It was easy to see that the man
was very worried. As he approached the Blessed Prophet, he looked hesitant. He
walked unsteadily, and when he spoke, his voice broke and faltered. truly, this
man must be weighed down with some great woe. And so it proved, as soon as he
addressed the Blessed Prophet.
‘O Prophet(pbuh), I have sinned....’ he told him. ‘I have committed a great
sin...’ The man’s words trailed off. He could not go on for even a moment longer
and explain to the Blessed Prophet how he came to be in such a sad state. But
eventually he managed to continue.
‘O Prophet(pbuh)!’ he cried. ‘I have disobeyed Allah! I have disobeyed Allah!
How can I repent, how can I earn his forgiveness?’
The fear that was deepest in his heart was, however, even greater than this.
‘Can I repent at all?’ he cried, very distressed. ‘Can I make up for the
terrible wrong I have done? Is there any hope for me, O Prophet?’
The Blessed Prophet’s heart was greatly touched to see the man in such distress.
Obviously, he had come to the Blessed Prophet in the hope of finding an answer,
for there was nowhere better to go for such a purpose. And yet, despite his
hope, his soul was greatly tormented.
The Blessed prophet gave the man look of great compassion and sympathy.’ Is your
mother still alive?’ he asked.
The man looked surprised. He had expected the Blessed Prophet to ask what great
sin he had committed, and how he had disobeyed Allah. But the Blessed Prophet
did not do so.
‘My mother? the man said in a puzzled voice. Then, he sighed sadly. ‘No, O
Prophet (pbuh), she has been dead for many years now.’
‘Well then’, the Blessed Prophet went on. ‘Do you have an aunt, your mother’s
sister, who still lives?’
The man’s face brightened. ‘Why yes, I do!’ he replied. Now, he could see a
glimmer of hope on the horizon. Maybe the Blessed Prophet was about to give him
the answer to his dilemma. The man looked at him hopefully. There could be a way
out for him yet.
‘Go, care for your aunt’, he heard the Blessed Prophet say, ‘and do all you can
to help her and make her life easier’.
The door was open; the way to repentance was clear, and his heart was filled
with gladness at these words.
‘Oh, I will, I will, O Prophet (pbuh)!’ the man cried joyfully.
‘Do your very best for he’, the Blessed prophet went on. ‘By doing so, you will
achieve repentance for the wrong you have done, and your good works will wash
away the effects of your sin.’
Should one or both of them
Be of old age don’t say ‘Ugh’
nor scold them,
But speak to them respectfully,
Lower to them the wing of humility;
In kindness say: ‘My Lord,
Have mercy upon them,
Since they raised me up in Childhood’.
Surah, Al-Isra: 23-24