Excerpt from the late Dr. Haider Hussain Shamsi's English translation of
"
The Prophets of Islam ".
Luqman was a great wise man of Allah. He is
famous for laying down the principles of high
quality of human conduct and wisdom.
His Great Personal Conduct .....
He believed in the Oneness of Allah and obeyed
His commandment with honesty and commitment. He
was a great observer and thinker. He avoided
sleeping during the day, and would not sit back
in comfortable posture when he had company.
He was so mannerly that no one ever saw him
spitting. He avoided joking, and laughing lest
it would displease Allah. He neither rejoiced
over achieving something nor grieved over losing
it. He always helped to settle differences
between parties. He preferred to sit amongst
gatherings of the wise and remained silent
unless spoken to. He carefully watched the
conduct of the rulers.
Allah had bestowed upon him the gift of wisdom
and insight about the affairs of people. Allah
ordained him to be always thankful, for
"Whosoever denies His blessings does so only to
his own peril. "
He gave an eternal guidance to humanity in the
form of advice to his son which is stated in
Qur'an. On The Great Sin of Polytheism "O son,
be careful, never associate any one with Allah
because it is a grave sin and there is no
forgiveness for it."
On Thankfulness to Allah for His Benevolence,
and On The Rights of Parents, and Their
Obedience " O son, be humble and charitable
towards your parents". Thank Allah first for all
that He has granted you without your asking for
it, and then thank your parents for the kindness
they showed you, when you were helpless.
"If the parent are polytheistic and force you to
follow them in their faith, do not obey them in
this respect, but without causing any harm to
them. Continue to serve them with good conduct.
Be kind to them even if they are wrong.
Careful and Cautious Conduct.....
He continued his advice: "O son, Your deeds ,
good or bad, and in any amount, are accountable
on the Great Day of Reckoning. Your reward or
punishment will depend on the quality of your
conduct.
"Do not slumber when you should be awake and
stand in worship of your Lord.
Learn to bear in the times of deprivation, for
Allah rewards those who show contentment and
forbearance.
"Do not exhibit arrogance as you walk or talk,
as Allah does not consider arrogance to be an
appropriate behavior amongst human beings. "Show
moderation in your attire and adornments. "Talk
in low tone, because the loud and the crude tone
belongs to the ass."
References: al Qur'an: Sura Luqman.