Surah Al-Ahqaf (46) — Ayah 15

(Ayah 15) ➊ From the beginning of { وَ وَصَّيْنَا الْاِنْسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ اِحْسٰنًا:} Surah up to here, Allah Almighty has mentioned His Oneness, the truth of the Book He has revealed, and steadfastness in His worship. Now, the emphasis on showing kindness to parents is mentioned. In several places in the Noble Qur’an, Allah Almighty has mentioned the right of parents along with the right of His Oneness and sincere worship. For the explanation of this sentence, see Surah Al-Baqarah (83), Bani Isra’il (23, 24), Al-Ankabut (8), and Surah Luqman (14, 15).

➋ { حَمَلَتْهُ اُمُّهٗ كُرْهًا وَّ وَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا: ’’كَرِهَ يَكْرَهُ كَرْهًا وَ كُرْهًا وَ كَرَاهَةً وَ كَرَاهِيَةً‘‘} (‘A) {’’ اَلشَّيْءَ‘‘ } This is the opposite of {’’أَحَبَّ الشَّيْءَ‘‘}, meaning to dislike. {’’اَلْكَرْهُ ‘‘} and {’’اَلْكُرْهُ ‘‘} also mean denial and hardship. {’’ كُرْهًا ‘‘} is a circumstantial accusative (haal): {’’أَيْ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ ذَاتَ كُرْهٍ‘‘} meaning his mother bore him in a state that was unpleasant or full of hardship. Or, before this, the preposition “ba” is omitted, and due to its omission, it is in the accusative: {’’أَيْ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ بِكُرْهٍ‘‘} meaning his mother bore him with unpleasantness or hardship, {’’ وَ وَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا ‘‘} and gave birth to him with unpleasantness and hardship.

➌ Although the verse emphasizes kindness to both mother and father, the mother’s three sacrifices are specifically mentioned. The first is that she carries him in her womb for the entire duration of pregnancy, during which she endures many unpleasant conditions, such as nausea, restlessness, fatigue, a state like illness, increasing weakness day by day, about which Allah Almighty has said elsewhere: «حَمَلَتْهُ اُمُّهٗ وَهْنًا عَلٰى وَهْنٍ » [ لقمان : ۱۴ ] “His mother bore him in weakness upon weakness.” Especially in the last days of pregnancy, this burden becomes a torment for her life. The reality is that if a person tries to fulfill his mother’s right by carrying her in a state of weakness, even then he cannot fulfill her right. How can carrying her for a short time compare to carrying the child in her womb continuously for the entire duration of pregnancy? Moreover, the mother endures all these unpleasant conditions happily in anticipation of the coming child, whereas the child, if ever, carries her as a burden or only as a command of Allah; there is no comparison between the two. The second sacrifice is the extremely painful stage of childbirth, in which her life is at stake; how many mothers lose their lives at this stage, yet she endures this unpleasant stage in hope of her child. The third sacrifice is nurturing the child for two years, sacrificing her own comfort to provide every ease for the child, and feeding him her own blood in the form of milk for two years. Because of these three sacrifices, Allah Almighty has given the mother’s right three times more than the father’s. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: [ يَا رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ! مَنْ أَحَقُّ النَّاسِ بِحُسْنِ صَحَابَتِيْ؟ قَالَ أُمُّكَ، قَالَ ثُمَّ مَنْ؟ قَالَ ثُمَّ أُمُّكَ، قَالَ ثُمَّ مَنْ؟ قَالَ ثُمَّ أُمُّكَ، قَالَ ثُمَّ مَنْ؟ قَالَ ثُمَّ أَبُوْكَ ] [ بخاري، الأدب، باب من أحق الناس بحسن الصحبۃ : ۵۹۷۱ ] “O Messenger of Allah! Who among the people is most deserving of my good companionship?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Then your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Then your mother.” He said: “Then who?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said (the fourth time): “Then your father.”

