النص المفهرس

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Sūrah Luqman : 31 : 12 - 19
within limits. In this case, while implementing the Divine injunction, the
probability did exist that the son or daughter would have used improper
language or manners in their response to parents and thus insulted them.
Islam is a law, just and equitable. Here, everything has a limit. Therefore,
right along with the command of not obeying parents in matters of Shirk,
also given there was the command: صَاحِبُهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعُرُوفًا (And be with them,
in this world, with due fairness - 15).
It means: 'In the matter of the contravention of your faith and
religion, do not obey parents. But, when it comes to worldly matters, such
as serving parents physically or financially or in any other way
necessary, do not fall short about it. Instead, deal with them in mundane
matters according to recognized custom. Show no disrespect to them. Do
not respond to what they say in a manner that hurts them unnecessarily.
In other words, the pain you cause them by not accepting their insistence
on Shirk and Kufr is something you will have to bear by, since you have
no choice there. But, let this necessity stay within its functional limits and
keep abstaining from causing any pain to them in other matters.'
Special Note
As for the weaning period of two years for a child mentioned in the
verse, it is in accordance with customary practice. It carries no
clarification concerning the injunction relevant to any additional period of
suckling the child. A detailed explanation of this issue will, insha'Allah,
appear under the commentary on the verse: وَحَمُلُهُ، وَفِضلُهُ ثَلْثُونَ شَهُرًا (And his
carrying and weaning is (in) thirty months - Al-Ahqaf, 46:15).
The Second Bequest of Luqman about Articles of Belief
One should irrevocably hold the belief that the knowledge of Allah
Ta'ala surrounds every single particle of whatever there is in and around
the expanses of the heavens and the earth with His most perfect power.
Nothing can - be it the smallest of the small not commonly visible, or be it
the farthest of the far, or be it behind layers upon layers of darkness and
curtains - simply nothing can hide from the knowledge and view of Allah
Ta'ala. And He can, when He wills, cause it to be present, where He wills.
This is what is meant by verse 16:
My dear) يُنَىَّ إِنّهَا إِنْ تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرُدَل
son, in fact, if there be anything to the measure of a grain of rye, and it
be [hidden] in a rock or in the heavens and the earth, Allah will bring it
forth. Surely, Allah is All-Fine, All Aware). Then, the all-covering

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 12 - 19
knowledge and power of Allah Ta'ala is, in its own place, a basic belief of
Islam - and certainly, a great proof of Tauhid, the belief in the Oneness
of Allah.
The Third Bequest of Luqman about the Correction of Deed
There are many obligatory deeds, but the greatest and the most
important of these is Salah - and not simply that it is important by itself,
it also happens to be the master deed that becomes the catalyst changing
other deeds towards the better as was pointed out in the Holy Qur'an
about it: ◌ِإِنَّ الصَّلوةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَآءِ وَالْمُنْكَر (Surely Salah restrains from
shamelessness and evil - Al-'Ankabut, 29:45). Therefore, out of the
obligatory good deeds, the mention of Salah was considered sufficient
when it was.said:َيُنَيَّ اقِمِ الصَّلوة (My dear son, establish Salah - 17). And as it
has been explained earlier, the expression denoting the 'iqamah' of salah
does not simply suggest the 'making' or 'saying' or 'doing' it. Instead of
that, this term translated as 'establish' (in the absence of an exact
equivalent) includes all attending considerations, such as performing it
with due respect to its essentials and manners fully and faithfully,
observing punctuality in its timings and being consistent in fulfilling its
requisites.
The Fourth Bequest of Luqman about the Betterment of People
Islam is a collective religion. Betterment of the community, along with
the betterment of the individual, is an important part of its social system.
Therefore, the duty of Bidding the Fair and Forbidding the Unfair (amr
bi 'l-ma'ruf and nahy 'ani 'l-munkar) was mentioned along with as
important a duty as the Salah. It was said : ◌ِوَأَمُرُ بِالْمَعُرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَر (and bid
the Fair and forbid the Unfair -17). Here are two duties: (1) Make yourself
better and (2) make others better. Both need a lot of restraint and hard
work. Facing these difficulties and remaining firm is no easy task.
Particularly so, when those who stand to serve people by telling them
what is good for them receive nothing but opposition and hostility in
return. Therefore, while making this recommendation, it was also
recommended : ◌ِوَاصْبِرُ عَلى مَآ أَصَابَكَ إِنَّ ذلِكَ مِنْ عَزُمِ الْأُمُور (and observe patience on
what befalls you. Surely, this is among the matters of determination - 17).
The Fifth Bequest of Luqman about Social Manners
In verse 18, it was said: ◌ِوَلَا تُصَعِّرُ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاس (And do not turn your cheek
away from people). The expression: ¿ a (la tușa"ir) is a derivation from:

