How Luqman’s Advice Can Transform Your Parenting Journey

Note: The following transcript was generated using AI and may contain inaccuracies.You complain that they don't pray, you complain that they don't fast, you complain that they're outside all night.

And they say sometimes, "As long as you love them, that's it."

No! If you truly loved them, then you would advise them, and you will all be asked:

What did you teach your son? What did you teach your daughter?

You were sending him off to different camps, in different environments, to learn things that go against the message of Islam.

لقمان is a figure whose wisdom offers us tremendous benefit and noble advice, and he had a clear method in calling to الله سبحانه وتعالى and a clear method in raising children.

Let's take this example from لقمان to understand how to teach our children from an early age.

الحمد لله رب العالمين، والعاقبة للمتقين، ولا عدوان إلا على الظالمين، وأصلي وأسلم على المبعوث رحمة للعالمين، نبينا محمد، وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم أجمعين.

أما بعد،

رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي، وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي، وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِي يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته،

my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to this, إن شاء الله تعالى، lecture that we will be having today, بإذن الله عز وجل.

And I'm actually really happy to be doing this lecture because it's a lecture based on verses from the Book of الله سبحانه وتعالى—verses from the Book of الله سبحانه وتعالى—and there's nothing more beneficial a person can engage in than engaging with the speech of الله سبحانه وتعالى.

The speech of الله that He sent down to His Messenger ﷺ, to heal what is in the hearts, to guide the people, to help them, and to make them distinguish between what is right and what is wrong—the best of speech:

وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللَّهِ قِيلًا وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حَدِيثًا

And therefore, it is my conviction that the best thing a person can occupy his time with is to study علم كتاب الله—the knowledge of الله سبحانه وتعالى’s Book—the knowledge of الله سبحانه وتعالى and His Book, and to read it continuously, to ponder over its meanings, and to understand it according to one's ability.

And whenever one does so, then that time he has spent doing so is not wasted; rather, it is time gained—in reward, in rank, and in status with الله سبحانه وتعالى.

And one of the things that comes to mind when we are talking about التفسير, when we are talking about the Book of الله سبحانه وتعالى and engaging with the Book of الله, is a statement—or rather, something ابن تيمية رحمه الله تعالى wrote in one of his letters.

It is narrated by ابن عبد الهادي رحمه الله تعالى—he was his student—in his book العقود الدرية.

He mentions there that ابن تيمية رحمه الله تعالى during his final times, أكب على القرآن—he went and studied and busied himself with the Qur’ān.

And he said, as per this letter that he wrote—which ابن عبد الهادي رحمه الله تعالى was able to see—he said there:

"فتح لي في القرآن أشياء لم أكن أعرفها."

I'm paraphrasing now, but the شيخ says:

"I’ve understood things from the Qur’ān as I’m reading it and writing about it in this time when I’m in jail."

Because he was jailed during his final times.

ابن تيمية رحمه الله تعالى was jailed.

So during this time, he said:

"Doors have been opened to me in terms of understanding the Qur’ān that were previously closed to me—previously closed to me."

And he said—and this is what is really profound—he said that, "I regret the time I spent on other topics and the time I spent away from the Qur’an."

And bear in mind that ابن تيمية رحمه الله تعالى is a scholar who is one of the most knowledgeable scholars of the Qur’an. Rather, he had a مجلس تفسير—a gathering in تفسير—every Friday in the مسجد, where he would make تفسير of the Qur’an.

And those who attended this حلقة, this gathering, would say that ابن تيمية رحمه الله تعالى would close his eyes and start speaking in تفسير—explaining the verses of الله سبحانه وتعالى—as if the floodgates of an ocean had been opened.

And he only stopped speaking whenever he feared that the people might get tired, bored, or distracted. If not, he would have been able to continue.

They also said that what we understood from his classes was that he never prepared them. Rather, he used to speak from whatever الله سبحانه وتعالى made easy for him.

And this shows you that a scholar such as ابن تيمية رحمه الله تعالى, who was able to do this and was gifted by الله سبحانه وتعالى with this deep understanding of His Book, still said, "I wish I had spent more time with the Qur’an."

And that shows me and you that we are also in need of studying the Qur’an and understanding the verses of الله سبحانه وتعالى.

Luqman the Wise

Today, I want to share with you the profound example of لقمان الحكيم—Luqman the Wise.

لقمان is a figure whose wisdom offers us tremendous benefit and noble advice. He had a clear منهج—a clear method—in calling to الله سبحانه وتعالى, in raising children, and in educating future generations.

The advice of لقمان is a treasure.

It teaches us about الله سبحانه وتعالى, how we are to remind people, and how we are to raise our children.

And الله سبحانه وتعالى made this man a part of the Qur’an.

Rather, He made his speech—the advice he gave to his son—a part of the Qur’an.

الله سبحانه وتعالى valued these words so much that He made them a part of His Book. From verse 12 in Surah Luqman until verse 19, we find the advice of لقمان to his son.

And that's why الحسن البصري رحمه الله تعالى said:

"May Allah have mercy on Luqman. He was an Ethiopian slave, yet Allah made his speech a part of the Qur’an."

وَحَسْبُكَ بِذَٰلِكَ

الله سبحانه وتعالى chose a man’s words and made them part of His final miracle to the Messenger ﷺ—the best of His books, the greatest of His books, the miracle that the Arabs of Quraysh—and, up until now, all of mankind—have never been able to match.

This shows you the virtue of لقمان رحمه الله تعالى ورضي عنه—that he was a man of great honor and great rank with الله سبحانه وتعالى.

The Value of Luqman's Advice

One of the beautiful things said about this advice, in particular, is what الإمام أبو الوليد الباجي رحمه الله تعالى mentioned in his book, النصيحة الولدية (The Fatherly Advice).

After giving a lot of advice to his sons on how they should live their lives, he said:

"فَإِن فَقَدْتُمَا وَصِيَّتِي هَذِهِ وَنَسِيتُمَا مَعْنَاهَا فَعَلَيْكُمَا بِمَا ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي وَصِيَّةِ لُقْمَانَ لِابْنِهِ، فَإِنَّ فِيهَا جِمَاعَ الْخَيْرِ."

"If you lose my advice and forget its meaning, then hold firmly to what Allah has mentioned regarding the advice of Luqman to his son, for indeed, in it is all goodness."

And then he recited the verses that, إن شاء الله تعالى, we will be reciting today, بإذن الله عز وجل.

The Context of Surah Luqman

Surah لقمان is a مكية surah—it was revealed in مكة.

Some scholars have mentioned that الله سبحانه وتعالى chose to talk about لقمان in particular because he was a character known to قريش.

The Arabs of Quraysh knew about a man called لقمان and his wisdom.

He was so famous for his wisdom that even the Arabs of Mecca knew about him.

Therefore, they asked the Prophet ﷺ about him, and the Prophet ﷺ was given these verses, in part, to show that لقمان الحكيم—Luqman the Wise—الَّذِي تُعَظِّمُونَهُ أَنْتُمْ—whom you yourselves praise, was actually a caller to توحيد.

This becomes clear in the verses that are to come:

وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ لِابْنِهِ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ

"And [mention] when Luqman said to his son while advising him, 'O my son, do not associate anything with Allah...'"

So لقمان, whom you praise, venerate, and consider a wise and righteous man, in his wisdom, recognized the virtues of توحيد and the dangers of شرك.

The Themes of Surah Luqman

The entire chapter of لقمان revolves around major themes.

We can summarize the context of the Surah into two or three main categories

The first one is adab (character), and the second one is gratitude, and Allah سبحانه وتعالى says to Luqman:

أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ

To be thankful to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

And finally, how to call on to the religion of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. So, it emphasizes these three things.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى begins in the beginning of the surah by mentioning His creation. He says:

خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا وَأَلْقَى فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَنْ تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ

It is Allah سبحانه وتعالى who has raised the heavens without any visible support, and Allah سبحانه وتعالى has set firm mountains on the earth lest it should sway with you. And He has spread upon it all kinds of animals, and He sends down rain from the sky, causing every kind of beneficial plant to grow on earth.

And this is a لفتة, this is a reflection that we should take from these verses, which is to reflect upon Allah سبحانه وتعالى's creation. Look at how He raised the heavens without any visible support. Look at how He creates from the earth beneficial plants that we are in need of in our daily life, in our sustenance, in our رزق. Our animals need them. On the earth, Allah سبحانه وتعالى has placed mountains that are firmly anchored to stabilize them, allowing us to walk steadily and smoothly on this earth, and so on and so forth, right?

And all of these نِعَم, and all of this creation that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has created, afterwards Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

هَٰذَا خَلْقُ اللَّهِ فَأَرُونِي مَاذَا خَلَقَ الَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِ

This is the creation of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, so show me what those besides Him have created.

فَلِلظَّالِمُونَ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

And then what we also take from benefit is that humans, we as humans, should use our intellect, right? And through reflection and pondering over the creation, we should come to the realization that there is a خالق who made all of this.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى is talking to people from the عقل that He gave them, right? From the aspect of the عقل, the intellect that He gave them, and saying: Look at all of this. Can it be that anyone other than Allah سبحانه وتعالى has created it?

And if you see all of this and you acknowledge the fact that this is created by Allah سبحانه وتعالى, then show me what the other beings that you worship have created. Have they created something? Let me see it.

And if not, how can you make شرك? How can you ascribe partners to Him when He is the خالق, and these people, these beings, these statues, the sun, the moon, they have nothing in terms of خلق? They have nothing in terms of خلق.

And the benefit that we take from this also is that the structure in this verse teaches us how to utilize it in our دعوة—by addressing the understanding of people and guiding the people to their خالق by mentioning what they already acknowledge, right?

You guys are with me that there is no خالق other than Allah سبحانه وتعالى, that He exists, that He is the only one. And therefore, He deserves عبادة.

الخطاب للعقل—and that’s why Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in many a verse:

أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ

Do they not use their intellects?

As for لقمان الحكيم, Luqman the Wise, it is said that he was a Black man. He was a Black man.

سعيد بن المسيب رحمه الله تعالى used to praise and say to some of the people that used to study under him who were Black that لا عليك—there is no problem with you being Black.

Rather, three of the best of the people have been Black.

And he mentioned among them بلال بن رباح, and he also mentioned among them لقمان الحكيم.

And he said, as narrated by الإمام القرطبي رحمه الله تعالى, that Luqman was a Black man from Sudan of Egypt, meaning the Nubian part of Egypt, right?

And some of them have said rather, he was an Ethiopian slave. He was an Ethiopian slave, such as الحسن البصري رحمه الله تعالى and الموردي. Both of them mentioned that he was an Ethiopian slave, that he lived among بني إسرائيل.

He was also given wisdom, as stated by Allah سبحانه وتعالى clearly:

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ

الحكمة means here intelligence and knowledge and the ability to act upon his knowledge and be correct in different matters.

And this knowledge, or this wisdom that Allah سبحانه وتعالى mentions here, He says that He is the one who gave it to him.

And the correct opinion, according to the scholars, is that he was a wise man and he was not a prophet.

He was not a prophet, rather they say he was a judge in the time of نبي الله داوود عليه السلام, and داوود used to seek his counsel and seek his advice regarding different issues of ruling on his people—the people of بني إسرائيل.

This is according to the majority of the scholars. Some of the scholars have said that he was a prophet, but the majority of the scholars are upon the opinion that he was not a prophet. He was not a messenger, rather he was a righteous man, a wise man that Allah سبحانه وتعالى gave wisdom.

