Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The discourse on the explanation of His exalted statement: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ (278)

   (O you who believe, fear Allah and give up what remains of usury (ribā), if you are believers) (278)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: He — exalted be His praise — means by it: "O you who believe," that is: you who have held Allah and His Messenger to be true = "fear Allah," He says: fear Allah for the sake of your own souls, so fear Him by obeying Him in what He has commanded you and by refraining from what He has forbidden you = "and give up," that is: and relinquish = "what remains of usury (ribā)," He says: leave off demanding what still remains owed to you of the surplus above your capitals (the principal sums) that belonged to you before you levied usury upon it = "if you are believers," He says: if you are those who make true your faith (īmān) in word and your affirmation of belief with your tongues, by means of your deeds.²⁵

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: And it has been mentioned that this verse was revealed concerning a people who had converted to Islam, while they had owing to them from another people sums of wealth from usury (ribā) that they had levied upon them. They had already collected a portion of it from them, and a portion still remained. Then Allah — exalted be His praise — granted them forgiveness for what they had already collected before the revelation of this verse,²⁶ and He forbade them from demanding what remained of it.

   * Mention of who said that:

   6258 — Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "O you who believe, fear Allah and give up what remains of usury (ribā)," up to: وَلا تُظْلَمُونَ (and you will not be wronged). He said: This verse was revealed concerning al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and a man from the Banū al-Mughīra. The two of them had been partners in the Jāhiliyya (the time before Islam), who used to lend with usury (ribā) to some people from Thaqīf, from the Banū ʿAmr =²⁷ and they are the Banū ʿAmr ibn ʿUmayr. Then Islam came, while the two of them had enormous sums of wealth owing to them in usury. Then Allah revealed: "Give up what remains" of the surplus that had arisen in the Jāhiliyya = "of usury (ribā)."

   6259 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning His statement: "O you who believe, fear Allah and give up what remains of usury (ribā), if you are believers," he said: Thaqīf had made peace with the Prophet ﷺ on the condition that the usury (ribā) which they had owing to them at the charge of the people, and the usury (ribā) which the people had owing to them at their charge, would be remitted. When the Conquest (of Mecca) took place, he appointed ʿAttāb ibn Asīd over Mecca. The Banū ʿAmr ibn ʿUmayr ibn ʿAwf used to collect usury (ribā) from the Banū al-Mughīra, and the Banū al-Mughīra used to pay usury to them in the Jāhiliyya. Then Islam came, while they had owing to them from them much money. The Banū ʿAmr came to them and demanded their usury, but the Banū al-Mughīra refused to pay them in Islam. They brought that matter before ʿAttāb ibn Asīd, and ʿAttāb wrote to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Then was revealed: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ * فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ (O you who believe, fear Allah and give up what remains of usury (ribā), if you are believers * And if you do not do so, then take notice of a war from Allah and His Messenger), up to وَلا تُظْلَمُونَ (and you will not be wronged). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ wrote this to ʿAttāb and said: "If they are content (and submit to it, well and good); if not, then declare war upon them." = And Ibn Jurayj said, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning His statement: "Fear Allah and give up what remains of usury (ribā)," he said: They used to collect usury (ribā) from the Banū al-Mughīra. It is claimed that they were Masʿūd, ʿAbd Yālīl, Ḥabīb, and Rabīʿa, the sons of ʿAmr ibn ʿUmayr; they are the ones who had usury (ribā) owing to them at the charge of the Banū al-Mughīra. Then ʿAbd Yālīl, Ḥabīb, Rabīʿa, Hilāl, and Masʿūd converted to Islam.²⁸

   6260 — Yaḥyā ibn Abī Ṭālib related to me, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Juwaybir related to us, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning His statement: "Fear Allah and give up what remains of usury (ribā), if you are believers," he said: It was usury (ribā) with which they traded in the Jāhiliyya. When they converted to Islam, they were commanded to take (only) their capitals (the principal sums).

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   Footnotes:

   (25) His statement "by means of your deeds" connects with his statement "those who make true …," that is: those who make it true by means of your deeds.

   (26) In the manuscript it reads: "for what they had already demanded …," which is erroneous; the correct reading is what appears in the printed edition.

   (27) In the manuscript and the printed edition it reads: "used to lend in usury to some people …" in the perfect past tense; the correct reading is what I have established on the basis of al-Durr al-manthūr 1:366 and al-Baghawī (in the margin of Ibn Kathīr) 2:63. Al-salaf (with two fatḥas) means: the loan. The verb is: aslafa and sallafa (with doubling of the lām).

   (28) The narration 6259 — see what al-Ḥāfiẓ said in al-Iṣāba in the biography of "Hilāl al-Thaqafī." He said: "As for the mention of the peace agreement with Thaqīf before his statement 'When the Conquest took place,' there is something to be remarked upon regarding it; I have mentioned its explanation in Asbāb al-nuzūl."

