Motherhood

At a glance

In the Quranic worldview, motherhood represents one of the greatest divine gifts granted to women. Derived linguistically from the foundational core of a thing, a mother is the pillar and origin of human life, nurturing the family with boundless compassion and steadfast care. The Quran honors this lofty station by linking devotion to parents directly with the worship of Allah, elevating maternal honor across legal, emotional, and spiritual dimensions.

Motherhood is defined by enduring immense physical hardship. From the successive weaknesses of pregnancy and the intense pains of childbirth to the demands of nursing and upbringing, a mother pours her very vitality into the creation and flourishing of new life. Islam acknowledges these selfless sacrifices by granting mothers preeminent rights to tender companionship, financial support, and obedience in goodness.

Throughout the sacred text, the lives of exemplary mothers, from Hajar and the mothers of Musa and Isa, to the wives of the Prophet, stand as enduring monuments of faith, resilience, and reliance on Allah. Their stories offer believers a timeless model of how nurturing faith and righteousness within the household helps shape civilization.

Key verses

1. An-Nisa 4:23: Establishes the lifelong sanctity and prohibition of marriage with birth mothers and foster mothers, showing that nursing creates genuine bonds of maternal kinship.
2. Al-Baqarah 2:233: Outlines the guidelines of infant care, establishing a full nursing period of two complete years and requiring fathers to provide equitable food and clothing for the nursing mother.
3. Al-Qasas 28:7: Depicts divine inspiration and solace given to the mother of Musa, balancing maternal terror with unwavering divine promises to preserve and return her infant.
4. Al-Ahzab 33:6: Honors the noble wives of the Prophet by granting them the sacred title of Mothers of the Believers, establishing their perpetual veneration and prohibition of marriage after him.
5. Al-Qasas 28:12: Shows the providential fulfillment of Allah's promise, as infant Musa rejected all foster nurses so that he would be returned directly to the loving care of his birth mother.
6. Al-Ahqaf 46:15: Emphasizes the intense hardships of maternal sacrifice, reminding humanity that a mother carried her child in pain and brought him forth in pain over thirty demanding months.
7. An-Nisa 4:11: Guarantees the independent financial rights of mothers through ordained inheritance shares, ensuring she receives either a third, a sixth, or a third of the residue.

Words to know

الأمومة al-umūmah

Motherhood, which the Quran uses in the senses of the birth mother, the nursing foster mother, and the wives of the Prophet as Mothers of the Believers.

الوالدة al-wālidah

The biological mother who brings forth and gives birth to her child.

Root: و ل د

المرضعة al-murḍi'ah

The woman actively engaged in the physical act of breast-feeding a child.

Root: ر ض ع

المرضع al-murḍi'

A nursing woman who has an infant in the suckling stage, whether actively nursing at that moment or not.

الأنثى al-unthā

The female gender, which stands in contrast to the male.

Root: ا ن ث

المرأة al-mar'ah

An adult female human being who has reached physical maturity.

الأب al-ab

The father, from whose biological seed another person is formed and to whom lineage is traced.

الأبوة al-ubuwwah

Fatherhood, the complementary counterpart to motherhood working in harmony to sustain a righteous family.

The first motherhood

From the paper: «الأمومة الأولى»

Humanity's journey began with the creation of Adam, from whom Allah created Hawwa as the first woman and the universal mother of all mankind. The Quran reminds us of our shared origin in An-Nisa 4:1 and describes the matrimonial bond as a source of peace in Al-A'raf 7:189.

Scholars discussed the divine statement concerning the creation of Adam's mate. The predominant view among commentators is that Hawwa was created from one of Adam's left ribs while he slept in Paradise, awakening to find her by his side as a companion. Because this extraction occurred without causing him physical harm, natural tenderness and affection were woven into the relationship between men and women. This literal interpretation is further reinforced by hadiths advising men to treat women with kindness and gentleness, noting that woman was created from a curved rib.

