Surah 29. Al-'Ankabut

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Verses [Section]: 1-13[1], 14-22 [2], 23-30 [3], 31-44 [4], 45-51 [5], 52-63 [6], 64-69 [7]

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Quran Text of Verse 52-63قُلْSayكَفٰیSufficient isبِاللّٰهِAllahبَیْنِیْbetween meوَ بَیْنَكُمْand between youشَهِیْدًا ۚ(as) WitnessیَعْلَمُHe knowsمَاwhatفِی(is) inالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ الْاَرْضِ ؕand the earthوَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveبِالْبَاطِلِin [the] falsehoodوَ كَفَرُوْاand disbelieveبِاللّٰهِ ۙin Allahاُولٰٓىِٕكَthoseهُمُtheyالْخٰسِرُوْنَ (are) the losers 29. Al-'Ankabut Page 403وَ یَسْتَعْجِلُوْنَكَAnd they ask you to hastenبِالْعَذَابِ ؕ[with] the punishmentوَ لَوْ لَاۤAnd if notاَجَلٌ(for) a termمُّسَمًّیappointedلَّجَآءَهُمُsurely (would) have come to themالْعَذَابُ ؕthe punishmentوَ لَیَاْتِیَنَّهُمْBut it will surely come to themبَغْتَةًsuddenlyوَّ هُمْwhile theyلَا(do) notیَشْعُرُوْنَ perceive یَسْتَعْجِلُوْنَكَThey ask you to hastenبِالْعَذَابِ ؕthe punishmentوَ اِنَّAnd indeedجَهَنَّمَHellلَمُحِیْطَةٌۢwill surely encompassبِالْكٰفِرِیْنَۙthe disbelievers یَوْمَOn (the) Dayیَغْشٰىهُمُwill cover themالْعَذَابُthe punishmentمِنْfromفَوْقِهِمْabove themوَ مِنْand fromتَحْتِbelowاَرْجُلِهِمْtheir feetوَ یَقُوْلُand He will sayذُوْقُوْاTasteمَاwhatكُنْتُمْyou usedتَعْمَلُوْنَ (to) do یٰعِبَادِیَO My servantsالَّذِیْنَwhoاٰمَنُوْۤاbelieve!اِنَّIndeedاَرْضِیْMy earthوَاسِعَةٌ(is) spaciousفَاِیَّایَso onlyفَاعْبُدُوْنِ worship Me كُلُّEveryنَفْسٍsoulذَآىِٕقَةُ(will) tasteالْمَوْتِ ۫the deathثُمَّThenاِلَیْنَاto Usتُرْجَعُوْنَ you will be returned وَ الَّذِیْنَAnd those whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveوَ عَمِلُواand doالصّٰلِحٰتِ[the] righteous deedsلَنُبَوِّئَنَّهُمْsurely We will give them a placeمِّنَinالْجَنَّةِParadiseغُرَفًاlofty dwellingsتَجْرِیْflowمِنْfromتَحْتِهَاunderneath itالْاَنْهٰرُthe riversخٰلِدِیْنَwill abide foreverفِیْهَا ؕin itنِعْمَExcellent isاَجْرُ(the) rewardالْعٰمِلِیْنَۗۖ(of) the workers الَّذِیْنَThose whoصَبَرُوْا(are) patientوَ عَلٰیand uponرَبِّهِمْtheir Lordیَتَوَكَّلُوْنَ put their trust وَ كَاَیِّنْAnd how manyمِّنْofدَآبَّةٍa creatureلَّا(does) notتَحْمِلُcarryرِزْقَهَا ۗۖits provisionاَللّٰهُAllahیَرْزُقُهَاprovides (for) itوَ اِیَّاكُمْ ۖؗand (for) youوَ هُوَAnd Heالسَّمِیْعُ(is) the All-Hearerالْعَلِیْمُ the All-Knower وَ لَىِٕنْAnd ifسَاَلْتَهُمْyou ask themمَّنْWhoخَلَقَcreatedالسَّمٰوٰتِthe heavensوَ الْاَرْضَand the earthوَ سَخَّرَand subjectedالشَّمْسَthe sunوَ الْقَمَرَand the moonلَیَقُوْلُنَّSurely they would sayاللّٰهُ ۚAllahفَاَنّٰیThen howیُؤْفَكُوْنَ are they deluded اَللّٰهُAllahیَبْسُطُextendsالرِّزْقَthe provisionلِمَنْfor whomیَّشَآءُHe willsمِنْofعِبَادِهٖHis slavesوَ یَقْدِرُand restrictsلَهٗ ؕfor himاِنَّIndeedاللّٰهَAllahبِكُلِّof everyشَیْءٍthingعَلِیْمٌ (is) All-Knower وَ لَىِٕنْAnd ifسَاَلْتَهُمْyou ask themمَّنْWhoنَّزَّلَsends downمِنَfromالسَّمَآءِthe skyمَآءًwaterفَاَحْیَاand gives lifeبِهِtherebyالْاَرْضَ(to) the earthمِنْۢafterبَعْدِafterمَوْتِهَاits deathلَیَقُوْلُنَّSurely, they would sayاللّٰهُ ؕAllahقُلِSayالْحَمْدُAll Praisesلِلّٰهِ ؕ(are) for AllahبَلْButاَكْثَرُهُمْmost of themلَا(do) notیَعْقِلُوْنَ۠use reason

