Surah 29. Al-Ankabut

Hence, whoever strives hard [in God's cause] does so only for his own good: for, verily, God does not stand in need of anything in all the worlds!

  - Mohammad Asad

He that strives, does that for his own soul; for Allah is certainly transcendent and beyond any need of the worlds.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And whosoever striveth, striveth only for himself, for lo! Allah is altogether Independent of (His) creatures.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And as for those who attain to faith and do righteous deeds, We shall most certainly efface their [previous] bad deeds, and shall most certainly reward them in accordance with the best that they ever did.

  - Mohammad Asad

As for those who believe and do good deeds, We shall cleanse them of their sins and We shall reward them according to the best of their deeds.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And as for those who believe and do good works, We shall remit from them their evil deeds and shall repay them the best that they did.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Now [among the best of righteous deeds which] We have enjoined upon man [is] goodness towards his parents;³ yet [even so,] should they endeavour to make thee ascribe divinity, side by side with Me, to something which thy mind cannot accept [as divine],⁴ obey them not: [for] it is unto Me that you all must return, whereupon I shall make you [truly] under-stand [the right and wrong of] all that you were doing [in life].

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. {31:14-15} and, particularly, the corresponding note [15].

Lit., "something of which thou hast no knowledge": i.e., in this particular case, "something which conflicts with thy knowledge that none and nothing can have any share in God's qualities or powers". According to Razi, this phrase may also allude to concepts not evolved through personal knowledge but, rather, acquired through a blind, uncritical acceptance of other people's views (taqlid).

We have enjoined man to show kindness to his parents; but if they (your parents) force you to commit shirk with Me, of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them. To Me is your return and I will inform you of what you have done.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

We have enjoined on man kindness to parents; but if they strive to make thee join with Me that of which thou hast no knowledge, then obey them not. Unto Me is your return and I shall tell you what ye used to do.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

But as for those who have attained to faith and have done righteous deeds, We shall most certainly cause them to join the righteous [in the hereafter as well].

  - Mohammad Asad

Those who have accepted the true faith and do good deeds shall be admitted among the righteous.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And as for those who believe and do good works, We veril shall make them enter in among the righteous.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

NOW THERE IS among men many a one who says [of himself and of others like him], "We do believe in God" - but whenever he is made to suffer in God's cause, he thinks that persecution at the hands of man is as [much to be feared, or even more than,] God's chastisement;⁵ whereas, if succour from thy Sustainer comes [to those who truly believe],⁶ he is sure to say, "Behold, we have always been with you!" Is not God fully aware of what is in the hearts of al] creatures?

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., the suffering which is bound to befall in the hereafter all who abandon their faith for fear of being persecuted in this world. (It is to be borne in mind that a mere outward renunciation of faith under torture or threat of death is not considered a sin in Islam, although martyrdom for the sake of one's faith is the highest degree of merit to which man can attain.)

I.e., when it is no longer risky to be counted as one of them.

There are some among people, who say: "We believe in Allah;" yet when they suffer in the cause of Allah they confuse the persecution of people with the punishment of Allah. But when there comes help in the shape of a victory from your Rabb, they are sure to say: "We have always been with you." Is not Allah fully aware of what is in the hearts of the people of the world?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Of mankind is he who saith: We believe in Allah, but, if he be made to suffer for the sake of Allah, he mistaketh the persecution of mankind for Allah's punishment; and then, if victory cometh from thy Lord, will say: Lo! we were with you (all the while). Is not Allah best aware of what is in the bosoms of (His) creatures?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[Yea-] and most certainly will God mark out those who have [truly] attained to faith, and most certainly will He mark out the hypocrites.⁷

  - Mohammad Asad

This is probably the earliest occurrence of the term munafiq in the chronology of Qur'anic revelation. Idiomatically, the term is derived from the noun nafaq, which denotes an "underground passage" having an outlet different from the entry, and signifying, specifically, the complicated burrow of a field-mouse, a lizard, etc., from which the animal can easily escape or in which it can outwit a pursuer. Tropically, the term munafiq describes a person who is "two-faced", inasmuch as he always tries to find an easy way out of any real commitment, be it spiritual or social, by adapting his course of action to what promises to be of practical advantage to him in the situation in which he happens to find himself. Since a person thus characterized usually pretends to be morally better than he really is, the epithet munafiq may roughly be rendered as "hypocrite". It should, however, be noted that whereas this Western term invariably implies conscious dissembling with the intent to deceive others, the Arabic term mun afiq may also be applied - and occasionally is applied in the Qur'an - to a person who, being weak or uncertain in his beliefs or moral convictions, merely deceives himself. Hence, while using in my rendering of the Qur'anic text the conventional expression "hypocrite", I have endeavoured to point out the above differentiation, whenever possible and necessary, in my explanatory notes.

Most surely Allah knows those who believe and knows those who are the hypocrites.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Verily Allah knoweth those who believe, and verily He knoweth the hypocrites.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [He is aware, too, that] they who are bent on denying the truth speak [thus, as it were,] to those who have attained to faith: "Follow our way [of life], and we shall indeed take your sins upon ourselves !"⁸ But never could they take upon themselves⁹ aught of the sins of those [whom they would thus mislead]: behold, they are liars indeed!

  - Mohammad Asad

The above "saying" of the deniers of the truth is, of course, but a metonym for their attitude towards the believers; hence my interpolation, between brackets, of the words "as it were". The implication is that people who deny the validity of any spiritual commitment arising out of one’s faith in "something that is beyond the reach of human perception" (al-ghayb) - in this case, the existence of God - are, as a rule, unwilling to tolerate such a faith and such a commitment in others as well: and so they endeavour to bring the believers to their way of thinking by a sarcastic, contemptuous reference to the alleged irrelevance of the concept of "sin" as such.

