SURAH (31) LUQMAN (AYA 1 to 34)

Sura (31) LUQMAN (Luqman) Aya 1 to 34 in 4 Sections

Revealed in Makka

SECTION 1

Qur’an, a Guidance and Mercy for the righteous

Qur’an, a Guidance and Mrcy to the righteous---The genuine believers in ALLAH (SWT) described---The faithful alone shall be successful---A disgraceful chastisement for the disbelievers---Those who believe in ALLAH (SWT) and do good, shall be rewarded with  a blissful abode to abide therein forever.

الم {31:1}

[Q31:1] Alif-Laaam-Meeem.
[Q31:1] Alif Lam Mim.

[Q31:1] Alif, Laam, Miim.

Refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:1.

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(31:1) Alif. Lam. Mim.

تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْحَكِيمِ {31:2}

[Q31:2] Tilka Aayaatul Kitaabil Hakeem. 
[Q31:2] These are verses of the Book of Wisdom.

[Q31:2] Ini ialah ayat-ayat Kitab (Al-Quran) yang mengandungi hikmat-hikmat dan kebenaran yang tetap kukuh,

THE QURAN IS A BOOK OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE. WHOEVER SEEKS GUIDANCE FROM IT RECEIVES IT. As its wisdom is complete and perfect its guidance is thorough-leaves no aspect of material or spiritual life, individual as well as collective, unattended, and invariably leads to truth, goodness and salvation---AND its practicability depends on the [1] intellect and [2]  taqwa (awareness of the laws made by ALLAH (SWT) in both the creative and legislative realms and its application in minutest detail in day to day life) of the person who puts it into practice.

Ä  See commentary of Baqarah 2:2 to 5, 177, and Ali Imran 3:138.

THE AVAILABILITY OF SUCH AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING AND COMPREHENSIVE GUIDANCE IS A MERCY FROM ALLAH (SWT).

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(31:2) These are the verses of the Wise Book, *1

*1 That is, "verses of the Book which is full of wisdom and whose every teaching is based on wisdom."

هُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ {31:3}

[Q31:3] Hudanw wa rahmatal lilmuhsineen.
[Q31:3] A guidance and a mercy for the doers of goodness,

[Q31:3] Menjadi hidayat petunjuk dan rahmat bagi orang-orang yang sedia mengerjakan amal-amal yang baik  

THE HOLY QUR’AN IS GUIDANCE FROM ALLAH (SWT) AND ALLAH (SWT)’S MERCY---for those who are after achieving goodness in their life on earth.

THOSE WHO WISH GOODNESS FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR OTHERS, [*] LOVING THE GOOD (TAWALLA) AND [*] DISCARDING THE EVIL (TABARRA). This quality, in other words, is ‘Taqwa’, i.e., piety and those who posses it, the ‘Muttaqeen’, the pious one. See commentary of verses 2:2, 2:177, 3:137 and 45:20.

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(31:3) a guidance and mercy for the doers of good, *2

*2 That is, "These verses give guidance to the Right Way and have been sent down as a mercy from God. But the people who can profit by this mercy and guidance are only those who adopt a righteous attitude, who wish to become good, who crave for their own well-being, whose quality is that they avoid the evil when they are warned of it, and follow the good when they are shown the ways to it. As for the wicked and mischievous people, they will neither profit by this guidance nor receive any share from this mercy. "

الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ بِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ {4}

[Q31:4] Allazeena yuqeemoonas Salaata wa yu'toonaz Zakaata wa hum bil Aakhirati hum yooqinoon. 
[Q31:4] Those who keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and they are certain of the hereafter.

[Q31:4] Iaitu orang-orang yang mendirikan sembahyang dan memberi zakat, serta mereka yakin tentang adanya hari akhirat.  

(see commentary for verse 2)

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(31:4) who establish Prayer and pay Zakah, and have firm faith in the Hereafter. *3

*3 It does not mean that "the righteous people" bear only these three qualities. By using the common epithet of "righteous" for them, it has been pointed out that they refrain from aII those evils which this Book forbids and practise aII those good things which this Book enjoins. Then, the three qualities of the "righteous" have been especially mentioned in order to show that all other good acts depend on these three things. They establish the Salat which engenders God-worship and piety as a permanent habit with them; they pay the Zakat which strengthens the spirit of sacrifice in them, subdues the love of the world and arouses a desire for the goodwill of Allah; and they believe in the Hereafter, which instils the sense of responsibility _and answerability, which does not allow them to live like an animal, which is free to graze at will in the pasture, but like a man who is fully conscious of the fact that he is not independent but the slave of a Master before Whom he is answerable for all his activities of life. Owing to these three qualities, these "righteous" people are not the kind of the righteous persons who happen to do good just by chance, who may commit evil as often and as freely as they would do good. Contrary to this, these qualities inculcate in them an enduring system of thought and morality owing to which goodness issues forth from them in a regulated and systematic manner, and the evil, if at all committed, is committed just by chance. They do not have any deep-rooted motives, which might be arising from their own system of thought and morality and leading them on to the evil way under their own nature impulse.

أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًى مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ {31:5}

[Q31:5] Ulaaa'ika 'alaa hudam mir Rabbihim wa ulaaa'ika humul Muflihoon. 
[Q31:5] These are on a guidance from their Lord, and these are they who are successful:

[Q31:5] Mereka itulah yang tetap mendapat hidayat petunjuk dari Tuhan mereka dan merekalah orang-orang yang berjaya. 

(see commentary for verse 2)

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(31:5) It is they who are on true guidance from their Lord, and it is they who shall prosper. *4

*4 At the time when these verses were sent down, the disbelieves of Makkah thought, and said so openly, that Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) and those who accepted his message were wasting and mining their lives. Therefore, it was rejoined with full force and emphasis: " These are the ones who will attain true success." That is, 'They will not ruin themselves as you seem to dunk in your ignorance, but they in fact are the ones who alone will attain true success, and the utter failures will be those who have refused to adopt this way."
Here the one who regards 'true success" as confined to the world, in the sense of material prosperity, will be wholly missing the Qur'anic concept of it. To understand the real concept of the true success one should study the following verses of the Qur'an along with the relevant E.N.'s: AI-Baqarah: 2-5, AI-'Imran: 102, 130, 200, AI-Ma'idah: 35, 90, AI-An'am: 21, AI-A'raf; 7, 8, 157, At-Taubah: 88, Yunus: 17, An-Nahl: 116, Al-Hajj: 77, Al-Mu'minun: 117, An-Nur: ,51, Ar-Rum: 38.

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْتَرِي لَهْوَ الْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ {31:6}

[Q31:6] Wa minan naasi mai-yashtaree lahuwal hadeesi li yudilla 'an sabeeliL Laahi bighairi 'ilminw wa yattakhizahaa huzuwaa; ulaaa'ika lahum 'azaabum muheen. 
[Q31:6] And of men is he who takes instead frivolous discourse to lead astray from ALLAH (SWT)'s path without knowledge, and to take it for a mockery; these shall have an abasing chastisement.

[Q31:6] Dan ada di antara manusia: Orang yang memilih serta membelanjakan hartanya kepada cerita-cerita dan perkara-perkara hiburan yang melalaikan; yang berakibat menyesatkan (dirinya dan orang ramai) dari agama ALLAH (SwT) dengan tidak berdasarkan sebarang pengetahuan dan ada pula orang yang menjadikan agama ALLAH (SwT) itu sebagai ejek-ejekan; merekalah orang-orang yang akan beroleh azab yang menghinakan. 

It is related that in the time of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) there was a pagan Nadhr ibn al Harith who went to Syria for trade and brought back stories of Persian heroes, with which he allured the crowds of the Quraysh and persuaded them to believe that his stories were preferable to the word of ALLAH (SWT).

Ø  Lahw means idle or amusing discourse which disengages attention from meaningful thought, field of inquiry or argument.

Ø  On this basis the Ahlul Bayt have applied the term "lawh al hadith" to music.

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(31:6) There are some human beings *5 who purchase an enchanting diversion *6 in order to lead people away from the way of Allah without having any knowledge, *7 who hold the call to the Way of Allah to ridicule. *8 A humiliating chastisement awaits them. *9

