Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The discourse on the explanation of His saying, exalted is His mention: خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلا هُمْ يُنْظَرُونَ (162)

   (Therein they shall abide eternally; the punishment shall not be lightened for them, nor shall they be granted respite) (162)

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: If someone asks us: what causes the accusative (naṣb) in "خالدين فيها" ("therein abiding eternally")?

   Then the answer is: it stands in the accusative as an adverbial qualifier of state (ḥāl), derived from the "hāʾ and mīm" that occur in "ʿalayhim" ("over them"). That is so because the meaning of His saying أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ ("They are the ones upon whom rests the curse of Allah") is: they are the ones whom Allah curses, and the angels, and mankind all together, abiding therein eternally. For this reason, he recited it thus: "أولئك عليهم لعنة الله والملائكةُ والناس أجمعون" ("They are the ones upon whom rests the curse of Allah, and the angels and mankind all together") — the one who recited it thus did so with a view to the meaning that I have described. And although that is permissible in Arabic, it is not permitted to recite according to that reading, because it conflicts with the authoritative codices (maṣāḥif) of the Muslims and with the manner of recitation that the Muslims have transmitted by widespread dissemination. It is therefore not permitted to raise an objection, by means of an aberrant (shādhdh) pronunciation, against that whose proof is established by widespread transmission.

   * * *

   As for the "hāʾ and alif" that occur in His saying "fīhā" ("therein"): they refer back to "the curse" (al-laʿna), and what is meant by the saying is that to which the unbeliever (kāfir) has come through the curse of Allah, of His angels, and of mankind. And that to which he has come thereby is the fire of Hell (jahannam). The saying was linguistically applied to "the curse," while what is meant by it is that to which the unbeliever has come, just as we have already previously explained similar cases of this, such as:—

   2396- It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, who said: 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: "خالدين فيها" ("therein abiding eternally") — he says: abiding eternally in Hell (jahannam), in the curse.

   * * *

   As for His saying "لا يخفّف عنهم العذاب" ("the punishment shall not be lightened for them"): this is an announcement from Allah, exalted is His mention, concerning the eternal perpetuation of the punishment (ʿadhāb) forever, without any appointed term and without any lightening, just as He, exalted is His mention, has said: وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لا يُقْضَى عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا وَلا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ مِنْ عَذَابِهَا ("And those who disbelieve, for them is the fire of Hell; it is not decreed for them that they should die, nor is anything of its punishment lightened for them") [Surah Fāṭir: 36], and just as He has said: كُلَّمَا نَضِجَتْ جُلُودُهُمْ بَدَّلْنَاهُمْ جُلُودًا غَيْرَهَا ("Every time their skins are roasted through, We replace them for them with other skins") [Surah al-Nisāʾ: 56].

   * * *

   As for His saying "ولا هم يُنظرون" ("nor shall they be granted respite"): this means: nor shall they be granted respite to excuse themselves with an excuse, such as:—

   2397- It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, who said: 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: "ولا هم ينظرون" ("nor shall they be granted respite") — he says: they are granted no respite so that they might excuse themselves, like His saying: هَذَا يَوْمُ لا يَنْطِقُونَ * وَلا يُؤْذَنُ لَهُمْ فَيَعْتَذِرُونَ ("This is a Day on which they shall not speak, and they shall not be given permission so that they might excuse themselves") [Surah al-Mursalāt: 35-36].

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   Footnotes:

   (90) In the printed edition it reads "والناس أجميعن", which is an error; the correct form is what has been established, with the nominative (rafʿ) of "الملائكة والناس أجمعون", and that is the reading of al-Ḥasan. See Maʿānī al-Qurʾān of al-Farrāʾ, vol. 1, pp. 96-97, and the explanation of this verse in the remaining tafsīr works.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلا هُمْ يُنْظَرُونَ (162) * * * قال أبو جعفر: إن قال لنا قائل: ما الذي نصب " خالدين فيها "؟ قيل: نُصب على الحال من " الهاء والميم " اللتين في" عليهم ". وذلك أنّ معنى قوله: أُولَئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ ، أولئك يلعنهم الله والملائكةُ والناس أجمعون خالدين فيها. ولذلك قرأ ذلك: " أولئك عَليهم لعنة الله والملائكةُ والناس أجمعون " &; 3-264 &; مَنْ قرأَهُ كذلك، (90) توجيهًا منه إلى المعنى الذي وصفتُ. وذلك وإن كان جائزًا في العربية, فغيرُ جائزةٍ القراءةُ به، لأنه خلافٌ لمصاحف المسلمين، وما جاء به المسلمون من القراءة مستفيضًا فيهم. فغير جائز الاعتراضُ بالشاذّ من القول، على ما قد ثبتت حُجته بالنقل المستفيض. * * * وأما " الهاء والألف " اللتان في قوله: " فيها "، فإنهما عائدتان على " اللعنة ", والمرادُ بالكلام: ما صار إليه الكافر باللعنة من الله ومن ملائكته ومن الناس. والذي صار إليه بها، نارُ جهنم. وأجرى الكلام على " اللعنة "، والمراد بها ما صار إليه الكافر، كما قد بينا من نظائر ذلك فيما مضى قبل، كما:- 2396- حدثت عن عمار قال: حدثنا ابن أبي جعفر, عن أبيه, عن الربيع, عن أبي العالية: " خالدين فيها "، يقول: خالدين في جهنم، في اللعنة. * * * وأما قوله: " لا يخفّف عنهم العذاب "، فإنه خبرٌ من الله تعالى ذكره عن دَوَام العذاب أبدًا من غير توقيت ولا تخفيف, كما قال تعالى ذكره: وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَهُمْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ لا يُقْضَى عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا وَلا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ مِنْ عَذَابِهَا [سورة فاطر: 36]، وكما قال: كُلَّمَا نَضِجَتْ جُلُودُهُمْ بَدَّلْنَاهُمْ جُلُودًا غَيْرَهَا [سورة النساء: 56] * * * وأما قوله: " ولا هم يُنظرون "، فإنه يعني: ولا هُم يُنظرون بمعذرة يَعتذرون، كما:- 2397- حدثت عن عمار قال، حدثنا ابن أبي جعفر, عن أبيه, عن الربيع, عن أبي العالية: " ولا هم ينظرون "، يقول: لا يُنظرون فيعتذرون, &; 3-265 &; كقوله: هَذَا يَوْمُ لا يَنْطِقُونَ * وَلا يُؤْذَنُ لَهُمْ فَيَعْتَذِرُونَ . [سورة المرسلات: 35-36] ----------------------- الهوامش : (90) في المطبوعة : "والناس أجميعن" ، وهو خطأ ، والصواب ما أثبت ، برفع"الملائكة والناس أجمعون" ، وهي قراءة الحسن . وانظر معاني القرآن للفراء 1 : 96-97 ، وتفسير هذه الآية في سائر كتب التفسير .