Honouring Parents: The Words of Allah Almighty: "We have instructed
Abu 'Amr ash-Shaybani said, "The owner of this house (and he pointed at
the house of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud) said, "I asked the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, which action Allah loves best. He replied,
'Prayer at its proper time.' 'Then what?' I asked. He said, 'Then kindness
to parents." I asked, 'Then what?' He replied, 'Then jihad in the Way of
Allah.'" He added, "He told me about these things. If I had asked him to
tell me more, he would have told me more."
Bahz ibn Hakim's grandfather said, "I asked, 'Messenger of Allah, to whom
should I be dutiful?' 'Your mother,' he replied. I asked, 'Then whom?' 'Your
mother,' he replied. I asked, 'Then whom?' 'Your mother,' he replied. I asked, 'Then to whom should I be
dutiful?' 'Your father,' he replied, 'and then the next closest relative
and then the next.'"
'Ata' ibn Yasar said that a man came to Ibn 'Abbas and said, "I asked
a woman to marry me and she refused to marry me. Another man asked her and
she agreed to marry him. I became jealous and killed her. Is there any way
for me to repent?" He asked, "Is your mother alive?" "No," he replied. He
said, "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 (ﷺ) was asked, 'Messenger of Allah, to whom
should 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, 'Then
whom?' He replied, 'Your father.'"
Abu Hurayra reported: "A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) of Allah, may Allah bless
him 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 again
and he replied, 'Be dutiful towards your mother.' He repeated it yet again
and the Prophet (ﷺ) replied, 'Be dutiful towards your mother.' Then he put the question a fourth time and the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Be dutiful towards
your father.'"
Ibn 'Abbas said, "If any Muslim obeys Allah regarding his parents, Allah
will open two gates of the Garden for him. If there is only one parent, then
one gate will be opened. If one of them is angry, then Allah will not be
pleased with him until that parent is pleased with him." He was asked, "Even
if they wrong him?" "Even if they wrong him" he replied.
Taysala ibn Mayyas said, "I was with the Najadites [Kharijites] when I
committed wrong actions which I supposed were major wrong actions. I mentioned
that 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 wrong
actions. They are: associating others with Allah, killing someone, desertion
from the army when it is advancing, slandering a chaste woman, usury, consuming
an orphan's property, heresy in the mosque, scoffing, and causing one's parents
to weep through disobedience.' Ibn 'Umar then said to me, 'Do you wish to
separate yourself from the Fire? Would you like to enter Paradise?' 'By Allah,
yes!' I replied. He asked, 'Are your parents still alive?' I replied, 'My
mother 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.'"
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, said, "A child cannot repay his father unless he finds him as
a slave and the buys him and sets him free."
حَدَّثَنَا قَبِيصَةُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ سُهَيْلِ بْنِ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ لاَ يَجْزِي وَلَدٌ وَالِدَهُ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَجِدَهُ مَمْلُوكًا فَيَشْتَرِيَهُ فَيُعْتِقَهُ
Hadith 11
Sahih — Al-Albani
Repaying Parents
Sa'id ibn Abi Burda said, "I heard my father say that Ibn 'Umar saw a
Yamani 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 not
frightened.' 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 in
Dhu'l-Hulayfa. His mother was in one house and he was in another. When he
wanted 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 peace
be 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." Whenever
he wanted to go inside, he would do something similar.
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless
him 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 (ﷺ) said, 'Go back to them
and make them laugh as you made them weep.'"
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ السَّائِبِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُبَايِعُهُ عَلَى الْهِجْرَةِ وَتَرَكَ أَبَوَيْهِ يَبْكِيَانِ فَقَالَ ارْجِعْ إِلَيْهِمَا وَأَضْحِكْهُمَا كَمَا أَبْكَيْتَهُمَا
Hadith 14
Hasan — Al-Albani
Repaying Parents
Abu Hazim reported that Abu Murra, the mawla of Umm Hani' bint Abi Talib
had told him that he rode with Abu Hurayra to his land in al-'Aqiq. When
he entered his land, he shouted out in his loudest voice, "Peace be upon
you, mother, and the mercy of Allah and His blessing!" She replied, "And
peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessing." He said, "May
Allah 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 dutiful
towards me when I was old."
Abu Bakra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, "Shall I tell you which is the worst of the major
wrong actions?" "Yes, Messenger of Allah," they replied. He said, "Associating
something else with Allah and disobeying parents." He had been reclining
but then he sat up and said, "and false witness." Abu Bakra said, "He continued
to repeat it until I said, 'Is he never going to stop?'"
Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, said, "Mu'awiya wrote to
al-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 dictated
to me and I wrote out, 'I heard him forbid asking too many questions, wasting
money and chit-chat.'"
Abu't-Tufayl said, "'Ali was asked, 'Did the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, give you something special which he did not give
to anyone else?' He replied, 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, did not give me anything special which he did not give
to everyone else except for what I have in my sword scabbard.' He brought
out a piece of paper. Written on that paper was: 'Allah curses anyone who
sacrifices an animal to something other than Allah. Allah curses anyone who
steals a milestone. Allah curses anyone who curses his parents. Allah curses
anyone who gives shelter to an innovator.'"
حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ مَرْزُوقٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنِ الْقَاسِمِ بْنِ أَبِي بَزَّةَ عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ قَالَ سُئِلَ عَلِيٌّ هَلْ خَصَّكُمُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَخُصَّ بِهِ النَّاسَ كَافَّةً قَالَ مَا خَصَّنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَخُصَّ بِهِ النَّاسَ إِلاَّ مَا فِي قِرَابِ سَيْفِي ثُمَّ أَخْرَجَ صَحِيفَةً فَإِذَا فِيهَا مَكْتُوبٌ لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ ذَبَحَ لِغَيْرِ اللهِ لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ سَرَقَ مَنَارَ الأَرْضِ لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ لَعَنَ وَالِدَيْهِ لَعَنَ اللَّهُ مَنْ آوَى مُحْدِثًا
Hadith 18
Hasan — Al-Albani
Being Dutiful to Parents as long as that does not entail disobedience
Abu'd-Darda' said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, recommended nine things to me: 'Do not associate anything with
Allah, even if you are cut to pieces or burned. Do not abandon a prescribed
prayer 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 they
command 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 the
right. Do not run away from the army when it advances, even if you are
killed 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.'"
Being Dutiful to Parents as long as that does not entail disobedience
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, and said, 'I have come to make you a pledge that
will do hijra although I have left my parents in tears." The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
'Go back to them and make them laugh as you made them cry.'"
Being Dutiful to Parents as long as that does not entail disobedience
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "A man came to the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, wanting to do jihad. The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, 'Are your
parents alive?' 'Yes,' he replied. he said, 'Then exert yourself on their
behalf.'"