سُوْرَةُ الْاَحْقَافِ
Surah Al-Ahqaf (46) — Ayah 15
وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ إِحْسَـٰنًا ۖ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُۥ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا ۖ وَحَمْلُهُۥ وَفِصَـٰلُهُۥ ثَلَـٰثُونَ شَهْرًا ۚ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُۥ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـٰلِحًا تَرْضَىٰهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِى فِى ذُرِّيَّتِىٓ ۖ إِنِّى تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّى مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ ﴿15﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents. His mother bears him with hardship. And she brings him forth with hardship, and the bearing of him, and the weaning of him is thirty months, till when he attains full strength and reaches forty years, he says: "My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favour which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You, and make my offspring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims (submitting to Your Will)."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَوَصَّيْنَا
wawaṣṣaynā
And We have enjoined
ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ
l-insāna
(on) man
بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ
biwālidayhi
to his parents
إِحْسَـٰنًا ۖ
iḥ'sānan
kindness
حَمَلَتْهُ
ḥamalathu
Carried him
أُمُّهُۥ
ummuhu
his mother
كُرْهًۭا
kur'han
(with) hardship
وَوَضَعَتْهُ
wawaḍaʿathu
and gave birth to him
كُرْهًۭا ۖ
kur'han
(with) hardship
وَحَمْلُهُۥ
waḥamluhu
And (the) bearing of him
وَفِصَـٰلُهُۥ
wafiṣāluhu
and (the) weaning of him
ثَلَـٰثُونَ
thalāthūna
(is) thirty
شَهْرًا ۚ
shahran
month(s)
حَتَّىٰٓ
ḥattā
until
إِذَا
idhā
when
بَلَغَ
balagha
he reaches
أَشُدَّهُۥ
ashuddahu
his maturity
وَبَلَغَ
wabalagha
and reaches
أَرْبَعِينَ
arbaʿīna
forty
سَنَةًۭ
sanatan
year(s)
قَالَ
qāla
he says
رَبِّ
rabbi
My Lord
أَوْزِعْنِىٓ
awziʿ'nī
grant me (the) power
أَنْ
an
that
أَشْكُرَ
ashkura
I may be grateful
نِعْمَتَكَ
niʿ'mataka
(for) Your favor
ٱلَّتِىٓ
allatī
which
أَنْعَمْتَ
anʿamta
You have bestowed
عَلَىَّ
ʿalayya
upon me
وَعَلَىٰ
waʿalā
and upon
وَٰلِدَىَّ
wālidayya
my parents
وَأَنْ
wa-an
and that
أَعْمَلَ
aʿmala
I do
صَـٰلِحًۭا
ṣāliḥan
righteous (deeds)
تَرْضَىٰهُ
tarḍāhu
which please You
وَأَصْلِحْ
wa-aṣliḥ
and make righteous
لِى
lī
for me
فِى
fī
among
ذُرِّيَّتِىٓ ۖ
dhurriyyatī
my offspring
إِنِّى
innī
indeed
تُبْتُ
tub'tu
I turn
إِلَيْكَ
ilayka
to You
وَإِنِّى
wa-innī
and indeed, I am
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ
l-mus'limīna
those who submit
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
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. 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.
