Al-Ankabut - Verses 41 To 55

Verses 41 To 55

مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ

The example of those people, who have consciously and deliberately adopted/perceived for themselves as protectors/benefactors/god fathers other than Allah, is like the peculiar state of a specific she-spider who deliberately adopted a house . And it is a fact that the flimsiest of the houses is certainly that adopted house of the female spider; had they but known/have the information.

After translating the words كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا to mean that the Spider builds/makes a house it is explained in the exegeses in Urdu and English that the spider's web is the weakest of the houses. But the fact of the matter is that there is not a single word which could make us infer that Qur'aan has referred to "Spider's web". Qur'an has not even said that spider makes or builds a house. It has said that اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا "she acquired/seized/took/adopted as house". اتَّخَذَتْ Verb: Perfect; third person; singular; feminine; Subject pronoun hidden, and -اِتِّخَاذٌ verbal noun. It signifies to take, receive, get, seize, capture, acquire, and adopt. This has been used in relation to اتَّخَذُوا Verb: Perfect; third person; plural; masculine; ; و Subject pronoun, in nominative state; مصدر-اِتِّخَاذٌ verbal noun, from the same Root. which has correctly been translated in the above quoted translations as "take, choose, accept".

Web of the Spider is not a house but it is a trap. A trap is built, constructed, structured, and made. One could infer "Spider's web" if the words used were "بيَّت البيت""constructed a house". Male and female spider do not live together as a family therefore there can't be a question of family mansion. Male and female construct/build traps individually and separately. Male and female belonging to even the same specie do not come closer when overpowered by the desire of mating. They first introduce and recognize each other before coming closer for love and sex.

It could be misleading for many to read in the exegeses ascribing it to the Grand Qur'an that "Spider's Web is the weakest of the houses" while the Qur'an has not said this. It is now known to the majority of the people that Spider's Web is not week and its thread is one of the finest things.

Whichever encyclopedia we may open we will find that Spider's web is a strong and fine thing with top of the line thread. Spider's thread is five times stronger than the steel of same thickness, and can stretch to four times its own length. In the presence of this information/data if we accept what was stated by earlier/modern writers we will attribute to Grand Qur'an something which is contrary to the fact.

But this is certainly not the statement of Qur'an. Qur'an's statement is that which its own words describe and not that what some people perceived on the basis of their own understanding formed on incomplete or poor information.

اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا is the verbal sentence, in accusative state, as circumstantial clause describing the state of the Peculiar Female Spider. Allah has given the example of those people who have adopted/considered/perceived as أَوْلِيَآءَ protectors, benefactors/god fathers other than Allah with the habit/act of a peculiar female spider who has adopted a house, and then informed about that house being the weakest one; and exclaimed that had they some information/knowledge about it.

“The females of many species place the egg sac on a stalk, wraps leaves about it, attach it to a stone, or cover it with smooth silk before abandoning it. Other females guard the egg sac or carry it either in their jaws or attached to the spinnerets. If a female loses an egg sac, she makes searching movements and may pick up a pebble or a piece of paper and attach it to the spinnerets. (With thanks from Encyclopædia Britannica-Spider)”

A man who acquires, adopts and considers other deities and people as أَوْلِيَآءَ is actually in pursuit of finding some support with the intention of getting some strength/position and protection of interests. He escapes the reality to find refuge in conjecture, fascination, and imagination and adopts them who soothe him with idea of their being a visible protector. It is but self psychological deception.

The female spider despite knowing that the piece of paper does not contain her eggs, she takes it to her "chest". And there has never been dearth of people who keep such papers/traditions/sayings void of any substance/knowledge and proof closely to their chests and are seldom prepared to have a look on that "paper" to evaluate/weigh it if there existed anything of substance wrapped in it.

“And when it was/is said for them, "You people consciously and heartily follow practically that which Allah has sent ", they replied/say; "No, instead We will keep following that upon which we found our fathers had been". Would they keep following their forefather despite the fact if they were not reflecting/recognizing/differentiating something and nor were they consciously attempting to get guided/arrive at rational conclusion?"

We have seen that certain people were asked to listen to the words of the Book and conduct accordingly but their immediate and plain response is that they were comfortable with what they had found their earlier generations/fathers saying/believing and doing. They don't seem interested in the words of book what to say of rebutting it with some argument. There attention is drawn towards two things without condemning their forefathers that would they keep following them with regard to something upon which their forefathers had not لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْئاً reflected/pondered and/or they did not have لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْئاً information/knowledge about something.

Knowledge is only of ءَايَةً, corporeal, real thing having dimensions; and the words of Allah sent in Qur'aan are also called ءَايَةً since it is said by Him Who knows visible and invisible of everything. A statement about a thing made by the All Knower is as visible as anything else to the perception of human beings. Anything beyond ءَايَةً is nothing but conjecture, تخيل, imagination, and false. Compressing/preserving/captivating data/information about things is called "عقل" and the process by which we keep comparing/sorting things and finding the difference and relationships is called "تعقل, يعقل" i.e. to reflect/ponder/process the acquired data/information/knowledge to arrive at conclusions/guidance. After giving the example of habit of female spider it has been told:

"And these are the examples which we give/quote for benefit of people. But no one can reflect/ponder/analyze except those who have the information/data/knowledge"

It is a matter of common sense that men can reflect/ponder/process/analyze only after he has acquired data/information about something. Allah has quite unambiguously informed that knowledge about the universe and human body will progressively reveal to humanity since acquiring of knowledge needs constant and persistent pursuit of things to find mutual relationships. Therefore to keep stuck and following the traditions/saying of the past generations is a behavior/attitude of the sheep and cattle. About the attitude of aforesaid people it is categorically announced: And the comparable similarity example of those people who have deliberately refused to accept is like the one who shepherds a herd with that sound in which he listens nothing meaningful except calls and whoops. They are deaf, dumb, and blind; resultantly they do not reflect/recognize/differentiate.

The shackles coming from our earlier generations in the shape of traditions and sayings can be removed, to revive ourselves to true wisdom and knowledge, if we decide to keep ourselves bound with the words of the Qur'an since it is the statement of proven facts, and other things are not void of doubt, conjecture, hearsay and speculative thinking of many of our earlier forefathers.