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 12 - 19
(sa'ara) which is a disease among camels that causes a tilt in the neck
similar to the stroke among human beings that makes the face become
crooked. It carries the sense of turning one's face away (in disdain). Thus,
the verse means: 'do not turn your face away from people when you meet
them and talk to them for it is a sign of avoidance and arrogance and
very much against the norms of gentle manners.'
In the next sentence of the verse, it was said: وَلَا تَمُشِ فِى الْأَرْضِ مَرّحًا (and
do not walk on the earth haughtily - 18). The last word: - (maraha)
denotes walking proudly with assumed airs. The sense of the statement is
that Allah Ta'ala has given this earth the lowest profile from among the
entire range of elements He created. Is it not that you were born from it
and on it you walk around? Know your reality and do not walk haughtily.
This is the way of the arrogant. Therefore, after that, it was said: 1 31
.(18 - Surely, Allah does not like anyone arrogant, proud) لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُوْرٍ
Verse 19 begins with the statement: ◌َوَاقُصِدُ فِى مَشْيك (And be moderate in
your walk). When done otherwise, in haste or helter-skelter, it goes
against decorum and dignity. Says the Hadith: "Making too much haste
in walking ruins the radiance of the believer (al-Jami' as-Saghir from
Sayyidnā Abu Hurairah 46). Then, in a manner of walking such as this, there
remains the likelihood of hurting one's own self or someone else as well.
And being moderate in walking also tells us that one should not walk very
slowly either. This is the habit of the arrogant and the ostentatious who
like to impress people with their distinct class. Or, it is the habit of women
who do not walk fast due to their natural modesty. Or, it is the habit of
the sick in need of urgent medical attention who would do so out of
compulsion. The first mode is haram, and the second too, for it is not
permissible if the intention is to strike a semblance with women. And
when no such intention is there, the thing remains, after all, a defect for
men. Finally, in the third mode, it is ungratefulness to Allah in that one
stoops to feign the looks of the sick despite being all too healthy.
Sayyidna 'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud 4
é said: "The noble Şahabah were
prohibited from walking hurriedly (as if running) like the Jews and also
from walking very slowly (as if crawling) like the Christians. The order
given to them was that they should take to a moderate gait in between
the two.'

47
Surah Luqman : 31 : 12 - 19
When Sayyidah 'A'ishah رضى الله عنها saw a person walking very slowly
as if he was going to fall dead, she asked the people around, 'Why does he
have to walk like that?' They told her, 'He is one of the Qurra'.' The word:
(qurra') is the plural of: s,WI (al-qari: one trained to recite the Qur'an
in accordance with its Phonetics). In those days, someone who combined
the twin mastery of reciting the Qur'an with authenticity and observance
of due etiquette as well as being a perfect scholar of the Qur'an was also
called a Qari'. So, by saying what they did, they meant that he was some
big Qari' and 'Alim, therefore, he walked like that. Thereupon, Sayyidah
'A'ishah Lis dl , said, "Umar Ibn ul-Khattab, may Allah be pleased
with him, was a lot more Qari' than he is. But, his habit was to walk
swiftly when he walked (not in the sense of post-haste walking which is
prohibited, rather meaning a functional swiftness in it). And when he
talked, he talked in a manner that people would hear him well (not
speaking at a pitch so low as would compel his audience to ask: Beg your
pardon, what did you say)?
وَاغْضُضُ مِنْ صَوْتِكَفَ :At the end of the fifth recommendation it was said
(and lower your voice - 19). 'Lowering' means: Do not raise your voice any
more than necessary. And do not shout - as it appeared in the case of
Sayyidna 'Umar 4 immediately earlier. He talked in a manner that his
audience would hear him without having to put any strain on their ears.
Thereafter, it was said :ِإِنَّ أَنْكَرَ الْأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ الْحَمِير .(Surely, the ugliest of
voices is the voice of the donkeys - 19).
Regarding social manners, four prohibitions were mentioned here: (1)
The prohibition of talking to and meeting with people face turned
arrogantly; (2) the prohibition of walking haughtily on God's earth; (3)
the instruction to be moderate in one's walking; and (4) the prohibition of
talking very loudly.
All these virtues were already part of the habits and traits of the Holy
Prophet . As in the Shama'il of Tirmidhi, Sayyidna Husain
e says
that he asked his father, Sayyidna 'Ali al-Murtada de about the manner
in which he interacted with people he sat with. He said:
كان دائم البشر سهل الخلق ليّن الجانب ليس بفظٍ ولا غليظ ولا صخاب فى
الاسواق ولا فحّاش ولا عیّاب ولا مُشاح یتغافل عمّا لا یشتھی ولا یؤیس منه ولا

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 20 - 32
يجيب فيه قد ترك نفسه من ثلاث المراء والا كبار ومالا يعنيه
"He was always cheerful, naturally obliging, gentle. Neither
impolite, nor rude, he was not clamorous or immodest and no
faultfinder and no miser. He would remain indifferent to what
he did not like, yet would not make others become distracted
from it (if halal and desirable to have) and would not say
anything that would stop others from having what he did not
want (instead, would observe silence). There were three things
he had left out for good: (1) Disputation, (2) Arrogance and (3)
Indulgence with what was unnecessary, not worth doing."
Verses 20 - 32
أَلَمُ تَرَوْا أَنَّ اللّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمُ مَّا فِى السَّمُوْتِ وَمَا فِى الْأَرْضِ وَأَسْبَغَ
عَلَيْكُمُ نِعَمَهْ ظَاهِرَةً وَّبَاطِنَةً، وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يُجَادِلُ فِى اللّهِ بِغَيْرِ.
عِلْمٍ وَلَا هُدَّى وَلَا كِتْبٍ مُّنِيْرٍ ﴿٢٠﴾ وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَآ أَنْزَلَ
اَللّهُ قَالُوا بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ أَبَآءَنَا ، أَوَلَوْ كَانَ الشَّيْظُنُ
يَدْعُوُهُمُ إِلَى عَذَابِ السَّعِيْرِ ﴿٢١﴾ وَمَنْ يُّسُلِمُ وَجْهَهُ، إِلَى اللهِ وَهُوَ
مُحْسِنٌ فَقَدِ اسْتَمُسَكَ بِالْعُرُوَةِ الْوُثُقِىءُ وَإِلَى اللّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُوْرِ
﴿٢٢ ﴾ وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَلَا يَحْزُنُكَ كُفْرُهُ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ فَنْنَبِّئُهُمُ بِمَا
عَمِلُوا ﴿ إِنَّ اللّهَ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ الصُّدُوُرِ ﴿٢٣﴾ نُمَتِعُهُمُ قَلِيْلًا ثُمَّ
نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَى عَذَابٍ غَلِيُظٍ ﴿٢٤﴾ وَلَئِنُ سَأَلْتَهُمُ مَّنْ خَلَقَ
السَّمَوْتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُوْلُنَّ اللَّهُ قُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ ، بَلُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ
لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٢٥﴾ لِلَّهِ مَا فِى السَّمُوتِ وَالْأَرُضِ﴿ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْغَنِىُّ
الْحَمِيْدُ ﴿٢٦﴾ وَلَوُ اَنَّ مَا فِى الْأَرْضِ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَّالْبَحُرُ يَمُدُّه،
مِنْ بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرِمَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمْتُ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
﴿٢٧﴾ مَا خَلْقُكُمُ وَلَا بَعْتُكُمُ إِلاَّ كَنَفْسٍ وَّاحِدَةٍ ﴿ إِنَّ اللّهَ سَمِيُعْ!
بَصِيْرٌ ﴿٢٨﴾ اَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُؤْلِجُ الَّيْلَ فِى النَّهَارِ وَيُوْلِجُ النَّهَارَ فِى