*5 That is, "On the one hand, there is this Mercy and Guidance sent down by Allah, of which some people arc taking full advantage, and on the other, there are also some unfortunate people living side by side with the fortunate ones, who are adopting this sort of attitude as against the Revelations of Allah. "
*6 The words lahv al-hadith in the Text imply such a thing as may allure and absorb a listener completely and make him heedless of everything else around him. Lexically, there is nothing derogatory in these words, but in custom and usage they apply to evil and useless and vain things, such as gossip, nonsensical talk, joking and jesting, legends and tales, singing and merry-making, etc.
"To buy" alluring tales may also mean that the person concerned adopts falsehood instead of the Truth, turns away from the guidance and turns to those things which can neither benefit him in the world nor in the Hereafter. But this is the metaphorical meaning. The real meaning of the sentence is that a person should purchase an absurd and useless thing for his money, and this is supported by many traditions. Ibn Hisham has related on the authority of Ibn Ishaq that when the disbelievers of Makkah could not stop the message of the Holy Prophet from spreading in spite of their best efforts, Nadr bin Harith said to the people of Quraish: "The way you are counteracting this man will avail you nothing. He has lived a lifetime among you. Until now he was the best of your men morally: he was the most truthful and the most trustworthy person among you. Now you say that he is a sorcerer and enchanter and a poet and a madman. Who will believe aII this? Don't the people know the way the sorcerers talk? Don't they know the enchanters and the way they conduct their business? Are they unaware of poetry and of the states of madness? Which of these accusations sticks to Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) by exploiting which you would turn the people's attention away from him? Look! I will tell you how to deal with him." Then he left Makkah for Iraq and managed to get from there legends and tales about the kings of Iran and Rustam and Isfandyar and started to arrange tale-telling parties to distract the people from the Qur'an and to absorb them in the tales. (Ibn Hisham. vol. I, pp. 320-321). The same tradition has been cited by Vahidi in Asbab un Nazul on the authority of Kalbi and Muqatil. And according to Ibn 'Abbas, Nadr had bought singing girls also for the purpose. Whenever he heard that someone was coming under the Holy Prophet's influence, he would impose a singing girl on him with the instruction: "Feed him and entertain him with your songs so that he is absorbed in you and distracted from the other side." This was the same device which the arch-criminals of the nations have been employing in every age. They try to get the common people so absorbed in fun and sport and musical entertainment's in the name of culture that they are left with no time and sense to attend to the serious problems of life, and in their heedlessness they do not even feel what destruction they are being driven to.
The same commentary of lahv al-hadith has been reported from a large number of the Companions and their immediate followers. 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud was asked, 'What does lahv al-hadith mean in this verse?" He said thrice emphatically. 'By God! It means singing." (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Shaibah. Hakim, Baihaqi). Similar traditions have been reported from scholars like 'Abdullah bin' Abbas, Jabir bin 'Abdullah, Mujahid, 'Ikrimah, Said bin Jubair, Hasan Basri: and Makhul. Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim and Tirmidhi have related on the authority of Hadrat Abu Umamah Baheli that the Holy Prophet said, "It is not lawful to buy and sell and trade in singing girls nor is it lawful to take their price." In another tradition, the last sentence is to the effect: ... it is unlawful to eat their price". Yet another tradition from Abu Umamah is to the effect: To teach music to slave-girls and to trade in them is not lawful and their price is forbidden." AII these Ahadith also elucidate that the verse containing lahv al-hadith was sent down in this very connection. Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn al-'Arabi has related in the Ahkam alQur'an a Hadith from Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Mubarak and Imam Malik on the authority of Hadrat Anas, saying, that the Holy Prophet said: 'He who hears the song of a singing-girl in a musical concert, will have molten lead poured into his ear on the Day of Judgement" (In this connection, one should also note that the culture" of music in those days flourished almost entirely through the slave-girls: Free women had not yet become "artists" . That is why the Holy Prophet spoke about trading in slave-girls, and described their wages and earnings as their price and used the word qaynah for the singing-girl, which is specifically used for a slave-girl in Arabic). 
*7 "Without any knowledge" may be connected with "buys" and also "lead...astray". In the first case, it would mean: 'The ignorant foolish person buys this alluring thing and dces not know that he is buying a ruinous thing at the cost of a highly valuable thing. On the one hand, there are the Divine verses which are full of wisdom and guidance, which he can obtain without any cost, but he turns away from them. On the other, there are these absurd things, which are disastrous for his morals and he is expending his wealth to obtain them." In the second case, it would mean: "He has come out to guide the people without any knowledge: he does not know what burden of sin he is taking on himself by trying to lead the people astray from Allah's Way." 
*8 That is, This person wants to make fun of the Divine Revelations by alluring and absorbing the people in legends and tales and music. He intends that the invitation of the Qur'an should be derided and ridiculed and laughed away. He plans to fight the Religion of God with the strategy that as soon as Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) should come out to recite Revelations of God to the people, there should be a charming, sweet-voiced damsel giving her performance in a musical concert. on the one hand, and a glib-tongued story teller telling tales and legends of Iran, on the other, and the people should become so absorbed in these cultural activities" that they may not be in a mood to hear anything about God and the morals and the Hereafter."
*9 This punishment will be in accordance with their crime. They want to debase and disgrace Go's Religion, His Revelations and His Messenger; God will rake His vengeance on them by giving them a disgraceful torment. 

وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ آيَاتُنَا وَلَّىٰ مُسْتَكْبِرًا كَأَنْ لَمْ يَسْمَعْهَا كَأَنَّ فِي أُذُنَيْهِ وَقْرًا ۖ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ {7}

[Q31:7] Wa izaa tutlaa 'alayhi Aayaatunaa wallaa mustakbiran ka al lam yasma'haa ka anna feee uzunwihi waqran fabash shiru bi'azaabin aleem. 
[Q31:7] And when Our communications are recited to him, he turns back proudly, as if he had not heard them, as though in his ears were a heaviness, therefore announce to him a painful chastisement.

[Q31:7] Dan apabila dibacakan kepadanya ayat-ayat Kami, berpalinglah dia dengan angkuhnya, seoleh-oleh ada penyumbat pada kedua telinganya; maka gembirakanlah dia dengan balasan azab yang tidak terperi sakitnya.

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(31:7) When Our verses are recited to such a person, he arrogantly turns away, as though he had not heard them, or as though there was a deafness in his ears. So announce to him the tidings of a grievous chastisement. 

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ النَّعِيمِ {31:8}

[Q31:8] Innallazeena ‘aamanou wa ‘amilus-saalihaati lahum Jannaatun-Na’eem,
[Q31:8] (As for) those who believe and do good, they shall surely have gardens of bliss,

[Q31:8] Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang beriman dan beramal soleh, mereka akan beroleh Syurga yang penuh dengan berbagai nikmat; 

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(31:8) Surely those who believe and do good deeds shall have Gardens of Bliss.  *10

*10 Instead of saying 'There are blessings of Paradise (Gardens) for them," it has been said, there are blissful Gardens for them." In the first case, it would have meant this: "They will enjoy the blessings but the Gardens will not belong to them." In the second case, it automatically becomes evident that the whole Gardens will be handed over to them, and they will take advantage of their blessings as an owner does of his own possession, and not like the one who is allowed to use something without giving him ownership rights over it." 

خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقًّا ۚ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ {31:9}

[Q31:9] Khaalideena feeha wa'daL Laahi haqqaa; wa Huwal 'Azeezul Hakeem. 
[Q31:9] Abiding in them; the promise of ALLAH (SWT); (a) true (promise), and He is the Mighty, the Wise.

[Q31:9] KekALLAH (SwT) mereka di dalamnya. Demikian dijanjikan ALLAH (SwT) (janji yang tetap benar) dan Dialah jua Yang Maha Kuasa, lagi Maha Bijaksana. 

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(31:9) They shall abide in them forever. This is Allah’s promise that shall come true. He is the Most Powerful, the Most Wise. *11

*11 That is, "Nothing can withhold Him from fulfilling His promise, and whatever He does, He does strictly according to the demands of wisdom and justice. The object of mentioning these two attributes of Allaln after saying: This 'is a true promise of AIIah", is to stress that AIIah neither violates His promise wilfully nor is there in this universe any such power as can prevent Him from fulfilling His promise. Therefore, there can be no chance that one may not receive what AIIah has promised to give as a reward for faith and righteous deeds. Moreover, Allah's open promise to bestow this reward is wholly based on His wisdom and His justice. He does not misjudge: it cannot be that He may deprive a deserving person of his reward, and reward a non-deserving one instead. The people characterised by taste faith and righteous deeds indeed deserve this reward and AIIah will bestow this on them only." 

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا ۖ وَأَلْقَىٰ فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَنْ تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ ۚ وَأَنْزَلْنَا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَنْبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِنْ كُلِّ زَوْجٍ كَرِيمٍ {31:10}

[Q31:10] Khalaqas samaawaati bi ghairi 'amadin tarawnahaa wa alqaa fil ardi rawaasiya an tameeda bikum wa bassa feehaa min kulli daaabbah; wa anzalnaa minas samaaa'i maaa'an fa ambatnaa feeha min kulli zawjin kareem. 
[Q31:10] He created the heavens without pillars as you see them, and put mountains upon the earth lest it might convulse with you, and He spread in it animals of every kind; and We sent down water from the cloud, then caused to grow therein (vegetation) of every noble kind.

[Q31:10] Dia menciptakan langit dengan tidak bertiang sebagaimana yang kamu melihatnya; dan Dia mengadakan di bumi gunung-ganang yang menetapnya supaya bumi itu tidak menghayun-hayunkan kamu dan Dia biakkan padanya berbagai jenis binatang; dan Kami menurunkan hujan dari langit, lalu Kami tumbuhkan di bumi berbagai jenis tanaman yang memberi banyak manfaat.

Please refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:164; Rad 13:2 and Nahl 16:15.

There is no doubt that the heavenly bodies are standing and they are not independent in this stand of theirs as it has been proved that every dimensional being is dependent in its existence. But the holding force is not visible and does not appeal to the external senses for it is non-material force.

·         To this, Ali refers in Nahjul-Balagha twice in the first discourse. At one place he has said:

“He has bolted the earth with the rocks against the shaky movement of the earth.”

In another place he says:

“He has balanced the movement of the earth with bolted and erected rocks (of the mountains).”

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(31:10) He *12 created the heavens without any pillars visible to you *13 and He placed mountains in the earth as pegs lest it should turn topsy turvy with you, *14 and He dispersed all kinds of animals over the earth, and sent down water from the sky causing all kinds of excellent plants to grow on it.

*12 After the above introductory sentence, the discourse now turns to the real theme, i.e.., the refutation of shirk and the invitation to Tauhid. 
*13 The actual words bi -ghair i amad-in tarauna-ha in the Text may havc two meanings: (1) "You can see for yourself that they stand without pillar"; and (2) 'they stand on the pillars which you cannot see" Ibn 'Abbas and Mujahid havc favoured the second meaning, and many other commentators take the first meaning. If the meaning is expressed in terms of the natural sciences of the present day, it can be said that the countless stars and planets in the heaven have been established in their positions and orbits without any visible support and prop: there are no strings and wires which might have tied them together; there are no iron bars which might be withholding them from falling on one another. It is the law of gravitation which is supporting the system. This interpretation is according to the present-day knowledge. It may be that tomorrow some new addition to our knowledge enables us to interpret the reality better.
*14 For explanation, see E. N. 12 of Surah An-Nahl. 

هَٰذَا خَلْقُ اللَّهِ فَأَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ ۚ بَلِ الظَّالِمُونَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ {31:11}

[Q31:11] Haazaa khalquL Laahi fa aroonee maazaa khalaqal lazeena min doonih; baliz zaalimoona fee dalalim Mubeen. 
[Q31:11] This is ALLAH (SWT)'s creation, but show Me what those besides Him have created. Nay, the unjust are in manifest error.

[Q31:11] Ini (semuanya adalah) ciptaan ALLAH (SwT), maka cubalah kamu tunjukkan kepadaKu apakah yang telah diciptakan oleh makhluk-makhluk yang lain daripadaNya (yang kamu sembah itu)? (Tidak ada sesuatu pun) bahkan orang-orang yang zalim (dengan perbuatan syiriknya) itu berada dalam kesesatan yang jelas nyata. 

