سورة Al-Ankaboot ( The Spider )

Alif-Lam-Meem. (Alphabets of the Arabic language – Allah and to whomever He reveals, know their precise meanings.)

Do men fancy that they will be left just upon their declaring, “We believe”, and they will not be tested?

We indeed tested those before them – so Allah will surely test the truthful, and will surely test the liars.

Or do they who commit evil deeds imagine that they can escape from Us? What an evil judgement they impose!

Whoever expects to meet Allah – then indeed the time appointed by Allah will come; and He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing.

And whoever strives in Allah's cause, strives only for his own benefit; indeed Allah is Independent of the entire creation.

And those who accepted faith and did good deeds – We will indeed relieve their sins and reward them for the best of their deeds.

And upon man We ordained kindness towards parents; and if they strive to make you ascribe a partner with Me, about which you do not have any knowledge, then do not obey them; towards Me only is your return and I will tell you what you used to do.

And those who accepted faith and did good deeds – We shall indeed include them among the virtuous.

And some people say, “We believe in Allah” – so if they are afflicted with some adversity in Allah’s way, they consider the chaos created by men as the punishment from Allah; and if the help comes from your Lord, they will surely say, “Indeed we were with you”; does not Allah well know what is in the hearts of the entire creation?

And indeed Allah will make known the believers, and indeed He will expose the hypocrites.

And the disbelievers said to the Muslims, “Follow our path and we will bear your sins”; whereas they will not bear anything from their sins; they are indeed liars.

And they will surely bear their own burdens and some other burdens along with their own; and they will undoubtedly be questioned on the Day of Resurrection concerning what they had fabricated.

And indeed We sent Nooh to his people – he therefore stayed with them for a thousand years, less fifty; so the flood seized them, and they were unjust.

And We rescued him and the people aboard the ship, and made the ship a sign for the entire world.

And (remember) Ibrahim – when he said to his people, “Worship Allah and fear Him; that is better for you, if you knew!”

“You worship only idols instead of Allah, and only forge a clear lie; indeed those whom you worship instead of Allah do not control your sustenance – therefore seek your sustenance from Allah, and worship Him, and be grateful to Him; it is towards Him that you will be returned.”

“And if you deny, then many nations have denied before you; and the Noble Messenger is not responsible except to plainly convey (the message).”

Have they not seen how Allah initiates the creation, then will create it again? Indeed that is easy for Allah.

Proclaim (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), “Travel in the land and see how He creates for the first time, then Allah brings forth the next development; indeed Allah is Able to do all things.”

He punishes whomever He wills and has mercy upon whomever He wills; and towards Him only you are to return.

Neither can you escape (from His control) in the earth nor in the sky; and for you, other than Allah, there is neither a friend nor a supporter.

And those who did not believe in My signs and in meeting Me, are those who have no hope of My mercy, and for them is a painful punishment.

So his people could not answer him except to say, “Kill him or burn him” – so Allah rescued him from the fire; indeed in this are signs for people who believe.

And Ibrahim said, “You have chosen only idols instead of Allah, with whom your friendship is only in the life of this world; then on the Day of Resurrection you will deny and curse each other; and the destination for all of you is hell, and you do not have supporters.”

So Lut believed in him; and Ibrahim said, “I migrate towards my Lord; indeed only He is the Almighty, the Wise.”

And We bestowed Ishaq and Yaqub to him, and kept the Prophethood and the Book among his descendants, and We gave him his reward in the world; and in the Hereafter he is indeed among those who deserve Our proximity.

And We rescued Lut when he said to his people, “You indeed commit the shameful; such that no one in the creation has ever done before you.”

“What! You commit the immoral with males, and cut off the roads; and you speak evilly in your gatherings?” So his people had no answer except to say, “Bring the punishment of Allah upon us if you are truthful!”

He submitted, “My Lord! Help me against these mischievous people.”

And when Our sent angels came with glad tidings to Ibrahim, they said, “We will surely destroy the people of that town; indeed its inhabitants are unjust.”

He said, \"Lut is in it!”; they said, “We know very well who all are there; we shall rescue him and his family, except his wife; she is of those who will stay behind.”

And when Our sent angels came to Lut, he was unhappy at their arrival and was depressed – and they said, “Do not fear or grieve; we will surely rescue you and your family, except your wife, who is of those who will stay behind.”

“We will indeed cause a punishment from the sky to descend upon the inhabitants of this town – the recompense of their disobedience.”

And We have undoubtedly kept a part of it as a clear sign for people of intellect.

