The Twenty-Ninth Surah

Al-'Ankabut (The Spider)

Period Uncertain

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ...

29: 28. And (remember) Lut; behold, he said to his people:

...إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿٢٨﴾

"Ye do commit lewdness, such as no people in Creation (ever) committed before you.

C3449. Cf. 7:80.

A discreet reference is made to their unspeakable crimes, which were against the laws of all nature.

أَئِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الرِّجَالَ وَتَقْطَعُونَ السَّبِيلَ ...

29:29. "Do ye indeed approach men, and cut off the highway? --

C3450. They infested highways and committed their horrible crimes not only secretly, but openly and publicly, even in their assemblies.

Some Commentators understand "cutting off the highway" to refer to highway robberies: this is possible, and it is also possible that the crimes in their assemblies may have been injustice, rowdiness, etc. But the context seems to refer to their own special horrible crime, and the point here seems to be that they were not ashamed of it and that they practiced it publicly. Degradation could go no further.

... وَتَأْتُونَ فِي نَادِيكُمُ الْمُنكَرَ...

And practice wickedness (even) in your councils?"

...فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلَّا أَن قَالُوا...

But his people gave no answer but this: they said:

...ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ ﴿٢٩﴾

"Bring us the Wrath of Allah if thou tellest the truth."

C3451. This is another instance of their effrontery, in addition to that mentioned in 7:82: the two supplement each other.

Here the point emphasised is that they did not believe in Allah or His Punishment, and dared Allah's Prophet Lut to bring about the Punishment if he could. And it did come and destroy them.

Asad’s Version:

29:28 AND LOT, [too, was inspired by Us] when he said unto his people: "Verily, you commit abominations such as none in all the world has ever committed before you!

(29:29)[Asad] Must you indeed approach men [with lust] and thus cut across the way [of nature]? 24 and must you commit these shameful deeds in your [open] assemblies?"

But his people's only answer was. "Bring down upon us God's chastisement, if thou art a man of truth!"

[[ Asad’s note –

24 This particular interpretation of the phrase taqa'un as-sabil is advanced by Baghawi and (on the authority of Al-Hasan) by Zamakhshari; Razi adopts it exclusively and without reservation. ]]

17 Lit., "the answer of his people was nothing but that they said" - thus connecting with the passage ending with verse 18.

18 See note 64 on 21:69.

19 Lit., "solely out of love".

20 Thus Razi. explaining this idol- worship as a result of a mere blind imitation (taqlid) of attitudes inherited from past generations.

21 For an explanation of the concept of hijrah and of my above rendering of the term muhajir, see surah 2, note 203, and surah 4, note 124. In the present instance this term is obviously used in both its physical and spiritual senses, analogous to the earlier allusion (in 19:48-49) to Abraham's "withdrawal" (i'tizal) from his evil, native environment and to his physical migration to Harran (in northern Mesopotamia), and thence to Syria and Palestine. The story of Lot (Lut) is mentioned in the Quran several times, and particularly in 1 1 :69-83.

22 I.e., in addition to Ishmael (Isma'il), who had been born some years earlier (cf. 21 :72).

23 Among, other things, by making him "a leader of men" (2:124).

without reservation. ]]