To await the appearance of Imam Mahdi is to ensure harmony with his teachings...

To await the appearance of Imam Mahdi is to ensure harmony with his teachings, which are the teachings of Islam.

Thus this awaiting is the best worship for it involves full compliance with the commands of Almighty Allah.] On Familial Bonds It is related from Im"m Ja!far £"diq that: 'A man came to the Prophet and said: 'O Apostle of God, whom should I honour?' He said: 'Your mother.' The man said: 'And then whom?' He said: 'Your mother.' The man said: 'And then whom?' The Prophet said: 'Your mother.' The man said: 'And then whom?' The Prophet said: 'Your father.'174 The Apostle of God used to say: 'The angel Gabriel did not stop enjoining upon me respect for women until I thought that even divorce was not permissible except in the case of proven adultery.'175 He also said: 'I advise those present from my nation and those absent, and those who are in the loins of men and the wombs of women, until the Day of Resurrection, to maintain the bonds of kinship even if it means travelling for a whole year, for that is a part of the religion.'176 A man once came to the Prophet and said: 'I have never ever kissed one of my children.' When he had left the Prophet said: 'This is a man who in my opinion deserves to go to Hell.'177 174 al-k"f:, vol.2, p.159, 9ad:th 9, chap.

Honouring One's Parents. 175 !uddat al-d"!:; p 91 176 ibid. p 90 177 ibid. p 89 Once, the Apostle of God saw a man with two sons who kissed one of them and neglected the other.

He said: 'Why have you not treated them both equally?'178 A man asked the Apostle of God: 'What rights should a father expect from his child?' He said: 'He should not call his father by his name, and he should not walk in front of his father, and he should not sit down before his father does.'179 A man said: 'O Apostle of God, what are the rights of this son of mine?' He said: 'You should give him a good name and a good education and enable him to gain good skills [for good means of earning].'180 On Good Morals and Conducts The Prophet said: 'He whose ethics are good will be given by God the degree of one who continuously fasts and keeps vigil.'181 He also said: 'Nothing better than good ethics can be put in the balance scales of a person on the Day of Resurrection.'182 He said: 'The most beloved of you to me and the one who will sit closest to me on the Day of Resurrection is the best of you in ethics and the most humble of you.'183 178 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol.

101, chap. 105, p.97, 9ad:th 61. 179 !uddat al-d"!:; p 86 180 ibid.