Further reports on dutifulness to parents

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three men from the people of earlier times set out; they had gone out to seek (provision) for their families. Rain overtook them, and they entered a cave. A rock fell upon them which (sealed the mouth of the cave), until they could not see even a chink through it. One of them said to the others: 'The rock has fallen and the traces have been effaced; now no one knows of your whereabouts except Allah Almighty. So supplicate to Allah Almighty by means of your most reliable deed!'" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "One of them said: 'O Allah! You know that I had parents. I used to milk for them in their vessel. Once I came to them and found them both asleep, so I stood at their heads, disliking to disturb their sleep, until they woke up by themselves when they were to wake. O Allah! You know that I did this hoping for Your mercy and fearing Your punishment, so grant us relief!'" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then a third of the rock moved away. The second man said: 'O Allah! You know that I hired a labourer for a job, and he kept doing that work. Then he came to me to take his wages while I was in a state of anger. I scolded him, so he went away and left those wages of his. I gathered (those wages) and invested them to make them grow, until a great deal of wealth came of them. Then one day he came to me to take his wages, and I handed all of it over to him; had I wished, I could have given him only his original wages. O Allah! If You know that I did this hoping for Your mercy and fearing Your punishment, then grant us relief!' Then a third of the rock moved away. The third man said: 'O Allah! You know that I was attracted to a woman. He fixed a certain payment for her, and when he gained power over her, he left her alone and also let her keep her payment.' (The man said:) 'O Allah! You know that if I did this hoping for Your mercy and fearing Your punishment, then grant us relief!' Then the rock moved away, and they came out walking."
Ahmad recorded it as a marfu' report (attributed to the Prophet), as you can see, and al-Bazzar and Abu Ya'la also recorded it. Abdullah recorded it as mawquf on Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him). The narrators of Ahmad and Abu Ya'la, both of them, are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna al-Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioning (the people of) the cave, and he said: "Three people were in a cave. A rock came from the mountain onto the mouth of the cave, and the entrance was sealed upon them. One of them said: 'Recall which good deed each of you has done, so that Allah Almighty may have mercy on us through His mercy.' One of them said: 'Once I did a good deed. I had some labourers who used to work. Once some labourers came to me, and I fixed a set wage for each one of them. One day a man came to me at midday, and I hired him on the same terms as his companions. He worked for the rest of the day as much as the earlier ones had worked the whole day. When I saw his great effort in his work, I thought it binding upon me not to give him any less than what I had given his companions. One of them said: "Have you given him as much as you gave me?" I said: "O servant of Allah! Have I reduced anything of what I agreed with you? This is my wealth; I decide about it as I wish." That man became angry and left, abandoning his wages. I kept his wages in a corner of the house for as long as Allah willed. Then once some cattle passed by me, and I bought a calf from them, and they went on increasing for as long as Allah willed. After some time a weak old man whom I did not recognise passed by me. He said: "I have a right with you." Then he reminded me, and I recognised him. I said: "It is you I have been wanting to find; this is your right." Then I gave all those animals to him. He said: "O servant of Allah! Do not mock me! If you cannot give me something (as charity), then at least give me my right." That man said: "By Allah! I am not mocking you. This is your right; nothing of it is mine." So I handed all those animals over to him. O Allah! If You know that I did this solely to seek Your pleasure, then grant us relief!'" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The rock moved a little, until they could see out through it. The second man said: 'Once I also did a good deed. I had surplus money, and the people were struck by famine. A woman came to me seeking a favour (that is, financial help). I said: "By Allah! I want your intimacy; without it I will give nothing." She refused me and went away. Then she came back and reminded me of Allah, but I refused her and said: "No, by Allah! It will not be without you giving yourself up." She refused me and went away again. She mentioned this to her husband, and her husband said to her: "Give yourself to him and (try to) provide for your children!" So she came back to me and adjured me by Allah, but I refused her and said: "By Allah! It will not be without you giving yourself up." When she saw this situation, she gave herself up to me. When I began to remove her covering and intended to approach her, she began to tremble beneath me. I asked her: "What is the matter with you?" She said: "I fear Allah Almighty, the Lord of all the worlds." I said to her: "You fear Him even in this state of hardship, and I do not fear Him even in such a state of ease?" So I left that woman, and I gave her the payment that had been agreed with me, because I had sought to uncover her. O Allah! If You know that I did this to seek Your pleasure, then grant us relief!' Then the rock moved so far that they could recognise one another, and (the inside of the cave) became clear to them. The third man said: 'I too once did a good deed. My parents were old and aged, and I had goats. I used to feed my parents and give them drink, then I would go back to my goats. One day it rained, and because of that I could not come early; I was delayed until evening came. When I came home, I took the milking vessel and milked, while my goat was standing. I went to my parents and found that they had both fallen asleep. It weighed upon me to wake them, and I also did not like to leave my goat. So I remained sitting with the milking vessel in my hand until they both woke up in the morning, and then I gave them both the milk to drink. O Allah! If You know that I did this to seek Your pleasure, then grant us relief.'" Sayyiduna al-Nu'man (may Allah be pleased with him) said: It is as if I am hearing the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) even now; he said: "The mountain shifted, Allah Almighty granted them relief, and they came out (of the cave)."
