Tafseer of The Spider · Al-Ankaboot · 29:24
And the answer of Abraham's people was not but that they said, "Kill him or burn him," but Allah saved him from the fire. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the statement of the Exalted: فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلا أَنْ قَالُوا اقْتُلُوهُ أَوْ حَرِّقُوهُ فَأَنْجَاهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (29:24) (And the answer of his people was nothing but that they said: "Kill him or burn him." But Allah saved him from the fire. Indeed, in that are signs for a people who believe.)
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: And the answer of the people of Ibrāhīm to him, when he said to them: اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاتَّقُوهُ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ (Worship Allah and fear Him; that is better for you, if you only knew), was nothing but that some of them said to others: اقْتُلُوهُ أَوْ حَرِّقُوهُ (Kill him or burn him) with fire. And they did so, and they wanted to burn him with the fire, and they kindled the fire for him and cast him into it, but Allah saved him from it, and He gave it no power over him; rather, He made it cool and safe for him.
As Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, his statement: فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ (And the answer was nothing but) — of the people of Ibrāhīm — إِلا أَنْ قَالُوا اقْتُلُوهُ أَوْ حَرِّقُوهُ فَأَنْجَاهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ (but that they said: "Kill him or burn him." But Allah saved him from the fire): he said: Kaʿb said: Nothing of him was burned except his shackles. إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (Indeed, in that are signs for a people who believe): the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: Indeed, in Our saving of Ibrāhīm from the fire — while he had been cast into it and it was blazing — and in Our transforming it into coolness and safety for him, there lie proofs and arguments for a people who hold the proofs and arguments to be true when they behold them with their own eyes and see them.