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 20 - 32
الَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ الشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ يَّجْرِىّ إِلى اَجَلٍ مُّسَمَّى وَّأَنَّ
اللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ﴿٢٩﴾ ذلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَالْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَايَدْعُونَ
مِنْ دُونِهِ الْبَاطِلُ ﴿ وَأَنَّ اللّهَ هُوَالْعَلِىُّ الْكَبِيْرُ ﴿٣٠﴾ آلَمْ تَرَأَنَّ الْفُلْكَ
تَجْرِىُ فِى الْبَحْرِ بِنِعُمَتِ اللهِ لِيُرِيَّكُمُ مِّنُ التِهِ إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لَايْتٍ
لِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُوُرٍ ﴿٣١﴾ وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُمُ مَّوْجٌ كَالظُّلَلِ دَعَوا اللهَ
مُخْلِصِيْنَ لَهُ الدِّيْنَ ، فَلَمَّا نَجْبُهُمُ إِلَى الْبَرِّ فَمِنْهُمُ مُّقْتَصِدٌ، وَمَا
يَجْحَدُ بِالْنَآ إِلَّ كُلُّ خَتَّارٍ كَفُورٍ ﴿٣٢﴾
Have you not seen that Allah has subjugated for you
what is in the heavens and what is on the earth and has
perfected His blessings on you, both outward and
inward? And among the people there is one who debates
about Allah with no knowledge, no guidance and no
book to enlighten. [20] And when it is said to them,
"follow what Allah has sent down," they say, "instead,
we would follow what we found our fathers on." Is it so
- even though the Satan has been calling them to the
punishment of the flaming Fire? [21]
And whoever submits his self to Allah and is good in
deeds, he does, in fact, hold on to the strongest ring.
And towards Allah is the ultimate end of all matters.
[22]
And whoever disbelieves, let not his disbelief grieve
you. To Us is their return. Then We will tell them what
they did. Surely, Allah is All Aware of what lies in the
hearts. [23] We let them enjoy a little, then We will drag
them to a heavy punishment. [24]
And if you ask them as to who has created the heavens
and the earth, they will certainly say, "Allah." Say,
"Alhamdulillah" (Praise be to Allah). But most of them
do not know. [25]
To Allah belongs what is in the heavens and the earth.
Surely, it is Allah who is free of all needs, worthy of
every praise. It is Allah who is All-Independent,
Ever-Praised. [26]
And if all trees that are on the earth were to be pens

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 20 - 32
and the ocean (converted into ink) is supported by
seven seas following it, the words of Allah would not
come to an end. Surely, Allah is Mighty, Wise. [27]
Creation and resurrection of you all is no more (to
Allah) than that of one single person. Surely, Allah is
All-Hearing, All Seeing. [28]
Did you not see that Allah makes the night enter into
the day, and makes the day enter into the night, and He
has subjugated the sun and the moon, each running
towards an appointed time, and that Allah is fully
aware of what you do? [29] That is because Allah is the
only Real One and what they invoke other than Him is
false and Allah is the High, the Great. [30]
Did you not see that the ships sail through the sea by
the grace of Allah, so that He shows you some of His
signs? In that, indeed, there are signs for every man of
patience and gratitude. [31]
And when they are covered by waves like canopies, they
pray to Allah, having faith purely in Him. Then, once
He brings them safe to the land, some of them are (still)
balanced. And no one denies Our signs except every
ungrateful traitor. [32]
Commentary
At the beginning of the Surah, the Kafirs and the Mushriks were
admonished for still persisting with their Kufr and Shirk despite that they
had seen the manifestations of the all-encompassing knowledge and the
most perfect power of Allah Ta'ala. And in contrast to their condition,
obedient believers were praised and mention was made of their good end.
In between, the description of the bequests (wasaya) of Luqman, peace on
him, was in a way a complement of the same subject. In the verses cited
above, the text reverts to the subjects of Allah Ta'ala's all-encompassing
knowledge and power, His bounties and favors showered on the creations
with an exhortation to believe in the principle of His Oneness.
The expression: " (sakhkhara lakum: translated as 'subjugated
for you) in verse 20:ِسَخَّرَ لَكُمُ مَّا فِى السَّمُوتِ وَمَا فِى الْأَرْض (Allah has subjugated
for you what is in the heavens and what is on the earth) is well known
and means to make something subservient to someone. This raises a
question at this place. Is it not that, first of all, not even everything on the

