Why is the spider's house the frailest?
مَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ أَوْلِيَآءَ كَمَثَلِ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ٱتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا ۖ وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ ٱلْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ ٱلْعَنكَبُوتِ ۖ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٤١﴾
Surah Al-Ankaboot · 29:41
Meaning (M. Pickthall, 1930): The likeness of those who choose other patrons than Allah is as the likeness of the spider when she taketh unto herself a house, and lo! the frailest of all houses is the spider's house, if they but knew.
The reflection
Why does the Quran call the spider's house the frailest of houses?
In the chapter of the Spider, God strikes a parable: "those who choose other patrons than Allah" are like the spider who builds herself a house.
Al-Sa'di writes: the spider took a house to shield her from heat, cold and harm… yet it is among the weakest of houses, and it only added to her weakness. So it is with whoever seeks strength and help from other than God: weakness upon weakness.
Ibn Kathir writes: the believer holds the firmest handhold, which never breaks. So which house do you shelter in? And God knows best.
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Sources
- Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim
- al-Sa'di, Taysir al-Karim al-Rahman
- Quran text: Tanzil Project (tanzil.net)
- English meaning: M. Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930)
