A story from the Quran
Luqman
لقمان
A father giving his son advice, preserved in the Quran word for word
Imagine the few things you would want to tell your child if you only had one conversation. Not everything you know — just what actually matters. A man once did that, and Allah preserved it in the Quran. He was not a prophet. He was a father who had been given wisdom, and what he chose to say is remarkably practical.
Why this matters
Most of the Quran’s guidance arrives through prophets. This arrives through an ordinary man talking to his son, which makes it unusually easy to apply. It covers belief, parents, accountability, prayer, patience, arrogance and even how to walk and speak.
What you’ll learn
- What wisdom is described as, and what Luqman was told to do with it
- The first thing he warned his son about, and why he called it a great wrong
- What he said about parents who disagree with you
- His advice on how to carry yourself among people
Sabeel — educational summary
Surah Luqman (31), verses 12–19. · Translation by Saheeh International.
Where this happened
The Quran does not say where Luqman lived, and the reports about him differ. Sabeel does not plot a location it cannot establish.
Part 1 of 4
What he was given
Before any of the advice, the passage says what he was given and what he was told to do with it. The instruction attached to wisdom is short and unexpected.
Sabeel — setting the scene
Now read what Allah says · Luqman 31:12–13
Quran
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا لُقْمَـٰنَ ٱلْحِكْمَةَ أَنِ ٱشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ ۚ وَمَن يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ حَمِيدٌ
And We had certainly given Luqmān wisdom [and said], "Be grateful to Allāh." And whoever is grateful is grateful for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever denies [His favor] - then indeed, Allāh is Free of need and Praiseworthy.
Reference · Quran 31:12 — translation by Saheeh International
Quran
وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَـٰنُ لِٱبْنِهِۦ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُۥ يَـٰبُنَىَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ
And [mention, O Muḥammad], when Luqmān said to his son while he was instructing him, "O my son, do not associate [anything] with Allāh. Indeed, association [with Him] is great injustice."
Reference · Quran 31:13 — translation by Saheeh International
What this is saying
He was given wisdom, and told to be grateful — and the passage adds that whoever is grateful is grateful for their own benefit. Then the advice to his son begins, and the first item is not a rule about behaviour. It is not to associate anything with Allah, which he calls a great injustice. Everything practical that follows is built on that.
Sabeel — educational summary
Part 2 of 4
Parents, and the limits of obedience
The passage steps aside from Luqman for a moment to address the hardest case directly: parents who want you to believe something you cannot.
Sabeel — setting the scene
Now read what Allah says · Luqman 31:14–15
Quran
وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُۥ وَهْنًا عَلَىٰ وَهْنٍ وَفِصَـٰلُهُۥ فِى عَامَيْنِ أَنِ ٱشْكُرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَيْكَ إِلَىَّ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
And We have enjoined upon man [care] for his parents. His mother carried him, [increasing her] in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents; to Me is the [final] destination.
Reference · Quran 31:14 — translation by Saheeh International
Quran
وَإِن جَـٰهَدَاكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن تُشْرِكَ بِى مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَا ۖ وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا ۖ وَٱتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَىَّ ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
But if they endeavor to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them but accompany them in [this] world with appropriate kindness and follow the way of those who turn back to Me [in repentance]. Then to Me will be your return, and I will inform you about what you used to do.
Reference · Quran 31:15 — translation by Saheeh International
What this is saying
It records what a mother endures in carrying and weaning a child, and instructs gratitude to Allah and to parents. Then it deals with the conflict: if they press you toward associating others with Allah, do not obey them — and in the same breath, accompany them in this world with kindness. Refusing on one point and treating them well are not presented as alternatives.
Sabeel — educational summary
Part 3 of 4
Nothing is too small to be seen
He then tells his son something about scale — that being small or hidden is no protection from being known.
Sabeel — setting the scene
Now read what Allah says · Luqman 31:16–17
Quran
يَـٰبُنَىَّ إِنَّهَآ إِن تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُن فِى صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ أَوْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا ٱللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ
[And Luqmān said], "O my son, indeed if it [i.e., a wrong] should be the weight of a mustard seed and should be within a rock or [anywhere] in the heavens or in the earth, Allāh will bring it forth. Indeed, Allāh is Subtle and Aware.
Reference · Quran 31:16 — translation by Saheeh International
Quran
يَـٰبُنَىَّ أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأْمُرْ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَٱنْهَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَآ أَصَابَكَ ۖ إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ ٱلْأُمُورِ
O my son, establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you. Indeed, [all] that is of the matters [requiring] resolve.
Reference · Quran 31:17 — translation by Saheeh International
What this is saying
He says that if a deed were the weight of a mustard seed and inside a rock, or in the heavens or the earth, Allah would bring it forth. Then the practical instructions: establish prayer, enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and be patient over what befalls you — with the last one clearly expected to be needed because of the ones before it.
Sabeel — educational summary
Part 4 of 4
How to carry yourself
The advice ends with something almost startlingly ordinary: posture, pace, and tone of voice.
Sabeel — setting the scene
Now read what Allah says · Luqman 31:18–19
Quran
وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ
And do not turn your cheek [in contempt] toward people and do not walk through the earth exultantly. Indeed, Allāh does not like everyone self-deluded and boastful.
Reference · Quran 31:18 — translation by Saheeh International
Quran
وَٱقْصِدْ فِى مَشْيِكَ وَٱغْضُضْ مِن صَوْتِكَ ۚ إِنَّ أَنكَرَ ٱلْأَصْوَٰتِ لَصَوْتُ ٱلْحَمِيرِ
And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice; indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the voice of donkeys."
Reference · Quran 31:19 — translation by Saheeh International
What this is saying
Do not turn your cheek away from people in contempt, do not walk through the earth exultantly, be moderate in your pace, and lower your voice. Character here is not abstract. It is how you hold your face, how you walk down a street, and how loudly you speak — the things people actually notice about you.
Sabeel — educational summary
What this teaches me about Allah
The passage insists that nothing is too small or too hidden to be known, and pairs that with the instruction to be grateful. Being fully seen is presented as a reason for care rather than for fear.
Sabeel — educational summary
What can we learn?
- The advice begins with belief and ends with how you walk and speak. Both are treated as part of the same thing.
- Refusing a parent on one point and treating them with kindness are not alternatives.
- Patience is listed straight after enjoining good — as though difficulty is expected, not exceptional.
- Arrogance is described through behaviour: a turned cheek, a swaggering walk, a raised voice.
Character to develop
- Gratitude
- Humility in bearing
- Kindness within disagreement
Sabeel — educational summary
Sit with this
No right answers. These are for you, not for anyone else.
- If you had one conversation with someone you love, what would you actually say?
- Is there a small habit in how you speak or carry yourself that you would not want described back to you?
- Where are you refusing something on principle in a way that has also become unkind?
Write it down
Anything from Luqman you want to keep. It saves to your journal, on this device only.
One thing you can do today
Pick one of Luqman’s closing instructions — your pace, your tone, or your attention to someone — and apply it once today.
Dua: For your parentsThis story speaks to
- Family
- Gratitude
- Patience