The verse continues as Allāh ﷻ says:

واتبع سبيل من أناب إليَّ

And follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience. [31:15]

Shaykh Rabee' رحمـــه الله said:
(It means) following the path of those who turn to Him in repentance and obedience from the Prophets and those who follow them, the scholars who advise, and the righteous slaves of Allah.

The path of those who turn to Allah in repentance and obedience is to fulfill the rights of Allah and the rights of His creation.

This includes commanding the good and forbidding the evil, giving dawah, and as well as other appropriate matters.

The Advise of Luqmān The Wise to His Son | pg. 20

Shaykh Abdur Razzāq Al-Badr حفظـــه الله draws a lesson from the above mentioned āyah.

He says:
It is not proper for a true believer to sit with whomsoever he desires. We should choose our friends from among the God-fearing and those who are good natured.

The Wise Counsel of Luqmān | pg. 43

After Allah's & The Parents' rights, Allah warns the creation towards the end of the āyah:

Allāh ﷻ says:
ثم إلي مرجعكم فأنبئكم بما كنتم تعملون

Then to Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do. [31:15]

Shaykh Rabee' رحـــمه اللـــه comments:
Was the child dutiful to his parents?
Were the parents upright upon the true religion of Allāh?

The final destination of all mankind is to Allāh ﷻ and He will take them to account for everything and inform them of what they used to do.

The Advise of Luqmān The Wise to His Son | pg. 21

Pinned Message Update

Section III: Should children be withdrawn from the first row of the masjid if they take the place first?

The advice continues, reinforcing the warning given in the previous āyah,
as Allah ﷻ mentions:

يا بني إنها إن تك مثقال حبة من خردل فتكن في صخرة أو في السماوات أو في الأرض يأت بها الله إن الله لطيف خبير

O my son! If it be (anything) equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed, and though it be in a rock, or in the heavens or in the earth, Allah will bring it forth. Verily, Allah is Subtle (in bringing out that grain), Well-Aware (of its place). [31:16]

Shaykh Rabee' رحمـــه الله said:
(It emphasizes that) nothing causes Him ﷻ difficulty and not even an atom's weight is hidden from Him.

This is a tremendous belief system which the Muslim has to be cognizant of during every moment of his life. He must be cognizant that Allah is looking at him and watching over him and is fully aware of him.

The Advise of Luqmān The Wise to His Son | pg. 26

Endearment

Shaykh al-Badr حفظـــه الله draws attention to an important lesson on manners.

He says:
Luqmān addressed his son not by his name but by the call:

يا بُنيّ
"O my [dear] son!" [31:16]

and keeps repeating this warm phrase.

There is endearment attached to this address that pulls at the listener's heartstrings.

The desired objective i.e. the listener acting upon the advice is achieved if advice overflows with compassion.

However if advice is given without compassion, it heads towards failure.

For example, if one calls out "O boy!" or does what is norm among some people, i.e. addressing the child using an animal's name, do you think the child will listen to the advice let alone act upon it? On the contrary, it promotes dissension and buffoonery!

The Wise Counsel of Luqmān | pg. 29-30

As-Salāt
There is no merit in one being a Muslim when he fails to fulfill his prayers, says Shaykh Abdur Razzāq Al-Badr حفظـــه الله²

Luqmān advises his Son on the Prayer as Allah ﷻ mentions:

يا بُنَيَّ أَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ
O my son! Establish the prayer. [31:17]

Shaykh Rabee' رحمـــه الله said:
He did not say, 'pray' (صلي) rather He said 'establish the prayer*'(أَقِمِ الصَّلاةَ).¹
*Refer to the book for details

Shaykh al-Badr adds:
Prayer is the pinnacle and the most superior of obligations. Performing the prayers distinguishes between a Muslim and a disbeliever.

One who is steadfast in it can claim to have faith, while non-performance is a sure sign of disbelief and oppression.

It will be the first thing to be questioned on the Day of Judgement. If it is proper, then all other deeds will be in order. If it is improper, then all other deeds will in disarray.


