Author: Abdul Hai Lay'yan
The Divine Education Model in the Family of the Prophets (part 94)
Educational Guidelines from the Story of Luqman the Wise (AS)
Second Guideline: Allah’s Comprehensive Knowledge of Even the Smallest Matters
The second piece of advice and admonition that Luqman the Wise (AS) offers to his son concerns the Hereafter, the precise reckoning of human deeds, and Allah’s perfect justice in recompense. The Noble Qur’an portrays this reality in a miraculous and profoundly moving manner—a depiction that causes hearts to tremble, as it illustrates the vast, precise, and subtle knowledge of Allah the Exalted—knowledge from which not even an object equal in weight to a mustard seed can remain hidden, even if it were concealed within a solid rock or hidden somewhere in the heavens or the earth.
How, then, could the deeds of human beings remain hidden from Allah the Exalted when His knowledge encompasses the entire realm of creation, both the visible and the unseen?
Allah the Exalted says: (يَا بُنَيَّ إِنَّهَا إِن تَكُ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ فَتَكُن فِي صَخْرَةٍ أَوْ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ أَوْ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَأْتِ بِهَا اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ) Translation: “O my dear son! If a deed should be the weight of a mustard seed and be hidden within a rock, in the heavens, or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Indeed, Allah is Most Subtle and All-Aware.” [1]
In this counsel, Luqman (AS) once again addresses his son with the affectionate expression “Yā Bunayya” (“O my dear son”) in order to renew his attention and mental readiness to receive advice and to listen more carefully to the words of his father.
This verse clearly demonstrates the vastness and precision of Allah’s knowledge, His absolute power, and His perfect justice in reckoning human deeds. Luqman (peace be upon him) teaches his son that if a person’s good or evil deed were as small as a mustard seed—the epitome of minuteness—and even if it were hidden inside a solid rock, lost within the vast expanses of the heavens, or concealed in the depths of the earth, Allah the Exalted would still bring it forth and take it into account. [2]
The reference to a “rock” signifies the utmost degree of concealment and secrecy; the mention of the “heavens” alludes to immeasurable distance and the vastness of the universe; and the mention of the “earth” evokes the darkness and hidden mysteries of its depths. Despite all of this, Allah’s knowledge encompasses everything, and His power leaves nothing beyond its reach. [3]
Some exegetes have held that this advice is not limited to Allah’s knowledge of human deeds but also alludes to the matter of sustenance (rizq). According to this interpretation, if a person’s provision were as small as a mustard seed and hidden within a rock or in a remote corner of the heavens or the earth, Allah the Exalted would nevertheless deliver it to its rightful recipient.
Accordingly, a believer should not become so preoccupied with seeking provision that it distracts him from the worship of Allah and from following the path of the righteous servants of Allah. Whatever sustenance has been decreed for a person will inevitably reach him.
Allah the Exalted says: (وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ * مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُم مِّن رِّزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَن يُطْعِمُونِ * إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ) Translation: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me. I do not seek any provision from them, nor do I ask them to feed me. Indeed, Allah is the Supreme Provider, the Possessor of Power, the Ever-Strong.” [4]
Allah the Exalted then concludes the verse by saying (إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطِيفٌ خَبِيرٌ) Translation: “Indeed, Allah is Most Subtle and All-Aware.” [5]
The name Al-Laṭīf (the Most Subtle) refers to the One who possesses knowledge of the most delicate, hidden, and subtle matters and who manages them with perfect wisdom, precision, and gentleness.
Thus, this divine attribute indicates both the perfection of Allah’s knowledge and His complete power to reach everything and execute His will without limitation.
The suitability of the name Al-Laṭīf within the context of this verse is exceptionally beautiful and precise. The verse speaks of a tiny seed concealed within a hard rock, yet Allah, through His subtle power and perfect knowledge, brings it forth without causing the slightest disturbance to the intricate order of creation. This expression presents, in the most eloquent manner, the perfection of Allah’s knowledge, His all-encompassing awareness, and His absolute power. [6]
To be continued…
References:
- Sayyid Quṭb, Fī Ẓilāl al-Qurʾān, vol. 5, p. 2789.
- Qur’an, Sūrat Luqmān (31), verse 16.
- Qur’an, Sūrat al-Dhāriyāt (51), verses 56–58.
- Qur’an, Sūrat Luqmān (31), verse 16.
- Sayyid Quṭb, Fī Ẓilāl al-Qurʾān, vol. 5, p. 2789.
- Muḥammad al-Ṭāhir Ibn ʿĀshūr, Al-Taḥrīr wa al-Tanwīr, vol. 21, pp. 163–164.
