Tafsir Ibn Kathir - Surah Luqman (PDF)

# The Tafsir of Surah Luqman (Chapter - 31) ## Which was revealed in Makkah In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. ## Surah Luqman (1 - 5) - Alif Lam Mim. - These are Ayat of the Wise Book, a guide, and a mercy for the Muhsinin. - Those who perform the salah and give zakah,...

# The Tafsir of Surah Luqman (Chapter - 31) ## Which was revealed in Makkah In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. ## Surah Luqman (1 - 5) - Alif Lam Mim. - These are Ayat of the Wise Book, a guide, and a mercy for the Muhsinin. - Those who perform the salah and give zakah, and they have faith in the Hereafter with certainty. - Such are on guidance from their Lord and such are the successful. ## At the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah we discussed the letters such as those that appear at the beginning of this Surah. Allah has made the Qur'an a guidance and healing and a mercy for the Muhsinin, who are those who do good deeds in accordance with the Shariah. - They establish the obligatory prayers in the proper manner and at the correct times. - They follow that with regular, optional and supererogatory prayers. - They pay the Zakāh to those who deserve it. - They uphold the ties of kinship with their relatives. - They have certain faith that there will be rewards and punishments in the Hereafter, and they seek the reward with Allah. - They do not show off or seek a reward or thanks from other people. Whoever does this is one of those of whom Allah says: - Such are on guidance from their Lord, meaning, they follow His guidance with clear understanding. - And such are the successful, in this world and in the Hereafter. ## Surah Luqman (6 - 7) - And of mankind is he who purchases idle talk (Lahw Al-Hadith) to mislead from the path of Allāh without knowledge, and takes it by way of mockery. - For such there will be a humiliating torment. - And when Our Ayat are recited to such a one, he turns away in pride, as if he heard them not - as if there were deafness in his ear. - So announce to him a painful torment. ## The Doomed are preoccupied with Idle Talk and They turn away from the Ayat of Allah When Allah mentions the blessed - who are those who are guided by the Book of Allāh and benefit from hearing it, as He says: - Allāh has sent down the Best Statement, a Book, its parts resembling each other (and) oft-repeated. The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver from it. - Then their skin and their heart soften to the remembrance of Allah. He connect that with mention of the doomed, those who turn away from the Qur'an and do not benefit from hearing the Words of Allah. - Instead, they turn to listening to flutes and singing accompanied by musical instruments. He said: - And of mankind is he who purchases Lahu Al-Hadith to mislead (men) from the path of Allāh. He said: - This - by Allāh - refers to singing. ## Surah Luqman (10 - 11) - It is for those who believe, a guide and a healing. - And as for those who disbelieve, there is heaviness (deafness) in their ears, and it is blindness for them. - And We send down of the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe, and it increases the wrongdoers nothing but loss. - He has created the heavens without any pillars that you see. - He has set on the earth firm mountains lest it should shake with you. - He scatters therein moving creatures of all kinds. - We send down water from the sky, and We cause (plants) of every goodly kind to grow therein in pairs - for them are Gardens of Delight. _This is the creation of Allah. So, show Me that which those besides Him have created. Nay, the wrongdoers are in plain error._ This is the creation of Allah, meaning, there they will enjoy all kinds of delights and pleasures, food, drink, clothing, dwelling-places, means of transportation, women, a light of beauty and delightful sounds, which have never crossed the mind of any human being. - They will stay there forever, never leaving and never desiring change. _It is a promise of Allah in truth. Meaning, this will undoubtedly come to pass, for it is a promise from Allah, and Allah never breaks His promise, because He is the Most Generous Bestower Who does what He wills and is able to do all things._ - And He is the All-Mighty, Who has subjugated all things and to Whom all things submit. - The All-Wise, in what He says and what He does, Who has made this Qur'an a guidance to the believers. ## Surah Luqman (12) - We bestowed upon Luqman Al-Hikmah saying: "Give thanks to Allah." - And whoever gives thanks, he gives thanks for (the good of) himself, and whoever is unthankful, then verily, Allah is Rich, Worthy of all praise. _We bestowed upon Luqman Al-Hikmah, meaning, understanding, knowledge and eloquence. Saying: "Give thanks to Allah," means: "We commanded him to give thanks to Allāh for the blessings and favors that Allah had given to him alone among his people and contemporaries."