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Surah 31 · Meccan · 34 Verses

لقمان

SURAH LUQMAN

Luqman

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

1

الٓمٓ

Alif, Lām, Meem.1158

  1. [1158] See footnote to 2:1. ↩

2

تِلْكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ ٱلْحَكِيمِ

These are verses of the wise1159 Book,

  1. [1159] See footnote to 10:1. ↩

3

هُدًۭى وَرَحْمَةًۭ لِّلْمُحْسِنِينَ

As guidance and mercy for the doers of good

4

ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَهُم بِٱلْءَاخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ

Who establish prayer and give zakāh, and they, of the Hereafter, are certain [in faith].

5

أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ عَلَىٰ هُدًۭى مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ

Those are on [right] guidance from their Lord, and it is those who are the successful.

6

وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَشْتَرِى لَهْوَ ٱلْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍۢ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌۭ مُّهِينٌۭ

And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech1160 to mislead [others] from the way of Allāh without knowledge and who takes it [i.e., His way] in ridicule. Those will have a humiliating punishment.

  1. [1160] i.e., that which has no benefit. Described by different ṣaḥābah as shirk (association with Allāh), misleading stories, frivolous songs, or music but includes all which distracts or diverts one from the Qur’ān and remembrance of Allāh. ↩

7

وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ ءَايَٰتُنَا وَلَّىٰ مُسْتَكْبِرًۭا كَأَن لَّمْ يَسْمَعْهَا كَأَنَّ فِىٓ أُذُنَيْهِ وَقْرًۭا ۖ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ

And when Our verses are recited to him, he turns away arrogantly as if he had not heard them, as if there was in his ears deafness. So give him tidings of a painful punishment.

8

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّٰتُ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds - for them are the Gardens of Pleasure,

9

خَٰلِدِينَ فِيهَا ۖ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقًّۭا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ

Wherein they abide eternally; [it is] the promise of Allāh [which is] truth. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

10

خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍۢ تَرَوْنَهَا ۖ وَأَلْقَىٰ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ رَوَٰسِىَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍۢ ۚ وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۭ فَأَنۢبَتْنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوْجٍۢ كَرِيمٍ

He created the heavens without pillars that you see and has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it should shift with you, and dispersed therein from every creature. And We sent down rain from the sky and made grow therein [plants] of every noble kind.

11

هَٰذَا خَلْقُ ٱللَّهِ فَأَرُونِى مَاذَا خَلَقَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦ ۚ بَلِ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ فِى ضَلَٰلٍۢ مُّبِينٍۢ

This is the creation of Allāh. So show Me what those other than Him have created. Rather, the wrongdoers are in clear error.

12

وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا لُقْمَٰنَ ٱلْحِكْمَةَ أَنِ ٱشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌۭ

And We had certainly given Luqmān wisdom [and said], "Be grateful to Allāh." And whoever is grateful is grateful for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever denies [His favor] - then indeed, Allāh is Free of need and Praiseworthy.

13

وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَٰنُ لِٱبْنِهِۦ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُۥ يَٰبُنَىَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌۭ

And [mention, O Muḥammad], when Luqmān said to his son while he was instructing him, "O my son, do not associate [anything] with Allāh. Indeed, association [with Him] is great injustice."

14

وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُۥ وَهْنًا عَلَىٰ وَهْنٍۢ وَفِصَٰلُهُۥ فِى عَامَيْنِ أَنِ ٱشْكُرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَيْكَ إِلَىَّ ٱلْمَصِيرُ

And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination.

15

وَإِن جَٰهَدَاكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن تُشْرِكَ بِى مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌۭ فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَا ۖ وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًۭا ۖ وَٱتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَىَّ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge,1161 do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me [in repentance]. Then to Me will be your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do.

