Kindness toward the mother is a deed that brings one closest to Allah

a man came to him and said: “I proposed marriage to a woman, but she refused to marry me. Someone else proposed to her and she wanted to marry him. I became jealous of her and killed her. Do I have any repentance?” He said: “Is your mother alive?” He said: “No.” He said: “Repent to Allah ﷻ and draw near to Him as much as you are able.”

He said: “So I went and asked Ibn ʿAbbās: ‘Why did you ask him about whether his mother was alive?’ He said: ‘I do not know of any deed closer to Allah ﷻ than dutifulness to one’s mother.’”

أَنَّهُ أَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ، فَقَالَ: إِنِّي خَطَبْتُ امْرَأَةً، فَأَبَتْ أَنْ تَنْكِحَنِي، وَخَطَبَهَا غَيْرِي فَأَحَبَّتْ أَنْ تَنْكِحَهُ، فَغِرْتُ عَلَيْهَا فَقَتَلْتُهَا، فَهَلْ لِي مِنْ تَوْبَةٍ؟ قَالَ: أُمُّكَ حَيَّةٌ؟ قَالَ: لَا. قَالَ: تُبْ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَتَقَرَّبْ إِلَيْهِ مَا اسْتَطَعْتَ.

قَالَ: فَذَهَبْتُ فَسَأَلْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ، لِمَ سَأَلْتَهُ عَنْ حَيَاةِ أُمِّهِ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنِّي لَا أَعْلَمُ عَمَلًا أَقْرَبَ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ مِنْ بِرِّ الْوَالِدَةِ.