➍ {وَ حَمْلُهٗ وَ فِصٰلُهٗ ثَلٰثُوْنَ شَهْرًا:} This verse, and verse (14) of Surah Luqman: « وَ فِصٰلُهٗ فِيْ عَامَيْنِ» (and his weaning is in two years), and verse (233) of Surah Al-Baqarah: « وَ الْوَالِدٰتُ يُرْضِعْنَ اَوْلَادَهُنَّ حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ لِمَنْ اَرَادَ اَنْ يُّتِمَّ الرَّضَاعَةَ » (and mothers shall breastfeed their children for two complete years, for whoever wishes to complete the term of breastfeeding), by combining these three verses, it is established that the minimum duration of pregnancy is six months, because if the two years of breastfeeding are subtracted from the thirty months, six months remain. Ibn Kathir, in the commentary of verse (81) of Surah Az-Zukhruf: « قُلْ اِنْ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمٰنِ وَلَدٌ فَاَنَا اَوَّلُ الْعٰبِدِيْنَ», has quoted from Ibn Jarir Tabari: [عَنْ بَعْجَةَ بْنِ زَيْدٍ الْجُهَنِيِّ، أَنَّ امْرَأَةً مِّنْهُمْ دَخَلَتْ عَلٰی زَوْجِهَا، وَ هُوَ رَجُلٌ مِّنْهُمْ أَيْضًا، فَوَلَدَتْ لَهُ فِيْ سِتَّةِ أَشْهُرٍ، فَذَكَرَ ذٰلِكَ زَوْجُهَا لِعُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ فَأَمَرَ بِهَا أَنْ تُرْجَمَ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِيْ طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللّٰهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالٰی يَقُوْلُ فِيْ كِتَابِهِ : «وَ حَمْلُهٗ وَ فِصٰلُهٗ ثَلٰثُوْنَ شَهْرًا » وَ قَالَ : « وَ فِصٰلُهٗ فِيْ عَامَيْنِ » قَالَ فَوَاللّٰهِ! مَا عَبِدَ عُثْمَانُ أَنْ بَعَثَ إِلَيْهَا تُرَدَّ ] [الطبري : ۲۰ /۶۵۷، ح : ۳۱۲۷۰ ] “Ba’jah bin Yazid Jahni says that a woman from his tribe came to her husband, who was also from the same tribe, and she gave birth to a child in six months. Her husband mentioned this to Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him), so he ordered her to be stoned. Upon this, Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him and said: ‘Allah Almighty says in His Book: « وَ حَمْلُهٗ وَ فِصٰلُهٗ ثَلٰثُوْنَ شَهْرًا » (that the duration of his bearing and weaning is thirty months) and Allah Almighty says: « وَ فِصٰلُهٗ فِيْ عَامَيْنِ » (and his weaning is in two years).’ Ba’jah bin Yazid says: ‘By Allah! Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) did not object to his statement and immediately sent a man to bring her back.’”

The researcher of Ibn Kathir, Hikmat bin Basheer, said its chain is Sahih. This reasoning is extremely strong, and besides Ali and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them), a group of Companions agreed with them. (Ibn Kathir) Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) said: “If a woman gives birth in nine (9) months, then twenty-one (21) months of breastfeeding is sufficient for her; if she gives birth in seven (7) months, then twenty-three (23) months of breastfeeding is sufficient for her; and if she gives birth in six (6) months, then she should breastfeed for the full two years, because Allah Almighty has said: « وَ حَمْلُهٗ وَ فِصٰلُهٗ ثَلٰثُوْنَ شَهْرًا » ‘The duration of his bearing and weaning is thirty months.’” [ ابن أبي حاتم : ۱۸۵۶۷۔ ابن کثیر وقال المحقق سندہ حسن ]

➎ { حَتّٰۤى اِذَا بَلَغَ اَشُدَّهٗ وَ بَلَغَ اَرْبَعِيْنَ سَنَةً … :} From here, Allah Almighty has mentioned two types of people in terms of recognizing the rights of parents. In this verse, the person is mentioned who, upon reaching maturity, recognizes the rights of his parents, and this recognition leads him to recognize his true Owner and Sustainer and to express gratitude to Him. For the explanation of {’’ بَلَغَ اَشُدَّهٗ ‘‘}, see the commentary of Surah Yusuf (22). In this context, the mention of forty years of age is as the final limit of maturity, because at this age a person’s faculties reach their peak. After this, the process of decline begins. In this verse, every young person in general, and a forty-year-old in particular, is warned that he should recognize the rights of his nurturing parents and the rights of his and his parents’ true Sustainer and Owner, and should keep seeking Tawfiq (divine enablement) from Him to express gratitude for His blessings upon himself and his parents, because without His Tawfiq (divine enablement), no good deed can be done, and at the same time, he should keep praying for the rectification of his children. In this way, recognizing and fulfilling the rights of parents becomes a means for him to recognize the rights of his Lord, to remain steadfast on His Oneness, to be sincere in His worship, and to be grateful for His blessings, which is the real purpose of human life.