  1. [1161] See footnote to 29:8. ↩

16

يَٰبُنَىَّ إِنَّهَآ إِن تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍۢ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍۢ فَتَكُن فِى صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ أَوْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا ٱللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌۭ

[And Luqmān said], "O my son, indeed if it [i.e., a wrong] should be the weight of a mustard seed and should be within a rock or [anywhere] in the heavens or in the earth, Allāh will bring it forth. Indeed, Allāh is Subtle1162 and Aware.

  1. [1162] Refer to footnote of 6:103. ↩

17

يَٰبُنَىَّ أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأْمُرْ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱنْهَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَصَابَكَ ۖ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ ٱلْأُمُورِ

O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is of the matters [requiring] resolve.1163

  1. [1163] For the reason that they are enjoined by Allāh. ↩

18

وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍۢ فَخُورٍۢ

And do not turn your cheek [in contempt] toward people1164 and do not walk through the earth exultantly. Indeed, Allāh does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful.

  1. [1164] Rather, respect them by directing your face and attention to them. ↩

19

وَٱقْصِدْ فِى مَشْيِكَ وَٱغْضُضْ مِن صَوْتِكَ ۚ إِنَّ أَنكَرَ ٱلْأَصْوَٰتِ لَصَوْتُ ٱلْحَمِيرِ

And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice; indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the voice of donkeys."

20

أَلَمْ تَرَوْا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُۥ ظَٰهِرَةًۭ وَبَاطِنَةًۭ ۗ وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُجَٰدِلُ فِى ٱللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍۢ وَلَا هُدًۭى وَلَا كِتَٰبٍۢ مُّنِيرٍۢ

Do you not see that Allāh has made subject to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth and amply bestowed upon you His favors, [both] apparent and unapparent? But of the people is he who disputes about Allāh without knowledge or guidance or an enlightening Book [from Him].

21

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ قَالُوا۟ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَآ ۚ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ يَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ

And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allāh has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that upon which we found our fathers." Even if Satan was inviting them to the punishment of the Blaze?

22

۞ وَمَن يُسْلِمْ وَجْهَهُۥٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌۭ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ ۗ وَإِلَى ٱللَّهِ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلْأُمُورِ

And whoever submits his face [i.e., self] to Allāh while he is a doer of good - then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold. And to Allāh will be the outcome of [all] matters.

23

وَمَن كَفَرَ فَلَا يَحْزُنكَ كُفْرُهُۥٓ ۚ إِلَيْنَا مَرْجِعُهُمْ فَنُنَبِّئُهُم بِمَا عَمِلُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌۢ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ

And whoever has disbelieved - let not his disbelief grieve you. To Us is their return, and We will inform them of what they did. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing of that within the breasts.

24

نُمَتِّعُهُمْ قَلِيلًۭا ثُمَّ نَضْطَرُّهُمْ إِلَىٰ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍۢ

We grant them enjoyment for a little; then We will force them to a massive punishment.

25

وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُ ۚ قُلِ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

And if you asked them, "Who created the heavens and earth?" they would surely say, "Allāh." Say, "[All] praise is [due] to Allāh"; but most of them do not know.

26

لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ

To Allāh belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth. Indeed, Allāh is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy.

27

وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَٰمٌۭ وَٱلْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُۥ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍۢ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَٰتُ ٱللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words1165 of Allāh would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise.

  1. [1165] See footnote to 18:109. ↩

28

مَّا خَلْقُكُمْ وَلَا بَعْثُكُمْ إِلَّا كَنَفْسٍۢ وَٰحِدَةٍ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌۢ بَصِيرٌ

Your creation and your resurrection will not be but as that of a single soul.1166 Indeed, Allāh is Hearing and Seeing.

  1. [1166] The re-creation and resurrection of one or of all is accomplished with equal ease by Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). ↩

29

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُولِجُ ٱلَّيْلَ فِى ٱلنَّهَارِ وَيُولِجُ ٱلنَّهَارَ فِى ٱلَّيْلِ وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ كُلٌّۭ يَجْرِىٓ إِلَىٰٓ أَجَلٍۢ مُّسَمًّۭى وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌۭ

Do you not see [i.e., know] that Allāh causes the night to enter the day and causes the day to enter the night and has subjected the sun and the moon, each running [its course] for a specified term, and that Allāh, of whatever you do, is Aware?