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(31:11) Such is Allah’s creation. Show me, then, what any others, apart from Allah, have created. *15 Nay, the fact is that the wrong-doers are in manifest error. *16

*15 "These others" 'the beings whom you havc set up as your deities, whom you regard as makers and un-makers of your destinies, whom you have been worshipping as such persistently" 
*16 That is, "When they do not point out in this universe any creation of anyone else than Allah, and obviously they cannot, their setting up the noncreators as associates in Godhead and bowing before them in worship and invoking them for help, is nothing but mere stupidity, because their foolish conduct cannot be explained in any other way. Unless a person has taken leave of his senses he cannot commit the folly that he should himself admit before you that his deities are non-creators and that AIIah alone is the Creator, and yet insist on their being the deities. If somebody has a little of the common sense, he will inevitably think how the one who has no power to create anything, and who has no share whatever in the creation of anything in the earth and heavens, can be our deity. Why should man bow before it and adore it as a deity? Does it possess any power that it could fulfil one's needs and requirements? Even if it hears one's prayers, whet could it do to answer them when it did not havc any power to create anything? For, evidently, afflictions can be removed only by him who can create something and not by him who can create nothing." 

SECTION 2

The ethics preached through Luqman

Reward, respect and kindness to parents enjoined upon every human being---Ethics preached by Luqman to his son --- (meant for mankind as a whole)

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ ۚ وَمَنْ يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ {31:12}

[Q31:12] Wa laqad aatainaa Luqmaanal hikmata anishkur liLLaah; wa many yashkur fa innamaa yashkuru linafsihee wa man kafara fa innaL Laaha Ghaniyyun hameed. 
[Q31:12] And certainly We gave wisdom to Luqman, saying: Be grateful to ALLAH (SWT). And whoever is grateful, he is only grateful for his own soul; and whoever is ungrateful, then surely ALLAH (SWT) is Self-sufficient, Praised.

[Q31:12] Dan sesungguhnya Kami telah memberi kepada Luqman, hikmat kebijaksanaan, (serta Kami perintahkan kepadanya): Bersyukurlah kepada ALLAH (SwT) (akan segala nikmatNya kepadamu) dan sesiapa yang bersyukur maka faedahnya itu hanyalah terpulang kepada dirinya sendiri dan sesiapa yang tidak bersyukur (maka tidaklah menjadi hal kepada ALLAH (SwT)), kerana sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Maha Kaya, lagi Maha Terpuji. 

LUQMAN, IT IS SAID, WAS NOT A PROPHET OF ALLAH (SWT) BUT WAS BLESSED WITH WISDOM. HE WAS THE NEPHEW OF PROPHET AYYUB. He lived for one thousand years, from the time of Dawud to the time of Yunus.

µ  Once, when he was asleep, angels came and asked if he would like to be ALLAH (SWT)'s deputy on the earth. To this, he replied that if it was a command from ALLAH (SWT), he would accept it, HOWEVER, if ALLAH (SWT) had asked his desire he would like to be excused BECAUSE 1. It was a great responsibility to dispense justice among men, and 2. He could not bear the burden.

µ  Another saying about Luqman is that he was an Ethiopian carpenter whom the Greek called Aesop. He was a very obedient servant of the Lord, extremely pious and modest who mostly remained silent, engrossed in higher thoughts. His fear of sins was such that he never rejoiced over any gain nor grieved over any loss, even at the death of his children.

IT IS SAID that 1. Whenever he passed over any vegetation they used to disclose their respective properties latent in them. 2. He used to visit prophet Dawud and discuss with him complicated issues to find out their solution.

The basis of the divine laws is man's own good, AND not any benefit to ALLAH (SWT) who is above all needs. WHEN WE OBEY HIS WILL, WE BRING OUR POSITION INTO CONFORMITY WITH OUR OWN NATURE AS MADE BY HIM. Refer to Ibrahim 14:8.

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(31:12) We *17 bestowed wisdom upon Luqman, (enjoining): “Give thanks to Allah.” *18 Whoso gives thanks to Allah, does so to his own good. And whoso disbelieves (let him know that) Allah is All-Sufficient, Immensely Praiseworthy. *19

*17 After presenting a rational argument to refute shirk the Arabs arc being told that this rational point of view is not being presented before them for the first time, but the wise and learned people before them also have been saying the same thing, including their own famous sage, Luqman. Therefore, they cannot refute the Holy Prophet's message, saying, "If shirk was an irrational creed, why didn't it strike so to somebody else before?"
Luqman was well known as a wise and Iearned man in Arabia. He has been mentioned in the poetry of the pre-Islamic poets like Imra'ul-Qais, Labid, A'asha, Tarafa and others. Some educated Arabs also possessed a collection of the wise sayings of Luqman. According to traditions, three years before the Hijrah the very first person of Madinah to be influenced by the Holy Prophet was Suwaid bin Samit. He went to Makkah for Hajj. There the Holy Prophet was as usual preaching Islam to the pilgrims coming from different places, at their residences. When Suwaid heard his speech, he submitted, "I have also got a thing similar to what you preach," When the Holy Prophet asked what it was, he said, "The roll of Luqman." Then on the Holy Prophet's instance, he read out a portion of it, whereupon the Holy Prophet said, "This discourse is fine, but that which I have is better still.' Then he recited the Qur'an to him, and Suwaid admitted that that was certainly better than the wisdom of Luqman. (Ibn Hisham, vol. II, p. 3781. According to the historians, this person (Suwaid bin Samit) was known by the title of Kamil (Perfect) in Madinah on account of his ability, bravery, nobility and poetry. Bet when after his meeting with the Holy Prophet he returned to Madinah. He was killed in the battle of Bu'ath, which was fought some time afterwards. His tribesmen were of the opinion that he had become a Muslim after his meeting with the Holy Prophet
Historically. Luqman is a disputed personage. In the dark centuries of ignorance there was no compiled history. The only source of information were the traditions that were being handed down since centuries. According to these, some people thought that Luqman belonged to the people of 'Ad and was a king of Yaman. Relying on these traditions, Maulana Sayyid Suleman Nadvi has expressed the opinion in the Ard al-Qar'an that Luqman was a descendent of the believers who remained safe with the Prophet Hud after the destruction of the people of 'Ad by a Divine torment, and he was one of the kings of Yaman when it was ruled by the 'Ad. But other traditions which have been reported from sane Iearned Companions and their immediate followers do not support this view. Ibn 'Abbas says Luqman was a negro slave, and the same is the opinion of Hadrat Abu Hurairah, Mujahid, 'Ikrimah and Khalid ar-Rabi. According to Hadrat Jabir bin'Abdullah Ansari, he belonged to Nirbah. S'id bin al-Musayyib says that Ire was an Egyptian negro. These three sayings closely resemble one another. The Arabs generally called the black people negroes (Habashis) in those days, and Nirbah is the country south of Egypt and north of Sudan. Therefore, calling the same person an Egyptian and a Nubian and a negro, in spite of the difference in words is one and the same thing. Then the elucidations made by Suhayli in Raud al-Unuf nd Mas'udi in Muruj adh-Dhahab also throw some light on the question as to how the wisdom of this Sudanese slave spread in Arabia. They both agree that this person though originally a Nubian was an inhabitant of Madyan and Aylah (modern, 'Aqabah). That is why he spoke Arabic and his wisdom spread in Arabia. Besides, Suhayli also elucidates that Luqman the Sage and Luqman bin 'Ad were two different persons, and it is not correct to regard them as one and the same man. (Raud al-Unuf, vol. I, p. 266; Mas'udi, vol. I, p. 57).
Another thing may also be made clear here. The Arabic manuscript from the Library of Paris, which the orintalist Derenbourg has published under the title Amthal Luqman Hakim (Fables De Luqman Le Sage) is a fabricated thing which has nothing to do with the Roll of Luqman. These Fables were compiled by somebody in the 13th century A.D. Its Arabic is poor, and a perusal shows that it is, in fact, a translation of some other book in a different language, which the author or translator has himself ascribed to Luqman the Sage. The orientalists make such researches with a special object in view. They bang out such forged and fake things in order to prove that the narratives of the Quran are unhistorical legends and therefore unreliable. Anyone who reads B. Helle's article on 'Luqman" in the Encyclopeadia of Islam will not fail to understand the real motive of these people.
*18 That is, "The very first demand of the wisdom and knowledge, insight and sagacity, granted by AIIah was that man should have adopted the attitude of gratefulness and obedience before his Lord, and not of ingratitude and thanklessness. And this gratefulness should not have merely been lip-service but expressed and translated in thought and word and deed. One should have the conviction in the depths of one's heart and mind that whatever one has got, has been given by God. One's tongue should always be acknowledging the favours of God; and practically also one should be trying to prove by carrying out His Commands, by avoiding sins, by striving to achieve His good-will, by conveying His blessings and favours to His servants and by fighting those who have rebelled against Him that one is really a grateful servant of one's God."
*19 That is,"The one who is ungrateful and unbelieving, his unbelief is harmful to his own self. Allah does not lose anything. He is Independent and does not stand in need of anyone's gratitude. The gratitude of someone dces not add anything to His Godhead, nor does anyone's ingratitude and disbelief change the factual reality that whatever the servants have got, has been granted by Him. He is Self-Praiseworthy whether someone praises Him or not. Every particle in the universe bears testimony to His Perfection and Beauty, His Creativity and Providence, and every creature is paying homage to His glory perpetually." 

وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ لِابْنِهِ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ {31:13}

[Q31:13] Wa iz qaala luqmaanu libnihee wa huwa ya'izuhoo ya bunaiya laa tushrik biLLaah; innash shirka lazulmun 'azeem. 
[Q31:13] And when Luqman said to his son while he admonished him: O my son! Do not associate aught with ALLAH (SWT); most surely polytheism is a grievous iniquity—

[Q31:13] Dan (ingatlah) ketika Luqman berkata kepada anaknya, semasa dia memberi nasihat kepadanya: Wahai anak kesayanganku, janganlah engkau mempersekutukan ALLAH (SwT) (dengan sesuatu yang lain), sesungguhnya perbuatan syirik itu adalah satu kezaliman yang besar.

It is said that one of Luqman's wives and some of his children were disbelievers, BUT he preached unity of ALLAH (SWT) to them and ultimately they became believers.

POLYTHEISM HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS THE GREATEST INIQUITY (zulmun azim). 

v  NOW REFER to ALLAH (SWT)'s reply to Ibrahim in Baqarah 2:124 that He would bestow imamah i.e., the office of a Divinely Commissioned Guide (Religious Leadership) is a Covenant of ALLAH (SwT) on his descendants BUT it would not reach those polluted with iniquity, i.e., ‘shirk’, i.e., polytheism and the unjust (zalim).

BUT no sooner the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) departed from this world, THAN the people forgot OR ignored this important note of the Word Of ALLAH (SwT) AND posed themselves as the successors of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and assumed for themselves this heavenly office, AND titling themselves as religious guides created chaos in the realm of religion and faith.