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 20 - 32
earth is subservient to human will and command? In fact, there are many
things that act counter to human choice. As for things of the heavens
particularly, there exists just about no probability of their being
subservient to human beings. The answer is that 'subjugation' really
means to force something into doing a particular job in a state of virtual
compulsion. So, subjugating the entire creation of the heavens and the
earth for human beings means that the whole range of such creations
was yoked in their service to bring all sorts of benefits to them. Out of
these things, many were put in their service by subjecting them to their
command as well, in that they could use them as and when they wished.
But, there are other things that have been, of course, commissioned to
serve them - which they are doing all right - but, such was the dictate of
Divine wisdom, that they were not made subject to the command of
human beings, for example, the heavenly creations, planets, stars,
lighting, rains and similar others. Had they been subjugated to follow
human orders, these elements of creation would have been affected by
human temperaments, tastes and varying conditions. One human being
would have wanted the sun to rise early while the need of the other
would have it rise later. Someone would have asked for rains while the
other, being in travel through an open field, would have opted for no
rains. So, these divergent demands would have triggered operational
malfunction in the workings of the universal heavenly system. Therefore,
Allah Ta'ala did put all these things into the service of human beings but
did not make them subject to their will and command. This too is, in a
way, subjugation. Allah knows best.
وَأَسُبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَه :20 isbagh) in the next sentence of verse) اسباغ :The word
abt", sub (and has perfected His blessings on you, both outward and
inward) means to perfect, make complete, provide in great abundance to
the last fill. The Arabic word: " (ni'am) means 'blessings' which human
beings recognize through their senses, for instance, the beauty of shape
and the symmetry of human limbs made into such proportion as would
allow maximum functional movement causing no disfigurement of one's
shape and looks. Similarly, provisions, property; wealth, avenues of
economic opportunity, health and well being are also outward and
perceived blessings. In the same way, making the religion of Islam easy to
follow, being enabled to obey Allah and His Rasul, the ascendancy of

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 20 - 32
Islam over other faiths and the support given to Muslims encountering
enemies also come under the same outward blessings. As for inward
blessings, they relate to the human heart, such as,'Iman (faith), knowing
Allah (ma'rifah), intellect, reason, good morals, the good fortune of
having one's sins left unexposed and of one's crimes not punished
instantly and many others.
The manifestations of Allah's knowledge, power and blessings are
endless. These cannot by encompassed by anyone through speech, nor
can any pen write them comprehensively. This has been stated in the
verse: ◌ٌ27) وَلَوُ اَنَّ مَا فِى الْأَرُضِ مِنُ شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَام) through a similitude. Says the
similitude: 'If all trees that are on the earth were to be pens (or pens were
to be made of all branches on them) and the ocean (converted into ink) is
supported by seven seas following it, the words of Allah would (still) not
come to an end.' The expression: J OWs (kalimatul-lah, i.e. the words of
Allah) means His knowledge and wisdom (Ruh ul-Ma'ani and Mazhari) which
includes the manifestations of Divine power and Divine blessings. Then,
the 'seven seas' referred to here do not mean that there are seven seas
present elsewhere. Instead of that, this is a manner of saying: Suppose if
this ocean were to be replenished with seven more oceans, still then, all
these words of Allah could not be committed to writing. Even the number
of 'seven' appears here as a part of the example. No restriction is
intended. Another verse of the Qur'an proves it. There it was said:
قُلْ لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحُرُ مِدَادًا لِكَلِمْتِ رَبِّىٌ لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنْفَدَ کَلِمْتُ رَبِّیُ وَلَوُ جِئْنَا
بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًا
Say, 'If the ocean were to be ink for the Words of my Lord, the
ocean would have been consumed before the Words of my Lord
are exhausted, even though we were to bring another one, like
it, in addition' - Al-Kahf, 18:109.
In this verse, by saying: alta (bimithlihi: like it), a clear hint has been
given that, no matter how many oceans are supposed, their collective
writing fluid cannot circumscribe the Words of Allah. Rationally, the
reason is obvious. The oceans may be added one after the other and be
they seven or seven thousand, they shall still remain limited while the
Words of Allah (knowledge) are unlimited. How, then, can something
limited make an all-encompassing coverage of what is unlimited?

