Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The discourse on the explanation of His statement, the Exalted: ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ نَـزَّلَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي الْكِتَابِ لَفِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ ("That is because Allah has sent down the Book with the truth; and verily, those who differed concerning the Book are in a far-reaching schism") (176).

   Abū Jaʿfar said: As for His statement — "That is because Allah has sent down the Book with the truth" — there was disagreement over what is meant by "that" (dhālika).

   * * *

   Some of them said: by "that" is meant: this deed of theirs which they commit = namely their audacity in the face of the punishment of the Fire, in their opposing the command of Allah, and their concealing from the people what Allah has sent down in His Book and commanded them to make clear to them concerning the affair of Muḥammad ﷺ and the affair of his religion = is on account of the fact that Allah, blessed and exalted is He, "has sent down the Book with the truth." And His sending down the Book with the truth is His informing about them in His statement to His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنْذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنْذِرْهُمْ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ * خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ وَعَلَى أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ("Verily, as for those who disbelieve, it is the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them: they will not believe. Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a covering; and for them is a tremendous punishment") [Sūrat al-Baqara: 6-7]. They are thus — alongside what Allah has informed about them, namely that they do not believe — incapable of anything other than buying error in exchange for guidance and punishment in exchange for forgiveness.

   Others said: its meaning is: "that" is known to them, namely that Allah has sent down the Book with the truth, because We have informed in the Book that this holds for them, and the Book is truth.

   It is as though, according to the proponents of this statement, the interpretation of the verse was: that punishment = which Allah, exalted is His mention, has mentioned, and in the face of which they are so steadfast = is known to hold for them. For Allah has, in various places of His revelation, informed that the Fire is for the disbelievers, and His revelation is truth; the informing about "that" is therefore, according to them, implicit (left unstated).

   *

   Others said: the meaning of "that" is, that Allah described the people of the Fire and said: فَمَا أَصْبَرَهُمْ عَلَى النَّارِ ("How steadfast they are in the face of the Fire"), and then said: this punishment is on account of their disbelief. And "this" (hādhā) here stands, according to them, in the place where "that" (dhālika) could stand, as though He said: We did that because Allah has sent down the Book with the truth and they disbelieved in it. He said: thus "that" — when this is its meaning — comes to be in the accusative (naṣb), and it comes to be in the nominative (rafʿ) by means of the bāʾ.

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The most preferable of the statements for the interpretation of the verse is, in my view: that Allah, exalted is His mention, by His statement "that" referred to all that which His statement comprised: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنْـزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ ("Verily, those who conceal what Allah has sent down of the Book") up to His statement "that is because Allah has sent down the Book with the truth" — of His informing about the deeds of the rabbis of the Jews, and His mention of what He, exalted is His mention, has prepared for them of punishment for that. He thus said: this which these rabbis of the Jews have done = through their concealing from the people what they kept hidden concerning the affair of Muḥammad ﷺ and his prophethood, despite their knowledge of it, while pursuing thereby a contemptible worldly gain — and through their opposing My command and My obedience = and that — of My not purifying and not cleansing them and not speaking to them, and My preparing for them the painful punishment — is because I have sent down My Book with the truth, and they disbelieved in it and differed concerning it.

   For "that" there are then two modes of case-ending: nominative and accusative. The nominative is by means of the bāʾ, and the accusative in the sense of: I did that because I sent down My Book with the truth, and they disbelieved in it and differed concerning it. And the mention of "and they disbelieved in it and differed concerning it" was omitted, because one was content with the indication that the mentioned words provide of it.

   * * *

   As for His statement — "and verily, those who differed concerning the Book are in a far-reaching schism" — by this He means the Jews and the Christians. They differed concerning the Book of Allah: the Jews disbelieved in what Allah related therein concerning the history of ʿĪsā, the son of Maryam, and his mother. The Christians believed in part of it and disbelieved in another part of it, and they all together disbelieved in what Allah has sent down therein of the command to hold Muḥammad ﷺ to be truthful. He thus said to His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: these who differed concerning what I have sent down to you, O Muḥammad, are truly in a dispute and a separation from the truth that is far removed from the straight path and the right course, just as Allah, exalted is His mention, said: فَإِنْ آمَنُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا وَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا هُمْ فِي شِقَاقٍ ("So if they believe in the like of that in which you believe, then they are truly rightly guided; but if they turn away, then they are only in schism") [Sūrat al-Baqara: 137]. As:

   2512 — Mūsā related to me, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "and verily, those who differed concerning the Book are in a far-reaching schism" — he says: they are the Jews and the Christians. He says: they are in a far-reaching enmity. And I have already previously set forth the meaning of "schism" (shiqāq).

   * * *

   ---------------------------

   The footnotes:

   (42) See what has already preceded 1: 225-227 in the exposition of "dhālika" and "hādhā".

