| | Bijan Moeinian rendition of Surah The Spider(al-`Ankabut)
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| 29:1 | | A.L.M |
| 29:2 | | Do people think that by saying “I believe”, they will be considered as believers without going though any test of hardship? [Actually, those who submit themselves to the torture and do not deny their beliefs are the true believer] |
| 29:3 | | The believers before them were subjected to the hardship to pass the test in spite of the fact that God knew in advance which one of them was a true believer (and which one pretending to be a believer. |
| 29:4 | | As far as the mischief makers are concerned, do they really think that they will escape God’s punishment |
| 29:5 | | Whoever is looking forward to meet his Lord, will meet Him [sooner than he thinks] in a day which is pre-determined by God. Indeed God [before Whom you appear for the judgment is not uninformed. He] is the One Who Hears and Who Knows everything |
| 29:6 | | Whoever strives for the betterment of himself, does it for his own good. God is not in need of any of His creatures |
| 29:7 | | I will cover the sins of those who believe and lead a righteous life and reward them generously for their good deeds |
| 29:8 | | I have commanded the mankind to be kind toward his parents. However, you should not obey them, if they ask you to worship others beside Me. Know that you will all return to me and then I will inform you of what you have been doing [in your worldly life.] |
| 29:9 | | As to those who [chose] to believe and do good things, I will include them among the righteous ones |
| 29:10 | | There are some people who say: “We have believed in God”. However, when they face the difficulties in establishing the Lord’s kingdom on earth, they consider their persecution as the “punishment of God!” When the victory comes [after the hardship], they say: “We were with you!” Do they not know that God is fully aware of what is in the hearts of the people |
| 29:11 | | God has to know [and prove to man through the trials of life] who is a believer and who is a hypocrite |
| 29:12 | | The disbelievers say to the believers: “Follow our way of life and do not worry; [if there should be such thing as the Day of the Judgment,] We will accept the responsibility for your sins.” Know that they are the liars and [when the Day of the Judgment comes] they will not bear the burden of nobody’s sin |
| 29:13 | | They will certainly carry their own sins, as well as the sins of the others whom they were responsible for. On the Day of the Judgment, they also have to answer why they were spreading false rumors |
| 29:14 | | I (God) chose Noah as a Prophet to his people. He tried for years [to invite his people to the right path without any significant success.] In account of their wickedness, they were doomed to the [great] flood |
| 29:15 | | I saved him and those who joined him in the Ark as an example [of the mercy of God toward the believers and His anger toward the disbelievers] for the people of the worlds |
| 29:16 | | As to Abraham, he said to his people: “Worship God and respect Him the most. I wish you knew how good following the Lord is for you.&rdquo |
| 29:17 | | “Those that you are worshipping instead of God, are powerless idols. You have fabricated a big lie [by deifying your idols.] Your idols are not capable of providing your livelihood. seek your provision only from the Lord, worship Him, be thankful to Him and remember that you will return back to Him |
| 29:18 | | The only mission of Mohammad is to deliver the message; you have the choice of disregarding the message [being fully aware of its consequences] as many nations before you chose to deny the message of the Lord |
| 29:19 | | Have the disbelievers not seen how God originates the creation and then let it reproduce itself. [The fact that the continuation of life is successfully in place proves that] this is easy for God |
| 29:20 | | Ask them to travel on earth and study how God initiated the creation. The same God who initiated life is capable of recreating life [we know today that it is possible to recreate a being from the smallest part of his body, i.e., his D.N.A.] |
| 29:21 | | God may punish whoever (among those who deserve to be punished) He wills and shower His mercy upon whoever (who has turned to Him sincerely) He wills and eventually everyone will return to Him |
| 29:22 | | There is no place on earth or the heavens that you can escape the Lord’s grasp; you have none beside God as a Lord and Master |
| 29:23 | | Those who choose to disregard their Lord’s commands and disbelieve in meeting Him [on the Day of their resurrection] have deprived themselves of My mercy and have subjected themselves to a painful punishment |
| 29:24 | | The only response of the disbelievers to the invitation of Abraham was: “Kill him/ burn him.” Then God made him walk out of the fire [that the disbelievers had cast him into] so that the believers learn a lesson from this incidence [that God never leaves his sincere worshippers alone and will give them the final victory.] |
