘The Rasool (saww) of Allah (azwj) was asked about the Statement of Allah (azwj): “[19:85] The day We shall gather the righteous to (Allah) Most Gracious, like a band presented before a king for honours”, so he (saww) said: ‘O Ali (asws)! Surely the delegation will not come up except on rides. These will be the men who feared Allah (azwj), so Allah (azwj) Loved them and Specialised them and being Pleased with their deeds and therefore they have been named as the pious ones’. Then he (saww) said to him (asws): ‘O Ali (asws)! By the One (azwj) Who Split the seed and Brought life out of it, they will be coming out from their graves and the Angels will be welcoming them by a she-camel from the she-camels of honour on which will be saddles of gold crowned with pearls and sapphire, and it will be covered in brocade and silk, and its braid will be purple, and it will fly with them to the place of Resurrection. Along with every man from them will be a thousand Angels in front of them, and on his right, and on his left escorting them with an (honourable) escort until they will end up with them to the Great Door of the Paradise. And at the Door (Entrance) of the Paradise is a tree, a leaf from it can give shade to a thousand men from the people under it. And on the right of the tree is a fountain pure and clear’. He (saww) said: ‘They will quench themselves with a drink from it, so Allah (azwj) will Purify their hearts by it from the ‘الْحَسَدِ’ (jealousy/envy), and their bodily hair will drop off, and that is the Statement of Allah (azwj): “[76:21] and their Lord shall make them drink a pure drink”. It will be from that pure fountain’. He (saww) said: ‘Then they will leave to go to another Fountain on the right of the Tree. So they will bathe in it, and it is the Fountain of (everlasting) Life, and so they will not be dying ever’. He (saww) said: ‘Then they (the she-camels) will pause by them in front of the Throne, and they would have been made safe from the diseases and the illnesses and the heat and the cold for all eternity’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘Then the ‘الْجَبَّارُ’ (Compeller (azwj)) Majestic, Who cannot be Described (by any means), will Say to the Angels who will be with them: “Usher My (azwj) friends to the Paradise and do not pause them with the creatures from I (azwj) am already Pleased with them and My (azwj) Mercy has been Obligated for them, and how can I (azwj) Want them to be paused, the companions of the good with that of the evil?’ He (saww) said: ‘The Angels will lead them to the Paradise. So when they end up with them at the Great Entrance of the Paradise the Angels will knock hard on the door. Its pleasant sound will reach every Hourie whom Allah (azwj) has Prepared for His (azwj) friends in the Gardens. They (Houries) will give them the good news of it when they hear the pleasant sound of the ring (door bell), so some of them will say to the others, ‘The friends of Allah (azwj) have come to us, so open the Door for them’. They will enter the Paradise and their respective wives from the beautiful Houries and the humans will welcome them by saying, ‘Congratulations to you for we have been intensely eager in our desire to be with you’, and the friends of Allah (azwj) will say to them similarly’. Ali (asws) said: ‘O Rasool (saww) Allah (azwj)! Inform us about the Statement of Allah (azwj); “[39:20] But it is for those who fear their Lord. That lofty mansions, one above another, have been built”, O Rasool (saww) Allah (azwj)’. So he (saww) said: ‘O Ali (asws)! Those are mansions which Allah (azwj) has Built for His (azwj) friends from the pearls, and the sapphire, and the emeralds, and their ceilings are of gold interwoven with silver. For each of the mansions are a thousand doors of gold upon each of which is an Angel allocated to it. In them are raised couches, one on top of the other from the silk, and the brocades of different colours, and their filling is of musk, and the camphor and ambergris, and that is the Statement of Allah (azwj): “[56:34] And raised couches”. When the Believer enters his house in the Paradise, a crown of kingship and prestige would be placed upon his head, and he will be dressed in the clothes of gold, and silver, and the rubies, and the crystals arranged in designs as a wreath under the crown’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘And he will be dressed in seventy garments of silk of different colours, struck with different designs with gold, and the silver, and the pearls, and the red sapphire. So that is the Statement of Allah (azwj): “[22:23] they shall be adorned therein with bracelets of gold and pearls; and their garments there will be of silk”. So when the Believer sits upon his bed, it will vibrate with joy. When the friend of Allah (azwj) settles down in his house in the Paradise, the Angels allocated to his Garden will seek permission from him so as to congratulate him for the honour Bestowed upon him by Allah (azwj), and they will come to him. So the servants of the Believer from the butlers and the maids will say to them, ‘Stay in your place, for the friend of Allah (azwj) is leaning upon his couch, and his Hourie wife is grooming herself for him, therefore wait for the friend of Allah (azwj)’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘So his Hourie wife will come out to him from her tent, walking to welcome him, and around her will be her maids, and upon her would be seventy garments interwoven with the sapphire, and the pearls, and the emeralds, and scented with musk, and ambergris. And upon her head would be a crown of prestige, and she would be wearing shoes of gold laced with sapphire and pearls, and their laces will be of red sapphire. So when she approaches the friend of Allah (azwj), he would understand it and he would get up for her in desire, so she will say to him, ‘O friend of Allah (azwj), this is not a day of tiredness and suffering, so do not get up. I am for you and you are for me’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘So they will hug each other for a duration of five hundred years from the years of the world. Neither will he get weary of her nor will she get weary of him. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘So when he calms down without being disheartened from her, he will look at her neck, so he will see on her a necklace embedded with red sapphire. In the midst of it would be a panel of pears on which would be written, “You, O friend of Allah (azwj) is my beloved, and I am the Hourie, beloved to you. My self is devoted to you and your self is devoted to me”. Then Allah (azwj) will Send to him a thousand Angels to congratulate him for being in the Paradise and having been married to the Hourie’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘So they will end up to the first of the doors of his Gardens. They will say to the Angel allocated for that door of his garden, ‘Grant us permission to the friend of Allah (azwj), for Allah (azwj) has Sent us to him to congratulate him’. The Angel will say to them, ‘Wait until I inform the guard to inform him of your places’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘So the Angel would come up to the guard, and in between the guard and him would be three Gardens until he will end up at the first door. So he will say to the guard that, ‘A