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 33 - 34
As it appears in some narratives, this verse was revealed in response
to a question posed by Jewish priests. The reason which prompted them to
ask this question was the verse of the Qur'an where it has been said: U,
- and you are not given but a little from the knowledge) أُوُتِيْتُمُ مِّنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيْلاً
Al-'Isra', 17:85). When the Holy Prophet 25 came to the blessed city of
Madinah, some Jewish priests visited him and it was about this verse that
they confronted him by saying, "You say that you have been given a little
from the knowledge. Is this what you are saying about your people, or
have you included us too therein?" The Holy Prophet " said, "I mean all,"
that is, 'our people and the Jews and Christians as well.' Thereupon,
increasing the tempo of their opposition, they said, "To us, Allah Ta'ala
has given the Torah which stands out as: ◌ٍتِبْيَانٌ لِكُلِّ شَىْء (an explanation of
everything)." He said, "That too is but a little as compared to Divine
Knowledge. Then, even the total knowledge contained in the Torah is not
known to you either - what you go by is no more than a certain measure
of what you need. Therefore, as compared to the Divine Knowledge, the
collective knowledge of all Scriptures and Prophets is also nothing but a
وَلَوْ أَنَّ مَا فِى الْأَرْضِ مِنْ :little." It was to support this statement that the verse
And if all trees that are on the earth were to be pens ... - 27) was) شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ
revealed. (Ibn Kathir)
Verses 33 - 34
يَأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ وَاخْشَوْا يَوْمًّا لَّا يَجْزِئُ وَالِدٌ عَنُ وَّلَدِهِ:
وَلَا مَوْلُوُدٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَنُ وَّالِدِهِ شَيْئًاءُ إِنَّ وَعْدَ اللّهِ حَقٌّ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ
الْحَيْوةُ الدُّنْيَاءَ وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُمُ بِاللهِ الْغَرُوْرُ ﴿٣٣﴾ إِنَّ اللهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ
السَّاعَةِّ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى الْأَرْحَامِ* وَمَا تَدْرِىُ نَفْسٌ
مَّاذَا تَكُسِبُ غَدَاءُ وَمَا تَدْرِىُ نَفْسٌ، بِأَّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ﴿ إِنَّ اللّهَ
عَلِيمٌ خَبِيْرٌ ﴿٣٤﴾
O people, fear your Lord and fear a day when no father
will suffice his son, nor will a son be sufficing his
father in the least. Surely, the promise of Allah is true.
So, the worldly life must not deceive you, nor you
should ever be deceived about Allah by the Deceiver.

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 33 - 34
[33] Surely, it is Allah with whom rests 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 will
earn tomorrow and no one knows in which land he will
die. Surely, Allah is All Knowing, All Aware. [34]
Commentary
In the first of the two verses cited above, the address is to common
people, believing and disbelieving both. They have been served with a
notice that they will face Allah and be accountable before Him for their
deeds on the day of Judgement and that they should be prepared for it. It
was said :ْيَ يُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُم (O people, fear your Lord - 33). At this place, the
text has not gone by the name of Allah Ta'ala or His some other attribute.
Instead of that, it has elected to mention the attribute of Rabb (master,
sustainer of all, usually translated as Lord with this sense included
therein). This serves as an indicator towards the nature of fearing Allah
Ta'ala. Hence, the command to fear given here is not the kind of fear one
habitually has from some beast or enemy. The reason is that 'Allah Ta'ala
is your Rabb. He nourishes, sustains and cherishes you. He is the
compassionate master. Why would someone apprehend this kind of
danger from Him?' Instead of that, the fear mentioned at this place is the
particular 'fear' that is necessarily generated because of the sublimity and
awe of one's elders. It is in that sense that a son 'fears' his father and a
student, his teacher. They are no enemies. They are not going to hurt
them. But, their affectionate sublimity and awe reside in hearts and it is
from there that these two make one obey a father and a teacher. This is
what is meant at this place and it is being said that 'the sublimity and
awe of Allah Ta'ala should reign supreme over your hearts so that you
can obey Him, perfectly and easily.'
وَاخْشَوْا يَوْمًا لَا يَجْزِى وَالِدٌ عَنُ وَّلَدِهِ وَلَا مَوْلُوُدٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَنُ وَّالِدِه :The next sentence reads
Las (and fear a day when no father will suffice his son, nor will a son be
sufficing his father in the least - 33). It means the father and son out of
whom one is a believer and the other, a disbeliever. The sense is that a
believing father would neither be able to remit or reduce the punishment
of his disbelieving son nor would he be able to bring any benefit to him.
Similarly, a believing son will be of no avail to his disbelieving father.
The reason for this particularization lies in other verses of the noble
Qur'an, and the narratives of Hadith. There it has been clarified that, on

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Sūrah Luqman : 31 : 33 - 34
the day of Judgement, parents will intercede on behalf of their children
and the children on behalf of their parents. Then, this intercession will
وَالَّذِيْنَ أمَنُوا وَاتَّبَعَتُهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُمْ:turn out to be successful as well. Says the Qur'an
And those who believed and their children followed) بِيْمَانِ الْحَقْنَابِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمُ
them in belief, We will join their children with them - 52:21) even though
their deeds may not match the ranking of the deeds of their parents, but
such would be the barakah of righteous parents that they too would be
made to reach where their parents are. But, this is subject to the condition
that the children should be believers - even though, their deeds may have
suffered from some shortcomings.
جَثْتُ عَدْن يَّدُخُلُوْنَهَا وَمَنُ صَلَحَ مِنْ ابَآئِهِمْ :Similarly, in another verse, it was said
the eternal gardens they enter, and the righteous of their) وَاَزْوَاجِهِمْ وَذُرِّيْتِهِمُ
fathers, spouses, and progeny as well - 13:23). Qualification refers here to
their being believers.
Both these verses prove that, should parents and children and, in the
same way, a husband and wife, share the common denominator of being
believers, then, they will receive benefit from each other even on the day
of Judgement. Similar to this, there are several narratives of Hadith
which report children interceding on behalf of their parents. Therefore,
this rule set forth in the present verse (33) - that no father can bring any
benefit to his son and no son to his father on the day of Judgement - can
become operative only in a situation when one of them is a believer while
the other, a disbeliever. (Mazhari)
Special Note:
Here, it should be noted that the statement declaring the inability of a
father to bring benefit to his son (ٍ3 - لَا يَجْزِئُ وَالِدٌ عَنٌ وَلَدِه) has been made
through a verbal sentence, but two changes were made while mentioning
the other side of it. Firstly, it was described in the form of a nominal
sentence. Secondly, the word: >Jy (maulud) meaning the born one, that
is, a son, was employed instead of (J, :walad) which is more common for
'son.' There is a wise consideration at work here. A nominal sentence is
more emphatic as compared to a verbal sentence. By this change in the
sentence, a hint was released towards the difference between a father and
his children. The love of a father with his children is more intense.
Contrary to this, the love of children does not reach this level of intensity
even in the mortal world. However, the likelihood of either of the two