One of the beautiful things is that we have certain narrations from لقمان الحكيم that are obviously not in the Qur’an, but the scholars mentioned them in their books of تفسير or the books of زهد—meaning asceticism and so on and so forth.

And they mentioned certain narrations.

One of them is a beautiful one where his slave master once said to him, “Slaughter this sheep and bring the two best parts of it.” So he went and did it, and then he brought back the heart and the tongue.

Then he said to him again, “Slaughter this sheep and bring me the two worst parts in it.” And he did it, and he brought back the heart and the tongue, right?

So both times, he would bring what? The heart and the tongue.

And according to لقمان, he says here, after having been asked and put to the task by his master, “Both of the times, you brought me the heart and the tongue.”

And he says, “There’s nothing better than these if they are good, and there’s nothing worse than these if they are bad,” meaning that it's relative. It depends—if they are good, then they are the best thing in the body, and if they go bad, then they are the worst thing in the body.

So the heart and the tongue are the most beautiful parts of you, and they can also be the worst part of you as well.

And this is something that is emphasized in our entire religion.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"إن في الجسد مضغة إذا صلحت صلح الجسد كله، وإذا فسدت فسد الجسد كله، ألا وهي القلب"

“There is a piece of flesh in the body:

إذا صلحت—if it becomes good, if it is good—صلح الجسد كله—the whole body is good.

وإذا فسدت—if it goes bad—فسد الجسد كله—the whole body becomes bad.

ألا وهي القلب—That is the heart.”

And the heart, especially in the texts of the شريعة, in Islam, in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, you'll find there’s an emphasis—an emphasis on the heart and its condition:

يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ، إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ

On that day—meaning the Day of Judgment—لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ—wealth or children will not benefit a person,

إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ—except the person who comes with a healthy heart.

So what is the healthy heart?

ابن القيم رحمه الله تعالى has a statement where he says that the healthy heart is the heart that obeys its Rabb سبحانه وتعالى:

"الذي سلم من الشرك والبدع والمعاصي"

The heart that is free from الشرك—polytheism, worshipping idols,

والبدع—innovations in the religion of Allah سبحانه وتعالى,

والمعاصي—sins.

"فهذا هو القلب الذي قد سلم لربه"

This is the قلب—the heart—that has submitted itself to its Rabb سبحانه وتعالى.

"ولم تبق فيه منازع لأمره"

And it does not rebel against His command سبحانه وتعالى.

It is the heart that is fully content with worshipping its Rabb.

"لا تعارض أمره ولا تعارض خبره"

It does not go against His أمر—His command—and it does not go against what He has informed the people in terms of خبر—information, in terms of عقيدة—issues of creed.

"فهذا هو القلب السليم"

He says, “This is the heart that is سليم—that is healthy.”

And we find the scholars mentioning that the heart is obviously the leader of the body, and by rectifying the heart, the whole body follows.

As mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ, correcting the matters of the leader—meaning the heart—leads a person to correcting the whole of the body.

And that is done by being wary of two things:

The diseases of the heart stem from two things:

1. Desires (الشهوات)

2. Doubts (الشبهات)

وهذه—these two are the entrance points to Shaytan.

Shaytan comes to a person either by شهوات—knowing that this is a person who is naturally inclined towards following his desires, so he comes from that angle—

or the person is inclined towards شبهات, right? Meaning doubts in the deen, and the angle that Shaytan would come from then is that one.

ولذلك, a person must rectify his heart by first and foremost recognizing the diseases of the heart and then working day and night, striving to correct them by returning back to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

And one of the best ways to do that is through the Qur’an.

The Qur’an, as we mentioned in the beginning, is the miracle of the Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, and from its miracles is that:

وَيَشْفِي صُدُورَ قَوْمٍ مُّؤْمِنِينَ

Allah سبحانه وتعالى, by the Qur’an, heals the hearts of the believers, right?

إِنَّ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ يَهْدِي لِلَّتِي هِيَ أَقْوَمُ

It leads to the best and straightest path.

And Allah سبحانه وتعالى also said:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُم مَّوْعِظَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِّمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ

شفاء لما في الصدور—it heals the illnesses and sicknesses that are in the heart.

So we benefit from this statement of لقمان الحكيم رحمه الله تعالى ورضي عنه that the heart is something we need to work on day and night.

Otherwise, the darkness that is inherent within the heart will take over it.

And one of the worst things that happens to a person is when the heart goes black, as mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ, that every time a person commits a sin, a black dot is placed on that person’s heart.

فَإِن تَابَ—if the person repents and leaves off the sin, it vanishes.

And if he continues on that path, then for every sin, there is a new dot, until the whole heart becomes black.

And one of the most dangerous things about this is:

"لَا يَعْرِفُ مَعْرُوفًا وَلَا يُنكِرُ مُنكَرًا"

He does not recognize truth from falsehood.

He does not recognize right from wrong.

Rather, everything is عادي—everything is okay for him—because his heart is dead now.

And ابن القيم رحمه الله تعالى has a beautiful statement where he says:

“A true man does not fear the death of his body; rather, he fears the death of his heart.

The death of the body—the person doesn’t fear it. Why?

Because:

"هذا حاصل لا محالة"—this life is going to end.

"كل نفس ذائقة الموت"—every soul shall taste death.

However, the death of the heart—its consequences are much worse.

Because if the heart dies, then the next life, the آخرة, has been lost.”

والعاقل يقدم الباقي على الفاني

The intellectual person prioritizes the eternal life over the limited earthly life.

So this is a benefit from Luqman, and we'll continue on.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى depicted and described Luqman Al-Hakeem with حكمة—wisdom.

And when he—as some of the scholars say—ما الذي أتى بهذا الحكمة—what is it that caused Luqman to be a حكيم?

He was asked, and he says here:

A man who knew Luqman before saw him and said:

"Aren’t you the slave who tended to the sheep yesterday?"

Meaning that yesterday, you were a person who tended to the sheep—you were a slave.

And now, today, you're not a slave anymore; rather, Allah سبحانه وتعالى has raised you and has given you honor and authority.

How come?

And then he said:

"Allah سبحانه وتعالى... Allah سبحانه وتعالى... قدر الله سبحانه وتعالى... fulfilling my promises, speaking truthfully, and avoiding that which does not concern me."

That which does not concern me.

We take a lot of benefits from this statement of Luqman رحمه الله تعالى.

1. It Doesn’t Matter How You Begin

First and foremost, we take that it doesn’t matter how you begin.

As per the story of Luqman, his life began as a slave.

However, that’s not where his life ended up.

Rather, his life ended—if you zoom out a little bit—you’ll see that his life ended in the best of ways.

Why?

Because Allah سبحانه وتعالى preserved his advice for us in the Qur’an.

And what is more honorable than that?

2. Attributing Blessings to Allah

We also take from the benefits of this statement that we must attribute our نعم—our blessings—to Allah سبحانه وتعالى first and foremost.

Even if there are causes behind them, the first cause and the first one to be thanked is none other than Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

ولذلك هو أول شيء—what did Luqman do in the beginning?

نسب النعمة إلى الله سبحانه وتعالى—he attributed the blessing to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

He mentioned that the نعمة—the blessing—came from Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

Something He decreed for him.

ولله الحمد... ولله الحمد...

And that’s how we should be.

3. Not Forgetting Allah in Our Success

Sometimes, I see—personally—that we lack a little bit when it comes to this.

We forget to mention Allah سبحانه وتعالى when talking about our worldly successes, our progresses, and our نعم—our blessings.

Even though in reality, they are from Him سبحانه وتعالى.

They are in reality from Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

Therefore, we need to mention Him and be thankful to Him.

Right?

Sometimes we see people—وللأسف—unfortunately, they say:

"I got to my position today because I grinded, I worked hard, I did this, I did that..."

And they attribute their نعم to themselves.

If Allah سبحانه وتعالى did not help you, did not support you, did not guide you—

You would never achieve it. والله.

"وَلَا تَصَدَّقْنَا وَلَا صَلَّيْنَا"

If it were not for Allah سبحانه وتعالى, we would never have been guided.

"وَلَا تَصَدَّقْنَا"—and we would never have given charity.

"وَلَا صَلَّيْنَا"—and we would never have prayed.

Attributing the نعم to Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the first thing that should be on a person's lips.

4. The Three Golden Advices

Luqman also mentioned:

1. Fulfilling promises

2. Speaking truthfully

3. Avoiding that which does not concern you

These are beautiful pieces of advice that a person should live by.

5. The Importance of Truthfulness

Always speaking the حق.

"إِنَّ السِّدْقَ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْبِرِّ وَإِنَّ الْبِرَّ يَهْدِي إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ"

Truthfulness leads to Al-Birr.

And Al-Birr leads to Al-Jannah.

"وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيَصْدُقُ وَيَتَحَرَّى السِّدْقَ حَتَّى يُكْتَبَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ صِدِّيقًا"

A person continues to tell the truth and strives to be truthful, until he is written by Allah as a صدِّيق.

So a person should always make sure to tell the truth.

Sometimes, a person fears that telling the truth might harm him.

Might harm him in terms of the dunya.

But he doesn’t know that telling the truth might be the reason for his rescue and salvation عند الله سبحانه وتعالى.

وما قصة كعب بن مالك عنه ببعيد

And the story of Ka’b ibn Malik رضي الله عنه—the companion of the Prophet ﷺ—is not far from this.

6. Fulfilling Promises – A Trait of the Believers

He also mentioned fulfilling promises.

"وَهَذَا مِنْ صِفَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ"

This is from the hallmark traits of a believer—that you always fulfill your promises.

7. Avoiding What Does Not Concern You

And avoiding that which does not concern you, as the Messenger ﷺ said:

"مِنْ حُسْنِ إِسْلَامِ الْمَرْءِ تَرْكُهُ مَا لَا يَعْنِيهِ"

From the excellence of a person's Islam is that he leaves off what does not concern him.

"مِنْ حُسْنِ إِسْلَامِ الْمَرْءِ تَرْكُهُ مَا لَا يَعْنِيهِ"

8. Understanding Cause and Effect

We also benefit from this:

Even though the blessings are from Allah سبحانه وتعالى first and foremost,

And we attribute our blessings to Him سبحانه وتعالى,

However, everything has its reasons.

Everything has its reasons.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى is خالق الأسباب والمسببات.

He is the Creator of the asbab—the causes—and their effects.

So Allah سبحانه وتعالى, even though He is المنعم الأول,

Sometimes, we need to understand that there is a situation of causality.

There is cause, and there is effect.

Luqman here, he says what the reason is:

The reason is from Allah سبحانه وتعالى first and foremost.

But the way it happened—the means by which he achieved it—he mentioned.

Showing you, as a student of knowledge, as a Muslim,

That everything you do has consequences.

And if you want to achieve something great in life, even though it's from Allah ﷻ, then it also has its reasons, it also has its reasons.

Another example is a beautiful one by Malik ibn Anas, the great scholar, the great Imam, who said: "Knowledge does not come to you; you must go to it. Knowledge does not come to you; you must go to it."

And this shows you that everything has its reasons. A person should not expect to sit at home and somehow, some way, wake up in the middle of the night with his head and heart filled with knowledge. لا, you need to push, you need to strive, you need to work hard. You attribute the blessings to Allah ﷻ, but you need to do your part as well.

وَهَذَا هُوَ حَقِيقَةَ التَوَكُلِ—This is the reality of tawakul.

