وَلَا تُصَعِّرْ خَدَّكَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمْشِ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَحًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخْتَالٍ فَخُورٍ ﴿۱۸﴾ وَاقْصِدْ فِي مَشْيِكَ وَاغْضُضْ مِنْ صَوْتِكَ إِنَّ أَنْكَرَ الْأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ الْحَمِيرِ ﴿۱۹﴾ أَلَمْ تَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَأَسْبَغَ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعَمَهُ ظَاهِرَةً وَبَاطِنَةً وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يُجَادِلُ فِي اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ وَلَا هُدًى وَلَا كِتَابٍ مُنِيرٍ ﴿۲۰﴾

﴾18﴿ Wa laa tusa'-'ir khaddaka linnaasi wa laa tamshi fil ardi maarahan innal laaha laa yuhibbu kulla mukhtaalin fakhoor
﴾19﴿ Waqsid fee mashyika waghdud min sawtik; inna ankaral aswaati lasawtul hameer
﴾20﴿ Alam taraw annal laaha sakhkhara lakum maa fis sa maawaati wa maa fil ardi wa asbagha 'alaikum ni'amahoo zaahiratanw wa baatinah; wa minan naasi many yujaadilu fil laahi bighayri 'ilminw wa laa hudanw wa laa Kitaabim muneer

﴾18﴿ And do not turn your face away from people with arrogance (when speaking), and do not walk proudly on the earth. Indeed, Allah does not like any arrogant and boastful person
﴾19﴿ And be moderate in your walking, and lower your voice. Indeed, the harshest of sounds is the braying of a donkey
﴾20﴿ Do you not see that Allah has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and has completed His favors upon you, both apparent and hidden, Yet among the people are those who dispute about the Oneness of Allah without knowledge, guidance, or an enlightening Book

[18] After mentioning actions and commands, this verse refers to forbidden manners that cause people to feel repelled. These negative traits belong to the arrogant.
“Wa lā tuṣa‘‘ir”—“Ṣa‘r” originally refers to a disease in camels that causes their necks to become stiff and crooked. This verse implies the humiliation of such a person, comparing his behavior to that of a diseased camel.
The intended meaning is: when you speak to someone or someone speaks to you, turn your face toward them directly. This was the practice (Sunnah) of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace).
“Wa lā tamshi fī al-arḍi maraḥan” (Do not walk on the earth with pride)—something similar has been mentioned in Surah al-Isra (17:37). Any kind of walking or movement that goes against the Sunnah of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) is included in this prohibition, whether it be dancing or walking with arrogance and affectation.
“Mukhtāl” is one who considers others beneath himself, and “fakhūr” is someone who praises himself in order to appear superior to others.
[19] In the previous verse, the prohibition was against actions that indicate evil inward traits—specifically, arrogance. In this verse, outward traits are mentioned.
The first trait is moderation in walking—walking at a balanced pace, not too fast nor too slow, not overly straight nor overly hunched. Since this person follows the Sunnah of the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) in his manner of walking, it becomes clear that he follows the Prophet in all his affairs.
The second trait is lowering one's voice. The word “min ṣawtik” (from your voice) indicates that sometimes raising the voice is Sunnah—such as in the call to prayer (adhān), the talbiyah during Hajj, and so on.
“Inna ankara al-aṣwāt” (Indeed, the harshest of voices) refers to how loud and unpleasant speech imposes burden upon others.
“Laṣawtu al-ḥamīr (is the voice of donkeys)”—the reason for this comparison is that other animals raise their voices only when under pressure or stress. But the donkey brays without necessity, and when it is heavily burdened or under stress, it does not make noise.
This indicates that someone who raises his voice in the remembrance of Allah without a valid shar‘i (religious) reason is like the donkey.
[20] From here begins the second section. In it, eight rational proofs remain, found in verses (34, 31, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, and 20).
Rebukes are found in verses (32, 21, 20), glad tidings in verse (22), warnings of the Hereafter in verse (33), and a refutation of shirk in supplication in verse (30).
In verse (20), the second rational proof is given: Allah the Exalted has subjected all these things for your benefit. These benefits are among the many aspects of wisdom that Luqman the Wise understood—that they are all from Allah the Exalted.
“Ẓāhiratan” (visible) refers to those blessings that common people recognize—such as physical health, wealth, children, appearance, and so on.
“Bāṭinah” (hidden) refers to those blessings known to people of knowledge—such as Islam, the Qur’an, love of Allah and His Messenger, the heart, the intellect, understanding, and so on.
“Wa min al-nās” (and among the people)—this is a rebuke following a rational proof. It refers to stubborn deniers, those to whom the truth has become clear, yet they still argue against it.