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Translation of Verse 52-63

(29:52) Say (O Prophet): “Allah suffices as a witness between me and you. He knows whatever is in the heavens and the earth. As for those who believe in falsehood and are engaged in infidelity with Allah, it is they who will be the losers.”

(29:53) They ask you to hasten in bringing chastisement⁹³ upon them. Had there not been an appointed term for it, the chastisement would have already visited them; in fact it will come down upon them all of a sudden (at its appointed time) while they will not be aware of it.

(29:54) They ask you to hasten the chastisement upon them although Hell encompasses the unbelievers.

(29:55) (They will become aware of it) the Day when the chastisement will overwhelm them from above and from under their feet, and He will say to them: “Taste now the consequence of the deeds that you used to commit.”

(29:56) O My servants who believe, verily My earth is vast; so serve Me alone.⁹⁴

(29:57) Every being shall taste death, then it is to Us that you shall be sent back.⁹⁵

(29:58) We shall house those who believed and acted righteously in the lofty mansions of Paradise beneath which rivers flow. There they shall remain for ever. How excellent a reward it is for those who acted (in obedience to Allah),⁹⁶

(29:59) who remained steadfast⁹⁷ and put their trust in their Lord!⁹⁸

(29:60) How many an animal there is that does not carry about its sustenance. Allah provides sustenance to them and to you. He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.⁹⁹

(29:61) If you were to ask them:¹⁰⁰ “Who created the heavens and the earth and Who has kept the sun and the moon in subjection?” they will certainly say: “Allah.” How come, then, they are being deluded from the Truth?

(29:62) Allah enlarges the sustenance of any of His servants whom He will, and straitens the sustenance of whom He will. Surely Allah has knowledge of everything.

(29:63) If you were to ask them: “Who sent down water from the sky and therewith revived the earth after its death?” they will certainly say: “Allah.” Say: “To Allah alone be praise and thanks.”¹⁰¹ But most people do not understand.

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Commentary

93. The unbelievers repeatedly challenged the Prophet (peace be on him) to bring on the chastisement he warned them about. If he were a genuine Messenger and if they were guilty of rejecting the Truth, why did he not have them struck down with that chastisement?

94. This is an allusion to Hijrah. The purpose of the verse is to impress on the believers that their supreme duty is to serve God. Now, if it was difficult to do so in Makkah, God’s earth was immensely vast and not confined to any particular place. Since the believers were devotees of God rather than of any particular country or nation, they should migrate to some other land where it would be possible to live freely. as God's servants. Their priority should be to serve and worship their Lord rather than their people or country.

