Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   Explanation of the words of the Exalted: وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ ("And kill them wherever you encounter them, and drive them out from where they drove you out").

   Abū Jaʿfar [al-Ṭabarī] said: By this the Exalted means: kill, O believers, those among the polytheists (mushrikīn) who wage war (qitāl) against you, wherever you encounter them in a condition in which you are able to overcome them and able to kill them. And that is the meaning of His words: "wherever you encounter them (ḥaythu thaqiftumūhum)".

   The meaning of "al-thiqfa" with regard to a matter is: to be skilled and sharp-sighted in it. One says: "He is truly thaqif laqif" when a man is well on his guard in battle and has keen perception of the places where killing can be done. As for "al-tathqīf", that has another meaning, namely the straightening (the bending into straightness).

   The meaning of "and kill them wherever you encounter them" is therefore: kill them in every place where you are able to kill them and where you have keen perception of the places where they can be killed.

   As for His words, "and drive them out from where they drove you out": by this are meant the emigrants (muhājirīn) who were driven out from their dwellings and houses in Mecca. The Exalted said to them: drive out those who wage war against you — and who drove you out of your dwellings — from their dwelling-places and houses, just as they drove you out from them.

   Explanation of the words of the Exalted: وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ ("And the tribulation (fitna) is worse than killing").

   Abū Jaʿfar said: By His words "and the fitna is worse than killing" the Exalted means: ascribing partners to Allah (shirk) is worse than killing.

   I have already explained earlier that the origin of "al-fitna" is trial and testing.

   The explanation of the statement is therefore: the trial of the believer in his religion, until he apostatizes from it and thus, after his Islam, becomes one who ascribes partners to Allah, is worse for him and more harmful than that he be killed while remaining steadfast in his religion, holding fast to it and adhering to the truth in it. As:

   3096 — 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, concerning the words of Allah: "and the fitna is worse than killing", he said: the believer's apostatizing to idolatry is worse for him than killing.

   3097 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, the same.

   3098 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words: "and the fitna is worse than killing", he says: shirk is worse than killing.

   3099 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, the same.

   3100 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār ibn al-Ḥasan, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: "and the fitna is worse than killing", he says: shirk is worse than killing.

   3101 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Zuhayr related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: "and the fitna is worse than killing", he said: shirk.

   3102 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, saying: Ibn Jurayj said: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Kathīr informed me, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His words: "and the fitna is worse than killing", he said: the fitna is shirk.

   3103 — It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, saying: I heard al-Faḍl ibn Khālid say: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān related to us, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: "and the fitna is worse than killing", he said: shirk is worse than killing.

   3104 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His words, exalted is His remembrance: "and the fitna is worse than killing", he said: the fitna of unbelief (kufr).

   Explanation of the words of the Exalted: وَلا تُقَاتِلُوهُمْ عِنْدَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ حَتَّى يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ فَإِنْ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوهُمْ كَذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ (191) ("And do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there; but if they fight you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the unbelievers") (2:191).

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The Qurʾān-reciters (qurrāʾ) differ concerning its reading.

   The combined Qurʾān-reciters of Medina and Mecca read it as: "wa-lā tuqātilūhum ʿinda l-masjidi l-ḥarāmi ḥattā yuqātilūkum fīhi fa-in qātalūkum fa-qtulūhum" ("and do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there; but if they fight you, then kill them"), in the meaning of: do not begin — O believers — the fighting against the polytheists at the Sacred Mosque, until they begin it against you; but if they begin against you there at the Sacred Mosque, in the sacred precinct (al-ḥaram), then kill them, for Allah has set as recompense for the unbelievers, for their unbelief and their evil deeds: being killed in this life and prolonged humiliation in the Hereafter. As:

   3105 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words: "and do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there": they used not to fight there until fighting was begun against them. Then this was abrogated (nasakha), and He said: وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ ("and fight them until there is no more fitna") — that is: until there is no more shirk — وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ لِلَّهِ ("and the religion belongs wholly to Allah") — that is: that it be said: there is no god but Allah. For this the prophet of Allah ﷺ fought, and to this he called.

   3106 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Al-Ḥajjāj ibn al-Minhāl related to us, saying: Hammām related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: "and do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there; but if they fight you, then kill them". Allah commanded His prophet ﷺ not to fight them at the Sacred Mosque, unless they began the fighting there. Then Allah abrogated that with His words: فَإِذَا انْسَلَخَ الأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ [Surah at-Tawba: 5] ("And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them"). Thus Allah commanded His prophet, when the term had passed, to fight them in the non-sacred area (al-ḥill) and in the sacred precinct (al-ḥaram) and at the House, until they would testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muḥammad is the messenger of Allah.

