Tafsir

Luqman

The Salaf differed over the identity of Luqman; there are two opinions: was he a Prophet or just a righteous servant of Allah without the prophethood The majority favored the latter view, that he was a righteous servant of Allah without being a Prophet. Sufyan Ath-Thawri said, narrating from Al-Ash`ath, from `Ikrimah, from Ibn `Abbas, "Luqman was an Ethiopian slave who was a carpenter. `Abdullah bin Az-Zubayr said, "I said to Jabir bin `Abdullah: `What did you hear about Luqman' He said: `He was short with a flat nose, and came from Nubia."' Yahya bin Sa`id Al-Ansari narrated from Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib that "Luqman was from the black peoples of (southern) Egypt, and had thick lips.

Allah gave him wisdom but withheld prophethood from him." Al-`Awza`i said, "`Abdur-Rahman bin Harmalah told me; `A black man came to Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib to ask him a question, and Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib said to him: "Do not be upset because you are black, for among the best of people were three who were black: Bilal, Mahja` the freed slave of `Umar bin Al-Khattab, and Luqman the Wise, who was a black Nubian with thick lips." Ibn Jarir recorded that Khalid Ar-Raba`i said: "Luqman was an Ethiopian slave who was a carpenter. His master said to him, `Slaughter this sheep for us,' so he slaughtered it. His master said: `Bring the best two pieces from it,' so he brought out the tongue and the heart. Then time passed, as much as Allah willed, and his master said: `Slaughter this sheep for us,' so he slaughtered it. His master said, `Bring the worst two morsels from it,' so he brought out the tongue and the heart.

His master said to him, `I told you to bring out the best two pieces, and you brought these, then I told you to bring out the worst two pieces, and you brought these!' Luqman said, `There is nothing better than these if they are good, and there is nothing worse than these if they are bad."' Shu`bah narrated from Al-Hakam, from Mujahid, "Luqman was a righteous servant, but he was not a Prophet." Allah's saying:وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ(And indeed We bestowed upon Luqman Al-Hikmah) means, understanding, knowledge and eloquence.أَنِ اشْكُرْ للَّهِ(saying: "Give thanks to Allah.") means, `We commanded him to give thanks to Allah for the blessings and favors that Allah had given to him alone among his people and contemporaries.' Then Allah says:وَمَن يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ(And whoever gives thanks, he gives thanks for (the good of) himself.) meaning, the benefit of that will come back to him, and Allah's reward is for those who give thanks, as He says:وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَـلِحاً فَلاًّنفُسِهِمْ يَمْهَدُونَ(and whosoever does righteous good deeds, then such will prepare a good place for themselves.

) (30:44)وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌ(And whoever is unthankful, then verily, Allah is Rich, Worthy of all praise.) He has no need of His servants and He will not be harmed by that, even if all the people of the earth were to disbelieve, for He has no need of anything or anyone besides Himself. There is no God but He, and we worship none but Him.

Commentary

Who was Luqman (علیہ السلام) mentioned in verse 12: وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ (And We gave wisdom to Luqman)? According to a report of Wahb Ibn Munnabih, Luqman, (علیہ السلام) was a nephew of Sayyidna Ayyub (Job) (علیہ السلام) while Muqatil identifies him as his brother from his maternal aunt. It appears in Tafsir ul-Baidawi and elsewhere that he lived long, as long as the time of Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) . It is proved by other reports too that Luqman (علیہ السلام) appeared during the time of Sayyidna Dawud علیہ السلام .

And the report of Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ appearing in ad-Durr al-Manthur says that he was an Ethiopian slave who worked as a carpenter (narrated by Ibn Abi Shaibah and Ahmad in az-Zuhd, and Ibn Jarir and Ibn al-Mundhir and others). When the Sahabi, Sayyidna Jabir Ibn ` Abdullah ؓ was asked about his background, he said that he was an Ethiopian of low height and flat nose. And Mujahid said that he was a thick-lipped, cracked-footed Ethiopian slave (al-Zajjaj). (Ibn Kathir)An Ethiopian came to Said Ibn al-Musayyab looking for an answer to some religious problem. The famous Tabi` i consoled him by telling him that he should not worry about the dark color of his skin, because there were three highly revered persons from among the black people who were regarded as the best of any people anywhere. Then he cited the names of Sayyidna Bilal al-Habashi, Sayyidna Mahja', the freed slave of Sayyidna ` Umar Ibn ul-Khattab ؓ and Luqman (علیہ السلام) .

