Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   Allah, exalted be His praise, says: We answered Zakariyyā's prayer and granted him Yaḥyā as a child and heir who would succeed him, and We restored his wife for him.

   The exegetes differed over the meaning of the restoration that Allah, exalted be His praise, intended by His words (وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ). Some said: she was barren, and Allah restored her by making her fertile.

   *Those who said this are mentioned:*

   Muḥammad ibn ʿUbayd al-Muḥāribī related to us; he said: Ḥātim ibn Ismāʿīl related to us, on the authority of Ḥumayd ibn Ṣakhr, on the authority of ʿAmmār, on the authority of Saʿīd, concerning His words (وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ): he said: "She bore no children."

   Al-Qāsim related to us; he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us; he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj: Ibn ʿAbbās said concerning (وأصلحنا له زوجه): "We granted him a child from her."

   Bishr related to us; he said: Yazīd related to us; he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His words (وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ): "She was barren; Allah made her fertile and granted him from her Yaḥyā."

   Others said: she had a bad character, and Allah restored her for him by giving her a good character.

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The most correct position concerning this is to say that Allah granted restoration to Zakariyyā's wife for him — as He, exalted be His praise, reported — by making her fertile and endowing her with good character, for both are included in the meaning of her restoration. Allah, exalted be His praise, did not specify it to a particular aspect in His Book, nor through the tongue of His Messenger, nor is there any indication of a particular restriction; it therefore applies generally unless something comes that gives a binding reason to assume that only a particular aspect is intended.

   His words (إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ) — Allah says: those whom We mentioned — that is, Zakariyyā, his wife, and Yaḥyā — hastened in good deeds in obedience to Us and in doing what brings them nearer to Us.

   His words (وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا) — Allah, exalted be His praise, says: they worshipped Us with hope and fear. By "calling upon" in this context, worship is meant, as He says: وَأَعْتَزِلُكُمْ وَمَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَأَدْعُو رَبِّي (And I withdraw from you and from what you call upon besides Allah, and I call upon my Lord). By (رَغَبًا) is meant that they worshipped Him with longing for what they hoped for of His mercy and favor; by (وَرَهَبًا) is meant: fear of His punishment on account of abandoning His worship and committing disobedience to Him.

   This is also the interpretation that the exegetes (ahl al-taʾwīl) give to it.

   *Those who said this are mentioned:*

   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 (إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا): he said: "Full of longing for Allah's mercy and full of fear of Allah's punishment (ʿadhāb)."

   Yūnus related to me; he said: Ibn Wahb informed us; he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His words (وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا): "Full of fear and full of hope — and it is fitting that neither abandons the other."

   The reciters differed in reciting this: the majority of the reciters in the great cities read (رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا) with a fatḥa on the ghayn and the hāʾ — the reading of al-Raghab and al-Rahab — and concerning al-Aʿmash a difference was reported: there is a narration that he agreed with the reciters, and there is also a narration that he read: Rughban wa-Ruhban, with a ḍamma on the rāʾ in both words and a sukūn on the ghayn and the hāʾ.

   The correct reading in this matter is that of the reciters of the great cities — the fatḥa in both words.

   His words (وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ) mean: they were humble and submissive before Us, and they did not exalt themselves above Our worship and calling upon Us.

   Show original Arabic

   يقول الله جلّ ثناؤه: فاستجبنا لزكريا دعاءه ، ووهبنا له يحيى ولدا ووارثا يرثه ، وأصلحنا له زوجه. واختلف أهل التأويل في معنى الصلاح الذي عناه الله جلّ ثناؤه بقوله ( وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ ) فقال بعضهم: كانت عقيما فأصلحها بأن جعلها وَلُودا. *ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا محمد بن عبيد المحاربي ، قال : ثنا حاتم بن إسماعيل ، عن حميد بن صخر ، عن عمار ، عن سعيد ، في قوله ( وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ ) قال: كانت لا تلد. حدثنا القاسم ، قال : ثنا الحسين ، قال: ثني حجاج ، عن ابن جريج ، قال: قال ابن عباس ، في قوله ( وأصلحنا له زوجه ) قال: وهبنا له ولدها. حدثنا بشر ، قال : ثنا يزيد ، قال : ثنا سعيد ، عن قتادة قوله ( وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ ) كانت عاقرا ، فجعلها الله ولودا ، ووهب له منها يحيى. وقال آخرون: كانت سيئة الخلق ، فأصلحها الله له بأن رزقها حُسن الخُلُق. قال أبو جعفر: والصواب من القول في ذلك أن يقال: إن الله أصلح لزكريا زوجه ، كما أخبر تعالى ذكره بأن جعلها ولودا حسنة الخُلُق ، لأن كل ذلك من معاني إصلاحه إياها ، ولم يخصُصِ الله جلّ ثناؤه بذلك بعضا دون بعض في كتابه ، ولا على لسان رسوله ، ولا وضع ، على خصوص ذلك دلالة ، فهو على العموم ما لم يأت ما يجب التسليم له بأن ذلك مراد به بعض دون بعض. وقوله ( إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ ) يقول الله: إن الذين سميناهم ، يعني زكريا وزوجه ويحيى ، كانوا يسارعون في الخيرات في طاعتنا ، والعمل بما يقرّبهم إلينا، وقوله ( وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ) يقول تعالى ذكره: وكانوا يعبدوننا رغبا ورهبا ، وعنى بالدعاء في هذا الموضع: العبادة ، كما قال وَأَعْتَزِلُكُمْ وَمَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَأَدْعُو رَبِّي عَسَى أَلا أَكُونَ بِدُعَاءِ رَبِّي شَقِيًّا ويعنى بقوله ( رَغَبا ) أنهم كانوا يعبدونه رغبة منهم فيما يرجون منه من رحمته وفضله (وَرَهَبا ) يعني رهبة منهم من عذابه وعقابه ، بتركهم عبادته وركوبهم معصيته. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. *ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا القاسم ، قال : ثنا الحسين ، قال: ثني حجاج ، عن ابن جريج ( إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ) قال: رغبا في رحمة الله ، ورهبا من عذاب الله. حدثني يونس ، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب ، قال: قال ابن زيد ، في قوله ( وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ) قال: خوفا وطمعا ، قال: وليس ينبغي لأحدهما أن يفارق الآخر. واختلفت القرّاء في قراءة ذلك ، فقرأته عامة قرّاء الأمصار ( رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ) بفتح الغين والهاء من الرغَب والرهَب ، واختلف عن الأعمش في ذلك ، فرُويت عنه الموافقة في ذلك للقرّاء ، ورُوي عنه أنه قرأها رُغْبا ورُهْبا بضم الراء في الحرفين وتسكين الغين والهاء. والصواب من القراءة في ذلك ما عليه قرّاء الأمصار ، وذلك الفتح في الحرفين كليهما. وقوله ( وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ ) يقول: وكانوا لنا متواضعين متذللين ، ولا يستكبرون عن عبادتنا ودعائنا.