Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:96
And you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life - [even] more than those who associate others with Allah. One of them wishes that he could be granted life a thousand years, but it would not remove him in the least from the [coming] punishment that he should be granted life. And Allah is Seeing of what they do.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The Discourse on the Interpretation of the Saying of the Exalted: وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ النَّاسِ عَلَى حَيَاةٍ وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
(And you will surely find them the most avid of all people for life, and even more so than those who associate partners [with Allāh]; every one of them would wish to live a thousand years.)
Abū Jaʿfar said: By His saying — exalted is His praise — "And you will surely find them the most avid of all people for life," the Jews are meant. He says: O Muḥammad ﷺ, you will surely find that the Jews are the most avid of all people for life in this world, and that they, of all people, abhor death the most. As [in the following]:
1583 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq related to me, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Abī Muḥammad — according to what Abū Jaʿfar transmits — on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, or ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "And you will surely find them the most avid of all people for life" — by this the Jews are meant.
1584 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Ādam related to us, saying: Abū Jaʿfar related to us, ar-Rabīʿ related to us, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya: "And you will surely find them the most avid of all people for life" — by this the Jews are meant.
1585 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of ar-Rabīʿ, the like of it.
1586 — 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, the like of it.
* * *
Their aversion to death is solely on account of their knowledge of the disgrace and the prolonged humiliation that await them in the Hereafter.
* * *
The Discourse on the Interpretation of the Saying of the Exalted: وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا
(and even more so than those who associate partners [with Allāh])
Abū Jaʿfar said: By His saying — exalted is His praise — "and even more so than those who associate partners," He means: and more avid for life than those who associate partners (mushrikīn). As one says: "He is the bravest of people and of ʿAntara," in the sense of: he is braver than people and than ʿAntara. So too is it with His saying "and even more so than those who associate partners." For the meaning of the words is: and you will surely find — O Muḥammad ﷺ — that the Jews of the Children of Israel are more avid [than] people for life, and [than] those who associate partners. Now when "more avid" (aḥraṣ) was connected to "people," while the sense of "than" (min) is implicit therein, [the word "min"] was made manifest after the connecting particle, in accordance with the interpretation we have mentioned.
Allāh — exalted is His praise — described the Jews as the people most avid for life only because of their knowledge of what has been prepared for them in the Hereafter on account of their unbelief, something which the people of shirk do not acknowledge. For this reason they abhor death more than the people of shirk who do not believe in the resurrection, for they [the Jews] do indeed believe in the resurrection and know what chastisement (ʿadhāb) awaits them there. The polytheists, however, believe neither in the resurrection nor in the recompense. Thus the Jews are more avid than they for life and have a greater aversion to death.
* * *
It has been said: Those who associate partners — concerning whom Allāh, exalted is His remembrance, reports in this verse that the Jews are more avid than they for life — they are the Magians (al-majūs), who do not believe in the resurrection.
* Mention of those who said that they are the Magians:
1587 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Ādam related to us, saying: Abū Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of ar-Rabīʿ, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya: "and even more so than those who associate partners; every one of them would wish to live a thousand years" — by this the Magians are meant.
1588 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of ar-Rabīʿ: "and even more so than those who associate partners; every one of them would wish to live a thousand years" — he said: the Magians.
1589 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed me, saying: Ibn Zayd said: "and even more so than those who associate partners" — he said: the Jews, more avid for life than these.
* * *
* Mention of those who said: they are those who deny the resurrection:
1590 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, saying: Ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Abī Muḥammad related to me — according to what Abū Jaʿfar transmits — on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, or ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "And you will surely find them the most avid of all people for life, and even more so than those who associate partners" — and that is because the polytheist expects no resurrection after death, and therefore he loves a long life; and because the Jew already knows what disgrace awaits him in the Hereafter, on account of that which he has neglected of the knowledge he possessed.
* * *
The Discourse on the Interpretation of the Saying of the Exalted: يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ
(every one of them would wish to live a thousand years)
Abū Jaʿfar said: This is a report from Allāh — exalted is His praise — concerning those who associate partners, of whom He reported that the Jews are more avid than they for life. He says — exalted is His praise —: every one of these who associate partners — despairing on account of the perishing of his world and the running out of the days of his life, [doubting] that there would be for him thereafter any resurrection, renewed life, joy, or gladness — wishes that he might live a thousand years, so much so that some of them even wish one another "ten thousand years" as a greeting, out of avidity for life. As [in the following]:
1591 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Shaqīq related to us, saying: I heard my father ʿAlī, [who said:] Abū Ḥamza informed us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās concerning His saying: "every one of them would wish to live a thousand years" — he said: that is the saying of the non-Arabs (the Persians): "sāl zih nawrūz mihrijān ḥur." [i.e.: live a thousand years]
1592 — And it was related to me, on the authority of Nuʿaym an-Naḥwī, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn as-Sāʾib, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr: "every one of them would wish to live a thousand years" — he said: that is the saying the people of shirk address to one another when someone sneezes: "zih hazār sāl" [i.e.: live a thousand years].
1593 — Ibrāhīm ibn Saʿīd and Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to us, both saying: Ismāʿīl ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Qatāda concerning His saying: "every one of them would wish to live a thousand years" — he said: sin has made a long life dear to them.
1594 — Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, saying: ʿAlī ibn Maʿbad related to me, on the authority of Ibn ʿUlayya, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ concerning His saying: "every one of them would wish" — and he mentioned the like of it.