| 29:25 | | Abraham then [delivered a fiery speech and] said: “When you see the Hellfire, you will curse the same idols that you have created and are worshipping in this world. But [it will be too late as] you will end up in the Fire and there will be none to help you |
| 29:26 | | Then Lot [who was chosen to become a prophet later] stepped out and declared his belief. Then he [Lot or Abraham] said: “I am emigrating toward my Lord who is the Greatest and the Most Wise.&rdquo |
| 29:27 | | [In response to Abraham’s bravery and sincerity,] I granted him Isaac [as one of his sons] and Jacob [his grand son]. I also assigned prophet hood to his descendents and gave them the scriptures. Abraham got his fair reward in this world and will be among the righteous ones in the Hereafter |
| 29:28 | | As to Lot, he [delivered a sermon to his people and] said: “You are engaged in a shameful sin [sodomy] that no one in the world has ever committed before you.&rdquo |
| 29:29 | | “[What is wrong with you that] you practice homosexuality, robbery and all kind of indecencies in your assemblies [an orgy of sins.]” They jokingly responded: “If you are truthful [and if there is such thing as God], then let us taste His punishment!&rdquo |
| 29:30 | | Lot then prayed: “My lord, grant me victory over these wicked people.&rdquo |
| 29:31 | | [In response to the Lot’s prayer,] God sent His messengers [passing through Abraham’s land] giving Abraham the good news [of the birth of Prophet Isaac as well as the prophet hood of Isaac’s unborn son, i.e., Jacob] saying: “We are in our way to destroy those people [of Sodom] who have gone too far in wickedness |
| 29:32 | | Abraham said: “But Lot is living there!” They said: “We definitely know who lives there; we will save him and his household except his wife who has chosen to join the disbelievers.&rdquo |
| 29:33 | | When My messengers arrived at Lot’s place, he became embarrassed [as his people wanted to molest them.] They said: “ Have no fear and do not worry. We are going to save you and your household except your wife who should stay [and be punished] with the wicked ones.&rdquo |
| 29:34 | | “We are in charge of pouring disaster upon these wicked people from the sky in account of their evil deeds.&rdquo |
| 29:35 | | I have left the ruins of their cities to serve as a lesson for those people who use their brains |
| 29:36 | | As to the people of Midyan, I relayed My messages through their brothers Shu’aib. He said: “My people, worship none but God, keep in mind that there is a Day of Judgment [that you have to meet your Lord] and do not go too far in wickedness |
| 29:37 | | They chose to disregard the message. Consequently I sent them a sever earthquake and by the morning they were all dead in their habitats |
| 29:38 | | Equally, as you have visited their ruins, the wicked people of Ad and Thamud were destroyed. The Satan made their deeds pleasing in their eyes and misled them from the right path, and this in spite of the fact that they were sensible people |
| 29:39 | | I also destroyed [the devilish triangle of the power of] Pharaoh, Korah and Haman. [Out of mercy and fairness] I sent Moses to them with undeniable miracles, but they were too arrogant to hear the message. Their [false] power could not save them from God’s punishment |
| 29:40 | | All the above mentioned wicked people tasted the result of their wrongdoings. To some [people of Ad] I sent a wind to rain the stones on them, against some [to the people of Thamud] I sent the earthquake, some [like Korah] were sank underground and some [like Pharaoh and Haman] were drowned. God was not [as today’s disbelievers claim] unjust to them; they themselves chose to betray their own souls |
| 29:41 | | Those who choose beside God as their protector, resemble to the spider who, as everyone knows, build the least strong house to live in. Would that these people had knowledge [and knew how they are betraying their own souls!] |
| 29:42 | | God certainly knows whom these people worship as He is the Almighty, and the Most Wise |
| 29:43 | | I (God) cite these examples to make the people wake up; but only those who have [earned the faculty of] knowledge understands them |
| 29:44 | | God has created the heavens and the earth with the truth [the realm of creation is based upon such precise principles that the laws of physics equally apply to any part of the universe.] Only those people understand this [lack of chaos] who are equipped with knowledge |
| 29:45 | | Recite whatever is revealed to you from the book and worship your Lord on regular basis. The one who glorifies the Lord through regular acts of adoration will hardly fall into the pitfall of sins and indecencies; Indeed God’s remembrance of you has a greater magnitude [than your remembrance of Him. God has mentioned in the Qur’an: “Remember me and I will remember you.”] Keep in mind that God knows whatever you are doing |