   3107 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār ibn al-Ḥasan, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, concerning His words: "and do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there": they used not to fight them there. Then this was abrogated, and He said: fight them until there is no more fitna.

   And some of them said: this is a firmly established verse (muḥkam), not abrogated (ghayr mansūkh).

   * Mention of who said that:

   3108 — Al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: "but if they fight you" in the sacred precinct, "then kill them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers" — do not fight anyone there, but whoever attacks you and fights you, fight him as he fights you.

   And most of the Qurʾān-reciters of Kūfa read that as: "wa-lā taqtulūhum ʿinda l-masjidi l-ḥarāmi ḥattā yaqtulūkum fīhi fa-in qatalūkum fa-qtulūhum" ("and do not kill them at the Sacred Mosque until they kill you there; but if they kill you, then kill them"), in the meaning of: do not begin to kill them until they begin it against you.

   * Mention of who said that:

   3109 — Al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥammād related to us, on the authority of Abū Ḥammād, on the authority of Ḥamza al-Zayyāt, he said: I said to al-Aʿmash: What do you think of your reading: "and do not kill them at the Sacred Mosque until they kill you there; but if they kill you, then kill them, such is the recompense of the unbelievers; but if they desist, then Allah is forgiving, merciful" — when they have killed them, how can those then [still] kill them? He said: When among the Arabs one man of them is killed, they say: "we are killed", and when one man of them is struck, they say: "we are struck".

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The correct of these two readings is the reading of him who read: "and do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there; but if they fight you, then kill them", because Allah, exalted is His remembrance, did not, in any condition — when the polytheists fought against them — command His prophet ﷺ and his companions to surrender themselves to them until they had first made one slain among themselves, after the fighting against them had already been permitted to Him and to them. So that the reading containing the permission to kill them only after they have killed someone of them would not have preference over the reading which we have chosen. And if that is so, then it is known that He, exalted is His remembrance, had already permitted them to fight against them when the beginning of the fighting came from the polytheists — both before they had killed anyone of them and after they had killed anyone of them.

   And Allah, exalted is His remembrance, abrogated this verse with His words: وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ ("and fight them until there is no more fitna"), and with His words: فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ [Surah at-Tawba: 5] ("kill the polytheists wherever you find them") and the like of these verses.

   We have already mentioned a part of the statement of him who said that it is abrogated, and we shall mention the statement of whoever comes to our mind among those not yet named.

   3110 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq related to us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda: "and do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there", he said: it was abrogated by His words: فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ ("kill the polytheists wherever you find them").

   3111 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His words: "and do not fight them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight you there", he said: until they begin against you. This had been made forbidden, after which Allah permitted that to him; and it remained established until Allah thereafter commanded him to fight them.

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   Footnotes:

   (1) This is a verbal noun (maṣdar) which I have not found in the lexicographical works; it is, as I vocalized it, with a kasra on the thāʾ according to the pattern of "ḥikma" and "nishda". What is mentioned [in the works] is: "thaqifa l-shayʾa thaqfan wa-thiqāfan wa-thuqūfatan".

   (2) See what preceded, 2: 444.

   (3) The report 3109 — ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Ḥammād Sukayn al-Kūfī: Ibn al-Jazarī devoted a biographical notice to him in Ṭabaqāt al-qurrāʾ 1: 369-370, and mentions that he took the Qurʾān-reading from Ḥamza al-Zayyāt, "and he is one of those who succeeded him in undertaking the Qurʾān-reading".

