Zakaria the son of Ibrahim is a young convert who lives at the time of Imam Sadiq (PBUH). After he performed the Hajj rituals, he visited Imam Sadiq (PBUH) and said, I was a Christian, and I have converted to Islam. Imam asked, What did you see from Islam?
He replied, The word of Allah which says you did not even know what the Book and Faith was, but We have made the Quran as a light by which We guide whoever of Our servants We want. (1)
Imam Sadiq (PBUH) said, Truly Allah has guided you. Then he prayed for him for three times, O God, guide him. Then the Imam addressed him, Ask about whatever you want, young man.
Zakaria said, My parents are Christians, and my mother is blind, should I stay and live with them? Imam Sadiq (PBUH) said, Take care of your mother, and be kind to her, when she deceases undertake the burdens of her burial by yourself, and do not hand it over to others.
Zakaria says, When I returned to Kufah, I treated my mother very kindly, I fed her myself, washed her clothes, and served her. One day my mother told me, Dear son! when you were Christian, your treatment towards me was not like this. How has your behavior changed since you turned to this new religion?
I answered, One of the descendants of our prophet has ordered me to do so.
My mother asked, Is he a prophet?
I said, No, he is the son of one of the prophets.
My mother said, My son! This man is a prophet, because his order is the advice of the prophets.
I said, Mother, my prophet is the last prophet, and after him, no prophet will be appointed. That man is the son of that prophet.
My mother said, Your religion is the best religion, present it to me. And I presented Islam to her, and taught it to her; and she converted to Islam too, and performed the prayers of the noon, and the afternoon, and the Maghrib, and the evening.
Zakaria says, In the night, my mother showed a symptom, and got sick. She turned to me and told me, My son, repeat what you taught me. And I repeated them. My mother testified to them, and passed away.
The next day, Zakaria ibn Ibrahim preformed prayer to her mothers corpse according to the order of Imam Sadiq (PBUH), and buried her.
Imam Sadiq (PBUH) advised Zakaria about her Christian mother as such. Now, how is our todays relation to this advice by the Imam? Is our behavior toward our parents conforming to the advices of the prophets and their successors?
(The above is a selection from Usul al-Kafi by Late Scholar Kuleini, vol. 3, The Book of Iman and Kufr, with minor changes)(2)
Roshd website offers its condolences upon the 25th of Shawwal, the martyrdom anniversary of the heir of the prophets and the leader of righteous people, Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (PBUH) to all Muslims and especially you, dear friend.
Footnotes:
- The Holy Quran, (42:52)
- This text is selected from the translation of Usul al-Kafi to Persian by Hujjat al-Islam Sayyed Jawad Mustafawi
From <http://roshd.kancoit.com/eng/subs/show.asp?code=244>