thousand Angels are awaiting at the door, having been Sent by the Lord (azwj) of the world, Blessed and High, to congratulate the friend of Allah (azwj) and have asked me to grant them permission to see him’. The guard will say to the Angel, ‘This is difficult for me that I should permit anyone to the friend of Allah (azwj) as he is with his Hourie wife’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘And in between the guard and the friend of Allah (azwj) are two Gardens’. He (saww) said: ‘So the guard will come up to the supervisor and say to him that, ‘At the door are a thousand Angels whom the Lord (azwj) of Honour has Sent to congratulate the friend of Allah (azwj), so grant them permission’. The supervisor will proceed to the servants and say to them that, ‘A thousand Angels are at the door whom Allah (azwj) has Sent to congratulate the friend of Allah (azwj), so make their places known to him’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘So they will make it known to him, and he will tell him to grant permission to the Angels. So they will come up to the friend of Allah (azwj), and he would be in a mansion of his, and there will be a thousand doors in it, and at each door of its doors would be an Angel allocated to it. So he will allow the Angels to enter to be with the friend of Allah (azwj) by opening one door for each of the Angels to enter by. The supervisor would then allow each of the Angels from the door of the doors of the Mansion’. He (saww) said: ‘So they would then convey the Message of the Compeller (azwj) Majestic and Mighty to him and that is the Statement of Allah (azwj): “[13:23] and the angels will enter in upon them from every gate”, from the doors of the Mansion, “[13:24] Peace be on you” - up to the end of the Verse’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘And that is the Statement of the Majestic and Mighty: “[76:20] And when you see there, you shall see blessings and a great kingdom”, meaning by that the friend of Allah (azwj) and what he would be in from the Prestige and the Bounties, and the Magnificent and Great Kingdom. The Angels Sent by the Message from Allah (azwj) Mighty is His (azwj) Mention, would seek permission for their entrance to him. So they do not come up to him except by his permission. So that is the Magnificent and Great Kingdom’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘And the rivers would flow from underneath his dwelling and that is the Statement of Allah (azwj): “[18:31] These it is for whom are gardens of perpetuity beneath which rivers flow”. And the fruits would come near to them and it is the Statement of Mighty and Majestic: “[76:14] And close down upon them (shall be) its shadows, and its fruits shall be made near (to them) (as in humility), being easy to reach”. The Believer would eat from the varieties of fruits by its category whilst leaning (relaxed upon the couch), and the varieties of the fruits will say to the friend of Allah (azwj), ‘Eat me before you eat this one’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘And there is none from the Believer in the Paradise except that for him would be numerous Gardens, with a gazebo or without a gazebo, and rivers of pure drinks, and rivers of water, and rivers of milk, and rivers of honey. So if the friend of Allah (azwj) calls to partake a meal, he would be given whatsoever he desires for from the foods without even having named his desire’. Rasool Allah (saww) said: ‘Then he would seclude himself with his wife, and some of them would visit each other, and they would enjoy in their Gardens in extended shade, similar to what is between the break of dawn to the rise of the sun, and better than that. Each of the Believer would have seventy wives from the Houries, and four women from the humans, and the Believer would spend an hour with the Hourie, and an hour with the human (wife), and an hour alone with himself, being relaxed leaning on his couch, some looking at some others’. The Believer would be covered by a shining beam of light and he would be upon his couch, and he would say to his servants, ‘What is this beam of light? Perhaps it is the Brilliance of the Compeller (azwj) Who has Observed me’. His servants would say to him, ‘Holy is He (azwj)! Holy is He (azwj)! Majestic is His (azwj) Majesty! But, this is a Hourie from your women (wives) whom you have never entered into. She just looked out of her tent towards you in her desire for you, and wants to present herself to you, and would love to meet with you. So when she saw you relaxed upon your couch, she smiled in her desire for you. So that was the brilliant beam that you saw and the light which you were covered in, it was from the whiteness of her mouth (teeth), and her cleanliness, and her purity, and her tenderness’. He (saww) said: ‘So the friend of Allah (azwj) would say, ‘Grant her permission’. So a thousand servants and a thousand maids would descend to her to give her the good news of that. So she would then come to him from her tent, and she would have upon her seventy garments interwoven with the gold, and silver, laced with gems and the sapphire, and the emeralds cover with musk and ambergris, of different colours. The marrow of her leg would be seen from underneath the seventy garments of seventy cubits of length, and the (distance) between her shoulders would be of ten cubits. So when she approaches the friend of Allah (azwj), the servants would welcome her by a tray of gold and the silver in which would be gems, and the sapphire, and the emeralds, so they would display these to her. Then he would embrace her and she would embrace him. So neither would he be weary nor would she be weary’. He the (narrator) said, ‘Then Abu Ja’far (asws) said: ‘But rather the Gardens Mentioned in the Book are the Garden of Eden, and the Garden of Al-Firdows, and Garden of Naeem, and Garden of Al-Ma’wa’. He (asws) said: ‘And Allah (azwj) has Surrounded these Gardens with other Gardens, and that the Believer would be able to have for him from the Gardens whichever one what he loves, and wants and enjoy wherever he so likes to. And if the Believer intends a thing, or covets it, he would call for it by saying, ‘Glory be to You (azwj), our Allah (azwj)!’ So if he says it, the servants would keep coming to him with what he had coveted for even without him having asked them for it or commanded them for it, and that is the Statement of Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic: “[10:10] Their cry in it shall be: Glory to Thee, O Allah! and their greeting in it shall be: ‘سَلامٌ’ Peace”, meaning the servants’. He (asws) said: “[10:10] and the last of their cry shall be: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.”, meaning by that after their having had their enjoyment from the copulation, and the food, and the drinks, they will be Praising Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic during their being free from that’. And as for His (azwj) Statement: “[37:41] For them is a Sustenance determined”, he (asws) said: ‘The servants know of it, so they bring it to the friend of Allah (azwj) before he even asks them for it’. And as for the Statement of the Mighty and Majestic: “[37:42] Fruits, and they shall be highly honoured”, he (asws) said: ‘They will not desire anything in the Paradise, except that they will be honoured with it’.

