Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   Allah, exalted is His remembrance, says: Say, O Muhammad: O Lord, decide between me and those of the polytheists (mushrikīn) of my people who have denied me and do not believe in You and worship others besides You — by sending down upon them Your punishment and Your vengeance. And that is the Truth (al-ḥaqq) which Allah, exalted is He, commanded His Prophet to implore his Lord for — and this is similar to His word, exalted is His praise: رَبَّنَا افْتَحْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ قَوْمِنَا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الْفَاتِحِينَ (Our Lord, decide between us and our people with the Truth, and You are the Best of those who decide).

   In a manner similar to how we have explained this verse, the exegetes of the Qurʾān spoke.

   Mention of who said that:

   Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj — he said: Ibn ʿAbbās said concerning قَالَ رَبِّ احْكُمْ بِالْحَقِّ (he said: My Lord, decide with the Truth): he said: none decides with the Truth except Allah, but he asked his Lord with urgency regarding his people.

   Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Muhammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: that the Prophet ﷺ, when he was present at an armed battle (qitāl), would say: رَبِّ احْكُمْ بِالْحَقِّ (My Lord, decide with the Truth).

   The reciters of the Qurʾān differed concerning its recitation. The majority of the reciters of the cities recited it as قُلْ رَبِّ احْكُمْ (Say: My Lord, decide) — with a kasra under the bāʾ and the joining of the hamza of "uḥkum," in the manner of supplication and request —, except for Abū Jaʿfar, who pronounced the bāʾ of "al-Rabb" with ḍamma, in the manner of the vocative of a singular, and except for al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn Muzāḥim, from whom it is reported that he recited it as رَبِّي أَحْكَمُ (My Lord is the most just) — in the manner of an assertion that Allah is more just than any judge whatsoever — retaining the yāʾ with "Rabb," pronouncing the hamza of "aḥkam" with a connecting hamza, and placing "aḥkam" in the nominative as the predicate of "al-Rabb," Blessed and Exalted is He.

   The correct recitation in our judgment is: joining the bāʾ of "al-Rabb" with a kasra before "uḥkum," and dropping the separation of the hamza of "uḥkum" — as the reciters of the cities do — because of the agreement of the imams among the reciters upon this and the anomalous standing of what contradicts it. As for al-Ḍaḥḥāk, the recitation attributed to him contains one letter more than the text of the muṣḥafs — and it is not fitting to add this therein, while the meaning of the recitation is valid without that addition. Some also claimed that the meaning of the word رَبِّ احْكُمْ بِالْحَقِّ (My Lord, decide with the Truth) is: Say: My Lord, decide with Your just judgment — where "al-ḥukm" (the judgment) has been omitted, which had "al-ḥaqq" as its qualifier, and "al-ḥaqq" has been put in its place. This has a basis, but what we have said is clearer and more in agreement with what the exegetes have said, and for that reason we chose it.

   As for His word وَرَبُّنَا الرَّحْمَنُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَى مَا تَصِفُونَ (and our Lord is the Most Merciful, the One whose help is sought against what you describe): Allah, exalted is His praise, says: and say, O Muhammad: and our Lord Who is merciful to His servants and envelops them with His favor — the One Whose help I seek against you regarding what you say and describe concerning what I have brought to you from Allah: هَلْ هَذَا إِلا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ أَفَتَأْتُونَ السِّحْرَ وَأَنْتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ (is this anything but a human being like yourselves? Will you then come to sorcery while you can see?), and your word: بَلِ افْتَرَاهُ بَلْ هُوَ شَاعِرٌ (nay, he has invented it — nay, he is a poet), and in your lies against Allah, exalted is His praise, and your word اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَلَدًا (the Most Merciful has taken a child) — for it is easy for Him to change this, and to render the decision between me and you by hastening the punishment for you because of what you describe thereof.

   End of the explanation of Surah al-Anbiyāʾ (the Prophets), peace be upon them all.

   Show original Arabic

   يقول تعالى ذكره: قل يا محمد: يا رب افصل بيني وبين من كذّبني من مشركي قومي وكفر بك ، وعبد غيرك ، بإحلال عذابك ونقمتك بهم ، وذلك هو الحقّ الذي أمر الله تعالى نبيه أن يسأل ربه الحكم به ، وهو نظير قوله جلّ ثناؤه رَبَّنَا افْتَحْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ قَوْمِنَا بِالْحَقِّ وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الْفَاتِحِينَ وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا القاسم ، قال : ثنا الحسين ، قال: ثني حجاج ، عن ابن جريج ، قال: قال ابن عباس ( قال رب احكم بالحقّ ) قال: لا يحكم بالحقّ إلا الله ، ولكن إنما استعجل بذلك في الدنيا ، يسأل ربه على قومه. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى ، قال : ثنا محمد بن ثور ، عن معمر ، عن قَتادة: أن النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ، كان إذا شهد قتالا قال ( رب احكم بالحق ). واختلفت القرّاء في قراءة ذلك ، فقرأته عامة قراء الأمصار ( قُلْ رَبّ احْكُمْ ) بكسر الباء ، ووصل الألف ألف احكم ، على وجه الدعاء والمسألة ، سوى أبي جعفر ، فإنه ضم الباء من الربّ ، على وجه نداء المفرد ، وغير الضحاك بن مزاحم ، فإنه روي عنه أنه كان يقرأ ذلك: (رَبّي أَحْكَمُ) على وجه الخبر بأن الله أحكم بالحقّ من كل حاكم ، فيثبت الياء في الربّ ، ويهمز الألف من أحكم ، ويرفع أحكم على أنه خبر للربُ تبارك وتعالى: والصواب من القراءة عندنا في ذلك: وصل الباء من الرب وكسرها باحكم ، وترك قطع الألف من احكم، على ما عليه قراء الأمصار ، لإجماع الحجة من القرّاء عليه وشذوذ ما خالفه . وأما الضحاك فإن في القراءة التي ذكرت عنه زيادة حرف على خط المصاحف ، ولا ينبغي أن يزاد ذلك فيها ، مع صحة معنى القراءة بترك زيادته ، وقد زعم بعضهم أن معنى قوله ( رب احكم بالحق ) قل: ربّ احكم بحكمك الحقّ ، ثم حذف الحكم الذي الحقّ نعت له، وأقيم الحقّ مقامه ، ولذلك وجه ، غير أن الذي قلناه أوضح وأشبه بما قاله أهل التأويل ، فلذلك اخترناه. وقوله ( وَرَبُّنَا الرَّحْمَنُ الْمُسْتَعَانُ عَلَى مَا تَصِفُونَ ) يقول جلّ ثناؤه: وقل يا محمد: وربنا الذي يرحم عباده ويعمهم بنعمته ، الذي أستعينه عليكم فيما تقولون وتصفون من قولكم لي فيما أتيتكم به من عند الله هَلْ هَذَا إِلا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ أَفَتَأْتُونَ السِّحْرَ وَأَنْتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ وقولكم بَلِ افْتَرَاهُ بَلْ هُوَ شَاعِرٌ وفي كذبكم على الله جلّ ثناؤه وقيلكم اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَلَدًا فإنه هين عليه تغيير ذلك، وفصل ما بيني وبينكم بتعجيل العقوبة لكم على ما تصفون من ذلك . آخر تفسير سورة الأنبياء عليهم السلام