29. Surah Al-'Ankabut (The Spider)

Period Uncertain

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاتَّقُوهُ...

29:16. [Ali] And (We also saved) Abraham: Behold, he said to his people,

"Serve Allah and fear Him:

C3438. The story of Abraham has been told in various phases in different passages. The ones most germane to the present passage are:

21:51-72 (his being cast into the fire and being saved from it); and

19:41-49 (his voluntary exile from the home of his fathers).

Here the story is not told but is referred to in order to stress the following points;

- Abraham's people only responded to his preaching by threatening to burn him (29:16-18, 24);

- evil consorts with evil but will have a rude awakening (29:25);

- the good adhere to the good, and are blessed (29:26-27).

Note that the passage 29:19-23 is a parenthetical comment, though some Commentators treat a portion of it as part of Abraham's speech.

...ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٦﴾

that will be best for you -- if ye understand!

إِنَّمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْثَانًا وَتَخْلُقُونَ إِفْكًا...

17. "For ye do worship idols besides Allah, and ye invent falsehood.

...إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لَكُمْ رِزْقًا...

The things that ye worship besides Allah have no power to give you sustenance:

...فَابْتَغُوا عِندَ اللَّهِ الرِّزْقَ وَاعْبُدُوهُ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ...

then seek ye sustenance from Allah, serve Him, and be grateful to Him:

C3439. Sustenance: in the symbolic as well as the literal sense. Seek from Allah all that is necessary for your upkeep and development, and for preparing you for your future Destiny.

Lay all your hopes in Him and in no one else. Dedicate yourselves to His worship. He will give you all that is necessary for your growth and well being, and you should show your gratitude to Him by conforming your will entirely to His.

...إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ ﴿١٧﴾

to Him will be your return.

Asad’s Version:

29:16

AND ABRAHAM, [too, was inspired by Us] when he said unto his people: "Worship God,

and be conscious of Him: this is the best for you, if you but knew it! (29: 17) You worship only [lifeless] idols instead of God, and [thus] you give visible shape to a lie!" Behold, those [things and beings] that you worship instead of God have it not in their power to provide sustenance for you: seek, then, all [your] sustenance from God, and worship Him [alone) and be grateful to Him: [for] unto Him you shall be brought back!

5. Surah Al-Ma'idah

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

لَيْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَا طَعِمُواْ...

5: 93. On those who believe and do deeds of righteousness there is no blame for what they ate (in the past),

... إِذَا مَا اتَّقَواْ وَّآمَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّالِحَاتِ ثُمَّ اتَّقَواْ وَّآمَنُواْ ثُمَّ اتَّقَواْ وَّأَحْسَنُواْ...

when they guard themselves from evil and believe, and do deeds of righteousness, (or) again, guard themselves from evil and do good.

... وَاللّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿٩٣﴾

For Allah loveth those who do good.

C798. There is a subtle symphony in what appears at first sight to be a triple repetition. The relation of such simple regulations as those of food, or game, or the reverence due to a sacred place or sacred institution, has to be explained vis-à-vis man's higher duties.

Baydawi is right in classifying such duties under three heads;

- those due to Allah,

- those due from a man to himself (his self-respect), and

- those due to other creatures of Allah.

Or perhaps all duties have this threefold aspect.

- The first may be called Believing or Faith;

- the second, Guarding ourselves from evil, or Conscience: and

- the third, doing good or Righteousness.

But the simplest physical rules, e.g., those about eating, cleanliness, etc., if they are good, refer also to the higher aspects.

If we eat bad food, we hurt ourselves, we cause offence to our neighbors, and we disobey Allah.

If we have faith and righteousness, are we likely to be wanting in conscience?

If we have conscience and faith, are we likely to fail in righteousness?

If we have conscience and righteousness, what can be their foundation but faith?

All three manifest themselves in a willing obedience to Allah, and love for Him. We realise His love in loving and doing good to His creatures, and our love for Him is meaningless without such good.

Asad’s Version:

5: 93 Those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds incur no sin by partaking of whatever they may, so long as they are conscious of God and [truly] believe and do righteous deeds, and continue to be conscious of God and to believe, and grow ever more conscious of God, and persevere in doing good: for God loves the doers of good.

2. Surah Al Baqarah

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَمِنْ حَيْثُ خَرَجْتَ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ ...

2: 150. So from whencesoever thou startest forth, turn thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque;

... وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّواْ وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ لِئَلاَّ يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَيْكُمْ حُجَّةٌ...

among wheresoever ye are turn your face thither, that there be no ground of dispute against you among the people,

... إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مِنْهُمْ فَلاَ تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِي...

except those of them that are bent on wickedness; so fear them not, but fear Me;

... وَلأُتِمَّ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ ﴿١٥٠﴾

and that I may complete My favors on you, and ye may (consent to) be guided.

Asad’s Version:

2: 150 …SO FEAR them not, BUT FEAR ME; and that I may complete my favors on you, and you may (consent) be guided.