A secondary perspective, championed by Abu Muslim, suggested that the phrasing indicates Hawwa was created from the same generic kind or material (dust) as Adam, comparing it to An-Nahl 16:72. However, scholars such as Abu Hayyan emphasized that the prevailing view is stronger, preserving the clear Quranic affirmation in Al-An'am 6:98 that all human beings originated from a single soul.

Types of motherhood

From the paper: «أنواع الأمومة»

The Quran identifies two distinct forms of motherhood: biological motherhood through birth and maternal kinship established through nursing.

• The Birth Mother (al-Umm al-Wālidah): This is the natural mother who conceives and gives birth, including grandmothers upward along both paternal and maternal lineages. In Al-Mujadilah 58:2, the Quran rejects the pagan practice of equating wives with mothers, declaring that true mothers are those who gave birth. This biological bond is primary and absolute, establishing indelible rights of lineage, custody, and inheritance.

• The Foster Mother (al-Umm al-Murḍi'ah): The Quran explicitly recognizes the woman who nurses an infant as a true mother regarding sanctity and marriage prohibitions in An-Nisa 4:23. Because milk forms the flesh and bone of the infant, the child becomes like a part of her, creating genuine kinship and lifelong respect. Scholars deduce two main conditions for nursing to establish this sacred foster relationship:

1. The nursing must occur within the first two years of the child's life before weaning, based on the full lactation period mentioned in Al-Baqarah 2:233.
2. The suckling must satisfy the required threshold, which the prophetic sunnah specifies as five distinct feedings, although early scholars like Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar viewed any amount of milk as sufficient to establish the prohibition.

The innate nature of motherhood and its hardships

From the paper: «فطرة الأمومة ومشقاتها»

Motherhood is an innate instinct granted by Allah to women, and its withholding is a profound test described in Ash-Shura 42:49-50. This deep-seated maternal yearning is exemplified by Sarah in Hud 11:71 and Asiya's desire to adopt infant Musa. It is manifested in deep love, vigilance, and protective fear, shown when Hajar ran between al-Safa and al-Marwah until the well of Zamzam gushed forth, and when Musa's mother felt an overwhelming emptiness in her heart until Allah fortified her Al-Qasas 28:7-13. Even the Prophet Harun appealed to brotherly compassion by invoking their shared mother in Al-A'raf 7:150.

This instinctive compassion enables mothers to endure the immense physical burdens of maternal sacrifice, which the Quran details through two major stages:

• Pregnancy: A mother bears her child through intensifying exhaustion, described in Luqman 31:14 as weakness upon weakness. As the child develops, it draws essential nutrients directly from her blood and bones, leaving her depleted yet devoted, carrying him in hardship across the months in Al-Ahqaf 46:15.
• Labor and Nursing: Childbirth brings intense physical agony, mirrored in Maryam's distress beside the palm tree in Maryam 19:23. Yet this profound pain is instantly transformed into selfless care as the mother gives the very essence of her body to nurse and raise her child.

Motherhood and legal rulings

From the paper: «الأمومة والأحكام الشرعية»

Islamic jurisprudence secures precise legal rulings surrounding the rights, duties, and status of motherhood across multiple domains:

• Prohibition of Marriage: A man is permanently forbidden from marrying his biological mother, his maternal and paternal grandmothers, and his foster mother who nursed him, along with his foster sisters, as commanded in An-Nisa 4:23 and illustrated by the status of the Prophet's wives in Al-Ahzab 33:6.
• Inheritance: The Quran protects the financial stability of biological mothers. Under An-Nisa 4:11, she inherits one-third of the estate if there are no surviving children or multiple siblings, or one-sixth if offspring or two or more siblings exist. In the two classic cases known as the Umariyyat, she receives one-third of the residue after the spouse takes their share. Foster mothers, however, do not inherit.
• Foster Kinship: Nursing establishes unmarriageable status (mahram) with all related kin of the foster mother, permitting unchaperoned accompaniment and travel, though it does not mandate mutual financial support or inheritance.
• Care, Custody, and Maintenance: Mothers are uniquely qualified for infant custody due to their instinctive patience and tenderness, while fathers are legally responsible for maintaining and clothing nursing mothers according to recognized customs under Al-Baqarah 2:233 and At-Talaq 65:6.
• The Sin of Dhihār: Islam severely censures equating one's wife to one's mother's back, declaring it a false assertion in Al-Mujadilah 58:3-4 that requires heavy expiation.

