How long to wean?

How long to wean?

46:15 And We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship. And the bearing of him and the weaning of him is thirty months until, when he reaches his maturity and reaches forty years, he says, "My Lord, grant me the power that I may be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and that I may do righteous (deeds) which please You and make for me among my offspring righteous, indeed, I turn to You and indeed, I am of those who submit."

31:14 And We have enjoined on man (in respect) of his parents – his mother carried him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years that "Be grateful to Me and to your parents; towards Me is the destination.

2:233 And the mothers shall suckle their children for two complete years, for those who wish to complete the suckling. And upon the father is their provision and their clothing in a fair manner. No soul is burdened except its capacity. Neither shall the mother be made to suffer because of her child nor the father. And on the heirs (is a duty) like that. Then if they both desire weaning through mutual consent and consultation, then there is no blame on both of them. And if you want to ask another women to suckle your child then there is no blame on you, when you pay what you give in a fair manner. And fear Allah and know that Allah is All-Seer of what you do.

(Verse 46:15 says “the bearing + weaning” is 30 months, while Verse 31:14 only mentions “the weaning”, which is 24 months. Another difference is that Verse 31:14 uses the word “in / within” (“fi”), which implies that the weaning could be 24 months or less. This is confirmed by Verse 2:233, two years is “for those who wish to complete the suckling”)(There is no contradiction because the Verses of the Qur’an are not mutually exclusive but complement each other. According to Verse 46:15, if the bearing was 9 months, then the weaning would be 21 months (obligatory), or 24 months (optional; if they wish to complete the suckling). And, according to Verse 46:15, if the bearing of a premature baby was 6 months, then the weaning would be 24 months or two complete years; and in this case, it is obligatory, because it must reach 30 months (6 + 24 = 30))(So, according to Verses 31:14 and 2:233, the two complete years is optional, for all babies, except the premature ones, which should complete the suckling, in order to reach 30 months. Then the suckling would last longer for a premature baby than for those who can be weaned sooner. It is supported by experts the importance of breastfeeding for a premature baby in comparison with other babies, according to the article “breastfeeding premature babies” by “babycenter(dot)com”, “breastfeeding is great for all newborns, but it’s even more important if your baby arrives early. That’s because your body will automatically produce milk that’s specially designed to nourish your premature baby, with extra calories, vitamins, and protein, etc.”)(The Qur’an, by mentioning “24” and “30”, is implicitly suggesting the number “6” (6 + 24 = 30). In that sense, 6 months correspond to 26 weeks; and 26 weeks is the cutoff point in which the premature baby is more likely to survive. This is confirmed by “verywellfamily(dot)com”, in its article “Premature birth and survival statistics”, which says the likelihood of survival: 23 weeks: 17 percent; 24 weeks: 39 percent; 25 weeks: 50 percent; 26 weeks: 80 percent; 27 weeks: 90 percent; 28 to 31 weeks: 90 to 95 percent; 32 to 33 weeks: 95 percent. Notice that the percentage becomes very high from 26 weeks onward, so the Qur’an is in accordance with science)(On the other hand, the “World Health Organization”, in its article “breastfeeding”, confirms that breastfeeding can be at least 2 years, “Thereafter infants should receive complementary foods with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond”)(According to the Qur’an, the suckling would be between 21 and 24 months; the mentioned article tells that the importance of breast milk in regard to complementary foods decreases during the second year, but it is still very important for a child, because it provides “up to one-third” of a child’s nutritional needs, so it is still a very high percentage; it says “Breast milk is the natural first food for babies, it provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life, and it continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one-third during the second year of life”)(Allah knows best)

See also: Is there any contradiction in the Qur'an? (15) (Miscellaneous)

http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/03/refutation-of-so-called-external.html

See also: Is there any contradiction in the Qur'an? (0) (Index)

https://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/03/refutation-of-so-called-internal.html