Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنْكِرُونَهَا : he said: Muḥammad ﷺ.

   Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of al-Suddī — the like of the above.

   And others said: The meaning of this is rather that they know that the favors which Allah, exalted be His remembrance, has enumerated in this sūra come from Allah, and that Allah is the One who has graced them therewith. But they deny this and claim that they inherited it from their forefathers.

   Those who said this:

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Muthannā related to us, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us; and al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us; and al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbdullāh related to us, on the authority of Warqāʾ — all of them on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنْكِرُونَهَا : he said: It is the dwellings, the cattle, and the provision they receive therefrom, and the coats of mail of iron, and the garments — all of this the unbelievers of Quraysh acknowledged, but then they denied it by saying: "This our forefathers left to us."

   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 — with a like purport, except that he said: "they inherited it from us." And he added in the narration of Ibn Jurayj: Ibn Jurayj said: ʿAbdullāh ibn Kathīr said: "They know that Allah created them and gave them what He gave them — that is their acknowledgment of His favor. Then their denial of it is their unbelief (kufr) thereafter."

   And others said concerning this what Ibn Wakīʿ related to us: he said: Muʿāwiya related to us, on the authority of ʿAmr, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq al-Fazārī, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of ʿAwn ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUtba, concerning يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنْكِرُونَهَا : he said: Their denial of it is that the man says: "Were it not for so-and-so, it would not have been thus; were it not for so-and-so, I would not have obtained such-and-such."

   And others said: The meaning of this is that the unbelievers, when they are asked who provides them with sustenance, acknowledge that it is Allah Who provides them with sustenance; but then they deny that by saying: "We obtained this sustenance through the intercession (shafāʿa) of our gods."

   And the most correct of the opinions concerning this, and the most consonant with the interpretation of the verse, is the view of the one who said: what is intended by the favor (niʿma) that Allah mentioned in His word يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ is the favor to them through the sending of Muḥammad ﷺ to them as a caller to that which he was sent to call them to. For this verse is situated between two verses both of which deal with the Prophet of Allah ﷺ and that with which he was sent, so that it is most fitting that what stands between them should also bear upon the meaning of what is before and after it — since there is no meaning indicating that it diverges from what is before and after it. What stands before this verse is His word فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلاغُ الْمُبِينُ * يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنْكِرُونَهَا , and what stands after it is وَيَوْمَ نَبْعَثُ مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهِيدًا — and that is its messenger. If that is so, the meaning of the verse is: These polytheists (mushrikīn) acknowledge, O Muḥammad, the favor of Allah to them in respect of you, but then they deny you and reject your prophethood (nubuwwa). وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ — He says: And most of your people are those who deny your prophethood and do not acknowledge it.

   Show original Arabic

   حدثنا محمد بن بشار، قال: ثنا عبد الرحمن، قال: ثنا سفيان، عن السديّ( يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنْكِرُونَهَا ) قال: محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم. حدثنا ابن وكيع، قال: ثنا أبي، عن سفيان، عن السديّ، مثله. وقال آخرون: بل معنى ذلك أنهم يعرفون أن ما عدد الله تعالى ذكره في هذه السورة من النعم من عند الله، وأن الله هو المنعم بذلك عليهم، ولكنهم يُنْكرون ذلك، فيزعمون أنهم ورثوه عن آبائهم. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن عمرو، قال: ثنا أبو عاصم، قال: ثنا عيسى وحدثنا المثنى، قال: ثنا الحسن، قال: ثنا ورقاء وحدثني المثنى، قال: ثنا أبو حُذيفة، قال: ثنا شبل وحدثني المثنى، قال: ثنا إسحاق، قال: ثنا عبد الله، عن ورقاء جميعا، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد ( يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنْكِرُونَهَا ) قال: هي المساكن والأنعام وما يرزقون منها، والسرابيل من الحديد والثياب، تعرف هذا كفار قريش، ثم تنكره بأن تقول: هذا كان لآبائنا، فروّحونا (3) إياه. حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج، عن مجاهد، بنحوه، إلا أنه قال: فورّثونا إياها. وزاد في الحديث عن ابن جريج، قال ابن جريج: قال عبد الله بن كثير: يعلمون أن الله خلقهم وأعطاهم ما أعطاهم، فهو معرفتهم نعمته ثم إنكارهم إياها كفرهم بعد. وقال آخرون في ذلك، ما حدثنا ابن وكيع، قال: ثنا معاوية، عن عمرو، عن أبي إسحاق الفزاري، عن ليث، عن عون بن عبد الله بن عتبة ( يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنْكِرُونَهَا ) قال: إنكارهم إياها، أن يقول الرجل: لولا فلان ما كان كذا وكذا، ولولا فلان ما أصبت كذا وكذا. وقال آخرون: معنى ذلك أن الكفار إذا قيل لهم: من رزقكم؟ أقرّوا بأن الله هو الذي رزقهم، ثم يُنْكرون ذلك بقولهم: رزقنا ذلك بشفاعة آلهتنا. وأولى الأقوال في ذلك بالصواب وأشبهها بتأويل الآية، قول من قال: عني بالنعمة التي ذكرها الله في قوله ( يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ) النعمة عليهم بإرسال محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم إليهم داعيًا إلى ما بعثه بدعائهم إليه ، وذلك أن هذه الآية بين آيتين كلتاهما خبر عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وعما بعث به، فأولى ما بينهما أن يكون في معنى ما قبله وما بعده، إذ لم يكن معنى يدلّ على انصرافه عما قبله وعما بعده فالذي قبل هذه الآية قوله ( فَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلاغُ الْمُبِينُ * يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُنْكِرُونَهَا ) وما بعده وَيَوْمَ نَبْعَثُ مِنْ كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهِيدًا وهو رسولها. فإذا كان ذلك كذلك، فمعنى الآية: يعرف هؤلاء المشركون بالله نعمة الله عليهم يا محمد بك، ثم ينكرونك ويجحدون نبوّتك ( وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ ) يقول: وأكثر قومك الجاحدون نبوّتك، لا المقرّون بها.