Chapter VI: Seclusion
of a child is the fragrance of Paradise. Once a man came from Yemen to join jihad to the Prophet who asked him . Have you got parents? He said : Yes . He asked : Have they given you permission for jihad ? He said : No . The Prophet said : Go to your parents and take their permission . If they do no give permission, serve them to your utmost, because of all the merits with which you will meet with God after Tauhid, the best is in the service of parents. At another time, a man sought advice from the Prophet about his joining jihad. He asked him : Have you 0ct your mother? He said : Yes . He said : Stay with her, as paradi e lives under her feet. At another time, a man came to give allegiance to the Prophet and said: My parents were weeping at the time when I was leaving them. The Prophet said : Go back and give them joy as you have made them weep . The Prophet said : The right of an elder brother is like the right of a father over his son.
RIGHTS OF SLAVES AND SERVANTS
The last advice that the Prophet gave was regarding slaves— Fear God. give them food you eat, give them cloth you put on and don't inflict on them work beyond their strength. If you don't wish to keep them, ask them to go and don't inflict punishment on the servants of God. God has placed them under your control. If He wishes, He may place you under their control.
The Prophet said : Give the slaves food and cloth with justice and don't engage them in works beyond their capacity. He said : The cheat, the proud, those who break trust and those who ill-treat the slaves will not enter Paradise . A man asked the Prophet :
How many times shall I forgive the faults of a servant? He remained silent for a while and then said : Forgive him seventy times every day. Once a companion of the Prophet beat a slave who began to raise loud cry. The Prophet : came there and he stopped beating. The Prophet said : Why did you not pardon him before ? You have restrained your hand when you have seen me.
He said : O Messenger of God, I give manumission for the pleasure of God . The Prophet said : Had you not done it, Hell would have blackened your face. The Prophet said : When any slave serves his master and serves divine service well, double reward are written for him.
The Prophet said: the first three persons who will enter paradise and the first three persons who will enter Hell were
138 The Book of Wordly Usages VoI-II