Luqman the Wise and His Advice to His Son in the Quran

Luqman is mentioned in Surah Luqman, which is the 31st surah of the Quran. His story is in verses 12 to 19.

It opens with the meaning that Allah had certainly given Luqman wisdom, and told him to be grateful to Allah. The verse adds that whoever is grateful is grateful for his own benefit, and whoever denies, Allah is free of need and worthy of praise (31:12).

So the first thing the Quran says about him is not his wealth or his rank. It is that he was given wisdom, and that wisdom begins with gratitude.

Then the Quran tells us that Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him: «وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَٰنُ لِٱبْنِهِۦ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُۥ يَٰبُنَىَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌۭ» The meaning is that he told his son not to associate anything with Allah, because shirk is a great injustice.

The first thing a loving parent warns about is the most important danger: associating partners with Allah. Luqman's advice begins with tawhid.

The Prophet ﷺ himself referred to this verse. When the verse came down about those who believe and do not mix their faith with injustice (6:82), the companions were worried and asked who among them had never wronged himself. Abdullah ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said that it is not as they thought. The injustice there is shirk, and he reminded them of Luqman's words to his son: "Do not associate anything with Allah; indeed shirk is a great injustice" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3360, Sahih Muslim 124).

In the middle of Luqman's advice, there are two verses where Allah Himself speaks (31:14-15). Many commentators describe them as a parenthesis, because they continue the theme of the advice but are not Luqman's words.

Allah says that He has enjoined on people good treatment of their parents. The mother carried her child through weakness upon weakness, and weaning takes two years. We are told to be grateful to Allah and to our parents, and that the final return is to Him.

The next verse adds a balance: if parents strive to make a person associate with Allah something he has no knowledge of, he must not obey them. Even then, he should still keep company with them in this world with kindness, and follow the way of those who turn to Allah.

After this, the Quran returns to Luqman's words to his son. The meanings of the advice are as follows.

• Nothing is hidden from Allah. Even something as small as the weight of a mustard seed, inside a rock or anywhere in the heavens or the earth, Allah will bring it forth. He is Subtle and All-Aware (31:16).
• Establish the prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient with whatever befalls you, for these are matters of firm resolve (31:17).
• Do not turn your cheek away from people in pride, and do not walk on the earth arrogantly, for Allah does not like anyone who is proud and boastful (31:18).
• Be moderate in your walking and lower your voice, for the most unpleasant of voices is the voice of the donkey (31:19).

The advice goes from the heart to the actions and then to everyday manners. Belief in Allah's knowledge, worship, care for others, patience, and then humility in how we walk and speak.

The Quran does not say when or where Luqman lived, who his people were, what his work was, or what his son's name was. It does not call him a prophet. Many scholars have said that he was a wise and righteous servant of Allah and not a prophet, although some scholars have held other views. What is certain is the wisdom that Allah gave him, and the words He chose to preserve.

We should therefore not add details from outside the Quran and the authentic Sunnah. Whatever else is told about his life should not be treated as part of the story.

• Wisdom begins with gratitude to Allah, and gratitude benefits the one who gives it.
• The most important advice for those we love is to hold on to tawhid and to avoid shirk.
• Kindness to parents is a command from Allah, and it continues even when we cannot obey them in something wrong.
• Remember that Allah knows even the smallest deed, and so keep your heart and your actions sincere.
• Good character is part of faith: patience in hardship, humility in how we walk and a calm voice when we speak.
• A parent's advice is best when it is given gently, with love and with reasons, as Luqman did.