Surah Luqman
Contents
A.L.M. [31:1]
These are signs of the Book full of wisdom, [31:2]
guidance and mercy for those who do good, [31:3]
those who pray regularly and give alms and who are certain of the hereafter; [31:4]
they are following guidance from their Lord, and they are the ones who thrive. [31:5]
But there are some people who vend amusing tales to lead astray from the way of God in the absence of knowledge, making a joke of it; there is a degrading punishment in store for them. [31:6]
When Our signs are read to one of them, he turns away arrogantly, as if he hadn’t heard, as if there were deafness in his ears; so announce a painful penalty to him. [31:7]
As for those who have faith and do good works, for them there are gardens of felicity, [31:8]
wherein they will abide, as a promise of God, which is true; as God is the almighty, the supremely wise, [31:9]
who created the skies without supports you can see, and set unshakable mountains on earth lest it quake with you all, and dispersed every kind of animal thereon. And We have showered water from the sky, propagating every precious species on earth, [31:10]
This is the creation of God: now show me what anyone else has created. No, the oppressors are in obvious error. [31:11]
We gave Luqman the wisdom to be grateful to God; and whoever is thankful gives thanks for the benefit of his own soul. And if anyone is ungrateful, well, God is free of all needs, worthy of all praise. [31:12]
Remember How Luqman said to his son, admonishing him, “My son, don’t associate anything with God, for idolatry is a tremendous error.” [31:13]
We have entrusted man with the care of his parents: his mother bore him, sapped and weakened, and his weaning takes two years: so be grateful to Me, and to your parents. The journey is to Me. [31:14]
If the two of them strive to have you associate what you have no knowledge of with Me, then do not obey them. But keep company with them courteously in this world, and follow the path of those who turn to Me: then it is to Me that you will return, and I will inform you of what you have been doing. [31:15]
“My son, be there the weight of a mustard seed, even be it in rock, or in the skies, or in the earth, God will bring it forth. For God is most subtle, thoroughly aware. [31:16]
“My son, pray regularly, enjoin what is fair and forbid the unacceptable. And be constant no matter what happens to you; for that is of the resolve that determines affairs. [31:17]
“And don’t be contemptuous toward people, and don’t swagger around on earth: for God loves no pompous braggart. [31:18]
“And moderate your stride, and lower your voice, for the most repulsive sound is surely the braying of an ass.” [31:19]
Haven’t you seen that God has made what is in the heavens and on earth subject to you, and has showered you with divine favor, outwardly and inwardly? Yet some people dispute about God without knowledge, without guidance, and without an enlightening Book. [31:20]
And when they are told, “Follow what God has revealed,” they say, “No, we will follow what we found our fathers devoted to.” What? Even if it is Satan inviting them to the torment of the blaze? [31:21]
Whoever submits his intention to God and is a doer of good has taken hold of the most trustworthy support, as the outcome of all affairs is up to God. [31:22]
And whoever disbelieves, don’t let their atheism grieve you. They will wind up before Us, and We will tell them about what they did. For God knows what is in hearts. [31:23]
We let them enjoy a little, then We drive them to a severe agony. [31:24]
If you asked them who created the heavens and the earth, they would surely say, “God.” Say, “All praise belongs to God.” But most of them don’t realize. [31:25]
Whatever is in the skies and on earth belongs to God: as for God, God is the absolutely independent, the supremely praiseworthy. [31:26]
Even if all the trees on earth were pens, and the ocean were augmented by seven more oceans, the words of God would not be exhausted; for God is infinitely powerful, infinitely wise. [31:27]
Your creation and your resurrection are but as those of a single being: surely God is all-hearing, all-seeing. [31:28]
Haven’t you seen that God makes night enter day and day enter night, and has subordinated the sun and the moon, each to run for a prescribed term; and that God is fully aware of what you are doing? [31:29]
That is because God is the truth, and whatever else they pray to is falsehood; and because God is most high, most comprehensive. [31:30]
Haven’t you seen that ships sail the sea by the grace of God, to show you some signs of the divine? Surely there are signs in that for everyone patient and thankful. [31:31]
And when surging waves cover them like canopies, they pray to God with sole devotion; then when We deliver them onto dry land, some of them take a moderate course; and no one rejects Our signs but every treacherous ingrate. [31:32]
People, be conscious of your Lord, and fear a day when a father cannot compensate for his son, and a son cannot compensate for his father in anything. For the promise of God is true: so don’t let worldly life beguile you, and don’t let illusion blind you to God. [31:33]
It is God who has the knowledge of the end of time, and who showers the rain, and who knows what is in the wombs. No soul knows what it will earn tomorrow, and no soul knows in what land it will die: but God is omniscient, completely aware. [31:34]