Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   His saying قَالَ فَمَنْ رَبُّكُمَا يَا مُوسَى (20:49): in this sentence something has been omitted, the mention of which was left out because the context provides an indication of it; namely His saying: فَأَتِيَاهُ (so go both of you to him) — they went to him and told him what their Lord had commanded them, and conveyed to him His message. Pharaoh then said to the two of them: فَمَنْ رَبُّكُمَا يَا مُوسَى (then who is the Lord of you both, O Mūsā?) — he directed his speech to Mūsā alone with the call "O Mūsā," even though before that he had directed the discourse to Mūsā and his brother. The reason for that is that the answering always comes from a single individual, even if the address is directed to a group, and not from all of them together. This is similar to His saying: نَسِيَا حُوتَهُمَا (they both forgot their fish) — whereas the one who carried the fish was only one, namely the servant of Mūsā. This is confirmed by His saying: فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَا أَنْسَانِيهُ إِلا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ (indeed I forgot the fish, and none made me forget to mention it except Satan).

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله ( قَالَ فَمَنْ رَبُّكُمَا يَا مُوسَى ) في هذا الكلام متروك، ترك ذكره استغناء بدلالة ما ذكر عليه عنه، وهو قوله: (فأتياه) فقالا له ما أمرهما به ربهما وأبلغاه رسالته، فقال فرعون لهما( فَمَنْ رَبُّكُمَا يَا مُوسَى ) فخاطب موسى وحده بقوله: يا موسى، وقد وجه الكلام قبل ذلك إلى موسى وأخيه. وإنما فعل ذلك كذلك، لأن المجاوبة إنما تكون من الواحد وإن كان الخطاب بالجماعة لا من الجميع، وذلك نظير قوله نَسِيَا حُوتَهُمَا وكان الذي يحمل الحوت واحد، وهو فتى موسى، يدل على ذلك قوله فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَا أَنْسَانِيهُ إِلا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ .