Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The Statement Concerning the Interpretation of His Saying, the Exalted: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ (161)

   (Indeed, those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers — upon them is the curse of Allah and of the angels and of mankind all together.) (161)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, means by His saying "Indeed, those who disbelieve (kafarū)": indeed, those who denied the prophethood of the Prophet ﷺ and held him to be a liar — from among the Jews and the Christians and the rest of the adherents of religious communities, and the polytheists (mushrikīn) among the idol-worshippers — "and die while they are disbelievers (wa-mātū wa-hum kuffār)," that is to say: and have died while persisting in that denial of theirs and their repudiation of the Prophet ﷺ. "Upon them is the curse of Allah and of the angels (ʿalayhim laʿnatu Llāhi wa-l-malāʾika)," that is to say: then upon those who disbelieve and die while they are disbelievers is the curse of Allah. He says: Allah has removed them far and distant from His mercy. "And of the angels," that is to say: and the angels and mankind together cursed them. And the cursing of them by the angels and mankind is their saying: "Upon them is the curse of Allah."

   * * *

   We have already previously set forth the meaning of "the curse (al-laʿna)" in a manner that makes it unnecessary to repeat this.

   * * *

   If someone were to say: And how can the curse of all mankind rest upon him who dies as a disbeliever in the Prophet ﷺ, from the various kinds of nations, when most of them belong to those who do not believe in Him and do not hold Him to be truthful?

   Then it is answered: Indeed, the meaning of that is other than that to which you went. And the scholars of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have differed concerning its interpretation. Some of them said: Allah meant by His saying "and of mankind all together (wa-l-nāsi ajmaʿīn)" specifically the people who believe in Him and in His messenger, to the exclusion of the rest of mankind.

   * Mention of who said that:

   2392 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His saying "and of mankind all together": thereby, by "mankind all together," the believers are meant.

   2393 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: "and of mankind all together," thereby, by "mankind all together," the believers are meant.

   * * *

   And others said: Rather, this concerns the Day of Resurrection (yawm al-qiyāma): the disbeliever is placed before the heads of the witnesses, and then all mankind curse him.

   * Mention of who said that:

   2394 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya: that the disbeliever is placed on the Day of Resurrection and that Allah then curses him, then the angels curse him, then all mankind together curse him.

   * * *

   And others said: Rather, this concerns the saying of the speaker, whoever he may be: "May Allah curse the wrongdoer (laʿana Llāhu al-ẓālim)," and that then strikes every disbeliever, because he is among the wrongdoers.

   * Mention of who said that:

   2395 — Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn Ḥammād related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His saying "upon them is the curse of Allah and of the angels and of mankind all together": truly, no two believers, nor two disbelievers, curse one another, with one of them saying "May Allah curse the wrongdoer," but that this curse strikes the disbeliever inescapably, because he is a wrongdoer, so that every one of the creatures curses him.

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: And the most correct of these statements according to us is the statement of him who said: Allah meant thereby all mankind, in the sense of their cursing of them through their saying "May Allah curse the wrongdoer — or the wrongdoers."

   For no human being among the children of Ādam, whoever he may be and to whatever religious community he may belong, refrains from saying that, and through it every disbeliever, whoever he may be, falls under his curse. And that corresponds to the meaning of what Abū al-ʿĀliya said. For Allah, the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, has informed concerning those who witness on the Day of Resurrection that they curse them, for He said: وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أُولَئِكَ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ وَيَقُولُ الأَشْهَادُ هَؤُلاءِ الَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ أَلا لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ [Hūd: 18]

   (And who is more unjust than he who fabricates a lie against Allah? They will be presented before their Lord, and the witnesses will say: "These are they who lied against their Lord." Indeed, the curse of Allah is upon the wrongdoers.) [Hūd: 18]