30

ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَأَنَّ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ ٱلْبَٰطِلُ وَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْكَبِيرُ

That is because Allāh is the True Reality, and that what they call upon1167 other than Him is falsehood, and because Allāh is the Most High, the Grand.

  1. [1167] In worship. ↩

31

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ ٱلْفُلْكَ تَجْرِى فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ بِنِعْمَتِ ٱللَّهِ لِيُرِيَكُم مِّنْ ءَايَٰتِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَءَايَٰتٍۢ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍۢ شَكُورٍۢ

Do you not see that ships sail through the sea by the favor of Allāh that He may show you of His signs? Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful.

32

وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُم مَّوْجٌۭ كَٱلظُّلَلِ دَعَوُا۟ ٱللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ ٱلدِّينَ فَلَمَّا نَجَّىٰهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْبَرِّ فَمِنْهُم مُّقْتَصِدٌۭ ۚ وَمَا يَجْحَدُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآ إِلَّا كُلُّ خَتَّارٍۢ كَفُورٍۢ

And when waves come over them like canopies, they supplicate Allāh, sincere to Him in religion [i.e., faith]. But when He delivers them to the land, there are [some] of them who are moderate [in faith]. And none rejects Our signs except everyone treacherous and ungrateful.

33

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ٱتَّقُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ وَٱخْشَوْا۟ يَوْمًۭا لَّا يَجْزِى وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِۦ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا ۚ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّۭ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْغَرُورُ

O mankind, fear your Lord and fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all. Indeed, the promise of Allāh is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allāh by the Deceiver [i.e., Satan].

34

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ عِلْمُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ وَيُنَزِّلُ ٱلْغَيْثَ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِى ٱلْأَرْحَامِ ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌۭ مَّاذَا تَكْسِبُ غَدًۭا ۖ وَمَا تَدْرِى نَفْسٌۢ بِأَىِّ أَرْضٍۢ تَمُوتُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌۢ

Indeed, Allāh [alone] has knowledge of the Hour and sends down the rain and knows what is in the wombs.1168 And no soul perceives what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul perceives in what land it will die. Indeed, Allāh is Knowing and Aware.

  1. [1168] i.e., every aspect of the fetus' present and future existence. ↩

About This Surah

Surah Luqman combines Quranic guidance with a parent’s counsel: reject idolatry, show gratitude, honor parents without obeying pressure toward false worship, remain aware of hidden deeds, establish prayer, encourage right, resist wrong, endure, avoid arrogance, walk moderately, and lower the voice. Creation signs and the limits of human knowledge frame this practical wisdom. Parenting here guides without claiming control over a child’s final choices.

Luqman opens by describing the Quran as wisdom and guidance for people whose prayer, charity, and certainty shape conduct. Empty or misleading speech is criticized when it turns people away from God without knowledge; the passage should not be used as a blanket ban on music, storytelling, humor, or art without qualified interpretation.

The central counsel begins with gratitude and the rejection of idolatry. Parental rights are emphasized through the mother’s hardship, yet obedience has a clear limit when parents pressure a child toward false worship. Even then, good companionship in worldly life remains required. This supports respectful boundaries rather than either coercive parenting or casual cruelty toward parents.

Luqman teaches that even a mustard-seed-sized deed hidden in rock or the heavens remains known to God. Prayer, encouraging right, resisting wrong, patience, humility, measured walking, and a lowered voice then form an integrated ethic. Parenting is modeled through address and counsel, not a promise that correct words mechanically determine another person’s faith or future.

The closing points to creation, ships, seas of ink, human creation and resurrection, night and day, sun and moon, and deliverance at sea. Five matters of future knowledge are reserved to God. The verse should not be used to deny responsible forecasting, medical monitoring, or weather science; it denies exhaustive independent knowledge of the unseen. No horoscope, psychic claim, dream system, or date-setting practice gains support from it.

