Maturity, Repentance and Family
رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي، أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ، وَعَلَىٰ، وَالِدَيَّ، وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ، وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ، وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ.
رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي إِنِّي تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
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“My Lord! Enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do righteous deeds that please You. And make my offspring righteous for me. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed, I am among the Muslims.”
Forms: The verbs “awzi‘ni” (أَوْزِعْنِي) and “aslih li” (لِي أَصْلِحْ). The prayer of a mature person who has reached the age of forty — the threshold of maturity of the mind and of responsibility.
Tafsir of Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Saadi
Sheikh as-Saadi explains: “When a person reaches the age of forty, his mind becomes fully manifest. In this period it is prescribed to renew repentance, to give thanks for one’s parents, and to pray for the righteousness of one’s children.”
Tafsir of Imam Ibn Kathir
Ibn Kathir points out: “Allah has promised to accept the best deeds of those who utter this prayer, and to forgive their omissions, admitting them among the inhabitants of Paradise.”
Tafsir al-Baghawi
The words of Allah, Exalted is He: “... And We have enjoined upon man kindness to his parents (during their lives and after their deaths). His mother bears him with hardship and gives birth to him with hardship...” This refers to the difficulty of labor.
“...And his gestation and his weaning...” from breastfeeding
“...are thirty months...” This refers to the shortest period of pregnancy, which is six months, and the longest period of breastfeeding, which is twenty-four months.
“...And when he reaches his full strength...” the height of his strength, and the peak of his youth and maturity; this is the age between eighteen and forty years. Therefore, Allah, Exalted is He, said:
“...and reaches the age of forty...” As-Suddi and ad-Dahhak said: This verse was revealed concerning Sa‘d ibn Waqqas, and this story was related earlier in this commentary.
Others said: This verse was revealed concerning Abu Bakr and his father, Kuhafah ‘Uthman ibn ‘Amr, and his mother, al-Khayr bint Sakhr ibn ‘Amr.
‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said: This verse was revealed concerning Abu Bakr, whose parents both accepted Islam. Among the Muhajirun, no one else had both parents accept Islam. Allah, Exalted is He, enjoined him to treat his parents well, and thereafter he strove to fulfill this injunction. When Abu Bakr was eighteen years old, he accompanied the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who was then twenty years old, on a trading journey to Syria.
When Abu Bakr reached the age of forty, and prophethood was bestowed upon Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Abu Bakr believed in him and supplicated to Allah.
“...He says (addressing Allah): ‘My Lord, inspire me...’” Inspire me
“...to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and my parents...” by guiding them to the true path and granting them faith.
“...and (make me such) that I may always do righteous deeds with which You are pleased...” Ibn ‘Abbas said: Allah answered his supplication, and he ransomed nine Muslims from slavery, who were being tortured because of their faith in Allah. Whenever he wished to perform a good deed, Allah would surely help him in it. He also supplicated to Allah:
“... And set right for me my offspring...” Allah answered this supplication of his as well, and all his children were believers. He himself was a believer, and his parents and children were also believers. His father, Abu Quhafah, Abu Bakr himself, his son ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr, and ‘Abdur-Rahman’s son Abu ‘Atiq—all of them lived during the lifetime of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace); this distinction was granted to none of the other Companions.
“...Indeed, I have turned to You in repentance, and indeed, I am among those who submit (to You).”
In “Tafsir Ibn Kathir” it is reported that this verse was revealed about Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, whose parents and all of whose children accepted Islam.