Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 389
— Part IV 380 This incident is reported authentically and, according to Sa‘d, the verse under discussion was revealed after this incident. The Beautiful Teaching of doing Favours to One’s Parents even After their Death Ab u Sa‘d narrates that while he was sitting in the company of the Holy Prophet sa , a person from Ban u Salma approached the Holy Prophet sa and begged him thus: 'O Messenger of Allah, is there any way for me to show kindness to my parents, which I may follow even after their death?' The Holy Prophet sa responded: 'Yes, after their death, pray for both of them and seek forgiveness for them. Also, pay respect to their promises and vows and respect the friends of both. And treat their relatives and their friends, to whom you are related through them, with kindness. ' 64 One can see to what dizzy heights the subject of benevolence and kinship has been raised. Before this, the teaching on living parents has been mentioned. After their death, the subject of beneficence is dealt with here. Allah teaches that one may serve one’s parents as much as one pleases but still one will not be able to repay their favours, which will remain overwhelming. To assuage the feeling of remorse over one’s failure to serve one’s parents as one ought to have while they were alive, the admonishments of the Holy Prophet sa mentioned above comprehensively