سُوْرَةُ الْعَنْكَبُوْتِ
Surah Al-Ankaboot (29) — Ayah 41
مَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ٱتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا ۖ وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ ٱلْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿41﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
The likeness of those who take (false deities as) Auliyâ’ (protectors, helpers) other than Allâh is the likeness of a spider who builds (for itself) a house; but verily, the frailest (weakest) of houses is the spider’s house - if they but knew.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
مَثَلُ
mathalu
(The) example
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
(of) those who
ٱتَّخَذُوا۟
ittakhadhū
take
مِن
min
besides
دُونِ
dūni
besides
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
Allah
أَوْلِيَآءَ
awliyāa
protectors
كَمَثَلِ
kamathali
(is) like
ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ
l-ʿankabūti
the spider
ٱتَّخَذَتْ
ittakhadhat
who takes
بَيْتًۭا ۖ
baytan
a house
وَإِنَّ
wa-inna
And indeed
أَوْهَنَ
awhana
the weakest
ٱلْبُيُوتِ
l-buyūti
(of) houses
لَبَيْتُ
labaytu
(is) surely (the) house
ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ۖ
l-ʿankabūti
(of) the spider
لَوْ
law
if (only)
كَانُوا۟
kānū
they
يَعْلَمُونَ
yaʿlamūna
know
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
41-1. That is, just as the spider’s web (house) is extremely weak and fragile, and with a mere gesture of the hand it is destroyed, considering others besides Allah as deities, fulfillers of needs, and removers of difficulties is exactly the same, that is, useless, because they too cannot benefit anyone. Therefore, reliance on others besides Allah is also as utterly fragile as a spider’s web. If these were stable or beneficial, then these deities would have saved the previous nations from destruction. But the world has seen that they could not save them.
