29. Surah Al-'Ankabut (The Spider)

Period Uncertain

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاتَّقُوهُ...

29:16 [Ali’s version] . 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...

29: 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!