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 تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّـهُ وَبِالْوَلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـناً]
(Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be dutiful
to your parents.) (17:23) Allah says,
[أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِى
وَلِوَلِدَيْكَ إِلَىَّ الْمَصِيرُ]
(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,
[وَوَصَّيْنَا
الإِنسَـنَ بِوَلِدَيْهِ إِحْسَـناً]
(And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents.) (46:15)
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,
[وَوَصَّيْنَا
الإِنسَـنَ بِوَلِدَيْهِ إِحْسَـناً]
(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,
[حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ
كُرْهاً]
(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.
[وَوَضَعَتْهُ
كُرْهاً]
(And she delivers him with hardship.) meaning, she also delivers him with
hardship, suffering the pains of labor and their severity.
[وَحَمْلُهُ
وَفِصَـلُهُ ثَلاَثُونَ شَهْراً]
(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
عَامَيْنِ]
(And his weaning is in two years.) (31:14) and
[وَالْوَلِدَتُ
يُرْضِعْنَ أَوْلَـدَهُنَّ حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ لِمَنْ 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,
[وَحَمْلُهُ
وَفِصَـلُهُ ثَلاَثُونَ شَهْراً]
(and his gestation and weaning is thirty months), and;
[حَوْلَيْنِ
كَامِلَيْنِ]
( 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 saw 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,
[وَحَمْلُهُ
وَفِصَـلُهُ ثَلاَثُونَ شَهْراً حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ]
(and his gestation and weaning is thirty months, till when he attains full
strength).'' meaning, he becomes strong, youthful, and attains full ability.
[وَبَلَغَ
أَرْبَعِينَ 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.
[قَالَ رَبِّ
أَوْزِعْنِى]
(he says: "My Lord! Grant me the power and ability) meaning, `inspire me.'
[أَنْ أَشْكُرَ
نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِى أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ
صَـلِحاً تَرْضَـهُ]
(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.
[وَأَصْلِحْ لِى فِى
ذُرِّيَّتِى]
(and make my offspring good.) meaning, my offspring and descendants.
[إِنَّى تُبْتُ
إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّى مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ]
(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,
[أُوْلَـئِكَ
الَّذِينَ نَتَقَبَّلُ عَنْهُمْ أَحْسَنَ مَا عَمِلُواْ وَنَتَجَاوَزُ عَن
سَيْئَـتِهِمْ فِى أَصْحَـبِ الْجَنَّةِ]
(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.
[فِى أَصْحَـبِ
الْجَنَّةِ]
(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,
[وَعْدَ الصِّدْقِ
الَّذِى كَانُواْ يُوعَدُونَ]
(That is the promise of truth that they had been promised.)
[وَالَّذِى قَالَ
لِوَلِدَيْهِ أُفٍّ لَّكُمَآ أَتَعِدَانِنِى أَنْ أُخْرَجَ وَقَدْ خَلَتِ
الْقُرُونُ مِن قَبْلِى وَهُمَا يَسْتَغِيثَانِ اللَّهَ وَيْلَكَ ءَامِنْ إِنَّ
وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَيَقُولُ مَا هَـذَآ إِلاَّ أَسَـطِيرُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ -
أُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ حَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَوْلُ فِى أُمَمٍ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن
قَبْلِهِمْ مِّنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنسِ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ خَـسِرِينَ - وَلِكُلٍّ
دَرَجَـتٌ مِّمَّا عَمِلُواْ وَلِيُوَفِّيَهُمْ أَعْمَـلَهُمْ وَهُمْ لاَ
يُظْلَمُونَ - وَيَوْمَ يُعْرَضُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ عَلَى النَّارِ أَذْهَبْتُمْ
طَيِّبَـتِكُمْ فِى حَيَـتِكُمُ الدُّنْيَا وَاسْتَمْتَعْتُمْ بِهَا فَالْيَوْمَ
تُجْزَوْنَ عَذَابَ الْهُونِ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَسْتَكْبِرُونَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ بِغَيْرِ
الْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَفْسُقُونَ ]
(17. But he who says to his parents: "Uff to you! Do you promise me that I
will be raised up when generations before me have passed'' While they invoke
Allah for help: "Woe to you! Believe! Verily, the promise of Allah is true.''
But he says: "This is nothing but the legends of the ancient.'') (18. They are
those against whom the Word (of torment) has justified among the previous
generations of Jinn and mankind that have passed away. Verily, they are ever the
losers.) (19. And for all, there will be degrees according to that which they
did, so that He might fully recompense for their deeds. And they will not be
wronged.) (20. On the Day when those who disbelieve will be exposed to the Fire
(it will be said): "You received your good things in the life of the world, and
you took your pleasure therein. Today, you will be recompensed with the torment
of extreme humiliation, because you were arrogant upon the earth without a
right, and because you used to rebel against Allah's command.)
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