➏ { وَ اَنْ اَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضٰىهُ:} Although only that deed is righteous which Allah Almighty likes and is done with sincerity, yet to emphasize the importance of sincerity of intention and being free from showing off, it is mentioned separately. That is, grant me the Tawfiq (divine enablement) to do such a deed which is correct outwardly, i.e., according to Your Book and the Sunnah of Your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and also in reality according to Your pleasure and worthy of acceptance in Your presence, i.e., based on sincerity of intention and free from showing off.

➐ { وَ اَصْلِحْ لِيْ فِيْ ذُرِّيَّتِيْ:} In this supplication, two words are noteworthy: one is {’’ لِيْ ‘‘} and the other is { ’’ فِيْ ‘‘۔ ’’ اَصْلِحْ لِيْ ‘‘} (rectify for me). It means, rectify them in such a way that I also benefit from it. {’’ فِيْ ذُرِّيَّتِيْ ‘‘} Here, apparently {’’أَصْلِحْ لِيْ ذُرِّيَّتِيْ‘‘} (rectify my children for me) would have been sufficient, as He said: «وَ اَصْلَحْنَا لَهٗ زَوْجَهٗ » [ الأنبیاء : ۹۰ ] “And We rectified his wife for him.” But the purpose of bringing {’’ فِيْ ‘‘} is that the process of rectification in my children may continue, so that it keeps going forward, as has been said about Ibrahim (peace be upon him): « وَ جَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةًۢ بَاقِيَةً فِيْ عَقِبِهٖ» [ الزخرف : ۲۸ ] “And he made it a lasting word among his descendants.”

➑ { اِنِّيْ تُبْتُ اِلَيْكَ وَ اِنِّيْ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ:} That is, I have refrained from the rebellion and ignorance of my youth and from every kind of disobedience to You, and I am among Your complete obedient servants. From this, it is understood that one should especially renew repentance at the age of forty (40) and after.

➒ This supplication is an elixir for the rectification of children. Allah Almighty Himself has taught it, and it is among the accepted supplications, because in the next verse Allah Almighty has given the glad tidings of its acceptance, saying: « نَتَقَبَّلُ عَنْهُمْ » “We accept from them.” Just as Surah Al-Fatihah and the supplications in the last verses of Surah Al-Baqarah are. Therefore, no parent, especially one who is forty years old or above, should be heedless of this supplication. In Tafsir Qurtubi, it is mentioned that Malik bin Mighwal complained to Talhah bin Musarrif about his son, so he said: “Seek help for him with this supplication.” [ قرطبي : ۱۶ /۱۹۵ ]

15. 1. The mention of this hardship and difficulty is for further emphasis in the command of good conduct with parents, from which it is also understood that the mother is given precedence over the father in this command of kindness, because the continuous hardship of pregnancy for nine months and then the pain of childbirth is borne solely by the mother; the father has no share in this. That is why, in the hadith as well, good conduct with the mother is given priority, and the status of the father is mentioned after that. A companion asked the Prophet ﷺ, "Who is most deserving of my good conduct?" The Prophet ﷺ replied, "Your mother." He asked again, and the Prophet ﷺ gave the same answer. He asked a third time, and the Prophet ﷺ gave the same answer. Upon asking a fourth time, the Prophet ﷺ said, "Then your father." Sahih Muslim.

15. 2. The meaning of فِصَال is weaning. Some companions have deduced from this that the minimum duration of pregnancy is six months, meaning if a child is born to a woman after six months, that child will be legitimate, not illegitimate. This is because the Quran has stated the duration of nursing as two years (24 months); according to this calculation, only six months remain for the duration of pregnancy.