_ ## Surah Luqman (13 - 15) - And when Luqman said to his son when he was advising him: "O my son! Join not in worship others with Allāh. Verily, joining others in worship with Allāh is a great Zulm (wrong) indeed." - We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship, and his weaning is in two years - give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination. - But if they strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not. - Behave with them in the world kindly, and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience. - To Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do. _The view of Ibn 'Abbas: "The greatest wrong, meaning, it is the greatest wrong!"_ ## Luqman's Advice to His Son Allah tells us how Luqman advised his son. - His full name was Luqman bin 'Anqa' bin Sadūn, and his son's name was Thārān. - Allāh describes him in the best terms, and states that he granted him wisdom. - Luqman advised his son, the closest and most beloved of all people to him, who deserved to be given the best of his knowledge. - Luqman started by advising him to worship Allah Alone, and not to associate anything with Him. ## Surah Luqman (16 - 19) - O my son! If it be (anything) equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or on the earth, Allah will bring it forth. - Verily, Allah is Subtle, Well-Aware. - O my son! Perform the salah, enjoin the good, and forbid the evil. - Bear with patience whatever befalls you. - Verily, these are some of the important commandments. - And turn not your face away from men with pride, nor walk in insolence through the earth. - Verily, Allah likes not any arrogant boaster.) - And be moderate in your walking, and lower your voice. - Verily, the harshest of all voices is the braying of the asses. _O my son! If it be (anything) equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, means, if a wrong action or a sin be equal to the size of a grain of mustard seed. Allah will bring it forth, means, He will bring it forth on the Day of Resurrection, when it is placed in the Scales of justice and everyone is rewarded or punished for his actions - if they are good, he will be rewarded and if they are bad he will be punished. Verily, Allah is Subtle, Well-Aware, meaning, His knowledge is subtle, for nothing is hidden from Him, no matter how small, subtle and minute. Well-Aware, even of the footsteps of an ant in the darkest night. Then he (Luqman) said: O my son! Perform the salah, meaning, offer the prayer properly at the appointed times. enjoin the good, and forbid the evil, meaning, to the best of your ability and strength. and bear with patience whatever befalls you. Luqman knew that whoever enjoins what is good and forbids what is evil, will inevitably encounter harm and annoyance from people, so he told him to be patient. Verily, these are some of the important commandments, means, being patient when people cause harm or annoyance is one of the most important commandments_. ## Surah Luqman (20 - 21) - Verily, the harshest of all voices is the braying of the asses. - But when they embark on a ship (...) - But when He brings them safe to land, there are among them those that stop in between. - when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others. Mujahid said: - This refers to the disbelievers - as if he interpreted the word Muqtasid to mean denier - as in the Ayah. - And Our Ayat are not denied except by every Khattar Kafür. _Khattar means one who betrays or stabs in the back. This was the view of Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatādah and Malik, narrating from Zayd bin Aslam. This word describes a person who, whenever he makes a promise, breaks his promise, and it refers to the worst form of treachery._ ## Surah Luqman (22 - 24) - And whosoever submits his face (himself) to Allāh, while he is a Muhsin, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold. - And to Allāh return all matters for decision. - And whoever disbelieves, let not his disbelief grieve you. - To Us is their return, and We shall inform them what they have done. - Verily, Allāh is the All-Knower of what is in the breasts. - We let them enjoy for a little while, then in the end We shall oblige them to (enter) a great torment. _And whosoever submits his face (himself) to Allāh, while he is a Muhsin. then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold, means, he has received a firm promise from Allah that He will not punish him. And And to Allah return all matters for decision. And whoever disbelieves, let not his disbelief grieve you, means, 'do not grieve over them, O Muhammad, because they disbelieve in Allāh and in the Message you have brought, for their return will be to Allāh, and He will