Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The statement concerning the interpretation of the word of Allah the Exalted: Wa-ātākum min kulli mā saʾaltumūhu wa-in taʿuddū niʿmata Allāhi lā tuḥṣūhā inna al-insāna la-ẓalūmun kaffār (34)

   Allah the Exalted says: And He gave you — in addition to His favors upon you through all these things which He made subservient to you and the sustenance which He gave you from the crops and orchards of the earth — of all that you asked Him, and that which you directed toward Him. The second object (shayʾ) has been omitted, sufficiently indicated by "mā" to which "kull" is connected. The omission was permissible because "min" partitively indicates that which follows it, so that the indication of partitivity suffices as a substitute for the object specification, whereby the omission became permissible. A comparable case is the word of Allah the Exalted: wa-ūtiyat min kulli shayʾin — that is: "she was given of everything in her time a portion." And it has also been said: this is said in the sense of abundance, as when someone says: "So-and-so knows everything" or "all the people came to him" while meaning: a portion of them; likewise His word fataḥnā ʿalayhim abwāba kulli shayʾin . And it has also been said: there is nothing but that a portion of the people has asked for it, so that it is said: wa-ātākum min kulli mā saʾaltumūhu — that is: some of you have already received something of it, and others something else of what someone has asked. This is the view of some of the Baṣran grammarians.

   Some of the Kūfan grammarians said: the meaning is: "And He gave you of all that you would ask of Him if you asked it" — as though it said: "He gave you of all your needs." For one may indeed say to someone who has asked for nothing: "By Allah, I shall give you what you ask, however far your asking may go" — even if he has asked for nothing.

   As for the exegetes, they differed concerning this. Some said: the meaning is: "And He gave you of all that toward which you directed yourselves to Him."

   * Mention of who said that:

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us — and Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — and Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Shabāba related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — all on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: min kulli mā saʾaltumūhu — "and that toward which you directed yourselves to Him."

   Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — and Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbdullāh related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — and Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Al-Ḥasan: wa-ātākum min kulli mā saʾaltumūhu — he said: "Of all that you have asked."

   Others said: the meaning is: "He gave you of all that you have asked and of what you have not asked."

   * Mention of who said that:

   Al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad related to us, saying: Khalaf, that is Ibn Hishām, related to us, saying: Maḥbūb related to us, on the authority of Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind, on the authority of Rukāna ibn Hāshim: min kulli mā saʾaltumūhu — he said: "What you have asked and what you have not asked."

   Others read it as "wa-ātākum min kullin mā saʾaltumūhu" — with tanwīn on "kull" and without connection to "mā" — with the meaning: "He gave you of all that you had not asked and not desired of Him"; for the servants did not ask Him for the sun, the moon, the night, and the day — and yet He created that for them without their having asked for it.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Abū Ḥuṣayn ʿAbdullāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Yūnus related to me, saying: Bazīʿ related to us, on the authority of Al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn Muzāḥim, concerning this verse: "wa-ātākum min kullin mā saʾaltumūhu": he said: "What you have not asked."

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, saying: ʿUbayd related to us, on the authority of Al-Ḍaḥḥāk, that he read: "min kulli mā saʾaltumūhu" and explained it as: "He gave you things which you had not asked Him and not desired, but He gave them to you out of His mercy and His abundance." Al-Ḍaḥḥāk said: "How much has Allah given us of what we did not ask Him and did not desire."

   It has been related to me on the authority of Al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Farj, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān informed us, saying: I heard Al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His word: "wa-ātākum min kulli mā saʾaltumūhu": "He says: He gave you things which you had not desired and not asked — Allah is right: how much has He given us of what we did not ask Him and what did not even occur to our minds."

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: "wa-ātākum min kulli mā saʾaltumūhu": he said: "You did not ask for all that He has given you."