The Identity of Luqman (علیہ السلام)According to Ibn Kathir, the majority of the elders concur that he was not a prophet. That he was a prophet has been reported only from ` Ikrimah, but the authority of this report is weak. Then, Imam al-Baghawi reports a consensus on the fact that he was a man of wisdom and knowledgeable in religious law, but not a prophet. (Mazhari)Ibn Kathir has also pointed out to an unusual report from Sayyidna Qatadah (رح) about him saying that Allah Ta’ ala had given Luqman (علیہ السلام) choice between prophethood (nubuwwah) and wisdom (hikmah). He opted for wisdom. And in some reports, it appears that he was given the option to be a prophet. But he had submitted that he would be honored to accept it if that was a command, otherwise he should be excused.

Again, it has also been reported from Sayyidna Qatadah (رح) that someone asked Luqman: 'Why did you prefer wisdom over prophethood while you were given a choice between the two?' He said, 'The office of a prophet carries great responsibilities. Had that been given to me without my choice, Allah Ta’ ala would have been sufficient to see that I am enabled to discharge its responsibilities as due. And if I had asked for it with my choice and volition, the responsibility would have been mine.' (Ibn Kathir)Now, it already stands established that Luqman (علیہ السلام) was not a Nabiyy or prophet. This is as held by the majority of the scholars. So, we can say that the command mentioned in the present verse (i.e. Be grateful to Allah) could have been given to him through Ilham (inspiration) attributed to men of Allah (awliya' Allah).

Before the time of Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) Luqman (علیہ السلام) used to give Fatwa (religious rulings on questions asked by people). When Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) was invested with prophethood, he stopped this practice believing that he was not needed anymore. According to some reports, he was a judge among the Bani Isra'il. Many words of wisdom have been reported from him. Wahb Ibn Munnabih says that he has read more than ten thousand of these. (Qurtubi)On a certain day, while sage Luqman was addressing a big gathering of people sharing his wisdom with them, there came a person and asked him point blank: 'Are you not the same person who used to graze goats with me in such and such forest?' Luqman (علیہ السلام) said: 'Yes, I am the same person." The man asked, 'How then, could you achieve this status that such multitudes of people hold you in reverence and come to hear your words from far and wide?' Luqman (علیہ السلام) said: 'The reason lies in two .things I do: (1) Always telling the truth and (2) avoiding the useless things.

It appears in another report that he said: 'I tell you about a few things that have given me this station in life. If you were to take to these, you too will have the same rank and status. These are as follow: (1) Lower your gaze and hold your tongue. (2) Stay content with lawful sustenance. (3) Guard your private parts. (4) Tell the truth and uphold it. (5) Fulfill the pledge. (6) Honor the guest. (7) Protect the neighbor. (8) Observe silence against wasteful speech and leave off all useless indulgences.' (Ibn Kathir)What does the 'hikmah' given to Luqman actually mean?

The word: حِکمَۃ (hikmah) has been used in the Qur'an (20 times) conveying several meanings such as wisdom, knowledge, reason, forbearance, patience, prophethood, and correctness of opinion.

Commentator Abu Hayyan has said: 'Hikmah means a statement in words, a statement that teaches people a lesson, a lesson that goes down their hearts and which they conserve and communicate to others.'And the famous Sahabi, Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Abbas ؓ said: 'Hikmah means intellect, understanding and intelligence' while some others have said that acting in accordance with knowledge is what Hikmah is. In reality, there is no contradiction here. All these ingredients are included under the purview of Hikmah. Those who have seen the abridged Tafsir of moulana Ashraf All Thanavi (رح) in the original Urdu version of the present Tafsir will notice that he has translated Hikmah in the sense of prudence and wisdom and explained it as being knowledge that has been put into practice. This is very comprehensive and very clear.

After having mentioned the giving of Hikmah to Luqman (علیہ السلام) ، on whom be peace, in this verse (12), it was said: "Be grateful to Allah." Here, the first probability is to take the word: قُلنَا (qulna: We said) as understood. The sense would be that 'We gave Hikmah to Luqman and commanded him to be grateful to Allah.' Then, there are others who have also said that the statement: أَنِ اشْكُرْ‌ لِلَّـهِ (anishkur lillah: Be grateful to Allah) is in itself an explanation of Hikmah. In other words, the Hikmah given to Luqman (علیہ السلام) was that 'We gave him the command to be grateful which he carried out.' In that case, it would mean that being grateful to the blessings of Allah Ta’ ala is the greatest wisdom (hikmah). Soon after, it was explicitly clarified that this command to be grateful was not given by Allah Ta’ ala to earn some benefit for Himself. He needs no gratefulness from anyone.