µ  THE ONLY ONE, next only to the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) whom no polytheism of any kind could ever pollute, was Ali ibne Abi Talib which fact is universally acknowledged by the Muslim World as a whole.

µ  IT IS ONLY ALI besides the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), who had never bowed to anyone else, besides ALLAH (SwT) and it is acknowledging this fact that the Muslim World addresses Ali with the salutation ‘KaramaLLahu Wajhahahu’---ALLAH (SwT) has made his face graceful.

µ  AND ALL THE OTHERS, had once been idolaters who later on embraced Islam AND IN THE CASE OF MANY, their joining the ranks of the Muslims was only a diplomatic move.

µ  BESIDES the frequent references to the character and the conduct of such hypocrites, a complete Surah (chapter) has been revealed disclosing their personalities—Chapter 63. ---MUNAAFIQOUN.

µ  SUCH OPPORTUNISTS proved what they actually were, in the trying times of the defensive battles which Islam had to face for its very existence.

µ  SOME OF THEM even ran away from the battlefields and disappeared for days together (see the detailsd Islamic history).

AND NO SOONER THE Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) left this world, then this element inflicted the worst miseries and tortures upon the holy members of the House of the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad), the Ahlul Bait and their faithful devotees. **The very house of the Holy Lady Fatema was threatened to be burnt by the opportunists and Fatema was deprived of her legitimate rights over the legacy which under the Qur’anic ordinance was bequeathed to her by her father the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) – The land of Fadak. 

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(31:13) And call to mind when Luqman said to his son while exhorting him: “My son, do not associate others with Allah in His Divinity. *20 Surely, associating others with Allah in His Divinity is a mighty wrong.” *21

*20 This particular admonition from the wisdom of Luqman has been cited here for two reasons: (1) He gave this admonition to his son, and obviously, no one can be insincere to one's own children. A person may deceive others, may behave hypocritically towards them, but no one, not even a most depraved person, will try to deceive and defraud his own children. Therefore, Luqman's admonishing his son thus is a clear proof of the fact that in his sight shirk was indeed the most heinous sin, and for that very reason he first admonished his dear son to refrain from this iniquity. (2) The second reason for this narration is that many parents from among the disbelievers of Makkah were compelling their children to turn away from the message of Tauhid being preached by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) and remain steadfast on the creed of shirk, as is being stated in the following verses. Therefore, those foolish people are being told, as if to say, “The well-known sage of your own land had wished his children well by admonishing thetas to avoid shirk, now you should judge it for yourself whether you arc wishing your children well or ill when you compel them to follow the same creed of shirk."
*21 Zulm means to deprive someone of his right and to act unjustly. Shirk is a grave iniquity because man sets up such beings as equals with his Creator and Providence and Benefactor as have no share whatever in creating him, nor in providing for him, nor in bestowing the blessings on him, which he is enjoying in the world. There could be no greater injustice than this. The Creator's right on man is that he should worship Him alone, but he worships others and so deprives Him of His right. Then, in whatever he does in connection with the worship of others than Allah, he exploits many things, from his own mind and body to the earth and heavens, whereas, all these things have been created by Allah, the One and man has no right to use any of them in the worship of any other than Allah Then, the right of man's own self on him is that he should not debase and involve it in punishment. But when he worships others than his Creator he debases his self as well as makes it deserving of the punishment. Thus, the entire life of a mushrik becomes Zulm in every aspect and at all times and his every breath becomes an expression of injustice and iniquity. 

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنْسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْنًا عَلَىٰ وَهْنٍ وَفِصَالُهُ فِي عَامَيْنِ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيْكَ إِلَيَّ الْمَصِيرُ {14}

[Q31:14] Wa wassainal bi waalidaihi hamalat hu ummuhoo wahnan 'alaa wahninw wa fisaaluhoo fee 'aamaini anishkur lee wa liwaalidaika ilaiyal Maseer. 
[Q31:14] And We have enjoined man in respect of his parents-- his mother bears him with faintings upon faintings and his weaning takes two years-- saying: Be grateful to Me and to both your parents; to Me is the eventual coming.

[Q31:14] Dan Kami wajibkan manusia berbuat baik kepada kedua ibu bapanya; ibunya telah mengandungnya dengan menanggung kelemahan demi kelemahan (dari awal mengandung hingga akhir menyusunya) dan tempoh menceraikan susunya ialah dalam masa dua tahun; (dengan yang demikian) bersyukurlah kepadaKu dan kepada kedua ibubapamu; dan (ingatlah), kepada Akulah jua tempat kembali (untuk menerima balasan). 

THE OBEDIENCE TO PARENTS IS COMPULSORY ON EVERY ONE except in case it goes against ALLAH (SWT). Refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:83 and 215; Bani Israil 17:23 and Ankabut 29:8.

©  The assertion of last clause in verse 14 is THAT THANKING ALLAH (SWT) IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THANKING PARENTS, although both are necessary.

©  In verse 15 we are commanded not to follow those parents who do not follow the right path. INSTEAD, ONE SHOULD FOLLOW THE PATH OF THOSE WHO CONSTANTLY SEEK NEARNESS TO ALLAH (SWT). Refer to the commentary of Ankabut 29:8.

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(31:14) We *22 enjoined upon man to be dutiful to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning lasted two years. *23 (We, therefore, enjoined upon him): “Give thanks to Me and to your parents. To Me is your ultimate return.

*22 The whole passage from lure to the end of the paragraph is a parenthesis, which AIIah has inserted as a further explanation of the saying of Luqman. 
*23 From these words, Imam Shafe'i, Imam Ahmad, Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad have drawn the conclusion that the suckling period of the child is two years. If a child has been suckled by a woman within this period, they will be forbidden for each other, but if outside and beyond this period, they will not be so. A saying of Imam Malik also supports this. But Imam Abu Hanifah has proposed the period of two and a half years as a precaution, and has added that it' the child has been weaned after two years, or even earlier, and it is no longer dependent upon suckling for its food, no woman would be forbidden for him If she gave him suck after that period, However, if the real food of the child is still milk suckling during the period will render him and her forbidden for each other in spite of his eating the other food in a more or less quantity. For, the verse does not mean that the child should be suckled necessarily for two years. In Surah AI Baqarah it has been said: 'The mothers shall suckle their children for two whole years, if the fathers desire the suckling to be completed." (v. 233). Ibn 'Abbas from these words has concluded, and other scholars have agreed with him in this, that the shortest period of pregnancy is six months, for the Qur'an at another place says: "His bearing (ita the womb) and his weaning took thirty months." (Ahqaf: 15) This is an important legal point which helps resolve many disputes concerning legitimate and illegitimate births.

وَإِنْ جَاهَدَاكَ عَلَىٰ أَنْ تُشْرِكَ بِي مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَا ۖ وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا ۖ وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَيَّ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ {31:15}

[Q31:15] Wa in jaahadaaka 'alaaa an tushrika bee maa laisa laka bihee 'ilmun falaa tuti'humaa wa saahib humaa fid dunyaa ma'roofanw wattabi' sabeela man anaaba ilayy; summa ilaiya marji'ukum fa unabbi'ukum bimaa kuntum ta’maloun. 
[Q31:15] And if they contend with you that you should associate with Me what you have no knowledge of, do not obey them, and keep company with them in this world kindly, and follow the way of him who turns to Me, then to Me is your return, then will I inform you of what you did—

[Q31:15] Dan jika mereka berdua mendesakmu supaya engkau mempersekutukan denganKu sesuatu yang engkau dengan fikiran sihatmu tidak mengetahui sungguh adanya maka janganlah engkau taat kepada mereka dan bergaulah dengan mereka di dunia dengan cara yang baik dan turutlah jalan orang-orang yang rujuk kembali kepadaKu (dengan tauhid dan amal-amal yang soleh). Kemudian kepada Akulah tempat kembali kamu semuanya, maka Aku akan menerangkan kepada kamu segala yang kamu telah kerjakan. 

(see commentary for verse 14)

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(31:15) But if they press you to associate others with Me in My Divinity, (to associate) those regarding whom you have no knowledge *24 (that they are My associates), do not obey them. And yet treat them well in this world, and follow the way of him who turns to Me in devotion. Eventually it is to Me that all of you shall return, *25 and I shall then tell you all that you did.” *26

*24 That is, "About whom you have no knowledge that he is My associate." 
*25 "All of you": the children as well as the parents.
*26 For explanation, see E. N.'s 11 and 12 of Surah Al-'Ankabut.

يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّهَا إِنْ تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُنْ فِي صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ أَوْ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ {31:16}

[Q31:16] Ya bunaiya innahaaa in taku misqaala habbatim min khardalin fatakun fee sakhratin aw fis samaawaati aw fil ardi yaati bihaL Laa; innaL Laaha lateefun Khabeer. 
[Q31:16] O my son! surely if it is the very weight of the grain of a mustard-seed, even though it is in (the heart of) rock, or (high above) in the heaven or (deep down) in the earth, ALLAH (SWT) will bring it (to light); surely ALLAH (SWT) is Knower of subtleties, Aware;

[Q31:16] (Luqman menasihati anaknya dengan berkata): Wahai anak kesayanganku, sesungguhnya jika ada sesuatu perkara (yang baik atau yang buruk) sekalipun seberat bijih sawi serta ia tersembunyi di dalam batu besar atau di langit atau pun di bumi, sudah tetap akan dibawa oleh ALLAH (SwT) (untuk dihakimi dan dibalasNya); kerana sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Maha Halus pengetahuanNya; lagi Amat Meliputi akan segala yang tersembunyi.

THIS VERSE REFERS TO TOTAL RESURRECTION AND TO THE FACT THAT NOTHING WILL ESCAPE THE ATTENTION OF ALLAH (SWT).

For "latif" refer to the commentary of Hajj 22:63.

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(31:16) (Luqman said): *27 “Son, Allah will bring forth *28 everything even if it be as small as the grain of a mustard seed even though it be hidden inside a rock or (anywhere) in the heavens or earth. Allah is Most Subtle, All-Aware.

*27 The other admonitions of Luqman are being narrated here to imply that like the basic beliefs, the teachings pertaining to morals that the Holy Prophet is presenting, are not anything new in Arabia. 
*28 That is, "Nothing can escape Allah's knowledge and His grasp. A seed in the rock may be hidden for you, but it is known to AIIah. A particle in the heavens may be very distant for you, but for AIIah it is very near. A thing lying in the layers of the earth may be lying in darkness for you but for him it is in full light. Therefore, you cannot do anything good or bad, anywhere or any time, which may remain hidden from AIIah. He is not only aware of it, but when the time for accountability coms, He will place before you a full record of each act of yours. " 

يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ ۖ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ {31:17}

[Q31:17] Yaa bunaiya aqimis-Salaata waamur bilma'roofi wanha 'anil munkari wasbir 'alaa maaa asaabaka inna zaalika min 'azmil umoor. 
[Q31:17] O my son! Keep up prayer and enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and bear patiently that which befalls you; surely these acts require courage;

[Q31:17] Wahai anak kesayanganku, dirikanlah sembahyang dan suruhlah berbuat kebaikan, serta laranglah daripada melakukan perbuatan yang mungkar dan bersabarlah atas segala bala bencana yang menimpamu. Sesungguhnya yang demikian itu adalah dari perkara-perkara yang dikehendaki diambil berat melakukannya. 

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(31:17) Son, establish Prayer, enjoin all that is good and forbid all that is evil, and endure with patience whatever affliction befalls you. *29 Surely these have been emphatically enjoined. *30

*29 In this there is a subtle allusion to this that whoever will enjoin good and forbid evil, will inevitably have to face and undergo afflictions and hardships in the world. 
*30 Another meaning can be: "These are things which require courage and resolution. To rise for the reformation of the people and to brave the hardships of the way cannot 1>e the job of a mean-spirited and cowardly person."

وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ {31:18}

[Q31:18] Wa laa tusa'-'ir khaddaka linnaasi wa laa tamshi fil ardi maarahan innaL Laaha laa yuhibbu kulla mukhtaalin fakhoor. 
[Q31:18] And do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exulting overmuch; surely ALLAH (SWT) does not love any self-conceited boaster;

[Q31:18] Dan janganlah engkau memalingkan mukamu (kerana memandang rendah) kepada manusia, dan janganlah engkau berjalan di bumi dengan berlagak sombong; sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) tidak suka kepada tiap-tiap orang yang sombong takbur, lagi membanggakan diri. 

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(31:18) Do not (contemptuously) turn your face away from people, *31 nor tread haughtily upon earth. Allah does not love the arrogant and the vainglorious. *32

*31 Tusa'ir in the original is from se 'ar. a disease in the camel's neck clue to which it keeps its face turned to one side. The idiom implies the attitude of a person who shows arrogance and vanity, turns his face away and treats others with scant respect.
*32 Mukhtal in the original implies a person who has an over-high opinion of himself, and fakhur is the one who boasts of his superiority over others. A man becomes haughty and arrogant and vain in his gait only when he is puffed up with pride, and wants that others should feel his superiority.

وَاقْصِدْ فِي مَشْيِكَ وَاغْضُضْ مِنْ صَوْتِكَ ۚ إِنَّ أَنْكَرَ الْأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ الْحَمِيرِ {31:19}

[Q31:19] Waqsid fee mashyika waghdud min sawtik; inna ankaral aswaati lasawtul hameer. 
[Q31:19] And pursue the right course in your going about and lower your voice; surely the most hateful of voices is braying of the asses.

[Q31:19] Dan sederhanakanlah langkahmu semasa berjalan, juga rendahkanlah suaramu (semasa berkata-kata), sesungguhnya seburuk-buruk suara ialah suara keldai.

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(31:19) Be moderate in your stride *33 and lower your voice. Verily the most disgusting of all voices is the braying of the donkey.” *34

*33 According to some commentators it means this: 'Walk neither fast nor slow but at a moderate pace:" but the context shows that here the pace or the rate of walking is not the question. There is nothing morally wrong with a fast or a slow pace in itself, nor can there be a rule made for it. When a man is in a hurry he has to walk fast, and there is nothing wrong if one walks slow when walking for pleasure. Even if there is a standard for the moderate pace, it cannot be made a law for every person at aII times. What is actually meant by this is to reform the state of the self under which a person walks haughtily. The haughtiness and arrogance of a person inevitably manifests itself in his gait and style of walking, which shows the state of his mind and also the cause of his pride and haughtiness. Wealth, authority, beauty, knowledge, power and such other things cause a man to became proud and vain, and each of these gives him a special style of gait. Contrary to this, manifestation of humility in the gait is also the result of one or the other morbid mental state. Sometimes the hidden conceit of the self of a man takes on the form of ostentatious humility, piety and godliness and this is shown by his gait; and sometimes man really feels so embittered by the frustrations of the world that he adopts a sick man's gait. What Luqman means to say is this: "Avoid these states of the mind and self and walk the gait of a simple, honest and noble person, which neither shows any vanity and haughtiness nor weakness nor ostentatious piety and humility."
The taste of the Holy Prophet's great Companions in this regard can be judged from a few instances. When Hadrat Umar once saw a man walking with his head hung down, he shouted out to him, saying, "Walk with your head raised up. Islam is not sick. "He saw another person walking like a weak, sick man, and said, wretch! Do not sully our religion! "Both these incidents show that in the sight of Hadrat 'Umar religious piety did not at aII require that one should walk cautiously like the sick man and show undue humility by one's gait. Whenever he saw a Muslim walking such a gait, he would have the apprehension that it would misrepresent Islam and would depress the other Muslims. A similar incident was once met with by Hadrat 'A'ishah. She saw a person walking as if run down and exhausted. She asked what was the matter. It was said, 'He is one of the reciters of the Qur'an (i e a person who remains engaged in reciting and teaching the Qur'an and in worship)." At this she said, 'Umar was the chief of the reciters of the Qur'an, but as it was he would walk with a firm foot, and he would speak with force and strength, and he would give a good beating if he had to." (For further explanation. see E.N. 43 of Bani Isra'il and E.N. 79 of AI-Furqan). 
*34 This does not mean that one should always speak in a low voice and should never raise one's voice. By citing the braying of the asses, it has been clearly indicated what son of the tone and voice in speech is meant to be discouraged. One kind of lowness and loudness„roughness and softness, of the rove and voice is that which is needed under natural and genuine requirements. For example, when speaking to a man close at hand, or to a small group of the people, one would speak in a low voice, and when speaking to a man at a distance or to a large number of the people, one would inevitably have to speak loudly. Similar is inevitably the difference in tones depending on the occasion and situation. The tone of praise has to be different from the tone of condemnation and of the expression of goodwill from that of indignation. This thing is in no way objectionable. Nor does the admonition of Luqman imply that one should always speak in a soft and low voice and tone regardless of the occasion and requirement. What is objectionable is that one should shout oneself hoarse and produce a voice like the ass's braying in order to bully and debase and browbeat the other person. 

SECTION 3

He who submits himself to ALLAH (SWT) holds the

never-breaking firmest rope.

The bounties of ALLAH (SWT) provided for man---Ancestors shoud not be blindly followed---Those who submit themselves to ALLAH (SWT) have laid their hand upon a never-breaking firmest rope---Those who disbelieve shall return to ALLAH (SWT) to know what they did---The grief of the Holy Prophet Muhammad for the disbelievers.

أَلَمْ تَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَبَاطِنَةً ۗ وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يُجَادِلُ فِي اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَلَا هُدًى وَلَا كِتَابٍ مُنِيرٍ {31:20}

[Q31:20] Alam taraw annaL Laaha sakhkhara lakum maa fis samaawaati wa maa fil ardi wa asbaha 'alaikum ni'amahoo zaahiratanw wa baatinah; wa minan naasi many yujaadilu fiL Laahi bighayri 'ilminw wa laa hudanw wa laa Kitaabim muneer. 
[Q31:20] Do you not see that ALLAH (SWT) has made what is in the heavens and what is in the earth subservient to you, and made complete to you His favors outwardly and inwardly? And among men is he who disputes in respect of ALLAH (SWT) though having no knowledge nor guidance, nor a book giving light.

[Q31:20] Tidakkah kamu memperhatikan bahawa ALLAH (SwT) telah memudahkan untuk kegunaan kamu apa yang ada di langit dan yang ada di bumi dan telah melimpahkan kepada kami nikmat-nimatNya yang zahir dan yang batin? Dalam pada itu, ada di antara manusia orang yang membantah mengenai (sifat-sifat) ALLAH (SwT) dengan tidak berdasarkan sebarang pengetahuan atau sebarang petunjuk dan tidak juga berdasarkan mana-mana Kitab ALLAH (SwT) yang menerangi kebenaran. 

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(31:20) Have you not seen that Allah has subjected to your service all that is in the heavens *35 and on the earth and has abundantly bestowed upon you all His bounties, both visible and invisible? *36 Yet some persons dispute regarding Allah *37 without having any knowledge or guidance or any illuminating Book. *38

*35 A thing can be subjected to somebody in two ways: (1) The thing may be made subordinate to him and he may be authorised to use and exploit it as he likes, and (2) the thing may be subjected to a law and system so that it becomes useful for him and serves his interests accordingly. AIIah has not subjected everything in the earth and heavens to man in one and the same sense, but has subjected certain things in the first sense and certain others in the second sense. For example, He has subjected the air, water, earth, fire, vegetation, minerals, cattle and many other things in the first sense, and the sun, the moon, etc. in the second sense.
*36 "Visible favours" imply those favours which are perceived by man in one way or the other, or arc known to him. And the "invisible favours" arc those which are neither perceived by him nor arc known to him. There are countless things in mans own body and in the world outside him, which are working in his interest, but man is utterly unaware of the means which his Creator has provided for his protection and safety, for his development and provision of sustenance to him, and for his well-being and happiness. Research of man in the different branches of science is revealing many such favours of God as were hidden from him before. And the favours and blessings which have so far been revealed are insignificant as against those which still lie hidden froth man. 
*37 °Who wrangle about AIIah": Who wrangle and dispute aborts questions such as these: Dces AIIah exist or not? Is He One God alone, or are there other gods also? What are His attributes and what is their nantre? What is the nantre of His relationship with His creations etc.? 
*38 That is, `They neither have any means of knowledge by which they might themselves have observed or experienced the reality directly, nor do they have the guidance of a guide available to them, who might have guided them after observing the reality, nor do they possess a Divine Book, which might be the basis of their belief." 

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ قَالُوا بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءَنَا ۚ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ الشَّيْطَانُ يَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ{31:21}

[Q31:21] Wa izaa qeela lahumut-tabi'oo maaa anzalal laahu qaaloo bal nattabi'u maa wajadnaa 'alaihi aabaaa'anaa; awalaw kaanash Shaitaanu yad'oohum ilaa 'azaabis Sa’eer 
[Q31:21] And when it is said to them: Follow what ALLAH (SWT) has revealed, they say: Nay, we follow that on which we found our fathers. What! Though the Shaitan calls them to the chastisement of the burning fire!

