Surah Luqman 31:13

Luqman's Advice to His Son

Allah tells us how Luqman advised his son. His full name was Luqman bin `Anqa' bin Sadun, and his son's name was Tharan, according to a saying quoted by As-Suhayli. Allah describes him in the best terms, and states that he granted him wisdom. Luqman advised his son, the closest and most beloved of all people to him, who deserved to be given the best of his knowledge. So, Luqman started by advising him to worship Allah Alone, and not to associate anything with Him. Then he warned him:

إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ

(Verily, joining others in worship with Allah is a great Zulm (wrong) indeed.) meaning, it is the greatest wrong. Al-Bukhari recorded that `Abdullah said: "When the Ayah

الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُواْ إِيمَـنَهُمْ بِظُلْمٍ

(It is those who believe and confuse not their belief with Zulm)(6:82) was revealed, the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were distressed by this, and said, `Who among us does not confuse his belief with Zulm' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ بِذَاكَ، أَلَا تَسْمَعُ إِلَى قَوْلِ لُقْمَانَ:

يَبُنَىَّ لاَ تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ»

(That is not what it means. Have you not heard what Luqman said: (O my son! Join not in worship others with Allah. Verily, joining others in worship with Allah is a great Zulm (wrong) indeed))" It was recorded by Muslim. When Luqman advised his son to worship Allah Alone, he also told him to honor his parents. This is like the Ayah,

وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّـهُ وَبِالْوَلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـناً

(And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents) (17:23). These two things are often mentioned together in the Qur'an. Allah says here:

وَوَصَّيْنَا الإِنْسَـنَ بِوَلِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُ وَهْناً عَلَى وَهْنٍ

(And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents. His mother bore him in weakness and hardship upon weakness and hardship,) Mujahid said: "The hardship of bearing the child." Qatadah said: "Exhaustion upon exhaustion." `Ata' Al-Khurasani said: "Weakness upon weakness."

وَفِصَالُهُ فِى عَامَيْنِ

(and his weaning is in two years) means, after he is born, he is breastfed and weaned within two years. This is like the Ayah,

وَالْوَلِدَتُ يُرْضِعْنَ أَوْلَـدَهُنَّ حَوْلَيْنِ كَامِلَيْنِ لِمَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يُتِمَّ الرَّضَاعَةَ

(The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years, for those who desire to complete the term of suckling)(2:233). On this basis, Ibn `Abbas and other Imams understood that the shortest possible period of pregnancy was six months, because Allah says elsewhere:

وَحَمْلُهُ وَفِصَـلُهُ ثَلاَثُونَ شَهْراً

(and the bearing of him, and the weaning of him is thirty months) (46:15). Allah mentions how the mother brings the child up, and how she gets tired and suffers stress from staying up with the child night and day, to remind the son of her previous kind treatment of him. This is like the Ayah,

وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِى صَغِيرًا

(and say: "My Lord! Bestow on them Your mercy as they did bring me up when I was young.") (17:24). Allah says here:

أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِى وَلِوَلِدَيْكَ إِلَىَّ الْمَصِيرُ

(give thanks to Me and to your parents. Unto Me is the final destination.) means, `I will reward you most generously for that.'

وَإِن جَـهَدَاكَ عَلَى أَن تُشْرِكَ بِى مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلاَ تُطِعْهُمَا

(But if they strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not;) means, if they try hard to make you follow them in their religion, then do not accept that from them, but do not let that stop you from behaving with them in the world kindly, i.e. treating them with respect.

وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَىَّ

(and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience.) means, the believers.

