Surah Luqman, one of the Meccan chapters of the Holy Qur'an, with profound and epistemological expression, invites humanity to contemplate three fundamental realities: the boundless divine authority, the immense grandeur of the cosmos, and human negligence of these two exalted truths. This surah, like a window towards knowledge, calls mankind to reconsider their position within the cosmic order and shows the path to liberation from superficial constraints and attainment of spiritual authority. In this treatise, relying on the content of the lectures, these three themes are examined with precise and scientific scrutiny and, with the addition of detailed explanations, presented in a coherent form consistent with the scholarly environment. The aim is to elucidate the profound meanings of the surah and provide strategies for escaping negligence and achieving human authority, using language that is both clear and dignified.
For a human to attain spiritual authority, liberation from superficial constraints is inevitablechains that bind ones thought, intellect, and actions. These constraints include customs, daily habits, and superficial ethics that prevent attention to transcendental realities. Liberation from these limitations, akin to a bird spreading its wings in the boundless sky, enables the individual to focus on three fundamental truths: divine authority, cosmic grandeur, and ones own negligence of these two. This process, termed spiritual journey and existential purification in Islamic mysticism, necessitates self-awareness and concentration on elevated concepts.
This existential purification frees man from mundane routines and social restrictions and directs him towards reflection on creation and his position therein. As the Persian poet has said:
"From the dust of Adam, if the chest is purified,
It will illuminate the world of meaning like light." Liberation from constraints paves the way for deeper comprehension of truths.
In religious communities, moral education is sometimes confined to superficial and external recommendations, such as emphasis on crying or avoidance of minor daily affairs. Negligence is likewise reduced to neglecting religious obligations or missing the prescribed time for prayer. This approach, known as verbal ethics, fails to guide humanity to profound understanding of existential truths and divine authority. True negligence, beyond trivial matters, indicates disregard for the grandeur of the cosmos and the power of God.
This critique highlights the necessity for re-evaluation of religious education. Instruction limited to appearances cannot direct humanity towards transcendent knowledge. Just as a river halted by rocky terrain cannot reach the sea, superficial teachings cannot bring one to the ocean of divine knowledge.
Prayer, as a fundamental pillar of worship, leads to spiritual authority only when performed with presence of heart and adherence to spiritual etiquettes. The Holy Quran states:
Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated until you know what you are saying.
(Quran, Surah An-Nisa 4:43)
This verse underscores the importance of quality in worship. Formal prayer lacking heartfelt presence and spiritual preparedness is like a lifeless body that cannot lead to knowledge and authority. Mental and physical conditions such as alertness and readiness play a pivotal role in authentic prayer.
This emphasis on quality invites reconsideration of worship and avoidance of superficiality. Just as a gardener who ignores the roots of a tree will not harvest fruit, worship that does not arise from the depth of the heart yields no spiritual fruit.
Negligence in its profound meaning goes beyond neglect of religious duties to ignoring the grandeur of the cosmos and its constituents. Humans are frequently unaware of the vastness of creation and the divine authority governing it. This negligence, like a dense fog, prevents the sight of vast horizons of knowledge.
Attending to the grandeur of the cosmos invites one to contemplate creation and their role in the cosmic order. Just as the stars of the sky guide the lost with their light, reflection on cosmic grandeur directs humanity towards divine knowledge.
The phrase Allahu Akbar, interpreted in narrations as greater than can be described, emphasises the absolute transcendence of God. God is greater than any human conceptual limitation.
This expression cautions humans against any attempt to compare God with created beings. Just as a boundless ocean cannot fit into a small vessel, divine grandeur cannot be contained within the limited human mind.
The Holy Quran in Surah Luqman, verse 23, states:
So whoever disbelieveslet not his disbelief grieve you. To Us is their return, and We will inform them of what they did. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of that within the breasts.
This verse warns the Prophet against sorrow for the disbelief of others and emphasises divine authority in judgment. Disbelief, meaning covering the truth, results from negligence of divine authority and cosmic grandeur. God reveals His authority by giving a brief enjoyment to disbelievers and then guiding them to punishment.
The Holy Quran in Surah Luqman, verse 25, states:
And if you asked them, Who created the heavens and the earth? they would surely say, Allah. Say, Praise be to Allah! But most of them do not know.
This verse highlights the contradiction between humans innate awareness of Gods creatorship and their negligence in praising and glorifying Him. This negligence, like a seed failing to sprout in suitable soil, prevents the transformation of innate knowledge into practical faith.
The Holy Quran in Surah Luqman, verse 26, states:
To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. Indeed, Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy.
This verse stresses Gods absolute ownership and self-sufficiency. Divine ownership is like the sun that encompasses the entire universe with its light, and Gods self-sufficiency signifies absolute independence from creation.
The Holy Quran in Surah Luqman, verse 27, states:
And if all the trees on earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.
This verse depicts the limitless grandeur of divine words. Divine words, signifying Gods manifestations and effects in the universe, are as countless as the stars in the sky.
The metaphor of trees as pens and seas as ink demonstrates human incapacity to fully comprehend creation. As the poet said:
The world is like an endless ocean, and we like waves therein. The grandeur of creation invites humility.
The Holy Quran in Surah Luqman, verse 28, states:
Your creation and your resurrection is but as that of a single