And We sent towards Madyan, their fellowman Shuaib – he therefore said, “O my people! Worship Allah, and anticipate the Last Day, and do not roam the earth spreading turmoil.”

In response they denied him – thereupon the earthquake seized them – so at morning they remained lying flattened in their homes.

And We destroyed the A’ad and the Thamud, and you already know their dwellings; Satan made their deeds appear good to them and prevented them from the path, whereas they could perceive.

And (We destroyed) Qaroon, Firaun and Haman; and indeed Moosa came to them with clear signs, so they were arrogant in the land, and they could never escape from Our control.

So We caught each one upon his sin; so among them is one upon whom We sent a shower of stones; and among them is one who was seized by the Scream; and among them is one whom We buried in the earth, and among them is one whom We drowned; it did not befit Allah’s Majesty to oppress them, but they were wronging themselves.

The example of those who choose masters other than Allah is like that of the spider; it makes the web its house; and indeed the weakest house of all is that of the spider; if only they knew.

Allah knows what they worship instead of Him; He is the Almighty, the Wise.

And We illustrate these examples for mankind; and none except the knowledgeable understand them.

Allah created the heavens and the earth with the truth; indeed in this is a sign for the Muslims.

O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), recite from the Book which has been sent down to you, and establish the prayer; indeed the prayer stops from indecency and evil; and indeed the remembrance of Allah is the greatest; and Allah knows all what you do.

And O Muslims, do not argue with the People given the Book(s) except in the best manner – except (with) those among them who oppress, and say, “We believe in what has been sent down towards us and what has been sent towards you – and ours and your God is One, and we have submitted ourselves to Him.”

And this is how We sent down the Book to you O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him); so those to whom We gave the Book believe in it; and some of these (polytheists) accept faith in it; and none except the disbelievers reject Our signs.

And you (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) were not reading any Book before it, nor writing with your right hand – if it were, the people of falsehood would surely have doubted.

In fact they are clear verses in the hearts of those who have been given knowledge; and none deny Our verses except the unjust.

And they said, “Why did not signs come down to him from his Lord?” Say, “Signs are only with Allah; and I am purely a Herald of plain warning.”

Is it not enough for them that We have sent down the Book upon you, which is read to them? Indeed in it are mercy and advice for the Muslims.

Proclaim (O dear Prophet Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), “Allah is Sufficient as a Witness between me and you; He knows all what is in the heavens and in the earth; and those who accepted faith in falsehood and denied faith in Allah – it is they who are the losers.”

And they urge you to hasten the punishment; and if a time had not been fixed, the punishment would have certainly come upon them; and it will indeed come upon them suddenly whilst they are unaware.

They urge you to hasten the punishment; and indeed hell has encompassed the disbelievers.

The day when the punishment will envelop them from above them and from below their feet, and He will say, “Taste the flavour of your deeds!”

O My bondmen who believe! Indeed My earth is spacious – therefore worship Me alone.

Every soul must taste death; then it is to Us that you will return.

And those who believed and did good deeds – indeed We will, surely, place them on high positions in Paradise beneath which rivers flow, abiding in it for ever; what an excellent reward of the performers!

Those who patiently endured and who rely only upon their Lord.

And many creatures walk upon the earth that do not carry their own sustenance; Allah provides the sustenance to them and to you; and only He is the All Hearing, the All Knowing.

And if you ask them, “Who created the heavens and the earth, and subjected the sun and the moon?”, they will surely say, “Allah”; so where are they reverting?

Allah eases the sustenance for whomever He wills among His bondmen, and restricts it for whomever He wills; indeed Allah knows all things.

And if you ask them, “Who sent down the water from the sky, and with it revived the earth after its death?”, they will surely say, “Allah”; proclaim, “All praise is to Allah”; in fact most of them do not have any sense.

And this worldly life is nothing but pastime and game; indeed the abode of the Hereafter – that is indeed the true life; if only they knew.

And when they board the ships they pray to Allah, believing purely in Him; so when He delivers them safely to land, they immediately begin ascribing partners (to Him)!

In order to be ungrateful for Our favours; and to use the comforts; therefore they will soon come to know.

Did they not observe that We have created a refuge in the Sacred Land, and people around them are snatched away? So do they believe in falsehood and are ungrateful for the favours of Allah?

And who is more unjust than one who fabricates lies against Allah, or denies the truth* when it comes to him? Is there not a place in hell for disbelievers? (* The Holy Prophet and / or the Holy Qur’an).

And those who strove in Our way – We shall surely show them Our paths; and indeed Allah is with the virtuous.