Al-Ahqaf: 15

Ayah

Word by Word

وَوَصَّيۡنَا

And We have enjoined

ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ

(on) man

بِوَٰلِدَيۡهِ

to his parents

إِحۡسَٰنًاۖ

kindness

حَمَلَتۡهُ

Carried him

أُمُّهُۥ

his mother

كُرۡهٗا

(with) hardship

وَوَضَعَتۡهُ

and gave birth to him

كُرۡهٗاۖ

(with) hardship

وَحَمۡلُهُۥ

And (the) bearing of him

وَفِصَٰلُهُۥ

and (the) weaning of him

ثَلَٰثُونَ

(is) thirty

شَهۡرًاۚ

month(s)

حَتَّىٰٓ

until

إِذَا

when

بَلَغَ

he reaches

أَشُدَّهُۥ

his maturity

وَبَلَغَ

and reaches

أَرۡبَعِينَ

forty

سَنَةٗ

year(s)

قَالَ

he says

رَبِّ

My Lord

أَوۡزِعۡنِيٓ

grant me (the) power

أَنۡ

that

أَشۡكُرَ

I may be grateful

نِعۡمَتَكَ

(for) Your favor

ٱلَّتِيٓ

which

أَنۡعَمۡتَ

You have bestowed

عَلَيَّ

upon me

وَعَلَىٰ

and upon

وَٰلِدَيَّ

my parents

وَأَنۡ

and that

أَعۡمَلَ

I do

صَٰلِحٗا

righteous (deeds)

تَرۡضَىٰهُ

which please You

وَأَصۡلِحۡ

and make righteous

لِي

for me

فِي

among

ذُرِّيَّتِيٓۖ

my offspring

إِنِّي

indeed

تُبۡتُ

I turn

إِلَيۡكَ

to You

وَإِنِّي

and indeed I am

مِنَ

ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ

those who submit

Translation

We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says, "O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour which Thou has bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam."

Tafsir

Allah's Advice about the Parents

After mentioning that one must confess His Oneness, worship Him with sincerity, and remain upright in obeying Him, Allah follows that by giving instructions regarding the parents. These appear together in many places of the Qur'an, such as Allah's saying,

وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعۡبُدُواۡ إِلاَّ إِيَّـهُ وَبِالۡوَلِدَيۡنِ إِحۡسَـناً

Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be dutiful to your parents. (17:23)

Allah says,

أَنِ اشۡكُرۡ لِى وَلِوَلِدَيۡكَ إِلَىَّ الۡمَصِيرُ

Be grateful to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination. (31:14)

There are many other Ayat like this as well.

Here Allah says,

وَوَصَّيۡنَا الاِۡنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيۡهِ إِحۡسَانًا

And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents.

meaning, `We have commanded him to treat them well and show compassion towards them.'

Abu Dawud At-Tayalisi recorded from Sa`d bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, that his mother said to him:

Hasn't Allah commanded that you obey your parents Then I will not eat any food or drink any drink until you disbelieve in Allah.

Thus she stubbornly abstained from eating and drinking, until they had to open her mouth with a stick. Then this Ayah was revealed,

وَوَصَّيۡنَا الاِۡنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيۡهِ إِحۡسَانًا

(And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents).

This was also recorded by Muslim and the Sunan compilers, except for Ibn Majah.

Allah continues,

حَمَلَتۡهُ أُمُّهُ كُرۡهًا

His mother bears him with hardship.

which means that the mother suffers hardship because of her child, such as fatigue, sickness, vomiting, heaviness, distress, and other forms of hardship that the pregnant women suffer.

وَوَضَعَتۡهُ كُرۡهًا

And she delivers him with hardship.

meaning, she also delivers him with hardship, suffering the pains of labor and their severity.

وَحَمۡلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَثُونَ شَهۡرًا

And (the period of) his gestation and weaning is thirty months,

Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, used this Ayah along with the following two Ayat to prove that the minimum period of pregnancy (gestation) is six months:

وَفِصَالُهُ فِى عَامَيۡنِ

And his weaning is in two years. (31:14)

and

وَالۡوَلِدَتُ يُرۡضِعۡنَ أَوۡلَـدَهُنَّ حَوۡلَيۡنِ كَامِلَيۡنِ لِمَنۡ أَرَادَ أَن يُتِمَّ الرَّضَاعَةَ

The mothers suckle their children two complete years -- for those who desire to complete the term of suckling. (2:233)

This is a strong and valid conclusion, and it was approved by Uthman and a number of the Companions.

Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Yasar narrated from Ba`jah bin Abdullah Al-Juhani that;

a man from his tribe (Juhaynah) married a woman from Juhaynah. She delivered a baby after six months. So her husband went to Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, and told him about that. Thus, Uthman summoned her. When she was getting dressed, her sister started crying. She asked her:

Why do you cry? By Allah, no one has ever approached me (for sexual relations) of Allah's creation except him (my husband). So let Allah decree (for me) as He wills.

When she was brought before Uthman, he commanded that she be stoned to death (for adultery).

Ali heard of this, came to Uthman, and said:What are you doing?

He (Uthman) said:She delivered after six months! Can this ever happen? `

Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:Don't you read the Qur'an?

He said:Yes, of course!

He (Ali) then said:

`Haven't you heard Allah's saying,

وَحَمۡلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَثُونَ شَهۡرًا

(and his gestation and weaning is thirty months), and;

حَوۡلَيۡنِ كَامِلَيۡن

(two complete years) (2:233) (Subtracting the two numbers) we are only left with six months.

Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, said:By Allah, I did not see that! Bring the woman back.

But they found that she had already been killed.

Ba`jah continued:

By Allah, no two crows and no two eggs are more similar than that child turned out to be to his father!

When his father ﷺ that he said, `By Allah! This is my son without any doubt.'

Later on, Allah afflicted him with a skin abscess in his face (because of his false accusation to his wife). It kept eating him up until he died.

Ibn Abi Hatim related from his father that Farwah bin Abi Al-Maghra' told them that Ali bin Mushir narrated to them from Dawud bin Abi Hind, who narrated from Ikrimah that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

When a woman delivers after nine months, the baby will only need twenty-one months of suckling. When she delivers after seven months, the baby will need twenty-three months of suckling. When she delivers after six months, the baby will need two full years of suckling, because Allah says,

وَحَمۡلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَثُونَ شَهۡرًا حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ

(and his gestation and weaning is thirty months, till when he attains full strength).

حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ

till when he attains full strength,

meaning, he becomes strong, youthful, and attains full ability.

وَبَلَغَ أَرۡبَعِينَ سَنَةً

and reaches forty years,

meaning, his complete intellect, understanding, and patience reach the level of maturity.

It has also been said that usually one will not change his ways once he reaches the age of forty.

قَال

رَبِّ أَوۡزِعۡنِي

he says:My Lord! Grant me the power and ability,

meaning, `inspire me.'

أَنۡ أَشۡكُرَ نِعۡمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَيَّ

وَأَنۡ أَعۡمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرۡضَاهُ

that I may be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You,

meaning, in the future.

وَأَصۡلِحۡ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي

and make my offspring good.

meaning, my offspring and descendants.

إِنِّي تُبۡتُ إِلَيۡكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الۡمُسۡلِمِينَ

Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims.

This contains an instruction for anyone who reaches forty years of age to renew his repentance and turn to Allah with strong resolution.

Allah then says

أُوۡلَيِكَ الَّذِينَ نَتَقَبَّلُ عَنۡهُمۡ أَحۡسَنَ مَا عَمِلُوا

وَنَتَجاوَزُ عَن سَيِّيَاتِهِمۡ فِي أَصۡحَابِ الۡجَنَّةِ

Those are the ones from whom We shall accept the best of what they did and overlook their evil deeds. (They shall be) among the dwellers of Paradise.

meaning, those to whom applies the above description -- those who repent to Allah, turn back to Him, and rectify their shortcomings through repentance and seeking forgiveness - those are the ones from whom We will accept the best of what they did and overlook their evil deeds. Many of their errors will be forgiven and Allah will accept from them a modest amount of deeds.

فِي أَصۡحَابِ الۡجَنَّة

(among the dwellers of Paradise),

which means that they will be among the dwellers of Paradise. That is Allah's ruling concerning them, as He has promised for those who repent and turn to Him.

Thus, He says,

وَعۡدَ الصِّدۡقِ الَّذِي كَانُوا يُوعَدُونَ

That is the promise of truth that they had been promised.