Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   Allah, exalted is His remembrance, says: But We send down the Truth from Us — and that is the Book of Allah and His revelation — upon disbelief and its adherents, and it strikes it (yadmaghu-hu): that is to say: it destroys it, just as a person strikes another by inflicting upon him a head wound that reaches the meninges (shajja tabalughu l-dimāgh). And when the wound reaches that point in the wounded person, he has no life thereafter.

   His word فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ (and behold, it has perished): that is to say: behold, it has perished and been annihilated.

   As Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ (and behold, it has perished): he said: perished.

   Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ (and behold, it has perished): he said: vanished.

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

   Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَاطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ (but We hurl the Truth against falsehood so that it strikes it and behold, it has perished): the Truth is the Book of Allah, the Qurʾān, and falsehood is Iblīs; it strikes him so that he has perished, that is to say: vanished.

   As for His word وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ (and woe to you for what you describe): He says: woe to you for your describing your Lord with other than His attributes, and your claim that He has taken a wife and a child, and your lie about Him.

   In a manner similar to how we explained this verse, the interpreters of the Qurʾān spoke, except that some said: the meaning of "taṣifūna" (you describe) is "you lie." And others said: its meaning is "your ascribing partners to Allah" — and although the wordings differ, the meanings agree; for whoever describes Allah as having a consort has lied in his description of Him, has ascribed partners to Him, and has described Him with other than His attributes. However, the most fitting expression by which the meanings of the Qurʾān are rendered is that which is closest to the understanding of its hearers.

   Mention of who said what we have said:

   Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ (and woe to you for what you describe): that is to say: you lie.

   Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ (and woe to you for what you describe): he said: your ascribing of partners. And concerning عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ (for what they describe): he said: they ascribe partners. And he said: Mujāhid said concerning سَيَجْزِيهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ (soon He will requite them for their description): he said: their lying speech uttered therein.

   Show original Arabic

   يقول تعالى ذكره: ولكن ننـزل الحق من عندنا، وهو كتاب الله وتنـزيله على الكفر به وأهله، فيدمغه، يقول: فيهلكه كما يدمغ الرجل الرجل بأن يشجه على رأسه شجة تبلغ الدماغ، وإذا بلغت الشجة ذلك من المشجوج لم يكن له بعدها حياة. وقوله ( فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ ) يقول: فإذا هو هالك مضمحلٌ. كما حدثنا محمد بن عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا ابن ثور، عن معمر، عن قَتادة ( فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ ) قال: هالك. حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة ( فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ ) قال: ذاهب. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله ( بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَاطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ ) والحقّ كتاب الله القرآن، والباطل: إبليس، فيدمغه فإذا هو زاهق: أي ذاهب. وقوله ( وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ ) يقول: ولكم الويل من وصفكم ربكم بغير صفته، وقِيلكم إنه اتخذ زوجة وولدا، وفِريتكم عليه. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل، إلا أن بعضهم قال: معنى تصفون تكذبون. وقال آخرون: معنى ذلك: تشركون، وذلك وإن اختلفت به الألفاظ فمتفقة معانيه؛ لأن من وصف الله بأن له صاحبة فقد كذب في وصفه إياه بذلك، وأشرك به، ووصفه بغير صفته، غير أن أولى العبارات أن يُعَبر بها عن معاني القرآن أقربها إلى فهم سامعيه. * ذكر من قال ما قلنا في ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: ( وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ ) أي تكذبون. حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج ( وَلَكُمُ الْوَيْلُ مِمَّا تَصِفُونَ ) قال: تشركون وقوله عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ قال: يشركون قال: وقال مجاهد سَيَجْزِيهِمْ وَصْفَهُمْ قال: قولهَم الكذب في ذلك.