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Fasting
of Spiders
By
Dr. `Abd Al-Hakam `Abd Al-Latif As-Sa`idi
Lecturer of Entomology – Faculty of Agriculture – Al-Azhar
University
There
are many types of spiders in the world. Spiders have eight legs,
mandibles converted into poison fangs, two feelers, and a large
unsegmented abdomen bearing several spinnerets that produce the silk
used to make nests, cocoons, or webs for trapping insects. Spiders
have six or eight eyes on the back of the cephalothorax, the upper
part of their body.
There
is a Surah in the Noble Qur’an called “Al-Ankabout”,
meaning “The Spider”. There Allah says: “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.” [Al-Ankabout 41]
Spiders
played a great role in hiding the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) and his Companion Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)
when they were in the Cave of Thawr on the way to Al-Madinah during
the course of the Hijrah (the Prophet’s emmigration from Makkah to
Madinah). Spiders spun a great web across the entrance of the cave,
and this misled the polytheists who were seeking Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companion. They thought
that the spiders had spun their web years before Prophet Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) was born.
Spiders fast during the period of laying eggs and incubating them.
At that time they do not have any sort of food. Female spiders spin
nests and coccoons and lay their eggs. Then they remain there all
the time to protect the eggs till the young emerge. The length of
incubating varies from one species of spider to another. But in all
cases, this term is spent without any food, which makes the spiders
very weak.
From
specific glands the spiders release some liquids that are necessary
for feeding the young, who are not able to seek their food by
themselves until they grow up. So they take these juices until they
are able to hunt their food from the surrounding environment.
At
that time mother spiders break their fast and return back to their
normal life. This is another demonstration of Allah’s Power
manifest in His creatures. Chance has nothing to do with such
demonstrations of Allah’s Might. Rather it is the ultimate truth
of creation.
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