1957 – ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā narrated to us; he said: ʿAlī ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad the preacher narrated to us; he said: Muḥammad ibn Zaydān narrated to us; he said: Saʿīd ibn Abī Maryam narrated to us; he said: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Abī Kathīr narrated to us; he said: Zayd ibn Aslam informed me, from ʿAtāʾ ibn Yasār, from Ibn ʿAbbās:

A man came to Ibn ʿAbbās and said, “I asked a woman for marriage, but she refused. Another man proposed and she wished to marry him. I became jealous of her and killed her. Is there any repentance for me?”

Ibn ʿAbbās replied, “Is your mother still alive?” The man answered, “No.” Ibn ʿAbbās said, “Then repent to Allah and seek closeness to Him.”

The man left. ʿAtāʾ said, “I asked Ibn ʿAbbās why he had asked about the man’s mother.” He replied, “I do not know of any deed that brings a person nearer to Allah than dutifulness to one’s mother.”