   The correct view concerning this, in our estimation, is the reading upon which the reciters of the great cities have agreed, namely the connection of "kull" to "mā" with the meaning: "He gave you a portion of your needs" — as we have explained earlier — because of the consensus of the established reciters concerning it and their rejection of the other reading.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَآتَاكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لا تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ الإِنْسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ (34) يقول تعالى ذكره: وأعطاكم مع إنعامه عليكم بما أنعم به عليكم من تسخير هذه الأشياء التي سخرها لكم والرزق الذي رزقكم من نبات الأرض وغروسها من كل شيء سألتموه ، ورغبتم إليه شيئا ، وحذف الشيء الثاني اكتفاء بما التي أضيفت إليها كلّ ، وإنما جاز حذفه ، لأن من تُبعِّض ما بعدها ، فكفت بدلالتها على التبعيض من المفعول ، فلذلك جاز حذفه ، ومثله قوله تعالى: وَأُوتِيَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ يعني به: وأوتيت من كل شيء في زمانها شيئا ، وقد قيل: إن ذلك إنما قيل على التكثير ، نحو قول القائل: فلان يعلم كل شيء ، وأتاه كل الناس ، وهو يعني بعضهم ، وكذلك قوله فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ . وقيل أيضا: إنه ليس شيء إلا وقد سأله بعض الناس ، فقيل ( وَآتَاكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ ) أي قد أتى بعضكم منه شيئا ، وأتى آخر شيئا مما قد سأله. وهذا قول بعض نحويّي أهل البصرة. وكان بعض نحويِّي أهل الكوفة يقول: معناه: وآتاكم من كلّ ما سألتموه لو سألتموه ، كأنه قيل: وآتاكم من كلّ سؤلكم ، وقال: ألا ترى أنك تقول للرجل ، لم يسألك شيئا: والله لأعطينك سُؤْلك ما بلغت مسألتك ، وإن لم يسأل . فأما أهل التأويل ، فإنهم اختلفوا في تأويل ذلك ، فقال بعضهم: معناه: وآتاكم من كلّ ما رغبتم إليه فيه. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن عمرو ، قال : ثنا أبو عاصم ، قال : ثنا عيسى ، وحدثني الحارث ، قال : ثنا الحسن قال: ثنا ورقاء ، وحدثني الحسن بن محمد ، قال : ثنا شبابة ، قال : ثنا ورقاء جميعا ، عن ابن أبي نجيح عن مجاهد ( مِنْ كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ ) ورغبتم إليه فيه. حدثني المثنى ، قال : ثنا أبو حذيفة ، قال : ثنا شبل ، عن ابن أبي نجيح ، عن مجاهد ، وحدثني المثنى ، قال : ثنا عبد الله ، عن ورقاء ، عن ابن أبي نجيح ، عن مجاهد ، وحدثنا القاسم ، قال : ثنا الحسين قال: ثني حجاج ، عن ابن جريج ، عن مجاهد ، مثله. حدثنا محمد بن عبد الأعلى ، قال : ثنا محمد بن ثور ، عن معمر ، عن الحسن ( وَآتَاكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ ) قال: من كلّ الذي سألتموه. وقال آخرون: بل معنى ذلك: وآتاكم من كل الذي سألتموه والذي لم تسألوه. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا الحسن بن محمد ، قال : ثنا خلف ، يعني ابن هشام ، قال : ثنا محبوب ، عن داود بن أبي هند ، عن رُكانة بن هاشم ( مِنْ كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ ) وقال: ما سألتموه وما لم تسألوه. وقرأ ذلك آخرون " وآتاكُمْ مِنْ كُلٍّ ما سألْتُمُوهُ" بتنوين كلّ وترك إضافتها إلى " ما " بمعنى: وآتاكم من كلّ شيء لم تسألوه ولم تطلبوه منه ، وذلك أن العباد لم يسألوه الشمس والقمر والليل والنهار . وخلق ذلك لهم من غير أن يسألوه. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني أبو حُصَين ، عبد الله بن أحمد بن يونُس ، قال : ثنا بَزِيع ، عن الضحاك بن مُزاحم في هذه الآية: " وآتاكم من كلّ ما سألتموه " قال: ما لم تسألوه. حدثنا ابن حميد ، قال : ثنا يحيى بن واضح ، قال : ثنا عبيد ، عن الضحاك أنه كان يقرأ: " مِنْ كُلِّ ما سألْتُمُوه " ويفسره: أعطاكم أشياء ما سألتموها ولم تلتمسوها ، ولكن أعطيتكم برحمتي وسعتي. قال الضحاك: فكم من شيء أعطانا الله ما سألناه ولا طلبناه. حُدثت عن الحسين بن الفرج ، قال : سمعت أبا معاذ يقول: أخبرنا عبيد بن سليمان ، قال : سمعت الضحاك يقول في قوله: " وآتاكم من كلّ ما سألتموه " يقول: أعطاكم أشياء ما طلبتموها ولا سألتموها ، صدق الله كم من شيء أعطاناه الله ما سألناه إياه ولا خطر لنا على بال. حدثنا محمد بن عبد الأعلى ، قال : ثنا محمد بن ثور ، عن معمر ، عن قتادة: " وآتاكم من كلّ ما سألتموه " قال: لم تسألوه من كلّ الذي آتاكم. والصواب من القول في ذلك عندنا ، القراءة التي عليها قرّاء الأمصار ، وذلك إضافة " كلّ " إلى " ما " بمعنى: وآتاكم من سؤلكم شيئا . على ما قد بيَّنا قبل ، لإجماع الحجة من القرّاء عليها ورفضهم القراءة الأخرى.