Tafsir of Luqman 31:21-22

Surah Luqman: Verses (21-22)

[21] And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allah has sent down," they say, "Rather, we will follow that upon which we found our fathers." Even if Satan invites them to the punishment of the Blaze?

It is explained that their argumentation, besides being ignorant, is extremely ugly. The Prophet (peace be upon him) calls them to the Word of Allah, yet they cling to the sayings of their forefathers. There is a vast difference between the Word of Allah and the words of scholars; how much greater, then, is the difference between the Word of Allah and the words of the ignorant!

Furthermore, there is another point here: they said, "Rather, we will follow that upon which we found our fathers." This means they abandon the saying revealed from God and follow the action. Speech is a stronger indicator than action, because an action might be permissible, or it might be forbidden (which they practiced), or it might be obligatory according to their belief. Speech, however, provides clear guidance. If we heard someone say, "Do this," and saw their action contradicting their statement, we would be obliged to follow the statement. How much more so when the statement is from Allah and the action is from the ignorant!

Then Allah Almighty said: "Even if Satan invites them to the punishment of the Blaze?" This is a rhetorical question expressing astonishment and denunciation. It means: Satan invites them to punishment, while Allah invites them to reward, yet they still follow Satan.

Then Allah Almighty said: "And whoever submits his face to Allah while he is a doer of good, he has certainly grasped the most trustworthy handhold. And to Allah is the end of all matters."

After describing the state of the polytheist and the one who argues against Allah, He described the state of the Muslim who submits to Allah's command.

His saying, "And whoever submits his face to Allah," points to faith (Iman). His saying, "while he is a doer of good," points to righteous deeds (Amal Salih). Thus, the verse carries the meaning of His saying: "Whoever believes and does righteous deeds."

And His saying, "he has certainly grasped the most trustworthy handhold," means he has clung to a rope that will never break, by which he ascends to the highest stations.

In this verse, there are several issues:

Here, Allah says: "And whoever submits his face to Allah" (يسلم وجهه إلى الله), whereas in Surah Al-Baqarah, He says: "Yes, whoever submits his face to Allah" (أسلم وجهه لله).

Al-Zamakhshari explained the meaning of "aslama li-llah" (submitted for Allah) as making one's self sound/pure for Allah, where the face (وجه) means the self or essence. The meaning of "yusallimu wajhahu ila Allah" (submits his face to Allah) is that he submits his self to Allah, just as one submits an object to another. He did not elaborate further.

However, one can add that "aslama li-llah" (for Allah) denotes a higher degree than "yusallimu ila Allah" (submits to Allah). This is because إلى (ila - to/towards) indicates the destination, while لـ (lam - for/to) indicates specialization/exclusivity.

One says, "I submitted my face to you (إليك)," meaning I directed myself toward you. This implies the direction before arrival. Saying, "I submitted my face for you (لك)," implies exclusivity and does not necessarily imply the distance covered to reach the destination.

Knowing this, we say: In Al-Baqarah, the Jews and Christians claimed: "None will enter Paradise except those who are Jews or Christians" (2:111). Allah refuted them by saying: "Say, 'Produce your proof if you are truthful'" (2:111), and then clarified the falsehood of their claim by saying: "Yes, whoever submits his face to Allah" (بلى من أسلم وجهه لله). This means: You people, despite abandoning Allah for worldly gain, turning away toward falsehood, and selling His verses for a small price, claim you will enter Paradise, while the one who is entirely for Allah will not enter it? This is false talk. Therefore, He presented the case of the one who submits for Allah (لله), as refuting them with the most binding form is preferable. He presented the sincere one whose only concern is Allah, saying: You claim you enter Paradise, but this one (the sincere one) enters it. Then He clarified their lie by saying "Yes" (بلى) and showed that he has a station above Paradise, which is closeness (to God), by saying: "for him is his reward with his Lord."

As for here (in Luqman), the intention was to promise the doer of good a reward and arrival at a high station. By promising the one who is less than the highest degree, He encompasses the one who is more excellent through the primary path, making the promise general. This is one of the great benefits.

Then Allah Almighty said: "he has certainly grasped the most trustworthy handhold." The most secure handhold is the side of Allah, because everything besides Him is perishable and severed, while He remains eternally.

Then Allah Almighty said: "And to Allah is the end of all matters." This means: Cling to a handhold that leads you to Allah, and since the end of all things is to Him, what is achieved in the present state (clinging to the rope) will result in an excellent outcome in the Hereafter. This is alluded to by His saying: "And whatever good you put forward for yourselves - you will find it with Allah" (2:110).

[23] And whoever disbelieves - let 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. [24] We will let them enjoy themselves for a little; then We will drive them to a severe punishment.