tell them what they used to do,' i.e., He will punish them for it._ ## Surah Luqman (25 - 28) - And if you ask them: "Who has created the heavens and the earth," they will certainly say: "Allah." Say: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah!" But most of them know not. - To Allāh belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. - Verily, Allah, He is Al-Ghani, Worthy of all praise. - And if all the trees on the earth were pens and the sea, with seven seas behind it to add to it, yet the Words of Allah would not be exhausted. - Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. - The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all are only as a single person. - Verily, Allāh is All-Hearer, All-Seer. _Most of them know not. Then Allah says: To Allāh belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. meaning, He created it and has dominion over it. Verily, Allah, He is Al-Ghani, Worthy of all praise. means, He has no need of anyone or anything besides Himself, and everything else is in need of Him. He is Worthy of praise for all that He has created, so praise be to Him in the heavens and on earth for all that He has created and decreed, and He is worthy of praise in all affairs._ ## Surah Luqman (29 - 30) - See you not that Allāh merges the night into the day, and merges the day into the night, and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running its course for a term appointed; and that Allah is All-Aware of what you do. - That is because Allah, He is the Truth, and that which they invoke besides Him is falsehood; and that Allah, He is the Most High, the Most Great. _Merges the night into the day, meaning, He takes from the night and adds to the day, so that the day becomes longer and the night shorter, which is what happens in summer when the days are longest, then the day starts to become shorter and the night longer, which is what happens in winter. And has subjected the sun and the moon, each running its course for a term appointed, it was said that this means, each runs within its set limits, or it means until the Day of Resurrection; both meanings are correct. The Allah view is supported by the Hadith of Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with hi, in the Two Şahihs, according to which the Messenger of Allāh said: Know you not that Al-lah knows all that is in the heaven and the earth? The meaning is that Allah is the Creator Who knows all things, as He says: It is Allah Who has created s-even heavens and of the earth the like thereof. That is because Allah, He is the Truth, and that which they invoke besides Him is falsehood, means, He shows you His Signs so that you may know from them that He is the Truth, i.e., He truly exists and is truly divine, and that all else besides Him is falsehood. He has no need of anything else, but everything else is dependent on Him, because everything in heaven and on earth is created by Him and is enslaved by Him; none of them could move even an atom's weight except with His permission. If all the people of heaven and earth were to come together to create a fly, they would not be able to do so. Allah says:_ ## Surah Luqman (31 - 32) - See you not that the ships sail through the sea by Allah's grace that He may show you of His signs? Verily, in this are signs for every patient, grateful (person). - And when waves cover them like shades, they invoke Allah, making their invocations for Him only. - But when He brings them safe to land, there are among them those that stop in between. - And Our Ayat are not denied except by every Khattar Kafür.) _See you not that the ships sail through the sea by Allah's grace that He may show you of His signs? Verily, in this are signs for every patient, grateful (person), meaning, every person who bears difficulty with patience and who gives thanks at times of ease. Then Allah says: And when waves cover them like shades. meaning, like mountains or clouds, they invoke Allah, making their invocations for Him only, This is like the Ayat, And when harm touches you upon the sea, those that you call upon vanish from you except Him, and when they embark on a ship..... and when He brings them safe to land, there are among them those that stop in between, Mujahid said: This refers to the disbelievers - as if he interpreted the word Muqtasid to mean denier - as in the Ayat, but when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others. And Our Ayat are not denied except by every Khattar Kafür._ ## Surah Luqman (33 - 34) - O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord, and fear a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. - Verily, the promise of Allah is true, let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the chief deceiver deceive you about Allāh. _O mankind! Have Taqwa of your Lord, and fear a Day means: "Let not then