Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The Exalted says: your Lord, O Muḥammad — the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them — is not forgetful. For if He were forgetful, it would not endure and would perish were He not to preserve it. The word "the Lord" (rabb) is in the nominative case as a referent back to "your Lord" (rabbika). And His word فَاعْبُدْهُ (so worship Him): He says: hold fast to obedience to Him and humble yourself before His command and His prohibition. وَاصْطَبِرْ لِعِبَادَتِهِ (and be patient in His service): He says: compel yourself to be patient in carrying out His command and His prohibition and in acting in obedience to Him, then you will attain His good pleasure with you — for He is the Deity who has no equal, no peer, and no like in His generosity, His munificence, and His favor. هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا (do you know for Him any namesake?): He says: do you know, O Muḥammad, for this Lord whom We have commanded you to worship and to be patient in obedience to Him, any like in His munificence and His generosity — such that you would worship him in hope of his favor and bounty instead of Him? By no means — that is not to be found.

   In accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of tafsīr also spoke.

   * Mention of who said that:

   ʿAlī related to me, saying: ʿAbdullāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning his word هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا : he says: do you know for the Lord any equal or peer?

   Saʿīd ibn ʿUthmān al-Tanūkhī related to me, saying: Ibrāhīm ibn Mahdī related to us, on the authority of ʿAbbād ibn ʿAwwām, on the authority of Shuʿba, on the authority of al-Ḥasan ibn ʿUmāra, on the authority of a man, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — concerning his word هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا : he said: a peer.

   Yaḥyā ibn Ibrāhīm al-Masʿūdī related to me, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning this verse هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا : he said: do you know for Him any peer? Do you know for Him any equal? Exalted and Glorified is He.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning his word هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا : for Allah there is no namesake (samiyy) and no peer; all His creation acknowledges Him and confesses that He is their Creator and acknowledges that — and he then recited this verse: وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ (and if you ask them who created them, they will surely say: Allah).

   Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning his word هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا : he says: there is no associate for Him and no equal.

   Show original Arabic

   يقول تعالى ذكره: لم يكن ربك يا محمد ربّ السماوات والأرض وما بينهما نسيا، لأنه لو كان نسيا لم يستقم ذلك، ولهلك لولا حفظه إياه، فالربّ مرفوع ردّا على قوله رَبِّكَ وقوله (فاعْبُدْه) يقول: فالزم طاعته، وذلّ لأمره ونهيه ( وَاصْطَبِرْ لِعِبَادَتِهِ ) يقول: واصبر نفسك على النفوذ لأمره ونهيه، والعمل بطاعته، تفز برضاه عنك، فإنه الإله الذي لا مثل له ولا عدل ولا شبيه في جوده وكرمه وفضله ( هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا ) يقول: هل تعلم يا محمد لربك هذا الذي أمرناك بعبادته، والصبر على طاعته مثلا في كرمه وجوده، فتعبده رجاء فضله وطوله دونه كلا ما ذلك بموجود. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني عليّ، قال: ثنا عبد الله، قال: ثني معاوية، عن عليّ، عن ابن عباس، قوله ( هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا ) يقول: هل تعلم للربّ مثلا أو شبيها. حدثني سعيد بن عثمان التنوخي، قال: ثنا إبراهيم بن مهدي، عن عباد بن عوام، عن شعبة، عن الحسن بن عمارة، عن رجل ، عن ابن عباس، في قوله ( هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا ) قال: شبيها. حدثني يحيى بن إبراهيم المسعودي، قال: ثنا أبي، عن أبيه، عن جدّه، عن الأعمش، عن مجاهد في هذه الآية ( هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا ) قال: هل تعلم له شبيها، هل تعلم له مثلا تبارك وتعالى. حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله ( هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا ) لا سميّ لله ولا عَدل له، كلّ خلقه يقر له، ويعترف أنه خالقه، ويعرف ذلك، تم يقرأ هذه الآية وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ . حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج، في قوله ( هَلْ تَعْلَمُ لَهُ سَمِيًّا ) قال: يقول: لا شريك له ولا مثل.