Reading the Sura (Chapter) of Luqman in the Quran the other day, I was struck by the instructions Luqman gave to his son. Among those instructions (verse 19) was “And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice; indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the voice of donkeys.”
There are two issues here that are worthy of discussion – from my point of view at least – in the final part of the verse, which says, “and lower your voice; indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the voice of donkeys.”
Volume: This refers to how loud – or low – the voice should be when conversing with others. According to contemporary phonetic studies, loudness is linked to culture. In certain cultures, people tend to use a low volume of voice in their speech. This is apparent in the way the English converse with one another. People of other cultures by contrast – such as the Arabs and Greeks – tend to use higher volumes. I was struck by these differences many times during my daily commute by bus in London. I instantly knew that speakers were Arabs simply by the loudness of their voices without even seeing them.
The tendency to phonate loudly – as far as Arabs are concerned – never ceases to puzzle me. After all, Arabia was where the Muslim religion originated. And I believe that all major faiths encourage their followers to lower their voices when conversing. Verse 19 of the Sura of Luqman in the Quran contains just such an instruction. A similar instruction is contained in the Sura of al-Hujurat. In verse 3, it says, “Verily, those who lower their voices in the presence of Allâh’s Messenger, they are the ones whose hearts Allâh has tested for piety. For them is forgiveness and a great reward.”
The same sura also states (in verse 2) that, “O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds may be rendered fruitless while you perceive not.”
Moreover, speaking softly is seen as a sign of piety. God says, in the sura of Taha (verse 108), describing a scene on the day of judgement, “all voices will be humbled for the Most Gracious (Allâh), and nothing shall you hear but the low voice of their footsteps.”
Yet despite these clear instructions, they have largely been ignored. This, I believe, was because of the prevalence of Bedouin culture, which is influenced by wide open spaces and the nomadic lifestyle of the people (continuously on the move on the backs of camels). Loudness thus became an Arab characteristic.
The Voice of the Donkey: The second point in this article concerns the final part of Luqman, verse 19, which states, “indeed, the most disagreeable of sounds is the voice of donkeys.”
Some may erroneously perceive this as a disapproval of the voice of donkeys. But is it possible that the Almighty – the creator of all things – could describe any of his creations as being ugly and disagreeable?
I believe that the Almighty means that He disapproves of excessive loudness of voice – as is characteristic in the instinctive loudness of donkeys. There is, therefore, a commonality between donkeys and people who converse in a loud voice.
Donkeys, whose rights I uphold and could never deny, cannot be blamed for phonating in a loud voice since they behave according to their instincts. As for human beings, who were created in God’s image, they should not raise their voices to such a degree as to harm the ears of their listeners aurally and perhaps also harm their feelings.
