Luqman · Makki · ayah 26 of 34

Luqman 31:26

لِلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ

“To Allāh belongs whatever is in the heavens and earth. Indeed, Allāh is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy.”

Saheeh International

Essence

Everything in the heavens and the earth is His, He needs none of it, and He is praised for turning it to your good.

A reflection

The name pencilled inside the piano lid

A man buys a second-hand upright piano and spends a weekend telling friends about 'my piano'. Then he lifts the lid to tune it. Pencilled on the wood inside, in a child's round letters, is a name and a year: Amina, 1962. Under it, in a different hand, is another name. The piano was someone's before it was his. It will be someone's after.

The ayah opens by putting the Owner first. The ordinary order would be 'whatever is in the heavens and the earth is Allah's'. Instead it begins li-llāhi: to Allah. One linguistic commentary explains what the fronting does. It belongs to Him by creation, ownership and control. It belongs to no one else, neither on their own nor as His partner.

The word mā, whatever, has no edge. It takes in the piano and the man playing it. It takes in the house, the street, the salary and the body that walks to work. The ego likes to sign its name inside things. This ayah reminds us that every lid already carries an older signature.

Then comes the line that answers the obvious objection. If everything is His, does He need it? Does He need our praise? Inna Allāha huwa al-Ghaniyyu al-Ḥamīd: Allah, He alone, is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy. One classical commentary notes that He owns all of it and has no use of any of it. Its benefits are for you; He made them for you. He is Ghanī because He needs nothing, and Ḥamīd because He meets your needs with what He owns.

The same commentator adds a sharper point. Everything in the heavens and the earth is in need, so everything in need praises whoever meets its need. Only the One who needs nothing can be praised without limit. Pride claims ownership to feel large. He owns everything, and uses it to give.

The man plays his first piece. At the end he says quietly: it is Yours, and I am grateful to hold it for a while.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.