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Ibn Mahbub has narrated from Khalid ibn Naff al-Bajali from Muhammad ibn Marwan who has said the following: “I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Once a man came to the Holy Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah, give me a good advice.” The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Do not consider anything as partner of Allah even if you are tortured with fire except when your heart is confident with belief. You must obey your parents and be good to them whether living or dead. If they order you to leave your property and family you must do so; it is of belief.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Sayf from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “On the Day of Judgment something will suddenly come behind the believer, rush him forward and admit him in paradise. It will be said, ‘This is kindness.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu’alla ibn Muhammad from al- Washsha’ from Mansur ibn Hazim from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘Which deed is the best?’ The Imam said, ‘Prayer in its proper time, kindness to parents and hard work to strive for the cause of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa ibn ‘Ubayd from Yunus ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman from Durust ibn abu Mansur from abu al-Hassan Musa (a.s.) who has said the following: “Once, a man asked the Messenger of Allah, ‘What is the right of the father on the son?’ The messenger of Allah said, ‘The son must not address his father by his name (first name), must not walk in front of him, must not take a seat before him, and must not cause people to abuse him.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from his father from ‘Abd Allah ibn Bahr from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muskan from those whom he has mentioned from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Once the Imam spoke to ‘Abd al- Wahid al-Ansari, while I was present, about kindness to parents mentioned in the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, ‘Be kind to parents.’ We thought it was the verse in Chapter Seventeen that says, ‘. . . the Lord has ordained that you must not worship anyone other than Him and that you must “Be kind to your parents. . . .’ (17:23) Later I asked the Imam and he said, ‘It was verse 14-15 of Chapter 31, that says, “(Concerning his parents), We advised the man, (to be good to parents). . . . (31:14) If they try to force you to consider things equal to Me, which you cannot justify to be equal to Me, do not obey them.” (31:15) The Imam then said, ‘This shows greater significance of maintaining good relations with them in all cases.’ I asked about: ‘If they try to force you to consider things equal to Me, which you cannot justify to be equal to Me, do not obey them.’ (31:15) The Imam said, ‘It, in fact, is a command to establish good relations with parents even if they struggle to make him consider things equal to Allah. It only shows the greatness of the rights of parents.’” (Note: al-Majlisi in Mir’at al-‘Uqul has expressed concern about the authenticity of this Hadith. For details one may refer to this work.)