When you think about it, tawakul is not just saying that if Allah ﷻ wills it to happen, it will happen—that's a flawed understanding of tawakul.

Rather, tawakul is doing what you're obligated to do, using these reasons that Allah ﷻ has created, and then relying on Allah ﷻ for the results, relying upon Allah ﷻ for the results.

And this is beautifully mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, that he used to make this du'a every morning:

اللهم إني أسألك علما نافعا ورزقا طيبا وعملا متقبلا

"O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, good provision, and accepted deeds."

And when you think about it, these are the Messenger's goals for that day ﷺ, right? When you look at it, look at what he's asking for.

He's asking for beneficial knowledge—that's a مقصد يومي, that is something that you need to seek out every day.

رزقا طيبا—good provision, and that is also something that you're in need of every day. You need to be able to bring back رزق to whomever you're obligated to provide for—your family, your parents, whoever you need to provide for. You need to bring for them رزقا طيبا.

وعملا متقبلا—and accepted deeds. And this might be even the most important one, that every day, whatever you do in terms of worship, in terms of acting in obedience to Allah سبحانه وتعالى, you are in need of it being accepted by Him سبحانه وتعالى.

Not all actions are accepted. Rather, some of the salaf used to say:

"If I knew I just had one rak'ah or one sunnah prayer accepted, I would be very happy."

So these things are the goals that the Prophet ﷺ sets out for each day.

But what does he do in the beginning of the day?

After Fajr, after he's woken up from his night's sleep and prayed Sunnatul Fajr, and prayed the Fajr prayer in jama'ah with the Muslims, he makes du'a that Allah سبحانه وتعالى makes all of this easy for him.

Because he understands—and we should take benefit from this as well—he understands that this comes from Allah سبحانه وتعالى alone.

And then he goes out and seeks whatever he has made du'a for, whatever he has made du'a for.

Also, in terms of hikmah, Mujahid رحمه الله تعالى, the great scholar and companion of Ibn Abbas, the student of Ibn Abbas, the student of Ibn Abbas, he said:

"Al-Hikmah"—it means here intelligence, understanding, and correctness in speech—without prophethood.

Without prophethood, right?

He mentions three things:

He says "Al-‘Aql"—intelligence, knowledge, understanding things.

And also "Al-Fiqh"—understanding Islam, understanding how Allah سبحانه وتعالى should be worshipped.

And "Isabat fil Qawl"—الإصابة في القول, accuracy in speech.

الإصابة means to hit a target. And in terms of speaking, in terms of speaking, الإصابة في القول means to speak accurately.

And thus, Luqman Al-Hakim had the ability to choose the right words, at the right time, in the right place.

That is the meaning of hikmah.

Obviously, he said في غير النبوة, which we mentioned before, that Luqman was not a messenger, was not a prophet.

This is what is emphasized here by Mujahid رحمه الله تعالى.

And this narration is narrated by Imam Ahmad رحمه الله تعالى in his book Az-Zuhd, and also Al-Ajurri in his book Akhlaq Al-Ulama.

Ibn Qayyim رحمه الله تعالى emphasizes this point that we just made regarding Al-Hikmah.

He says:

"Al-Hikmah is to do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time."

And a lot of people don't understand this about hikmah.

Hikmah is one of the most important things that we are in need of every day.

And it's not just saying things that are correct, right?

"Akhi, I just said the haqq, I just said the truth."

But did you say it in a manner according to hikmah?

Did you say it at the right time?

Look at what they're saying. Ibn Qayyim says: to do the right thing.

So even if your speech is right, right? Let's say it's right—the right thing is to say الحق, you're saying the truth, you're citing the Qur’an, you're citing the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, you're quoting the scholars, right?

Is it in the right way that you're doing it?

Because Ibn Qayyim says: to do the right thing, in the right way, in the right manner.

That's a question that you need to ask yourself and be able to respond to in a satisfactory manner.

At the right time, also.

Sometimes you have to be wise enough to choose whenever you want to say something—is it an appropriate time to say this?

Sometimes you mention something that is secondary, and there's something that is more important that needs to be mentioned, right?

So all of this requires hikmah.

And that's why Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

ادْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ

"Call unto the way of your Lord with wisdom."

Allah سبحانه وتعالى—the first thing He mentions here is wisdom.

Wisdom.

You need wisdom to do da'wah, which we'll get to, إن شاء الله.

So as for fiqh, Luqman رضي الله عنه understood the importance of religious knowledge, and he also valued the intellect and the pursuit of knowledge.

And he was skilled in choosing the right words and speaking at the appropriate time, making his speech meaningful and impactful.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ

We benefit from this—that hikmah, wisdom—because Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ

"We gave Luqman hikmah, we granted him hikmah, which is wisdom."

That wisdom comes from Allah سبحانه وتعالى and not from human effort alone.

No matter how smart you are, no matter how intellectual you are, wisdom—being wise—is something that is given to you by Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

And there is a difference between hikmah and 'ilm—knowledge and wisdom.

And one of the differences is that a person who is given 'ilm by Allah سبحانه وتعالى is given knowledge, but no hikmah.

Sometimes he makes mistakes because he is unaware of how to apply the hikmah.

A person may receive knowledge, may study, may memorize, may memorize a lot of books.

However, this knowledge that he has locked within his heart, he lacks the tools to be able to apply it in the best of manners—to organize the knowledge, to apply the knowledge in the right place, at the right time.

Allah SWT mentions His name Al-Hakeem and Al-Aleem together to show that He possesses knowledge—He is Al-Aleem—and He is also Al-Hakeem.

Wisdom is about starting with the right thing, knowing how to prioritize in your daily life, especially in terms of ‘ilm (Islamic knowledge). Always focus on how to study. Hikmah (wisdom) here is to prioritize the first things first—the basics, the things that a beginner student is obviously in need of. Then, after mastering the basics, you continue on to more advanced knowledge. You don’t begin with advanced knowledge; you begin with the basics.

A wise person is someone who raises and teaches people starting with the fundamentals—meaning the basics of knowledge—before moving on to advanced knowledge.

Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala said:

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ

"And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom [and said], 'Be grateful to Allah.'"

وَمَن يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ

"And whoever is grateful, he is grateful for the benefit of himself."

From this, we learn the importance of gratitude—being thankful to Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala. Luqman was commanded to be grateful, and he fulfilled that command. Because of his gratitude, he became even wiser. The scholars regard gratitude as a means of preserving one's blessings from Allah.

‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz rahimahu Allah said:

قَيِّدُوا النِّعْمَةَ بِالشُّكْرِ

"Capture the blessings of Allah by being grateful to Him."

In other words, gratitude is how you keep Allah’s blessings with you. Gratitude is also a means of increasing blessings. Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala said:

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

"And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor].'"

Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahu Allah said that all of religion revolves around two things:

الشكر والصبر — gratitude and patience.

He explained that religion can be divided into two categories:

1. You are either grateful for what Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala has given you, or

2. You are patient with what Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala has decreed upon you.

Even when looking at Islamic commandments and prohibitions, you are either:

Grateful that Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala has given you something, or

Patient with what He has commanded you to do and to refrain from.

When you receive a blessing from Allah, you show gratitude for it. When a hardship befalls you due to Allah’s decree, you are patient with it. That is why Ibn al-Qayyim said that all of religion falls under these two principles.

Gratitude is not just about saying it with your tongue. First and foremost, you need to acknowledge the blessing of Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala within your heart. You should not believe that this blessing came solely from your efforts, striving, or intelligence. Rather, it is purely from Allah.

Then, you should express gratitude verbally by saying Alhamdulillah and Shukrulillah—praising Allah for His blessings. When people ask how you attained something, the first words from your tongue should be the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala. You should say, “This is from Allah.”

Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala mentions in the Quran:

وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلَا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ

"And we would not have been guided had Allah not guided us."

This is also evident in Surat Al-Kahf, in the story of the two men. One of them claimed that his garden was his own doing. He arrogantly entered his garden and, in his delusion, said:

"I do not think this will ever perish, and I do not think the Day of Judgment will ever come."

Thus, he denied Allah’s favors upon him.

A wise person—like Luqman—recognizes the blessings of Allah and is grateful for them. Moreover, gratitude is not just in words but also in obedience.

Allah commanded:

اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُودَ شُكْرًا

"Work, O family of Dawood, in gratitude."

Few of Allah’s servants are truly grateful. Gratitude is not just about saying thanks—it is about using the blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala in ways that are pleasing to Him.

A person who spends his salary on haram, drives his car to sinful places, or disobeys Allah using the blessings He has provided is not truly grateful. True gratitude is to obey Allah subhanahu wa ta‘ala with everything He has given you.

Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala begins mentioning the advice of Luqman by saying:

وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ لِابْنِهِ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ

"And mentioned when Luqman said to his son while he was instructing him: يَا بُنَيَّ and if you look at the structure or how Luqman begins the advice, you'd find a lot of benefits.

For example, Luqman says first and foremost يَعِظُهُ, and you understand from the word يَعِظُهُ that the verb is somehow continuous, meaning that we can understand from it and we can benefit from it that this is not just a one-off thing. Rather, Luqman seems to have a habit where he admonishes and advises his son continuously, أمره بالمعروف enjoining good وإنكار عن المنكر and warning against evil. This is an ongoing situation between Luqman and his son, meaning that Luqman is a present father who cares for his son and makes sure to always give him good advice.

And the son, we hope and we believe that he was a righteous son who accepted the advice of his father. And we understand from this also that there's an existing relationship; the advice did not come out of the blue. Rather, Luqman has cared for and nurtured his son from a young age, where the son is already close to the father. There's already a pre-existing relationship where Luqman's son is naturally inclined to listen to his father.

And we benefit from this, the role of the father as well in the family, in the nuclear family, to always be present, to always give good advice, to always advise his children with righteousness, with worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and protecting them and warning them from the evils of this world. And the father's righteousness is something that bleeds onto the children.

Even if the father sometimes is not present, right, if a father is present, without a shadow of a doubt, they see their father praying, they'll pray with him. They'll see their father go to the masjid, they'll go with him. They'll see their father reading the Quran in the house, they'll read the Quran with him, or they'll sit next to him and listen to him while he's reciting his Quran. So his presence as a righteous man in his house is, without a shadow of a doubt, very beneficial and very important.

However, the scholars say a beautiful thing, which is sometimes even if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has decreed that the father passes away and the children grow up without a father present, then that is also something that affects the children positively. Why? Because as long as he's righteous, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will protect those children, right?

وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَالِحًا

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said in Surah Al-Kahf:

وَأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَامَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ

As for that wall that they fixed, Musa and Al-Khidr, they fixed a wall in one of their travels together. The final thing that they did together, and Musa asks, "What is it with the wall?" and Al-Khidr responds and he says:

وَأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ that wall was owned by two orphans وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنْزًا لَهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَالِحًا, right? Under the wall was a treasure for them, and their father was a righteous man. Look at how Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is protecting the sons, even though the father is not really there anymore.

فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَن يَبْلُغَا أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنْزَهُمَا رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ

So even if the father is no longer present, even if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala takes the father away, right, if he was righteous, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala would protect the children instead.

So we understand that Luqman was a role model in his own home. He was a person that his son listened to, and he was a present man. And whenever he had something to say, his children would take his advice, and also that Luqman was persistent. He never gave up.

