Chapter 17 - On Respecting the Old

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “Feed orphans and women who do not have any supporters. Be as a kind father for the orphans, and as a kind husband for the women who do not have any supporters. A castle will be given to you in Heaven for every human you treat with kindness. The castle will be better than all the castles in this world, and whatever they contain.”

“Part of the rights of respect for God the Almighty is respecting old Muslims, just people and interpreters of the Quran who neither say less nor more than what the Quran contains.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “If any young fellow respects an old man, God will appoint some young fellow to respect him when he gets old.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “God is ashamed of punishing an old man.”

“Whoever does not have mercy on the youngsters and does not respect the elders, does not belong to my nation.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “Respect the elders, since this is like respecting God the Almighty. Whoever does not respect the elders does not belong to my nation.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “Do you want me to tell you who the best of you are?” They said: “O' Prophet of God! Yes.” The Prophet (a.s) said: “The best of you is the elderly who is on the right path.”

“Two men went to see the Prophet (a.s). One was young and the other one was old. The young one started to talk first, but the Prophet stopped him and said: “The elder, the elder.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “O' old men with white hair and black heart! You are facing the Fire, and the angel of death is behind you. What do you want to do? When you were a child you were ignorant. When you were young you were corrupt, and when you got old you were a hypocrite. Where do you stand? What deeds have you done?”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said that God's Prophet (a.s) said: “Whoever recognizes the position of an old man and respects him, God will grant him peace of mind regarding the Resurrection Day.”

Once when the Prophet was among his companions, a man passed by him. Someone said: “This is an insane man.” The Prophet (a.s) said: “No. He is perfectly healthy. Men or women who spend their youth obeying someone other than God are insane.”

“God will protect any man who attains the age of forty from insanity, elephantiasis, leprosy. God will ease the reckoning of any man who reaches the age of fifty. God will grant any man who reaches the age of sixty opportunity to repent. God and the companions of the heavens love any man who reaches the age of seventy. God will order the good deeds to be recorded, and the bad deeds to be eliminated for any man who reaches the age of eighty. Whenever a man reaches the age of ninety, God will forgive all his past and future sins. He will be considered to be one of the slaves of God on Earth.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “God respects seventy year old people, and is ashamed to punish eighty year old people.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “And old man to his family is like a Prophet to his nation.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “Whenever a man reaches the age of forty and his good deeds do not outweigh his bad deeds, Satan will kiss him and say: This is the face of one who will not prosper.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “The one who passes the age of forty and his good deeds do not outweigh his bad deeds should be prepared for the Fire (of Hell).”

Imam Baqir (a.s) said: “Whenever a man reaches the age of forty a divine call will say: The time to depart is approaching. Prepare something for your trip to the other world.”

“O' servants of God! Honor your elders, and visit your relations of kin. Nothing is better in associating with your relatives than not bothering them.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “Imam Hussein never walked ahead of Imam Hassan, and never spoke first in public in order to respect him.”

God's Prophet (a.s) said: “God will not punish in the Fire anyone who is Muslim for sixty years. God will protect anyone who is Muslim for seventy years from the painful punishment. God will not do the reckoning for any one who is a Muslim for eighty years.”

Imam Sadiq (a.s) said: “On the Resurrection Day, they will bring an old man and hand him his record of deeds in a way that he can see it but the people cannot see what is written on it. He will see nothing but a long list of bad deeds that are recorded. He asks God if He orders him to enter Hell. God the Almighty will say: “O' old man! I am ashamed to punish you since you prayed for Me all your life. Take My servant to Heaven.”