Then the Hazrat turned the statement towards the parents and said...

Then the Hazrat turned the statement towards the parents and said: ‘Make people aware of his grace and order them to obey him.’ This is the meaning of Allah’s command: وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَيَّ. And follow the way of him who turns to Me.

(Sura Luqman 31:15) And then the Hazrat said: Fear Allah and do not oppose and disobey parents because their pleasure is the cause of Allah’s pleasure and their anger is the reason of Allah’s anger.[^1] In Tafsir Furat , Imam Ja’far (a.s.) is quoted in the explanation of the verse: وَاعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَبِذِي الْقُرْبَى. And serve Allah and do not associate any thing with Him and be good to the parents and to the near of kin.

(Sura Nisa 4:36) Imam Sadiq (a.s.) said that the Holy Prophet and Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) are two fathers and ‘the near of kin’ denotes Hasan and Husain (a.s.). In the Tafsir of Imam Hasan Askari (a.s.), while explaining the divine words: لَا تَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا وَذِي الْقُرْبَى. You shall not serve any but Allah and (you shall do) good to (your) parents, and to the near of kin.

(Sura Baqara 2:83) The Holy Prophet (S) said: Your best parents and those who are most entitled to get good and thanks from you are Muhammad (S) and Ali (a.s.).

Ali (a.s.) said: I have heard from the Holy Prophet (S) that I and Ali (a.s.) are two fathers of this Ummah and our right on them is much more higher than that of their parents who gave them birth because we will free them from Hell-fire if they obey us and we will lead them to Paradise which is the place to dwell and we will release them from the slavery of desires and join them with the best free persons.

Fatima (s.a.) says: The two fathers of this Ummah are Muhammad and Ali (a.s.) who remove their crookedness and who deliver them from painful torment if they obey them and they make the eternal bounties of Paradise available to them if they agree with them. Imam Hasan (a.s.) said that Muhammad and Ali (a.s.) are the two father of the Ummah so how lucky are those who recognise their right and remain always obedient to them.

Allah will entitle him to Paradise and will bestowed His pleasure and happiness on him. Imam Husain (a.s.) said that the one who recognizes the right of his two noblest fathers and who obeys them as they are entitled to be obeyed will on the day of Qiyamat be told to dwell at any place in the vast and spacious Paradise.

✦ ✦ ✦