Lit., "bear" - implying a reduction of the burden which the others would have to bear (Razi) See also next note.

The unbelievers say to the believers: "Follow us, and we will bear the burden of your sins". But they will not bear any burden of their sins; they are surely lying.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Those who disbelieve say unto those who believe: Follow our way (of religion) and we verily will bear your sins (for you). They cannot bear aught of their sins. Lo! they verily are liars.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Yet most certainly will they have to bear their own burdens, and other burdens besides their own;¹⁰ and most certainly will they be called to account on Resurrection Day for all their false assertions!

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf. the Prophet's saying: "Whoever calls [others] unto the right way shall have a reward equal to the [combined] rewards of all who may follow him until Resurrection Day, without anything being lessened of their rewards; and whoever calls unto the way of error will have to bear a sin equal to the [combined] sins of all who may follow him until Resurrection Day, without anything being lessened of their sins" (Bukhari).

Of course, they shall bear their own burdens as well as the burdens of others in addition to their own; and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be questioned about their invented lies.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But they verily will hear their own loads and other loads beside their own, and they verily will be questioned on the Day of Resurrection concerning that which they invented.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

AND, INDEED, [in times long past] We sent forth Noah unto his people,¹¹ and he dwelt among them a thousand years bar fifty;¹² and then the floods over-whelmed them while they were still lost in evildoing:

  - Mohammad Asad

This passage connects with verse {2} above, "We did test those who lived before them". The story of Noah and of his failure to convert his people occurs in the Qur'an several times, and most extensively in {11:25-48}. In the present instance it is meant to illustrate the truth that no one - not even a prophet - can bestow faith on another person (cf. 28:56 - "thou canst not guide aright everyone whom thou lovest"). The same purport underlies the subsequent references, in verses {16-4O}, to other prophets.

Sc., "and despite this great length of time was unable to convince them of the truth of his mission". The identical figure - 950 years - is given in the Bible (Genesis ix, 29) as Noah's life-span. By repeating this element of the Biblical legend, the Qur'an merely stresses the fact that the duration of a prophet's mission has nothing to do with its success or failure, since "all true guidance is God's guidance" ( 3:73 ) - and, as we are so often told in the Qur'an, "God guides [only] him that wills [to be guided]". Thus, the reference to Noah is meant to reassure the believer who may be distressed at seeing the majority of his fellow-men refuse to accept, all at once, a truth which appears self-evident to him.

We sent Nuh (Noah) to his people and he lived among them a thousand years less fifty. Then because of their wrongdoings the flood overtook them.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And verify We sent Noah (as Our messenger) unto his folk, and he continued with them for a thousand years save fifty years; and the flood engulfed them, for they were wrongdoers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

but We saved him, together with all who were in the ark, which We then set up as a symbol [of Our grace] for all people Ito remember!.

  - Mohammad Asad

But We delivered him and all who were in the ark and We made that ark a sign for the peoples of the world.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We rescued him and those with him in the ship, and made of it a portent for the peoples.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

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!

  - Mohammad Asad

Likewise Ibrahim (Abraham), when he said to his people: "Worship Allah and fear Him, this is better for you if you understand.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And Abraham! (Remember) when he said unto his folk: serve Allah, and keep your duty unto Him; that is better for you if ye did but know.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

You worship only [lifeless] idols instead of God, and [thus] you give visible shape to a lie!¹³ 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!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "you create a lie".

You worship idols besides Allah and fabricate falsehood. In fact, those whom you worship besides Allah have no power to give you your sustenance, therefore seek your sustenance from Allah, and worship Him. Give thanks to Him, for to Him you shall be returned.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Ye serve instead of Allah only idols, and ye only invent a lie. Lo! those whom ye serve instead of Allah own no provision for you. So seek your provision from Allah, and serve Him, and give thanks unto Him, (for) unto Him ye will be brought back.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

"And if you give [me] the lie - well, [other] communities have given the lie [to God's prophets] before your time: but no more is an apostle bound to do than clearly deliver the message [entrusted to him]."

  - Mohammad Asad

If you deny the Message, then nations have denied before you . The only duty a Rasool has is to deliver Allah's Message clearly."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But if ye deny, then nations have denied before you. The messenger is only to convey (the Message) plainly.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

ARE, THEN, they [who deny the truth] not aware of how God creates [life] in the first instance, and then brings it forth anew?¹⁴ This, verily, is easy for God!

  - Mohammad Asad

This passage - consisting of verses {19-23} - is parenthetically placed in the midst of the story of Abraham, connecting with the latter's reference to resurrection at the end of verse {17} ("unto Him you shall be brought back"). The ever-recurring emergence, decay and re-emergence of life, so vividly exemplified in all organic nature, is often cited in the Qur'an not merely in support of the doctrine of resurrection, but also as evidence of a consciously-devised plan underlying creation as such - and, thus, of the existence of the Creator.

Do they not see how Allah originates creation then repeats its process? Surely it is easy for Allah.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

See they not how Allah produceth creation, then reproduceth it? Lo! for Allah that is easy.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "Go all over the earth and behold how [wondrously] He has created [man] in the first in-stance:¹⁵ and thus, too, will God bring into being your second life - for, verily, God has the power to will anything!

  - Mohammad Asad

Cf., for example, {23:12-14}, which alludes to man's coming into existence out of most primitive elements, and gradually evolving into a highly complex being endowed not only with a physical body but also with a mind, with feelings, and instincts.

Say to them: "Travel through the earth and see how Allah originates the creation, then creates the later creation. Surely Allah has power over everything.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say (O Muhammad): Travel in the land and see how He originated creation, then Allah bringeth forth the later growth. Lo! Allah is Able to do all things.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall