Surah Al-Ankabut

Trials and tribulations (fitnah and ibtalah) are an historic truth in the lives of the Believers.

The name of the Surah is derived from verse 41, where Allah speaks about the frailest of homes being that of the spider. This is how Allah describes the idolaters in their reverence of gods besides Him, hoping that they would help them and provide for them, and turning to them in times of difficulties. In this regard, they are like the house of a spider, which is so weak and frail, because by clinging to these gods they are like a person who holds onto a spider’s web, who does not gain any benefit from it. If they knew this, they would not take any protectors besides Allah.

Verses 56 to 60 clearly show that this Surah was sent down a little before the migration to Abyssinia, during the period of extreme persecution of the Muslims at Makkah. This is supported by the subject matter as well. The disbelievers were opposing Islam and the new Muslims were being subjected to severe torture and oppression. Such were the conditions when Allah sent down this Surah to strengthen and encourage the Muslims, as well as to admonish the hypocrites. The disbelievers of Makkah were also threatened not to invite a similar fate to the past nations that denied the truth.

The questions that some young men were facing in those days have also been answered. For instance, their parents were urging them to abandon Muhammad ﷺ and return to their ancestral religion arguing that the Qur’an highly regarded the rights of the parents, therefore they had a right to be heard. This has been answered in verse 8.

Similarly, some people claimed that they could bear the sins of the new converts if they resorted back to their ancestral religion. This has been dealt with in v. 1213. The stories mentioned in this Surah also confirm that the Prophets of the past were made to suffer great hardships and were cruelly treated before they received the help of Allah. This confirms to the Believers that trial and tribulation is a process for the development of true faith and that Allah’s assistance will certainly come.

Besides this lesson to the Muslims, the disbelievers have also been warned that although they haven’t been seized by Allah’s punishment, they should not assume that it will not occur. The signs of the past nations destroyed by Allah are evidence of this. The nations of ‘Aad and Thamud in particular were known to the Arabs and their destroyed dwellings and land were still visible to them. So, the stories reaffirm how such nations denied their Prophets and their warnings and continued transgressing until Allah assisted His Prophets against them and destroyed them completely.

Then the Muslims are instructed that if persecution becomes unbearable, Allah’s earth is vast and they can travel to seek a place where they can keep their faith and worship pure for Allah alone.

In addition, the disbelievers also have been urged to ponder the rational arguments of the universe which point to the realities of Monotheism (Tawhid) and the Hereafter, refuting polytheism (Shirk). All these signs confirm the teachings that the Prophet ﷺis presenting before them.