Parents

Abu 'Amr ash-Shaybani said, "The owner of this house (and he pointed atthe house of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud) said, "I asked the Prophet, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, which action Allah loves best. He replied,'Prayer at its proper time.' 'Then what?' I asked. He said, 'Then kindnessto parents." I asked, 'Then what?' He replied, 'Then jihad in the Way ofAllah.'" He added, "He told me about these things. If I had asked him totell me more, he would have told me more."

'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said, "The pleasure of the Lord lies in the pleasureof the parent. The anger of the Lord lies in the anger of the parent."

Bahz ibn Hakim's grandfather said, "I asked, 'Messenger of Allah, to whomshould I be dutiful?' 'Your mother,' he replied. I asked, 'Then whom?' 'Yourmother,' he replied. I asked, 'Then whom?' 'Your mother,' he replied. I asked, 'Then to whom should I bedutiful?' 'Your father,' he replied, 'and then the next closest relativeand then the next.'"

'Ata' ibn Yasar said that a man came to Ibn 'Abbas and said, "I askeda woman to marry me and she refused to marry me. Another man asked her andshe agreed to marry him. I became jealous and killed her. Is there any wayfor me to repent?" He asked, "Is your mother alive?" "No," he replied. Hesaid, "repent to Allah Almighty and try to draw near Him as much as you can."So I went and asked Ibn `Abbas why he inquired about the man's mother. He replied:
"I don't know of a deed closer to Allah, Exalted and Majestic, other than dutifulness to the mother."

Abu Hurayra said, "The Prophet was asked, 'Messenger of Allah, to whomshould I be dutiful?' 'Your mother,' he replied. He was asked, 'Then whom?''Your mother,' he replied. He was asked, 'Then whom?' 'Your mother,' he replied.He was asked, 'Thenwhom?' He replied, 'Your father.'"

Abu Hurayra reported:
"A man came to the Prophet of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, and asked, 'What do you command me to do?' He replied,'Be dutiful towards your mother.' Then he asked him the same question againand he replied, 'Be dutiful towards your mother.' He repeated it yet againand the Prophet replied, 'Be dutiful towards your mother.' Then he put the question a fourth time and the Prophet said, 'Be dutiful towardsyour father.'"

Ibn 'Abbas said, "If any Muslim obeys Allah regarding his parents, Allahwill open two gates of the Garden for him. If there is only one parent, thenone gate will be opened. If one of them is angry, then Allah will not bepleased with him until that parent is pleased with him." He was asked, "Evenif they wrong him?" "Even if they wrong him" he replied.

Taysala ibn Mayyas said, "I was with the Najadites [Kharijites] when Icommitted wrong actions which I supposed were major wrong actions. I mentionedthat to Ibn 'Umar. He inquired, 'What are they?" I replied, 'Such-and-such.'He stated, 'These are not major wrong actions. There are nine major wrongactions. They are:
associating others with Allah, killing someone, desertionfrom the army when it is advancing, slandering a chaste woman, usury, consumingan orphan's property, heresy in the mosque, scoffing, and causing one's parentsto weep through disobedience.' Ibn 'Umar then said to me, 'Do you wish toseparate yourself from the Fire? Would you like to enter Paradise?' 'By Allah,yes!' I replied. He asked, 'Are your parents still alive?' I replied, 'Mymother is.' He said, 'By Allah, if you speak gently to her and feed her,then you will enter the Garden as long as you avoid the major wrong actions.'"

Hisham ibn 'Urwa related this ayat from his father, "Take themunder your wing, out of mercy, with due humility." (17:
24)

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "A child cannot repay his father unless he finds him asa slave and the buys him and sets him free."

Sa'id ibn Abi Burda said, "I heard my father say that Ibn 'Umar saw aYamani man going around the House while carrying his mother on his back,saying, 'I am your humble camel. If her mount is frightened, I am notfrightened.' Then he asked, 'Ibn 'Umar? Do you think that I have repaid her?'He replied, 'No, not even for a single groan.'

Marwan used to make Abu Hurayra his agent and he used to be located inDhu'l-Hulayfa. His mother was in one house and he was in another. When hewanted to go out, he would stop at her door and say, "Peace be upon you,mother, and the mercy of Allah and His blessing." She would reply, "And peacebe upon you, my son, and the mercy of Allah and His blessing." Then he said,"May Allah have mercy on you as you raised me when I was a child." She answered,"May Allah have mercy on you as you were dutiful to me when I was old." Wheneverhe wanted to go inside, he would do something similar.

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "A man came to the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, and made a pledge to him that he would do hijra.He left his parents who were in tears. The Prophet said, 'Go back to themand make them laugh as you made them weep.'"

