وَوالِدٍ وَما وَلَدَ

And by the father and him whom he begot.

EXEGESIS

The words wālid (father) and mā walad (whom he begot) are both mentioned in the indefinite form as a way of showing greatness.^{‎[1]Daqaiq, 14/283.}

The verse uses the particle mā (what) instead of man (who), whereby the former is usually used for non-intelligent beings and the latter for intelligent beings, and thus a literal translation of the verse would be: And by the father and what he begot. This is a form of showing admiration and is similar to how mā is used instead of man in 3:36.^{‎[2]Mizan, 20/290.}

EXPOSITION

The exegetes greatly differ as to who exactly is being taken as an object of God’s oath in this verse. According to Tabatabai, the context of these verses must be taken into consideration, and thus the intended purport of father and him whom he begot must have some connection with the city of Mecca which was mentioned in the previous verse. Based on this, it is more likely that father refers to Prophet Abraham (a), and him whom he begot refers to Prophet Ishmael (a), for these two prophets were the ones who laid the foundation of Mecca and built the Kaaba (2:127). Furthermore, Prophet Abraham (a) had beseeched God to make Mecca a place of amnesty (14:35).^{‎[3]Amthal, 20/207.}

The verses would then flow in the following manner: I swear by the great city of Mecca, and I swear by the Holy Prophet residing therein, and I swear by Prophet Abraham and his wonderful son Ishmael, both of whom laid the foundations of this town and built the Kaaba.^{‎[4]Mizan, 20/290.}

Another view maintains that father is Prophet Abraham (a) and him whom he begot refers to all his progeny. However, it is unlikely that God would place in the same status as the Holy Prophet and Prophet Abraham (a) the likes of Abū Jahl and Abū Lahab, who by this explanation would fall under whom he begot, considering as well that Prophet Abraham (a) had disassociated himself from those of his progeny who were not on the path of monotheism (14:36). If one was to opt for this explanation, then it is more appropriate to specify those children of Prophet Abraham (a) that were monotheists and not the whole progeny (2:128).^{‎[5]Mizan, 20/290.}

Another view, attributed to Mujāhid, Hasan al-Baṣrī, and Qatādah, says father refers to Prophet Adam (a), and whom he begot is his progeny.^{‎[6]Tabrisi, 10/747.} This would be in line with the subject of the oath in the next verse which talks about how mankind was created in hardship, and Prophet Adam (a) is the first to have begun the lineage of mankind. While this interpretation can be valid in itself, it requires an explanation as to how Prophet Adam (a) and his progeny are linked with the town of Mecca in the previous verse. Faḍl-Allāh prefers this explanation as it allows for the verse to remain absolute as is the apparent meaning of the verse.^{‎[7]Fadlallah, 24/262.}

Another view, attributed to Ibn Abbas and Jubbāʾī, states that father refers to every father, and whom he begot refers to every child.^{‎[8]Tabrisi, 10/747; Razi, 31/165.} Mudarrisi opts for this view and connects it with the next verse, saying that every father works hard and toils for the growth of his child, and similarly every child works hard and goes through hardships so that one day he too may become a father.^{‎[9]Mudarrisi, 18/117.} In a similar vein, Mughniyyah says that whom he begot refers to every offspring, be they of humans, animals, or even plants. The purpose of this verse would then be to alert man to the creation of living beings and their development.^{‎[10]Kashif, 7/566.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. A report from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) states that father means Prophet Adam (a), and whom he begot refers to the prophets and virtuous successors that came after him.^{‎[11]Tabrisi, 10/747; Qummi, 2/422.}
2. It is reported from Aḥmad ibn Muhammad with a broken chain of transmission, about the words of God, I swear by this town, as you reside in this town; by the father and him whom he begot, that the Imam said: ‘It refers to the Commander of the Faithful (a) and the Imams from his descendants.’^{‎[12]Kafi, 1/414, h. 11.}
3. In another narration from Imam al-Bāqir (a), father means Imam Ali (a), whom he begot means Imam al-Hasan (a) and Imam al-Husayn (a).^{‎[13]Burhan, 5/661.}

Note: If these narrations are correct, they would be taken as applications of the verse rather than its interpretation.

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

Another opinion is that father is the Holy Prophet, and whom he begot is the nation of the Prophet, for they are like his children.^{‎[14]Mizan, 20/291.}

Yet another opinion states that perhaps father may be referring to Prophet Abraham (a), and whom he begot may be referring to the Holy Prophet.^{‎[15]Daqaiq, 14/284.}

It has been attributed to Ibn Abī ʿImrān that father could be referring to Prophet Abraham (a), and whom he begot could be referring to the Arab progeny of Prophet Abraham (a) for they are the ones who have a connection with the city of Mecca mentioned in the previous verse.^{‎[16]Tabrisi, 10/747.}

However, all of these opinions are mere speculations without any contextual indicators to support them.

[1] Daqaiq, 14/283.
[2] Mizan, 20/290.
[3] Amthal, 20/207.
[4] Mizan, 20/290.
[5] Mizan, 20/290.
[6] Tabrisi, 10/747.
[7] Fadlallah, 24/262.
[8] Tabrisi, 10/747; Razi, 31/165.
[9] Mudarrisi, 18/117.
[10] Kashif, 7/566.
[11] Tabrisi, 10/747; Qummi, 2/422.
[12] Kafi, 1/414, h. 11.
[13] Burhan, 5/661.
[14] Mizan, 20/291.
[15] Daqaiq, 14/284.
[16] Tabrisi, 10/747.