And Ibn Al-Qayyim, he says regarding this, the importance of—regarding the importance of parents advising their children and not just letting them do whatever they want in rahmah for them, right, out of mercy. Sometimes parents do what? They let their children do whatever they want, and they never discipline them, and they always give them whatever they desire, right?

He says:

"How many people have brought misery upon their own children, their precious ones, in this life and the next, by neglecting them, by not disciplining them, and instead encouraging them to follow their own whims and desires, thinking that they were honoring them, when in fact they were humiliating them? Thinking that they were being merciful to them, when in reality, they were harming them. They have not benefited from having children, and they have caused the child a loss in this life and the next. And if you think about the moral corruption among children, you will understand that in most cases, it is because of their parents."

And here, in Luqman Al-Hakim, the wise, we have a good role model in terms of raising our kids.

Also, the first word that comes out of the mouth of Luqman is what? He says يَا بُنَيَّ, "O my son," which is a term of endearment. He is calling out to him not with bad names: "You are so and so," "You never understand," "You are not intelligent enough," and so on. No, he says يَا بُنَيَّ.

And this is something that he repeats throughout these advices, as we will come to read إن شاء الله تعالى. He aims to open the doors—the door to his son's heart. So the son, when he hears يَا بُنَيَّ, obviously the first thing he would see is a person wishing well for him, so he would be more inclined to answer. And he begins by creating this beautiful environment for him.

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also said:

الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ

What is نصيحة?

النصيحة هي إرادة الخير للمنصوح له

Nasiha is that you wish well for the person you are advising.

And this is something سبحان الله—Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has made signs that indicate for a person whenever a person truly wants to advise you or truly wants to humiliate you.

Sometimes you feel from a person as he is advising you, "This person, ما شاء الله, even if I don't agree with him, even if I'm uncomfortable, I still feel that this person genuinely wants what is best for me."

And sometimes you feel that a person, even as he is advising you, you feel what? "This person, سبحان الله, I have a—" It's not obviously something that is clear-cut, but you get that feeling in your stomach, don't you? That this person is not really sincere right now.

And that is something that فطرةً (innately) causes you to turn away from it.

So النصيحة is إرادة الخير للمنصوح له.

And we get from this point from Luqman certain aspects we need to think about when it comes to نصيحة:

1. Good language, affectionate language, even if it's appropriate—if it's appropriate, obviously. يَا بُنَيَّ. If you are advising your brother, يَا أَخِي, and so on.

2. Creating a good environment when advising the person. Sometimes the recipient must feel comfortable.

And one of the best examples of this is when advising in front of people. A lot of mistakes people do is they advise you in front of everyone: "Akhi, fear Allah, don't do this, don't do that, you have no shame," and so on and so forth, advising you amongst everyone.

And one of the beautiful statements of Imam Ash-Shafi'i rahimahu Allah ta'ala is when he says:

تَعَمَّدْني بِنُصْحِكَ فِي انْفِرَادِي

وَجَنِّبْني النَّصِيحَةَ فِي الجَمَاعَةِ

فَإِنَّ النُّصْحَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ نَوْعٌ

مِنَ التَّوْبِيخِ لَا أَرْضَى اسْتِمَاعَهُ

وَإِنْ خَالَفْتَنِي وَعَصَيْتَ قَوْلِي

فَلَا تَجْزَعْ إِذَا لَمْ تُعْطَ طَاعَةَ

He says: تَعَمَّدْني بِنُصْحِكَ فِي انْفِرَادِي, when I'm alone, come and advise me.

Don't advise me in front of people. You see me sitting where there are a lot of people sitting, and then you start to advise me in front of them, why? He says:

تَعَمَّدْني بِنُصْحِكَ فِي انْفِرَادِي وَجَنِّبْني النَّصِيحَةَ فِي الجَمَاعَةِ

Don't advise me in front of the people.

فَإِنَّ النُّصْحَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ نَوْعٌ مِنَ التَّوْبِيخِ

To advise me in front of the people is a form of توبيخ, right? It's a form of telling off, you're telling me off right now.

I don't like to listen to it.

So this shows you that choose the right time, and we said it already, it's from the حكمة, that if you want to talk to someone, you choose from the right time and the right place and the right manners to do so.

You choose your times.

You choose your places.

You choose your words.

And then he said, sincere intentions.

So the first one was affectionate language, good language.

The second one was not doing so in front of the, creating a comfortable environment, meaning you don't do it in front of people and you don't do it when the person, the recipient, is uncomfortable.

And the third one is to have sincere intentions.

And this is something that we need to work on a lot, and always ask ourselves, even before advising a person:

Why am I doing this?

Is it for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

Is it because I want the best for this person?

Or is it because I just want to have a hold over this person?

I just want to be able to tell this person off, right?

Ibn Rajab, Ibn Rajab has a beautiful book, and he says, he calls it the differences between advising and sincerely. I advise you all to look through that book and read it.

And then finally, whatever you're advising the person must be something that is tangible.

Sometimes, you would just say:

"Akhi, I advise you to seek knowledge."

I know I need to seek knowledge, but what is it you mean?

The way I'm doing it, is it wrong?

Should I change something?

No, he just gives you general advice, or she, that really doesn't help you along.

And that's something that we need to also better ourselves in.

When you're advising a person, advise them in ways that make it easy for them to absorb the advice.

In other words, establish clear objectives, clear goals with your advice.

For example, don't say to the person:

"Akhi, just seek knowledge and everything."

What kind of knowledge should I seek?

Should I begin with Tawheed?

Should I begin with Fiqh?

Should I begin with Hadith?

I'm already studying Aqeedah, am I doing it wrong?

Should I correct something?

Should I go to a teacher in this class maybe?

Would this class be beneficial?

Lay out objectives and goals, so it becomes easier for the person to digest your advice.

And also, finally, the fifth point is: Advise him and don't advise yourself.

Sometimes, you'd feel from the person that he's giving you advice that he wants to do.

And sometimes, the advice that he wants to do, or the things that he wants to do, are not suitable for you.

Look at the person you're advising, and from that person's situation in life and conditions, you advise them.

You don't advise based on what you think you need to do.

And this is an important distinction that some people have difficulty making.

The advice I would give to myself, or the things I feel like I should be better in, are maybe unique to me, and that person I'm talking to does not really share those things.

So advise the person based on what the person is going through, and not what you feel the person needs.

Now, we've come to the issue of advice, and he says, we looked at how he began the advice:

Oh my son

Oh my son, Ya bunayya

And he was giving advice:

يَعِظُهُ

And we talked about the word يَعِظُهُ, giving advice.

And this shows that there's a continuous relationship between the parent and the child, and the importance of that relationship being there.

And he said:

Oh my son, do not associate others with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

لَا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ

This verse, we take also a lot of benefits from it.

First and foremost:

هَذِهِ تَرْبِيَةُ الْعَقِيدَةِ

This is the tarbiyah according to the Aqeedah.

This is the tarbiyah of Aqeedah.

And Luqman chooses to begin with this, which shows you that this is really important.

Because Luqman, as we've already established, he's the wise one.

He's a wise man.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has confirmed his wisdom by saying:

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ

We've given him wisdom, we've granted him wisdom.

So the issue of his wisdom is complete, خلاص.

What did he begin with?

Aqeedah, Tawheed—only worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And this is similar to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, when he said to Mu'adh radiyaAllahu anhu:

يَا مُعَاذُ إِنَّكَ تَأْتِي قَوْمًا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ، فَلْيَكُنْ أَوَّلُ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ

"Oh Mu'adh, you're going to the people of Ahl al-Kitab, people who are from Ahl al-Kitab, people of the book."

فَلْيَكُنْ أَوَّلُ مَا تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَيْهِ

Let the first thing that you call them to be: Tawheed.

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

Which shows us that the most important thing is Tawheed.

And also, the most important thing to teach our children is Tawheed.

Our children, the coolness of our eyes, لَفَتَاتُ أَكْبَادِنَا.

The most important thing that we need to teach them is Tawheed.

That they only worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and to never delay this fact.

And also, we benefit from this is the consequences of shirk:

إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ

He says to him, shirk is one of the greatest injustices, right?

And this shows you that Luqman al-Hakim mentions the ruling to stay away from shirk, and he also mentions the reason. And this is also a fa’ida tarbawiyah, a benefit in how to raise our kids.

Obviously, sometimes our kids have not reached the age to grasp certain concepts, but as much as possible, if we are able to communicate why we require certain things from our children—like why we are saying to them, "Worship Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala," why we are saying to them, "Do this, do that, clean your room," or whatsoever—if we are able to, then as much as possible, we should tell them why we require them to do certain things.

إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ

He said to him, shirk is the greatest of injustices, right?

And also, the story of Ya’qub alayhi salam, when he was talking to his son, he said to him:

لَا تَقُصُصْ رُؤْيَاكَ عَلَىٰ إِخْوَتِكَ فَيَكِيدُوا لَكَ كَيْدًا

"Don’t mention this dream of yours to your brothers because they will plot against you," right?

They will plot against you, showing what?

He told him, and he told him the reason why he shouldn't do it.

The reason why he shouldn't do it.

And this is an important part of tarbiyah, in raising kids: that as much as possible, tell them why.

Sometimes, obviously, they don't have the capacity to grasp certain issues, but as much as possible, tell them why—because first and foremost, it makes sense to them, and secondly, it makes them more likely to obey the command.

Right?

If you tell them, "Shirk is this bad," and you explain to them the dangers of shirk, that would make them more likely to avoid shirk than if you were just to tell them, "Avoid shirk," and that’s it, right?

If you just tell them to avoid shirk and khalas, ya’ni, "You don’t need to understand why," then they might not understand the severity of shirk.

But if you were to tell them why and give them knowledge about shirk so that they avoid it, or you tell them to pray, for example, and you tell them the benefits of praying, the virtues of praying, and the dangers of not praying, then logically, they would pray much more sincerely if they understood all of that.

Also, we understand, as we mentioned in the issue of Tawheed being the first thing, that look at how Luqman al-Hakim identifies the problem—the foundational problem, ya’ni.

He goes directly to the root, which is Tawheed.

Because if a person understands Tawheed, which is Aqeedah, which is what drives a person—the ideological driving force of a person—if a person is able to correct that, then everything that follows will logically follow, right?

If a person, for example, doesn’t pray and doesn’t fast, and I’m arguing with him, "Pray, fast, pray, fast,"

If I were to make him understand the issue of Tawheed—that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala deserves worship—then all of this, insha’Allah ta’ala, would logically follow.

Because this is the ideological driving force of a person—the ideology and worldview of a person.

When that is correct, when that is according to the fitrah, when that is according to the state that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has created mankind in,

Then all of these issues—like worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, praying to Him, fasting, paying zakah, and so on and so forth—they come naturally.

They come naturally.

But you need to get them into the paradigm of Islam.

You need to get them into the paradigm of Islam and correct the ideology and worldview that they have.

Sometimes, we fall into the trap of explaining the details of our worldview to people, rather than explaining the foundation of our worldview.

The details of prayer, the details of fasting—but the person has an issue with the whole framework.

He doesn’t even want to be in the building, right?

And you're talking to him about the details?

You need to rearrange the issue of ideology and the issue of frameworks for the person.

His default position should be an Islamic framework, right?

An Islamic worldview.

And when that is corrected, then all of these things, insha’Allah ta’ala, will follow.

If you want to change a behavioral pattern, then you need to change the motivation first and foremost.

You need to change the motivation.

You see a person’s behavior isn’t up to scratch, it’s not what you want.