Motherhood, rights and duties

From the paper: «الأمومة حقوق وواجبات»

Islam establishes a harmonious balance of rights and obligations for mothers, exalting their status while entrusting them with the spiritual foundation of the family.

• Maternal Rights: Children are commanded to treat their mothers with exceptional devotion, gentle speech, and soft-hearted humility under Al-Isra 17:23-24. This duty of active kindness extends even to non-Muslim mothers in worldly matters Luqman 31:15, Al-Ahqaf 46:15. Maternal obedience is binding in all permissible things, yielding only when parents command theological association or sinful disobedience. The paper notes hadiths affirming that serving one's mother precedes voluntary striving, that Paradise lies at her feet, and that she deserves three times the companionship accorded to fathers.

• Maternal Responsibilities: As a shepherd entrusted with her home, a mother is called to fulfill essential parental duties:

1. Lactation and Nourishment: Providing milk for up to two full years Al-Baqarah 2:233, Al-Qasas 28:7, which classic jurists deem a beloved, highly recommended act of mercy.
2. Weaning (Fiṣāl): Transitioning the child from milk to solid foods by mutual consent and consultation between parents Luqman 31:14, Al-Baqarah 2:233.
3. Comprehensive Nurturance: Attending to physical health, safety, and hygiene, as mirrored in the care sought for infant Musa in Al-Qasas 28:12.
4. Moral and Spiritual Upbringing (Tarbiyah): Planting the love of Allah and His Messenger into the pure disposition of children, guiding the rising generation upon Islamic values Ar-Rum 30:21.

Mothers of the prophets and messengers

From the paper: «أولًا: أمهات الأنبياء و الرسل»

The Quran highlights remarkable mothers whose reliance on Allah preserved the legacies of noble prophets:

• Hajar, Mother of Ismail: Left with her nursing infant in an uncultivated valley, she placed her absolute trust in Allah, as captured in Ibrahim 14:37 and Al-Qasas 28:57. Her desperate search between al-Safa and al-Marwah was rewarded with the miraculous spring of Zamzam, forever instituting a rite of devotion for pilgrims.
• Sarah, Mother of Ishaq: Despite reaching advanced old age without children, she was granted glad tidings of Ishaq and Yaqub in Hud 11:71, reacting with joyful astonishment at divine power.
• Yukabid, Mother of Musa: Under Pharaoh's tyrannical slaughter, she was divinely inspired to place her infant in a chest upon the Nile, holding firmly to Allah's promise of safety and return Al-Qasas 28:7-14, Ta-Ha 20:39.
• Maryam, Mother of Isa: Dedicated to worship by her mother Ali 'Imran 3:36, Ali 'Imran 3:37, Ali 'Imran 3:44, Maryam was chosen and purified above all women Ali 'Imran 3:42. She miraculously conceived Isa through the spirit breathed into her Ali 'Imran 3:45-47. Bearing the agony of labor beside the palm tree in Maryam 19:23-26, her integrity was vindicated when infant Isa spoke in the cradle Maryam 19:30. The Quran honors her as a woman of truth while affirming the humanity of mother and son in Al-Ma'idah 5:17, Al-Ma'idah 5:75, and Al-Mu'minun 23:50.
• Ashiya, Mother of Yahya: Sterile and elderly, she was miraculously blessed with Yahya in response to Zakariyya's fervent prayer in Maryam 19:5-9.

