Benefits and Virtues of Surah 29 Al-Ankabut

virtues-benefits-surah-al-ankabut

29. Al-`Ankabut

29.1 Narrated Mus’ab bin Sa’d:

That his father, Sa’d, said: “Four Ayat were revealed about me” and he mentioned the story. Umm Sa’d had said: “Did not Allah command you to honor (your parents). By Allah! I will not eat or drink anything until I die or you renounce (Islam).” He said: “So when they wanted to make her eat, they would force her mouth open. So this Ayah was revealed: And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful to his parents; but if they strive to make you associate (partners) with Me, of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not (29:8).”

Jami` at-Tirmidhi Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 3189

29.2 Mus’ab b. Sa’d reported

On the authority of his father that many verses of the Qur’an had been revealed in connection with him. His mother Umm Sa’d had taken oath that she would never talk with him until he abandoned his faith and she neither ate nor drank and said:

Allah has commanded you to treat well your parents and I am your mother and I command you to do this. She passed three days in this state until she fainted because of extreme hunger and at that time her son whose name was Umara stood up and served her drink and she began to curse Sa’d that Allah, the Exalted and Glorions, revealed these verses of the Holy Qur’an:” And We have enjoined upon a person goodness to his parents but if they contend with thee to associate (others) with Me of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not” (xxix. 8) ; Treat thein with customary good in this world” (xxxi. 15). He also reported that there fell to the lot of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) huge spoils of war and there was one sword in them. I picked that up and came to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and said: Bestow this sword upon me (as my share in the spoils of war) and you know my state. Thereupon he said: Return it to the place from where you picked it up. I went back until I decided to throw it in a store but my soul repulsed me so I came back and asked him to give that sword to me. He said in a loud voice to return it to the place from where I had picked it up. It was on this occasion that this verse was revealed:” They asked about the spoils of war” (viii. 1). He further said: I once fell ill and sent a message to Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ). He visited me and I said to him: Permit me to distribute (in charity) my property as much as I like. He did not agree. I said: (Permit me to distribute) half of it. He did not agree. I said: (Permit me to distribute) the third part, whereupon he kept quiet and it was after this (that the distribution of one’s property in charity) to the extent of one-third was held valid. He further said: I came to a group of persons of the Ansar and Muhajirin and they said: Come, so that we may serve you wine, and it was before the use of wine had been prohibited. I went to them in a garden and there had been with them the roasted head of a camel and a small water-skin containing wine. I ate and drank along with them and there came under discussion the Ansar (Helpers) and Muhajirin (immigrants). I said: The immigrants are better than the Ansar, that a person picked up a portion of the head (of the camel and struck me with it that my nose was injured. I came to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and informed him of the situation that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed verses pertaining to wine:” Intoxicants and the games of chance and (sacrificing to) stones set up and (divining by) arrows are only an uncleanliness, the devil’s work” (v. 90).

Sahih Muslim 1748 c

29.3 Narrated Umm Hani

That regarding Allah’s saying: ‘…And you practice evil in your meetings… (29:29) that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “They would throw pebbles at people of the land and make a mockery of them.”

Jami` at-Tirmidhi Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 3190

29.4 Al-Wahidi records

(Alif. Lam. Mim. Do men imagine that they will be left (at ease) because they say, We believe, and will not be tested with affliction?) [29:1-2]. Said al-Sha‘bi: “These verses were revealed about some people in Mecca who embraced Islam. The Companions of the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, in Medina wrote to them saying that their faith and embracing of Islam will not be accepted from them until they emigrate from Mecca. For this reason, they left Mecca with the intention of joining Medina. However, the idolaters caught up with them and harmed them. These verses were, therefore, revealed about them. The Muslims of Medina then wrote back and said to them that such-and-such verses were revealed about you. Those Muslims in Mecca said: ‘We will leave and fight whoever follows us’. They left Mecca and were pursued by the idolaters. Fighting ensued between them; some were killed and some escaped safe. Allah, exalted is He, therefore revealed about them (Then lo! Thy Lord—for those who become fugitive after they had been persecuted…) [16:110]”. Said Muqatil: “This verse was revealed about Mihja‘, the client of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, who was the first Muslim to be killed at the Battle of Badr. ‘Amr ibn al-Hadrami struck him with a bow which killed him. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said on that day: ‘The master of all martyrs is Mihja‘. He will be the first one of this community to be called to the gate of heaven’. His wife and parents were distraught because of his death, and so Allah, exalted is He, revealed about them these verses, explaining that they had to suffer trials and hardship for the sake of Allah, exalted is He”.

(Asbab Al-Nuzul)

29.5 Narrated Aisha

That the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) performed Salat al-Kusuf (prayer during solar eclipse) and Salat al-Khusuf (prayer during lunar eclipse) with four Ruk’us and four Sujood. In the first Rak’ah he recited Surah Al-‘Ankabut or Surah Ar-Rum and in the second he read Surah YaSeen.

(Sunan al-Daraqutni, Dur al-Manthur)

29.6 Duas