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bringing any benefit for each other on the day of Judgement has been
negated in the case of both, but the children's lack of ability to bring
benefit has been described with added emphasis. Then, there is a
particular wise consideration in electing the word: >> (maulud) instead
of J, (walad). The word, >Jy 'maulud' denotes one's own son or children
only. As for the word, J, 'walad,' it is general and includes the children of
one's children as well. Thus, it is from another angle that the same subject
has been strengthened. It is being virtually said, 'when even the son from
the very loins of the father would be of no avail to the father, any
expectations from the grandson and the great grandson are futile.'
In the next verse, the knowledge of five things has been declared as
exclusive to Allah Ta'ala and that no created being has that knowledge
except Him and at this ends the Surah Luqman:
إِنَّ اللّهَ عِنْدَهُ عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ الْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى الْأَرْحَامِ وَمَا تَذْرِىُ نَفْسٌ مَّاذَا
تَكْسِبُ غَدًا وَّمَا تَدُرِىُ نَفْسٌ مُ بِأَّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُ
Surely, it is Allah with whom rests 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 will earn tomorrow and no
one knows in which land he will die. Surely, Allah is All
Knowing, All Aware - 31:34.
Though, it has not been made explicit in the first three things that no
one has their knowledge other than Allah, but the style of the statement
is such that it seems to give the impression that the knowledge of these
things rests limited to Divine Knowledge. As for the other two things
mentioned later, there it has been explicitly said that no one has their
knowledge other than Allah. These very five things have been called
"keys to the Unseen" (مفاتح الغيب :mafatih al-ghayb) in a verse of Surah
Al-An'am:َوَعِنْدَهُ مَفَاتِحُ الْغَيْبِ لَا يَعْلَمُهَا إِلَّا هُو (And with Him are the keys of the
Unseen. No one knows them but He - 6:59). In Hadith, it has been
مفاتيح mafatih) and) مفاتح mafatih al-ghayb). Both) مفاتيح referred as
(mafatih) are the plural forms of zli (miftah) meaning key which opens
locks. It signifies sources of the Unseen that unravel its information.
The Issue of the 'Ilm ul-Ghayb (Knowledge of the Unseen)
Necessary details about this issue have been given under the
commentary on verse 65 :ُقُلُ لَّا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ فِى السَّمَوْتِ وَالْأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلَّ اللّه (Say, 'No one

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 33 - 34
in the heavens and the earth has the knowledge of the Unseen except
Allah.' - 27:65) of Surah An-Naml (Ma'ariful-Qur'an, Volume VI). That the
knowledge of the unseen is particular to Allah Ta'ala in the absolute
sense has been explicitly mentioned in this verse - and this has been the
belief of the entire Muslim community from the earliest to the succeeding
generations. As for the description of only five things particularly - that
no created being has their knowledge and that it is Allah alone who
knows these - it is not meant for particularization. Otherwise, it would
pose a contradiction with the verse of Surah An-Naml quoted above. The
fact is that these five things have been mentioned here to highlight their
special significance.
There is a reason for this specific treatment and marked attention.
Things of the Unseen that one is generally keen to find out are just
these five. Then, there are astrologers and their kind who lay a claim to
the knowledge of the unseen. Things they usually pick up to inform
people about, and thereby prove that they are possessors of the
knowledge of the unseen, are again these very five things. And in some
narratives of Hadith it has been reported that someone had asked the
Holy Prophet
about these five things whereupon this verse was
revealed and wherein it has been stated that the knowledge of these five
is particular with Allah Ta'ala. (Ruh ul-Ma'ani)
As for the statement of the Holy Prophet
reported on the authority
أُوْتِيْتُ : in Hadith رضى الله عنهم أجمعين of Sayyidna Ibn 'Umar and Ibn Masud
I have been given the keys to everything except the) مَفَاتِحَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ إِلَّ الْخَمُس
five) (reported by Imam Ahmad - Ibn Kathir), the word: Eos, (I have been
given) itself makes it all clear. It shows that the knowledge of unseen
things other than these five which came to the Holy Prophet
came in
the form of revelation (wahy) from Allah Ta'ala. Therefore, it is not
included under the definition of the knowledge of the unseen ('Ilm
ul-ghayb) because the news about things unseen given to the blessed
prophets through wahy (revelation) and to the men of Allah (auliy'a')
through ilham (inspiration) come from Allah Ta'ala. In terms of their
reality, they are not the knowledge of the unseen based on which they
could be called the possessors of 'the knowledge of the unseen' (alim
ul-ghayb). They are, rather, Ju (news of the unseen). This is an area
of Divine prerogative. Whenever Allah Ta'ala so wills, and in whatever