Whenever there is a clash between loyalty to one’s country and people on the one hand, and loyalty to God on the other, a believer’s faith is truly tested. Whenever a true believer is put to such a test, he is bound to spurn all other loyalties that conflict with his loyalty to God. As for those who falsely claim to be believers, they are likely to give up their faith and remain loyal to their country or nation. The unmistakable upshot of this verse is that while a true believer can be the lover of his people and country, he cannot be their worshipper, making his country and his people the locus of his ultimate loyalty. This is because he cherishes devotion to God above everything else. A believer can sacrifice everything for the sake of devotion to God, but he cannot sacrifice devotion to God for anything else.

95. That is, man should not be’ obsessive about his life. After all he has to die someday as no one is immortal. A man’s thoughts, therefore, should not be focused on how to keep himself alive. The true matter of concern should be how he can preserve his faith and fulfil his obligations towards God. For, it is to God that he will return. If one suffers the loss of one’s faith for the sake of survival, this leads to consequences quite different from losing any other thing, including one’s own life in order to keep faith intact. Thus the question on which a person’s thinking should be centered is what is it that man carries with him when he returns to his Lord? Is it his life for whose sake he sacrificed his faith or his faith for whose sake he sacrificed his life?

96. It is possible that someone remains deprived of all worldly bounties on account of having followed the course of faith and righteousness and, thus, apparently has had an unsuccessful worldly life. This, however, should not be something about which to worry for this person will certainly be fully compensated for all the losses he has suffered. Furthermore, he will also receive an excellent reward for his performance.

97. That is, true believers adhered to their faith in the face of all manner of hardships, sufferings and losses. They put up with all this and patiently faced all dangers that came their way never once turning their backs on their duty. They were well aware of the worldly benefits that might accrue to them if they abandoned faith, yet that option held no appeal. They saw the unbelievers around them flourishing, but they did not cast even a passing glance at their wealth and affluence.

98. True believers put their trust in their Lord rather than in their properties and businesses or family and tribal affinities. They are the ones who resolve to face every risk and take on any opposing power in their faith’s cause as < result of putting their faith in God and disregarding all - possible material considerations. When the need arises, they abandon their hearths and homes. They do so trusting that God will never deprive those who have such unflinching faith in Him and who adhere to faith and righteousness of their due reward. They do so knowing that God will not disappoint his believing and righteous servants, and that He will aid them in this world as also amply reward them in the Next.

99. While migrating in the cause of God the believers should not be overly concerned with questions about how they will obtain their sustenance, just as they are not concerned about the safety of their lives.

Before their very eyes, they observe innumerable animals and birds going about on land, sea and air. They do not carry their sustenance, yet God sustains them. Wherever they go, they receive their sustenance. Therefore, mundane considerations should not deter the believers from migrating in the cause of faith. God will provide them with their livelihood from the same treasure-house of resources from which He provides all His countless creatures.

The same truth was taught by the Prophet Jesus (peace be on him) to his disciples: No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all - his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ for the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.

Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day. (Matthew 6:24-34).

The background to both the Qur’anic verse and the Biblical passages is the same: Inevitably, there comes a stage in the struggle for the cause of Truth when, irrespective of ail other factors, Truth’s devotee is left with no other option but to place all his trust in God and stake all that he has, including his life, for His cause. In such circumstances, those who are excessively occupied with calculating the different possibilities available to them in the future will be able to do nothing. This because when they take one step forward they will try to make sure that their lives and livelihoods are fully guaranteed. It is only those who have revolutionary fervor and are willing to take risks and even imperil their lives that can make any impact and bring about change. It is through the heroic efforts and sacrifices of such people that the Word of God will eventually be exalted and those doctrines opposed to it will be reduced to ineffectuality.

100. This marks the resumption of the discourse addressed to the Makkan unbelievers.

101. The words al-hamdu li Allah (for God alone be praise and thanks) here suggest two things. First, praise and thanks for all the great tasks — the creation of the heavens and the earth, the harnessing of the sun and the moon, the bestowal of sustenance on all creatures, and the sending down of water from the sky and therewith the revival of the earth after it had become dead. If all this is so, then quite obviously God alone deserves praise and thanks. Secondly, God should also be thanked for the fact that even the unbelievers recognized that all these tasks were performed by Him alone.