29. Al-'Ankabut (The Spider)

Period Uncertain

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاء كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ...

29: 41. The parable of those who take protectors other than Allah is that of the Spider,

...اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا...

who builds (to itself) a house;

...وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ ...

but truly the flimsiest of houses

C3466. The Spider's house is one of the wonderful Signs of Allah's creation. It is made up of fine silk threads spun out of silk glands in the spider's body.

There are many kinds of spiders and many kinds of spider's houses. Two main types of houses may be mentioned.

- There is the tubular nest or web, a silk-lined house or burrow with one or two trap-doors. This may be called his residential or family mansion.

- Then there is what is ordinarily called a spider's web, consisting of a central point with radiating threads running in all directions and acting as tie-beams to the quasi-circular concentric threads that form the body of the web. This is his hunting box.

The whole structure exemplifies economy in time, material, and strength. If an insect is caught in the net, the vibration set up in the radiating threads is at once communicated to the spider, who can come and kill his prey.

In case the prey is powerful, the spider is furnished with poison glands with which to kill his prey.

The spider sits either in the centre of the web or hides on the under-side of a leaf or in some crevice, but he always has a single thread connecting him with his web, to keep him in telephonic communication.

The female spider is much bigger than the male, and in Arabic the generic gender of 'Ankabut is feminine.

... لَبَيْتُ الْعَنكَبُوتِ... ...

is the Spider's house,

C3467. Most of the facts in the last note can be read into the Parable. For their thickness the spider's threads are very strong from the point of view of relativity, but in our actual world they are flimsy, especially the threads of the gossamer spider floating in the air.

So is the house and strength of the man who relies on material resources however fine or beautiful relatively; before the eternal Reality they are as nothing.

The spider's most cunning architecture cannot stand against a wave of a man's hand. His poison glands are like the hidden poison in our beautiful worldly plans which may take various shapes but have seeds of death in them.

...لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤١﴾

if they but knew.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ مِن شَيْءٍ...

29: 42. Verily Allah doth know of (everything) whatever that they call upon besides Him:

C3468. The last verse told us that men, out of spiritual ignorance, build their hopes on flimsy unsubstantial things (like the spider's web) which are broken by a thousand chance attacks of wind and weather or the actions of animals or men.

If they cannot fully grasp their own good, they should seek His Light. To Him everything is known,

- men's frailty,

- their false hopes,

- their questionable motives,

the false gods whom they enthrone in their midst, the mischief done by the neglect of Truth, and the way out for those who have entangled themselves in the snares of evil.

...وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ ﴿٤٢﴾

and He is Exalted (in power), Wise.

He is All-Wise and is able to carry out all He wills, and they should turn to Him.

وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ...

29: 43. And such are the Parables We set for mankind,

...وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ ﴿٤٣﴾

but only those understand them who have Knowledge.

C3469. Parables seem simple things, but their profound meaning and application can only be understood by those who seek knowledge and by Allah's grace attain it.

Asad’s Version:

29:41

THE PARABLE of those who take [beings or forces] other than God for their protectors is that of the spider which makes for itself a house: for, behold, the frailest of all houses is the spider's house. Could they but understand this! (29:42) Verily, God knows whatever it is that men invoke instead of Him 37 for He alone is almighty, truly wise.

(29:43) And so We propound these parables unto man: but none can grasp their innermost meaning save those who [of Us] are aware, 38

(29:44) [and hence are certain that] God has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth: 3 ' for, behold, in this [very creation] there is a message indeed for all who believe [in Him].