Mothers of the believers

From the paper: «ثانيًا: أمهات المؤمنين»

The Quran bestows a distinguished spiritual title upon the wives of the Prophet Muhammad, designating them as Mothers of the Believers in Al-Ahzab 33:6. Just as the Prophet serves as a spiritual father and guide nurturing the believers for this life and the hereafter, his wives share a unique station of universal reverence, love, and sanctified honor.

This distinct spiritual maternity carries two essential legal and behavioral consequences:

• Perpetual Prohibition of Marriage: In Al-Ahzab 33:53, the Quran explicitly forbids anyone from marrying the wives of the Prophet after his passing, honoring their exceptional relationship and preventing familial discord.
• Exalted Virtue and Conduct: In Al-Ahzab 33:32, Allah addresses the Prophet's wives, declaring that they are not like any other women. Because of their supreme standing as maternal exemplars for the entire community, they were instructed to maintain utmost modesty and dignified speech, setting an enduring standard of piety.

The agreed-upon wives of the Prophet encompass eleven noble women: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Sawdah bint Zam'ah, A'ishah bint Abi Bakr, Hafsah bint Umar, Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, Umm Salamah (Hind), Zaynab bint Jahsh, Umm Habibah (Ramlah), Juwayriyah bint al-Harith, Safiyyah bint Huyayy, and Maymunah bint al-Harith.

Mothers of the righteous

From the paper: «ثالثًا: أمهات الصالحين»

Beyond the households of the prophets, the Quran commemorates righteous women whose maternal faith and virtuous conduct helped nurture blessed lineages:

• Hannah, the Mother of Maryam: The wife of Imran longed for a child after seeing a mother bird feeding its young in the wild. Turning to Allah in sincere supplication, she pledged the child in her womb for dedicated temple service, as recounted in Ali 'Imran 3:36. When she delivered a female, she surrendered to the divine decree, named her Maryam (servant of the Lord), and sought divine protection for her daughter and future progeny from Satan. Her upright reputation is remembered in Maryam 19:28, where the community attested that her mother had never been unchaste.

• The Daughter of the Righteous Elder (Wife of Prophet Musa): The Quran describes her noble modesty and practical wisdom in Al-Qasas 28:23-25, where she and her sister watered their flock at Madyan while maintaining reserve, and she later approached Musa with dignified bashfulness to invite him to her father's home. Her marriage to Musa in Al-Qasas 28:27 culminated in her journey back toward Egypt Ta-Ha 20:10, during which she delivered a son, stepping into the sacred station of motherhood as a supportive companion to an elect messenger of Allah.

Takeaways

1. Acknowledge Maternal Sacrifice

   Remember that your mother endured successive physical exhaustion, nutrient depletion, and birth pains to bring you into this world, requiring ongoing empathy and dedicated gratitude.

2. Speak with Gentle Deference

   Lower the wing of humility to your mother, refraining from words of irritation, raised voices, or sharp stares, treating her with humble kindness even when she grows elderly.

3. Prioritize Serving Your Mother

   Recognize that honoring and serving your mother outranks voluntary striving and stands as one of the most beloved deeds bringing near to Allah and earning Paradise.

4. Maintain Worldly Kindness Regardless of Differences

   Even if a mother adheres to a different faith or urges disobedience to Allah, uphold courteous companionship, material support, and respectful kindness in all worldly affairs.

5. Anchor Parenting in Faith and Virtue

   Mothers should view raising children as an essential spiritual calling, actively imparting the love of Allah and moral character into their children's pure innate disposition.

Reflect

• How does reflecting on the physical sacrifices your mother made during pregnancy and birth reshape your daily interactions with her?
• In what subtle ways might impatience or irritation slip into your speech with your parents, and how can you replace them with honored, gentle words?
• How can you apply the unwavering reliance on Allah demonstrated by Hajar and the mother of Musa when facing difficult parenting decisions today?

Go deeper

Linguistic meaning

Linguistically, the root of motherhood (umm) denotes the origin, foundation, and main pillar of any matter, as well as that which encompasses and gathers other things to itself.