[Q31:21] Dan apabila dikatakan kepada mereka (yang ingkar): Turutlah akan apa yang telah diturunkan oleh ALLAH (SwT). Mereka menjawab: (Tidak), bahkan Kami hanya menurut apa yang Kami dapati datuk nenek kami melakukannya. Patutkah mereka (menurut datuk neneknya) sekalipun Syaitan mengajak mereka itu (melakukan perbuatan yang menjerumuskan mereka) ke dalam azab api Neraka yang marak menjulang?  

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(31:21) When they are told: “Follow what Allah has revealed,” they say: “We will rather follow that which we have found our forefathers following.” (Will they follow that) even though Satan might invite them to the chastisement of the Blazing Fire? *39

*39 That is, It is not at aII necessary that the forefathers of every person and every family and nation should have been on the right path. The mere argument that a particular way of life had been bequeathed by the elders cannot be a proof of its being right also. No sane person can commit the folly that he should blindly go on following the way of his forefathers even if they were not rightly guided, and should never bother to find out where the way is leading him." 

وَمَنْ يُسْلِمْ وَجْهَهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ ۗ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ {31:22}

[Q31:22] Wa many yuslim wajha hooo ilaL Laahi wa huwa muhsinun faqadistamsaka bil'ur watil wusqaa; wa ilaL Laahi 'aaqibatul umoor. 
[Q31:22] And whoever submits himself wholly to ALLAH (SWT) and he is the doer of good (to others), he indeed has taken hold of the firmest thing upon which one can lay hold; and ALLAH (SWT)'s is the end of affairs.

[Q31:22] Dan sesiapa yang berserah diri bulat-bulat kepada ALLAH (SwT) (dengan ikhlas) sedang dia berusaha mengerjakan kebaikan, maka sesungguhnya dia telah berpegang kepada simpulan (tali agama) yang teguh dan (ingatlah) kepada ALLAH (SwT) jualah kesudahan segala urusan. 

Refer to the commentary of Baqarah 2:256 for urwatil wathqa (strongest handle) and Ali Imran 3:103 for hablillah (cord of ALLAH (SWT).

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(31:22) Whoever surrenders himself to Allah *40 and lives righteously *41 grasps the most firm handle. *42 The ultimate decision of all matters rests with Allah.

*40 "Whoever........Allah": Who submits himself wholly to the service of AIIah, entrusts all his affairs to Him and makes His Guidance the law of his entire life. 
*41 That is, practically also he should adopt the attitude of an obedient servant of Allah.
*42 That is, 'He will neither have the apprehension that he will be misguided, nor the fear that he will meet an evil end after having served Allah." 

وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَلَا يَحْزُنْكَ كُفْرُهُ ۚ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ فَنُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا عَمِلُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُورِ {23}

[Q31:23] Wa man kafara falaa yahzunka kufruh; ilainaa marji'uhum fanunabbi'uhum bimaa 'amiloo; innaL Laaha 'aleemum bizaatis sudoor. 
[Q31:23] And whoever disbelieves, let not his disbelief grieve you; to Us is their return, then will We inform them of what they did surely ALLAH (SWT) is the Knower of what is in the breasts.

[Q31:23] Dan sesiapa yang kufur ingkar, maka janganlah engkau (wahai Muhammad) berdukacita tentang kekufurannya itu; kepada Kamilah tempat kembalinya mereka, kemudian Kami akan memberitahu kepada mereka tentang apa yang mereka telah kerjakan. Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Maha Mengetahui akan segala (isi hati) yang terkandung di dalam dada. 

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(31:23) So let the unbelief of the unbeliever not grieve you. *43 To Us is their return and then We shall inform them of all that they did. Surely Allah knows well even the secrets that are hidden in the breasts (of people).

*43 This means to say, "O Prophet, the one who refuses to listen to you, thinks that by rejecting Islam and insisting on unbelief he has harmed you, but in fact he has not harmed you but harmed only himself. If he does not listen to you, you need not bother yourself about him at all. "

نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلًا ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَىٰ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ {31:24}

[Q31:24] Numatti'uhum qaleelan summa nadtarruhum ilaa 'azaabin galeez. 
[Q31:24] We give them to enjoy a little, then will We drive them to a severe chastisement.

[Q31:24] Kami akan berikan mereka menikmati kesenangan bagi sementara (di dunia), kemudian Kami akan memaksa mereka (dengan menyeretnya) ke dalam azab yang amat berat. 

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(31:24) We allow them to enjoy themselves a while in the world and then We shall drive them in utter helplessness to a harsh chastisement.

وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ ۚ قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ {31:25}

[Q31:25] Wa la'in sa altahum man khalaqas samaawaati wal arda la yaqoolunnaL Laah; qulil hamdu liLLaah; bal aksaruhum laa ya’lamoon. 
[Q31:25] And if you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will certainly say: ALLAH (SWT). Say: (All) praise is due to ALLAH (SWT); nay! Most of them do not know.

[Q31:25] Dan sesungguhnya jika engkau (wahai Muhammad) bertanya kepada mereka (yang musyrik) itu: Siapakah yang menciptakan langit dan bumi? Sudah tentu mereka akan menjawab: "ALLAH (SwT)". Ucapkanlah (wahai Muhammad): "Alhamdulillah" (sebagai bersyukur disebabkan pengakuan mereka yang demikian tidak mengingkari ALLAH (SwT)), bahkan kebanyakan mereka tidak mengetahui (hakikat tauhid dan pengertian syirik). 

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(31:25) If you were to ask them: “Who created the heavens and the earth?” they will certainly reply: “Allah.” Say: “All praise and thanks be to Allah.” *44 Yet most of them do not know. *45

*44 That is, "Thank God that you at least know this and believe in this. But if this be the reality, all praise should then belong to AIIah alone. How can any other being deserve praise when it has no share whatever in the creation of the universe?"
*45 That, is, Most of the people do not know what are the inevitable results and demands of accepting Allah as the Creator of the universe, and what contradicts it. When a person acknowledges Allah as the Creator of the earth and the heavens. He should also acknowledge that Allah alone is the Deity and Lord: that He alone is worthy of worship and obedience: that He alone can be invoked for needs, and no one other than He can be the Law-Giver and Ruler of His creation. To acknowledge one as the Creator and another as the deity is contrary to reason and a contradiction in terms, which can be upheld only by an ignorant person. Likewise, it would be a contradiction in terms to believe in one Being as the Creator and to regard another from among the creation as remover of hardships or as a deity and possessor of power and authority and sovereignty which no reasonable will acknowledge and accept." 
*46 That is, 'The reality is not merely this that AIIah is the reator of the earth and the heavens, but in fact He alone is the Master of aII things found in the earth and heavens. AIIah has not created •his universe and left it to others to become masters of the whole or a part of it, but He Himself is Master of His creation and everything that exists in this universe is His. Here. He alone possesses Divine rights and powers and no one else. "

لِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ الْحَمِيدُ {31:26}

[Q31:26] Lilaahi ma fis samaa waati wal ard; innaL Laaha Huwal Ghaniyyul Hameed. 
[Q31:26] What is in the heavens and the earth is ALLAH (SWT)'s; surely ALLAH (SWT) is the Self-sufficient, the Praised.

[Q31:26] ALLAH (SwT) jua yang memiliki segala yang ada di langit dan di bumi; sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Dialah jua Yang Maha Kaya, lagi sentiasa Terpuji. 

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(31:26) All that is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. *46 Verily He is All-Sufficient, Immensely Praiseworthy. *47

*47 This has been explained in E. N. 19 above. 

وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ {31:27}

[Q31:27] Wa law annamaa fil ardi min shajaratin aqlaamunw wal bahru yamudduhoo mim ba'dihee sab'atu abhurim maa nafidat KalimaatuL Laah; innaL Laaha 'azeezun Hakeem. 
[Q31:27] And were every tree that is in the earth (made into) pens and the sea (to supply it with ink), with seven more seas to increase it, the words of ALLAH (SWT) would not come to an end; surely ALLAH (SWT) is Mighty, Wise.

[Q31:27] Dan sekiranya segala pohon yang ada di bumi menjadi pena dan segala lautan (menjadi tinta), dengan dibantu kepadanya tujuh lautan lagi sesudah itu, nescaya tidak akan habis Kalimah-kalimah ALLAH (SwT) itu ditulis. Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Maha Kuasa, lagi Maha Bijaksana.

Refer to the commentary of Kahf 18:109.

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(31:27) If all the trees on earth become pens, and the sea replenished by seven more seas were to supply them with ink, the Words of Allah would not be exhausted. *48 Verily Allah is Most Mighty, Most Wise.

*48 "Allah's Words": Allah's creative works and the manifestations of His power and wisdom. This very theme has been presented in Surah AI-Kahf:  above a little differently. A person might think there is exaggeration in this but if one considers the matter a little deeply, one will feel that there is in tact no exaggeration whatever in it. AII the pens that can be made from the trees of the world and aII the ink that can be provided by the oceans of the world, which are replenished by seven more oceans, cannot perhaps help prepare a complete list of aII the reations in the universe, not to speak of aII the manifestations of Allah's power and wisdom and creative works. When it is impossible even to count aII the things found on the earth only, how can one bring into writing aII the creations found in this limitless universe?
Here, the object is to make man realize that no creature can become a deity and an associate in the works of AIIah. Who has brought into being such a vast Universe, Who is administering its affairs and Whose powers and resources are limitless. Not to speak of becoming an associate in the administration of this vast Kingdom, it is not within the power of any creation to obtain a mere nodding acquaintance with the minutest portion of it. How can then one imagine that one or the other creation can have any share in the Divine powers and authority on the basis of which it may answer prayers and make or un-make destinies? 

مَا خَلْقُكُمْ وَلَا بَعْثُكُمْ إِلَّا كَنَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ {31:28}

[Q31:28] Maa khalqukum wa laa ba'sukum illaa kanafsinw-waa hidah; innaL Laaha Samee'um Baseer. 
[Q31:28] Neither your creation nor your raising is anything but as a single soul; surely ALLAH (SWT) is Hearing, Seeing.

[Q31:28] (Bagi ALLAH (SwT) Yang Maha Kuasa) soal menciptakan kamu semua (dari tiada kepada ada) dan soal membangkitkan kamu hidup semula sesudah mati, tidak ada apa-apa sukarnya, hanyalah seperti (mencipta dan menghidupkan semula) seorang manusia sahaja. Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Maha Mendengar, lagi Maha Melihat.

