You are here: Home » Chapter 29 » Verse 1 » Translation
Sura 29
Aya 1

Chapter 29

The Spideral-ʿAnkabūt ( العنكبوت )

69 verses • revealed at Meccan

»The surah that mentions the practical fragility of the webbed home of The Spider as an analogy for those who take false deities as a shelter. It takes its name from verse 41 which mentions “the spider” (ʿankabūt). The surah stresses that believers will be tested and that they should remain steadfast. The misconceptions of disbelievers regarding the nature of revelation and the Prophet are addressed. References are made to earlier prophets and details given of the punishments brought on those who denied them.«

بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحمٰنِ الرَّحيمِ

Muhammad Asad: In The Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace:

1
الم

Muhammad Asad

MOST of the authorities are of the opinion that this surah is one of the last to have been revealed in Mecca, while some maintain that it is one of the earliest Medina revelations. Others again assert that while the main body of the surah is Meccan, the first ten or eleven verses were revealed at Medina. And, finally, there are some scholars who hold the opposite view, ascribing the first nine verses to Mecca, and the rest to Medina. On the whole, it would seem that, historically, the surah marks the transition between the Mecca and Medina periods. The title has been derived from the parable of "the spider's house" in verse 41, a symbol of false beliefs and false values, which in the long run are bound to be blown away by the winds of truth.
Alif. Lam. Mim.1
  • See Appendix II.