Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   Allah, exalted be His praise, says to the worshippers of idols and images: Is He who created all these marvelous creatures that We have enumerated for you, and who has bestowed upon you all these great favors, equal to one who creates nothing and bestows upon you no favor whatsoever, neither small nor great? By this He means: Do you set these equal to Him in your worship? By this He acquaints them with the magnitude of their ignorance, the evil they inflict upon themselves, and their lack of gratitude toward the One who bestowed upon them the favors He has enumerated for them — favors that none but He can count. Allah, exalted be His praise, addresses them in rebuke: أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ (Will you then not take heed?), O people — He says: Will you then not call to mind the favors of Allah toward you, the magnitude of His dominion and His power over all that He wills, and the impotence, weakness, and nothingness of your idols, and that they can neither bring benefit to themselves nor ward off harm from themselves? Then you would perceive how wrong your present conduct is, namely that you worship them and ascribe divinity to them.

   Thus Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning the words أَفَمَنْ يَخْلُقُ كَمَنْ لَا يَخْلُقُ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ : Allah is the Creator, the Provider, and these idols that are worshipped besides Allah create nothing and are incapable of bringing their worshippers any benefit or harm. Allah said: أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ . Further, it was said that كَمَنْ لَا يَخْلُقُ (like one who does not create) denotes the idol and the image. The word "man" (who) is normally used exclusively for things possessing discernment, but it is here also used for that which lacks discernment, because it makes a distinction between who creates and who does not create. It is related from the Arabs: "The rider and his camel appeared alike to me, and I did not know which was this and which was that" — while the two of them were together and one of them was a human being; yet "man" (who) was used for both of them. Likewise is the word of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted: فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَمْشِي عَلَى بَطْنِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَمْشِي عَلَى رِجْلَيْنِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَمْشِي عَلَى أَرْبَعٍ (among them are those that crawl upon their bellies, among them are those that walk upon two legs, and among them are those that walk upon four).

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   يقول تعالى ذكره لعبدة الأوثان والأصنام: أفمن يخلق هذه الخلائق العجيبة التي عددناها عليكم وينعم عليكم هذه النعم العظيمة، كمن لا يخلق شيئا ولا ينعم عليكم نعمة صغيرة ولا كبيرة؟ يقول: أتشركون هذا في عبادة هذا؟ يعرّفهم بذلك عظم جهلهم ، وسوء نظرهم لأنفسهم ، وقلَّة شكرهم لمن أنعم عليهم بالنعم التي عدّدها عليهم ، التي لا يحصيها أحد غيره، قال لهم جلّ ثناؤه موبخهم (أَفَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ) أيها الناس يقول: أفلا تذكرون نعم الله عليكم ، وعظيم سُلطانه وقُدرته على ما شاء، وعجز أوثانكم وضعفها ومهانتها، وأنها لا تجلب إلى نفسها نفعا ولا تدفع عنها ضرّا، فتعرفوا بذلك خطأ ما أنتم عليه مقيمون من عبادتكموها وإقراركم لها بالألوهة؟ كما حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله (أَفَمَنْ يَخْلُقُ كَمَنْ لا يَخْلُقُ أَفَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ) والله هو الخالق الرازق، وهذه الأوثان التي تعبد من دون الله تخلق ولا تخلق شيئا، ولا تملك لأهلها ضرّا ولا نفعا، قال الله (أَفَلا تَذَكَّرُونَ) . وقيل (كَمَنْ لا يَخْلُقُ) هو الوثن والصنم، و " من " لذوي التمييز خاصة، فجعل في هذا الموضع لغيرهم للتمييز، إذ وقع تفصيلا بين من يخلق ومن لا يخلق ، ومحكيّ عن العرب: اشتبه عليّ الراكب وجمله، فما أدرى من ذا ومن ذا، حيث جمعا ، وأحدهما إنسان حسنت من فيهما جميعا. ومنه قول الله عزّ وجلّ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَمْشِي عَلَى بَطْنِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَمْشِي عَلَى رِجْلَيْنِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَمْشِي عَلَى أَرْبَعٍ وقوله .