(15–16) “We have enjoined upon the human being kindness to his parents. His mother carried him in hardship and gave birth to him in hardship, and his gestation and weaning take thirty months. Then, when he reaches full maturity and reaches forty years of age, he says, ‘My Lord, inspire me to give thanks for Your blessing which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do righteous deeds that please You. Make my offspring righteous for me. I have indeed repented to You, and I am indeed one of the Muslims.’ Those are the ones from whom We accept the best of what they did and whose evil deeds We overlook, among the inhabitants of Paradise. This is the true promise they were given.”

This is part of His kindness toward His servants and His appreciation of parents: He has instructed children and charged them to treat their parents well through gracious speech, gentle words, financial support, and all other forms of kindness.

He then draws attention to the reason that makes this incumbent, mentioning what a mother endures because of her child: the hardships she suffers during pregnancy, then the immense hardship of giving birth, followed by the hardship of nursing and caring for the child. Nor do these things last for some brief period—an hour or two. Rather, they extend over a long period, which He specifies as “thirty months”: nine months or thereabouts for pregnancy and the remainder for nursing. This is the usual case.

This verse, together with the statement, “Mothers shall breastfeed their children for two complete years,” is used as evidence that the minimum term of pregnancy is six months, because when the two-year nursing period is subtracted from the thirty months, six months remain for pregnancy.

“Then, when he reaches full maturity”—that is, the peak of his strength and youth and the maturity of his intellect—“and reaches forty years of age, he says, ‘My Lord, inspire me’”; that is, inspire and enable me “to give thanks for Your blessing which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents,” meaning the blessings of religion and the blessings of this world. Giving thanks for them means using these blessings in obedience to the One who bestowed and granted them, responding to His favor by acknowledging it and one’s inability to thank Him adequately, and striving to praise Allah for them.

Blessings bestowed upon parents are also blessings upon their children and descendants, for they inevitably receive a share of those blessings, their causes, and their effects. This is especially true of religious blessings, for the righteousness of parents through knowledge and deeds is among the greatest causes of their children’s righteousness.

“And to do righteous deeds that please You”: deeds that encompass everything that makes them sound and are free of everything that corrupts them. Such are the deeds with which Allah is pleased, which He accepts and rewards.

“Make my offspring righteous for me.” After praying for his own righteousness, he prays that Allah set right the condition of his offspring. He indicates that their righteousness benefits their parents as well, as shown by the words, “for me.”

“I have indeed repented to You” from sins and acts of disobedience and have returned to obeying You, “and I am indeed one of the Muslims.”

“Those” whose qualities have been mentioned “are the ones from whom We accept the best of what they did”—namely, acts of obedience, for they also perform other deeds—“and whose evil deeds We overlook, among the inhabitants of Paradise.” Thus, they attain all that is good and beloved, while all that is evil and hateful is removed from them.

“This is the true promise they were given.” That is, the promise We made to them is a true promise from the most truthful of speakers, who never breaks His promise.