Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His saying (and truly, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him): the reciters differed concerning the reading of this word. The majority of the reciters of Medina and Basra read it as (wa-anna llāha rabbī wa-rabbukum) — with an open hamza. The Arabic-language scholars differed concerning the basis of the open hamza when it is opened. Some grammarians of Kufa said: it is opened as a back-reference to ʿĪsā and as a connection to it, with the meaning: that is ʿĪsā, the son of Maryam — and that Allah is my Lord and your Lord. If this is so, then "anna" stands in the case-position of a nominative, but in meaning it is in the case-position of a genitive — just as is said: that is because your Lord did not destroy towns out of injustice . He said: if one were to open it because of His saying (and He has enjoined upon me) — by "that Allah" — then that too is a possibility. Some Basran grammarians — and this is also reported of Abū ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAlāʾ, and he was among those who read it with an open hamza — said: the hamza is only opened with the meaning of (and He has decreed) — that Allah is my Lord and your Lord. The majority of the Kufan reciters read it (wa-inna llāha) — with a closed hamza — as a connection to His saying (for he only says to him). It is also related from Ubayy ibn Kaʿb that he read it as: (fa-innamā yaqūlu lahu kun fa-yakūnu inna llāha rabbī wa-rabbukum) — without the wāw.

   Abū Jaʿfar said: the reading we prefer is the closed hamza, as the beginning of a sentence. If one reads it thus, it stands free in its syntactic position. It is also possible that it is a connection to "inna" in His saying he said: I am the servant of Allah... — and truly Allah is my Lord and your Lord . And if someone who read it with an open hamza were to say: it is opened as a connection to the Book — with the meaning: He has given me the Book, and it has been given to me that Allah is my Lord and your Lord — then that would be a sound basis. The meaning of the statement is: and I and you all, O people, are together servants of Allah; so worship Him above others.

   The exegetes said something in agreement with what we have said here.

   We mention who said that:

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of someone who is not suspected, on the authority of Wahb ibn Munabbih, who said: he connected with them — after he had informed them about himself, his birth, his death, and his resurrection — (truly, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him; this is the straight path) — that is to say: I and you are servants of Allah; so worship Him and worship none other.

   And His saying (this is the straight path (ṣirāṭun mustaqīm)): that is to say: this which I have charged you with, and concerning which I have informed you that Allah has commanded me to it — that is the straight way, which whoever travels it is saved, and whoever follows it is led to right guidance; for it is the religion of Allah which He charged His prophets with.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله ( وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ ) اختلف القرّاء في قراءة ذلك، فقرأته عامَّة قرّاء أهل المدينة والبصرة ( وأنَّ اللهَ رَبِّي وَرَبكُمْ ) واختلف أهل العربية في وجه فتح " أن " إذا فتحت، فقال بعض نحوييّ الكوفة: فُتحت ردّا على عيسى وعطفا عليه، بمعنى: ذلك عيسى ابن مريم، وذلك أن الله ربي وربكم. وإذا كان ذلك كذلك كانت أن رفعا، وتكون بتأويل خفض، كما قال ذَلِكَ أَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ رَبُّكَ مُهْلِكَ الْقُرَى بِظُلْمٍ قال: ولو فتحت على قوله (وَأَوْصَانِي) بأن الله، كان وجها. وكان بعض البصريين يقول: وذُكر ذلك أيضًا عن أبي عمرو بن العلاء، وكان ممن يقرؤه بالفتح إنما فتحت أن بتأويل (وَقَضَى) أن الله ربي وربُّكم. وكانت عامّة قرّاء الكوفيين يقرءونه (وَإنَّ الله) بكسر إن بمعنى النسق على قوله ( فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ ) . وذُكر عن أبيّ بن كعب أنه كان يقرؤه (فَإِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ إنَّ اللهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ) بغير واو. قال أبو جعفر: والقراءة التي نختار في ذلك: الكسر على الابتداء. وإذا قرئ كذلك لم يكن لها موضع، وقد يجوز أن يكون عطفا على " إن " التي مع قوله قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ ... وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ ولو قال قائل، ممن قرأ ذلك نصبا: نصب على العطف على الكتاب، بمعنى: آتاني الكتاب، وأتاني أن الله ربي وربكم، كان وجها حسنا. ومعنى الكلام: وإني وأنتم أيها القوم جميعا لله عبيد، فإياه فاعبدوا دون غيره. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن حميد، قال: ثنا سلمة، عن ابن إسحاق، عمن لا يتهم، عن وهب بن منبه، قال: عهد إليهم حين أخبرهم عن نفسه ومولده وموته وبعثه ( إِنَّ اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوهُ هَذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيمٌ ) أي إني وإياكم عبيد الله، فاعبدوه ولا تعبدوا غيره. وقوله ( هَذَا صِرَاطٌ مُسْتَقِيمٌ ) يقول: هذا الذي أوصيتكم به، وأخبرتكم أن الله أمرني به هو الطريق المستقيم، الذي من سلكه نجا، ومن ركبه اهتدى، لأنه دين الله الذي أمر به أنبياءه.