Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   Allah, exalted is His remembrance, says: They came to their senses within themselves, when Ibrāhīm — may the blessings of Allah be upon him — had said to them: بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَذَا فَاسْأَلُوهُمْ إِنْ كَانُوا يَنْطِقُونَ (Nay, this, their biggest one, did it; so ask them, if they can speak). They returned to their reason, and some of them looked at the others, and they said: "Truly, you — O people of this nation — are the wrongdoers, in your questioning of him and your saying to him: 'Who has done this to our gods, O Ibrāhīm?' — while these gods of yours, to which what has been done has been done, are present with you, so ask them."

   And in accordance with what we have said, the expositors of the Qurʾān spoke.

   Mention of who said this:

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, concerning فَرَجَعُوا إِلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ فَقَالُوا إِنَّكُمْ أَنْتُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ: he said: They came to their senses and turned back from what they had accused him — meaning Ibrāhīm — of, namely the breaking of the gods, returning to themselves in their conversations among one another, and they said: "We have wronged him, and we realize that he has spoken rightly."

   Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning فَرَجَعُوا إِلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ: he said: some of them looked at the others, and فَقَالُوا إِنَّكُمْ أَنْتُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ.

   And His word ثُمَّ نُكِسُوا عَلَى رُءُوسِهِمْ — Allah, exalted is His praise, says: Then they were overcome in the debate, and brought forth as proof against Ibrāhīm what was in reality a proof of Ibrāhīm against them. They said: "You indeed know that these idols do not speak."

   As Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, who said: Then they said — meaning the people of Ibrāhīm — and they acknowledged that their gods cause no harm, bring no benefit, and are incapable of action: لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا هَؤُلاءِ يَنْطِقُونَ (You know that these do not speak) — that is to say: they do not speak so as to tell us who did this to them, and they do not act so that we might believe you. Allah says: ثُمَّ نُكِسُوا عَلَى رُءُوسِهِمْ — in the debate that turned against them in favor of Ibrāhīm, after he had argued against them. Ibrāhīm then said, when the argumentation prevailed over them through their own words: لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا هَؤُلاءِ يَنْطِقُونَ.

   Show original Arabic

   يقول تعالى ذكره: فذكروا حين قال لهم إبراهيم صلوات الله عليه بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَذَا فَاسْأَلُوهُمْ إِنْ كَانُوا يَنْطِقُونَ في أنفسهم، ورجعوا إلى عقولهم، ونظر بعضهم إلى بعض، فقالوا: إنكم معشر القوم الظالمون هذا الرجل في مسألتكم إياه وقيلكم له من فعل هذا بآلهتنا يا إبراهيم، وهذه آلهتكم التي فعل بها ما فعل حاضرتكم فاسألوها. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك، قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن حميد، قال: ثنا سلمة، عن ابن إسحاق ( فَرَجَعُوا إِلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ فَقَالُوا إِنَّكُمْ أَنْتُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ ) قال: ارعوَوْا ورجعوا عنه يعني عن إبراهيم، فيما ادّعوا عليه من كسرهنّ إلى أنفسهم فيما بينهم، فقالوا: لقد ظلمناه وما نراه إلا كما قال. حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جُرَيج ( فَرَجَعُوا إِلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ ) قال: نظر بعضهم إلى بعض ( فَقَالُوا إِنَّكُمْ أَنْتُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ ). وقوله ( ثُمَّ نُكِسُوا عَلَى رُءُوسِهِمْ ) يقول جلّ ثناؤه: ثم غُلبوا في الحجة، فاحتجوا على إبراهيم بما هو حجة لإبراهيم عليهم، فقالوا: لقد علمت ما هؤلاء الأصنام ينطقون. كما حدثنا ابن حميد، قال: ثنا سلمة، عن ابن إسحاق، قال: ثم قالوا: يعني قوم إبراهيم، وعرفوا أنها، يعني آلهتهم لا تضرّ ولا تنفع ولا تبطش: ( لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا هَؤُلاءِ يَنْطِقُونَ ) : أي لا تتكلم فتخبرنا من صنع هذا بها، وما تبطش بالأيدي فنصدّقك، يقول الله ( ثُمَّ نُكِسُوا عَلَى رُءُوسِهِمْ ) في الحجة عليهم لإبراهيم حين جادلهم، فقال عند ذلك إبراهيم حين ظهرت الحجة عليهم بقولهم: ( لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا هَؤُلاءِ يَنْطِقُونَ ).