15. 3. The period of full strength (اَشْدُّہُ) refers to youth; some have interpreted it as 18 years, until he continues to grow and reaches the age of forty years. This age is the age of complete intellectual maturity, which is why the opinion of the commentators is that every prophet was honored with prophethood only after the age of forty.

15. 4. اَوْزِعْنِیْ means اَلْھِمْنِیْ, i.e., enable me. Based on this, the scholars have said that after this age, a person should recite this supplication frequently, i.e., from رَبِّ اَوْزِعْنِیْ to مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِیْنَ. He reached this age, which is the age of complete intellectual maturity. That is why the opinion of the commentators is that every prophet was honored with prophethood only after the age of forty.

15. And We have enjoined upon man to treat his parents with kindness [19]. His mother bore him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship [20]. The bearing of him and his weaning [21] is thirty months. When he reaches his full strength and attains forty years [22], he says, "My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do righteous [23] deeds that please You, and make my offspring [24] righteous for me. Truly, I turn to You in repentance, and surely I am of those who submit."

[19] For better conduct towards parents, see the footnotes of Surah Bani Isra'il, verses 23 and 24.

[20]
The Mother is More Deserving of Good Conduct Than the Father:

In this verse, first, both mother and father are commanded to be treated well. Then, three times, only the special services of the mother are mentioned. And the best explanation of this verse is the hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ. He says that a man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: Who is most deserving of my good conduct? The Prophet ﷺ replied: "Your mother." He asked again, then who? The Prophet ﷺ replied: "Your mother." The third time, the Prophet ﷺ gave the same answer. Then, the fourth time, the Prophet ﷺ replied: "Your father." [بخاری۔ کتاب الادب۔ باب من احق الناس بحسن الصحبۃ]

[21]
The Count of the Suckling Period and Its Consequences:

In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 233, Allah Almighty has stated that the full period of suckling is two years. However, if the parents wish to reduce this period due to some necessity, there is no harm in it. Similarly, in Surah Luqman, verse 13, it is stated that it took two years to wean the child. And at this place, it is stated that the period of pregnancy and suckling is thirty months. Considering all these verses, the following issues become clear:
(1) The maximum period of suckling is two years. It can be reduced, but not increased. Therefore, if someone drinks a woman's milk after the age of two years, the rulings of suckling will not apply to him, i.e., those rulings which are related to marriage.
(2) The minimum period of pregnancy is six months. If a child is born before six months, he will not be considered the child of the present husband, but rather the child of another man. In clearer words, that boy will be considered a child of adultery. And he will have no relation to inheritance, and the child's mother may be subject to the punishment for adultery. It should be noted that according to current medical research, the minimum period of pregnancy is considered to be 28 weeks. If this research is correct, it still appears that the Shariah, considering the delicacy and importance of both aspects of this issue, has set the period at six months with utmost caution. If a child is born after six months, the father or the woman's husband will not have the right to deny his lineage.
(3) The best way to count the period of suckling is that if the child is born after six months, the period of suckling should be considered a full two years or twenty-four months. If born after seven months, then twenty-three months; after eight months, twenty-two months; and after nine months, twenty-one months.
(4) The count of the period will be according to lunar months, not solar months.

[22]
What is the Age of Maturity?

Although a person's physical strength and power reach their peak before the age of forty, intellectual maturity is attained at forty years. That is why the Prophets were granted prophethood at the age of forty or after it. However, 'Isa ؑ is an exception to this rule. Just as many other aspects of his life are miraculous, similarly, he was granted prophethood at the age of thirty, and at the age of thirty-three, he was raised to the heavens.

[23] This is evidence of the maturity of a person's intellect that he begins to feel the favors of his Lord and his parents, for which he thanks Allah and also seeks the ability from Allah to be grateful. And he practically expresses gratitude to Allah and seeks His ability in a way that pleases Allah. It should be noted that Allah Almighty only likes those deeds that are done purely for His pleasure, in accordance with the restrictions of Shariah, i.e., according to the example of the Messenger. There should not be even a hint of showing off in them, and later, no such act should be done that would nullify that deed.

[24]
Special Favor Upon Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ:

Among the noble Companions, only Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq ؓ was so fortunate that he himself was a Muslim, his parents were Muslims, and his children were Muslims, and all of them had the honor of the company of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. No other Companion had this distinction.