Abu Hazim reported that Abu Murra, the mawla of Umm Hani' bint Abi Talibhad told him that he rode with Abu Hurayra to his land in al-'Aqiq. Whenhe entered his land, he shouted out in his loudest voice, "Peace be uponyou, mother, and the mercy of Allah and His blessing!" She replied, "Andpeace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessing." He said, "MayAllah have mercy on you as you raised me when I was a child." She replied,"My son, may Allah repay you well and be pleased with you as you were dutifultowards me when I was old."

Abu Bakra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "Shall I tell you which is the worst of the majorwrong actions?" "Yes, Messenger of Allah," they replied. He said, "Associatingsomething else with Allah and disobeying parents." He had been recliningbut then he sat up and said, "and false witness." Abu Bakra said, "He continuedto repeat it until I said, 'Is he never going to stop?'"

Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, said, "Mu'awiya wrote toal-Mughira, saying, 'Write down for me what you heard the Messenger of Allah,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say.'" Warrad said, "He dictatedto me and I wrote out, 'I heard him forbid asking too many questions, wastingmoney and chit-chat.'"

Abu't-Tufayl said, "'Ali was asked, 'Did the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, give you something special which he did not giveto anyone else?' He replied, 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, did not give me anything special which he did not giveto everyone else except for what I have in my sword scabbard.' He broughtout a piece of paper. Written on that paper was:
'Allah curses anyone whosacrifices an animal to something other than Allah. Allah curses anyone whosteals a milestone. Allah curses anyone who curses his parents. Allah cursesanyone who gives shelter to an innovator.'"

Abu'd-Darda' said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, recommended nine things to me:
'Do not associate anything withAllah, even if you are cut to pieces or burned. Do not abandon a prescribedprayer deliberately. Anyone who abandons it will forfeit Allah's protection.Do not drink wine - it is the key to every evil. Obey your parents. If theycommand you to abandon your worldly possessions, then leave them for them.Do not contend with those in power, even if you think that you are in theright. Do not run away from the army when it advances, even if you arekilled while your companions run away. Spend on your wife out of your means.Do not raise a stick against your wife. Cause your family to fear Allah,the Almighty and Exalted.'"

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "A man came to the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, and said, 'I have come to make you a pledge thatwill do hijra although I have left my parents in tears." The Prophet said,'Go back to them and make them laugh as you made them cry.'"

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "A man came to the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, wanting to do jihad. The Prophet asked, 'Are yourparents alive?' 'Yes,' he replied. he said, 'Then exert yourself on theirbehalf.'"

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "Disgrace! Disgrace! Disgrace!" They said, "Messenger ofAllah, who?" He said, "The one who fails his parents or one of them whenthey are old will enter the Fire."

Mu'adh said, "Bliss belongs to someone who is dutiful towards his parents.Allah Almighty will prolong his life."

Ibn 'Abbas mentioned the words of the Almighty, "When one or bothof them reach old age with you, do not say 'Ugh!' to them out of irritationand do not be harsh with them but speak to them with gentleness and generosity.Take them under your wing, out of mercy, with due humility and say:
'Lord,show mercy to them as they did in looking after me when I was small."(17:23-24) He said, "This was abrogated in Surat at-Tawba: 'Itis not right for the Prophet and those who have iman to ask forgiveness forthe mushrikun even if they are close relatives after it has become clearto them that they are the Companions of the Blazing Fire.' (9:113)"

Sa'id ibn Abi Waqqas said:
"Four ayats were revealed about me. The firstwas when my mother swore she would neither eat nor drink until I left Muhammad,may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Allah Almighty revealed, 'Butif they try to make you associate something with Me about which you haveno knowledge, do not obey them. Keep company with them correctly and courteouslyin this world' (31:15) The second was when I took a sword thatI admired and said, 'Messenger of Allah, give me this!' Then the ayatwas revealed: 'They will ask you about booty.' (8:1) The third waswhen I was ill and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, came to me and I said, 'Messenger of Allah, I want to divide myproperty. Can I will away a half?' He said, 'No.' 'A third?' I asked. Hewas silent and so after that it was allowed to will away a third. The fourthwas when I had been drinking wine with some of the Ansar. One of them hitmy nose with the jawbone of a camel. I went to the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, and Allah Almighty revealed the prohibition of wine."

Asma' bint Abi Bakr said, "In the time of the Prophet, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, my mother came to me hoping (I would be dutiful).I asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, 'Do I haveto treat her well?' 'Yes,' he replied."

Ibn 'Umar said, "'Umar saw a silk robe for sale. He said, 'Messengerof Allah, would you buy this robe and wear it on Jumu'a and when delegationsvisit you?' He replied, 'Only a person who has no portion in the Next Worldcould wear this.' Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, was given some robes made of the same material. He sent one ofthe robes to 'Umar. 'Umar exclaimed, 'How can I wear it when you said whatyou said about it?' The Prophet replied, 'I did not give it to you so thatyou could wear it. You can sell it or give it to someone.' 'Umar sent itto a brother of his in Makka who had not yet become Muslim."

