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وَتِلْكَ ٱلْأَمْثَـٰلُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ ۖ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَآ إِلَّا ٱلْعَـٰلِمُونَ ٤٣
These are the parables We set forth for humanity, but none will understand them except the people of knowledge.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
Surah al-'Ankabut (The Spider) presents the example of the spider's web: how weak it is. Prior to the example of the spider's home, it presents the examples of ancients, and how many polytheistic nations were destroyed after clear warnings to abandon sins. They were all very confident about their polytheism. Yet, nothing availed them when Allah's punishment came to them. The protectors they take other than Allah, they are as weak as a spider taking a home: the weakest of homes!
These days the world is interconnected by a virtual web. A lot of information is available at our fingertips. A lot of opportunities to indulge in sins are also available. New ways to sin. So, just a few ayaat after the example of the spider's home, we find the ayat about prayer:
ٱتْلُ مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ ۗ وَلَذِكْرُ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ ٤٥
Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, ˹genuine˺ prayer should deter ˹one˺ from indecency and wickedness. The remembrance of Allah is ˹an˺ even greater ˹deterrent˺. And Allah ˹fully˺ knows what you ˹all˺ do.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
Recite, [O Muḥammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allāh is greater. And Allāh knows that which you do.
— Saheeh International
The spider builds its web to trap prey. Many people get caught in the deceit available on the World Wide Web. Little do we realise the harm it is causing to our minds. A lot of time is spent surfing the net, and while some of the content is useful, the danger of misguidance is immense. Believers need to follow what they recite of The Quran (اُتۡلُ مَاۤ اُوۡحِىَ اِلَيۡكَ مِنَ الۡكِتٰبِ), and establish regular prayer (وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ). Periodic, repeated reminder is very important if we are to be able to wade through the new challenges and still remain steadfast on our faith.
Throughout the world, moral decay is on the rise. The more the world connects with each other, the more are people moving away from cherished moral values. Many a ways which were considered sinful or disapproved by society are finding greater acceptance and normalisation. People of Abrahamic faiths must hold tight to the guidance they find detailed in their scriptures. Already the West has moved away from most of the guidance in their scriptures. Muslims are following on their heels. Generally, people are moving away. While some people are touching base, and reverting to their scriptures, they are few.
Evil is on the rise. End times' prophecies foretell great evil, accompanied by wondrous technology. Seems like we have either entered or are fast entering that phase. It is important for believers to keep a strong connection with their Lord, repeatedly turning to Him, seeking guidance and protection, lest we lose faith.
Noah (Nuh عليه السلام), Abraham (Ibrahim عليه السلام), Lot (Lut عليه السلام), Shoaib (عليه السلام), and all the messengers whom we read about in Surah al-'Ankabut were in the minority (faith-wise) at their time. Very few people believed them. They endured, held on to their faith, kept inviting to true faith, enjoining good and forbidding evil, and each one of them prevailed. The temptations of their time did not dissuade them from their faith: long life span, polytheism and space flight, sexual perversity (fahisha, munkar, mufsideen, zalimeen), social evils (mufsideen), vision and foresight, arrogance. Seems that all of these are coming to the fore in this day and age. Therefore, we are being warned:
فَكُلًّا أَخَذْنَا بِذَنۢبِهِۦ ۖ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًۭا وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَخَذَتْهُ ٱلصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أَغْرَقْنَا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن كَانُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ٤٠
So We seized each ˹people˺ for their sin: against some of them We sent a storm of stones, some were overtaken by a ˹mighty˺ blast, some We caused the earth to swallow, and some We drowned. Allah would not have wronged them, but it was they who wronged themselves.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
So each We seized for his sin; and among them were those upon whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those who were seized by the blast [from the sky], and among them were those whom We caused the earth to swallow, and among them were those whom We drowned. And Allāh would not have wronged them, but it was they who were wronging themselves.
— Saheeh International
مَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ٱتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًۭا ۖ وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ ٱلْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ٤١
The parable of those who take protectors other than Allah is that of a spider spinning a shelter. And the flimsiest of all shelters is certainly that of a spider, if only they knew.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
The example of those who take allies other than Allāh is like that of the spider who takes [i.e., constructs] a home. And indeed, the weakest of homes is the home of the spider, if they only knew.
— Saheeh International
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ مِن شَىْءٍۢ ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ٤٢
Allah surely knows that whatever ˹gods˺ they invoke besides Him are ˹simply˺ nothing. For He is the Almighty, All-Wise.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
Indeed, Allāh knows whatever thing they call upon other than Him. And He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
— Saheeh International
وَتِلْكَ ٱلْأَمْثَـٰلُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ ۖ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَآ إِلَّا ٱلْعَـٰلِمُونَ ٤٣
These are the parables We set forth for humanity, but none will understand them except the people of knowledge.
— Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran
And these examples We present to the people, but none will understand them except those of knowledge.
— Saheeh International
[Al-Quran 29:40-43]
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Also read:
The Evil of the الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ
The Example of The Spider's Home
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