The Twenty-Ninth Surah
Al-'Ankabut (The Spider)
Period Uncertain
Asad’s Version:
29:10 NOW THERE IS among men many a one who says [of himself and of others like him], "We do believe in God" - but whenever he is made to suffer in God's cause, he thinks that persecution at the hands of man is as [much to be feared, or even more than,] God's chastisement; whereas, if succour from thy Sustainer comes [to those who truly believe], 6 he is sure to say, "Behold, we have always been with you!" Is not God fully aware of what is in the hearts of all creatures?
29:11 [Yea -] and most certainly will God mark out those who have [truly] attained to faith, and most certainly will He mark out the hypocrites. 7
29:12
And [He is aware, too, that] they who are bent on denying the truth speak [thus, as it were,] to those who have attained to faith: "Follow our way [of life], and we shall indeed take your sins upon ourselves!" 8 But never could they take upon themselves' aught of the sins of those [whom they would thus mislead]: behold, they are liars indeed!
29:13
Yet most certainly will they have to bear their own burdens, and other burdens besides their own; 10 and most certainly will they be called to account on Resurrection Day for all their false assertions!
[Asad’s notes -
3 Cf. 31 :14-15 and, particularly, the corresponding note 15.
4Lit, "something of which thou hast no knowledge": i.e., in this particular case, "something which conflicts with thy knowledge that none and nothing can have any share in God's qualities or powers". According to Razi, this phrase may also allude to concepts not evolved through personal knowledge but, rather, acquired through a blind, uncritical acceptance of other people's views (taqlid).
5 I.e., the suffering which is bound to befall in the hereafter all who abandon their faith for fear of being persecuted in this world. (It is to be borne in mind that a mere outward renunciation of faith under torture or threat of death is not considered a sin in Islam, although martyrdom for the sake of one's faith is the highest degree of merit to which man can attain.)
6 I.e., when it is no longer risky to be counted as one of them.
7 This is probably the earliest occurrence of the term munafiq in the chronology of Qur'anic revelation. Idiomatically, the term is derived from the noun nafaq, which denotes an "underground passage" having an outlet different from the entry, and signifying, specifically, the complicated burrow of a field-mouse, a lizard, etc., from which the animal can easily escape or in which it can outwit a pursuer. Tropically, the term munafiq describes a person who is "two-faced", inasmuch as he always tries to find an easy way out of any real commitment, be it spiritual or social, by adapting his
course of action to what promises to be of practical advantage to him in the situation in which he happens to find himself. Since a person thus characterized usually pretends to be morally better than he really is, the epithet munafiq may roughly be rendered as "hypocrite". It should, however, be noted that whereas this Western term invariably implies conscious dissembling with the intent to deceive others, the Arabic term munafiq may also be applied - and occasionally is applied in the Qur'an to a person who, being weak or uncertain in his beliefs or moral convictions, merely deceives himself. Hence, while using in my rendering of the Qur'anic text the conventional expression "hypocrite", I have endeavoured to point out the above differentiation, whenever possible and necessary, in my explanatory notes. ]]
The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:
وَمِنَ
النَّاسِ مَن
يَقُولُ آمَنَّا
بِاللَّهِ...
29:10. Then there are among men such as say, "We believe in Allah;"
...فَإِذَا أُوذِيَ فِي اللَّهِ جَعَلَ فِتْنَةَ النَّاسِ كَعَذَابِ اللَّهِ...
but when they suffer affliction in (the cause of) Allah, they treat men's oppression as if it were the Wrath of Allah!
...وَلَئِن جَاء نَصْرٌ مِّن رَّبِّكَ لَيَقُولُنَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا مَعَكُمْ...
and if help comes (to thee) from thy Lord, they are sure to say, "We have (always) been with you!"
C3433. Cf. 9:56, and other passages where the cunning of the Hypocrites is exposed.
The man who turns away from Faith in adversity and only claims the friendship of the Faithful when there is something to be gained by it, is worthy of a double condemnation:
- first because he rejected Faith and Truth, and
- secondly because he falsely pretended to be of those whom he feared or hated in his heart.
But nothing in all creation is concealed from Allah.
...أَوَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَعْلَمَ بِمَا فِي صُدُورِ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٠﴾
Does not Allah know best all that is in the hearts of all Creation?
وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ
اللَّهُ
الَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ
الْمُنَافِقِينَ
﴿١١﴾
29: 11. And Allah most certainly knows those who believe, and as certainly those who are Hypocrites.
C3434. Cf. 29:3 above.
The general opposition between Truth and Falsehood is now brought down to the specific case of the Hypocrites, who are against the Faith militant but swear friendship with it when it seems to be gaining ground.
The argument is rounded off with the next two verses.
وَقَالَ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا اتَّبِعُوا
سَبِيلَنَا
وَلْنَحْمِلْ
خَطَايَاكُمْ...
29:12. And the Unbelievers say to those who believe:
"Follow our path, and we will bear (the consequences) of your faults."
C3435. Besides the hypocrite there is another type of man who openly scoffs at Faith. 'Take life as we take it,' he says; 'we shall bear your sins.'
As if they could!
Each soul bears its own burdens, and no one else can bear them.
The principle also applies to the type of man who preaches vicarious atonement, for, if followed to its logical conclusion, it means both injustice and irresponsibility, and puts quite a different complexion on the nature of sin.
... وَمَا هُم بِحَامِلِينَ مِنْ خَطَايَاهُم مِّن شَيْءٍ...
Never in the least will they bear their faults:
...إِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ ﴿١٢﴾
in fact they are liars!
وَلَيَحْمِلُنَّ
أَثْقَالَهُمْ
وَأَثْقَالًا
مَّعَ أَثْقَالِهِمْ...
29:13. They will bear their own burdens, and (other) burdens along with their own,
C3436. Besides the burden of their own infidelity, they will bear the burden of deluding others with falsehood.
...وَلَيُسْأَلُنَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ ﴿١٣﴾
and on the Day of Judgement they will be called to account for their falsehoods