Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The discourse on the explanation of His statement, the Exalted: فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا ("Then We said: Strike it with a part of her")

   Abū Jaʿfar said: He — exalted is His mention — means by His statement: "Then We said to the people of Mūsā, those who disputed with one another over the slain man — whose matter we have already described earlier —: Strike the slain man." And the "hāʾ" (the suffix) in His statement (اضربوه — "strike him") refers to the slain man; (ببعضها — "with a part of her") means: with a part of the cow which Allah had commanded them to slaughter, whereupon they slaughtered her.

   * * *

   Then the scholars (ʿulamāʾ) differed concerning the part of the cow with which the slain man was struck, and which bodily part of her that was. Some of them said: the slain man was struck with the thighbone of the cow.

   * Mention of who said that:

   1305 — 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, who said: He was struck with the thighbone of the cow, whereupon he stood up alive and said: "So-and-so killed me." Then he returned to his death.

   1306 — 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, who said: He was struck with the thighbone of the cow. Then he mentioned the same as above.

   1307 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Jābir ibn Nūḥ related to us, on the authority of al-Naḍr ibn ʿArabī, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning (فقلنا اضربوه ببعضها — "Then We said: Strike him with a part of her"), he said: with her thighbone; and when he was struck with it, he came back to life and said: "So-and-so killed me." Then he returned to his condition.

   1308 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Khālid ibn Yazīd, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: The man was struck with her thighbone, whereupon he stood up alive and said: "So-and-so killed me." Then he returned to his death.

   1309 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, saying: Ayyūb said, on the authority of Ibn Sīrīn, on the authority of ʿUbayda: They struck the slain man with a part of her flesh — and Maʿmar said, on the authority of Qatāda —: They struck him with the flesh of the thighbone, whereupon he came back to life and said: "So-and-so killed me."

   1310 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, who said: It has been mentioned to us that they struck him with her thighbone, whereupon Allah brought him to life and he told who the murderer was who had killed him, and he spoke and then died.

   * * *

   And others said: the part of her with which he was struck was the piece of flesh between the two shoulder blades.

   * Mention of who said that:

   1311 — Mūsā related to me, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning (فقلنا اضربوه ببعضها — "Then We said: Strike him with a part of her"): they struck him with the piece of flesh between the two shoulder blades, whereupon he came back to life. They asked him: "Who killed you?" He said to them: "The son of my brother."

   And others said: that with which they were commanded to strike him was a bone of her bones.

   * Mention of who said that:

   1312 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Ādam related to us, saying: Abū Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya, who said: Mūsā commanded them to take a bone of hers and to strike the slain man with it. They did so, whereupon his soul returned to him and he named his murderer by name to them, and then he returned dead as he had been. Then his murderer was seized — and that was the one who had come to Mūsā and complained to him — and Allah killed him for his most evil deed.

   * * *

   And others said that concerning which:—

   1313 — Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said: They struck the dead man with a part of her limbs, and behold, there he was sitting upright. They said: "Who killed you?" He said: "The son of my brother." He said: And he had killed him and cast him upon that tribe, because he wished to obtain his blood money (diya).

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: And the correct of what may be said concerning the explanation of His statement, in our judgment: (فقلنا اضربوه ببعضها — "Then We said: Strike him with a part of her"), is that one says: Allah — exalted is His praise — commanded them to strike the slain man with a part of the cow, so that the one struck would come to life. There is in the verse no indication, nor [in] any report upon which a proof can be established, concerning which of her parts it was with which the people were commanded to strike the slain man. It is possible that that with which they were commanded to strike him was the thighbone, and it is possible that it was the tail, or the cartilage of the shoulder, or some other of her parts. Ignorance of what exactly they struck the slain man with does not harm, and knowledge of it does not benefit, so long as one acknowledges that the people struck the slain man with a part of the cow after they had slaughtered her, and that Allah brought him to life.

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: If someone asks: What was the meaning of the command to strike the slain man with a part of her? — then the answer is: so that he would come to life and thereby inform the prophet of Allah, Mūsā ﷺ, and those who disputed about him, concerning his murderer.

   If someone asks: But where is the report that Allah — exalted is His praise — commanded them this for that purpose? — then the answer is: that has been omitted, since it was sufficient to indicate by that which is mentioned in the words and which points to it — in accordance with what we have previously mentioned regarding similar cases. And the meaning of the words is: Then We said: Strike him with a part of her so that he may come to life, whereupon they struck him and he came back to life — as He, exalted is His praise, said: أَنِ اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْبَحْرَ فَانْفَلَقَ [al-Shuʿarāʾ: 63] ("Strike the sea with your staff; then it parted"), the meaning of which is: then he struck and it parted. To this points His statement: كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ ("Thus does Allah bring the dead to life and show you His signs, that you might understand").

