29. Al-'Ankabut Page 404 وَ مَا And not هٰذِهِ (is) this الْحَیٰوةُ life الدُّنْیَاۤ (of) the world اِلَّا but لَهْوٌ amusement وَّ لَعِبٌ ؕ and play وَ اِنَّ And indeed الدَّارَ the Home الْاٰخِرَةَ (of) the Hereafter لَهِیَ surely it الْحَیَوَانُ ۘ (is) the life لَوْ if only كَانُوْا they یَعْلَمُوْنَ know فَاِذَا And when رَكِبُوْا they embark فِی [in] الْفُلْكِ the ship دَعَوُا they call اللّٰهَ Allah مُخْلِصِیْنَ (being) sincere لَهُ to Him الدِّیْنَ ۚ۬ (in) the religion فَلَمَّا But when نَجّٰىهُمْ He delivers them اِلَی to الْبَرِّ the land اِذَا behold هُمْ they یُشْرِكُوْنَۙ associate partners (with Him) لِیَكْفُرُوْا So that they may deny بِمَاۤ [in] what اٰتَیْنٰهُمْ ۙۚ We have given them وَ لِیَتَمَتَّعُوْا ۥ and they may enjoy (themselves) فَسَوْفَ But soon یَعْلَمُوْنَ they will know اَوَ لَمْ Do not یَرَوْا they see اَنَّا that We جَعَلْنَا have made حَرَمًا a Sanctuary اٰمِنًا secure وَّ یُتَخَطَّفُ while are being taken away النَّاسُ the people مِنْ around them حَوْلِهِمْ ؕ around them اَفَبِالْبَاطِلِ Then do in the falsehood یُؤْمِنُوْنَ they believe وَ بِنِعْمَةِ and in (the) Favor اللّٰهِ (of) Allah یَكْفُرُوْنَ they disbelieve وَ مَنْ And who اَظْلَمُ (is) more unjust مِمَّنِ than (he) who افْتَرٰی invents عَلَی against اللّٰهِ Allah كَذِبًا a lie اَوْ or كَذَّبَ denies بِالْحَقِّ the truth لَمَّا when جَآءَهٗ ؕ it has come to him اَلَیْسَ Is there not فِیْ in جَهَنَّمَ Hell مَثْوًی an abode لِّلْكٰفِرِیْنَ for the disbelievers وَ الَّذِیْنَ And those who جَاهَدُوْا strive فِیْنَا for Us لَنَهْدِیَنَّهُمْ We will surely guide them سُبُلَنَا ؕ (to) Our ways وَ اِنَّ And indeed اللّٰهَ Allah لَمَعَ surely (is) with الْمُحْسِنِیْنَ۠ the good-doers
(29:64) The present life is nothing but sport and amusement.102 The true life is in the Abode of the Hereafter; if only they knew.103
(29:65) When they embark in the ships they call upon Allah, consecrating their faith to Him. But when He rescues them and brings them to land, they suddenly begin to associate others with Allah in His Divinity
(29:66) that they may be ungrateful for the rescue that We granted them, and that they may revel in the pleasures (of the present life).104 Soon they shall come to know.
(29:67) Do they not see that We have given them a sanctuary of safety whereas people around them are being snatched away?105 So, do they believe in falsehood and ungratefully deny Allah's bounties?
(29:68) Who can be more unjust than he who foists a lie on Allah or gives the lie to the Truth after it has come to him?106 Is Hell not the resort of the unbelievers?
(29:69) As for those who strive in Our cause, We shall surely guide them to Our Ways.107 Indeed Allah is with those who do good.
102. This present worldly life is no more than child’s play, which soon comes to an end and once such play does end, the child heads towards his home. Even a king, who acts as a king in the world, is in reality not so. At an appointed hour his reign ends and he leaves the stage of the world empty-handed. He is reduced to the same resource less-ness which characterized him at birth. No one, irrespective of the position he holds, will live in this world forever. Everyone is here for a short, pre-ordained term. Those who are swayed by worldly matters and even barter their faith and conscience to obtain worldly glory in fact commit a childish act. For they will enjoy this world for no more than a few years, at best for around 60-70 years. In any case, they are bound to die one day and enter the Next World where they will be able to carry nothing; rather, their excessive worldliness will prove to be their bane. So viewed, this life is no more than sport and amusement.
103. Had people realized that this worldly life is no more than a term of trial and that the Next Life is everlasting, they would not have wasted the time allocated to them on senseless play arid amusement. On the contrary, they would have utilized each and every moment to engage in acts that would improve their prospects in the unending life of the Hereafter.
104. For an explanation of this see Towards Understanding the Qur’an, Vol. II, al-An am 6: nn. 29 and 41, pp. 231-233 and 239-240; Vol. IV, Yunus 10: nn. 29 and 31, pp. 26-27 and 28; Vol. V, Bani Isra’il 17: n. 84, p. 60.
105. The unbelievers are asked to consider: who is it who brought about the wonderful peace and security that prevailed in Makkah? Was it an idol such as al-Lat or Hubal that had made it happen? Was it possible for anyone other than God to keep Makkah secure against all kinds of violence and disorder for a period of approximately 2,500 years despite its location in the strife-ridden Arabian Peninsula? If it was not God, then who maintained Makkah’s sanctity across the ages?
106. They rejected the Prophet's claim to Messenger ship, decrying it as false. This will have either of the following two consequences. If the Prophet (peace be on him) made a false claim and invoked God’s name - in that regard, he will be reckoned the worst wrong-doer. However, if the Prophet's claim to Messenger ship is true, then it will be the rejecters who will be judged as wrong-doers for they dubbed a true Messenger a liar.
107. The expression mujdhadah is explained in note 8 of this surah: “Whosoever strives (in the cause of Allah) does so to his own good” (see verse 6). As for the present verse, it contains a note of assurance.
Great indeed is the assurance that God extends here to those who sincerely strive in His cause and. expose themselves to clashes and conflicts with the rest of the world. God assures such people that He is not wont to leave them to their fate. Instead, He helps and guides such people at every step and constantly opens up new avenues for them that will help them to proceed to Him. He instructs them at every turn as to what the ways are through which they can achieve His good pleasure.
He also constantly illuminates the right way for them, making it distinct from the meandering labyrinths of error. The greater the sincerity of the believers, the greater is the support, guidance and succor that God bestows upon them.