Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the statement of the Exalted: Each one We seized for his sin. Among them were those against whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those whom the shout seized, and among them were those with whom We caused the earth to swallow, and among them were those whom We drowned. And it was not Allah who wronged them, but they wronged themselves (29:40).

   The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: We seized all these communities which We have mentioned to you, O Muḥammad, with Our punishment. Among them were those against whom We sent a storm of stones (ḥāṣib): these are the people of Lūṭ, upon whom Allah caused stones of piled-up clay to rain down. The Arabs call the raging wind that contains small pebbles, or snow, or hail, or sleet a "ḥāṣib," and of this is the statement of al-Akhṭal:

   "And indeed I knew, when the pregnant she-camels departed, with the shuffling gait of the young ostriches that the north wind cast down, striking the thorn-trees with a storm of stones of its snow, until it remains lying spread over the thorn-trees." (1)

   And al-Farazdaq said:

   "Advancing against the north wind of Syria that struck us with a storm of stones like scattered tufts of carded cotton." (2)

   And in accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, saying: Ibn ʿAbbās said: Among them were those against whom We sent a storm of stones: the people of Lūṭ.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: Among them were those against whom We sent a storm of stones: these are the people of Lūṭ. And among them were those whom the shout seized.

   The exegetes differed concerning who was meant by this. Some of them said: these are Thamūd, the people of Ṣāliḥ.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, saying: Ibn ʿAbbās said: And among them were those whom the shout seized: Thamūd.

   And others said: no, they are the people of Shuʿayb.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: And among them were those whom the shout seized: the people of Shuʿayb.

   And the correct position concerning this is that one says: Allah has reported, in another place in His Book, concerning Thamūd and the people of Shuʿayb, the inhabitants of Madyan, that He destroyed them by the shout. Then He said, exalted is His praise, to His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: among the communities which We destroyed were those against whom We sent a storm of stones, and among them were those whom the shout seized. He did not restrict the report about this to some of those whom the shout seized to the exclusion of others, and both communities — I mean Thamūd and Madyan — were seized by the shout. And His statement: And among them were those with whom We caused the earth to swallow means thereby Qārūn.

   And in accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, saying: Ibn ʿAbbās said: And among them were those with whom We caused the earth to swallow: Qārūn. And among them were those whom We drowned means: the people of Nūḥ, and Firʿawn and his people.

   And the exegetes differed concerning this. Some of them said: by this was meant: the people of Nūḥ, peace be upon him.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, saying: Ibn ʿAbbās said: And among them were those whom We drowned: the people of Nūḥ.

   And others said: no, they are the people of Firʿawn.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: And among them were those whom We drowned: the people of Firʿawn.

   And the correct position concerning this is that one says: by this were meant the people of Nūḥ and Firʿawn and his people, because Allah did not restrict this to one of the two communities to the exclusion of the other, and He had destroyed both before this report about them was sent down; so both are meant by it.

   And His statement: And it was not Allah who wronged them, but they wronged themselves — the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: it was not Allah who would destroy these communities which He destroyed on account of the sins of others than them, such that He would wrong them by destroying them without justification. Rather, He destroyed them only on account of their sins, and their disbelief in their Lord, and their denial of His favors to them, despite the continuous succession of His benefactions toward them and the abundance of His gifts among them. But they wronged themselves by their conduct with the favors of their Lord, and their being amid His benefactions while they worshiped another than Him, and their disobedience toward the One who bestowed their favors.

   ----------------------- Footnotes:

   (1) The two verses are by al-Akhṭal, and they have been cited earlier as evidence in another place in the tafsīr; see it in (15: 124).

