Kindness to Parents, Relatives, Kinsfolk and Severance of Ties

‘Kindness [to parents] and charity given secretly dispel poverty, increase lifespans, and protect one from seventy dreadful types of death.’”

“Verily a servant may be kind to his parents in their lifetime, then they pass away and he does not repay their debts, nor does he pray for their forgiveness, so Allah writes him among those who were undutiful. Likewise, he may not have been kind towards them in their lifetime but when they pass away, he repays their debts and seeks forgiveness for them, so Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, writes him among the dutiful.” Abū ʿAbdillāh (a) said, “And if you would like Allah to increase your lifespan then please your parents.” He (the narrator) said, “I heard him say, ‘Indeed being kind [and dutiful to parents] increases one’s sustenance.’”

I was informed by Abū ʿAbdillāh about the dutifulness of his son Ismāʿīl towards him. He said, ‘I used to love him, and now my love for him has increased. Verily the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) was visited by his foster sister. When he saw her, he was pleased and spread out his cloak for her and made her sit on it. Then he began speaking with her and smiling at her. Later, she stood up and left. Subsequently, her brother came [to visit him] but he did not treat him as he had treated her. Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, you treated his sister in a different way than how you treated him while he is a man?” He replied, “Because she was more dutiful to her father than him.”’”

“The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) said, ‘Verily there may be a family that is dutiful [to their elders], so their wealth grows, even if they are sinful.’”

“I said to Abū ʿAbdillāh (a), ‘Verily my father has become very old and weak, so we carry him [to the lavatory] when he needs to relieve himself.’ He said, ‘If you can continue doing that [yourself] then do so, and feed him morsels with your own hand, for that will be a shield for you tomorrow [from the Fire].’”

“A man came to the Prophet (ṣ) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, there is no ugly action but that I have performed it; is there any possibility of repentance for me?’ The Messenger of Allah (ṣ) replied, ‘Are any of your parents alive?’ He said, ‘My father.’ He (ṣ) said, ‘Then go and be kind to him.’ So when he had left, the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) commented, ‘If only it was his mother [who was alive]!’”

“I heard a man saying to Abū ʿAbdillāh (a), ‘Verily I have parents who are against us (the Shīʿah).’ He said to him, ‘Be kind to them the way you are kind to the Muslims who have love for us.’”

“Charity given secretly extinguishes the Lord’s wrath, and being kind to parents and keeping ties with near relatives increases lifespans.”

“Kindness [to parents] increases one’s lifespan and charity given secretly calms the Lord’s wrath.”

Mūsā ibn ʿImrān (a) saw a man under the shade of the [Divine] Throne so he asked, ‘O Lord, who is this person whom You have brought so close that You have placed him under the shade of Your Throne?’ Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, said, ‘O Mūsā, this person was never undutiful to his parents, nor did he ever envy the people for what Allah had given them of His favors.’ He asked, ‘O Lord, are there any among Your creation who are undutiful to their parents?’ He replied, ‘The undutiful ones are not [counted as] theirs.’” [1]

“If Allah knew [human beings capable of using] anything less than ‘uff’ [against their parents], He would have forbidden it, and that is the smallest form of undutifulness. Another form of undutifulness is for a man to look at his parents with a stern [and angry] stare.”

“A man came to the Prophet (sw) and asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, whom should I be kind to?’ He said, ‘Your mother.’ He asked, ‘Then who?’ He (sw) said, ‘Your mother.’ He asked, ‘Then who?’ He said, ‘Your father.’”[1]

No, except in two cases: he finds him enslaved so he buys him and emancipates him, or he is indebted so he pays off his debt.”