The Quran

Preface

يا بُنَيَّ إِنَّها إِن تَكُ مِثقالَ حَبَّةٍ مِن خَردَلٍ فَتَكُن في صَخرَةٍ أَو فِي السَّماواتِ أَو فِي الأَرضِ يَأتِ بِهَا اللَّهُ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَطيفٌ خَبيرٌ

Yusuf Ali

“O my son!” (said Luqman),¹ “If there be (but) the weight of a mustard-seed and it were (hidden) in a rock,² or (anywhere) in the heavens or on earth, God will bring it forth: for God understands³ the finest mysteries, (and) is wellacquainted (with them).

Verses 14-15 are not the direct speech of Luqman but flow by way of commentary on his teaching. He was speaking as a father to his son, and he could not very well urge respect for himself and draw the son’s attention to the limitations of that obedience. These verses may be supposed to be general directions flowing from Luqman’s teaching to men, and not directed to his son, though in either case, as Luqman received wisdom from God, it is divine principles that are enunciated.
The mustard seed is proverbially a small, minute thing, that people may ordinarily pass by. Not so God. Further emphasis is laid by supposing the mustard seed to be hidden beneath a rock or in the cleft of a rock, or to be lost in the spaciousness of the earth or the heavens. To God everything is known, and He will bring it forth; i.e., take account of it.
For Latif as a title applied to God, see n. 2844 to 22:63.