Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ وَلَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ (139)

   قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ وَلَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ

   (Say: Do you dispute with us concerning Allah, when He is our Lord and your Lord? To us belong our deeds and to you belong your deeds, and we are sincerely devoted to Him alone.) (139)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted — praised be His mention — means by His saying "قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّهِ" (Say: Do you dispute with us concerning Allah): say, O Muḥammad ﷺ — to the parties of the Jews and the Christians, who said to you and your companions: كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى تَهْتَدُوا (Be Jews or Christians, and you will be rightly guided), and who claimed that their religion is better than your religion, and that their Book is better than your Book because it came before your Book, and who on that basis claimed that they are more worthy of Allah than you — say to them: "Do you dispute with us concerning Allah, when He is our Lord and your Lord?" In His hand lie all good things, and with Him rest the reward and the punishment, and the recompense for deeds — both the good of them and the evil. Do you then claim that you are more worthy of Allah than we are, because your prophet came before our prophet, and your Book before our Book, while your Lord and our Lord are one and the same, and while each of our two groups receives that which he has performed and acquired of good and evil deeds, for which he is recompensed [therefor] — so that he is rewarded or punished — and not on the basis of lineage, or the antiquity of the religion and the Book?

   * * *

   And by His saying "قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا" (Say: Do you dispute with us) He means: say, do you contend with us and argue with us? As —

   2129 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: "قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّهِ" (Say: Do you dispute with us concerning Allah), say: do you contend with us?

   2130 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said: "قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا" (Say: Do you dispute with us), do you contend with us?

   2131 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا" (Do you dispute with us), do you argue with us?

   * * *

   As for His saying (وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ) (and we are sincerely devoted to Him alone): He means thereby: and we sincerely devote our worship and obedience to Allah; we ascribe no partner whatsoever to Him, and we worship none other than Him, as the people of the idols worshipped the idols besides Him, and the adherents of the calf worshipped the calf besides Him.

   * * *

   And this is from Allah — praised be His mention — a rebuke to the Jews, and an argument in favor of the people of faith (īmān), through His saying — praised be His mention — to the believers among the companions of Muḥammad ﷺ: say — O believers — to the Jews and the Christians who said to you: كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى تَهْتَدُوا (Be Jews or Christians, and you will be rightly guided) —: "Do you dispute with us concerning Allah?" By His saying "فِي اللَّهِ" (concerning Allah) He means: concerning the religion of Allah, which He has commanded us to profess. Our Lord and your Lord are one and the same, just, who does no wrong; He recompenses the servants only according to what they have acquired. And you claim that you are more worthy of Allah than we are, on account of the antiquity of your religion, your Book, and your prophet, while we sincerely devote worship to Him and ascribe no partner whatsoever to Him, and you have ascribed partners in your worship of Him, so that some of you worshipped the calf and some of you worshipped the Messiah. How then can you be better than we are, and more worthy of Allah than we are?

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   Footnotes:

   (37) In the printed edition it reads: "ويجازى فيثاب أو يعاقب" (and he is recompensed, so that he is rewarded or punished). The correct reading apparently requires the omission of the "wāw" and the addition of "عليها" (therefor). And his saying "لا على الأنساب" (and not on the basis of lineage) is conjoined in coordination with his saying "والجزاء على الأعمال" (and the recompense for deeds).

   (38) In the printed edition it reads: "وأنى تكونوا خيرًا منا", but the correct reading is what has been established. "أنى" is an interrogative particle with the meaning: how.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : قُلْ أَتُحَاجُّونَنَا فِي اللَّهِ وَهُوَ رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّكُمْ وَلَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ (139) قال أبو جعفر: يعني تعالى ذكره بقوله: " قُلْ أتُحاجُّونَنا في الله "، قل يا محمد = لمعاشر اليهود والنصارى، الذين قالوا لك ولأصحابك: كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى تَهْتَدُوا , وزعموا أن دينهم خيرٌ من دينكم, وكتابهم خير من كتابكم، لأنه كان قبلَ كتابكم, وزعموا أنهم من أجل ذلك أولى بالله منكم = : " أتحاجوننا في الله وهو رَبنا وربكم ", بيده الخيرات, وإليه الثواب والعقابُ, والجزاءُ على الأعمال - الحسنات منها والسيئات, فتزعمون أنكم بالله أوْلى منا، من أجل أن نبيكم قبل نبينا, وكتابكم قبل كتابنا, وربّكم وربّنا واحدٌ, وأنّ لكلّ فريق منا ما عمل واكتسب من صالح الأعمال وسيئها, يجازى [عليها] فيثابُ أو يعاقبُ، (37) - لا على الأنساب وقدمَ الدِّين والكتاب. * * * ويعني بقوله: " قُلْ أتحاجوننا "، قل أتخاصموننا وتجادلوننا؟ كما- 2129- حدثني محمد بن عمرو قال: حدثنا أبو عاصم قال: حدثنا عيسى, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد: " قل أتحاجوننا في الله "، قل: أتخاصموننا؟ 2130- حدثني يونس قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب قال: قال ابن زيد: " قل أتحاجُّونَنا "، أتخاصموننا؟ 2131- حدثني محمد بن سعد قال: حدثني أبي قال: حدثني عمي قال: حدثني أبي, عن أبيه, عن ابن عباس: " أتحاجوننا "، أتجادلوننا؟ * * * فأما قوله: (وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُخْلِصُونَ)، فإنه يعني: ونحن لله مخلصو العبادةِ والطاعة، لا نشرك به شيئًا, ولا نعبد غيره أحدًا, كما عبد أهل الأوثان معه الأوثانَ, وأصحاب العِجل معه العجلَ. * * * وهذا من الله تعالى ذكره توبيخٌ لليهود، واحتجاج لأهل الإيمان, بقوله تعالى ذكره للمؤمنين من أصحاب محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: قولوا -أيها المؤمنون، لليهود والنصارى الذين قالوا لكم: كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى تَهْتَدُوا -: " أتحاجوننا في الله "؟ يعني بقوله: " في الله "، في دين الله الذي أمَرَنا أن نَدينه به, وربنا وربكم واحدٌ عدلٌ لا يجور, وإنما يجازي العبادَ عَلى ما اكتسبوا. وتزعمون أنّكم أولى بالله منا، لقدم دينكم وكتابكم ونبيكم, ونحنُ مُخلصون له العبادةَ، لم نشرك به شَيئًا, وقد أشركتم في عبادتكم إياه, فعبد بعضكم العجلَ، وبعضكم المسيحَ، فأنَّى تكونون خيرًا منا, وأولى بالله منا؟ (38) ---------- الهوامش : (37) في المطبوعة : "ويجازى فيثاب أو يعاقب" . وكأن الصواب يقتضي حذف"الواو" ، وزيادة : "عليها" . وقوله : "لأعلى الأنساب" معطوف على قوله : "والجزاء على الأعمال" . (38) في المطبوعة : "وأنى تكونوا خيرًا منا" ، والصواب ما أثبت . "أنى" استفهام بمعنى : كيف .