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "Reviling one's parents is one of the great wrong actions."They asked, "How could he revile them?" He said, "He reviles a man who thenin turn reviles his mother and father."

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "A man's reviling his father is one of the majorwrong actions in the sight of Allah Almighty."

Abu Bakra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, said, "There is no wrong action more likely to bring punishment inthis world in addition to what is stored up in the Next World than oppressionand severing ties of kinship."

'Imran ibn Husayn said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, 'What do you say about fornication, drinking wineand theft?' 'Allah and His Messenger know best,' we replied. He stated, 'Theyare acts of outrage and there is punishment for them, but shall I tell youwhich is the greatest of the great wrong actions? Associating with AllahAlmighty and disobeying parents.' He had been reclining, but then he satup and said, 'and lying.'"

Ibn 'Umar said, "Making parents weep is part of disobedience and oneof the major wrong actions."

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, said, "Three supplications are answered without a doubt:
thesupplication of someone who is oppressed, the supplication of someone ona journey, and the supplication of parents for their children."

Abu Hurayra reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allahbless him and grant him peace, say, "No human child has ever spoken in thecradle except for 'Isa ibn Maryam, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,and the companion of Jurayj." Abu Hurayra asked, "Prophet of Allah, who wasthe companion of Jurayj?" The Prophet replied, "Jurayj was a monk who livedin a hermitage. There was a cowherd who used to come to the foot of his hermitageand a woman from the village used to come to the cowherd.

Abu Hurayra said, "Neither Jew nor Christian has heard me and then notloved me. I wanted my mother to become Muslim, but she refused. I told herabout it and she still refused. I went to the Prophet, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, and said, 'Pray to Allah for me.' He did so and I wentto her. She was inside the door of the house and said, 'Abu Hurayra, I havebecome Muslim.' I told the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,and I asked, 'Make supplication to Allah for me and my mother.' He said,'O Allah, make people love Abu Hurayra and his mother.'"

Abu Usayd said, "We were with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshim and grant him peace, when a man asked, 'Messenger of Allah, is thereany act of dutifulness which I can do for my parents after their death?'He replied, 'Yes. There are four things:
Supplication for them, askingforgiveness for them, fulfilling their pledges, and being generous to friendsof theirs. You only have ties of kinship through your parents."

Abu Hurayra said, "The dead person can be raised a degree after his death.He said, 'My Lord, how is this?' He was told, 'Your child can ask for forgivenessfor you.'"

Ibn Sirin said, "We were with Abu Hurayra one night and he said, 'O Allah,forgive Abu Hurayra and his mother and whoever asks for forgiveness for bothof them.'" Muhammad said, "We used to ask for forgiveness for them so thatwe would be included in Abu Hurayra's supplication."

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, "When a person dies, all action is cut off forhim with the exception of three things:
sadaqa which continues, knowledgewhich benefits, or a righteous child who makes supplication for him."

Ibn 'Abbas reported that a man said, "Messenger of Allah, my mother diedwithout a will. Will it help her if I give sadaqa on her behalf?""Yes," he replied.

'Abdullah ibn Dinar reported that Ibn 'Umar passed by a bedouin duringa journey. The bedouin's father had been a friend of 'Umar's. The bedouinsaid, "Am I not the son of so-and-so?" He said, "Yes, indeed." Ibn 'Umarordered that he be given a donkey which was following him. He also took offhis turban and gave it to him, One of the men with him said, "Wouldn't twodirhams be enough for him?" He replied, "The Prophet, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, 'Maintain what your father loved. Do not cut itoff so that Allah puts out your light."

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him andgrant him peace, said, "The strongest form of dutifulness is when a man maintainsrelations with the people his father loved."

Sa'd ibn 'Ubada az-Zurqi reported that his father said, "I was sittingin the mosque in Madina with 'Amr ibn 'Uthman when 'Abdullah ibn Salam walkedby, leaning on his nephew. 'Amr left the assembly and showed his concernfor him." Then Ibn Salam returned to them and said, "Do what you like, 'Amribn 'Uthman," (and he said it two or three times) By the One who sent Muhammad,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with the Truth, it is in the Bookof Allah Almighty (and he said it twice), 'Do not cut off those your fatherhas joined so that that extinguishes your light.'"

Abu Bakr ibn Hazm reported that one of the Companions of the Prophet,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "It is enough that I tellyou that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,said, 'Love is inherited.'"

Abu Hurayra saw two men and said to one of them, "Who is this man inrelation to you?" He is my father," he replied. He said, "Do not call himby his own name nor walk in front of him nor sit down before him."

Shahr ibn Hawshab said, "We went out with Ibn 'Umar and Salim said tohim, 'Peace, Abu 'Abdu'r-Rahman.'"

'Abdullah ibn Dinar said reported that Ibn 'Umar said, "But Abu Hafs'Umar decided..."