Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the word of Allah, the Exalted: وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَكَانَ لِزَامًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى (And were it not for a word that had previously come from your Lord and an appointed term, it would surely have been inevitable.) (129)

   Allah, exalted be His praise, says: وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ — O Muḥammad — namely, that for everyone for whom He has fixed a term, He does not take that person away before the term has elapsed, وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى — and a time appointed and named with your Lord, which He has set down for them in the Mother of the Book (umm al-kitāb) and written therein, and which they will reach and fully live out — لَكَانَ لِزَامًا — then destruction would have struck them immediately. The word al-luzām is a verbal noun of the expression: lāzama fulānun fulānan yulāzimuhu mulāzamatan wa-lizāman, when he does not let go of him. لَكَانَ لِزَامًا has been placed forward before وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى , but the meaning of the sentence is: and were it not for a word that had previously come from your Lord and an appointed term, it would surely have been inevitable — so be patient with what they say.

   And in accordance with what we have said about this, the scholars of tafsīr also spoke.

   Mention of who said that:

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — all on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَكَانَ لِزَامًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى : "The appointed term is the world."

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَكَانَ لِزَامًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى : "This is one of the cases of inversion in the sentence — he says: were it not for a word that had previously come from your Lord until an appointed term, it would have been inevitable. The appointed term is the Hour, for Allah, the Exalted, says: بَلِ السَّاعَةُ مَوْعِدُهُمْ وَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَى وَأَمَرُّ (Nay, the Hour is their appointed time, and the Hour is more grievous and more bitter)."

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَكَانَ لِزَامًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى : "This is a case of inversion and alteration of order; the actual meaning is: were it not for a word that had previously come from your Lord and an appointed term, it would surely have been inevitable."

   The scholars of tafsīr differed concerning the meaning of لَكَانَ لِزَامًا . Some say: the meaning is 'then it would have been death.'

   Mention of who said that:

   ʿAlī related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to me, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word لَكَانَ لِزَامًا : he says: "Death."

   Others say: the meaning is 'then it would have been killing.'

   Mention of who said that:

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning لَكَانَ لِزَامًا : "And the luzūm is: killing."

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَكَانَ لِزَامًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى (129) يقول تعالى ذكره ( وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ ) يا محمد أن كلّ من قضى له أجلا فإنه لا يخترمه قبل بلوغه أجله ( وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى ) يقول: ووقت مسمى عند ربك سماه لهم في أمّ الكتاب وخطه فيه، هم بالغوه ومستوفوه ( لَكَانَ لِزَامًا ) يقول: للازمهم الهلاك عاجلا وهو مصدر من قول القائل: لازم فلان فلانا يلازمه ملازمة ولزاما: إذا لم يفارقه، وقدّم قوله ( لَكَانَ لِزَامًا ) قبل قوله ( وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى ) ومعنى الكلام: ولولا كلمة سبقت من ربك وأجل مسمى لكان لزاما، فاصبر على ما يقولون. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك، قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن عمرو، قال: ثنا أبو عاصم، قال: ثنا عيسى ، وحدثني الحارث، قال: ثنا الحسن، قال: ثنا ورقاء جميعا، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد، قوله ( وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَكَانَ لِزَامًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى ) الأجل المسمى: الدنيا. حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله ( وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَكَانَ لِزَامًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى ) وهذه من مقاديم الكلام، يقول: لولا كلمة سبقت من ربك إلى (1) . أجل مسمى كان لزاما، والأجل المسمى، الساعة، لأن الله تعالى يقول بَلِ السَّاعَةُ مَوْعِدُهُمْ وَالسَّاعَةُ أَدْهَى وَأَمَرُّ . حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال: قال ابن زيد، في قوله ( وَلَوْلا كَلِمَةٌ سَبَقَتْ مِنْ رَبِّكَ لَكَانَ لِزَامًا وَأَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى ) قال: هذا مقدّم ومؤخر، ولولا كلمة سبقت من ربك وأجل مسمى لكان لزاما. واختلف أهل التأويل في معنى قوله ( لَكَانَ لِزَامًا ) فقال بعضهم: معناه: لكان موتا. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني عليّ قال: ثني أبو صالح، قال: ثني معاوية، عن عليّ، عن ابن عباس، قوله ( لَكَانَ لِزَامًا ) يقول: موتا. وقال آخرون: معناه لكان قتلا. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال: قال ابن زيد ( لَكَانَ لِزَامًا ) واللزوم: القتل. --------------- الهوامش : (1) لعله يريد : لولا أن الله سبقت كلمته بتأخير عذابهم إلى أجل مسمى . ويجوز أن تكون " إلى " وضعت في موضع واو العطف سهوًا من الناسخ .