Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His statement وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ: the Exalted says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: "And We have sent you, O Muḥammad, to Our creation solely as a mercy (raḥma) for those of My creation to whom We sent you."

   Then the scholars of exegesis differed regarding the meaning of this verse: are all the worlds to whom Muḥammad was sent intended by it — both the believers and the unbelievers among them? Or are only the believers intended by it, not the unbelievers?

   Some said: by this is meant the entire world — both the believer and the unbeliever.

   Mention of those who said this:

   It was related to me by Isḥāq ibn Shāhīn, who said: Isḥāq ibn Yūsuf al-Azraq related to us, on the authority of al-Masʿūdī, on the authority of a man named Saʿīd, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the statement of Allah in His Book وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ: he said: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, for him mercy is decreed in the world and in the hereafter; and whoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger is spared from the calamities with which the former peoples were stricken — the swallowing up by the earth (khasf) and the being pelted down (qadhf)."

   We were related to by al-Qāsim, who said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, who said: ʿĪsā ibn Yūnus related to us, on the authority of al-Masʿūdī, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ: he said: "The mercy is complete for whoever believes in him, in the world and the hereafter; and whoever does not believe in him is spared from what afflicted the former peoples."

   Others said: rather, by this are meant the believers and not the unbelievers.

   Mention of those who said this:

   It was related to me by Yūnus, who said: Ibn Wahb informed us, who said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His statement وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ: he said: "The worlds are: whoever believes in him and affirms him." He said: وَإِنْ أَدْرِي لَعَلَّهُ فِتْنَةٌ لَكُمْ وَمَتَاعٌ إِلَى حِينٍ: "He is a trial for these [people] and a mercy for those [people]; and the matter has been expressed in general terms as: a mercy for the worlds — and the worlds here are: whoever believes in him, affirms him, and obeys him."

   The most correct of the two opinions in this matter is the opinion related from Ibn ʿAbbās — namely that Allah sent His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ as a mercy for all the worlds, both the believers and the unbelievers among them. For as for the believers: Allah guided them through him and, by their faith in him and their acting upon what he brought from Allah, caused them to enter Paradise. And as for the unbelievers: through him He warded off the immediate calamity that descended upon the former peoples who denied their messengers before him.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله ( وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ ) يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: وما أرسلناك يا محمد إلى خلقنا إلا رحمة لمن أرسلناك إليه من خلقي. ثم اختلف أهل التأويل في معنى هذه الآية ، أجميع العالم الذي أرسل إليهم محمد أريد بها مؤمنهم وكافرهم؟ أم أريد بها أهل الإيمان خاصة دون أهل الكفر؟ فقال بعضهم: عني بها جميع العالم المؤمن والكافر. ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني إسحاق بن شاهين ، قال : ثنا إسحاق بن يوسف الأزرق ، عن المسعودي ، عن رجل يقال له سعيد ، عن سعيد بن جُبير ، عن ابن عباس ، في قول الله في كتابه ( وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ ) قال: من آمن بالله واليوم الآخر كُتب له الرحمة في الدنيا والآخرة ، ومن لم يؤمن بالله ورسوله ، عوفي مما أصاب الأمم من الخسف والقذف. حدثنا القاسم ، قال : ثنا الحسين ، قال : ثنا عيسى بن يونس ، عن المسعودي ، عن أبي سعيد ، عن سعيد بن جُبير ، عن ابن عباس ، في قوله ( وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ ) قال: تمت الرحمة لمن آمن به في الدنيا والآخرة ، ومن لم يؤمن به عوفي مما أصاب الأمم قبل. وقال آخرون: بل أريد بها أهل الإيمان دون أهل الكفر. *ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني يونس ، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب ، قال: قال ابن زيد ، في قوله ( وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ ) قال: العالمون: من آمن به وصدّقه ، قال وَإِنْ أَدْرِي لَعَلَّهُ فِتْنَةٌ لَكُمْ وَمَتَاعٌ إِلَى حِينٍ قال: فهو لهؤلاء فتنة ولهؤلاء رحمة ، وقد جاء الأمر مجملا رحمة للعالمين ، والعالمون ههنا: من آمن به وصدّقه وأطاعه. وأولى القولين في ذلك بالصواب .القول الذي رُوي عن ابن عباس ، وهو أن الله أرسل نبيه محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم رحمة لجميع العالم ، مؤمنهم وكافرهم . فأما مؤمنهم فإن الله هداه به ، وأدخله بالإيمان به ، وبالعمل بما جاء من عند الله الجنة. وأما كافرهم فإنه دفع به عنه عاجل البلاء الذي كان ينـزل بالأمم المكذّبة رسلها من قبله.