Read Surah Luqman 👉 Link
Tafsir by Ibn Kathir Part 3 👉 Link
Online lectures Part 3
- by Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim 👉 Link
- by Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan 👉 Link
How to tadabbur for beginner 👉 Link
Download tadabbur template by Amber 👉 Link
Here are some guiding questions for ayats 20-34 Surah Luqman, we hope this is helpful, inshallah:
A20. “Do you not see that Allah has made all that is in the heavens and on the earth to be of service to you, and she has showered you with His blessings, both apparent and hidden? Yet among people there are some who dispute about Allah without knowledge, without guidance and without any clear revealed text.”
A) Gratitude:
- Allah SWT reminds His slaves of the blessings He has given and calls upon us to give thanks and acknowledge them and not to be heedless about them.
- Can you list as many things He has placed to your subservience?
- How can you show Allah more gratitude?
- How to you plan to be more grateful?
- Think of 2-3 less obvious blessings that you normally do not think about.
- Who do you think are the ones ungrateful towards Allah and the blessings He has bestowed upon them?
B) Ungrateful people and those without knowledge,
- Can you think of anyone who fits this description? What evidence do they try to come up with?
A21 “When it is said to them: Follow what Allah has revealed, they say: Nay, we will follow the ways of our forefathers. (Would they do that) even if shaytaan is calling them to the punishment of the raging fire?
- Look at the examples that Allah SWT has given us in the Qur’an the people of Lut, the people of Nuh for example, they followed their forefathers by following them did not them save them? Shaytaan calls mankind not upon his love but his deep hatred for mankind.
- How can you avoid shaytaan and his plots?
A22 “Whoever submits himself (completely) to Allah and is a doer of good has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold. Allah decides the outcome of all matters.”
- What is true submission towards Allah?
- How can you ensure that you are submitting yourself completely to Allah?
- How does this ayah make you feel?
- What a loss it is if you have not grasped His Hand Hold! How can you hold onto Allah more sincerely?
A23 “Whoever disbelieve, do not let his disbelief sadden you. To us they will return, and We will inform them about what they used to do. Verily Allah knows well what is in (their) hearts.”
- The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon did his job and he will receive the rewards from Allah.
- Do you know anyone who is not a Muslim? Try not to grieve but understand Allah has power to guide. Your job is just to show the correct messages as a Muslim, how can you be a good example to them?
A24 “We will allow them to enjoy life for a little while, then We will drive them to a harsh punishment.”
- Sometimes, we wonder why evil people get away with the things they do, can you think of an example?
A25 “If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they will surely say: Allah. Say: Praise be to Allah. But most of them do not understand.”
- Comment Tafsir As Saadi pg 352 Juzz 19-21 That is, if you ask these polytheists who reject the truth “who created the heavens and earth.” They will realise that the idols never created any of that, and they will hasten to say it is Allah alone who created them.
- We should be thankful that Allah has made us see clearly that He is One.
A26 “To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Verily Allah is Self-Sufficient, worthy of all praise.”
- Allah mentions of how all encompassing His attributes are, so as to calm His slaves to know Him, to love Him and to devote their worship to Him alone. (Tafsir As Saadi)
- How can you increase doing all of these things?
- Allah is not in need of our good deeds, but we are in need of Him and everything is totally dependent - how does this make you feel about the Creator?
A27 “If all the trees in the earth were pens, and the sea (were ink) replenished by seven more seas, the words of Allah would still not be exhausted. Verily Allah is Almighty, Most Wise.”
Vastness and Greatness of His words:
- How do you feel about the vastness and Greatness of His words? How does this penetrate your heart?
- How does this ayah make you feel? Would all the Arabs have this knowledge that there are 7 seas?
- Commentary from As Saadi - This is not an exaggeration that has no basis in reality; rather because Allah SWT knows that human minds are unable to fully comprehend some of His attributes, and He knows that for His slaves, knowing Him is the greatest blessing that He may bestow upon them and the best virtue they could attain, but it is not possible
- For them to fully understand the divine attributes as they really are...
- The one who had the greatest knowledge of his Lord “We cannot praise You enough; You are as You have praised Yourself.” (Muslim)
A28 “The Creation and resurrection of all of you are (for Allah, as easy) as (the creation and the resurrection of) a single soul. Verily Allah is All Hearing, All Seeing.”
- How does this make you feel about Allah and His power?
- Notice the attributes selected here ‘All Hearing’ and ‘All Seeing’ do you think He misses anything?
A29 “Do you not see that Allah causes the night to encroach upon the day, and the day to encroach upon the night; that He has made the sun and moon to be of service, each running its course for an appointed time, and that Allah is well aware of all that you do?”
- When we can see visually with our eyes and people have seen this occur for thousands and thousands of years then there must be a being that is controlling this ‘encroaching’ and controlling the affairs of the universe. Can you list 5 scientific things Allah is controlling (of course He controls everything)
- Note - about the mention about them running their course. They too have a time limit. We must inevitably conclude that this is not our permanent home.
- Allah does not miss a single thing, how does this make you feel? What will be your course of action(s)?
A30 “That is because Allah is the Truth, and those they call upon besides Him are sheer falsehood. Verily Allah is the Most High, the Most Great.”
- Allah is the Truth - His attributes, His Religion, His Messengers, His Promises, His warnings, His worship of Him alone is true how can we love and fear Allah more?
- What power does His creation have?
- Who is sustaining them? Have the idols any power?
A31 “Do you not see that the ships sail on the sea by the grace of Allah, so that He may show you some of His signs? Surely in that there are signs for every steadfastly patient and deeply thankful person.”
- How does this sign make you feel? Notice the attributes for a true believe being ‘steadfastly patient’ and ‘deeply thankful’ despite the situation how can you be more so?
- Who is in control all the time?
A32 “When waves loom over them like the canopy (of clouds), they call upon Allah, with sincere devotion to Him alone, but when He has delivered them safely to the shire, some of them become lukewarm. But no one rejects Our signs except the perfidious and the ungrateful.”
Two groups are mentioned:
- Lukewarm - they do not give proper thanks to Allah; rather they commit sins and wrong themselves;
- Ungrateful and perfidious - denies Allah’s blessings and do not give thanks for the blessings of Allah
- Is it befitting for those whom Allah saved from this hardship to do anything but give proper thanks for the blessings of Allah?
- Can you recall a time Allah rescued you from hardship? How was your response after and how it is now? Think as many as you can and let us give our thanks by following His Guidance and Praising Him.
A33 “O humankind, fear your Lord and dread a day when no father will avail his child and no child will avail his father at all. Verily the promise of Allah is true, so do not let the life of this world deceive you, or let any deceiver deceive you concerning Allah.”
- What do you think is the true fear of Allah?
- What is the promise of Allah?
- How can we be more steadfast?
- How can you be aware of the plots of the greatest deceiver?
- What reminds you of the Hereafter?
A34 “Verily Allah alone has knowledge of the Hour, it is He who sends down rain and He knows what every womb contains. No soul knows what it will do tomorrow, and no soul knows what land it will die. Verily Allah is All Knowing, All Aware.”
- These are 5 things of which knowledge is withheld from all creatures and they are not know to any Prophet who was sent or any angel who is close to Allah, let alone anything else.
- By His perfect wisdom He has withheld knowledge of these 5 things from His slaves, because that serves some interests as is clear to anyone who reflects and ponders upon the matter (tafsir as Saadi pg 362 Juzz 21).