   As for that which Qatāda said, namely that thereby a portion of mankind is meant, that is a statement which contradicts the plain meaning of the revelation, and there is no proof for its correctness, neither from a narration nor from reasoning. If he supposed that thereby the believers were meant, because the disbelievers curse neither themselves nor their allies, then Allah, the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, has indeed informed that they curse them in the Hereafter. And it is known of them that they curse the wrongdoers, and among the wrongdoers falls every disbeliever, because of his wrongdoing against himself, his denial of the grace of his Lord, and his disobedience to His command.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ وَالْمَلائِكَةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ (161) قال أبو جعفر: يعني تعالى ذكره بقوله: " إنّ الذين كفروا "، إن الذين جَحدوا نبوة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وكذبوا به = من اليهود والنصارى وسائر أهل الملل، والمشركين من عَبدة الأوثان =" وماتوا وهم كفار "، يعني: وماتوا وهم على جُحودهم ذلك وتكذيبهم محمدًا صلى الله عليه وسلم،" أولئك عَليهم لَعنةُ الله والملائكة ", يعني: فأولئك الذين كفروا وماتوا وهم كفار عليهم لعنة الله، يقول: أبعدهم الله وأسحقهم من رحمته," والملائكة "، يعني ولَعنهم الملائكةُ والناس أجمعون. ولعنة الملائكة والناس إياهم قولهم: " عليهم لعنة الله ". * * * وقد بينا معنى " اللعنة " فيما مضى قبل بما أغنى عن إعادته. (87) * * * فإن قال قائل: وكيف تَكونُ على الذي يموت كافرًا بمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم [لعنةُ الناس أجمعين] من أصناف الأمم، (88) وأكثرهم ممن لا يؤمن به ويصدقه؟ &; 3-262 &; قيل: إن معنى ذلك على خلاف ما ذهبتَ إليه. وقد اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويل ذلك. فقال بعضهم: عنى الله بقوله: " والناس أجمعين "، أهلَ الإيمان به وبرسوله خاصة، دون سائر البشر. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 2392- حدثنا بشر بن معاذ قال، حدثنا يزيد بن زريع قال، حدثنا سعيد, عن قتادة قوله: " والناس أجمعين "، يعني: ب " الناس أجمعين "، المؤمنين. 2393- حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا إسحاق قال، حدثنا ابن أبي جعفر, عن أبيه، عن الربيع: " والناس أجمعين "، يعني بـ " الناس أجمعين "، المؤمنين. * * * وقال آخرون: بل ذلك يومَ القيامة، يُوقَفُ على رءوس الأشهاد الكافرُ فيلعنه الناس كلهم. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 2394- حدثت عن عمار قال، حدثنا ابن أبي جعفر, عن أبيه, عن الربيع, عن أبي العالية: أن الكافر يُوقَف يوم القيامة فيلعنه الله, ثم تلعنه الملائكة, ثم يلعنه الناس أجمعون. * * * وقال آخرون: بل ذلك قول القائل كائنًا من كان: " لَعنَ الله الظالم ", فيلحق ذلك كل كافر، لأنه من الظَّلمة. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 2395- حدثني موسى بن هارون قال، حدثنا عمرو بن حماد قال، حدثنا أسباط, عن السدي قوله: " أولئك عليهم لَعنة الله والملائكة والناس أجمعين "، فإنه لا يتلاعن اثنان مُؤمنان ولا كافران فيقول أحدهما: " لعن الله الظالم "، إلا وجبت تلك اللعنة على الكافر، لأنه ظالم, فكل أحد من الخلق يلعنه. * * * &; 3-263 &; قال أبو جعفر: وأولى هذه الأقوال بالصواب عندنا قولُ من قال: عنى الله بذلك جَميعَ الناس، بمعنى لعنهم إياهم بقولهم: " لعن الله الظالم - أو الظالمين ". فإن كلّ أحد من بني آدم لا يمتنع من قيل ذلك كائنًا من كان، (89) ومن أي أهل ملة كان, فيدخل بذلك في لعنته كلّ كافرٍ كائنًا من كان. وذلك بمعنى ما قاله أبو العالية. لأن الله تعالى ذكره أخبر عمن شَهدهم يوم القيامة أنهم يلعنونهم فقال: وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أُولَئِكَ يُعْرَضُونَ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ وَيَقُولُ الأَشْهَادُ هَؤُلاءِ الَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ أَلا لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّالِمِينَ [هود: 18] وأما ما قاله قتادة، من أنه عنى به بعضَ الناس, فقولٌ ظاهرُ التنـزيل بخلافه, ولا برهان على حقيقته من خبر ولا نظر. فإن كان ظن أن المعنيَّ به المؤمنون، من أجل أن الكفار لا يَلعنون أنفسهم ولا أولياءهم, فإن الله تعالى ذكره قد أخبر أنهم يَلعنونهم في الآخرة. ومعلومٌ منهم أنّهم يَلعنون الظَّلمة, وداخلٌ في الظَّلمة كل كافر، بظلمه نفسه, وجحوده نعمةَ ربه, ومخالفته أمرَه. ---------------- الهوامش : (87) انظر ما سلف في هذا الجزء 3 : 254 ، والتعليق : 1 ، ومراجعه . (88) الزيادة التي بين القوسين لا بد منها ، وإلا اختل الكلام والسؤال ، ولم يكن لهما معنى محدود مفهوم ، واستظهرت الزيادة من جواب هذا السؤال . (89) في المطبوعة : "لا يمنع من قيل ذلك" ، والصواب ما أثبت .