Tafsir of Luqman 31:15

(Meaning: of which you have no knowledge that it deserves to be associated with Me, or that it shares with Me in the merit of worship. The prepositional phrase "of which you have no knowledge" is connected to the word "knowledge" in the verse: "...of which you have no knowledge").

"That" (ma) is the object of "associate," as chosen by Ibn al-Hajib. He then said: If "associate" were taken to mean "disbelieve," and "that" were treated as an indefinite noun—or as a relative pronoun meaning "that which"—resulting in the meaning of "disbelief" or "the disbelief," then it would be a sound linguistic construction. The sentence would then be interpreted with an implicit addition: "And if your parents strive to make you disbelieve in Me with a disbelief of which you have no knowledge," or "the disbelief of which you have no knowledge regarding its validity or its righteousness."

"Do not obey them" in that matter. The intent here is the continuation of the lack of knowledge, not the negation of its continuation; therefore, association (shirk) is nothing but blind imitation. In al-Kashshaf, it is suggested that the Almighty, by negating knowledge, intended to negate the very object of association—meaning: do not associate with Me that which is not a thing at all. He means, Mighty and Majestic is He, the idols, as in His saying, “You do not call upon any besides Him that is a thing.” al-Tibi classified this as the negation of a thing by the negation of its requisite; for knowledge is dependent upon the known, so if the thing is non-existent, knowledge cannot attach to it as an existent. It is reported from Ibn al-Munir that it is of the category of:

Upon a barren path where no guide is found by its beacon,

Meaning: that which is not a god, so that you would have knowledge of its divinity. In al-Kashf, it states that al-Zamakhshari intended to emphasize the negation of the partner to such a degree that every thing was negated, then further emphasized until it reached what cannot even be an object of knowledge. Since that which is non-existent can be "known" (conceptually) and can be described as "a thing," he included it in the category of the absolutely unknown. This is not of the category of negating knowledge to negate existence. This is a sound explanation, containing a great hyperbole, from which the preference for this method becomes apparent, over the style of:

Nor does the lizard find a hole in it to hide.

Understand this and do not be heedless.

"And accompany them in the world with kindness" (meaning: a recognized companionship that the Law approves and that generosity and chivalry demand, such as feeding them, clothing them, not treating them harshly, not rebuking them, visiting them when they are ill, and burying them when they die). "In the world" is mentioned to minimize the burden of companionship and to signal that it is only for a few days, nearing its end; thus, enduring its hardship causes no harm due to the brevity of its days and the speed of its passing. It is also said that it signals that kindness to them is in worldly matters, not religious ones.

It is said that it was mentioned to contrast with His saying, "Then to Me is your return."

"And follow the path of him who turns back to Me" (meaning: he who returns to Me through monotheism and sincerity in obedience). In sum: follow the path of the sincere, not their path.

"Then to Me is your return" (meaning: your return and their return). Some added "of him who turns back," but this is contrary to the apparent meaning. Regardless, it involves the dominance of the second-person address over the third-person.

"And I will inform you" (upon your return) "about what you used to do" (by rewarding each of you for the good or evil that proceeded from you).

The verse was revealed regarding Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas. Abu Ya'la, al-Tabarani, Ibn Mardawayh, and Ibn 'Asakir reported from Abu 'Uthman al-Nahdi that Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas said: "This verse was revealed concerning me: 'And if they strive to make you...'. I was a man devoted to my mother. When I accepted Islam, she said: 'O Sa'd, what is this I see you doing? You must abandon this religion of yours, or I will neither eat nor drink until I die. You will be disgraced because of me, and it will be said: O killer of his mother!' I said: 'Do not do that, Mother, for I will not abandon this religion of mine for anything.' She stayed for a day and a night without eating, until she was exhausted. When I saw that, I said: 'Mother, know that by Allah, even if you had a hundred souls and they departed one by one, I would not abandon this religion for anything. So if you wish, eat, and if you wish, do not.' When she saw that, she ate."

Some mentioned that this verse and the one before it, i.e., His saying, "And We have enjoined upon man..." were both revealed concerning him. Since the revelation was regarding him, it is said that the pronoun in "who turns back" is singular because it refers to Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, for Sa'd’s Islam was the result of his Islam.

al-Wahidi reported from 'Ata from Ibn 'Abbas that he said: "He means by 'who turns back' Abu Bakr, for when he accepted Islam, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, Sa'id ibn Yazid, 'Uthman, Talha, and al-Zubayr saw him and said to him: 'Have you believed and affirmed Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace?' Abu Bakr said: 'Yes.' So they came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and believed and affirmed. Then Allah, the Exalted, revealed, saying to Sa'd: 'And follow the path of him who turns back to Me,' meaning Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him."

Ibn Jurayj said, as reported by Ibn al-Mundhir, "who turns back" is Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Many others say it is he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the believers. The apparent meaning is that it is general.