Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the words of Allah the Exalted: فَقَالُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا رَبَّنَا لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ (85)

   Abū Jaʿfar says: Allah the Exalted means by this: the people of Moses — those who had earlier said "we believe in Allah" — said to Moses: عَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا — that is to say: upon Him we have placed our trust (tawakkul), upon Him we rely, and to Him we have entrusted our affair.

   * * *

   His word: رَبَّنَا لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ — Allah the Exalted hereby reports concerning the people of Moses that they called upon their Lord and said: O our Lord, do not try this unbelieving people by means of us, and do not put them to the test through us! [26] By this they meant: the people of Pharaoh.

   * * *

   The exegetes differed among themselves over the precise meaning of what they asked their Lord, namely that He should protect them against the people of Pharaoh being tried through them.

   Some of them said: they asked Him not to give them (the people of Pharaoh) victory over them, lest they should think that they were better than them, and that they had only been placed over them because of their standing with Allah and the abasement of the others.

   *Mention of those who said this:*

   17783 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: my father related to us, on the authority of ʿImrān ibn Ḥadīr, on the authority of Abū Mujliz, concerning His word: رَبَّنَا لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ , he said: "Do not give them victory over us, lest they suppose that they are better than us."

   17784 — Al-Muthanná related to me, he said: al-Ḥajjāj related to us, he said: Ḥammād related to us, on the authority of ʿImrān ibn Ḥadīr, on the authority of Abū Mujliz, concerning His word: رَبَّنَا لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ , he said: they said: "Do not give them victory over us, lest they suppose that they are better than us."

   17785 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: my father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abū al-Ḍuḥā, concerning: رَبَّنَا لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ , he said: "Do not give them power over us, lest they go to even greater ruin."

   * * *

   Others said: the meaning is rather: do not give them power over us, lest they should seduce us.

   *Mention of those who said this:*

   17786 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, he said: Ibn ʿUyayna related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning: رَبَّنَا لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ , he said: "Do not give them power over us, lest they should seduce us."

   17787 — Al-Muthanná related to me, he said: Isḥāq related to us, he said: ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr related to us, on the authority of Ibn ʿUyayna, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: رَبَّنَا لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ , he said: "Do not give them power over us, lest they should lead us astray."

   17788 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Ibn ʿUyayna informed us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, in accordance with the foregoing, and he also said: "lest they should seduce us."

   17789 — Al-Muthanná related to me, he said: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, he said: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning: لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ , he said: "Do not punish us by the hands of the people of Pharaoh, nor with a punishment that comes from You, lest the people of Pharaoh should say: 'Had they been upon the truth, we would not have gained power over them and they would not have been punished' — and so they would be seduced through us."

   17790 — Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ , he said: "Do not punish us by the hands of the people of Pharaoh, nor with a punishment that comes from You, lest the people of Pharaoh should say: 'Had they been upon the truth, we would not have gained power over them and they would not have been punished' — and so they would be seduced through us."

   17791 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿAnbasa, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, on the authority of al-Qāsim ibn Abī Bazza, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ , he said: "Do not strike us with a punishment from You, nor by their hands — lest they be seduced and say: 'Had they been upon the truth, we would not have gained power over them and they would not have been punished'."

   17792 — Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: رَبَّنَا لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ : "Do not put us to the test, O our Lord, such that You would torment us and make that a trial for them — this is that trial." And he recited: فِتْنَةً لِلظَّالِمِينَ [Surah al-Ṣāffāt: 63]. He said: the polytheists, when they tormented the Prophet ﷺ and the believers and harassed them — is that not a trial for them and an evil for them, while it is at the same time a trial for the believers?

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar says: The correct position on this matter is that one should say: the people turned to Allah in supplication with the request that He should guard them against becoming a trial and torment (fitna and balāʾ) for the people of Pharaoh. And everything that would hold them back from following Moses and from acknowledging him and what he had brought them — that was without doubt a "trial" (fitna) for them, and it was one of the greatest things that removed them from belief in Allah and His messenger. And likewise it was also a factor holding back from faith: if the people of Moses were swiftly to be struck in their own persons by a torment from Allah — by a calamity descending upon them — such that the people of Pharaoh would thereby be seduced. So the people asked Allah for protection against every sense that would hold the people of Pharaoh back from belief in Allah, through their own doing.