Ahmad recorded it, and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Al-Bazzar recorded something similar through various routes. The narrators of Ahmad are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna al-Nu'man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three men were walking in the rain. They said: 'It would be good if you took shelter in this cave.' So they went inside the cave. While they were inside it, a rock fell from the mountain; it was a rock that had fallen out of fear of Allah. It sealed the mouth of the cave. One of them said to the others: 'You will not find anything good now (other than this): each one of you should supplicate by means of the best deed he has ever done.' One of them said: 'O Allah! I was a man who farmed, and I had labourers. Among them was a man who did the work of two men. I gave him the same wage as I had given the others. He said: "I have done the work of two men, and you are giving me the wage of one man's work." He went away in anger and left his wage with me. I sowed it separately, and it multiplied; then I sowed it again and it doubled; then I sowed it again and it doubled, until there was a great deal of grain and it was piled up in heaps. Then that man fell into need, came to me and asked me for his wage. I said: "Go to those heaps; they are your wage." He said: "First you wronged me, and now you are mocking me as well?" I said: "I am not mocking you." The man went and took them. O Allah! If You know that I did this out of fear of You and to seek Your pleasure, then grant us relief.'" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The rock shifted a little, and a large opening was made by it." Then the narrator related the rest of the hadith as before.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three men were going back to their families when rain overtook them, and they went into a cave. A rock came onto the mouth of the cave and blocked the entrance of the cave for them, and it fell at a distance from them. One of them said to the others: 'Now the traces have been effaced and the rock has fallen, and no one knows of your whereabouts except Allah Almighty. So come forward! Let each one of you supplicate by means of his most reliable deed, which he did for the pleasure of Allah Almighty; perhaps Allah Almighty will bring you out of this place.' One of them said: 'O Allah! You know that I was dutiful to my parents. I would bring my goats back at night, milk them for my parents and come to them while they were lying on their bed, and I would give them the milk to drink with my own hand. One night I came to them, bringing their drink, and found that they had both fallen asleep. I wanted their sleep not to be spoiled, so I did not like to wake them, and I also did not like to go back with the drink and then have them wake up and not find me with them. So I stayed standing just as I was at their heads until morning came. O Allah! If You know that I did this to seek Your pleasure, then grant us relief!'" The narrator said: After this are the words that a third of the rock moved away. They said to the second: "Now you say something!" So the second man said: "O Allah! You know that I loved a cousin of mine (my paternal uncle's daughter) intensely. I had sent a proposal of marriage to her family, but they refused me, until I fixed for her an amount by which she would agree to a relationship between me and her. Then I called her and went into seclusion with her, and I came close to her in the way a man comes close to a woman. She said: 'It is not lawful for you to break the seal except by its right.' So I had to hold myself back, and I let her keep her payment and left her person untouched. O Allah! If You know that I did this to seek Your pleasure, then grant us relief." Then there was some further opening (the narrator is in doubt whether it was this or some similar word). The people said to the third man: "Now you say something!" The third man said: "O Allah! You know that a labourer used to work for me for a sa' of grain. Once that labourer went away without taking his sa', and for a long time he did not come back to me. I took his sa' and began farming with it, until from that sa' many cows, goats and much wealth were gathered. After a long time that labourer came to me and asked for his sa' of grain. I said to him: 'Your sa' of grain has now turned into much wealth, many sheep and goats and many cows. Take all of it, for it has come from that sa'.' He said to me: 'Are you mocking me?' I said to him: 'No, by Allah! Rather, it is the truth.' So he drove away all the wealth. O Allah! You know that I did this to seek Your pleasure, so grant us relief." Then the rock moved away and fell, and they came out walking.
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat with several chains. The narrators of al-Bazzar and those of one of al-Tabarani's chains are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Three men were going out for some need of theirs. They came to a cave, and a rock fell upon them. They said (that is, to one another): 'O people! Think about your finest deed and supplicate to Allah Almighty by means of it, so that Allah Almighty may grant you relief.' One of them said: 'O Allah! I had a female friend whom I used to visit often, but then I left her out of fear of You and to seek Your pleasure. If You know this, then grant us relief.' The rock moved a little away from them, until they began to hope that they could get out, but they still could not get out from there. The second said: 'O Allah! I had some labourers who used to work. Each one of them took his wages, but one of them left his wages, thinking that his wages should have been more than those of his companions. So I set his wages apart from my wealth, until they turned into much good and livestock. When that man had become old and aged, he came to me and said: "I remind you of Allah regarding my wages; I am now in severe need of them." So I went up on top of my house and showed him what Allah Almighty had increased for him from his wages, in the form of wealth and livestock in the open land. I said: "All of this is yours." He said: "Why are you mocking me? May Allah Almighty keep you well. I want something far less than this from you, and you will not give it to me." So, O Lord, I handed those things over to him out of fear of You and to seek Your pleasure. If You know this, then grant us relief!' The rock moved somewhat away from them, but they still could not go out. The third man said: 'I had old, aged, poor parents; they had no servant or caretaker other than me. I used to graze the goats for them during the day and come back to them at night. The pasture was far away, so I had to take the animals far. One night I came to them after part of the night had passed, and they had both fallen asleep. I milked into the vessel, then came and sat at their heads. I disliked waking them; I wanted them both to wake up by themselves. O Allah! If You know that I did this to seek Your pleasure, then grant us relief.' Then the rock moved away and they came out."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Once we were sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when a young man appeared before us from the direction of a mountain pass. When he came near us, we said: "If only this young man had spent his youth and his strength in the path of Allah!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard what we said and said: "Is only the one who is killed in the path of Allah? Whoever toils for his parents is counted as being in the path of Allah, and whoever strives to multiply his wealth is counted as being in the path of taghut (that is, Satan)."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and al-Tabarani recorded something similar in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, adding the words: "Whoever toils for his family is in the path of Allah." Its chain contains a narrator, Rabah bin Umar, whom Abu Hatim declared trustworthy while others declared him da'if (weak). The remaining narrators of this report are the narrators of the Sahih.