FOR THE INFINITE ALMIGHTY LORD THE CREATION AND RESURRECTION OF A WHOLE MASS IS AS EASY AS THE CREATION AND RESURRECTION OF A SINGLE SOUL. The whole is so well connected with its components that the creation and the resurrection of a component also affects the whole.

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(31:28) To create all of you or to resurrect all of you is to Him like (creating or resurrecting) a single person. Verily Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. *49

*49 That is, 'He is hearing every sound in the universe distinctly at one and the same time, and no sound can absorb his hearing so completely that He may hear no other sound. Likewise, He is seeing the whole universe in each of its details as to thing and event at one and the same time and nothing can absorb His sight so completely that He may see nothing else. The same precisely is the case concerning the creation of men and their re-creation also. He can re-create instantaneously aII the men who have been born since the beginning of the creation and will be born till the end of time, His creative power is not absorbed so completely in the creation of one man that He may be unable to create other men at the same time. For Him the creation of one man and of the billions of men therefore, is equal and one and the same thing. 

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَجْرِي إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ {31:29}

[Q31:29] Alam tara annaL Laaha yoolijul laila fin nahaari wa yoolijun nahaara fil laili wa sakhkharash shamsa wal qamara kulluny yajreee ilaaa ajalim musammanw wa annaL Laaha bimaa ta'malona khabeer 
[Q31:29] Do you not see that ALLAH (SWT) makes the night to enter into the day, and He makes the day to enter into the night, and He has made the sun and the moon subservient (to you); each pursues its course till an appointed time; and that ALLAH (SWT) is Aware of what you do?

[Q31:29] Tidakkah engkau memerhatikan bahawa ALLAH (SwT) memasukkan malam pada siang dan memasukkan siang pada malam (silih berganti) dan Dia memudahkan matahari dan bulan (untuk faedah makhluk-makhlukNya)? Tiap-tiap satu dari keduanya beredar untuk suatu masa yang telah ditetapkan dan (ingatlah) sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Maha Mengetahui dengan mendalam akan apa yang kamu lakukan. 

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(31:29) Do you not see that Allah makes the night phase into the day and makes the day phase into the night and has subjected the sun and the moon *50 to His will so that each of them is pursuing its course till an appointed time? (Do you not know that) *51 Allah is well aware of all that you do?

*50 That is, "The appearance and alternation of the day and night consistently and regularly by itself shows that the sun and the moon have been subjected to a system." The sun and the moon have been mentioned here in particular because both these are the most prominent bodies of the heaven, which man has been worshipping as deities since the earliest times, and which many people worship as gods even today. The fact, however, is that Allah has bound aII the stars and planets of the universe including the earth into an unalterable system from which they cannot deviate even by an inch.
*51 That is, nothing in the world, whether the sun or the moon, or any other star or planet, in the universe, is eternal and ever-lasting. Everything has a term for it and can function only till its expiry. Everything has a beginning in time before which it was not there and an end in time after which it will not be there. This means to imply that such temporal and powerless things cannot become the deities of men.

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الْبَاطِلُ وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ {31:30}

[Q31:30] Zaalika bi annaL Laaha Huwal Haqqu wa anna maa yad'oona min doonihil baatilu wa annaL Laaha Huwal 'Aliyyul Kabeer. 
[Q31:30] This is because ALLAH (SWT) is the Truth, and that which they call upon besides Him is the falsehood, and that ALLAH (SWT) is the High, the Great.

[Q31:30] Bersifatnya ALLAH (SwT) dengan penuh kekuasaan dan luas ilmu pengetahuan itu kerana bahawasanya ALLAH (SwT) Dialah sahaja Tuhan Yang Sebenar-benarnya dan bahawa segala yang mereka sembah selain dari ALLAH (SwT) adalah palsu belaka dan (ingatlah) sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Dialah Yang Maha Tinggi keadaanNya, lagi Maha Besar (kekuasaanNya). 

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(31:30) All this is because Allah, He alone, is the Truth *52 and all that which they call upon beside Him is false. *53 Surely Allah, He alone, is All-High, Incomparably Great. *54

*52 That is, the real Sovereign is Allah. He alone is the real Owner of power and authority over the creation and its disposal. 
*53 That is, "They are figments of your own imagination. You have yourselves presumed that so-and-so has got a share in Godhead, and so-and-so has been given the powers to remove hardships and fulfil needs, whereas in fact none of them has any power to make or un-make anything." 
*54 That is, 'He is the Highest of aII before Whom everything is low, and He is the Greatest of aII before Whom everything is small".

SECTION 4

Let not the life of this world deceive anyone

The ingratitude of the disbelievers after being blessed by ALLAH (SWT)’s bounties ---Let not the life of this world deceive anyone---ALLAH (SWT) alone knows the Hour of Judgment---No soul knows what he will earn tomorrow and no soul knows in which land he will die.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ الْفُلْكَ تَجْرِي فِي الْبَحْرِ بِنِعْمَتِ اللَّهِ لِيُرِيَكُمْ مِنْ آيَاتِهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ {31:31}

[Q31:31] Alam tara annal fulka tajree fil bahri bini'matil laahi li yuriyakum min Aayaatih; inna fee zaalika la Aayaatil likulli sabbaarin shakoor. 
[Q31:31] Do you not see that the ships run on in the sea by ALLAH (SWT)'s favor that He may show you of His signs? Most surely there are signs in this for every patient endurer, grateful one.

[Q31:31] Tidakkah engkau memerhatikan bahawasanya kapal-kapal belayar di laut dengan nikmat kurnia ALLAH (SwT), untuk diperlihatkan kepada kamu sebahagian dari tanda-tanda kemurahanNya? Sesungguhnya yang demikian itu mengandungi keterangan-keterangan dan bukti (untuk berfikir) bagi tiap-tiap (mukmin) yang tetap teguh pendiriannya, lagi sentiasa bersyukur.  

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(31:31) Do you not see that ships sail in the sea by Allah’s Grace that He may show you some of His Signs? *55 Surely there are Signs in this for everyone who is steadfast, thankful. *56

*55 That is, "Such Signs as show that aII powers rest only with Allah. Man may make as strong and suitable ships for his sea journeys as he likes, and may achieve whatever perfection in marine science and in the related knowledge and experience, these by themselves cannot avail him anything to perform safe voyages especially when confronted by the terrible forces at the sea, unless he is succoured by the grace of Allah. As soon as Allah's grace is withdrawn, man immediately realizes how meagre and insufficient are the means and resources and knowledge of the sciences. Similarly, man in the state of peace and security may be a hardened atheist or polytheist, but when his boat loses balance in the storm at sea, even the atheist comes to realize that there is God and the polytheist that there is only One God."
*56 That is When the people who possess these two qualities, recognize the reality by these signs, they come to understand Tauhid clearly and stick to it firmly. The first qualitiy is that they should be patient: they should not be fickle but fine and persistent: they should remain steadfast on the righteous belief under aII circumstances, pleasant or unpleasant, difficult or easy, favourable or unfavourable. They should not have the weakness that when the hard times come they Stan imploring God humbly, and when they change into good times, they forget God altogether. Or that, to the contrary, they should worship God in good times and start cursing Him when touched by afflictions and misfortunes. The other quality is that they should be grateful: they should not prove ungrateful and thankless: but appreciative of favour and should remain perpetually disposed from within to render thanks to the one who conferred the favour."

وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُمْ مَوْجٌ كَالظُّلَلِ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّاهُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ فَمِنْهُمْ مُقْتَصِدٌ ۚ وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِآيَاتِنَا إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارٍ كَفُورٍ {31:32}

[Q31:32] Wa izaa ghashiyahum mawjun kazzulali da'a-wuL Laaha mukhliseena lahud deena fa lammaa najjaahum ilal barri faminhum muqtasid; wa maa yajhadu bi Aayaatinaa illaa kullu khattaarin kafoor. 
[Q31:32] And when a wave like mountains covers them they call upon ALLAH (SWT), being sincere to Him in obedience, but when He brings them safe to the land, some of them follow the middle course; and none denies Our signs but every perfidious, ungrateful one.

[Q31:32] Dan (orang-orang yang tidak bersifat demikian) apabila mereka dirempuh serta diliputi oleh ombak yang besar seperti kelompok-kelompok awan menyerkup, pada saat itu mereka semua berdoa kepada ALLAH (SwT) dengan mengikhlaskan kepercayaan mereka kepadaNya semata-mata. Kemudian bila sahaja ALLAH (SwT) menyelamatkan mereka ke darat maka sebahagian sahaja di antara mereka yang bersikap adil (lalu bersyukur kepada ALLAH (SwT) serta mengesakanNya) dan sememangnya tiada yang mengingkari bukti-bukti kemurahan Kami melainkan tiap-tiap orang yang bersifat pemungkir janji, lagi amat tidak mengenang budi. 

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(31:32) When waves engulf them (in the sea) like canopies, they call upon Allah, consecrating their faith solely to Him. But when He delivers them safely to the land, some of them become lukewarm. *57 None denies Our Signs except the perfidious, the ungrateful. *58

*57 "Iqtisad" in the original may mean uprightness or moderateness. In the first case, the verse would mean: "A few of them only remain steadfast on Tauhid, which they had promised to follow when overwhelmed by the stone, and this makes them adhere to uprightness ever afterwards." If it is taken to mean moderateness, it would mean: Some of them become moderate and less rigid in their creed of atheism and polytheism, or they lose some of their fervour and enthusiasm that had been caused by the incident of calamity." Most probably AIlah has used this0 meaningful sentence here in order to allude to aII the three states simultaneously. The object probably is to point out the fact that during the storm at sea the mind of everybody is automatically set right, and everybody gives up atheism and polytheism and starts invoking One AIIah for help. But as soon as they safely land on the shore, only a few of them seem to have learnt any enduring lesson from their experience. Then, this small number also is divided into three groups: those who adopt uprightness ever afterwards, and those who become moderate in their disbelief, and Those who retain some of the spirit of enthusiasm caused temporarily by the calamity.
*58 These two qualities are the antithesis of the two qualities mentioned in the preceding verse. A treacherous person is he who is utterly disloyal and who has no regard for his promise and pledge, and the ungrateful he who does not acknowledge the good and the gains and the benefits received by him, and even behaves rebelliously towards his benefactor. The people having these qualities return to their disbelief, their atheism and their polytheism without any hesitation as soon as the danger has been averted. They do not admit that they had perceived some signs in their own selves as well as outside themselves of Allah's existence and of His being only One when overwhelmed by the stone, and their invoking aIlah was in fact the result of their recognition of the same reality. The atheists among them explain away their act, saying, "It was a weakness which we manifested in the state of confusion and bewilderment, whereas there exists no God, Who might have saved us from the storm: we in fact succeeded in escaping by virtue of such and such a device and means and resources. " As for the mushriks, they generally say, "We had the succour and protection of such and such a saint or god and goddess available to us by virtue of which we escaped." Therefore, as soon as they land on the shore, they start giving thanks to these false gods and presenting offerings at their shrines. They do not bother to think that when they had lost hope, there was none beside Allah, the One, whom they might have implored and invoked for help.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمْ وَاخْشَوْا يَوْمًا لَا يَجْزِي وَالِدٌ عَنْ وَلَدِهِ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَنْ وَالِدِهِ شَيْئًا ۚ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُمْ بِاللَّهِ الْغَرُورُ {31:33}

[Q31:33] Yaaa ayyuhan naasuttaqoo Rabbakum wakhshaw Yawmal laa yajzee waalidun 'anw waladihee wa laa mawloodun huwa jaazin 'anw waalidihee shai'aa; innaa wa'daL Laahi haqqun falaa taghurran nakumul hayaatud dunyaa wa laa yaghur rannakum biLLaahil gharoon. 
[Q31:33] O people! guard against (the punishment of) your Lord and dread the day when a father shall not make any satisfaction for his son, nor shall the child be the maker of any satisfaction for his father; surely the promise of ALLAH (SWT) is true, therefore let not this world's life deceive you, nor let the arch deceiver deceive you in respect of ALLAH (SWT).

