A Father's Wisdom: Luqman's Advice to His Son
Wisdom, gratitude, humility, kindness to parents
Not all heroes carry staffs or part seas. Not all of Allah's greatest servants are prophets. Tonight's story is about a man whose gift was not miracles but something that, in many ways, is even more valuable: wisdom. His name was Luqman, and Allah loved him so much that an entire surah of the Quran is named after him.
Luqman was not a king. He was not a general. In many traditions, he was a humble man, possibly from Abyssinia, with dark skin and a quiet manner. The world did not look at him and see someone powerful. But Allah looked at him and saw a heart so full of gratitude and understanding that He chose to grant him hikmah, wisdom, the ability to see the truth of things that others miss.
The Quran tells us: "And We had certainly given Luqman wisdom, saying: Be grateful to Allah. And whoever is grateful, it is only for his own benefit. And whoever denies, then indeed, Allah is Free of need and Praiseworthy."
Wisdom begins with gratitude. Not the kind of gratitude you say quickly before a meal, but the deep kind that changes how you see the world. When you are truly grateful, you stop complaining about what you do not have and start noticing all that you do. You stop wishing you were someone else and start understanding why Allah made you exactly who you are.
Now, Luqman had a son. And like every loving father, Luqman wanted to give his child something that would protect him when his father was no longer around. He could not leave him a palace or an army. Instead, he left him something far more durable: advice so true and so deep that Allah chose to preserve it in the Quran for every child until the Day of Judgment.
Imagine the scene. Father and son sitting together, perhaps under the shade of a tree, perhaps in their simple home after a meal. The father leaning close, his voice gentle but firm, the way a father's voice becomes when he is about to say the most important things he knows.
"O my dear son," Luqman began, "do not associate anything with Allah. Indeed, associating others with Allah is a great injustice."
This was the first lesson, and the most important. Tawhid, the oneness of Allah. Everything else in life depends on getting this right. If you understand that there is only one Creator, one Source of all power, one Being worthy of worship, then nothing in the world can truly enslave you. No dictator, no trend, no peer pressure, no fear. Your heart belongs to Allah alone.
Then the Quran pauses in Luqman's advice to add its own reminder: "And We have enjoined upon mankind goodness toward parents. His mother carried him in weakness upon weakness, and his weaning takes two years. Be grateful to Me and to your parents. To Me is the final destination."
Luqman continued: "O my dear son, indeed if a deed should be the weight of a mustard seed, and it should be within a rock or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Indeed, Allah is Subtle and All-Aware."
Think about that. A mustard seed is one of the tiniest seeds in the world. You can barely see it between your fingers. Yet Luqman tells his son that even a deed that small, hidden inside a solid rock, buried in the darkest place where no one could ever find it, Allah sees it and will bring it to light. Nothing escapes Him. Not the smallest act of kindness you do when no one is watching, and not the smallest cruelty you think no one noticed.
This is not meant to frighten you. It is meant to free you. It means that every good thing you do, no matter how small, counts. That time you helped someone and no one thanked you? Allah saw it. That moment you stopped yourself from saying something hurtful, even though you were angry? Allah knows. Nothing is wasted.
Then Luqman's advice turned practical: "O my dear son, establish 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 resolve."
Prayer is your daily connection to Allah. Enjoining good means speaking up when you see a chance to encourage kindness. Forbidding wrong means having the courage to say "this is not right" when you see injustice. And patience, sabr, is the glue that holds all of it together, because doing the right thing is rarely easy.
Finally, Luqman taught his son about how to carry himself in the world: "And do not turn your cheek in contempt toward people, and do not walk through the earth exultantly. Indeed, Allah does not like every self-deluded and boastful person. And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice. Indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the voice of the donkey."
This last part often makes children smile, and that is fine. But the wisdom is real. Luqman was saying: do not look down on anyone. Do not walk as if you own the earth. Be moderate, be humble, be quiet in your confidence. The person who truly has something, knowledge, strength, faith, does not need to shout about it. The one who shouts the loudest often has the least.
What an incredible gift from a father to a son. No gold, no land, no title. Just truth, wrapped in love.
In the Shia tradition, Luqman's advice echoes powerfully through the words of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). In his famous letter to his son Imam Hasan (AS), preserved in Nahj al-Balagha, Imam Ali wrote counsel that mirrors Luqman's wisdom: advice about faith, patience, humility, and how to live in a world full of distraction and falsehood.
Imam Ali (AS) wrote to his son: "I advise you to fear Allah, to obey His commands, to fill your heart with remembrance of Him, and to cling to His rope. For what connection is more reliable than the one between you and Allah, if you take hold of it?"
Both Luqman and Imam Ali understood the same truth: the greatest inheritance a parent can give a child is not wealth but wisdom, not comfort but character. Money can be lost, power can be taken, but a heart that knows Allah and a mind that understands right from wrong is armor that lasts a lifetime.
So tonight, think about the wisdom that has been passed down to you, from parents, from teachers, from the Quran itself. And the next time you hear advice from someone who loves you, even if it is difficult to hear, remember Luqman's son. He listened. He took his father's words into his heart. And those words became part of the Quran, alive and breathing, still teaching children fourteen hundred years later.
Key Verse
Ya bunayya la tushrik billah, innash shirka la zhulmun azheem "O my dear son, do not associate anything with Allah. Indeed, associating others with Allah is a great injustice." Luqman (31:13)
Reflection Questions
- Luqman said that even a deed the size of a mustard seed, hidden inside a rock, will be brought forth by Allah. How does knowing this change the way you think about the small good things you do every day?
- What is the difference between being confident and being arrogant? How can you be strong in your faith without looking down on others?
- If you could pass on one piece of advice to someone younger than you, what would it be and why?