Islamic Principles of life in the light of Surah Luqman

1. Introduction

The Holy Qur’an is the complete way of life that gives everyone the wisdom they need in their
lives. We must punctually try understand the Holy Qur’an to get a better understanding of our
surroundings and to lead a better life. I have studied Surah Luqman and highlighted some
necessary teachings in this Surah. Surah Luqman is 31 st Surah of the Holy Qur’an that comprises
4 Rukus and 34 verses. Allah swt revealed this Surah to our Holy Prophet s.a.w in Mecca. The
surah derives its title, Luqman from the 12th verse that talks about Luqman. Luqman was a man
who had great wisdom because of his piety from the blessings of Allah.

2. Major Theme(s)

The major theme of this surah highlights major issues, divine methods and wise guidance. It
talks about Qur’an and its impact as the book of total wisdom in our lives and certainly every
righteous person’s blessing. Then the Surah discusses about the oneness of Allah swt and not to
associate partners with Allah. It closely ties with obeying our parents and their rights. But it also
advises us to not obey the parents I they insist you to commit sinful acts specifically shirk.

Following this it talks about ethics, specifically from an Islam interaction point. Then it
highlights the major reasons of misguidanec. It also talks about the glorious existence of Allah
swt that should be worshipped by us. Lastly there are precautions for us to stay safe from the
deception of Shaitan. The Surah revolves around the life and wisdom of Luqman a.s and advises
us from his perspective with his son.

3. Three Important Principles of Wisdom in Surah Luqman

Surah Luqman has the inclusion of various principles of life we can follow to become wiser and
more pious. Not only does it helps us in making better decisions, but also strengthens our faith
against misguidance. I have picked three highlighted teachings from Surah Luqman. These
teachings majorly impact all of our lives and understanding them will help us live a wiser and
more pious life.
 3.1 Gratitude

In Surah Luqman, Allah said:

“And We had surely provided Luqman wisdom [and stated], “Be thankful to Allah.” And whoever
is thankful is thankful for [the blessing of] himself. And whoever denies [His blessings] – then
indeed, Allah is Free of need and worthy of praise.” [Quran 31:12]

Whenever we think about a wise person, we automatically start to imagine someone with a lot of
knowledge. Someone who knows everything and all about our deepest queries. However, in this Surah, it
is clear that Allah makes gratitude above wisdom always.
Gratitude is all about giving credit to another person by being humble. Not only does it makes you more
humble but wiser. Gratitude is closely linked with humility and both impact our lives equally. Upon our
acknowledgement of the blessings from Allah, we go to another level of abundance, blessings, favor and
wisdom.

Allah swt promises to us in the Holy Qur’an;

“If you are grateful, I will give you more.” [Quran 14:7]

3.2 Body Language

“And do not turn your cheek [in contempt] to people and do not walk through the lands exultantly.
Indeed, Allah does not like everyone boastful and self-deluded.” [Quran 31:18]

The person who is always grateful and prays punctually doesn’t have a face with negative sightings on
his/her face like pride or arrogance. We have a universal language through our facial expressions as an
indirect communication. Even without proper learning, everyone uses it subconsciously. Similarly, how
we traverse also defines the level of faith we have. Showing off is not a method of the believers as they
walk with simplicity. It leads towards an understanding of narcissism and show off which is bad for
everyone.

3.3 Pace and Voice

“And be moderate in your speed and lower your voice; indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is
the sound of donkeys.” [Quran 31:19]

This Ayat is closely linked with the preceding one. It talks about the importance of self-respect and how
we carry ourselves. Walking with humility doesn’t necessarily mean to walk with a scared and less
confident body language.

The respected Rashidun, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab r.a who’s the best distinguisher among us understood this
well. He once saw a man walking with his head bent down, Umar told him:
“Raise your head, believer! Humility don’t live in the necks, it’s in our hearts!”

The surah focuses on all these teachings through Luqman’s advices and his last advice is to lower our
voices. Once our body language is fixed, we need to fix how we talk with each other. Qur’an is never
coincidental and there is a reason that body language is mentioned before the voice. We began to judge
people in less than a second. Therefore, to motivate goodness and combating evil, having a proper body
language is important.

3.4 Parents and Children

“And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [raising her] in
weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be thankful to Me as well as your parents;
to Me is the [last] destination.” [Quran 31:14]

This Ayat is focused on being grateful to Allah and our parents. We see Luqman counseling his son, but
in actual it is Allah commanding us to be good children to our parents. Most of us don’t understand how
our parents raised us through troubles. Allah reminds us of the great contribution of mothers that deserves
our infinite gratitude. Furthermore, fathers are equally praised when they’re wise. Wise fathers follow
what Luqman is doing for his son by advising him the teachings of the Qur’an.

3.5 Allah is Eternal and All Knowing

“[And Luqman told], “O my son, indeed if wrong could be the weight of a mustard seed and should
be inside a rock or [anywhere] in the skies or in the earth, Allah will reveal it forward. Indeed,
Allah is Subtle and All Knowing.” [Quran 31:16]
The Surah follows the mustard seed analogy to explain the degree to which Allah swt has his purview
over everything man does. It emphasizes the fact that all good and bad deeds doesn’t matter its impacted
is noted and will be judged by Allah.

4. Conclusion

Surah Luqman is like a course in ethics and communication but directly from Allah swt. We witness
everyday how conflicts are followed by even the most intellectual people. Let’s not be like them and
instead try to become wiser by using our knowledge properly. Wisdom is all about acting on our
knowledge properly and the only way to be wise like Luqman is to understand the principles advised by
him through Allah’s guidance. After all Allah didn’t mentioned many prophets, but chose to mention
Luqman.