In fact, it has been done in the interest of human beings and for their benefit - because, according to the law of Allah, whoever is grateful to Him, He causes an increase in the blessings given to a person.

Mentioned after that there are some words of wise counsel spoken by Luqman (علیہ السلام) to his son. These have been reported by the Qur'an so that others may also benefit from these.

اختلف السلف في لقمان ، عليه السلام : هل كان نبيا ، أو عبدا صالحا من غير نبوة ؟ على قولين ، الأكثرون على الثاني .وقال سفيان الثوري ، عن الأشعث ، عن عكرمة ، عن ابن عباس قال : كان لقمان عبدا حبشيا نجارا .وقال قتادة ، عن عبد الله بن الزبير ، قلت لجابر بن عبد الله : ما انتهى إليكم من شأن لقمان ؟ قال : كان قصيرا أفطس من النوبة .وقال يحيى بن سعيد الأنصاري ، عن سعيد بن المسيب قال : كان لقمان من سودان مصر ، ذا مشافر ، أعطاه الله الحكمة ومنعه النبوة .وقال الأوزاعي : رحمه الله ، حدثني عبد الرحمن بن حرملة قال : جاء رجل أسود إلى سعيد بن المسيب يسأله ، فقال له سعيد بن المسيب : لا تحزن من أجل أنك أسود ، فإنه كان من أخير الناس ثلاثة من السودان : بلال ، ومهجع مولى عمر بن الخطاب ، ولقمان الحكيم ، كان أسود نوبيا ذا مشافر .وقال ابن جرير : حدثنا ابن وكيع ، حدثنا أبي ، عن أبي الأشهب ، عن خالد الربعي قال : كان لقمان عبدا حبشيا نجارا ، فقال له مولاه : اذبح لنا هذه الشاة . فذبحها ، فقال : أخرج أطيب مضغتين فيها . فأخرج اللسان والقلب ، فمكث ما شاء الله ثم قال : اذبح لنا هذه الشاة . فذبحها ، فقال : أخرج أخبث مضغتين فيها .

فأخرج اللسان والقلب ، فقال له مولاه : أمرتك أن تخرج أطيب مضغتين فيها فأخرجتهما ، وأمرتك أن تخرج أخبث مضغتين فيها فأخرجتهما . فقال لقمان : إنه ليس من شيء أطيب منهما إذا طابا ، ولا أخبث منهما إذا خبثا .وقال شعبة ، عن الحكم ، عن مجاهد : كان لقمان عبدا صالحا ، ولم يكن نبيا .وقال الأعمش : قال مجاهد : كان لقمان عبدا أسود عظيم الشفتين ، مشقق القدمين .وقال حكام بن سلم ، عن سعيد الزبيدي ، عن مجاهد : كان لقمان الحكيم عبدا حبشيا غليظ الشفتين ، مصفح القدمين ، قاضيا على بني إسرائيل .وذكر غيره : أنه كان قاضيا على بني إسرائيل في زمن داود ، عليه السلام .وقال ابن جرير : حدثنا ابن حميد ، حدثنا الحكم حدثنا عمرو بن قيس قال : كان لقمان ، عليه السلام ، عبدا أسود غليظ الشفتين ، مصفح القدمين ، فأتاه رجل وهو في مجلس أناس يحدثهم ، فقال له : ألست الذي كنت ترعى معي الغنم في مكان كذا وكذا ، قال : نعم . فقال : فما بلغ بك ما أرى ؟ قال : صدق الحديث ، والصمت عما لا يعنيني .وقال ابن أبي حاتم : حدثنا أبو زرعة ، حدثنا صفوان ، حدثنا الوليد ، حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن يزيد عن جابر قال : إن الله رفع لقمان الحكيم بحكمته ، فرآه رجل كان يعرفه قبل ذلك ، فقال له : ألست عبد بني فلان الذي كنت ترعى بالأمس ؟ قال : بلى .

