Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The discourse on the explanation of His saying, the Exalted: وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ (3) (And We had certainly tested those before them; and Allah will surely make known those who spoke the truth, and He will surely make known the liars. (3))

   The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: And We had certainly tested those communities who were before them, among those to whom We sent Our messengers, and they said the same as what your community said, O Muhammad, through their enemies, and by Our enabling those [enemies] to torment them — as with Mūsā, when We sent him to the Children of Israel, and We tested them with Firʿawn and his chiefs; and as with ʿĪsā, when We sent him to the Children of Israel, and We tested those who followed him with those who turned away from him. Likewise, We have tested your followers with those who turn against you among your enemies. فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا (and Allah will surely make known those who spoke the truth) among them in their saying "we believe," وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ (and He will surely make known the liars) among them in that saying of theirs. And Allah is, concerning this, knowing of them before the testing, and during the testing, and after the testing; but the meaning of it is: and Allah will surely make manifest the truthfulness of the truthful among them in his saying "we believe in Allah" as against the mendacity of the liar among them, by testing him with his enemy, so that his truthfulness from his mendacity becomes known to His protected friends, in the manner that We have already expounded before this.

   And it has been mentioned that this verse was sent down concerning a group of Muslims who were tortured by the polytheists (mushrikīn); some of them were cast into trial, and some of them bore their torment patiently until Allah brought them relief from Him.

   * Mention of the report concerning that:

   Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, saying: I heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr say: it was sent down — that is, this verse الم * أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا ... up to His saying: وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ (and He will surely make known the liars) — concerning ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir, when he was tortured for the sake of Allah.

   And others said: no, rather this was sent down on account of a group who had openly professed Islam in Mecca, but lagged behind in the hijra; and the trial (fitna) with which this group was tested, according to the saying of these [authorities], is the hijra with which they were put to the test.

   Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Maṭar, on the authority of al-Shaʿbī, who said: it was sent down — that is الم * أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا the two verses — concerning people who were in Mecca and acknowledged Islam. The companions of Muhammad, the Prophet of Allah — may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him — wrote to them from Medina: No acknowledgment of Islam is accepted from you until you perform the hijra. Thereupon they set out, heading for Medina; but the polytheists followed them and brought them back. Then this verse was sent down concerning them, and they [in Medina] wrote to them: Concerning you a verse of such-and-such purport has been sent down. Thereupon they said: We set out, and if anyone follows us, we fight him. He said: Then they set out, and the polytheists followed them and fought them there; some of them were killed, and some of them were saved. Then Allah sent down concerning them: ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا فُتِنُوا ثُمَّ جَاهَدُوا وَصَبَرُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنْ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (Then indeed, your Lord, to those who emigrated after they had been tested, and thereafter struggled and were patient — indeed, your Lord, after that, is Forgiving, Merciful).

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid concerning his saying: وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا (And We had certainly tested) he said: We tested.

   Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, the like of it.

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Muʾammal related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Hāshim, on the authority of Mujāhid: وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ (And We had certainly tested those before them) he said: We tested those who were before them.

   Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: my father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Abū Hāshim, on the authority of Mujāhid, the like of it.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning his saying:

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ (3) يقول تعالى ذكره: ولقد اختبرنا الذين من قبلهم من الأمم، ممن أرسلنا إليهم رسلنا، فقالوا مثل ما قالته أمتك يا محمد بأعدائهم، وتمكيننا إياهم من أذاهم، كموسى إذا أرسلناه إلى بني إسرائيل، فابتليناهم بفرعون وملئهم، وكعيسى إذ أرسلناه إلى بني إسرائيل، فابتلينا من اتبعه بمن تولى عنه، فكذلك ابتلينا أتباعك بمخالفيك من أعدائك ( فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا ) منهم في قيلهم آمنا( وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ ) منهم في قيلهم ذلك، والله عالم بذلك منهم قبل الاختبار، وفي حال الاختبار، وبعد الاختبار، ولكن معنى ذلك: ولَيُظْهِرَنَّ الله صدق الصادق منهم في قيله آمنا بالله من كذب الكاذب منهم بابتلائه إياه بعدوّه، ليعلم صدقه من كذبه أولياؤه، على نحو ما قد بيَّناه فيما مضى قبلُ. وذكر أن هذه الآية نـزلت في قوم من المسلمين عذّبهم المشركون، ففتن بعضهم، وصبر بعضهم على أذاهم حتى أتاهم الله بفرج من عنده. * ذكر الرواية بذلك: حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جُرَيج، قال: سمعت عبد الله بن عبيد بن عمير يقول: نـزلت، يعني هذه الآية الم * أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا أَنْ يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا ... إلى قوله: ( وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ ) في عمَّار بن ياسر، إذ كان يعذّب في الله. وقال آخرون: بل نـزل ذلك من أجل قوم كانوا قد أظهروا الإسلام بمكة، وتخلفوا عن الهجرة، والفتنة التي فتن بها هؤلاء القوم على مقالة هؤلاء، هي الهجرة التي امتحنوا بها. ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن مطر، عن الشعبيِّ، قال: إنها نـزلت، يعني الم * أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يُتْرَكُوا الآيتين في أناس كانوا بمكة أقرّوا بالإسلام، فكتب إليهم أصحاب محمد نبيِّ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم من المدينة: إنه لا يقبل منكم إقرارًا بالإسلام حتى تهاجروا، فخرجوا عامدين إلى المدينة، فاتبعهم المشركون، فردّوهم، فنـزلت فيهم هذه الآية، فكتبوا إليهم: إنه قد نـزلت فيكم آية كذا وكذا، فقالوا: نخرج، فإن اتبعنا أحد قاتلناه، قال: فخرجوا فاتبعهم المشركون فقاتلوهم ثَمَّ، فمنهم من قتل، ومنهم من نجا، فأنـزله الله فيهم ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لِلَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا فُتِنُوا ثُمَّ جَاهَدُوا وَصَبَرُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنْ بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ . حدثني محمد بن عمرو، قال: ثنا أبو عاصم، قال: ثنا عيسى، وحدثني الحارث، قال: ثنا الحسن، قال: ثنا ورقاء، جميعا عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد قوله: (وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا) قال: ابتلينا. حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جُرَيج، عن مجاهد، مثله. حدثنا ابن بشار، قال: ثنا مؤمل، قال: ثنا سفيان، عن أبي هاشم، عن مجاهد ( وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ) قال: ابتلينا الذين من قبلهم. حدثنا ابن وكيع، قال: ثنا أبي، عن سفيان، عن أبي هاشم، عن مجاهد، مثله. حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قَتادة، قوله: