As Muslims, Allah (God) (SWT) revealed the Quran to us to live a life that is full of success, tranquility, satisfaction and happiness. Allah says in Surat Luqman “These are verses of the Book of Wisdom. A guidance and a mercy for the doers of goodness. Those who keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and they are certain of the hereafter. These are on a guidance from their Lord, and these are they who are successful” [31:2-5]. Besides this wonderful introduction that urges people to pray, fast, and give charity, Allah (s w t) provides in the same Surat many invaluable and practical commandments that if we, as human beings, follow and put into practice, might never go astray neither in this worldly life nor in the hereafter. Allah shows how vital and effective these commandments are when He mentions the story of Luqman and his son.
These commandments are not exclusively addressing Luqman’s son, but rather they are revealed to the entire humanity, in a bet to live in harmony by practicing these guidelines in our daily lives. I strongly believe that putting these teachings into practice will make our own lives better and happier. So, what are these teachings and guidelines that Luqman (RA) recommended to his son?
Do not associate Allah (God) with anything or anyone,
Allah says in Surat Luqman “And when Luqman said to his son while he admonished him: O my son! do not associate aught with Allah; most surely polytheism is a grievous iniquity”[31:13]
One of the major sins that Allah never forgives is making association with Him. The holy Quran is full of numerous verses that talks about the concept of monotheism. Taking into account the order of these commandments, we apparently see that Allah has put the concept of the oneness of God at the top of this list. This shows that Allah (swt) is the only one who is worth to be worshipped. Not only this, but Allah warns that making companions with Him is a great transgression.
Be obedient to your parents as long as they are not forcing you to make partners with Allah
And We have enjoined man in respect of his parents– his mother bears him with faintings upon faintings and his weaning takes two years”[31:14]
Satisfying and pleasing our parents is one of the pivotal roles that we, as sons or daughters, should happily carry out in this worldly life. No one of us could deny the unfinished help that we got from our parents from the day we started crawling. For this reason, Allah insists on obeying our parents and treating them in the best way for the sake of making them cheerful. The parents, especially our mothers are the people who deserve most to be treated kindly and affectionately. They are the only persons who paved our ways and kept guiding us in the right path.
Perform your prayer on time
Luqman advises his son and says “Keep up the prayer, my son” [31:17].
It is not the only or first time that Quran talks about performing prayer on time. Throughout the holy Quran, you will find that Allah talks about performing prayer on a regular basis using hundreds of verses. It is the only link that we, as servants of Allah, use to call upon Him to make our supplications accepted and ask for guidance. It is the link that makes us feel that we are not alone and there is Someone Who stands by us in times of ease and hardships. Prayer is the only spiritual opportunity where someone can ask His Lord to offer him with a day to day assistance and guidance.
Guide people to what is good and forbid them from what is evil
Allah says “and enjoin the good and forbid the evil.” [31:17]
After performing our prayers and strengthening the link that constantly relates us with our Lord, Allah moves on to show how important helping and guiding other people are. This is the same thing that our prophet Muhammed (PBUH) talks about it in one of his famous authentic Hadith. The prophet says “”None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.” [Bukhari & Muslim]. To live a life of peace, Allah insists on us to always give a helping hand to those who are in need and offer them with our guidance whenever it is possible.
Be patient
About being patient Luqman says in this Surat “and bear patiently that which befalls you; surely these acts require courage” [31:17].
As human beings we usually go through many calamities, hardships and difficulties. It is the decree of Allah that we should not oppose or object. A true believer is the one who accepts the decree of Allah whether it is good or bad. Allah has created us and promised us that He will test and try us to check our Imaan (faith) [29:2-3].This worldly life is merely a test that we should carefully deal with it, and patience is one of the effective keys that we can use to deal with those hardships until the last minute of our lives.
Be humble
When it comes to humbleness Allah says “And do not turn your face away from people in contempt, nor go about in the land exulting overmuch; surely Allah does not love any self-conceited boaster[31:18]
Being humble is one of the most central qualities that Islam insists on maintaining. People will never gather around someone who is arrogant or boastful. All the prophets peace be upon them delivered their message with humility and that was the reason why a lot of people followed them and believed in their message that Allah trust them with.
For people who are seeking wisdom, this chapter of the Quran presents a valuable reference for you to attain that wisdom and have a full understanding of the reality of this worldly life.