It will be a source of victory on Judgment Day and he will be assembled alongside the Prophets (al-Nabiyin), the truthful (al-Sidiqin), the martyrs (al-Shuhada) and the pious (al-Salihin). What good compatriots they are!

Those who neglect their prayers will find no solace on the Day of Judgment. They shall be losers that day and will be assembled along side evil men like the Pharaoh, Qärün and Ubay ibn Khalaf.

May Allah protect us!

¹The Advise of Luqmān The Wise to His Son | pg. 29
²The Wise Counsel of Luqmān | pg. 48-49

Shaykh al-Badr حفظـــه الله says,
there is an old Arabic saying:

'If you don't call (people to do good),
you are called (to do evil).'²

The Āyah continues:

وَأمُر بِالمَعروفِ وَانهَ عَنِ المُنكَرِ
Enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong. [31:17]

Shaykh Rabee' رحمـــه الله explains:

Al-Maruf is that which is known by the legislation of Islam and Islam calls to it.

You enjoin every good beginning with Tawheed until the last good deed from the righteous actions, until the affair of removing something harmful from the pathway.

Al-Munkar is that which the legislation of Islam disapproves of and regards as despicable, warns from it and prohibits it.

You forbid shirk, you forbid sins, the major sins and the minor sins, (forbidding from) the various types of immorality and sin, the major and minor.¹

¹The Advise of Luqmān The Wise to His Son | pg 36-37
The Wise Counsel of Luqmān | pg. 50²

As the āyah continues, Allah ﷻ says:

وَاصبِر عَلىٰ ما أَصابَكَ إِنَّ ذٰلِكَ مِن عَزمِ الأُمورِ
And bear with patience whatever befall you. Verily! These are some of the important commandments (ordered by Allah with no exemption). [31:17]

Ibn Kathīr رحمـــه الله mentions in its tafsīr:
Whoever enjoins what is good and forbids what is evil, will inevitably encounter harm and annoyance from people.

Being patient when people cause harm or annoyance is one of the most important commandments.

Shaykh Abdur Razzāq Al-Badr حفظـــه الله said:
The role they(callers to Islam) play in society demands that they have a high degree of patience.

The Shaykh adds:
Verily, only the strong-willed and strong at heart are capable to carry out substantial affairs.

The Wise Counsel of Luqmān | pg. 50

Towards the end of the āyah, Allāh ﷻ says:

إِنَّ ذٰلِكَ مِن عَزمِ الأُمورِ
Verily! These are some of the important commandments (ordered by Allah with no exemption.) [31:17]

Shaykh Rabee' comments:
These affairs are from the necessary obligations. This is the pure methodology as it relates to the call of the Prophets عليهم الصلاة و السلام

It is a must to establish the prayer and enjoin the good and forbid the evil and it is a must to have patience.

The Advise of Luqmān The Wise to His Son | pg. 36

Arrogance

Allāh ﷻ says:

وَلا تُصَعِّر خَدَّكَ لِلنّاسِ وَلا تَمشِ فِي الأَرضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُختالٍ فَخورٍ
And turn not your face away from men with pride, nor walk in insolence through the earth. Verily, Allah likes not each arrogant boaster.[31:18]

Shaykh Rabee' رحمـــه الله said:

(A person) boasts to the people due to his lineage, due to his status, due to his wealth, due to his authority, due to his knowledge, what has made him insolent towards the people so that he boasts to them?!

Allah ﷻ said:
Pride is My Cloak and Greatness is My Robe, whoever competes with Me in one of the two I will cast him into the fire. [Abu Dawud]

Arrogance is not permissible in any situation whatsoever. It is a dispraised characteristic and Allah hates it. If Allah does not love you, what does this mean?!

Combat with your soul against arrogance. It is a despised trait that leads to disbelief and to belittling the people and rejecting the truth.

It is upon you to have humility towards Allah, the Lord of all that exists, and to have humility towards the believing slaves of Allah, interacting with the people with good manners.