1595 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said: "And you will surely find them the most avid of all people for life" up to: "would wish to live a thousand years" — the Jews, more avid for life than these. And these would wish that every one of them might live a thousand years.
1596 — And it was related to me, on the authority of Abū Muʿāwiya, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Saʿīd, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās concerning His saying: "every one of them would wish to live a thousand years" — he said: that is the saying of one of them when he sneezes: "zih hazār sāl," which means: ten thousand years.
* * *
The Discourse on the Interpretation of the Saying of the Exalted: وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحْزِحِهِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ أَنْ يُعَمَّرَ
(but it will not remove him from the chastisement that he should live long)
Abū Jaʿfar said: By His saying — exalted is His praise — "but it will not remove him from the chastisement that he should live long," He means: and living long — that is, prolonged existence — will not remove him from the chastisement (ʿadhāb) of Allāh.
* * *
His saying "he/it" (huwa) is a support-word (ʿimād), since "mā" calls rather for a noun than for a verb, as the poet said:
"Is then what is found here lofty — a head?"
And the "an" in "an yuʿammara" (that he should live long) is in the nominative, governed by "muzaḥziḥihi" (removing), and the "huwa" that stands with "mā" is a repetition, a support for the verb, because the Arabs find it unseemly that an indefinite word should precede a definite word.
* * *
Some have said: the "huwa" that stands with "mā" is a reference to "living long" (al-ʿumr). It is as though He said: every one of them would wish to live a thousand years, but that living long will not remove him from the chastisement. They regarded "an yuʿammara" (that he should live long) as an explanatory clarification of "huwa," in the sense: living long will not remove him.
* * *
And others have said: His saying "but it will not remove him from the chastisement that he should live long" is equivalent to your saying: "Zayd will not be removed, that he should live long."
* * *
Abū Jaʿfar said: The most correct of these sayings, in our view, is what we have said, namely that "huwa" is a support-word (ʿimād), equivalent to your saying: "Mā huwa qāʾimun ʿAmr" (ʿAmr is not standing).
* * *
A group of the people of interpretation has said: the "an" in His saying "an yuʿammara" carries the meaning of: "even though he should live long" (wa-in ʿummira). But that is a saying that contradicts the known meanings of the Arabic language.
* Mention of those who said that:
1597 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Ādam related to us, saying: Abū Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of ar-Rabīʿ, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya: "but it will not remove him from the chastisement that he should live long" — he says: even though he should live long.
1598 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of ar-Rabīʿ, the like of it.
1599 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said: "that he should live long" — even though he should live long.
* * *
As for the interpretation of His saying "it will remove him" (bi-muzaḥziḥihi): that means: it will set him at a distance and carry him away, as al-Ḥuṭayʾa [sic] said:
"And they said: be gone! With us there is no abundance of need for you, and with us there is none who mends your rent."
By his saying "be gone" (tazaḥzaḥ) he means: get away to a distance. From this one says: "zaḥzaḥahu, yuzaḥziḥuhu, zaḥzaḥatan wa-zaḥzāḥan," and "he is removed from you (mutazaḥziḥ)," that is: set at a distance.
* * *
So the interpretation of the verse is: and a long life will not remove him from the chastisement of Allāh, nor carry him away from it, for life must inevitably perish and meet its appointed destiny with Allāh. As [in the following]:
1600 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, saying: Ibn Isḥāq related to me, saying: Muḥammad ibn Abī Muḥammad related to me — according to what I transmit — on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, or on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "but it will not remove him from the chastisement that he should live long" — that is to say: it will not carry him away from the chastisement.
1601 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Ādam related to us, saying: Abū Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of ar-Rabīʿ, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya: "but it will not remove him from the chastisement that he should live long" — he says: even though he should live long, that will not avail him against the chastisement, nor carry him away from it.
1602 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of ar-Rabīʿ, the like of it.
1603 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: "every one of them would wish to live a thousand years, but it will not remove him from the chastisement" — they are those who were hostile to Jibrīl, peace be upon him.
1604 — Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said: "every one of them would wish to live a thousand years, but it will not remove him from the chastisement that he should live long" — and the Jews are more avid for life than these. And these would wish that every one of them might live a thousand years, but that will not remove him from the chastisement. Even if he grew as old as Iblīs has grown old, that would not avail him, since he is an unbeliever (kāfir), and that would not remove him from the chastisement.
* * *
The Discourse on the Interpretation of the Saying of Him — exalted is His praise —: وَاللَّهُ بَصِيرٌ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ (96)
(And Allāh is Seeing of what they do.)
Abū Jaʿfar said: By His saying — exalted is His praise — "And Allāh is Seeing of what they do," He means: and Allāh is possessor of insight into what they do; nothing of their deeds remains hidden from Him; rather, He encompasses them all, and He is their preserver and rememberer, until He shall make them taste the chastisement as their recompense for them.
* * *
The root of "baṣīr" is "mubṣir" — from the saying of one: "abṣartu fa-anā mubṣir" (I saw, so I am seeing) — but it was transformed to the form "faʿīl," just as "musmiʿ" was transformed to "samīʿ," and "ʿadhāb muʾlim" (painful chastisement) to "alīm," and "mubdiʿ as-samāwāt" (Originator of the heavens) to "badīʿ," and what resembles that.