   (43) See what has already preceded in this volume 3: 115, 116.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ نَـزَّلَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي الْكِتَابِ لَفِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ (176) قال أبو جعفر: أما قوله: " ذلك بأن الله نـزل الكتاب بالحق "، فإنه اختلف في المعنيِّ ب " ذلك ". * * * فقال بعضهم: معنيُّ" ذلك "، فعلُهم هذا الذي يفعلون = من جراءتهم على عذاب النار، في مخالفتهم أمر الله، وكتمانهم الناسَ ما أنـزل الله في كتابه، وأمرَهم ببيانه لهم من أمر محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وأمر دينه = من أجل أن الله تبارك تعالى " نـزل الكتاب بالحق "، وتنـزيله الكتاب بالحق هو خبرُه عنهم في قوله لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنْذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنْذِرْهُمْ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ * خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ وَعَلَى أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ [سورة البقرة: 6-7] فهم -مع ما أخبر الله عنهم من أنهم لا يؤمنون- لا يكون منهم غيرُ اشتراء الضلالة بالهدى والعذاب بالمغفرة. وقال آخرون: معناه: " ذلك " معلومٌ لهم، بأن الله نـزل الكتاب بالحق، لأنّا قد أخبرنا في الكتاب أنّ ذلك لهم، والكتابُ حَق. كأن قائلي هذا القول كان تأويل الآية عندهم: ذلك العذاب = الذي قال الله تعالى ذكره، فما أصبرهم عليه = معلومٌ أنه لهم. لأن الله قد أخبر في مواضع من تنـزيله أن النار للكافرين, وتنـزيله حق, فالخبر عن " ذلك " عندهم مُضمر. * وقال آخرون: معنى " ذلك "، أن الله وصف أهل النار، فقال: فَمَا أَصْبَرَهُمْ عَلَى النَّارِ ، ثم قال: هذا العذاب بكفرهم. و " هذا " هاهنا عندهم، هي التي يجوز مكانها " ذلك "، (42) كأنه قال: فعلنا ذلك بأن الله نـزل الكتاب بالحق فكفروا به. قال: فيكون " ذلك " -إذا كان ذلك معناه- نصبًا، ويكون رفعًا بالباء. * * * قال أبو جعفر: وأولى الأقوال بتأويل الآية عندي: أن الله تعالى ذكره أشار بقوله: " ذلك "، إلى جميع ما حواه قوله: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنْـزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ ، إلى قوله: " ذلك بأن الله نـزل الكتاب بالحق "، من خبره عن أفعال أحبار اليهود، وذكره ما أعد لهم تعالى ذكره من العقاب على ذلك, فقال: هذا الذي فعلته هؤلاء الأحبارُ من اليهود = بكتمانهم الناسَ ما كتموا من أمر محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ونبوته مع علمهم به، طلبًا منهم لعرَض من الدنيا خسيس -وبخلافهم أمري وطاعتي= وذلك -من تركي تطهيرَهم وتزكيتهم وتكليمهم, وإعدادي لهم العذاب الأليم- بأني أنـزلت كتابي بالحق، فكفروا به واختلفوا فيه. فيكون في" ذلك " حينئذ وجهان من الإعراب: رفعٌ ونصب. والرفع ب " الباء ", والنصب بمعنى: فعلت ذلك بأني أنـزلت كتابي بالحق، فكفروا به واختلفوا فيه. وترك ذكر " فكفروا به واختلفوا "، اجتزاءً بدلالة ما ذكر من الكلام عليه. * * * وأما قوله: " وإنّ الذينَ اختلفوا في الكتاب لفي شقاق بعيد "، يعني بذلك اليهودَ والنصارى. اختلفوا في كتاب الله، فكفرت اليهودُ بما قصَّ الله فيه من قَصَص عيسى ابن مريم وأمه. وصَدقت النصارى ببعض ذلك، وكفروا ببعضه, وكفروا جميعًا بما أنـزل الله فيه من الأمر بتصديق محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم. فقال لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: إن هؤلاء الذين اختلفوا فيما أنـزلت إليك يا محمد لفي منازعة ومفارقة للحق بعيدة من الرشد والصواب, كما قال الله تعالى ذكره: فَإِنْ آمَنُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا وَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا هُمْ فِي شِقَاقٍ [سورة البقرة: 137] كما: 2512- حدثني موسى قال، حدثنا عمرو قال، حدثنا أسباط, عن السدي : " وإنّ الذين اختلفوا في الكتاب لفي شقاق بعيد "، يقول: هم اليهود والنصارى. يقول: هم في عَداوة بعيدة. وقد بَينتُ معنى " الشقاق "، فيما مضى. (43) * * * --------------------------- الهوامش : (42) انظر ما سلف 1 : 225-227 في بيان"ذلك" ، و"هذا" . (43) انظر ما سلف في هذا الجزء 3 : 115 ، 116 .