[Q31:33] Wahai sekalian manusia, bertakwalah kepada Tuhan kamu dan takutilah akan hari (akhirat) yang padanya seseorang ibu atau bapa tidak dapat melepaskan anaknya dari azab dosanya dan seorang anak pula tidak dapat melepaskan ibu atau bapanya dari azab dosa masing-masing sedikit pun. Sesungguhnya janji ALLAH (SwT) itu adalah benar, maka janganlah kamu diperdayakan oleh kehidupan dunia dan jangan pula kamu diperdayakan oleh bisikan dan ajakan Syaitan yang menyebabkan kamu berani melanggar perintah ALLAH (SwT). 

Imam Ali said:

·         "Your yesterday is past. You have no hold over it. Your tomorrow has not yet come, therefore it is uncertain whether you will be there or not, but your today is the day you must use in the best possible way and act as you are commanded by ALLAH (SWT)."

·         “Thy yesterday is gone, thy tomorrow is doubtful. Therefore value thy today and act as thou shouldst.”

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(31:33) O people, fear (the wrath) of your Lord, and dread the Day when no father will stand for his child, nor any child stand for his father. *59 Surely Allah’s promise is true. *60 So let the life of this world not beguile you, *61 nor let the Deluder delude you about Allah. *62

*59 That is, "The relationship of a person with his friend, or his leader, or his spiritual guide, etc. is not so close and intimate as the relationship that exists between the children and their parents. But on the Day of Resurrection even the son and the father will not be able to help each other. The father will not have the courage to come forward and say that he may be seized instead of the son for his sins, nor will the son have the nerve to say that he may be sent to Hell instead of the father. How can then a person expect that one will be able to avail something for the other there? Therefore, foolish is the person who spoils his Hereafter in the world for the sake of another, or adopts the way of sin and deviation by dependence on others. Here, one should keep in view the theme of verse 15, in which the children have been admonished not to accept deviation in the matter of the faith and religion on behest of the parents, though in affairs of mundane life they are duty bound to serve them as best as they can."
*60 "Allah's promise": the promise of Resurrection, when the Court of AIIah will be established and everyone will be called to render an account of his deeds. 
*61 The life of the world involves the people, who only see the superficial, in different kinds of misunderstandings. Someone thinks that life and death only belong to this world, and there is no life hereafter; therefore, whatever one has to do, one should do it here and now. Another one who is lost in his wealth and power and prosperity, forgets his death and gets involved in the foolish idea that his grandees and his power are everlasting. Another one overlooking the moral and spiritual objectives regards the material gains and pleasures in themselves as the only objectives and dces not give anything any importance but the "standard of living", no matter whether his standard of humanity gas on falling lower and lower as a result thereof. Someone thinks that worldly prosperity is the real criterion of truth and falsehood: every way of life that ensures this is the truth and everything contradictory to it is falsehood. Someone regards this very prosperity as a sign of being Allah's favourite, and assumes the law that whoever is leading a prosperous life here is Allah's beloved no matter by what means he might have achieved this prosperity, and whoever is leading a miserable life in the world, even if it be so due to his love of the truth and his uprightness, will live a miserable life in the Hereafter, too. These and other such misunderstandings have been called "deceptions of the worldly life" by Allah.
*62 Al-gharur (the deceiver) may be Satan or a man or a group of then, or even man's own self, or something else. The reason for using this comprehensive and meaningful word in its absolute form without identifying a particular person or thing, is that for different people there are different means that cause them deception. Any particular means or cause that deceived a person to be misled and misguided from the right way to the wrong way, will be al-gharur in his particular Case.
"To deceive (someone) concerning Allah" are also comprehensive words, which include countless kinds of deceptions. "The deceiver" deceives one man with the idea that there is no God at all, and another man with the idea that God after making the world has handed over its control and administration to the men and is no more concerned with it; he misleads another one, saying, "There arc some favourite ones of God: if you attain nearness to them, you will surely win your forgiveness whatever you may do, or may have done, in the world; " he deceives another one, saying, "God is AII-Forgiving and All-Merciful: you may go on committing sins freely, and He will go on forgiving each sin of yours. " He gives another person the idea of determinism and misguides him, saying, "Everything that you do is pre-ordained: if you commit evil, it is God Who makes you commit it: if you avoid goodness, it is God Who makes you avoid it." Thus, there are countless kinds of such deceptions with which tnan is being deceived concerning God. When analyzed it comes to light that the basic cause of all errors and sins and crimes is that man has been deceived concerning God in one way or the other, and that is how he has been misled to some ideological deviation or moral error. " 

إِنَّ اللَّهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ مَاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ {31:34}

[Q31:34] InnaL Laaha 'indahoo 'ilmus saa'ati wa yunazzilul ghaisa wa ya'lamu maa fil arhaami wa maa tadree nafsum maazaa takisbu ghadaa; wa maa tadree nafsum bi ayyi ardin tamoot; innaL Laaha 'Aleemun Khabeer. 
[Q31:34] Surely ALLAH (SWT) is He with Whom is the knowledge of the hour, and He sends down the rain and He knows what is in the wombs; and no one knows what he shall earn on the morrow; and no one knows in what land he shall die; surely ALLAH (SWT) is Knowing, Aware.

[Q31:34] Sesungguhnya di sisi ALLAH (SwT) pengetahuan yang tepat tentang hari kiamat dan Dialah jua Yang Menurunkan hujan dan Yang Mengetahui dengan sebenar-benarnya tentang apa yang ada dalam rahim (ibu yang mengandung) dan tiada seseorang pun yang betul mengetahui apa yang akan diusahakannya esok (samada baik atau jahat); dan tiada seorangpun yang dapat mengetahui di bumi negeri manakah dia akan mati. Sesungguhnya ALLAH (SwT) Maha Mengetahui, lagi Amat Meliputi pengetahuanNya.

Once a Beduin came to the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) and asked:

a.        When will the Day of Judgement come to pass?

b.        When will it rain? Let me know as I have planted seeds in my field.

c.        My wife is pregnant. What will she deliver? A boy or a girl?

d.        Where will they bury me when I die?

The Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) replied that all these matters are known only to ALLAH (SWT), no one else knows about it, and quoted this verse. 

IT ALSO INDICATES the kind of the people the Holy Prophet (ALLAHuma sali ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad) had to face. People expected the apostles of ALLAH (SwT) to be soothsayers or fortune readers. BESIDES the demands to show some acts of marvel, i.e., miracles was not to be led to the right course BUT just to satisfy to merely witness some wonderful things for even after manifesting the greatest wonders which any mortal could ever expect to winess them on earth, they did not accept the right faith and conduct.

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(31:34) Surely Allah alone has the knowledge of the Hour. It is He Who sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs, although no person knows what he will earn tomorrow, nor does he know in which land he will die. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. *63

*63 This verse is, in fact an answer to the disbelievers' question as to when the Hour of Resurrection will come, which they asked when they heard the Holy Prophet mention it and the promise of the Hereafter, again and again. The Qur'an has answered this sometimes by citing the question and sometimes without citing it, because the addressees knew what they were asking. This is one of those verses which answer the question without citing the question itself.
The first sentence: 'AIIah alone has the knowledge of the Hour", is the real answer to the question. The four sentences that follow constitute the argument to support it. The argument means this: "O man you do not have the knowledge even about those things with which you are most closely and intimately concerned in life. How then can it be possible for you to know as to when will the whole world cane to an end? Your prosperity and adversity mainly depend on the rain. But its control and regulation is entirely in the hand of Allah. He sends down the rain whenever and wherever and in whatever measure He pleases and withholds it whenever he pleases. You do not at aII know how much of the rain will fall at a particular place at a particular time and which land will remain without it, and which land will be adversely affected in spite of it. Your wives conceive by your own sperm-drop, which perpetuates your race in the future, but you do not know what is taking shape in their wombs, and in what form and with what good or evil it will emerge. You do not even know what you are going to meet with the next day a sudden accident can change your destiny; but you are unaware of it even a minute before its occurrence. You do not know where your present life will eventually cane to an end. Ailah has kept all this information with Himself alone; and has not given you any knowledge of any of these. You actually desire that you should have the knowledge of each of these things so that you may make necessary preparations beforehand, but you have no other course open to you than to depend only on Allah’s decree and disposal in these matters. Likewise, about the end of the world also there is no alternative but to rely on Allah’s decree and decision. The knowledge of this also has neither been given to anybody, nor can it be given.” Here, another thing also should be understood well, and it is this: This verse dces not give a list of the unseen and hidden things, which are known to no one but Allah. Here only some of the most apparent things have been pointed out only to serve as an illustration. These are the things with which man is most deeply and intimately concerned, yet he is unaware of them. From this it would be wrong to conclude that these are the only five unseen and hidden things which are known to no one but AIIah. As a matter of fact, ghaib applies to every such thing which is hidden from the creation but is in the knowledge of Allah, and such things are countless and limitless. (For a detailed discussion of this, see An-Naml: 65 and the E.N.’s thereof).

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