Ala-Maududi
(31:12) We[17] bestowed wisdom upon Luqman, (enjoining): “Give thanks to
Allah.”[18] Whoso gives thanks to Allah, does so to his own good. And whoso
disbelieves (let him know that) Allah is All-Sufficient, Immensely Praiseworthy.[19]
17. After presenting a rational argument to refute shirk, the Arabs are being told that this
rational point of view is not being presented before them for the first time, but the wise and
learned people before them also have been saying the same thing, including their own famous
sage, Luqman. Therefore, they cannot refute the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) message, saying,
“If shirk was an irrational creed, why didn’t it strike so to somebody else before?”
Luqman was well known as a wise and learned man in Arabia. He has been mentioned in the poetry of
the pre- Islamic poets like Imraul-Qais, Labid, Aasha, Tarafa and others. Some educated Arabs
also possessed a collection of the wise sayings of Luqman. According to traditions, three years
before the Hijrah the very first person of Al-Madinah to be influenced by the Prophet (peace be
upon him) was Suwaid bin Samit. He went to Makkah for Hajj. There the Prophet (peace be upon
him) was as usual preaching Islam to the pilgrims coming from different places, at their
residences. When Suwaid heard his speech, he submitted, “I have also gotten a thing similar to
what you preach,” When the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked what it was, he said, “The roll of
Luqman.” Then on the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) insisting, he read out a portion of it,
whereupon the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “This discourse is fine, but that which I have
is better still.” Then he recited the Quran to him, and Suwaid admitted that that was certainly
better than the wisdom of Luqman. According to the historians, this person, Suwaid bin Samit,
was known by the title of kamil (perfect) in Al-Madinah on account of his ability, bravery,
nobility and poetry. But after his meeting with the Prophet (peace be upon him), when he
returned to Al-Madinah. He was killed in the battle of Buath, which was fought some time
afterwards. His tribesmen were of the opinion that he had become a Muslim after his meeting with
the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Historically, Luqman is a disputed personage. In the dark centuries of ignorance there was no
compiled history. The only source of information were the traditions that were being handed down
since centuries. According to these, some people thought that Luqman belonged to the people of
Aad and was a king of Yaman. Relying on these traditions, Maulana Sayyid Suleman Nadvi has
expressed the opinion in the Ard al-Qaran that Luqman was a descendent of the believers who
remained safe with the Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) after the destruction of the people of
Aad by a divine torment, and he was one of the kings of Yaman when it was ruled by the Aad. But
other traditions which have been reported from some learned companions and their immediate
followers do not support this view. Ibn Abbas says Luqman was a negro slave, and the same is the
opinion of Abu Hurairah, Mujahid, Ikrimah and Khalid ar-Rabi. According to Jabir bin Abdullah
Ansari, he belonged to Nirbah. Said bin al- Musayyib says that he was an Egyptian negro. These
three sayings closely resemble one another. The Arabs generally called the black people negroes
(Habashis) in those days, and Nirbah is the country south of Egypt and north of Sudan.
Therefore, calling the same person an Egyptian and a Nubian and a negro, in spite of the
difference in words. is one and the same thing. Then the elucidations made by Suhayli in Raud
al-Unuf nd Masudi in Muruj adh-Dhahab also throw some light on the question as to how the wisdom
of this Sudanese slave spread in Arabia. They both agree that this person, though originally a
Nubian, was an inhabitant of Madyan and Aylah (modern, Aqabah). That is why he spoke Arabic and
his wisdom spread in Arabia. Besides, Suhayli also elucidates that Luqman the Sage and Luqman
bin Aad were two different persons, and it is not correct to regard them as one and the same
man.
Another thing may also be made clear here. The Arabic manuscript from the Library of Paris, which
the orientalist Derenbourg has published under the title Amthal Luqman Hakim (Fables De Luqman
Le Sage) is a fabricated thing which has nothing to do with the Roll of Luqman. These fables
were compiled by somebody in the 13th century A.D. Its Arabic is poor, and a perusal shows that
it is, in fact, a translation of some other book in a different language, which the author or
translator has himself ascribed to Luqman the Sage. The orientalists make such researches with a
special object in view. They bang out such forged and fake things in order to prove that the
narratives of the Quran are unhistorical legends and therefore unreliable. Anyone who reads B.
Helle’s article on Luqman in the Encyclopedia of Islam will not fail to understand the real
motive of these people.
18. That is, “The very first demand of the wisdom and knowledge, insight and sagacity, granted by
Allah was that man should have adopted the attitude of gratefulness and obedience before his
Lord, and not of ingratitude and thanklessness. And this gratefulness should not have merely
been lip-service but expressed and translated in thought and word and deed. One should have the
conviction in the depths of his heart and mind that whatever he has gotten, has been given by
God. One’s tongue should always be acknowledging the favors of God; and also practically, one
should be trying to prove by carrying out His commands, by avoiding sins, by striving to achieve
His good-will, by conveying His blessings and favors to His servants and by fighting those who
have rebelled against Him that he is really a grateful servant of his God.”
19. That is, “The one who is ungrateful and unbelieving, his unbelief is harmful to his own self.
Allah does not lose anything. He is Independent and does not stand in need of anyone’s
gratitude. The gratitude of someone does not add anything to His Godhead, nor does anyone’s
ingratitude and disbelief change the reality that whatever the servants have gotten, has been
granted by Him. He is self- Praiseworthy whether someone praises Him or not. Every particle in
the universe bears testimony to His Perfection and Beauty, His Creativity and Providence, and
every creature is paying homage to His glory perpetually.”