Surah 46. Al-Ahqaf, Ayah 15
| وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا ۖ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ كُرْهًا وَوَضَعَتْهُ كُرْهًا ۖ وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَالُهُ ثَلَاثُونَ شَهْرًا ۚ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي ۖ إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ |
| Transliteration | : | wa- was.s.aynaa al- 'insaan bi- waalidai -hi ih.saan(an) h.amalat -hu 'umm -hu kurh(an) wa- wad.acat -hu kurh(an) wa- h.aml -hu wa- fis.aal -hu thalaathon shahr(an) h.attaa 'idhaa balagha ashudd -hu wa- balagha arbacen sanah qaala rabb -i awzic -ne 'an ashkur nicmah -ka 'allate ancamta calay -ya wa- calaa waalidai -ya wa- 'an acmal s.aalih(an) tard.aa -hu wa- as.lih. li- -y fe dhurreyah -e 'inni -y tubtu 'ilay -ka wa- 'inni -y min al- muslimen |
| Pickthall | : | And We have commended unto man kindness toward parents. His mother beareth him with reluctance, and bringeth him forth with reluctance, and the bearing of him and the weaning of him is thirty months, till, when he attaineth full strength and reacheth forty years, he saith: My Lord! Arouse me that I may give thanks for the favor wherewith Thou hast favored me and my parents, and that I may do right acceptable unto Thee. And be gracious unto me In the matter of my seed. Lo! I have turned unto Thee repentant, and lo! I am of those who surrender (unto Thee). |
| Asad | : | NOW [among the best of the deeds which] We have enjoined upon man is goodness towards his parents.16 In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth; and her bearing him and his utter dependence on her took thirty months.17 And so, when he attains to full maturity and reaches forty years,18 he [that is righteous] prays: "O my Sustainer! Inspire me so that I may forever be grateful for those blessings of Thine with which Thou hast graced me and my parents, and that I may do what is right [in a manner] that will meet with Thy goodly acceptance; and grant me righteousness in my offspring [as well]. Verily, unto Thee have I turned in repentance:19 for, verily, I am of those who have surrendered themselves unto Thee!" |
| Malik | : | We have enjoined man to treat his parents with kindness. With much trouble his mother bore him, and much pain did she give him birth. His bearing and his weaning took thirty months. When he reaches the age of full strength and becomes forty years old, he says: "My Rabb! Grant me the grace that I may thank you for the favors which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do good deeds that will please You, and grant me good children. Surely I turn to You in repentance and surely I am of those who are Muslims." |
| Yusuf Ali | : | 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 favor which Thou hast 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." 4789 4790 4791 |
Note - 17See note [14] on 31:14.
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Note - 18I.e., the age at which man is supposed to attain to full
intellectual and spiritual maturity. It is to be borne in
mind that the masculine noun insan ("man" or "human
being") appearing in the first sentence of this verse
applies to both sexes alike.
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Note - 19Sc.. "of whatever sin I may have committed". See note
[41] on the last sentence of 24:31.
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Note - 4789Cf. xxix. 8 and xxxi. 14.
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Note - 4790In xxxi. 14 the time of weaning was stated to be at the
age of two years, i.e., 24 months. See also ii. 233. That
leaves six months as the minimum period of human
gestation after which the child is known to be viable.
This is in accordance with the latest ascertained
scientific facts. The average period is 280 days, or ten
times the inter-menstrual period, and of course the
average period of weaning is much less than 24 months.
The maximum period of breast-feeding (2 years) is again
in accordance with the time that the first dentition is
ordinarily completed in a human child. The lower milk
incisors in the centre come out between the 6th and 9th
months; then come out the milk teeth at intervals, until
the canines appear. The second molars come out at about
24 months, and with them the child has a complete
apparatus of milk teeth. Nature now expects him to chew
and masticate and be independent of his mother's milk
completely. On the other hand it hurts the mother to feed
from the breast after the child has a complete set of
milk teeth. The permanent teeth begin at the sixth year,
and the second molars come at 12 years. The third molars
are the wisdom teeth, which may appear at 18 to 20 years,
or not at all.
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Note - 4791The age of full strength (ashudd) is held to be between
18 and 30 or 32. Between 30 and 40 the man is in his best
manhood. After that he begins to look to his growing
issue, and rightly commends the new generation to Allah.
Perhaps his spiritual faculties also gain the upper hand
after 40.
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Cf. 29:8 and 31:14. In the present instance, this connects with the reference to the "doers of good" at the end of verse {12} and in verses {13-14}. |
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I.e., the age at which man is supposed to attain to full intellectual and spiritual maturity. It is to be borne in mind that the masculine noun insan ("man" or "human being") appearing in the first sentence of this verse applies to both sexes alike. |
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Sc.. "of whatever sin I may have committed". See note [41] on the last sentence of 24:31. |
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In xxxi. 14 the time of weaning was stated to be at the age of two years, i.e., 24 months. See also ii. 233. That leaves six months as the minimum period of human gestation after which the child is known to be viable. This is in accordance with the latest ascertained scientific facts. The average period is 280 days, or ten times the inter-menstrual period, and of course the average period of weaning is much less than 24 months. The maximum period of breast-feeding (2 years) is again in accordance with the time that the first dentition is ordinarily completed in a human child. The lower milk incisors in the centre come out between the 6th and 9th months; then come out the milk teeth at intervals, until the canines appear. The second molars come out at about 24 months, and with them the child has a complete apparatus of milk teeth. Nature now expects him to chew and masticate and be independent of his mother's milk completely. On the other hand it hurts the mother to feed from the breast after the child has a complete set of milk teeth. The permanent teeth begin at the sixth year, and the second molars come at 12 years. The third molars are the wisdom teeth, which may appear at 18 to 20 years, or not at all. |
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The age of full strength (ashudd) is held to be between 18 and 30 or 32. Between 30 and 40 the man is in his best manhood. After that he begins to look to his growing issue, and rightly commends the new generation to Allah. Perhaps his spiritual faculties also gain the upper hand after 40. |