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   [26] See the explanation of "fitna" in the linguistic entries recorded earlier under the root f-t-n.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : فَقَالُوا عَلَى اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا رَبَّنَا لا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ (85) قال أبو جعفر: يقول تعالى ذكره: فقال قوم يا موسى لموسى: (على الله توكلنا) ، أي به وثقنا، وإليه فوَّضنا أمرنا. * * * وقوله: (ربنا لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين) ، يقول جل ثناؤه مخبرًا عن قوم موسى أنهم دعوا ربهم فقالوا: يا ربنا لا تختبر هؤلاء القوم الكافرين، ولا تمتحنهم بنا‍! (26) ، يعنون قوم فرعون. * * * وقد اختلف أهل التأويل في المعنى الذي سألوه ربَّهم من إعاذته ابتلاء قوم فرعون بهم. فقال بعضهم: سألوه أن لا يظهرهم عليهم، فيظنُّوا أنهم خيرٌ منهم ، وأنهم إنما سُلِّطوا عليهم لكرامتهم عليه وهوان الآخرين. *ذكر من قال ذلك: 17783- حدثنا ابن وكيع قال ، حدثنا أبي، عن عمران بن حدير، عن أبي مجلز، في قوله: (ربنا لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين) ، قال: لا يظهروا علينا ، فيروا أنهم خير منا. 17784- حدثني المثنى قال ، حدثنا الحجاج قال ، حدثنا حماد، عن عمران بن حدير، عن أبى مجلز في قوله: (ربنا لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين)، قال: قالوا: لا تظهرهم علينا فيروا أنهم خيرٌ منّا. 17785- حدثنا ابن وكيع قال ، حدثنا أبي، عن سفيان، عن أبيه، عن أبي الضحى: (ربنا لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين) ، قال: لا تسلّطهم علينا ، فيزدادوا فتنة. * * * وقال آخرون: بل معنى ذلك: لا تسلطهم علينا فيفتنونا. *ذكر من قال ذلك: 17786- حدثنا ابن وكيع قال ، حدثنا ابن عيينة، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد: (ربنا لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين)، لا تسلطهم علينا فيفتنونا. 17787- حدثني المثنى قال ، حدثنا إسحاق قال ، حدثنا عبد الله بن الزبير، عن ابن عيينة، عن ابن أبي نجيح ، عن مجاهد في قوله: (ربنا لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين) ، قال: لا تسلطهم علينا فيضلونا. 17788- حدثنا الحسن بن يحيى قال، أخبرنا عبد الرزاق قال، أخبرنا ابن عيينة، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد ، مثله ، وقال أيضًا : فيفتنونا. 17789- حدثني المثنى قال ، حدثنا أبو حذيفة قال ، حدثنا شبل، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد: (لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين) ، لا تعذبنا بأيدي قوم فرعون، ولا بعذاب من عندك، فيقول قوم فرعون: " لو كانوا على حقّ ما سُلِّطنا عليهم ولا عُذِّبوا " ، فيفتتنوا بنا. 17790- حدثنا القاسم قال ، حدثنا الحسين قال ، حدثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج، عن مجاهد قوله: (لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين) ، قال: لا تعذبنا بأيدي قوم فرعون ولا بعذاب من عندك، فيقول قوم فرعون: " لو كانوا على حق ما سُلِّطنا عليهم ولا عذِّبوا " ، فيفتتنوا بنا. 17791- حدثنا ابن حميد قال ، حدثنا حكام، عن عنبسة، عن محمد بن عبد الرحمن، عن القاسم بن أبي بزة، عن مجاهد قوله: (لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين) ، قال: لا تصبنا بعذاب من عندك ولا بأيديهم ، فيفتتنوا ويقولوا: " لو كانوا على حق ما سُلِّطنا عليهم ولا عذِّبوا ". 17792- حدثني يونس قال، أخبرنا ابن وهب قال: قال ابن زيد في قوله: (ربنا لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين)، لا تبتلنا ربنا فتجهدنا ، وتجعله فتنة لهم ، هذه الفتنة. وقرأ: فِتْنَةً لِلظَّالِمِينَ ، [سورة الصافات: 63] ، قال المشركون ، حين كانوا يؤذون النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم والمؤمنين ويرمونهم، أليس ذلك فتنة لهم وسوءًا لهم، وهي بلية للمؤمنين؟. * * * قال أبو جعفر: والصواب من القول في ذلك أن يقال: إن القوم رغبوا إلى الله في أن يُجيرهم من أن يكونوا محنة لقوم فرعون وبلاءً، وكلُّ ما كان من أمر كان لهم مصدَّة عن اتباع موسى والإقرار به ، وبما جاءهم به، فإنه لا شك أنه كان لهم " فتنة "، وكان من أعظم الأمور لهم إبعادًا من الإيمان بالله ورسوله. وكذلك من المصدَّة كان لهم عن الإيمان: أن لو كان قوم موسى عاجلتهم من الله محنةٌ في أنفسهم ، من بلية تنـزل بهم، فاستعاذ القوم بالله من كل معنى يكون صادًّا لقوم فرعون عن الإيمان بالله بأسبابهم. ----------------------- الهوامش : (26) انظر تفسير " الفتنة " فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة ( فتن ) .