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ (278) قال أبو جعفر: يعني جل ثناؤه بذلك: " يا أيها الذين آمنوا "، صدّقوا بالله وبرسوله=" اتقوا الله "، يقول: خافوا الله على أنفسكم، فاتقوه بطاعته فيما أمركم به، والانتهاء عما نهاكم عنه=" وذروا "، يعني: ودعوا=" ما بقي من الربا "، يقول: اتركوا طلب ما بقي لكم من فَضْل على رءوس أموالكم التي كانت لكم قبل أن تُربوا عليها =" إن كنتم مؤمنين "، يقول: إن كنتم محققين إيمانكم قولا وتصديقكم بألسنتكم، بأفعالكم. (25) . * * * قال أبو جعفر: وذكر أن هذه الآية نـزلت في قوم أسلموا ولهم على قوم أموالٌ من رباً كانوا أرْبوه عليهم، فكانوا قد قبضوا بعضَه منهم، وبقي بعضٌ، فعفا الله جل ثناؤه لهم عما كانوا قد قبضوه قبل نـزول هذه الآية، (26) وحرّم عليهم اقتضاءَ ما بقي منه. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 6258 - حدثني موسى بن هارون قال، حدثنا عمرو قال، حدثنا أسباط، عن السدي: " يا أيها الذين آمنوا اتقوا الله وذروا ما بقي من الربا " إلى: وَلا تُظْلَمُونَ ، قال: نـزلت هذه الآية في العباس بن عبد المطلب ورجلٍ من بني المغيرة، كانا &; 6-23 &; شريكين في الجاهلية، يُسلِفان في الرِّبا إلى أناس من ثقيف من بني عمرو = (27) وهم بنو عمرو بن عمير، فجاء الإسلام ولهما أموال عظيمة في الربا، فأنـزل الله " ذروا ما بقي" من فضل كان في الجاهلية =" من الربا ". 6259 - حدثنا القاسم قال، حدثنا الحسين قال، حدثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج قوله: " يا أيها الذين آمنوا اتقوا الله وذروا ما بقي من الرّبا إن كنتم مؤمنين "، قال: كانت ثقيف قد صالحت النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم على أنّ ما لهم من ربًا على الناس وما كان للناس عليهم من ربًا فهو موضوع. فلما كان الفتحُ، استعمل عتَّاب بن أسِيد على مكةَ، وكانت بنو عمرو بن عُمير بن عوف يأخذون الرِّبا من بني المغيرة، وكانت بنو المغيرة يُرْبون لهم في الجاهلية، فجاء الإسلام ولهم عليهم مال كثير. فأتاهم بنو عمرو يطلبون رباهم، فأبي بنو المغيرة أن يعطوهم في الإسلام، ورفعوا ذلك إلى عتّاب بن أسيد، فكتب عتّاب إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فنـزلت: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَذَرُوا مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الرِّبَا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ * فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا فَأْذَنُوا بِحَرْبٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ، إلى وَلا تُظْلَمُونَ . فكتب بها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى عتّاب وقال: " إن رَضوا وإلا فآذنهم بحرب " = وقال ابن جريج، عن عكرمة، قوله: " اتقوا الله وذروا ما بقي من الرّبا "، قال: كانوا يأخذون الرّبا على بني المغيرة، يزعمون أنهم مسعود وعبد ياليل وحبيب وربيعة، بنو عمرو بن عمير، فهم الذين كان لهم الرّبا على بني المغيرة، فأسلم عبد ياليل وحَبيب وربيعة وهلالٌ ومسعود. (28) 6260 - حدثني يحيى بن أبي طالب، قال: حدثنا يزيد، قال: حدثنا جويبر، &; 6-24 &; عن الضحاك في قوله: " اتقوا الله وذروا ما بقي من الرّبا إن كنتم مؤمنين "، قال: كان ربًا يتبايعون به في الجاهلية، فلما أسلموا أمِروا أن يأخذوا رؤوس أموالهم. ------------ الهوامش : (25) قوله : "بأفعالكم" متعلق بقوله : "محققين . . . " ، أي محققين ذلك بأفعالكم . (26) في المخطوطة : "عما كان قد اقتضوه . . . " ، وهو فاسد ، والصواب ما في المطبوعة . (27) في المخطوطة والمطبوعة : "سلفا في الربا إلى أناس . . . " بالفعل الماضي ، والصواب ما أثبت من الدر المنثور 1 : 366 ، والبغوي (بهامش ابن كثير) 2 : 63 . والسلف (بفتحتين) : القرض . والفعل : أسلف وسلف (بتشديد اللام) . (28) الأثر : 6259- انظر ما قاله الحافظ في الإصابة في ترجمة"هلال الثقفي" . وقال : "وفي ذكر مصالحة ثقيف قبل قوله : "فلما كان الفتح" نظر ، ذكرت توجيهه في أسباب النزول" .