this present life deceive you. meaning, do not let your feelings of contentment with this life make you forget about the Hereafter. nor let the chief deceiver deceive you about Allāh, refers to the Shayțân. This was the view of Ibn 'Abbās, Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak and Qatadah. The Shayțan makes promises to them and arouses in them false desires, but there is no substance to them, as Allah says:_ ## Surah Luqman (33 - 34) - Verily, Allāh, with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. - No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. - Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware. _These are the keys of the Unseen, whose knowledge Allah alone has kept for Himself, and no one else knows them unless Alla tells him about them. The knowledge of when the Hour will occur' is not known to any Prophet who was sent or any angel who is close to Allah. None can reveal its time but He._ ## Surah Luqman (34) - Verily, Alla, with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain and knows that which is in the wombs. - No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. - Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware. _The chain of narrators for this Hadith is Şahih, although they did not recorded it. The Hadith of Ibn 'Umar Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn 'Umar said: The Keys of the Unseen are five., which no one knows except Allah. Verily, Allah, with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware. This was recorded only by Al-Bukhāri, which he narrated in the Book of the Rain Prayer in his Şahih. He also recorded it in his Tafsir with a different chain of narrators stating that 'Abdullah bin Umar said: “The Prophet said: The Keys of the Unseen are five”. Then he recited:_ ## The Hadith of Abu Hurayrah In his Tafsir of this Ayah, Al-Bukhari narrated from Abu Hurayrah: - The Messenger of Allāh was standing before the people one day when a man came to him and said: - O Messenger of Allah, what is Îmān? - He said: - Iman is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers and in the meeting with him, and to believe in the Resurrection in the Hereafter. _He said: "O Messenger of Allah, what is Islām?" He said. Islam is to worship Allah Alone and not associate anything in worship with him, to establish regular prayer, to pay the obligatory Zakāh, and to fast in Ramadan. He said, "O Messenger of Allah, what is Ihsan?' He said: Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not see Him, then He sees you." He said, "O Messenger of Allah, when will the Hour come?" He said: The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking, but I will tell you of some of its signs: when the servant woman gives birth to her mistress, that is one of its signs; when the barefoot and naked become leaders of the people, that is one of its signs. The timing of the Hour is one of the five things which no one knows except Allah. Verily, Allāh, with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. ... Then the man went away, and the Prophet said, "Bring him back to me." they went to bring him back but they could not find him, He said: "That was Jibril who came to teach the people their religion."_ ## Surah Luqman (33 - 34) - And no person knows in what land he will die. - Verily, Allah, with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. - No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. - Verily, Allah is All-Knower, All-Aware. _Qatādah said, "There are some things which Allāh has kept to Himself, and they are not known to any angel who is close to Him or any Prophet who was sent by Him." Verily, Allah, with Him is the knowledge of the Hour, in which year or month, or whether it will come at night or during the day. He sends down the rain, and no one knows when rain will come, night or day. and knows that which is in the wombs. No one knows what is in the wombs, male or female, red or black, or what it is. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, whether, it will be good or bad. You do not know, O son of Ādam when you will die. You might die tomorrow, you might be stricken by calamity tomorrow. and no person knows in what land he will die, means, no person knows where his resting place will be, on the land or in the sea, on a plain or in the mountains._ ## Surah Luqman (34) - If Alla wants to take a person's soul in a particular land, He will give him a reason to go there. _In Al-Mu'jam Al-Kabir, Al-Hafiz Abu Al-Qāsim At-Tabarānī recorded that Usamah bin Zayd said, "The Messenger of Allah said. "Allah does not will , that a person should die in a certain land but He gives him a reason to go there." This is the end of the Tafsir of Surah Luqman. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Sufficient for us is Allah and He is the Best Disposer of affairs._