The 41st verse of Al-‘Ankabūt (The Spider) is one of the parables mentioned in Al Qur'an equating the beautiful and intricate spider web, which though seems beautiful, yet is so fragile that it can fragment with little touch of the blowing air, with those who lay the foundation of their faith on shirk - a building so fragile that can crumble with a whisper of the Lord of the universe.
Let us examine the 41st verse of Surah Al-‘Ankabūt with reference to the context and its relevance and correlation to our life today.
The Verse:
مَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ٱتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًۭا ۖ وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ ٱلْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ
"The example of those who take allies besides Allah is like that of the spider who builds a house; and indeed, the frailest of houses is the house of the spider — if only they knew."
Context & Link to Preceding Verses
In the previous verses, that is verses 39-40, mention of the past nations (Qārūn, Pharaoh, Hāmān, and others) is made which were destroyed for their arrogance and rejection of Allah’s message. They considered their deities to be stronger than the soul Lord of the world and hinged their faith on them for their protection against any disaster. These verses show that no amount of worldly power or false support can protect a person from Allah’s punishment.
Herein under are the verses 36-40 for correlation to verse 41:
(29:36) And We sent to Midian their brother Shuayb. He said: “My people, serve Allah and look forward to the Last Day and do not go about the earth committing mischief.” (29:37) But they denounced him as a liar. So a mighty earthquake overtook them, and by the morning they lay overturned in their houses.
(29:38) And We destroyed Ad and Thamud, whose dwellings you have observed. Satan had embellished their deeds for them and had turned them away from the Right Path although they were a people of clear perception. (29:39) And We destroyed Qarun (Korah) and Pharaoh and Haman. Moses came to them with Clear Signs but they waxed arrogant in the land although they could not have outstripped (Us).
(29:40) So We seized each for their sin. We let loose upon some a violent tornado with showers of stones; some were overtaken by a mighty Cry;69 some were caused to be swallowed up by the earth,70 and some We drowned. Allah would not wrong them, but it is they who wronged themselves.
Verse 41, thus, comes as a parable: those who seek protection, blessings, or salvation from anyone other than Allah — be it idols, spirits, saints, or any creation — are like someone seeking shelter in a spider’s web: appearing like a home, but fragile and useless in real danger.
Meaning of the Spider Parable
- A spider’s web may look intricate and beautiful but is weak and cannot shield its resident from harm.
- Similarly, false gods, saints, spirits, or “allies” besides Allah may appear to offer help, but in reality:
- They cannot create, sustain, or protect (cf. 22:73 — even a fly they cannot produce).
- On the Day of Judgment, they will disclaim their worshippers (cf. 10:28–29).
Relevance Today — Including Muslims Who Fall into Shirk
This verse has two audiences, the Non Muslims and even many Muslims. Let us see how:
- Non Muslims:
- As for Non Muslims, their basic foundation of faith hinges mainly on their worldly deities, though some have some semblance of a distant deity. Some even acknowledge the presence of a Supreme Being up in the heavens, yet they associate worldly deities to be partners with the Lord of the world, who they claim share the powers of the one true God. Some even go to the extent of calling their deities at par with the God and refer to them more rather than the true God.
- This has always been the bone of contention between the prophets Divinely sent and those worshiping their worldly deities. And when many nations did not cede to the Divine Commandments and even hurt and killed the prophets, they were subjected to the divine wrath and their strong stone house built in mountains caved in destroying all the idolaters.
- Muslims: Although most of the Muslims accept the presence of one true God, called Allah, there are yet some who still cling to the culture and traditions of the past and still engage in practices that contradict pure Tawḥīd, like:
- Bowing, prostrating, or making du‘ā’ at graves of saints.
- Believing the dead can independently fulfill needs or protect from harm.
- Using charms, amulets, or spiritual intermediaries believing they have power without Allah’s will.
- Such acts resemble the spider’s web — they provide no real help and may lead to major shirk, the gravest sin in Islam (4:48).
Thus while this ayat points towards the non Muslims, it also warn those Muslims with weak faith and inclinations.
Qur’anic & Prophetic Reinforcement
- Qur’an:
- "Do not call upon anyone besides Allah — such will neither benefit you nor harm you. If you do so, you will surely be of the wrongdoers." (10:106)
- "And the mosques are for Allah, so do not invoke anyone with Allah." (72:18)
- Hadith:
- Prophet ﷺ said: “When you ask, ask Allah; and when you seek help, seek help from Allah.” (Tirmidhī, 2516)
- He forbade taking graves as places of worship: “Do not sit on graves nor pray towards them.” (Muslim, 972)
Lessons for today
- Tawḥīd is the strongest shelter — like a solid fortress (Surah Tauba 9:51 — “Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed”).
- Shirk makes your spiritual foundation fragile, like a spider’s web.
- Even cultural or inherited acts of reverence that contradict Tawḥīd must be abandoned.
- True help, protection, and provision come only from Allah.
We need to get out of the world of illusions, false hopes, false deities who themselves are unaware of their fate on the Judgement Day. Let our faith be the faith of Allah conveyed to us by chosen prophets. Let us follow the unadulterated Divine scriptures which have been changed in substance to trick and mislead the true devotees.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Please refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from Sürah 29. Al-‘Ankabūt (The Spider) for verses from this Surah
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For more Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
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