   * * *

   The discourse on the explanation of His statement, the Exalted: كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى ("Thus does Allah bring the dead to life")

   Abū Jaʿfar said: And His statement (كذلك يحيي الله الموتى — "Thus does Allah bring the dead to life") is an address from Allah to His believing servants, and an argument from Him against the polytheists (mushrikīn) who deny the resurrection, and a command to them to take a lesson from what He — exalted is His praise — has accomplished by bringing to life the slain man of the children of Israel after his death in this world. He thus said to them — exalted is His mention —: O you who deny the resurrection after death, take a lesson from My bringing this slain man to life after his death, for just as I brought him to life in this world, so do I bring the dead to life after their death, and raise them up on the Day of Resurrection.

   And He — exalted is His mention — adduced this as a proof against the polytheists among the Arabs only, even though they were an unlettered people without Scripture, because those who possessed knowledge of that among the children of Israel were in their midst, and these verses were revealed among them. Thus He — exalted is His mention — informed them about this, so that they might learn the knowledge from those who were with them.

   * * *

   The discourse on the explanation of His statement, the Exalted: وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ (73) ("And He shows you His signs, that you might understand")

   Abū Jaʿfar said: He — exalted is His mention — means: and Allah shows you, O you unbelievers (kuffār) who deny the Prophet ﷺ, and that which he has brought from Allah — His signs. And His signs are: His evidentiary tokens and His proofs which point to his prophethood — so that you might understand and perceive that he is truthful and sincere, that you might believe in him and follow him.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : فَقُلْنَا اضْرِبُوهُ بِبَعْضِهَا قال أبو جعفر: يعني جل ذكره بقوله: فقلنا لقوم موسى الذين ادارءوا في القتيل (46) - الذي قد تقدم وصفنا أمره - : اضربوا القتيل. و " الهاء " التي في قوله: (اضربوه) من ذكر القتيل؛(ببعضها) أي: ببعض البقرة التي أمرهم الله بذبحها فذبحوها. * * * ثم اختلف العلماء في البعض الذي ضرب به القتيل من البقرة، وأي عضو كان ذلك منها. فقال بعضهم: ضرب بفخذ البقرة القتيل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 1305 - حدثني محمد بن عمرو قال، حدثنا أبو عاصم قال، حدثنا عيسى, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد قال: ضرب بفخذ البقرة فقام حيا, فقال: قتلني فلان. ثم عاد في ميتته. &; 2-230 &; 1306 - حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا أبو حذيفة قال، حدثنا شبل, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد قال: ضرب بفخذ البقرة, ثم ذكر مثله. 1307 - حدثنا أبو كريب قال، حدثنا جابر بن نوح, عن النضر بن عربي, عن عكرمة: (فقلنا اضربوه ببعضها)، قال: بفخذها، فلما ضرب بها عاش، وقال: قتلني فلان. ثم عاد إلى حاله. (47) 1308 - حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا أبو حذيفة قال، حدثنا شبل, عن خالد بن يزيد, عن مجاهد قال: ضرب بفخذها الرجل، فقام حيا فقال: قتلني فلان. ثم عاد في ميتته. 1309 - حدثنا الحسن بن يحيى قال، أخبرنا عبد الرزاق قال، أخبرنا معمر قال، قال أيوب ، عن ابن سيرين, عن عبيدة: ضربوا المقتول ببعض لحمها -وقال معمر، عن قتادة - : ضربوه بلحم الفخذ فعاش, فقال: قتلني فلان. 1310 - حدثنا بشر قال، حدثنا يزيد قال، حدثنا سعيد, عن قتادة قال: ذكر لنا أنهم ضربوه بفخذها، فأحياه الله فأنبأ بقاتله الذي قتله، وتكلم ثم مات. * * * وقال آخرون: الذي ضرب به منها، هو البضعة التي بين الكتفين. (48) * ذكر من قال ذلك: 1311 - حدثني موسى قال، حدثنا عمرو قال، حدثنا أسباط, عن السدي: (فقلنا اضربوه ببعضها)، فضربوه بالبضعة التي بين الكتفين فعاش, فسألوه: من قتلك؟ فقال لهم: ابن أخي. &; 2-231 &; وقال آخرون: الذي أمروا أن يضربوه به منها، عظم من عظامها. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 1312 - حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا آدم قال، حدثنا أبو جعفر, عن الربيع, عن أبي العالية قال: أمرهم موسى أن يأخذوا عظما منها فيضربوا به القتيل. ففعلوا, فرجع إليه روحه, فسمى لهم قاتله، ثم عاد ميتا كما كان. فأخذ قاتله، وهو الذي أتى موسى فشكا إليه، فقتله الله على أسوأ عمله. * * * وقال آخرون بما:- 1313 - حدثني به يونس بن عبد الأعلى قال، أخبرنا ابن وهب قال، قال ابن زيد: ضربوا الميت ببعض آرابها فإذا هو قاعد - (49) قالوا: من قتلك؟ قال: ابن أخي. قال: وكان قتله وطرحه على ذلك السبط, أراد أن يأخذ ديته. * * * قال أبو جعفر: والصواب من القول في تأويل قوله عندنا: (فقلنا اضربوه ببعضها)، أن يقال: أمرهم الله جل ثناؤه أن يضربوا القتيل ببعض البقرة ليحيا المضروب. ولا دلالة في الآية، ولا [في] خبر تقوم به حجة، (50) على أي أبعاضها التي أمر القوم أن يضربوا القتيل به. وجائز أن يكون الذي أمروا أن يضربوه به هو الفخذ, وجائز أن يكون ذلك الذنب وغضروف الكتف، وغير ذلك من أبعاضها. ولا يضر الجهل بأي ذلك ضربوا القتيل, ولا ينفع العلم به، مع الإقرار بأن القوم قد ضربوا القتيل ببعض البقرة بعد ذبحها فأحياه الله. * * * قال أبو جعفر: فإن قال قائل: وما كان معنى الأمر بضرب القتيل ببعضها؟ قيل: ليحيا فينبئ نبي الله موسى صلى الله عليه وسلم والذين ادارءوا فيه - من قاتله. &; 2-232 &; فإن قال قائل: وأين الخبر عن أن الله جل ثناؤه أمرهم بذلك لذلك؟ قيل: ترك ذلك اكتفاء بدلالة ما ذكر من الكلام الدال عليه - نحو الذي ذكرنا من نظائر ذلك فيما مضى. ومعنى الكلام: فقلنا: اضربوه ببعضها ليحيا, فضربوه فحيي - كما قال جل ثناؤه: أَنِ اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْبَحْرَ فَانْفَلَقَ [ الشعراء: 63]، والمعنى: فضرب فانفلق - دل على ذلك قوله: (51) كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ . * * * القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : كَذَلِكَ يُحْيِي اللَّهُ الْمَوْتَى قال أبو جعفر: وقوله: (كذلك يحيي الله الموتى)، مخاطبة من الله عباده المؤمنين, واحتجاج منه على المشركين المكذبين بالبعث, وأمرهم بالاعتبار بما كان منه جل ثناؤه من إحياء قتيل بني إسرائيل بعد مماته في الدنيا. فقال لهم تعالى ذكره: أيها المكذبون بالبعث بعد الممات, اعتبروا بإحيائي هذا القتيل بعد مماته, فإني كما أحييته في الدنيا، فكذلك أحيي الموتى بعد مماتهم, فأبعثهم يوم البعث. وإنما احتج جل ذكره بذلك على مشركي العرب، (52) وهم قوم أميون لا كتاب لهم, لأن الذين كانوا يعلمون علم ذلك من بني إسرائيل كانوا بين أظهرهم، وفيهم نـزلت هذه الآيات, فأخبرهم جل ذكره بذلك، ليتعرفوا علم من قِبَلَهم. * * * &; 2-233 &; القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ (73) قال أبو جعفر: يعني جل ذكره: ويريكم الله أيها الكافرون المكذبون بمحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، وبما جاء به من عند الله - من آياته = وآياته: أعلامه وحججه الدالة على نبوته = (53) لتعقلوا وتفهموا أنه محق صادق، فتؤمنوا به وتتبعوه. ----------------- الهوامش : (46) في المطبوعة : " . . بقوله فقلنا لقوم موسى" ، والصواب زيادة لفظ الآية ، كما فعلت . (47) الخبر : 1307 - النضر بن عربي الباهلي : ثقة من أتباع التابعين ، وثقه ابن معين وغيره ، مات سنة 168 ، مترجم في التهذيب ، والكبير للبخاري 4 / 2 /89 ، وابن أبي حاتم 4 / 1 / 475 . (48) البضعة : القطعة من اللحم ، قولهم : بضع اللحم : قطعه . (49) آراب جمع إرب (بكسر فسكون) : وهو العضو ، يقال : قطعه إربا إربا ، أي عضوا عضوا . (50) الزيادة بين القوسين ، أولى من حذفها . (51) في المطبوعة : "يدل على ذلك قوله . . " ، وليست بشيء . (52) في المطبوعة : "فإنما احتج . . " ، والفاء ليست بشيء هنا . (53) انظر ما سلف 1 : 552 ، وهذا الجزء 2 : 139 .