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 33 - 34
measure He wills, He would bestow such information on His angels,
messengers and favored servants. These are called "U" (anba
تِلْكَ مِنُ أَنْبَاءِ الْغَيْبِ نُوْحِيُهَا إِلَيْكَ :ul-ghayb) in the noble Qur'an, for instance
(These are some reports from the Unseen (events) which We reveal to you
- 11:49).
Therefore, the Hadith quoted above means that, no doubt, Allah
Ta'ala has made these five things so exclusive to Himself that no angel or
messenger has been given their knowledge even as 'news' of the unseen.
However, besides these, a fair amount of the knowledge relating to other
unseen things is given out to the blessed prophets through the medium of
wahy (revelation).
Thus, from what has been discussed above, we now know one more
reason why these five things have been mentioned specially.
A doubt and its answer
The cited verse proves that even in the absolute knowledge of the
unseen which is an integral attribute of Allah Ta'ala there are five
particular things the knowledge of which is not given to any prophet even
through wahy (revelation). This demands that these things should never
become known to anyone. However, countless events relating to men of
Allah (auliya') in the Muslim community have been reported to the effect
that somewhere they gave the news of rain, or pregnancy, or someone
doing or not doing a deed in the future, or someone's exact place of death.
And this foreboding turned out to be true as well when observed.
Similarly, there are some astrologers or people well versed in the art of
divination through what is known as Jafar and Ramal who would come
up with some bits of information about these things and these, at some
times, would turn out to be true as well. This raises the question: How,
then, could these five things remain exclusive to Divine Knowledge?
One answer to this question is the same as has appeared in details
under our Commentary on Surah An-Naml (27:65, Ma'ariful-Qur'an, Volume
VI). A brief one has been given above to the effect that the Knowledge of
the Unseen, in its real sense, is knowledge without the mediation of a
physical cause - that is, sans medium, by itself. If these things are
received by the blessed prophets through wahy (revelation), by men of
Allah (auliya') through ilham (inspiration) and by astrologers and other

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 33 - 34
claimants to divination or prediction through their calculations and
physical causes, then, that is no knowledge of the unseen as such.
Instead, these are 'news' of the unseen. If someone from among the
creation of Allah were to receive such news relating to some partial or
personal matter, it would not be contradictory of the cited verse. The
reason is simple. According to the substance of the verse, the total
knowledge of these five things, a knowledge which comprehends
everything created as well as every relative condition, is something not
given by Allah Ta'ala to anyone, neither through wahy (revelation) nor
through ilham (inspiration). That someone gets to receive some partial
knowledge through ilham (inspiration) in a stray case is not contradictory
to it.
In addition to that, when we say 'ilm (knowledge), it means absolute
knowledge. That no one has except Allah Ta'ala. The knowledge a man of
Allah (waliyy) receives through ilham (inspiration) is not absolute. Many
probabilities of error or false perception exist in it. As for the information
given out by astrologers and their ilk, it is a common observation that
they hardly come up to the level of a single truth out of ten lies. How can
that be called 'absolute knowledge'?
The issue of the Knowledge of the Unseen: An important note
My respected teacher, Shaykh ul-Islam Shabbir Ahmad 'Usmani has
made a brief but comprehensive comment in his explanatory notes on the
Holy Qur'an which helps remove all doubts and difficulties of the nature
mentioned above. He has said that there are two kinds of al-Ghayb (the
unseen): (1) Injunctions of the unseen (al- ahkam ul-ghaybiyyah), such
as, the injunctions originating from revealed laws that include the
knowledge of the Being and attributes of Allah Ta'ala as well and are
called the knowledge of beliefs (al-'aqa'id). Also included therein are all
injunctions of the Shari'ah or revealed law which tell us as to what sort of
conduct meets the approval or disapproval of Allah Ta'ala. It goes without
saying that all these things belong to nowhere but the unseen.
(2) Cosmology of the unseen (al-akwan ul-ghaybiyyah), that is, the
knowledge of the events occurring in the world. The knowledge of the
unseen things of the first kind has been given by Allah Ta'ala to His
prophets and messengers. This is mentioned in the Qur'an in the
following words:ٍفَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِة أَحَدًا إِلَّ مَنِ ارْتَضَى مِنْ رَّسُول :(He is the) Knower of

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 33 - 34
the Unseen. So He does not let anyone know His Unseen, except a
messenger whom He chooses (to inform through revelation) - 72:26-27.
As for the unseen events and occurrences of the other kind, their
knowledge - the whole of it - is just not given by Allah Ta'ala to anyone.
That remains categorically exclusive to Him as His intrinsic attribute.
But, He gives partial knowledge of particular events when He wills and
as much He wills. As such, the real knowledge of the unseen - all of it -
remains exclusive to Allah Ta'ala. Then, as is His customary practice, He
reveals to the blessed prophets the knowledge of the injunctions of the
unseen from out of His knowledge of the unseen - and this very
knowledge is the purpose of their mission. Then, there is the partial
knowledge of the events and occurrences of the world. That too is given
by Allah Ta'ala to prophets through revelation (wahy) and men of Allah
(auliya) through inspiration (ilham) at His discretion and to the measure
of His choice. Thus, the part of knowledge so given is knowledge that has
been bestowed on them by Allah Ta'ala. In the real sense, this cannot be
called: Je ('ilm ul-ghayb: the knowledge of the unseen). Instead, it is
called:أنباء الغيب :"an[m]ba' il-ghayb: the news of the unseen."
Special note concerning the words of the verse
In this verse, the objective is to describe the exclusiveness of the
knowledge of these five things with Allah Ta'ala in a manner that shows
marked care and attention. This objective obviously required that five
things should have been enumerated under a single head saying that
their knowledge is exclusive to Allah Ta'ala and that no created entity has
been given their knowledge. But, in the cited verse, this was not done.
Instead, as for the knowledge of the initial three things, it was mentioned
positively as being exclusive to Allah - while, in the later two things, the
statement was negative declaring that no one other than Allah has their
knowledge. Let us go back to the initial three things. Here, a variation in
style becomes fairly visible even in these three. We see that the
knowledge of the Hour has been mentioned in the following manner: 20: 51
Surely, it is Allah with whom rests the knowledge of the) عِنْدَهُ عِلُمُ السَّاعَةِ
Hour). Then the mode changes. The second thing has been taken up in
the form of a verbal sentence by saying: JE (and He sends down the
rain). It simply has no mention of the knowledge of rain. Instead, it
mentions the sending down of rain. The third thing was mentioned with a

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changed mode once again and it was said: ◌ِوَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى الأَرْحَام (and He knows
what is in the wombs). This change of modality can only be taken as a
sampling of versatility in eloquence of speech. If one were to ponder, there
are other elements of wisdom embedded here. The respected author of
Bayan ul-Qur'an has described these in his Tafsir.
In brief, the last two things - what will one earn tomorrow and in
which land will one die - are states connected with the human person. It
was probable that one would try to seek the relevant knowledge about
these. Therefore, in both these cases, the acquiring of such knowledge on
the part of anyone other than Allah was negated. Also proved effectively
through this statement was the absence of the knowledge of the first
three things for anyone other than Allah. The argument was simple. Here
is someone who does not know about his doings and earnings tomorrow.
Then, he does not know the end of it all, the point when and where he
will die. How could he, then, be expected to know the heavens and the
coming of rains and the thing hidden in the dark layers of a mother's
womb? Finally, when mentioning the last thing, it was said that one does
not know the place of one's death. Yes, the text mentions 'place' only -
although, one does not know one's time of death too just like the place of
death. The reason is that the place of death, even if not known definitely,
is something one can guess in terms of one's outward living conditions.
One can naturally assume that the place where one is settled would be
the place where one would die, and at the least, the place where one is to
die is, after all, present somewhere in the world. This is contrary to the
time of death. This time is in the future and the future is not here yet. So,
a person who cannot know about his place of death, despite that it is
present actually, how can it be imagined about him that he would come to
know his time of death which simply does not exist then?
So, the negation of one thing here makes the negation of others
obvious in the first degree. Therefore, the text takes up both these things
in the negative mode. As for the first three things, they are by themselves
outside the scope of human access under perceptible conditions. That
human knowledge has nothing to do with it is all too clear. Therefore, a
positive mode was chosen to describe their exclusiveness to Allah Ta'ala.
Before parting with the subject, a few words about the use of nominal
form in the first sentence and the verbal one in the later two sentences

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Surah Luqman : 31 : 33 - 34
may be useful. Perhaps, the wisdom therein is to suggest that the
Qiyamah or the Last Day is a definite imperative with no change in it.
This is contrary to the coming of rain and the period of pregnancy. Their
conditions keep changing - and the verbal sentence is suggestive of
change. Therefore, that is what was used in both these cases. Then, we
notice a delicacy of treatment within these two as well. When dealing with
the conditions of pregnancy, what was mentioned was Divine knowledge:
and He knows what is in the wombs - 34) while in taking) وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى الْأَرْحَامِ
up the subject of the coming of rain, there is just no mention of
knowledge. There is a reason for it. Here, by mentioning the sending
down of rain, it was tacitly suggested that the rain to which are tied
thousands of human benefits is something that comes at the bidding of
Allah alone and that no one else exercises the ultimate control over it. As
for the essential exclusiveness of its knowledge being with Allah, it
already stands proved from the very context of the statement. ...
Alhamdulillah
The Commentary on
Surah Luqman
Ends here

65
Surah As-Sajdah : 32 : 1 - 3
Surah As-Sajdah
[The Prostration]
Surah As-Sajdah is Makki. It has 30 Verses and 10 Sections
Verses 1 - 3
الّ ﴿أَ﴾ تَنْزِيْلُ الْكِتْبِ لَارَيْبَ فِيْهِ مِنْ رَّبِّ الْغَلَمِيْنَ ﴿٢﴾ أَمْ
يَقُوُلُوْنَ افْتَزِئُهُ بَلُ هُوَالْحَقُّ مِنْ رَّبِّكَ لِتُنْذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّآ آَتْنُهُمُ مِّنُ نَّذِيُرٍ
مِّنُ قَبْلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمُ يَهْتَدُونَ ﴿٣)
With the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the All-Merciful
Alif Lam Mim. [1] (This) revelation of the Book - wherein
there is no doubt - is from the Lord of the worlds. [2] Or,
is it that they say, "he has fabricated it." On the
contrary, it is the truth from your Lord, so that you
warn a people to whom no warner has come before you;
may be they take the right path. [3]
Commentary
At this place, the word : نَذِير (nadhir: warner) in:ِمَآ أَتْبُهُمُ مِّنُ نَّذِيُر (to whom
no warner has come .. - 3)means a rasul or messenger. The sense is that no
messenger had appeared amidst the Quraish of Makkah before the Holy
Prophet . This does not mean that the call of the messengers had just
not reached them until that time, because it was clearly said in another
verse of the Qur'an: ◌ٌوَإِنُ مِّنُ أُمَّةٍ إِلَّ خَلَا فِيهَا نَذِير (And there was no community
without a warner having passed among them - 35:24). In this verse, (i.e.
the verse 35:24) the word: ¿ '&& (warner) appears in its general lexical sense,
that is, one who calls people towards Allah, whether a messenger or
prophet or one of their deputies, khalifah or the 'alim of din. So, from this
verse, it seems that the call of pure monotheism (tauhid) had reached all