Technical meaning

Technically, scholars define a mother as any female who has a birth relationship to you, including the immediate birth mother as well as maternal and paternal grandmothers regardless of how high the lineage ascends.

How it differs from related terms

الوالدة the birth mother

Al-Wālidah refers specifically to the woman who gives birth to the child through physical delivery, whereas al-umm is broader and can refer to anyone who nurtures, raises, or serves as the foundational origin of a person.

المرضعة the actively nursing woman

Al-Murḍi'ah refers to the woman engaged in the actual, physical act of breast-feeding at that moment, whereas motherhood encompasses the lifelong relationship and status of kinship.

المرضع the lactating woman

Al-Murḍi' describes a woman who has a child of nursing age, regardless of whether she is actively suckling the child at a given moment, whereas a mother may or may not be nursing.

الأنثى the female

Al-Unthā encompasses the entire female gender across all ages and species based on biological distinction, whereas a mother is specifically a female who has borne or nursed offspring.

المرأة the mature woman

Al-Mar'ah refers strictly to an adult female human being who has attained physical maturity, whereas motherhood is an achieved role that only some adult women enter.

الأب the father

Al-Ab is the male progenitor from whose seed the child is formed and to whom lineage is traced, serving as the biological and legal counterpart to the mother.

الأبوة fatherhood

Al-Ubuwwah represents the male parental station of provision, guidance, and lineage, which works in harmonious complement with the tender, nurturing care of motherhood.

Every verse in the paper

All 66 verses the research paper discusses, grouped under its own headings.

Concept of motherhood «مفهوم الأمومة»

Linguistic meaning «أولًا: المعنى اللغوي»

43:4, 101:9

Motherhood in Quranic usage «الأمومة في الاستعمال القرآني»

28:7, 4:23, 20:40, 33:6

Related terms «الألفاظ ذات الصلة»

Terminological meaning of female «الأنثى اصطلاحًا»

4:124

The first motherhood «الأمومة الأولى»

4:1, 7:189, 16:72, 6:98

Types of motherhood «أنواع الأمومة»

The birth mother «أولًا: الأم الوالدة»

58:2

The nursing mother «ثانيًا: الأم المرضعة»

4:23, 2:233

The innate nature of motherhood and its hardships «فطرة الأمومة ومشقاتها»

42:49-50, 11:71, 28:7-13, 7:150, 31:14, 46:15, 19:23

Motherhood and legal rulings «الأمومة والأحكام الشرعية»

4:23, 33:6, 4:11, 2:233, 65:6, 4:19, 58:3-4

Motherhood, rights and duties «الأمومة حقوق وواجبات»

Rights of motherhood «أولًا: حقوق الأمومة»

17:23, 31:15, 46:15, 17:24

Duties of motherhood «ثانيًا: واجبات الأمومة»

4:11, 2:233, 28:7, 46:15, 31:14, 28:12, 30:21

Mothers mentioned in the Quran «أمهات ذكرهن القرآن»

Mothers of the prophets and messengers «أولًا: أمهات الأنبياء و الرسل»

14:37, 28:57, 11:71, 28:7, 20:39, 28:9, 28:10, 28:11-14, 3:36, 3:44, 3:37, 3:42, 3:45-47, 19:23, 19:24-26, 19:30, 5:17, 5:75, 23:50, 19:5-9

Mothers of the believers «ثانيًا: أمهات المؤمنين»

33:6, 33:53, 33:32

Mothers of the righteous «ثالثًا: أمهات الصالحين»

19:28, 3:36, 28:23, 28:24, 28:25, 28:27, 20:10

About this source

Volume

3

Research paper

«الأمومة» (Motherhood)

Read the full paper (Arabic)

Encyclopedia of Thematic Tafsir of the Noble Quran, published by the Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

This study guide summarizes the Arabic research paper. For full scholarly detail, refer to the original. This preview has not been reviewed yet.

Related topics

• Fatherhood الأبوة
• Brotherhood الأخوة
• Sonship البنوة
• Women النساء