The verse: "And on the heir is the like of that"

Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) said in explanation of the verse of the Qur'an: "And upon the heir is (a duty) like that": Upon the heir is the same as was upon his father, that is, arranging for his nursing.

Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in explanation of the verse of the Qur'an: "And upon the heir is (a duty) like that": Upon the heir is the same as was upon his father, that is, arranging for his nursing.

Al-Sha'bi (may Allah have mercy on him) and Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) said in explanation of the verse of the Qur'an: "And upon the heir is (a duty) like that": It refers to arranging for the child's nursing.

And (it is also reported) through Hammad from Ibrahim; both of them (al-Sha'bi and Ibrahim) said: "(It means) the nursing of the child."

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said in explanation of the verse of the Qur'an: "And upon the heir is (a duty) like that": It refers to arranging for the child's nursing.

Al-Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Nursing is binding upon the heir, but the maintenance of the pregnant woman is not binding upon him.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: No harm is to be done to her.

Al-Dahhak (may Allah have mercy on him) said in explanation of the verse of the Qur'an: "And upon the heir is (a duty) like that": If the father dies and leaves a small child, then if the father has wealth, the child's nursing will be arranged from that wealth; and if there is no wealth, it will be the responsibility of the agnatic relatives ('asabah).

Sa'id bin al-Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Once some people brought an orphan child to Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Arrange for his maintenance." He said: "Even if I found only his distant relatives, I would make his maintenance binding upon them."

Ibn Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Abdullah bin Utbah said to the guardian of an orphan: "If he had no wealth, I would have made his maintenance binding upon you, because Allah Almighty says: 'And upon the heir is (a duty) like that'."

Al-Dahhak (may Allah have mercy on him) said in explanation of the verse of the Qur'an: "And upon the heir is (a duty) like that": It means that the child's maintenance is binding upon the father; if he is not there, it is binding upon the agnatic relatives; and if they too are not there, the mother will be ordered to nurse him. If the child will not take milk from anyone other than his mother, she will be compelled to nurse the child.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said in explanation of the verse of the Qur'an: "And upon the heir is (a duty) like that": It is binding upon the heir not to let him be harmed.

Al-Dahhak said in explanation of the verse of the Qur'an: "And upon the heir is (a duty) like that": It is binding upon the heir not to let him be harmed.