قال : فما بلغ بك ما أرى ؟ قال : قدر الله ، وأداء الأمانة ، وصدق الحديث ، وتركي ما لا يعنيني .فهذه الآثار منها ما هو مصرح فيه بنفي كونه نبيا ، ومنها ما هو مشعر بذلك; لأن كونه عبدا قد مسه الرق ينافي كونه نبيا; لأن الرسل كانت تبعث في أحساب قومها; ولهذا كان جمهور السلف على أنه لم يكن نبيا ، وإنما ينقل كونه نبيا عن عكرمة - إن صح السند إليه ، فإنه رواه ابن جرير ، وابن أبي حاتم من حديث وكيع عن إسرائيل ، عن جابر ، عن عكرمة فقال : كان لقمان نبيا . وجابر هذا هو ابن يزيد الجعفي ، وهو ضعيف ، والله أعلم .وقال عبد الله بن وهب : أخبرني عبد الله بن عياش القتباني ، عن عمر مولى غفرة قال : وقف رجل على لقمان الحكيم فقال : أنت لقمان ، أنت عبد بني الحسحاس ؟ قال : نعم . قال : أنت راعي الغنم ؟ قال : نعم . قال : أنت الأسود ؟ قال : أما سوادي فظاهر ، فما الذي يعجبك من أمري ؟ قال : وطء الناس بساطك ، وغشيهم بابك ، ورضاهم بقولك . قال : يا بن أخي إن صغيت إلى ما أقول لك كنت كذلك .

قال لقمان : غضي بصري ، وكفي لساني ، وعفة طعمتي ، وحفظي فرجي ، وقولي بصدق ، ووفائي بعهدي ، وتكرمتي ضيفي ، وحفظي جاري ، وتركي ما لا يعنيني ، فذاك الذي صيرني إلى ما ترى .وقال ابن أبي حاتم : حدثنا أبي ، حدثنا ابن نفيل ، حدثنا عمرو بن واقد ، عن عبدة بن رباح ، عن ربيعة ، عن أبي الدرداء ، رضي الله عنه ، أنه قال يوما - وذكر لقمان الحكيم - فقال : ما أوتي ما أوتي عن أهل ولا مال ، ولا حسب ولا خصال ، ولكنه كان رجلا صمصامة سكيتا ، طويل التفكر ، عميق النظر ، لم ينم نهارا قط ، ولم يره أحد قط يبزق ولا يتنخع ، ولا يبول ولا يتغوط ، ولا يغتسل ، ولا يعبث ولا يضحك ، وكان لا يعيد منطقا نطقه إلا أن يقول حكمة يستعيدها إياه أحد ، وكان قد تزوج وولد له أولاد ، فماتوا فلم يبك عليهم . وكان يغشى السلطان ، ويأتي الحكام ، لينظر ويتفكر ويعتبر ، فبذلك أوتي ما أوتي .وقد ورد أثر غريب عن قتادة ، رواه ابن أبي حاتم ، فقال :حدثنا أبي ، حدثنا العباس بن الوليد ، حدثنا زيد بن يحيى بن عبيد الخزاعي ، حدثنا سعيد بن بشير ، عن قتادة قال : خير الله لقمان الحكيم بين النبوة والحكمة ، فاختار الحكمة على النبوة .

قال : فأتاه جبريل وهو نائم فذر عليه الحكمة - أو : رش عليه الحكمة - قال : فأصبح ينطق بها .قال سعيد : فسمعت عن قتادة يقول : قيل للقمان : كيف اخترت الحكمة على النبوة وقد خيرك ربك ؟ فقال : إنه لو أرسل إلي بالنبوة عزمة لرجوت فيه الفوز منه ، ولكنت أرجو أن أقوم بها ، ولكنه خيرني فخفت أن أضعف عن النبوة ، فكانت الحكمة أحب إلي .فهذا من رواية سعيد بن بشير ، وفيه ضعف قد تكلموا فيه بسببه ، فالله أعلم .والذي رواه سعيد بن أبي عروبة ، عن قتادة ، في قوله تعالى : ( ولقد آتينا لقمان الحكمة ) أي : الفقه في الإسلام ، ولم يكن نبيا ، ولم يوح إليه .وقوله : ( ولقد آتينا لقمان الحكمة ) أي : الفهم والعلم والتعبير ، ( أن اشكر لله ) أي : أمرناه أن يشكر الله ، عز وجل ، على ما أتاه الله ومنحه ووهبه من الفضل ، الذي خصه به عمن سواه من أبناء جنسه وأهل زمانه .ثم قال تعالى : ( ومن يشكر فإنما يشكر لنفسه ) أي : إنما يعود نفع ذلك وثوابه على الشاكرين لقوله تعالى : ( ومن عمل صالحا فلأنفسهم يمهدون ) [ الروم : 44 ] .وقوله : ( ومن كفر فإن الله غني حميد ) أي : غني عن العباد ، لا يتضرر بذلك ، ولو كفر أهل الأرض كلهم جميعا ، فإنه الغني عمن سواه; فلا إله إلا الله ، ولا نعبد إلا إياه .