Luqmaan(A.S.) gave his son the following advice which can be followed by us as a guiding principle for life; it is recorded in the Qur'an:
"To Believe in Allah, and to be sincere in devotion to Him. Never associate partners with Allah, for associating anyone with Him is the greatest sin; not only is it a sin against Allah but also against oneself. Love and show obedience to parents even if they are unbelievers. If, however, a parent's way of life were to lead one to become an unbeliever then the path of goodness which leads to Allah should be followed,
for one is answerable to Allah alone. Rizq (provisions), ability and authority come from Allah. These things are in His hands and not in the hands of parents or anyone else.
for one is answerable to Allah alone. Rizq (provisions), ability and authority come from Allah. These things are in His hands and not in the hands of parents or anyone else.
Show gratitude to Allah by obeying him. Live your life on the principle of: Encouraging what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Tackle wrong deeds in society with patience. Be humble in dealing with others, both in speech and behaviour, and do not turn your face away when talking to others, for Allah does not love the boastful and arrogant." (Ouran, 31:13-19)
A story I recently read about Luqmaan (AS) gave me some food for thought:
Luqman(A.S.) was captured by slave traders who invaded Africa. They sold him as a slave. The man who bought him was able to detect that Luqman was not an ordinary man and tried to test his intelligence.
He ordered Luqman(A.S.) to slaughter a sheep and to bring its worst part to him. Luqman(A.S.) slaughtered the sheep and took its heart and tongue to his master. On receiving them his master smiled, fascinated by Luqman(A.S.) 's choice of the'worst'. He understood that Luqman(A.S.) was trying to convey some deep meaning, though he could not make out exactly what. From this moment his owner began to take more interest in Luqman(A.S.) and showed more kindness to him.
A few days later, Luqman(A.S.) was again instructed to slaughter a sheep, but this time he was asked to take the best parts of the animal to the owner. Luqman(A.S.) slaughtered a sheep, and to his master's amazement, again brought the same organs (the heart and the tongue). His master asked Luqman(A.S.) how the heart and the tongue could be both the worst and the best parts. a
The wise Luqman(A.S.) answered: The tongue and the heart are the sweetest parts if its owner is pure; and if he is wicked, they too are as wicked !
The moral of the story is that:
- Our heart and tongue can make us good or bad. It is up to us how we use them.
- A wise employer should respect the wisdom of his lowliest worker and not look down upon him/her
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