He might not be motivated because he doesn’t understand why he needs to behave in a certain manner.

If you correct that, then you’ve corrected a lot of the issues that might follow.

And therefore, it’s crucial that as young as possible, we teach our children:

How to understand the world

How to understand Islam

How to understand their Lord, subhanahu wa ta’ala

And this is knowledge that is accessible.

There’s no excuse anymore.

There’s no excuse for us to leave our children with people teaching them all sorts of things that go against our religion,

And then when they come home, we never teach them what’s right and wrong.

Wallahi, ya ikhwan, my dear brothers and sisters,

We’re going to be asked on the Day of Judgment.

What did you do with this amanah that we have—our children?

This trust that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has entrusted us with?

As the Messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam has said:

كُلُّكُمْ رَاعٍ وَكُلُّكُمْ مَسْؤُولٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ

All of you are shepherds, and all of you will be asked about your flock.

What did you teach your son?

What did you teach your daughter?

What did you say to them?

You were sending them off to different camps, different environments, learning things that go against the message of Islam.

And then when they came home, you were silent.

You never taught them the Islamic view, the Islamic Aqeedah.

Then, when they grow up—17, 18, 19 years old—you complain:

"They don’t pray."

"They don’t fast."

"They’re outside all night."

Let’s take this example from Luqman the Wise—

To understand how to teach our children from an early age—

By providing them with the Islamic framework,

Providing them with the Islamic Aqeedah,

To teach them that our ideology as Muslims—

Because ideology is the moving force—

It’s the motor that drives the actions.

And teach them the seriousness of shirk.

And teach them the ** عظَمَة** (greatness) of our Lord subhanahu wa ta’ala.

And teach them about our Messenger Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam.

The next advice that was mentioned in these verses is actually an advice that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned. So, you’d find that the structure of the sentence begins to change, right?

Now, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ

حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْنًا عَلَى وَهْنٍ وَفِصَالُهُ فِي عَامَيْنِ

أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيْكَ إِلَيَّ الْمَصِيرُ

"We have enjoined upon man to be good to his parents. His mother carried him through weakness upon weakness and nursed him for two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the final destination."

Now, you’d find in this verse that it is, rather, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who is speaking to mankind. Why?

Some of the scholars have said that this is because the obligation to be good to one's parents is not unique to Luqman's son alone; rather, it includes Luqman himself.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the verse:

أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيْكَ

"Be grateful and be thankful to Me and your parents."

Reading this verse makes it clear the منزلة الوالدين—the virtues and the lofty status of parents—by mentioning that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is to be thanked and the parents are to be thanked as well.

Nowhere else in the Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will you find a verse where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala connects gratitude to Him with gratitude towards another being of creation, except for the parents.

This is the only place where you will find that you are supposed to be thankful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and to your parents.

In other verses, you may be told to be thankful, and the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam did say:

لَا يَشْكُرُ اللَّهَ مَنْ لَا يَشْكُرُ النَّاسَ

"The one who has not thanked the people has not thanked Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala."

But in terms of joining of rights, this is unique to the parents.

Therefore, one should be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and to their parents, as the gratitude to one's parents is linked to gratitude to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Nowhere else in the Quran does it say to be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and then to someone else—except in the case of the parents.

And this shows you how to prioritize your relationships:

1. First and foremost, your relationship with your Lord and Creator, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

2. Then, the next people in your life who have the greatest right upon you: your parents.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْنًا عَلَىٰ وَهْنٍ

"His mother carried him through weakness upon weakness."

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala makes explicit mention of the mother:

وَهْنًا عَلَىٰ وَهْنٍ

"Weakness upon weakness."

The weakness of pregnancy, then the weakness of giving birth, and then the hardship of nursing him for two years.

أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيْكَ

Scholars mention a beautiful connection between this verse and the hadith where the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam says the famous hadith:

أُمُّكَ ثُمَّ أُمُّكَ ثُمَّ أُمُّكَ ثُمَّ أَبُوكَ

"Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father."

When a man came to the Messenger salallahu alayhi wa sallam and asked him:

مَنْ أَحَقُّ النَّاسِ

"Who is the one who has the most right upon me?"

The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned:

"Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father."

In this verse, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala first mentions the issue of motherhood:

حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ

"She is his mother."

And by virtue of being his mother, she has a right upon him.

And obviously, the father as well.

So, now they are equal.

However:

حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْنًا عَلَى وَهْنٍ

"She carried him through weakness upon weakness."

Now, she is raised another level.

So now she is two levels above the father.

وَفِصَالُهُ فِي عَامَيْنِ

"And his nursing was for two years."

This nursing gives the mother a third level above the father.

And this is in direct connection with the hadith:

أُمُّكَ ثُمَّ أُمُّكَ ثُمَّ أُمُّكَ ثُمَّ أَبُوكَ

Because the mother has three rights upon you:

1. Being your mother

2. Carrying you throughout the pregnancy and giving birth to you

3. Nursing you

This is three rights in comparison to the father’s one right.

So this is something we should reflect upon—that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala makes explicit mention of the mother and her rights, which is also affirmed by the Sunnah of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam.

As mentioned in تنبيه الغافلين, it is said that there are three verses:

ثَلَاثُ آيَاتٍ مَقْرُونَةٌ بِثَلَاثٍ، لَا يُقْبَلُ اللَّهُ وَاحِدَةً مِنْهَا بِغَيْرِ قَرِينِتِهَا

"Three verses in the Quran have tied two things together, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will not accept one without the other."

The first one:

وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ

"Establish prayer and give zakat."

So, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala joined salah and zakat together.

And as Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه mentioned in the great hadith, he would not accept a person differentiating between zakat and salah.

A person cannot say, "I will pray, but I will never pay zakat," even though he is obligated to pay zakat.

This is not acceptable.

The sheikh says:

فَمَنْ صَلَّى وَلَمْ يُؤَدِّ الزَّكَاةَ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ مِنْهُ الصَّلَاةُ

"Whoever prays but does not give zakat—meaning he denies the obligation of zakat—his salah will not be accepted."

The second one:

وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ

"Obey Allah and obey the Messenger."

Whoever obeys Allah but disobeys the Messenger has not, in reality, obeyed Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The third one:

أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيْكَ

"Be grateful to Me and to your parents."

So, whoever is grateful to Allah but not grateful to his parents—then, in reality, he has not been truly grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So you see, guys, how this is connected? Each verse is connected to أُخْتَهَا—its sister. And the Prophet ﷺ said:

أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِأَكْبَرِ الْكَبَائِرِ

"Shall I not inform you of the greatest of sins?"

Then he said:

الشِّرْكُ بِاللَّهِ—associating partners with Allah ﷻ,

وَعُقُوقُ الْوَالِدَيْنِ—and mistreating your parents.

And therefore, mistreating your parents is a sin—a sin ranked amongst the greatest of sins. And among the greatest obligations is to be good to your parents. هذا واجب—this is an obligation. It's not something that is recommended. It's not something that's just good and makes you a good person if you do it. لا, our religion, the religion of Islam, says this is obligatory—to be good to your parents and to obey them في غير معصية—in what is not disobedience to Allah ﷻ.

It's obligatory to obey them. Rather, some of the scholars say that if the choice is between عَمَلٌ مُسْتَحَبٌ (a recommended act) وَطَاعَةِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ (and obedience to the parents), we prioritize طَاعَةِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ—obeying the parents.

If the choice is between something that is recommended and obeying your parents, then obeying your parents takes precedence. Why? Because this is obligatory—this is فَرْض.

And some of the scholars took it to the extent that if your mother says, "Don’t pray two rak‘ah sunnah, come sit with me instead," you should go sit with her. You should go sit with her.

So you see how greatly Islam has taken care of the parents and put them on such a pedestal?

وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ

"And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy."

And make du‘a for them:

وَقُلْ رَبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا

"And say: My Lord, have mercy upon them as they raised me when I was small."

Be good to your parents. Make du‘a for them. Give sadaqah for them.

And the rights of the parents—subhanAllah—this is an important thing: the rights of the parents do not end just because they've passed away. Just because your parents have passed away, that does not mean you cannot be good to them.

One of the ways to be good to them is to be good to their friends. And this is mentioned by Ibn Umar رضي الله عنه, who saw a man that his father was friends with. So he gave him his ‘amamah and took care of him and made him feel like he was his own father. And when he left, the man was a Bedouin, so he was not a man that people would recognize for authority or power. So when he left, the companions of Ibn Umar asked, "Why did you treat him in such a good manner?" And Ibn Umar said, "This was a friend of Umar," meaning his father. "This was a friend of Umar."

So this is important.

And also, making sadaqah for them—giving charity in their name, maybe even building a masjid in their name. And generally, all good deeds in terms of charity are wanted when it comes to your parents—something that is good.

And also, the Messenger ﷺ mentioned about a righteous servant who was raised in Paradise. He said:

A man would be raised in ranks in Jannah, and he would say, "How have I come to receive this?"

He knows that his actions, in terms of where he is in Paradise, are different.

And it will be said:

"بِاسْتِغْفَارِ وَلَدِكَ لَكَ"

"Through your child’s seeking forgiveness for you."

Now, reflect on this powerful verse:

وَإِن جَاهَدَاكَ عَلَىٰ أَن تُشْرِكَ بِي مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَا

"But if they strive to make you associate partners with Me, of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them."

And this is what we said: "الطاعة في غير معصية."

To obey a person is in everything that is allowed. If there is something that is haram, you are not allowed to obey that person.

But look at what Allah ﷻ says immediately after:

وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا

"But accompany them in this world with appropriate kindness."

SubhanAllah, think about this. And please reflect with me on this.

Allah ﷻ is telling us here about a parent who is forcing his or her child to commit the worst act known to mankind—which is shirk.

And yet, Allah ﷻ has not said, "Cut them off from your life. Exclude them. Stop speaking to your parents. Boycott them until the day you die."

Does it say that? No.

Allah ﷻ says:

فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَا—"Do not obey them."

But at the same time:

وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا—"Accompany them in this world with kindness."

So that shows us that anything that the parents do that causes the child to stop speaking with them cannot be more severe than shirk.

And even then, Allah ﷻ did not command us to cut them off.

That being said, that being said—if the parent is a danger, that’s completely different. That’s completely different.

But the parent might have treated you badly in the past or might have asked things of you that are not appropriate in terms of the deen of Islam. That’s something else.

But a parent that is a danger—then we protect ourselves from the danger as much as possible while still remaining بارًّا (dutiful) to the best of our ability.

Generally, these cases are extreme, and they are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. So it’s not something that you say as a blanket statement, "Cut your parents off."

Rather, you are very careful with this because the default position is that parents are generally good to their children.

They’re not perfect—no parent is perfect—and yes, parents make mistakes. They are human beings. But they try their best.

Rather, parents are the ones who want the best for you. And as was mentioned in the book of Abu Al-Waleed Al-Baji, he says something very profound. He says at the beginning of the book:

"There is no one who wants good for you in this life and the next more than me. And there is no one I would prefer... I don't accept anyone to be better than me—either in terms of deen or dunya—and I’m pleased with it. The only person I am pleased to be better than me is you, as my children."

So the default position of a parent is something ajeeb. The love that Allah ﷻ places in a parent's heart is something extraordinary. And it requires severe situations for that love to be translated into something that is dangerous for a son or a daughter.

So we need to be more patient with our parents and give them more excuses—even if they ask us to commit shirk, as mentioned in the hadith.

