Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The statement concerning the explanation of His saying — exalted be His mention —: سَلْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَمْ آتَيْنَاهُمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ بَيِّنَةٍ (Ask the Children of Israel how many clear signs We have given them)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: By this He means — exalted be His praise —: Ask, O Muḥammad, the Children of Israel — those who expect nothing other, instead of turning to obedience to Me and returning to Me in repentance by acknowledging your prophethood and confirming you in that which you have brought them from Me, than that I should come to them in shadows of clouds, accompanied by My angels, after which I would render final judgment between you and whoever believed in you and confirmed you in that which I sent down to you of My books, and in that which I prescribed for you and for them of the laws of My religion — and [ask] them: how many a sign and proof did I bring them before you, with regard to that which I imposed upon them of obligations and commanded them of obedience to Me, and what proofs did I cause to follow one upon another for them through the hands of My prophets and messengers before you — proofs that supported them in their truthfulness, that made clear that they came from Me, that were clear as belonging to My indications of the truthfulness of My warners and My messengers, in that which I made obligatory upon them of confirming them and confirming you. Yet they denied My proofs, gave the lie to My messengers, altered My favors toward them, and changed My covenant and My command to them.

   * * *

   As for the word "the sign" (al-āya), I have already explained it sufficiently earlier in our book.¹ And here it means, as:

   4040 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the saying of Allah — Mighty and Exalted —: "Ask the Children of Israel how many clear signs We have given them": that which Allah has mentioned in the Qurʾān and that which He has not mentioned, and they are the Jews.

   4041 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, he said: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, his saying: "Ask the Children of Israel how many clear signs We have given them", he says: Allah gave them clear signs: the staff of Mūsā and his hand, and He cleaved the sea for them, and drowned their enemy while they looked on, and He shaded them with the clouds, and sent down upon them the manna and the quails. That is among the signs of Allah which He gave to the Children of Israel, besides many other signs, with which they nonetheless transgressed the command of Allah: they killed the prophets of Allah and His messengers, and they changed His covenant and His command to them. Allah said: وَمَنْ يُبَدِّلْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ (And whoever changes the favor of Allah after it has come to him — verily, Allah is severe in punishment).

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah informed His prophet of these signs only, and commanded him to be patient toward whoever gave him the lie and arrogantly exalted himself against his Lord, and He told him that the like of that was also done by the predecessors of the communities before them toward their prophets — despite the proofs with which He strengthened them against them — and that those among them who are from the Jews are merely remnants of those who were wont to do such things, namely those whose stories were related to him from the Children of Israel.²

   * * *

   The statement concerning the explanation of His saying — exalted be He —: وَمَنْ يُبَدِّلْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ (211) (And whoever changes the favor of Allah after it has come to him — verily, Allah is severe in punishment) (211)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: By "the favor" (al-niʿma) He means — exalted be His praise —: Islam and that which He has prescribed of the laws of His religion.

   And by His saying "and whoever changes the favor of Allah" He means: and whoever alters that which he promised Allah concerning His favor that is Islam³ — namely acting upon it and entering into it — and thus denies it, verily, He will punish him with the punishment that He has held out in prospect for whoever denies it. And Allah is severe in His punishment, painful in His torment.

   * * *

   The explanation of the verse is thus: O you who have believed in the Torah and have thus confirmed it, enter all of you into Islam and abandon disbelief (kufr) and that to which Satan has called you of his error; for the clear proofs have come to you from Me by means of Muḥammad, and the proofs and lessons which I have shown you through his hands. Therefore do not change My covenant to you concerning that, nor that which has come to you from Me in your book: that he is a prophet and My messenger. For whoever among you changes that and thus alters it — verily, I will punish him with the painful punishment.

   And in accordance with what we have said concerning His saying "and whoever changes the favor of Allah after it has come to him", a group of the people of interpretation has spoken.

   * Mention of who said that:

   4042 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His saying: "and whoever changes the favor of Allah after it has come to him", he said: he denies it.

   4043 — Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, something similar.

   4044 — Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, he said: ʿAmr ibn Ḥammād related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "and whoever changes the favor of Allah", he said: he says: whoever changes it for disbelief (kufr).

   4045 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, on the authority of Ibn Abī Jaʿfar, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ: "and whoever changes the favor of Allah after it has come to him", he says: and whoever denies His favor after it has come to him.

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   Footnotes:

   (1) See what was said earlier about the meaning of "al-āya" (the sign) at 1:106, then 2:397–398, 553, then 3:184. And the meaning of "bayyina" (clear) at 2:318, 397, then 3:249, and in this volume 4:259, 260.

   (2) What is between brackets is an addition, which I fear is necessary so that the text becomes coherent.

