Tafseer of The Spider · Al-Ankaboot · 29:8
And We have enjoined upon man goodness to parents. But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them. To Me is your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: En Wij hebben de mens met betrekking tot zijn beide ouders het goede opgedragen. Maar indien zij beiden zich tegen jou inspannen opdat jij aan Mij deelgenoten toekent waarvan jij geen kennis hebt, gehoorzaam hen dan niet. Tot Mij is jullie terugkeer en Ik zal jullie meedelen wat jullie plachten te doen (29:8).
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: And We have enjoined upon man in that which We have sent down to Our Messenger concerning his two parents that he show toward them the good.
The linguists differed concerning the manner in which "ḥusnan" (the good) is in the accusative. Some of the grammarians of Basra said: this is in the accusative on the basis of an implied repetition of "We have enjoined." It is as if the meaning of the sentence according to him is: and We have enjoined man concerning his parents, and We have enjoined upon him the good. And he said: one may say "I have enjoined upon him the good," that is to say: with the good.
Some of the grammarians of Kufa said: the meaning of this is: and We have enjoined upon man that he do the good. But the Arabs sometimes omit a part of the sentence when in what remains there is an indication of what has been omitted, and they make what remains operate grammatically as the omitted part would have operated. For this reason his saying ḥusnan (the good) is in the accusative, even though the meaning is, as described, "We have enjoined," because it took the place of the omitted part. And he recited in support of this the following verse:
"I marveled at Dahmāʾ when she reproached us, and at the father of Dahmāʾ when he enjoined upon us, to be good toward her, as though we were harsh." (1)
And he said: the meaning of his saying "he enjoins upon us the good" is: that we should do good toward her, and he contented himself with "he enjoins upon us." And he said: that is like His saying fa-ṭafiqa masḥan (so he began to stroke), that is to say: he strokes a stroking.
And His saying: Maar indien zij beiden zich tegen jou inspannen opdat jij aan Mij deelgenoten toekent waarvan jij geen kennis hebt, gehoorzaam hen dan niet says: (and We have enjoined upon man), and We said to him: if your two parents strive against you so that you ascribe to Me partners of which you have no knowledge that I have a partner, then do not obey them so that you would ascribe to Me partners of which you have no knowledge, in seeking their good pleasure, but oppose them in this matter. Tot Mij is jullie terugkeer the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: to Me is your return and your destination on the Day of Resurrection. En Ik zal jullie meedelen wat jullie plachten te doen says: I will inform you of what you used to do in the worldly life of good deeds and evil deeds, and then I will requite you for it: the doer of good with the good, and the doer of evil with what is due to him.
And it has been reported that this verse was sent down upon the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on account of Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ.
* Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: En Wij hebben de mens met betrekking tot zijn beide ouders het goede opgedragen ... up to His saying: en Ik zal jullie meedelen wat jullie plachten te doen, he said: it was sent down concerning Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ when he emigrated. His mother said: by Allah, no house shall give me shade until he returns. Then Allah sent down concerning that, that he should be good toward the two of them, but should not obey them in ascribing partners (shirk).
--------------------- Footnotes:
(1) These are three verses in the mashṭūr form of the sarīʿ metre, and they belong to the evidentiary verses of al-Farrāʾ in Maʿānī al-Qurʾān (p. 178). He said: the Arabs say: "I enjoin upon you the good concerning that," and "I command you the good concerning that," and it is as though the meaning of it is: I command you that you act by it, after which one omits "an" (that) and connects "the good" with the enjoining and with the command. The poet said: "I marveled ..." the verses.
