Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the word of Allah the Exalted: وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ فَاخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِنْهُ مُرِيبٍ (110)

   Abū Jaʿfar says: Allah the Exalted speaks here, consoling His Prophet over the denial of the polytheists (mushrikīn) among his people toward that which he brought them from Allah, by pointing to what the Children of Israel did to Moses concerning that which he brought them from Allah. He says to him: Let not the denial of these polytheists toward you grieve you, O Muḥammad, and continue with what your Lord has commanded you of conveying His message — for what these people do to you in rejecting the counsel that you brought them is already the conduct of their like among the former peoples and one of their established customs.

   Then He informed him, exalted be His praise, of what the people of Moses had done to him, and said: وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ — that is to say: the Torah, just as We have given you al-Furqān — فَاخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ — and the people of Moses were divided over that Book: a portion rejected it and a portion acknowledged its truth, just as your people have dealt with al-Furqān: a portion acknowledges it as true and a portion rejects it.

   وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ — Allah the Exalted says: And were it not that a word from your Lord had already preceded, O Muḥammad, that He would not hasten the punishment of His creation, but would exercise patience until the Book reaches its appointed term — لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ — then a decision would already have been rendered between the rejecters and the affirmers among them, by Allah's destroying the rejecters and saving the affirmers.

   وَإِنَّهُمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِنْهُ مُرِيبٍ — He says: And the rejecters among them are indeed in doubt concerning its reality — that it is from Allah — مُرِيبٍ: that is to say: it casts them into doubt (mūrib), so that they do not know whether it is truth or falsehood — but they remain doubting therein. (4)

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   Notes:

   (4) See the explanation of "mūrib" in what was discussed earlier, p. 370, note 1.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ فَاخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَقُضِيَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِنْهُ مُرِيبٍ (110) قال أبو جعفر : يقول تعالى ذكره ، مسليًا نبيه في تكذيب مشركي قومه إياه فيما أتاهم به من عند الله ، بفعل بني إسرائيل بموسى فيما أتاهم به من عند الله. يقول له تعالى ذكره: ولا يحزنك ، يا محمد ، تكذيب هؤلاء المشركين لك، وامض لما أمرك به ربُّك من تبليغ رسالته، فإن الذي يفعل بك هؤلاء من ردِّ ما جئتهم به عليك من النصيحة من فعل ضُربائهم من الأمم قبلهم وسنَّةٌ من سُنتهم. ثم أخبره جل ثناؤه بما فعل قوم موسى به فقال: (ولقد آتينا موسى الكتاب) ، يعني : التوراة، كما آتيناك الفرقان، فاختلف في ذلك الكتاب قومُ موسى ، فكذّب به بعضُهم وصدّق به بعضهم، كما قد فعل قومك بالفرقان من تصديق بعض به ، وتكذيب بعض ، (ولولا كلمة سبقت من ربك) ، يقول تعالى ذكره: ولولا كلمة سبقت ، يا محمد ، من ربك بأنه لا يعجل على خلقه العذاب، ولكن يتأنى حتى يبلغ الكتاب أجله ، (لقضي بينهم) ، يقول: لقضي بين المكذب منهم به والمصدِّق ، بإهلاك الله المكذب به منهم ، وإنجائه المصدق به ، (وإنهم لفي شك منه مريب) ، يقول: وإن المكذبين به منهم لفي شك من حقيقته أنه من عند الله ، (مريب)، يقول: يريبهم ، فلا يدرون أحقٌّ هو أم باطلٌ؟ ولكنهم فيه ممترون. (4) -------------------- الهوامش : (4) انظر تفسير " مريب " فيما سلف ص : 370 ، تعليق : 1 .