   (3) See the meaning of "al-tabdīl" (the changing) in what was said earlier at 3:396.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله عز ذكره : سَلْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ كَمْ آتَيْنَاهُمْ مِنْ آيَةٍ بَيِّنَةٍ قال أبو جعفر: يعني بذلك جل ثناؤه: سل يا محمد بني إسرائيل = الذين لا ينتظرون - بالإنابة إلى طاعتي، والتوبة إليّ بالإقرار بنبوتك وتصديقك فيما جئتهم به من عندي- إلا إن آتيهم في ظلل من الغمام وملائكتي، فأفصلُ القضاء بينك وبين من آمن بك وصدَّقك بما أنـزلت إليك من كتبي، وفرضت &; 4-271 &; عليك وعليهم من شرائع ديني، وبينهم = كم جئتهم به من قبلك من آية وعلامة، على ما فرضتُ عليهم من فرائضي، فأمرتهم به من طاعتي، وتابعتُ عليهم من حججي على أيدي أنبيائي ورسلي من قبلك، مؤيِّدةً لهم على صدقهم، بيِّنةً أنها من عندي، واضحةً أنها من أدلتي على صدق نُذُري ورُسلي فيما افترضت عليهم من تصديقهم وتصديقك، فكفروا حُجَجي، وكذَّبوا رسلي، وغيَّروا نعمي قِبَلهم، وبدَّلوا عهدي ووصيتي إليهم. * * * وأما " الآية "، فقد بينت تأويلها فيما مضى من كتابنا بما فيه الكفاية (1) وهي ها هنا. ما:- 4040 - حدثنا محمد بن عمرو، قال: حدثنا أبو عاصم، عن عيسى، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد في قول الله عز وجل: " سل بني إسرائيل كم آتيناهم من آيه بينة "، ما ذكر الله في القرآن وما لم يذكر، وهم اليهود. 4041 - حدثت عن عمار، قال: حدثنا ابن أبي جعفر، عن أبيه، عن الربيع قوله: " سل بني إسرائيل كم آتيناهم من آيه بينة "، يقول: آتاهم الله آيات بينات: عصا موسى ويده، وأقطعهم البحر، وأغرق عدوَّهم وهم ينظرون، وظلَّل عليهم الغمام، وأنـزل عليهم المنّ والسلوى، وذلك من آيات الله التي آتاها بني إسرائيل في آيات كثيرة غيرها، خالفوا معها أمر الله، فقتلوا أنبياء الله ورسله، وبدلوا عهده ووصيته إليهم، قال الله: وَمَنْ يُبَدِّلْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ . * * * قال أبو جعفر: وإنما أنبأ الله نبيه بهذه الآيات، فأمره بالصبر على من كذَّبه، واستكبر على ربه، وأخبره أنّ ذلك فعل من قبْله من أسلاف الأمم قبلهم بأنبيائهم، &; 4-272 &; مع مظاهرته عليهم الحجج، وأنّ من هو بين أظهُرهم من اليهودِ إنما هم من بقايا من جرت عادتهم [بذلك]، ممن قص عليه قصصهم من بني إسرائيل. (2) * * * القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَمَنْ يُبَدِّلْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ (211) قال أبو جعفر: يعني" بالنعم " جل ثناؤه: الإسلام وما فرض من شرائع دينه. ويعني بقوله: " ومن يُبدّل نعمة الله " ومن يغير ما عاهد الله في نعمته التي هي الإسلام، (3) من العمل والدخول فيه فيكفر به، فإنه مُعاقبه بما أوْعد على الكفر به من العقوبة، والله شديدٌ عقابه، أليم عذابه. * * * فتأويل الآية إذًا يا أيها الذين آمنوا بالتوراة فصَدَّقوا بها، ادخلوا في الإسلام جميعًا، ودعوا الكفر، وما دعاكم إليه الشيطان من ضلالته، وقد جاءتكم البينات من عندي بمحمد، وما أظهرت على يديه لكم من الحجج والعِبَرِ، فلا تبدِّلوا عهدي إليكم فيه وفيما جاءكم به من عندي في كتابكم بأنه نبي ورسولي، فإنه من يبدِّل ذلك منكم فيغيره فإنى له معاقب بالأليم من العقوبة. وبمثل الذي قلنا في قوله: " ومن يبدِّل نعمة الله من بعد ما جاءته "، قال جماعة من أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: &; 4-273 &; 4042- حدثني محمد بن عمرو، قال: حدثنا أبو عاصم، قال: حدثنا عيسى، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد في قوله: " ومن يبدِّل نعمة الله من بعد ما جاءته "، قال: يكفر بها. 4043 - حدثنا القاسم، قال: حدثنا الحسين، قال: حدثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج، عن مجاهد، مثله. 4044 - حدثني موسى بن هارون، قال: حدثنا عمرو بن حماد، قال: حدثنا أسباط، عن السدي: " ومن يبدِّل نعمة الله "، قال: يقول: من يبدِّلها كفرًا. 4045 - حدثت عن عمار، عن ابن أبي جعفر، عن أبيه، عن الربيع " ومن يبدِّل نعمة الله من بعد ما جاءته "، يقول: ومن يكفُر نعمتَه من بعد ما جاءته. --------------------- الهوامش : (1) انظر ما سلف معنى"الآية" 1 : 106/ ثم 2 : 397- 398 ، 553/ ثم 3 : 184 . ومعنى"بينة" في 2 : 318 ، 397/ ثم 3 : 249/ وهذا الجزء 4 : 259 ، 260 . (2) ما بين القوسين زيادة ، أخشى أن تكون لازمة حتى يستقيم الكلام . (3) انظر معنى"التبديل" فيما سلف 3 : 396 .