Author: Abdul Hai Lay'yan
The Divine Education Model in the Family of the Prophets (Part 111)
Educational Lessons from the Story of Luqman the Wise (AS)
Lesson Twenty-Three: Balance in a Person’s Outward Conduct Is Closely Connected to Inner and Emotional Balance
Allah the Almighty relates Luqman the Wise’s advice to his son: (وَاقْصِدْ فِي مَشْيِكَ وَاغْضُضْ مِن صَوْتِكَ إِنَّ أَنكَرَ الْأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ الْحَمِيرِ [1]) Translation: “Be moderate in your walk and lower your voice. Indeed, the harshest of all voices is the voice of donkeys.”
In this verse, Allah the Almighty instructs people to be mindful of their outward behavior and teaches them proper manners in both walking and speaking. These two etiquettes are among the subjects to which the Qur’an repeatedly gives special attention.
The First Etiquette: (وَاقْصِدْ فِي مَشْيِكَ) Allah’s command (وَاقْصِدْ فِي مَشْيِكَ) carries several important meanings.
One meaning is to walk with moderation—not so fast that it reflects haste and recklessness, nor so slowly that it suggests laziness and weakness. A person should walk with dignity and composure, neither like someone exhausted nor with the arrogant stride of the proud.
It is narrated that Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) once saw a man pretending to appear weak and feeble. He said, “Do not make our religion appear lifeless through this artificial weakness. May Allah deal with you!”[2]
On another occasion, he saw a man lowering his head excessively and said, “Raise your head. Islam is not a religion of weakness and illness.” [3]
Abdullah ibn Masʿud (RA) also said that the Companions discouraged two extremes: the hurried running of the Jews and the sluggish walk of the Christians. Instead, one should adopt a balanced and moderate manner of walking. [4]
Therefore, the word (وَاقْصِدْ) in this verse signifies moderation, dignity, composure, and balance.
Another meaning is that a person’s movement and efforts should always be purposeful. One’s walking and daily activities should aim toward worthwhile objectives rather than wasting life in aimless wandering. A wise person constantly pursues beneficial goals and meaningful achievements. [5]
Allah (SWT) says: (أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ) [6] Translation: “Did you think that We created you in vain and that you would not be returned to Us?”
The Second Etiquette: (وَاغْضُضْ مِن صَوْتِكَ)
Lowering one’s voice is a sign of good manners, self-confidence, and confidence in the strength of one’s words. A person who constantly speaks loudly and harshly often lacks proper etiquette or doubts the value of what he says and attempts to conceal that weakness by raising his voice. [7]
The wisdom behind this command is that a moderate voice is more graceful for the speaker, more pleasant for the listener, and makes communication easier to understand. [8]
Raising one’s voice without any valid reason reflects harshness, poor judgment, and a lack of self-discipline. However, speaking loudly when there is a legitimate need such as delivering a sermon, teaching, reaching a large audience, or addressing people at a distance is not included in this prohibition.
Jabir ibn Abdullah (RA) narrated: “كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا خَطَبَ احْمَرَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ، وَعَلَا صَوْتُهُ، وَاشْتَدَّ غَضَبُهُ، كَأَنَّهُ مُنْذِرُ جَيْشٍ يَقُولُ: صَبَّحَكُمْ وَمَسَّاكُمْ” Translation: “Whenever the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) delivered a sermon, his eyes became red, his voice became louder, and his seriousness increased, as though he were warning an army of an approaching enemy.” [9]
Therefore, raising one’s voice can at times be appropriate and even necessary when it serves a beneficial purpose.
Another possible meaning of this verse is that lowering the voice encourages people to avoid unnecessary arguments, quarrels, and disputes, since such behavior often leads people to shouting and public embarrassment. [10]
Raising one’s voice where there is no benefit is blameworthy and falls under the category of unpleasant speech. If loudness itself were praiseworthy, Allah would not have compared it to the braying of donkeys. Likewise, merely speaking loudly does not make a person more respected; otherwise, the donkey would be the most dignified of all animals because of the loudness of its voice. [11]
The Qur’an’s comparison of those who raise their voices without reason to the braying of donkeys is among its strongest forms of criticism, demonstrating how greatly Allah dislikes such behavior. [12]
Sayyid Qutb (RH) explains that the Qur’an presents this behavior in a vivid, unpleasant, and almost humorous image. By stating that the harshest of voices is the voice of donkeys, the Qur’an creates a picture that naturally inspires both ridicule and dislike. A person of sound taste and refined character, after reflecting upon this powerful Qur’anic imagery, would naturally avoid raising his voice unnecessarily. [13]
To be continued…
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References:
[1] Luqman: 19.
[2] Al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, vol. 21, p. 91.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Fārūq Ḥammādah, Ābāʾ wa Abnāʾ: Malāmiḥ Tarbawiyyah fī al-Qurʾān, p. 177.
[6] Al-Mu’minūn: 115.
[7] Sayyid Quṭb, Fī Ẓilāl al-Qurʾān, vol. 5, p. 2790.
[8] Al-Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-Maʿānī, vol. 21, p. 91.
[9] Narrated by Muslim, Kitāb al-Jumuʿah.
[10] Fārūq Ḥammādah, Ābāʾ wa Abnāʾ: Malāmiḥ Tarbawiyyah fī al-Qurʾān, p. 178.
[11] Al-Qurṭubī, Al-Jāmiʿ li-Aḥkām al-Qurʾān, vol. 14, p. 72.
[12] Al-Zamakhsharī, Al-Kashshāf, p. 838.
[13] Sayyid Quṭb, Fī Ẓilāl al-Qurʾān, vol. 5, p. 2790.