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ وَأَخْرِجُوهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ أَخْرَجُوكُمْ قال أبو جعفر: يعني تعالى ذكره بذلك: واقتلوا أيها المؤمنون الذين يقاتلونكم من المشركين حيث أصبتم مَقاتلهم وأمكنكم قتلهم، وذلك هو معنى قوله: " حيث ثقفتموهم ". * * * ومعنى " الثِّقْفَة " بالأمر (1) الحِذق به والبصر، يقال: " إنه لثَقِفَ لَقفٌ"، إذا كان جيد الحَذر في القتال، بصيرا بمواقع القتل. وأما " التَّثْقيف " فمعنى غير هذا، وهو التقويم. * * * فمعنى: " واقتلوهم حيث ثقفتموهم "، اقتلوهم في أي مكان تمكنتم من قتلهم، وأبصرتم مقاتلهم. * * * &; 3-565 &; وأما قوله: " وأخرجوهم من حيث أخرجوكم " فإنه يُعنى بذلك المهاجرين الذين أخرجوا من ديارهم ومنازلهم بمكة، فقال لهم تعالى ذكره: أخرجوا هؤلاء الذين يقاتلونكم - وقد أخرجوكم من دياركم - من مساكنهم وديارهم كما أخرجوكم منها. * * * القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَالْفِتْنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ الْقَتْلِ قال أبو جعفر: يعني تعالى ذكره بقوله: " والفتنة أشد من القتل "، والشرك بالله أشدُّ من القتل. * * * وقد بينت فيما مضى أن أصل " الفتنة " الابتلاءُ والاختبار (2) * * * فتأويل الكلام: وابتلاء المؤمن في دينه حتى يرجعَ عنه فيصير مشركا بالله من بعد إسلامه، أشدُّ عليه وأضرُّ من أن يُقتل مقيمًا على دينه متمسكا عليه، مُحقًّا فيه. كما: 3096 - حدثني محمد بن عمرو قال، حدثنا أبو عاصم قال، حدثنا عيسى، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد في قول الله: " والفتنة أشدُّ من القتل " قال: ارتداد المؤمن إلى الوَثن أشدُّ عليه من القتل. 3097- حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا أبو حذيفة قال، حدثنا شبل، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد مثله. 3098 - حدثنا بشر بن معاذ، قال: حدثنا يزيد قال، حدثنا سعيد، عن قتادة قوله: " والفتنة أشدُّ من القتل " يقول: الشرك أشدُّ من القتل. &; 3-566 &; 3099- حدثنا الحسن بن يحيى، قال، أخبرنا عبد الرزاق، قال، أخبرنا معمر، عن قتادة مثله. 3100- حدثت عن عمار بن الحسن، قال، حدثنا ابن أبي جعفر، عن أبيه، عن الربيع: " والفتنة أشدُّ من القتل " يقول: الشرك أشدُّ من القتل. 3101 - حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا إسحاق قال، حدثنا أبو زهير، عن جويبر، عن الضحاك: " والفتنة أشدُّ من القتل " قال: الشرك. 3102- حدثنا القاسم قال، حدثنا الحسين، قال، حدثني حجاج، قال، قال ابن جريج، أخبرني عبد الله بن كثير، عن مجاهد في قوله: " والفتنة أشدُّ من القتل " قال: الفتنة الشركُ. 3103- حدثت عن الحسين بن الفرج، قال، سمعت الفضل بن خالد قال، حدثنا عبيد بن سليمان، عن الضحاك: " والفتنة أشدُّ من القتل " قال: الشرك أشدُّ من القتل. 3104- حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال، قال ابن زيد في قوله جل ذكره: " والفتنة أشدُّ من القتل " قال: فتنة الكفر. * * * القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَلا تُقَاتِلُوهُمْ عِنْدَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ حَتَّى يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِيهِ فَإِنْ قَاتَلُوكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوهُمْ كَذَلِكَ جَزَاءُ الْكَافِرِينَ (191) قال أبو جعفر: والقَرَأةُ مختلفة في قراءة ذلك. فقرأته عامَّة قراء المدينة ومكة: " ولا تُقاتلوهم عندَ المسجد الحرام حتى يُقاتلوكم فيه فإن قاتلوكم فاقتلوهم " بمعنى: ولا تبتدئوا - أيها المؤمنون - &; 3-567 &; المشركين بالقتال عند المسجد الحرام، حتى يبدءوكم به، فإن بدءوكم به هناك عند المسجد الحرَام في الحرم، فاقتلوهم، فإن الله جعل ثَواب الكافرين على كفرهم وأعمالهم السيئة، القتلُ في الدنيا، والخزي الطويل في الآخرة، كما: 3105- حدثنا بشر بن معاذ قال، حدثنا يزيد قال، حدثنا سعيد، عن قتادة قوله: " ولا تقاتلوهم عندَ المسجد الحرام حتى يُقاتلوكم فيه " كانوا لا يُقاتلون فيه حتى يُبدأوا بالقتال، ثم نسخ بعدُ ذلك فقال: وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ = حتى لا يكون شركٌ = وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ لِلَّهِ = أن يقال: لا إله إلا الله، عليها قاتل نبيُّ الله، وإليها دعا. 3106- حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا الحجاج بن المنهال قال، حدثنا همام، عن قتادة: " ولا تقاتلوهم عند المسجد الحرام حتى يقاتلوكم فيه فإن قاتلوكم فاقتلوهم "، فأمر الله نبيَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم أن لا يقاتلهم عند المسجد الحرام إلا أن يبدءوا فيه بقتال، ثم نسخ الله ذلك بقوله: فَإِذَا انْسَلَخَ الأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ [سورة التوبة: 5] فأمر الله نبيَّه إذا انقضى الأجل أن يقاتلهم في الحِلِّ والحرَم وعند البيت، حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله، وأنّ محمدا رسولُ الله. 3107- حدثت عن عمار بن الحسن قال، حدثنا عبد الله بن أبي جعفر، عن أبيه، عن الربيع قوله: " ولا تقاتلوهم عند المسجد الحرام حتى يقاتلوكم فيه " فكانوا لا يقاتلونهم فيه، ثم نسخ ذلك بعدُ فقال: قاتلوهم حتى لا تكون فتنة. * * * وقال بعضُهم: هذه آيةٌ محكمة غيرُ منسوخة. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 3108- حدثنا المثنى قال، حدثنا أبو حذيفة قال، حدثنا شبل، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد: " فإن قاتلوكم " في الحرم فَاقتلوهم كذلك جزاءُ الكافرين، &; 3-568 &; لا تقاتل أحدا فيه، فمن عَدا عليك فقاتلك فقاتِله كما يقاتلك. * * * وقرأ ذلك عُظْم قراء الكوفيين: " ولا تَقْتلوهم عند المسجد الحرامَ حتى يَقْتلوكم فيه فإن قَتلوكم فاقتلوهم " بمعنى: ولا تبدأوهم بقتل حتى يبدأوكم به. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 3109 - حدثنا المثنى قال، حدثنا إسحاق قال، حدثنا عبد الرحمن بن أبي حماد، عن أبي حماد، عن حمزة الزيات قال: قلت للأعمش: أرأيت قراءتك: " ولا تَقتلوهم عند المسجد الحرام حتى يَقتلوكم فيه فإن قَتلوكم فاقتلوهم كذلك جَزاءُ الكافرين فإن انتهوا فإن الله غفورٌ رَحيم "، إذا قَتلوهم كيف يقتلونهم؟ قال: إن العرب إذا قُتل منهم رجل قالوا: " قُتلنا "، وإذا ضُرب منهم رجل قالوا: " ضربنا " (3) . * * * قال أبو جعفر: وأولى هاتين القراءتين بالصواب، قراءةُ من قرأ: " ولا تُقاتلوهم عند المسجد الحرامَ حتى يقاتلوكم فيه فإن قاتلوكم فاقتلوهم " لأن الله تعالى ذكره لم يأمر نبيَّه صلى الله عليه وسلم وأصحابه في حالٍ = إذا قاتلهم المشركون = بالاستسلام لهم حتى يَقتلوا منهم قتيلا بعد ما أذن لَهُ ولهم بقتالهم، فتكونَ القراءة بالإذن بقتلهم بعد أن يَقتلوا منهم، أولى من القراءة بما اخترنا. وإذا كان ذلك كذلك، فمعلومٌ أنه قد كان تعالى ذكره أذِن لهم بقتالهم إذا كان ابتداء القتال من المشركين قَبل أن يقتلوا منهم قتيلا وبعد أن يقتلوا منهم قتيلا. وقد نسخ الله تعالى ذكره هذه الآية بقوله: وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّى لا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ ، &; 3-569 &; وقوله: فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ [سورة التوبة: 5] ونحو ذلك من الآيات. * * * وقد ذكرنا بعضَ قول من قال هي منسوخة، وسنذكر قول من حضرنا ذكرُه ممن لم يُذكر. 3110 - حدثنا الحسن بن يحيى قال، حدثنا عبد الرزاق، قال: أخبرنا معمر، عن قتادة: " ولا تُقاتلوهم عندَ المسجد الحرام حتى يقاتلوكم فيه " قال: نسخها قوله: فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ . 3111- حدثني يونس، قال، أخبرنا ابن وهب قال، قال ابن زيد في قوله: " ولا تقاتلوهم عند المسجد الحرام حتى يُقاتلوكم فيه " قال: حتى يبدأوكم، كان هذا قد حُرِّم فأحل الله ذلك له، فلم يزل ثابتا حتى أمره الله بقتالهم بعدُ. -------------------- الهوامش : (1) هذا مصدر لم أجده في كتب اللغة ، وكأنه كما ضبطته بكسر الثاء على وزن"حكمة ونشدة" . والذي ذكروه : "ثقف الشيء ثقفا وثقافا وثقوفة" . (2) انظر ما سلف 2 : 444 . (3) الخبر : 3109- عبد الرحمن بن أبي حماد سكين الكوفي : ترجمه ابن الجزري في طبقات القراء 1 : 369-370 ، وذكر أنه أخذ القراءة عن حمزة الزيات ، "وهو أحد الذين خلفوه في القيام بالقراءة" .