| 29:46 | | Do not engage in a senseless dispute with the people of the hood except in the best [civilized and rational] manner. Do not dispute with the wicked among them and say: “We believe in God’s revelations which are sent to us and to you. Our God, which is the same as yours, is one [without any partner] and we are submitters [in Arabic Muslim] to Him |
| 29:47 | | I have revealed this Qur’an to you (Mohammad) so that those who are blessed with the previous Scriptures [recognize its purity through a comparative study with their own Scriptures] and believe in it as so many [truth loving] people choose to believe in it. None but the sick ones will deny My Revelations |
| 29:48 | | [The disbelievers say that Mohammad has forged this Qur’an.] You (Mohammad) never read any book before Qur’an, neither have you authored any book so far [Mohammad’s people knew that he was illiterate.] If you had done so, the disbelievers would have had a reason to doubt [your sincerity.] |
| 29:49 | | These revelations, indeed penetrate into the heart of those who possessed knowledge. Only those who betray their souls will disregard My Revelations |
| 29:50 | | They say: “Why this man (Mohammad0 does not produce any miracle?” Say: “It is only God Who produces the miracles; [I cannot make a miracle of my own,] My only mission is to relay God’s message to you.&rdquo |
| 29:51 | | Is this book (which I have revealed to you and you recite it to them) not enough of a miracle? In this Qur’an [which is the biggest miracle], those who believe will find the mercy of the Lord and [the most valuable] admonitions |
| 29:52 | | Say: “I take God as witness [that I have relayed the Lord’s message.] God, who has absolute knowledge over whatever is in the heavens and the earth, hereby declares that those who believe in others beside God and that deny the Lord is the [real] losers.&rdquo |
| 29:53 | | They make a joke of the Hereafter’s punishment and ask you to bring it upon them sooner. They will face their punishment at a pre-determined time. It will happen to them suddenly when they least expect it |
| 29:54 | | The disbelievers challenge you to accelerate their punishment; they do not know that the Hell has already encircle them |
| 29:55 | | When they face the torture which descends upon them from the above and overtakes them from the below, then they will realize that their “wish” is being granted as they will hear: “Now taste the consequence of your wrongdoings.&rdquo |
| 29:56 | | O’ My believing servants, My earth is vast. So [if you cannot worship your Lord freely, migrate to a land where you may] worship Me [freely.] |
| 29:57 | | Every living being has to taste death; then to Me you will eventually be returned |
| 29:58 | | I will settle down those who chose to believe and did good works in the high mansions in the Paradise, beneath which canals will be flowing. They will live therein forever. What an excellent reward for those who chose to be righteous |
| 29:59 | | They were those who chose to be patient and to rely upon their Lord |
| 29:60 | | [If you have to migrate to another land to be able to worship your Lord freely, do not worry about not being able to carry nothing.] There are so many creatures around you that do not carry their provisions with them. God will provide for them as well as you. [do not worry as] God hears everything and knows everything |
| 29:61 | | If you ask the disbelievers [of Mecca], “Who has created the earth and the heavens and Who has subjected the sun and the moos [to follow the laws of the nature]”, they will surely say, “God.” How come then they do not follow the Lord’s path |
| 29:62 | | God is the One Who gives more to some of His servants and less to the others. [there is a reason for this inequitable distribution of income as] God knows the best |
| 29:63 | | If you ask the disbelievers [of Mecca], “Who sends down rainwater from the sky and thereby gives life to the dead land?” they will surely reply “God.” Say: “Then He alone is worthy of all praise.” What a shame that most of them they do not get it |
| 29:64 | | The life of this world is nothing but a game [like the one that the students’ practices in the school to get some know how.] The real life starts in Hereafter, if they only knew |
| 29:65 | | When they are overwhelmed by fear in their ship [or any other vehicle in danger], they pray to God wholehearted. when God brings them safe to land, they return to their practice of worshipping others beside God |
| 29:66 | | Let them be ungrateful and “enjoy” this worldly life for a while; they will soon come to know [how wrong they have been.] |
| 29:67 | | Do they not realize that the safety of their sacred sanctuary [Mecca] in the midst of their dangerous country is a favor of God? Are they going to be grateful [and praise the Lord] or still persisting in worshipping others beside God |
| 29:68 | | Who is more wicked than the one who fabricate lies and attributes them to God, or rejects the truth presented to him? Is Hell not an appropriate place for such a disbeliever |
| 29:69 | | As for those who devote themselves to the cause of the Lord, I will guide them to My path. God surely stands with the righteous ones |