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Mu’ammar ibn Khallad who has said the following: “I asked abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) ‘Can I pray for my parents who do not know the truth?’ The Imam said, ‘Pray for them and give charity on their behalf. If they are living and do not know the truth, be kind to them; the Messenger of Allah has said, “Allah has sent me with (message of) kindness and not to punish.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hisham ibn Salim from abu ‘Abd Allah who has said the following: “Once a man came to the Holy Prophet and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, to whom should I be kind?’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Be kind to your mother.’ The man asked, ‘Then whom?’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Your mother.’ The man asked, ‘Then whom?’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Your mother.’ The man asked, ‘Then whom?’ The Messenger of Allah said, “Be kind to your father.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

10. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from Muhammad ibn Salim from Ahmad ibn al- Nadr from ‘Amr ibn Shamir from Jabir from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Once a man came to the Messenger of Allah and said, ‘I am interested in Jihad (joining the army) O Messenger of Allah. I am active and light.’ The Imam said, ‘The Holy Prophet said, “Do Jihad (join the army) in the way of Allah, if you will be killed you will be living with Allah and will receive sustenance. If you die you will receive your reward from Allah, and if you return you will return free from sins as in the day you were born.” The man then said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, my parents are old and they think my presence is a comfort for them and they do not like my going out.’ The Messenger of Allah then said, ‘Stay with your parents, I swear by the One in whose hand is my soul, that your parents’ receiving comfort from your presence with them for one day and night is more virtuous than Jihad for one year.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

11. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Mu’awiyah ibn Wahab from Zakariya ibn Ibrahim who has said the following: “I was a Christian, then I became a Muslim. I went for Hajj, where I met Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) and I said to him, ‘I was a Christian and I have become a Muslim.’ The Imam asked, ‘What have you seen in Islam?’ I said, ‘They are the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, “. . . before, you did not even know what a Book or belief was, but We have made the Quran as a light by which We guide whichever of Our servants We want.’” (42:52) The Imam said, ‘Allah has certainly granted you guidance.’ The Imam then said three times: ‘O Allah, guide him. Son, ask whatever you want to ask.’ I then said, ‘My parents and my family are Christians and my mother is blind. I live with them. Can I eat from their utensils with them?’ The Imam asked, ‘Do they eat pork?’ I said, ‘No, they do not even touch it.’ The Imam said, ‘There is no offense in your eating with them. Take good care of your mother and be kind to her. When she will die do not leave her to others. You must do everything that she will need (for her funeral). Do not tell anyone of your meeting with me until you will meet me at Mina, if Allah would so will.’ I (the narrator) met him at Mina and people were around him as if he were the teacher of children. He asks a question then the other asks a question and so on. I returned to Kufa and I would act more kindly toward my mother. I would feed my mother, wash her clothes, her head and would serve her in other ways.’ She said, ‘My son, you did not do all this for me when you followed my religion. What is all that I see from you after you left and accepted the religion of submission (Islam)?’ I said, ‘A man from the descendents of our prophet has commanded me to do all this.’ She then asked, ‘Is this man a prophet?’ I said, ‘No, but he is a descendent of a prophet.’ She said, ‘My son, he is a prophet; these are of the teachings of the prophets.’ I said, ‘Mother, there will be no other prophet after our prophet. He is a descendent of our prophet.’ She then said, ‘Your religion is the best religion. Explain it to me.’ I then explained to her and she accepted Islam. I taught her more. She prayed, Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers. Thereafter something happened to her at night and she said, ‘Son, explain and repeat to me what you told me about Islam and I repeated it to her. She affirmed them and then she died. In the morning the Muslims were the ones who helped with her funeral and washed her. I was the one who prayed on her body and climbed down in her grave (to place her body to rest).”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

12. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam a number of our people from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah from Isma’il ibn Mehran all from Sayf ibn ‘ Amirah from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muskan from ‘Ammar ibn Hayyan who has said the following: “Once I explained to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) how kind my son Isma’il was to me. The Imam said, ‘I loved him before and this has increased my love for him. Once, the sister of the Messenger of Allah (through breast-feeding) visited him. When he saw her he became very happy to see her, prepared a seat for her, began to talk to her and smiled at her. She left and her brother came. The Holy Prophet did not behave toward him as he did to her. He was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, you behaved toward his sister differently from the way you behaved toward him, and he is a man.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘It was because she was more kind to her parents than he was.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

13. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Sayf ibn ‘Amirah from ‘Abd Allah ibn Muskan from Ibrahim ibn Shu’ayb who has said the following: “Once I said to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘My father has become very old and weak. We pick him up and help him for the restrooms.’ The Imam said, ‘If you can, you should do all of this for him and feed him with your own hand; it is paradise for you tomorrow. ’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

14. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Sayf ibn ‘Amirah from abu al-Sabbah from Jabir who has said the following: “I heard a man saying to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘My parents are against us (our belief).’ The Imam said, ‘Be kind to them just as Muslims who follow us are kind (to their parents).”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

15. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father and Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad all from ibn Mahbub from Malik ibn ‘Atiyyah from ‘Anbasah ibn Mus’ab from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following: ‘‘There are three things in which Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has not given any concession: safely returning of the trust to appropriate people, regardless of their being good or evil people, keeping the promise for good or evil people, and being kind to parents whether of good or of evil manners.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

16. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Nawfali from al-Sakuni from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘It is of tradition and virtue to adopt al-Kunyah (like abu’ meaning father of or ‘Ibn’) of the name of one’s father.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

17. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu’alla ibn Muhammad and Ali ibn Muhammad from Salih ibn abu Hammad all from al-Washsha’ from Ahmad ibn ‘Ai’z from abu Khadijah Salim ibn Mukram from Mu’alla ibn Khanis from abu ‘Abd Allah Who has said the following: “Once a man came to the Holy Prophet and asked about kindness to parents. The Holy Prophet said, ‘Be kind to your mother, be kind to your mother, be kind to your mother, be kind to your father, be kind to your father, and be kind to your father. He began with mother before the father.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

18. Al-Washsha’ has narrated from Ahmad ibn ‘Ai’z from abu Khadijah from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Once a man came to the Holy Prophet and said, ‘I had a daughter and I brought her up until she became an adult. I then dressed her up in beautiful clothes, took her to the well and threw her therein to her death and the last thing I heard from her was; O father! What is the expiation for it?’ The Messenger of Allah asked, ‘Do you have a living mother?’ He said, ‘No, I do not.’ The Messenger of Allah asked, ‘Do you have a living maternal aunt?’ He said, ‘Yes, I do.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Be kind to her; she is like a mother, this will serve as expiation for what you have done.’ Abu Khadijah has said, ‘I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘When was this?’ The Imam said, ‘It was in the time of Jahiliyah (age of darkness). They would kill the girls for fear of being taken captive and giving birth to other people.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

19. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Isma’il ibn Bazi’ from Hannan ibn Sadir from his father who has said the following: “I asked abu Ja’far (a.s.) ‘Can a son pay back (for the favors of) a father?’ The Imam said, ‘There is no payment for him except two things: if the father is a slave and the son buys him and sets him free, or the father is in debt and the son pays it off.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

20. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus ibn ‘Abd al- Rahman from ‘ Amr ibn Shamir from Jabir who has said the following: “Once a man came to the Messenger of Allah and said, ‘I am a young and active man and love Jihad (joining the army), but my mother does not like it.’ The Holy Prophet said, ‘Go back and stay with your mother. I swear by the One Who has sent me with the truth as a prophet that her feeling comfort because of your presence for one night is better for your Jihad in the way of Allah for one year.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

21. Al-Husayn ibn Muhammad has narrated from Mu’alla ibn Muhammad from al- Hassan ibn Ali from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan from Muhammad ibn Muslim from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following: “A servant (of Allah) may have been kind to his parents during their lifetime but when they die he does not pay their debts, and does not ask forgiveness for them. Allah writes him as unkind (person) to parents. One may have been unkind to parents during their lifetime but after their death, when he pays off their debts and asks forgiveness for them, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, writes him down to be among the people who are kind to their parents.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from Muhammad ibn Ali from al-Hakam ibn Miskin from Muhammad ibn Marwan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Nothing prevents any of you from doing kindness to your parents, who are living or dead, in the form of prayer for them, giving charity on their behalf, performing Hajj and fasting on their behalf. These are things that one can do for them. He will also receive similar credit, thus, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will grant him a great deal of good rewards for his kindness to his parents.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.