And as for this verse, the scholars mentioned that it was revealed concerning Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas رضي الله عنه.

Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas became Muslim in Makkah. He was one of the earliest Muslims. And it is mentioned in his biography that his du‘a was answered by Allah ﷻ.

One of the amazing things about his du‘a, actually, as a side benefit, is that once he got into a conflict with a woman who claimed that a plot of land was hers. He said, "No, this is my land." So they argued back and forth. And as he was leaving, he left it to Allah ﷻ and said, "If she is lying, then let her die in this land."

And as he was walking away, a short period of time later, she fell down in the land and passed away—she broke her neck or something.

So that's how powerful his du‘a was.

He said that when he entered Islam, his mother tried to force him to leave Islam and return to the deen of the Arabs—the deen of Quraysh, the religion of Quraysh. He refused.

So she said, "If you don’t, I’m going to starve myself to death. And if I die, I’m going to place the blame on you. You, Sa‘d, are the cause of my death."

And he offered her food, and he offered her drink, and he tried—but she refused.

It is mentioned in some of the riwayat that one of her other sons forced her mouth open when she had fainted. He forced her mouth open and gave her food. Then she regained her senses, stopped starving herself, and started making du‘a for Sa‘d.

However, one of the riwayat mentions something amazing, which is that he said to her:

"Ya Umm! O my mother! If you had 100 souls and they left your body one by one, I would never leave this religion."

Look at the power. Look at the conviction. Look at the aqeedah. Look at the iman.

He said, "I am able to watch you pass away 100 times, and I would never leave my religion."

However, he was still good to her, and he still tried to feed her and give her food. But in terms of religion? No. He would never do it.

So he showed respect to his mother, even though she was a mushrika—even though she tried to force shirk upon him.

We also take a benefit from this ayah, which is that there is a difference between المصاحبة والاتباع—between companionship and following.

Allah ﷻ said:

"وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا"

"And accompany them in this world with kindness."

So just because you are accompanying a person—just because you are keeping a relationship with a person—that does not mean you are following the person.

And this is really important to distinguish.

Sometimes, people assume that just because you are with a person, you are on the same path as that person—you are guilty by association.

But this is not correct.

The Qur'an itself shows us that there is a difference between companionship and following.

A person may need to maintain certain relationships with certain people because of the situation he finds himself in.

Maybe he has parents who are disbelievers.

Maybe he has parents who are not upon the sunnah.

Is he supposed to cut them off? No.

Maybe he has relatives who are not practicing. But just because a person maintains relationships with certain people, that does not mean he is directly upon their path.

And we need to be fair and just here.

Allah ﷻ commands justice. He commands us to be fair to each other:

"وَإِذَا قُلْتُمْ فَاعْدِلُوا"

"And when you speak, then be just."

So just because a person is accompanied by someone, that does not necessitate that they are on the same path.

Being guilty by association—this is not correct. And we need to be aware of this.

Then Allah ﷻ says:

"وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَيَّ"

"And follow the way of those who turn in repentance to Me."

So companionship is one thing, but following is another.

Who do we take as role models?

"مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَيَّ"—"Those who turn back to Allah in repentance."

And some of the mufassireen mentioned that this refers to the way of the sahaba—the way of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ.

Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله says:

"المُنيبُ فِيهِ صِفَاتٌ أَرْبَعَةٌ"

"The munib—the one who turns back to Allah constantly—has four qualities."

1. He has love for Allah ﷻ.

2. He has humility before Him.

3. He is constantly turning to Him.

4. He is turning away from anything and everything other than Him.

"وَلَا تَطْرُدِ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ"

"And do not turn away those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure."

"وَاصْبِرْ نَفْسَكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِالْغَدَاةِ وَالْعَشِيِّ يُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَهُ"

"And be patient with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure."

"وَلَا تُطِعْ مَنْ أَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَاتَّبَعَ هَوَاهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فُرُطًا"

"And do not obey those whose hearts We have made heedless of Our remembrance, who follow their desires, and whose affairs are ever in neglect."

So we follow the good people—those who are on the path of the companions.

And the companions themselves, before everything else.

And we should know that the Prophet ﷺ said:

"المرء على دين خليله، فلينظر أحدكم من يخالل"

"A man is upon the religion of his friend, so let one of you look at whom he takes as a friend."

And especially if you are young—remember this always.

As a young person, you are a target for Shaytan. Shaytan wants to misguide you.

And one of the best ways to stay away from that is to have good companions.

"The wolf eats from the sheep that is alone."

And as for the two and the three? They are farther from the wolf.

Similarly with Shaytan. When you are alone, and you are trying to walk alone, and you are going to be alone, and so on and so forth, that's when Shaytan comes. That's when Shaytan comes.

So have good companionship. And honor your brothers and sisters. And be good to them.

And treat them with sincerity and dignity. Treat them with sincerity and dignity. And give them their rights.

And keep away from their flaws and their sins. Nobody is perfect. Never look for the perfect companion.

Because those, they do not exist. Some people, only want what is perfect. So they go their whole lives without having companions.

Why? Because every time they choose a companion, a friend, they befriend someone, what happens? They find a flaw. And then they leave that person. And then they go to the next person.

And then they find a flaw. The perfect person doesn't exist. So you need to accept it.

You need to accept your brother as he is. And encourage him to do better. And together grow as Muslims.

And the issue of brotherhood is very important. Look at the Prophet ﷺ. When he first came to Medina, one of his first actions, كان يؤاخي بين المهاجرين والأنصار, he made brothers between Muhajirin and Ansar. Rather, the love that they had for each other is one of the blessings of Allah SWT.

لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًۭا مَّا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ

Allah SWT mentions it as a blessing. And he says,

لَوْ أَنفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًۭا مَّا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ

If you would have spent everything that is in the earth, in terms of charity, you would spend it. Just to have them, this love that they have for each other, you would not be able to.

You would not be able to. Show leniency to your brothers, be good to them, and always use the best of speech. Be careful how you speak to each other.

Allah SWT said,

وَقُلْ لِعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ

Say to My servants, use the best of speech.

Why? Why is that?

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ

Indeed, Shaytan is there. And tries to cause strife between them.

Tries to make them turn against each other. Because he knows with their brotherhood, they are able to do a lot of khair. So what does he do? He tries to use the فَلَتَاتِ اللِّسَانِ.

Whatever you mistakenly say, whatever you accidentally say, what sometimes you say as a joke, and your brother takes it the wrong way.

That's what they use. So Allah SWT commanded us to use the best of speech.

فَقُلْ لِعِبَادِي يَقُولُوا الَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ

Say that.

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا

He's our enemy.

And he always uses these issues. Especially today, where we have a lot of ways to talk to each other. Before, you had either you wrote a letter, or you went to the person physically.

Now you can send a message, you can FaceTime, you can video call, you can do whatever you want. The drawback of some of these new gadgets or new technologies that we have is that sometimes you might be like, when you are physically with a person, he sees the whole of you. He sees your state of mind.

He sees your body language. He sees what state you're in. He knows generally about where you just come from and so on and so forth.

But when you text him, when you message him, when you call him or her, you don't see what they're going through. They might have had a bad day. They might have had a long day at work.

They might answer in a way that is completely reasonable to them. But when you see it, you get mad because you find it to be a message that is a bit hostile, passive-aggressive, whatever you call it.

Here we need to have excuses for each other as well.

And also, as the person sending, make sure that you send something that is not open to interpretation. And if you're not able to in that split second, then you don't have to respond every time instantly.

This issue of instantly always responding causes more harm than good.

And as a recipient, have Husnul Dhan. Think good thoughts of your brother or sister and excuse them. You don't know what they're going through.

Maybe they are in a state of distress. They're searching for something. The person might be at the register trying to respond to you as they're paying for their groceries, whatever the case may be.

So we need to do better from both sides.

Then he said, Allah SWT says,

يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّهَا إِنْ تَكُنْ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُنْ فِي صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ أَوْ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا اللَّهُ

As we said earlier, My son, my son, يَا بُنَيَّ.

Now Luqman Al-Hakim turns his son's attention to constantly being aware of Allah SWT and that Allah SWT watches over him and that Allah SWT sees him and he puts forth an example that is very descriptive. He says,

يَا بُنَيَّ

O my son, even if it should be as small as a mustard seed and it should be within a rock.

The mustard seed is within a rock, or anywhere in the heavens or the earth, Allah SWT will bring it forth.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ

Allah SWT is Al-Lateef, Al-Khabir.

So here he encourages his son to practice this issue of muraqaba, which is to worship Allah SWT as if you can see him and if you cannot see him, then you should know that he sees you, as the Prophet SAW mentioned in the famous hadith of Jibreel.

And this state of worshipping Allah SWT is the highest state where a person walks around this earth and feels the sight of Allah SWT and knows that Allah SWT is seeing him and he wants his son to understand this, that Allah SWT observes all actions.

ظاهرًا و باطنًا

Inwardly and outwardly.

Even your thoughts, Allah SWT knows your thoughts.

Also, it is mentioned in some of the tafasir that it was actually Luqman's son who asked him, does Allah SWT see everything?

And that's when Luqman answered with this statement.

And as Allah SWT sees everything and hears everything and knows everything, everything will be put out into the open on the Day of Judgment.

فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ وَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ

Whoever does an atom's weight of good deeds, he will see it.

And whoever does an atom's weight of evil deeds or evil, he will also see it.

فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

"We will ask those who received the message, and we will ask the messengers themselves, and we will tell them about their deeds."

فَلَنَقُصَّنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ بِعِلْمٍ وَمَا كُنَّا غَائِبِينَ

A benefit from this verse is also that Allah SWT's attributes are mentioned.

Luqman is keen to teach his son about Allah SWT, so first, he teaches him about تَوْحِيد and now he is teaching about the صِفَاتِ of Allah SWT—the attributes of Allah. He combines them to teach his son about Allah SWT's greatness, His attributes, and His right to be worshipped so he can understand Allah SWT properly. And when he understands and knows Allah, gets to know Allah SWT, then he understands how to act in obedience to Allah SWT.

Therefore, he says:

هو اللطيف الخبير

Allah SWT is اللَّطِيف—the One who has the most knowledge about the most subtle details and acts with such detail that it is almost impossible for mankind to perceive. And He is الخَبِير—the One who has knowledge of reality.

This is Allah SWT, that’s who you're worshipping, Luqman (AS) is teaching, and that’s the One you should be fearful of, right?

And this is teaching again, as I said, التربية, teaching our children about who Allah SWT is and giving them a balanced understanding of Allah. Sometimes, we give an unbalanced understanding of Allah. We only mention that Allah SWT is شديد العقاب—He is the One who punishes, right?

We only mention:

• "If you do that, Allah SWT becomes angry with you."
• "If you do that, Allah SWT will punish you in the hellfire."

And then our children sometimes grow up with an unhealthy fear of Allah SWT.

It's not balanced.

Balance is teaching them about the benevolence of Allah, the mercy of Allah.

• Allah SWT is غفور—He is the Forgiver.
• He is الرحيم—the Most Merciful.
• التواب—the One who accepts repentance.

And so on and so forth.

And we also teach them about this aspect, so we combine them. If we don't, then that's an unbalanced way to teach about Allah SWT, and that causes our young ones to develop an unhealthy fear of Allah.

And that's my understanding of why sometimes people actually ask:

"Is Allah SWT able to forgive my sin?"

"I did so and so..."

