Verse 31:17 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

13 وَإِذۡ قَالَ لُقۡمَـٰنُ لِٱبۡنِهِۦ وَهُوَ یَعِظُهُۥ یَـٰبُنَیَّ لَا تُشۡرِكۡ بِٱللَّهِۖ إِنَّ ٱلشِّرۡكَ لَظُلۡمٌ عَظِیمࣱ ۝١٣ wa-idh qāla luq'mānu li-ib'nihi wahuwa yaʿiẓuhu yābunayya lā tush'rik bil-lahi inna l-shir'ka laẓul'mun ʿaẓīmu Luqman counselled his son, ‘My son, do not attribute any partners to God: attributing partners to Him is a terrible wrong.’ 14 وَوَصَّیۡنَا ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ بِوَ ٰلِدَیۡهِ حَمَلَتۡهُ أُمُّهُۥ وَهۡنًا عَلَىٰ وَهۡنࣲ وَفِصَـٰلُهُۥ فِی عَامَیۡنِ أَنِ ٱشۡكُرۡ لِی وَلِوَ ٰلِدَیۡكَ إِلَیَّ ٱلۡمَصِیرُ ۝١٤ wawaṣṣaynā l-insāna biwālidayhi ḥamalathu ummuhu wahnan ʿalā wahnin wafiṣāluhu fī ʿāmayni ani ush'kur lī waliwālidayka ilayya l-maṣīr We have commanded people to be good to their parents: their mothers carried them, with strain upon strain, and it takes two years to wean them. Give thanks to Me and to your parents- all will return to Me 15 وَإِن جَـٰهَدَاكَ عَلَىٰۤ أَن تُشۡرِكَ بِی مَا لَیۡسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلۡمࣱ فَلَا تُطِعۡهُمَاۖ وَصَاحِبۡهُمَا فِی ٱلدُّنۡیَا مَعۡرُوفࣰاۖ وَٱتَّبِعۡ سَبِیلَ مَنۡ أَنَابَ إِلَیَّۚ ثُمَّ إِلَیَّ مَرۡجِعُكُمۡ فَأُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡمَلُونَ ۝١٥ wa-in jāhadāka ʿalā an tush'rika bī mā laysa laka bihi ʿil'mun falā tuṭiʿ'humā waṣāḥib'humā fī l-dun'yā maʿrūfan wa-ittabiʿ sabīla man anāba ilayya thumma ilayya marjiʿukum fa-unabbi-ukum bimā kuntum taʿmalūn If they strive to make you associate with Me anything about which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them. Yet keep their company in this life according to what is right, and follow the path of those who turn to Me. You will all return to Me in the end, and I will tell you everything that you have done 16 یَـٰبُنَیَّ إِنَّهَاۤ إِن تَكُ مِثۡقَالَ حَبَّةࣲ مِّنۡ خَرۡدَلࣲ فَتَكُن فِی صَخۡرَةٍ أَوۡ فِی ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتِ أَوۡ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ یَأۡتِ بِهَا ٱللَّهُۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَطِیفٌ خَبِیرࣱ ۝١٦ yābunayya innahā in taku mith'qāla ḥabbatin min khardalin fatakun fī ṣakhratin aw fī l-samāwāti aw fī l-arḍi yati bihā l-lahu inna l-laha laṭīfun khabīru [And Luqman continued], ‘My son, if even the weight of a mustard seed were hidden in a rock or anywhere in the heavens or earth, God would bring it [to light], for He is all subtle and all aware

17 یَـٰبُنَیَّ أَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأۡمُرۡ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَٱنۡهَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَٱصۡبِرۡ عَلَىٰ مَاۤ أَصَابَكَۖ إِنَّ ذَ ٰلِكَ مِنۡ عَزۡمِ ٱلۡأُمُورِ ۝١٧ yābunayya aqimi l-ṣalata wamur bil-maʿrūfi wa-in'ha ʿani l-munkari wa-iṣ'bir ʿalā mā aṣābaka inna dhālika min ʿazmi l-umūr Keep up the prayer, my son; command what is right; forbid what is wrong; bear anything that happens to you steadfastly: these are things to be aspired to

18 وَلَا تُصَعِّرۡ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمۡشِ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مَرَحًاۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا یُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخۡتَالࣲ فَخُورࣲ ۝١٨ walā tuṣaʿʿir khaddaka lilnnāsi walā tamshi fī l-arḍi maraḥan inna l-laha lā yuḥibbu kulla mukh'tālin fakhūri Do not turn your nose up at people, nor walk about the place arrogantly, for God does not love arrogant or boastful people 19 وَٱقۡصِدۡ فِی مَشۡیِكَ وَٱغۡضُضۡ مِن صَوۡتِكَۚ إِنَّ أَنكَرَ ٱلۡأَصۡوَ ٰتِ لَصَوۡتُ ٱلۡحَمِیرِ ۝١٩ wa-iq'ṣid fī mashyika wa-ugh'ḍuḍ min ṣawtika inna ankara l-aṣwāti laṣawtu l-ḥamīr Go at a moderate pace and lower your voice, for the ugliest of all voices is the braying of asses.’ 20 أَلَمۡ تَرَوۡا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِی ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتِ وَمَا فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَأَسۡبَغَ عَلَیۡكُمۡ نِعَمَهُۥ ظَـٰهِرَةࣰ وَبَاطِنَةࣰۗ وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن یُجَـٰدِلُ فِی ٱللَّهِ بِغَیۡرِ عِلۡمࣲ وَلَا هُدࣰى وَلَا كِتَـٰبࣲ مُّنِیرࣲ ۝٢٠ alam taraw anna l-laha sakhara lakum mā fī l-samāwāti wamā fī l-arḍi wa-asbagha ʿalaykum niʿamahu ẓāhiratan wabāṭinatan wamina l-nāsi man yujādilu fī l-lahi bighayri ʿil'min walā hudan walā kitābin munīri [People], do you not see how God has made what is in the heavens and on the earth useful to you, and has lavished His bless-ings on you both outwardly and inwardly? Yet some people argue about God, without knowledge or guidance or an illuminating scripture 21 وَإِذَا قِیلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَاۤ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ قَالُوا۟ بَلۡ نَتَّبِعُ مَا وَجَدۡنَا عَلَیۡهِ ءَابَاۤءَنَاۤۚ أَوَ لَوۡ كَانَ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنُ یَدۡعُوهُمۡ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ ٱلسَّعِیرِ ۝٢١ wa-idhā qīla lahumu ittabiʿū mā anzala l-lahu qālū bal nattabiʿu mā wajadnā ʿalayhi ābāanā awalaw kāna l-shayṭānu yadʿūhum ilā ʿadhābi l-saʿīr When they are told, ‘Follow what God has sent down,’ they say: ‘We shall follow what we saw our forefathers following.’ What! Even if Satan is calling them to the suffering of the Blazing Flame