The Advise of Luqmān The Wise to His Son

Being Moderate
Islām teaches us even the etiquettes of walking.

Luqmān said to his Son:

وَاقصِد في مَشيِكَ
And be moderate (or show no insolence) in your walking. [31:19]

One should always be moderate in the things he does.¹

Walk in a normal moderate fashion; meaning follow a middle course. Do not walk the walk of someone who is dying nor rush quickly like the reckless one.

Take the middle course, and be moderate, and this is the walk of the believing slaves of Allah.²

The Wise Counsel of Luqmān | pg. 51
The Advise of Luqmān The Wise to His Son | pg. 50

Luqmān's advise to his son concludes with this āyah, addressing a matter we tend to dismiss as unimportant.

He says to his son:

وَاغضُض مِن صَوتِكَ إِنَّ أَنكَرَ الأَصواتِ لَصَوتُ الحَميرِ
And lower your voice. Verily, the harshest of all voices is the voice (braying) of the ass. [31:19]

The example here lays bare that the raising of voice is repugnant. Were it not so, this feature would not be associated with an animal that is known for its depravity and stupidity.²

Therefore do not raise your voice except to the level of what is necessary.¹

¹The Advise of Luqmān The Wise to His Son | pg. 49
²The Wise Counsel of Luqmān | pg. 52

The authors conclude the books by beseeching Allāh ﷻ to grant us all the ability to act upon the advice.

Intro:

This is a book of advice that Hāfiz Ibn al-Jawzī رحــمه الله authored for his son.

The Shaykh says:
"I asked Allah to make him(son) a pious successor and an ideal son who shall achieve success. However, I found him somewhat careless in his pursuit of Sacred Knowledge and so I decided to write him these words encouraging him to take my path in studying."
Page 36

About the Book

Original Title: لفتة الكبد إلى نصيحة الولد
Meaning: (A Tender Heart’s Counsel to a Son)

English Title : Sincere Counsel to the Students of Sacred Knowledge

Author: Hāfiz Ibn al-Jawzī رحمـــه الله [d. 597AH]

Publication: Dār As-Sunnah Publishers

About the Author

Al-Hafiz Ibn Rajab said:
"His gatherings of exhortation were one of a kind and nobody had heard of any thing like them.

They were gatherings of great benefit where the heedless would be reminded, the ignorant would come to know, the sinners would repent and the (Mushrikūn) would become Muslims."

Tabaqat al Hanabila 1/410

"When I was seven or so, I attended the gatherings in the Masjid. I would not sit in a circle of mere wordplay, but searched for a hadith scholar who would narrate about the Prophet's ﷺ life. I would memorize everything he said, then go back home and write it down.

The kids used to go down to Tigris River and play on the bridge, but when I was small I used to take a book and sit far from people by the shore studying Sacred Knowledge."

Ibn al-Jawzi
Sincere Advice to the Students of Knowledge, p43-45.

Tigris: A major 'historically significant' river in Baghdad.

"Man has been distinguished by intellect only so that he would act according to it."

Ibn al-Jawzi
Sincere Advice to the Students of Knowledge, p38.

"You are a created being who has responsibilities and obligations and that the two angels are counting your every word and glance."

Ibn al-Jawzi
Sincere Advice to the Students of Knowledge, p38.

"Where is the delight of yesterday?
It has departed leaving only regret in its wake.

Learn from the lives of kings and ascetics: where is the delight of the kings and where is the weariness of the ascetics?

People have only become wretched by giving preference to the life of this world."

Ibn al-Jawzi
Sincere Advice to the Students of Knowledge, p38.

"Laziness in virtuous deeds is an evil companion indeed, and love of comfort causes regret greater than any enjoyment. So take heed and tire yourself for your self."

Ibn al-Jawzi
Sincere Advice to the Students of Knowledge, p39.

"Every breath is a step closer to death. The time we spend in this world is short, the time we are held in our graves is long, and the punishment for following our base desires is calamitous."

Ibn al-Jawzi
Sincere Advice to the Students of Knowledge, p38.