Sūra XXXI. Luqmān (the Wise).

The Holy Quran, tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934], at sacred-texts.com

p. 1080

Sūra XXXI.

Luqmān (the Wise).

In the name of God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful.

1. A. L. M.

2. These are Verses
Of the Wise Book,—

3. A Guide and a Mercy
To the Doers of Good,—

4. Those who establish regular Prayer,
And give regular Charity,
And have (in their hearts)
The assurance of the Hereafter.

5. These are on (true) guidance
From their Lord; and these
Are the ones who will prosper.

6. But there are, among men,
Those who purchase idle tales,'

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Without knowledge (or meaning),
To mislead (men) from the Path
Of God and throw ridicule
(On the Path): for such
There will be a humiliating
Penalty.

7. When Our Signs are rehearsed
To such a one, he turns
Away in arrogance, as if
He heard them not, as if
There were deafness in both
His ears: announce to him
A grievous Penalty.

8. For those who believe
And work righteous deeds,
There will be Gardens
Of Bliss,—

9. To dwell therein. The promise
Of God is true: and He
Is Exalted in power, Wise.

10. He created the heavens
Without any pillars that ye
Can see; He set
On the earth mountains
Standing firm, lest it
Should shake with you;
And He scattered through it
Beasts of all kinds.
We send down rain
From the sky, and produce

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On the earth every kind.
Of noble creature, in pairs.

11. Such is the Creation of God:
Now show Me what is there
That others besides Him
Have created: nay, but
The Transgressors are
In manifest error.

SECTION 2.

12. We bestowed (in the past)
Wisdom on Luqmān:
"Show (thy) gratitude to God."
Any who is (so) grateful
Does so to the profit
Of his own soul: but if
Any is ungrateful, verily
God is free of all wants,
Worthy of all praise.

13. Behold, Luqmān said
To his son by way of

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Instruction: "O my son!
Join not in worship
(Others) with God: for
False worship is indeed
The highest wrong-doing."

14. And We have enjoined on man
(To be good) to his parents:
In travail upon travail
Did his mother bear him,
And in years twain
Was his weaning: (hear
The command), "Show gratitude
To Me and to thy parents:
To Me is (thy final) Goal.

15. "But if they strive
To make thee join
In worship with Me
Things of which thou hast
No knowledge, obey them not;
Yet bear them company
In this life with justice
(And consideration), and follow
The way of those who
Turn to Me (in love):
In the End the return
Of you all is to Me,
And I will tell you
The truth (and meaning)
Of all that ye did."

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16. "O my son!" (said Luqmān),
"If there be (but) the weight
Of a mustard-seed and
It were (hidden) in a rock,'
Or (anywhere) in the heavens or
On earth, God will bring it
Forth: for God understands'
The finest mysteries, (and)
Is well-acquainted (with them).

17. "O my son! establish
Regular prayer, enjoin what is
Just, and forbid what is wrong:
And bear with patient constancy
Whate’er betide thee; for this
Is firmness (of purpose)
In (the conduct of) affairs.

18. "And swell not thy cheek
(For pride) at men,
Nor walk in insolence
Through the earth;
For God loveth not
Any arrogant boaster.

19. "And be moderate
In thy pace, and lower

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Thy voice; for the harshest
Of sounds without doubt
Is the braying of the ass."

SECTION 3.

20. Do ye not see
That God has subjected
To your (use) all things
In the heavens and on earth,
And has made His bounties
Flow to you in exceeding
Measure, (both) seen and unseen?
Yet there are among men
Those who dispute about God,
Without knowledge and without
Guidance, and without a Book
To enlighten them!

21. When they are told to follow
The (Revelation) that God
Has sent down, they say:
"Nay, we shall follow
The ways that we found
Our fathers (following)."

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What! even if it is
Satan beckoning them
To the Penalty
Of the (Blazing) Fire?

22. Whoever submits
His whole self to God,
And is a doer of good,
Has grasped indeed
The most trustworthy hand-hold
And with God rests the End
And Decision of (all) affairs.

23. But if any reject Faith,
Let not his rejection
Grieve thee: to Us
Is their Return, and We
Shall tell them the truth
Of their deeds: for God
Knows well all that is
In (men's) hearts.

24. We grant them their pleasure
For a little while
In the end shall We
Drive them to
A chastisement unrelenting.

25. If thou ask them,
Who it is that created
The heavens and the earth.
They will certainly say,

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"God". Say: "Praise be to God!"
But most of them
Understand not.

26. To God belong all things
In heaven and earth: verily
God is He (that is)
Free of all wants,
Worthy of all praise.

27. And if all the trees
On earth were pens
And the Ocean (were ink),
With seven Oceans behind it
To add to its (supply),
Yet would not the Words
Of God be exhausted
(In the writing): for God
Is Exalted in power,
Full of Wisdom.

28. And your creation
Or your resurrection
Is in no wise but
As an individual soul:
For God is He Who
Hears and sees (all things).

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29. Seest thou not that
God merges Night into Day
And He merges Day into Night;
That He has subjected the sun,
And the moon (to His Law),
Each running its course
For a term appointed; and
That God is well acquainted
With all that ye do?

30. That is because God is
The (only) Reality, and because
Whatever else they invoke
Besides Him is Falsehood;
And because God,—He is
The Most High, Most Great.

SECTION 4.

31. Seest thou not that
The ships sail through
The Ocean by the grace
Of God?—that He may
Show you of His Signs?
Verily in this are Signs
For all who constantly persevere
And give thanks.

32. When a wave covers them
Like the canopy (of clouds),
They call to God
Offering Him sincere devotion.

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But when He has delivered them
Safely to land, there are
Among them those that halt
Between (right and wrong).
But none reject Our Signs
Except only a perfidious
Ungrateful (wretch)!

33. O mankind! do your duty
To your Lord, and fear
(The coming of) a Day
When no father can avail
Aught for his son, nor
A son avail aught
For his father.
Verily, the promise of God
Is true: let not then
This present life deceive you,
Nor let the Chief Deceiver
Deceive you about God.

34, Verily the knowledge
Of the Hour is
With God (alone).
It is He Who sends down
Rain, and He Who knows
What is in the wombs.

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Nor does any one know
What it is that he will
Earn on the morrow:
Nor does any one know
In what land he is
To die. Verily with God
Is full knowledge and He
Is acquainted (with all things)