Just the fact that the person is asking the question shows that the person has not really understood Allah SWT.

He has not really understood who Allah is, because if he would have understood who Allah is, he would know:

يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَصْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ

"O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah."

He would have understood this.

He would have understood that Allah SWT is the One who forgives every sin:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا

As long as you repent.

But that understanding of Allah SWT, that healthy, balanced, proper, correct understanding of Allah SWT is not there.

And this is what Luqman, with this verse and other verses, is trying to teach his son.

Then he said:

يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ

"O my son, establish the prayer and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, that is of the matters requiring determination."

If you look through the Quran from beginning to end, you would never find that Allah SWT just says to the people:

"صلوا—pray."

"Pray in whatever shape, way, or form you want to pray."

"Just pray, as long as you pray, it’s fine."

No.

Allah SWT says: أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ—Establish prayer.

And there’s a difference between establishing the prayer and just praying, right?

A person might pray in a flawed manner.

لكن إقامة الصلاة—this implies that there is a foundation, that there is something that is consistent with what Allah SWT has commanded and what the Prophet SAW has taught his companions.

• Making wudu correctly—ensuring the water reaches every required area.
• Standing up with خشوع—understanding that they are standing before Allah SWT.
• Praying according to the Prophet SAW’s method—as he prayed.

This is establishing prayer, and this is the most important thing after Tawheed.

That is why he began with Tawheed, and now he's giving him advice about الصلاة, which is:

الركن الثاني—the second pillar of Islam.

And the Messenger SAW said:

مفتاح الجنة الصلاة

"The key to Jannah is prayer."

And:

مفتاح الصلاة الطهور

"The key to prayer is purification (wudu)."

And we always remember Allah SWT throughout our prayer:

فَاعْبُدْنِي وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي

"Worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance."

We need this connection.

Allah is الغني الحميد—The Self-Sufficient, The Praiseworthy.

He does not need His servant.

Rather, the servants are in need of Him.

And that’s why we pray.

Whenever the Prophet SAW was distressed,

فزع إلى الصلاة—"He would rush to prayer."

There’s a subtle lesson here that’s beautiful:

Luqman (AS), after advising his son that Allah SWT sees everything he does,

he then tells him:

"You have to pray."

If Allah SWT sees everything you do,

• He sees if you’re praying or not.
• He sees if you’re grateful or not.
• He sees if you’re establishing Tawheed or not.

Then Luqman commands him to pray.

And establishing prayer, as we mentioned, is not just praying.

Rather,

إقامتها مع فرائضها وأركانها وواجباتها—establishing it with its pillars, conditions, and obligations.

Also, praying regularly—this is part of establishing it.

And we all know the dangers of not praying.

The one who does not pray will be resurrected:

مع قارون وفرعون وهامان

"Alongside Qarun, Pharaoh, and Haman."

These are not people you want to be resurrected with.

They were from the worst of disbelievers.

Pharaoh was the one who claimed to be Allah SWT.

Is that a person you want to be resurrected with?

Not praying is dangerous territory, and one should fear Allah SWT.

And from إقامة الصلاة, establishing prayer, is to involve your family.

And this is what Luqman (AS) is doing.

And this is what is attributed to إِسْمَاعِيلِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامِ, the prophet of Allah (SWT):

وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ He used to command his family with prayer and Zakah.

And Allah (SWT) has commanded us as well:

وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَاستَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا Command your family—Allah (SWT) said to the Messenger—command your family with prayer.

That includes us as well. It is required from us to command our families with prayer, and prayer is something that actually protects you:

إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ Prayer prohibits you from sins and immorality—فَحْشَاء (immorality) and sins.

And therefore, by mentioning the importance of prayer and instilling it in his son, Luqman is ensuring that his son grows up not only with strong Iman, strong Tawheed, but also in actions.

ولذلك, one of the most important things to do is to raise your children upon good deeds from a young age. يعني, sometimes you get amazed by people saying: "No, they're too young to pray, don't wake him up." "They're too young to fast, don't let them fast." "They're too young, they're too young..."

So when is the child going to do these things? When it's too late?

وَيَنْشَأُ نَشْأَةُ الْفَتْيَانِ مِنَّا عَلَىٰ مَا كَانَ عَوَّدَهُ أَبُوهُ The child grows up with the things that his father used to make him do.

And from experience, we see that the child who prays from an early age— as soon as he's supposed to pray, from seven:

مُرُوهُمْ بِالصَّلَاةِ لِسَبْعِ Order them to pray when they're seven years old.

The Prophet ﷺ did not say, "Wait till they are twelve." Seven.

And if they were too young, the Prophet ﷺ would not have said to order them to pray when they were seven.

And by experience, as I said, when we see a young boy or a young girl praying at an early age, they'll stick to it. But if they wait till they're twelve, wait till they're fifteen—when they're obligated to pray—then generally, they're not used to it. They find difficulty in being consistent with it:

إِلَّا مَنْ عَصَمَ اللَّهُ Except for the one Allah ﷻ protects.

He said:

وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ Enjoy what is right, forbid what is wrong, and have patience with whatever befalls you.

وَهَذَا مُهِمٌّ It's almost as if the person said, "طيب, now that you know good from evil, right from wrong, as a Muslim, you should desire to teach other people the same, right?"

As a Muslim, you should desire to teach other people the same. يعني, a Muslim does not safeguard or gatekeep the religion. It's not something that we keep to ourselves بس, and we never tell people about the goodness that our religion has brought.

Rather, we should engage in teaching people the good that we know:

وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ Teach the people about المعروف (right) and teach them to stay away from المنكر (what is حرام).

And this is why we, as the Ummah—the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ—became the greatest of nations:

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ You are the best community, the best nation that was ever raised among humankind.

Why?

تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ You enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in Allah.

So, Allah (SWT) mentioned the first thing:

تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ

And then He mentioned Iman, showing you how important it is to teach people the good and prevent them from doing evil.

And this is how the religion is kept. If everyone saw everyone making mistakes, and nobody ever spoke up, how would people learn?

And that's why Imam Ahmad said:

"What if you're silent and I'm silent—who will teach the ignorant?"

The person might be doing it because he doesn't know better. لكن you, as the person who knows better, what's your excuse?

Some people sometimes fall into sin by being silent—by not saying what is correct.

We need to know, in terms of da'wah, we need a lot of things. And this issue of da'wah is a massive issue.

I just want to mention a few points, which is, first and foremost: engaging in da'wah requires knowledge and requires wisdom, as we said:

اُدْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom.

Allah (SWT) mentioned wisdom, so that's a requirement.

And also, a requirement is knowledge:

فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ Know that there is no deity except Allah.

And when Mu'adh (RA) was sent to Yemen—Mu'adh being one of the most knowledgeable of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ—when he was sent to Yemen, what did the Prophet ﷺ say?

He taught him:

"This is what you're going to face, this is what you're going to meet, and these are the people you're going to deal with. And this is what you should call them to."

So, knowledge is important. It's vital.

Whatever you are forbidding from, you need to have knowledge of it. And whatever you are calling to, you need to have knowledge of it.

And also, if you are a person who wishes to engage in da'wah, then you need to study.

Sometimes people say, "The Prophet ﷺ said: بَلِّغُوا عَنِّي وَلَوْ آيَةً, so I'm going to take the mic and I'm going to speak."

That's not the understanding of the hadith.

The Messenger ﷺ who said that also required knowledge.

Therefore, the correct understanding of the hadith is: the person who understands a مسألة can share it with his people in his immediate circle.

But taking the mic and making what we call تَصَدُّر التَّدْرِيسِ, teaching people in a general and عام way—that requires knowledge.

An important aspect of the da'ia—as we call it in Islam—is to have rifq when calling to Allah (SWT).

مَا كَانَ الرِّفْقُ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا زَانَهُ "Rifq (gentleness) is not placed in something except that it beautifies it."

إِنَّ اللَّهَ رَفِيقٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّفْقَ "Indeed, Allah (SWT) is Rafiq (gentle), and He loves gentleness."

So we need to be gentle in terms of da'wah and when we're teaching people, according to the best of our abilities. Obviously, the default position of our da'wah is to be gentle with the people.

وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ

Al-Qudsi (رحمه الله) said:

المُغَيِّرُ يُؤْذَىٰ أَحْيَانًا "The person who tries to change the conditions of the people sometimes will be harmed."

And here comes the command:

وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ "Have patience with whatever befalls you."

Have patience. Do not complain—unless you're complaining to Allah (SWT):

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ "Say: I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah."

But be patient, and patience is one of the greatest acts of worship in Islam, as we mentioned earlier:

الصَّبْرُ وَالشُّكْرُ

Now we've come to the issue of sabr after dealing with the issue of shukr.

Sabr means to be patient with whatever befalls you in terms of correcting people's conditions. People are not always going to like what you're saying. People are not always going to be pleased with what you say, and you need to be patient with it:

صَبْرُ عَلَىٰ أَذَىٰ النَّاسِ

And this is better than just leaving the people. As the Messenger (ﷺ) said:

"The one who is with the people and is patient with their harm is better than the one who leaves the people and is not patient with them or their harm."

And generally, sabr is required:

أَمَةً

Whatever befalls you, we are required to be patient:

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَشْكُو بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ

You see, Ya‘qub (عليه السلام), when he lost his son Yusuf (عليه السلام), he said:

فَصَبْرٌ جَمِيلٌ

And also, there is being patient from sins. Here we have the example of Yusuf (عليه السلام), the son of Ya‘qub (عليه السلام), when the wife of Al-‘Aziz tried to seduce him—he was patient in staying away from the sin.

And also, patience is required in fulfilling what Allah (SWT) has commanded. These are the three categories of patience:

1. Patience with the commandments of Allah (SWT)—that you stick to them and do them.
2. Patience in staying away from sins.
3. Patience with whatever befalls you as a Muslim.

عَاقِبَةُ الصَّبْرِ حَمِيدًا

The final stage of sabr is always the best stage because Allah (SWT) rewards:

إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى الصَّابِرُونَ أَجْرَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ "Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without measure."

And also, even in this dunya, the reward might come. After Yusuf (عليه السلام) was thrown into the well, sold, seduced by the woman, and imprisoned, what did they say?

إِنَّهُ مَنْ يَتَّقِ وَيَصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ "Indeed, whoever fears Allah and is patient, then indeed, Allah does not allow the reward of the good-doers to be lost."

Allah (SWT) does not allow the reward to be lost.

Look at the end result of patience. The end result of patience!

And that's what Ibn Al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said:

"The path to truth is an uphill climb. Going towards the truth and being patient with it is an uphill climb that leads the traveler to what is excellent and lofty."

You're going up. Eventually, you'll reach the top.

While the path of falsehood is a downhill slide—meaning you're going down. It's easier to go down. The person climbing upwards finds it difficult and gets tired. The one going down finds it easier.

But then he said:

"That leads the traveler to the lowest of the low."

Finally, Allah (SWT) says:

وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ "And do not turn your cheek in contempt toward people, nor walk through the earth with arrogance. Indeed, Allah (SWT) does not like every self-deluded and boastful person."

Here, we see adab (manners) being taught by Luqman (عليه السلام) to his son.

وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ "Do not turn your cheek away from the people."

The phrase تسعير الخد originally referred to a sickness that afflicted camels, causing them to unnaturally turn their heads, making them stiff.

Later, it was used to describe arrogance—when a person looks away from people in a haughty manner.