Core Themes

  • Wisdom embodied in prayer and charity
  • Gratitude and exclusive worship
  • Parental honor with moral boundaries
  • Hidden deeds within divine knowledge
  • Humility in speech and movement
  • The unseen beyond exhaustive human control

Structure

Verses 1–11: wisdom, guidance, and creation — 1-11

Guidance, prayer, charity, certainty, misleading speech, arrogant refusal, reward, and created signs establish the contrast between responsible wisdom and unsupported assertion.

Verses 12–19: Luqman’s counsel — 12-19

Gratitude, monotheism, parents, moral boundaries, hidden deeds, prayer, social responsibility, patience, humility, walking, and voice form the chapter’s practical center.

Verses 20–30: blessings, argument, and cosmic signs — 20-30

Visible and hidden blessings, inherited custom, secure devotion, rejected truth, trees and seas as words, human resurrection, celestial cycles, ships, and distress at sea deepen dependence.

Verses 31–34: gratitude and knowledge limits — 31-34

Deliverance, warning, parental and filial limits on the Day, worldly deception, and divine knowledge of final realities conclude the surah.

Reading Guide

Read parental honor with its explicit limit

Good treatment remains, but obedience does not include pressure toward false worship. Boundaries and companionship must be considered together. Keep the cited context and stated safety limits visible.

Treat the counsel as formation, not control

Luqman advises with affection and moral sequence. The passage does not promise that ideal parenting can determine every adult child’s beliefs or life.

Do not turn misleading speech into a casual art ban

The target is speech used to divert without knowledge. Broader rulings about music and art require qualified analysis beyond a summary.

Distinguish unseen knowledge from responsible prediction

Medical testing, weather forecasts, and planning use evidence and probability. They are not claims to exhaustive independent knowledge of the unseen.

Key Passages

Gratitude, parents, and boundaries — 12-15

Gratitude to God and parents is emphasized through maternal hardship, yet obedience stops at pressure toward false worship. Respectful companionship continues despite real theological difference. Read the cited verses as a unit; their immediate argument does not become a stand-alone ruling, diagnosis, prediction, or guaranteed result.

The mustard-seed deed — 16

A deed hidden in rock, heaven, or earth remains within divine knowledge. The image teaches accountability and subtle awareness, not surveillance power for parents or authorities. Read the cited verses as a unit; their immediate argument does not become a stand-alone ruling, diagnosis, prediction, or guaranteed result.

Prayer, moral courage, and humility — 17-19

Prayer, encouragement of right, resistance to wrong, patience, avoidance of arrogance, moderate movement, and a lowered voice form a balanced public ethic. Read the cited verses as a unit; their immediate argument does not become a stand-alone ruling, diagnosis, prediction, or guaranteed result.

Words beyond oceans of ink — 27

Trees as pens and multiplied seas as ink cannot exhaust God’s words. The image communicates inexhaustibility without providing a literal physical calculation. Read the cited verses as a unit; their immediate argument does not become a stand-alone ruling, diagnosis, prediction, or guaranteed result.

Final responsibility and unseen knowledge — 33-34

No parent or child can carry the other on the final day, and exhaustive knowledge of the Hour and future realities belongs to God. The passage rejects fortune-telling, not evidence-based planning. Read the cited verses as a unit; their immediate argument does not become a stand-alone ruling, diagnosis, prediction, or guaranteed result.

Recitation Note

No exclusive time, fixed repetition count, or guaranteed worldly outcome is asserted here for reciting Surah Luqman. Reading it is worship and study; any separate claim about protection, healing, marriage, children, provision, or success requires independently verified evidence and narrow wording.

Interpretation Limits

  • Parental honor does not require obedience to abuse, coercion, or false worship.
  • The misleading-speech passage must not become an unsupported blanket ruling on all art or music.
  • Parenting counsel does not guarantee control of a child’s faith, marriage, or future.
  • Verse 31:34 does not forbid evidence-based medicine, weather forecasting, or prudent planning.

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Sources