Chapter VI: Seclusion
The nearer is the relation, the greater are the duties towards him. Parents are nearest to a man and so the duty towards them is greatest. The Prophet said : A son cannot fuflil his duties towards his father He can, however, fulfil a part of it if he sees his father as a slave and liberates him. The Prophet said : To treat good with parents is better than prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, zakat, Umrah and jihad in the way of Cod. He said : If a man gets up at morning pleasing his parents, two doors of Paradise are opened up for him. If he gets up at dusk, he gets similar rewards.
If he pleases one of them, one door is opened up for him even though they both oppress him (thrice) If a man gets up at dawn displeasing his parents, two doors are opened up for him towards Hell. If a man does it at dusk, he will get similar punishment. If he displeases one of them, one door is opened up for him, even though they both oppress him (thrice). The Prophet said : The fragrance of Paradise will be smelt from five hundred years' distance. He who is disobedient to parents and he who severs the tie of relationship will not get it. The Prophet said:
Obey your mother, then your father, then your sister, your brother and then your nearest relatives and then the near relatives. God said to Moses : O Moses, if a man obeys his parents but commits sins, I enroll him as obedient to parents. If a man disobeys Me but is obedient to his parents. I enroll him as obedient to parents. It has been reported that when Hazrat Yakub (Israil) went to Joseph, the latter did not stand in his honour. God then revealed to him : Have you not stood up in honour of your father ? By oath of My glory, I will not make any Prophet outof your descendants.
The Prophet said: When a man wishes to give charity for his Muslim parents, his parents get is rewards without any reduction . Once a man asked the Prophet : O Messenger of God, is there any duty remaining towards parents after their death ?
He said : Yes, to invoke for them, to seek forgiveness for them, to fulfill their promise, to honour their friends and to preserve the tie of their relatives. The Prophet said : The best duty is to keep
136 The Book of Wordly Usages Vol-II