Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   As for His saying: وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا فِي السَّمَاءِ (And you cannot frustrate [Him], neither on the earth nor in the heaven) — Ibn Zayd said concerning it that which Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying: وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا فِي السَّمَاءِ: he said: The inhabitants of the lands cannot escape Him on the earths, and the inhabitants of the heavens cannot escape Him in the heavens, if they disobey Him. And he recited: مِثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلا أَصْغَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلا أَكْبَرَ إِلا فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ (the weight of an atom on the earth nor in the heaven, and nothing smaller than that nor greater, but it is in a clear Book).

   And some of the grammarians of Basra said concerning it: وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا (And you cannot frustrate [Him] on the earth, nor) — out of فِي السَّمَاءِ (in the heaven) — frustrating; he said: This belongs to the hidden [aspects] of the Arabic [language], on account of the pronoun that has not been made visible in the second part. He said: And an example of that is the saying of Ḥassān ibn Thābit:

   "Is he who reviles the Messenger of Allah among you, and he who praises him and helps him — equal?" (2)

   He meant: and he who helps him and praises him, and he left "man" (who) implicit. He said: And it may occur in the imagination of the listener that the helping and the praising belong to this visible "man." And an example of that in speech is: "Honor whoever comes to you and comes to your father," and "Honor whoever comes to you and does not come to Zayd" — you mean: and whoever does not come to Zayd; one suffices with the difference in the verbs in place of the repetition of "man" (who), as if he said: is he who reviles, and whoever praises him, and whoever helps him. And to this belongs the saying of Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He: وَمَنْ هُوَ مُسْتَخْفٍ بِاللَّيْلِ وَسَارِبٌ بِالنَّهَارِ (and whoever conceals himself in the night and whoever goes forth openly by day). And this view is, in my opinion, more correct as to the meaning than the other view. And were someone to say: its meaning is: and you cannot frustrate [Him] on the earth, and were you in the heaven you would likewise not frustrate [Him] — then that would be an acceptable interpretation.

   And His saying: وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلا نَصِيرٍ (And you have, apart from Allah, no protector and no helper): He says: and you have, O people, apart from Allah no protector (walī) who manages your affairs, and no helper (naṣīr) who helps you against Him, if Allah wills to inflict evil upon you, and who protects you against Him if He sends His punishment down upon you.

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   The footnotes:

   (2) The verse is by Ḥassān ibn Thābit, and it has already been cited as evidence previously; it belongs to the evidentiary verses of al-Farrāʾ in Maʿānī al-Qurʾān (folio 244 of the university reproduction). He said: And His saying: وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلا فِي السَّمَاءِ — a speaker might say: how did He describe them as not frustrating [Him] on the earth nor in the heaven, when they are not among the inhabitants of the heaven? The meaning is therefore — and Allah knows best — you cannot frustrate [Him] on the earth, nor frustrating [Him] out of the heaven either. And this belongs to the hidden [aspects] of the Arabic [language], on account of the pronoun that has not been made visible in the second part. And an example of that is the saying of Ḥassān: "He who reviles..." (the verse). He meant: and whoever helps him and praises him, and he left "man" implicit, and it may occur in the imagination of the listener that the praising and the helping belong to this visible "man." And an example of that in speech is: "Honor whoever comes to you and comes to your father," and "Honor whoever comes to you and does not come to Zayd"; you mean: and whoever does not come to Zayd. End.

   Show original Arabic

   وأما قوله: ( وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا فِي السَّمَاءِ ) فإن ابن زيد قال في ذلك ما حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال: قال ابن زيد، في قوله: ( وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا فِي السَّمَاءِ ) قال: لا يُعجزه أهل الأرضين في الأرضين، ولا أهل السموات في السموات إن عصوه، وقرأ مِثْقَالِ ذَرَّةٍ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلا أَصْغَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلا أَكْبَرَ إِلا فِي كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ . وقال في ذلك بعض أهل العربية من أهل البصرة: ( وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِمُعْجِزِينَ فِي الأرْضِ وَلا ) من (فِي السَّمَاءِ) مُعْجِزِينَ قال: وهو من غامض العربية للضمير الذي لم يظهر في الثاني، قال: ومثله قول حسان بن ثابت: أمَــنْ يَهْجُــو رَسُـولَ اللـهِ مِنْكُـمْ وَيَمْدَحُـــهُ وَيَنْصُـــرُه سَــواءُ? (2) أراد: ومن ينصره ويمدحه، فأضمر " مَنْ". قال: وقد يقع في وهم السامع أن النصر والمدح لمنْ هذه الظاهرة، ومثله في الكلام: أكرمْ من أتاك وأتى أباك، وأكرم من أتاك ولم يأت زيدا. تريد: ومن لم يأت زيدا، فيكتفي باختلاف الأفعال من إعادة (مَنْ)، كأنه قال: أمَن يهجو، ومن يمدحه، ومن ينصره. ومنه قول الله عزّ وجلّ: &; 20-23 &; وَمَنْ هُوَ مُسْتَخْفٍ بِاللَّيْلِ وَسَارِبٌ بِالنَّهَارِ وهذا القول أصحّ عندي في المعنى من القول الآخر، ولو قال قائل: معناه: ولا أَنتم بمعجزين في الأرض، ولا أنتم لو كنتم في السماء بمعجزين كان مذهبا. وقوله: ( وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلا نَصِيرٍ ) يقول: وما كان لكم أيها الناس من دون الله من وليّ يلي أموركم، ولا نصير ينصركم منه الله إن أراد بكم سوءا ولا يمنعكم منه إن أحل بكم عقوبته. ------------------ الهوامش: (2) البيت لحسان بن ثابت وقد تقدم الاستشهاد به، وهو من شواهد الفراء في معاني القرآن (الورقة 244 من مصورة الجامعة) قال: وقوله: (وما أنتم بمعجزين في الأرض ولا في السماء) يقول القائل: وكيف وصفهم أنهم لا يعجزون في الأرض ولا في السماء، وليسوا من أهل السماء؟ فالمعنى، والله أعلم، ما أنتم بمعجزين في الأرض، ولا من السماء بمعجز. وهو من غامض العربية، للضمير الذي لم يظهر في الثاني. ومثله قول حسان: " فمن يهجو ... " البيت. أراد: ومن ينصره ويمدحه، فأضمر "من"، وقد يقع في وهم السامع أن المدح والنصر لمن هذه الظاهرة. ومثله في الكلام: أكرم من أتاك وأتى أباك، وأكرم من أتاك ولم يأت زيدًا؛ تريد: ومن لم يأت زيدًا. اهـ.