Treatment of Parents

This post should not be a new or a surprising issue to anyone and it certainly should not be a new issue to practicing Muslims.  This post is about respecting and treating your parents properly.  It should be known that disrespecting parents is one of the greater sins.  God willing, soon, I will make a post with a list of greater sins according to an acceptable tradition from our Imam, peace be upon him, which includes disrespecting parents.  However, in this post, I will focus on the very dire consequences of not respecting one's parents properly.  

I hope that all of those who read this post, do already respect their parents thoroughly, and this is a mere reminder for them.  However, if, currently, you are having certain difficulties with your parents, which in turn lessens your respect for them, please use these traditions as motivation to repair and rebuild your respectful relationship with your parents.

I would like to remind all of us, one more time, and emphasize that disrespecting parents is amongst the greater sins.

All of the traditions in this post are acceptable traditions, two of them are graded as good and one of them is graded as authentic.

2) Good

Arabic Text:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص كُنْ بَارّاً وَ اقْتَصِرْ عَلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ عَاقّاً فَظّاً فَاقْتَصِرْ عَلَى النَّارِ

Farsi Translation:

رسول خدا (ص) فرمود:

نيك رفتار باش (با پدر و مادر) و در بهشت باش، و اگر عاق و جفا كار باشى، پس به دوزخ بساز.

English Translation:

Narrated by Ali Ibn Ibrahim from his father from Abdullah Ibn Al-Magheira from Abul Hassan (peace be upon him) who narrated, the Prophet said (peace be upon him) said:

“Be righteous [to your parents] and shorten your path to paradise. Be ill-mannered and disobedient, and you shall shorten your path to Hellfire.”

3) Authentic

Arabic Text:

أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْكُوفِيِّ عَنْ عُبَيْسِ بْنِ هِشَامٍ عَنْ صَالِحٍ الْحَذَّاءِ عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمُ الْقِيَامَةِ كُشِفَ غِطَاءٌ مِنْ أَغْطِيَةِ الْجَنَّةِ فَوَجَدَ رِيحَهَا مَنْ كَانَتْ لَهُ رُوحٌ مِنْ مَسِيرَةِ خَمْسِمِائَةِ عَامٍ إِلَّا صِنْفٌ وَاحِدٌ قُلْتُ مَنْ هُمْ قَالَ الْعَاقُّ لِوَالِدَيْهِ

Farsi Translation:

يعقوب بن شعيب گويد: حضرت صادق عليه السلام فرمود: چون روز قيامت شود، پرده از پرده‏هاى بهشت را كنار زنند، پس هر جاندارى بوى آن را از مسافت پانصد سال راه بشنود، جز يك دسته، عرضكردم: آنها كيانند؟ فرمود: عاق والدين خود.

English Translation:

Narrated by Abu Ali El-Sha’ery from Al-Hassan Ibn Ali El-Koufy from Obeid Ibn Hisham from Saleh El-Hedaa from Ya’koub Ibn Sho’eib from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) who said:

“On the day of judgement one layer of paradise shall be revealed. Its fragrance/scent shall be received [/found] from 500 years away by [all] those who have a spirit, except for one group.  I [Ya’koub] asked who that [group] was.  He [the Imam] said, “Whoever is disobedient to his parents.”

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 348, Traditions #2 & #3

2) Good

Arabic Text:

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ كَانَ أَبِي ع يَقُولُ نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ الَّتِي تُعَجِّلُ الْفَنَاءَ وَ تُقَرِّبُ الْآجَالَ وَ تُخْلِي الدِّيَارَ وَ هِيَ قَطِيعَةُ الرَّحِمِ وَ الْعُقُوقُ وَ تَرْكُ الْبِرِّ

Farsi Translation:

اسحاق بن عمار گويد: شنيدم از حضرت صادق عليه السّلام كه ميفرمود: هميشه پدرم مي‏فرمود:

پناه مي ‏بريم بخدا از گناهانى كه در نابودى شتاب كنند و مرگ‏ها را نزديك سازند و خانه ‏ها را ويران كنند و آنها: قطع رحم، و آزردن و نافرمانى پدر و مادر، و واگذاردن احسان و نيكى است.

English Translation:

Narrated by Ali Ibn Ibrahim from his father from Ibn Mahboub from Ishaq Ibn Ammar who said, I heard Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) say:

“My father (peace be upon him) said, we should seek God’s protection from sins that hasten our doom, hasten the ends of lives, and empty our dwellings. These are cutting the ties of the womb, and disobedience to parents, and leaving righteousness.”

Source:

Al-Kafi, Volume 2, Page 448, Traditions #2