ثُمَّ إِلَىَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

(Then to Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do.) At-Tabarani recorded in Al-`Ishrah that Sa`d bin Malik said, "This Ayah,

وَإِن جَـهَدَاكَ عَلَى أَن تُشْرِكَ بِى مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلاَ تُطِعْهُمَا

(But if they strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not;) was revealed concerning me. I was a man who honored his mother, but when I became Muslim, she said: `O Sa`d! What is this new thing I see you doing Leave this religion of yours, or I will not eat or drink until I die, and people will say: Shame on you, for what you have done to me, and they will say that you have killed your mother.' I said, `Do not do that, O mother, for I will not give up this religion of mine for anything.' She stayed without eating for one day and one night, and she became exhausted; then she stayed for another day and night without eating, and she became utterly exhausted. When I saw that, I said: `O my mother, by Allah, even if you had one hundred souls and they were to depart one by one, I would not give up this religion of mine for anything, so if you want to, eat, and if you want to, do not eat.' So she ate."

Allah mengingatkan kepada Rasulullah nasihat yang pernah diberikan Lukman kepada putranya ketika ia memberi pelajaran kepadanya. Nasihat itu ialah, "Wahai anakku, janganlah engkau mempersekutukan sesuatu dengan Allah, sesungguhnya mempersekutukan Allah itu adalah kezaliman yang sangat besar."

Mempersekutukan Allah dikatakan kezaliman karena perbuatan itu berarti menempatkan sesuatu tidak pada tempatnya, yaitu menyamakan sesuatu yang melimpahkan nikmat dan karunia dengan sesuatu yang tidak sanggup memberikan semua itu. Menyamakan Allah sebagai sumber nikmat dan karunia dengan patung-patung yang tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa adalah perbuatan zalim. Perbuatan itu dianggap sebagai kezaliman yang besar karena yang disamakan dengan makhluk yang tidak bisa berbuat apa-apa itu adalah Allah Pencipta dan Penguasa semesta alam, yang seharusnya semua makhluk mengabdi dan mengham-bakan diri kepada-Nya.

Diriwayatkan oleh al-Bukhari dari Ibnu Mas'ud bahwa tatkala turun ayat:

Orang-orang yang beriman dan tidak mencampuradukkan iman mereka dengan syirik, mereka itulah orang-orang yang mendapat rasa aman dan mereka mendapat petunjuk. (al-An'am/6: 82)

timbullah keresahan di antara para sahabat Rasulullah saw. Mereka berpendapat bahwa amat berat menjaga keimanan agar tidak bercampur dengan kezaliman. Mereka lalu berkata kepada Rasulullah saw, "Siapakah di antara kami yang tidak mencampuradukkan keimanan dengan kezaliman?" Maka Rasulullah menjawab, "Maksudnya bukan demikian, apakah kamu tidak mendengar perkataan Lukman, 'Hai anakku, jangan kamu menyekutukan sesuatu dengan Allah, sesungguhnya memper-sekutukan Allah adalah kezaliman yang besar."

Dari ayat ini dipahami bahwa di antara kewajiban ayah kepada anak-anaknya ialah memberi nasihat dan pelajaran, sehingga anak-anaknya dapat menempuh jalan yang benar, dan terhindar dari kesesatan. Hal ini sesuai dengan firman Allah:

Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Peliharalah dirimu dan keluargamu dari api neraka yang bahan bakarnya adalah manusia dan batu. (at-Tahrim/66: 6)

Jika diperhatikan susunan kalimat ayat ini, maka dapat diambil kesimpulan bahwa Lukman melarang anaknya menyekutukan Tuhan. Larangan ini adalah sesuatu yang memang patut disampaikan Lukman kepada putranya karena menyekutukan Allah adalah perbuatan dosa yang paling besar.

Anak adalah generasi penerus dari orang tuanya. Cita-cita yang belum dicapai orang tua selama hidup di dunia diharapkan dapat tercapai oleh anaknya. Demikian pula kepercayaan yang dianut orang tuanya, di samping budi pekerti yang luhur, anak-anak diharapkan mewarisi dan memiliki semua nilai-nilai yang diikuti ayahnya itu di kemudian hari. Lukman telah melakukan tugas yang sangat penting kepada anaknya, dengan menyampaikan agama yang benar dan budi pekerti yang luhur. Cara Lukman menyampaikan pesan itu wajib dicontoh oleh setiap orang tua yang mengaku dirinya muslim.