This is so common, subhanAllah. It is completely against the Sunnah of the Messenger (ﷺ). When someone speaks to you, and you arrogantly turn away, looking elsewhere—or worse, looking at your phone, barely paying attention—this is not from good akhlaq.

وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ

Why? Because it is a trait of kibr (pride).

And the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

لَا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِهِ مِثْقَالُ ذَرَّةٍ مِنْ كِبْرٍ "The one who has an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart will not enter Paradise."

However, we must define kibr. Some people think that having good clothes, a nice car, etc., is arrogance. But the Prophet (ﷺ) clarified this:

إِنَّ الرَّجُلَ يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثَوْبُهُ حَسَنًا وَنَعْلُهُ حَسَنًا؟ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَمِيلٌ يُحِبُّ الْجَمَالَ "A man likes to have nice clothes and nice shoes?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: "Indeed, Allah is Beautiful, and He loves beauty."

Then he defined kibr:

الْكِبْرُ بَطَرُ الْحَقِّ وَغَمْطُ النَّاسِ "Arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on people."

Often, these two are connected. A person rejects the truth because he looks down on the one bringing it.

And this is exactly what happened with Quraysh.

Quraysh—some of them denied the truth purely because it came from the Prophet ﷺ, right? Banu Abd Manaf—the Prophet ﷺ was from Banu Abd Manaf—and the other sub-tribes of Quraysh refused it because he was not from their tribe. One of those who explicitly mentioned this was Abu Jahl—may Allah (SWT) treat him as he deserves. He said:

مِنَّا نَبِي "From us as a messenger? How can we compete with that?"

He said: "I'll never believe in him. I'll never believe in him."

So kibr (arrogance) is seeing other people as beneath you or going against what is haqq (the truth) simply because you are not the one who originally had the message. You cannot be wrong—why? Because you're too prideful. You must always be right—why? Because you're too prideful. And so on and so forth.

Then he said:

وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا "Do not turn your cheek in contempt toward people, nor walk arrogantly upon the earth."

A lot of people do this—they walk in an arrogant manner, right? This is only allowed in terms of battle; otherwise, it's not allowed. Rather, a person is to walk humbly at a moderate pace—neither too slow nor too fast, right? Not too lazy, not too laid back, nor excessively fast. Rather, a person should walk in a moderate manner, maintaining the middle path.

عطاء رضي الله عنه قال:

"امْشِ بِالْوَقَارِ وَالسَّكِينَةِ" "Walk with dignity and tranquility."

Walk with sakīnah (calmness) and haybah (a sense of dignity and presence).

And he said to walk as the 'ibad ar-Rahman:

وَيَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا "And they walk upon the earth gently."

They walk gently.

And finally, he said:

وَاقْصِدْ فِي مَشْيِكَ "Be moderate in your pace."

Do not walk too fast or too slow.

وَاغْضُضْ مِنْ صَوْتِكَ "And lower your voice."

إِنَّ أَنْكَرَ الْأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ الْحَمِيرِ "Indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the braying of donkeys."

Luqman here advises his son not only to be humble in terms of his pace—how he walks—but also in how he treats other people. He also advises on how to speak to others.

Do not shout. Be humble. Have humility.

Do not raise your voice unnecessarily to a dramatic level. And he says:

إِنَّ أَنْكَرَ الْأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ الْحَمِيرِ "Indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the braying of donkeys."

This shows that it's not just about what we say, but how we say it.

Some people say, as was mentioned earlier: "I just said the truth!" Yeah, but you shouted it in his face—why should he listen to you?

It’s not just about what you say; it’s how you say it.

And this takes us back to the issue of hikmah—which is to say the correct thing, in the correct manner, at the appropriate time.

These are the advices of Luqman Al-Hakim.

I've tried to summarize as much as possible, and wallahi—subhanAllah—whenever you read these advices from Luqman,

يَفْتَحَ لَكَ بَابًا آخَرًا "It always opens new doors for you that you were unaware of the first time you read them."

These are advices that Allah (SWT) has praised in the Qur'an by the very fact that He made them part of the Qur'an.

They highlight the importance of being thankful to Allah (SWT). They highlight the importance of hikmah. They highlight the issue of tawheed—the greatest of all issues, the biggest mas'alah.

And this is what Luqman Al-Hakim began with when advising his son.

They talk about the virtues of parents and how we are to revere them. They talk about always being careful in what you do and say—because Allah (SWT) sees you. They emphasize the importance of prayer and good deeds. They emphasize being humble and having adab—good manners according to the manners of Islam.

And most importantly, they show that the most important thing is your deen.

All of these are facts of religion.

And this shows how important our deen is.

In these verses, what is prioritized? Is it your deen or your dunya?

It is your deen.

Rather, your deen—your religion—is the most important thing.

It is what will lead you to Jannah.

Therefore, a person must always be wary of his religion and never place too much value in this dunya.

We will all leave this dunya eventually. No one knows when or where. No one knows when or where we will die.

But the fact that we will die is undisputed.

However, all we can affect—all we can do—is make sure that we die upon the religion of Islam.

If we do, bi-idhnillah...

وَأُدْخِلُوا الْجَنَّةَ "We will enter Paradise."

And as a benefit, Al-Bayhaqi (رحمه الله) mentions in his book Shu’ab al-Iman that when the bearer of the good tidings regarding Yusuf (عليه السلام) came to Ya‘qub (عليه السلام)—when he was carrying Yusuf's shirt—Ya‘qub had one question.

He said:

مَا دِينُهُ؟ "What is his religion?"

Look at this!

Yusuf had been away for so long. Ya‘qub (عليه السلام) had been crying to the point that he became blind.

And after all this time, the first question out of his mouth was not:

"Is he poor?" "Is he rich?" "Does he have lands?" "Is he a king?" "Does he have status?"

He didn’t care about any of that.

He said: مَا دِينُهُ؟ "What is his religion?"

And when he heard that Yusuf (عليه السلام) was still upon Islam—still upon the religion of Ibrahim (عليه السلام)—that was when Ya‘qub (عليه السلام) said:

ٱلْـَٰٔنَ تَمَّتِ ٱلنِّعْمَةُ "Now the blessing is complete."

And finally, I want to leave you with one of the final verses of this Surah, which somehow serves as a conclusion to everything we've discussed.

Allah (SWT) says:

وَٱتَّقُوا۟ يَوْمًۭا لَّا يَجْزِى وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِۦ وَلَا مَوْلُودٌ هُوَ جَازٍ عَن وَالِدِهِۦ شَيْـًۭٔا ۚ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّۭ

"Fear a Day when no father will avail his son, nor will a son avail his father at all. Indeed, the promise of Allah is the truth."

You can give advice. You can tell people what to do. But when it's over, it's over.

إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّۭ "Indeed, the promise of Allah is the truth."

We ask Allah (SWT) to let us benefit from this knowledge.

فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

We will ask the messengers, and we will ask those who received the message, and we will ask the messengers themselves.

فَلَنَقُصَّنَّ عَلَيْهِمْ بِعِلْمٍ وَمَا كُنَّا غَائِبِينَ

And we will tell them about their deeds.

A benefit from this verse is also that Allah SWT's attributes are mentioned: لطيف خبير.

Luqman is keen to teach his son about Allah SWT. So first, he teaches him about تَوْحِيد, and now he is teaching him about the صِفَاتِ of Allah SWT—the attributes of Allah. He combines them to teach his son about Allah SWT's greatness, His صِفَاتِ (attributes), and His right to be worshipped so that he can understand Allah SWT properly.

And when he understands and knows Allah—gets to know Allah SWT—then he understands how to act in obedience to Allah SWT.

And therefore, he says: هو اللطيف الخبير.

Allah SWT is اللطيف—the one who has the most knowledge about the most subtle details, and He acts with such detail that it is almost impossible for mankind to perceive.

And He is الخبير—the one who has knowledge of reality.

This is Allah SWT. That’s who you're worshipping, Luqman SAW. And that’s the one you should be fearful of, right?

And this is teaching again, as I said, التربية—teaching our children about who Allah SWT is and giving them a balanced understanding of Allah.

Sometimes we give an unbalanced understanding of Allah. We only mention that Allah SWT is شديد العقاب—He is the one who punishes, right?

We only mention, "Oh, if you do that, Allah SWT becomes angry with you. If you do that, Allah SWT will punish you in the Hellfire."

And then our children sometimes grow up with an unhealthy fear of Allah SWT. It’s not balanced.

Balance is what? Teaching them about the benevolence of Allah, the mercy of Allah.

Allah SWT is غفور—He is the Forgiver. الرحيم، التواب, and so on and so forth.

And we also teach them about this aspect. So we combine them.

If we don’t, then that’s an unbalanced way to teach about Allah SWT, and that causes our young ones to develop an unhealthy fear of Allah.

And that’s my understanding of why sometimes people actually ask, "Is Allah SWT able to forgive my sin?"

That I did such and such?

Just the fact that the person is asking the question shows that the person has not really understood Allah SWT.

He has not really understood who Allah is.

Because if he had understood who Allah is, he would know: Allah غفور الرحيم—that Allah SWT is the one who forgives all sins.

يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَصْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ

He would have understood this—"Don’t lose hope in the mercy of Allah."

He would have understood that Allah SWT is the one who forgives every sin:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا

As long as you repent.

But that understanding of Allah SWT—that healthy, balanced, proper, correct understanding of Allah SWT—is not there.

And this is what Luqman, with this verse and other verses, is trying to teach his son.

He’s trying to teach his son.

Then he said:

يَا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا أَصَابَكَ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ

He says, "O my son, establish the prayer."

And if you look through the Qur’an, from the beginning to the end, you would never find that Allah SWT just says to the people: صلوا—pray in whatever shape, way, or form you want to pray.

"Just pray, as long as you pray, it’s fine."

No.

Allah SWT says: أَقِمُ الصَّلَاةَ—establish prayer.

And there’s a difference between establishing the prayer and praying, right?

Praying—a person might pray in a flawed manner.

لكن إقامة الصلاة—this implies that there is a foundation.

That it is something that is consistent with what Allah SWT has commanded and what the Prophet SAW has taught his companions.

Such as making wudu correctly, making sure that the water reaches every spot that it’s supposed to reach.

Standing up, having خشوع—having this خشوع that they are standing in front of Allah SWT, right?

They are about to pray. They are about to face the Lord of the heavens and the earth.

And then that they pray according to the Prophet SAW’s prayer.

This is establishing prayer.

And this is the most important thing after Tawheed.

So he began with Tawheed, and now he’s giving him advice about الصلاة, which is الركن الثاني—the second pillar.

The second pillar of Islam.

And as the Messenger SAW has said:

مفتاح الجنة الصلاة—the key to Jannah is what? Is prayer.

ومفتاح الصلاة الطهارة والوضوء—and the key to prayer is wudu.

And we always remember Allah SWT throughout our prayer.

فَاعْبُدْنِي وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِذِكْرِي

Allah SWT says: فَاعْبُدْنِي—Obey Me, meaning Allah SWT.

وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ—And establish prayer لِذِكْرِي—for My remembrance.

So we remember Allah SWT.

This connection—we are in need of it.

الله هو الغني الحميد—Right?

He is الغني, He is the Rich.

He is not in need of His servant.

Rather, the servants are in need of Him.

And that’s why we pray.

We need this connection with Allah SWT.

The Prophet SAW, whenever something caused distress to him:

فَزِعَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ—he would rush to prayer.