340. Was there any law that governed men before the age of 40.

Some ignorant people have explained this verse (46:15) as saying man reaches puberty at the age of 40, misleading the masses. 

Based on this verse, these people explain that a person can live up to the age of 40 as he desires, and only on passing this age he needs to be disciplined.

Islam never conveyed a message that man can live up to the age of 40 as per his desires, and there are no duties to be performed by him until then. 

 It is never said in this verse that man attains puberty at the age of 40, rather the message goes on as “when man attains puberty and reaches the age of 40. This cannot be understood as attaining puberty at the age of 40. Either of the two phrases is enough to convey the attaining of puberty. From this we come to understand that attaining puberty and reaching the age of 40 are distinct from each other.

We find the answer as to why the phrase “when reaching the age of 40” finds place here in this verse itself.

Generally, a person reaches his adulthood without realizing the importance of his parents, like the difficulties the mother underwent while carrying him and later in delivering. 

 The parents of a person become obsolete to him once he enters wedlock. He neglects his parents to enjoy worldly pleasures, and does not realize their importance even after one or more children are born to him. 

 When his child reaches his adulthood and starts questioning him, he understands the importance of parents by recounting his attitude towards his parents.

 A man reaches this point of view at an average age of 40. When he gets married at the age of 20, he is the father of a 20-year-old son in his 40th year.

 Man realizes the importance of his parents only when his children neglect him, and it takes this amount of time for him to understand the same.

A) The commandment to be good to parents. 

B) Difficulties the mother underwent in carrying the child in her womb.

C) The hardships she suffered in delivering the child. 

 One can easily understand the reason for the words “on reaching the age of 40” after all the above have been pointed out. 

 And this verse also says man prays as “Make my offspring desirable to me” proving the fact, he remembers his parents when he himself turns to be one.

 “Do not make my offspring treat me badly, as I did to my parents”.

 If we analyze this verse from the beginning it can be seen that man realizes the significance of parenthood in life, only on attaining the age of 40, and there is no permission from this verse, to live a life as per one’s desire.

 There is a need for regulation in man when he is in the prime of his youth, and not when his body loses all vitality, and becomes weak. 

 The effects would be disastrous for this world if everyone ventures to do whatever he/she decides, until the age of 40.