It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Remain chaste regarding other people's women, and your women will remain chaste; be kind to your fathers, and your children will be kind to you; and whoever is approached by his brother offering an apology (declaring himself free of his wrong), let him accept it from him, whether he is truthful or false; whoever does not do so will not come to me at the Pond." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Be kind to your fathers, and your children will be kind to you; and remain chaste (regarding other women), and your women will remain chaste; and whoever is offered an apology and does not accept it will not come to me at the Pond."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Usayd Malik bin Rabi'ah al-Sa'idi (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: We were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when a man from Banu Salimah came and said: O Messenger of Allah! Does any form of kindness to my parents remain after their death? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yes: praying for them, seeking forgiveness for them, fulfilling their commitments (bequests) after them, honouring their friend, and maintaining those ties of kinship that are joined only through them." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! I have committed a great many sins; is there any repentance for me? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Are your parents (or either of them) alive?" He said: No. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Do you have a maternal aunt?" He said: Yes. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then be kind to her." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: A woman from the people of Dumat al-Jandal came to me. She had come looking for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) shortly after his passing, to ask him about a matter in which she had become involved in the work of sorcerers, though she had not yet practised sorcery. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to Urwah: O my nephew! I saw her weeping when she did not find the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to cure her in this matter; she wept so much that I felt pity for her. She was saying: I fear that I may have been ruined. My husband was absent, and an old woman came to me. I complained to her of my grief, and she said: If you do what I tell you, I will bring him to you. When night came, she brought me two black dogs; I rode one of them and she rode the other, and only a little while passed before we reached Babylon. There were two men hanging by their feet. They asked: Why have you come here? I said: To learn sorcery. They said: "We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve" [Surah al-Baqarah: 102] , and go back. I refused. They said: Go to that oven and urinate in it. I went, but I became frightened and did not do it. When I came back, they asked: Have you done it? I said: Yes. They asked: Did you see anything? I said: I did not see anything. They said: You did not do it; go back to your land and do not disbelieve. I refused again. They told me again to go to the oven. I went, and my body trembled and I became afraid. I came back and said: I have done it. They asked: What did you see? I said: I did not see anything. They said: You are lying; you did not do it. Go back to your land and do not disbelieve; you are still at the beginning of your affair. I refused again. They told me a third time to urinate in the oven. I went and urinated in it. Then I saw a veiled horseman clad in iron come out of me and go towards the sky until he disappeared from my sight. I came to them and told them that I had done it. They asked: What did you see? I said: I saw a veiled horseman who came out of me and vanished into the sky. They said: You have told the truth; that was your faith that has left you. Now go. I said to the old woman: By Allah! I do not know anything, and they did not teach me anything either. She said: Of course (you do)! Now whatever you wish will happen. Take this wheat and scatter it. I scattered it. I said: Sprout! And it sprouted. I said: Become a field! And it became a field. Then I said: Put forth ears! And it put them forth. Then I said: Dry up! And it dried up. I said: Be ground! And it was ground. Then I said: Become bread! And it did. When I saw that whatever I wished happened, I was greatly distressed and remorseful. By Allah, O Mother of the Believers! I have never practised any sorcery, nor will I ever do so. Then that woman asked the Companions shortly after the passing of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), while they were present in great numbers, but they did not know what to answer her, and all of them feared giving a fatwa without knowledge. However, they said to her: "If your parents, or one of them, were alive, they would have sufficed for you." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim did not record it. The purpose of recording it in this place is to make clear that, shortly after the passing of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the Companions agreed that the presence of, or service to, the parents could have sufficed for this woman.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Of all sins, Allah Almighty defers whichever of them He wills until the Day of Resurrection, except disobedience to parents; for Allah Almighty hastens the punishment for it (that disobedience) in this world, before death." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: The Companions disliked giving a share (of charity) to their polytheist relatives, so this verse was revealed: "Not upon you is their guidance," until the words of Allah Almighty: "And whatever good you spend, indeed Allah is All-Knowing of it" [Surah al-Baqarah: 272-273] . So they were given a concession (to spend on their polytheist relatives).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said: I am al-Rahman (the Most Merciful), and this is al-rahim (the tie of kinship). So whoever joins it, I will join him (with My mercy), and whoever severs it, I will cut him off (from My mercy)." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it. It has also been narrated with clear chains from Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf, Sayyiduna Sa'id bin Zayd, Sayyidah Aishah and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'id bin Zayd bin Amr bin Nufayl (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Al-rahim (the tie of kinship) is a branch from al-Rahman. So whoever joins it, Allah will join him, and whoever severs it, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will cut him off (from His mercy)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man went to visit him while he was ill, and Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman said to him: You have maintained the tie of kinship (that is, you have fulfilled the rights of kinship). I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, said: I am al-Rahman, and this is al-rahim (the tie of kinship); I have derived it from My name. So whoever joins it, I will join him; whoever severs it, I will cut him off; and whoever cuts it off at the root, I will cut him off completely (from My mercy)."