   (2) The verse is by al-Farazdaq, and it belongs to the evidentiary verses of Abū ʿUbayda in Majāz al-Qurʾān (photographic reproduction of the university copy, leaf no. 185). He said: We sent against him a ḥāṣib: that is, a raging wind in which there are pebbles, and in the language of the Arabs the ḥāṣib may also be of sleet and the like. And al-Farazdaq said: "Advancing against the north wind of Syria ..." the verse. End.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : فَكُلا أَخَذْنَا بِذَنْبِهِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ الصَّيْحَةُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ الأَرْضَ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَغْرَقْنَا وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ (40) يقول تعالى ذكره: فأخذنا جميع هذه الأمم التي ذكرناها لك يا محمد بعذابنا &; 20-36 &; ( فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا ) وهم قوم لُوط الذين أمطر الله عليهم حجارة من سجِّيلٍ مَنضُود، والعرب تسمي الريح العاصف التي فيها الحصى الصغار أو الثلج أو البرد والجليد حاصبا، ومنه قول الأخطل: وَلقـدْ عَلِمْـتُ إذا العِشـارُ تَرَوَّحَـتْ هَــدَجَ الرّئــالِ يَكُــبُّهُنَّ شَـمالا تَـرْمي العِضَـاهَ بحـاصِبٍ مِن ثَلْجِها حـتى يَبِيـتَ عـلى العِضَـاهِ جُفـالا (1) وقال الفرزدق: مُسْــتَقْبِلِينَ شَـمالَ الشَّـأْمِ تَضْرِبُنـا بحــاصِبٍ كَنَـدِيفِ القُطْـنِ مَنْثُـورِ (2) وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جُرَيج، قال: قال ابن عباس: ( فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا ) قوم لوط. حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قَتادة ( فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِ حَاصِبًا ) وهم قوم لوط ( وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ الصَّيْحَةُ ). اختلف أهل التأويل في الذين عُنوا بذلك، فقال بعضهم: هم ثمود قوم صالح. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جُرَيج، قال: قال ابن عباس: ( وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ الصَّيْحَةُ ) ثمود. وقال آخرون: بل هم قوم شعيب. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قَتادة ( وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ الصَّيْحَةُ ) قوم شعيب. والصواب من القول في ذلك أن يقال: إن الله قد أخبر عن ثمود وقوم شعيب من أهل مدين أنه أهلكهم بالصيحة في كتابه في غير هذا الموضع، ثم قال جلّ ثناؤه لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم: فمن الأمم التي أهلكناهم من أرسلنا عليهم حاصبا، ( وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَخَذَتْهُ الصَّيْحَةُ )، فلم يخصص الخبر بذلك عن بعض مَنْ أخذته الصيحة من الأمم دون بعض، وكلا الأمتين أعني ثمود ومَدين قد أخذتهم الصَّيحة. وقوله: ( وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ الأرْضَ ) يعني بذلك قارون. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جُرَيج، قال: قال ابن عباس: ( وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ خَسَفْنَا بِهِ الأرْضَ ) قارون ( وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أغْرَقْنا ) يعني: قوم نوح وفرعون وقومه. واختلف أهل التأويل في ذلك، فقال بعضهم: عُني بذلك: قوم نوح عليه السلام. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا القاسم، قال: ثنا الحسين، قال: ثني حجاج، عن ابن جُرَيج، قال: قال ابن عباس: ( وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أغْرَقْنَا ) قوم نُوح. وقال آخرون: بل هم قوم فرعون. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قَتادة ( وَمِنْهُم مَّنْ أغْرَقْنا ) قوم فرعون. والصواب من القول في ذلك، أن يُقال: عُني به قوم نوح وفرعونُ وقومه؛ لأن الله لم يخصص بذلك إحدى الأمتين دون الأخرى، وقد كان أهلكهما قبل نـزول هذا الخبر عنهما، فهما مَعْنيتان به. وقوله: ( وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَظْلِمَهُمْ وَلَكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: ولم يكن الله ليهلك هؤلاء الأمم الذين أهلكهم، بذنوب غيرهم، فيظلمَهم بإهلاكه إياهم بغير استحقاق، بل إنما أهلكهم بذنوبهم، وكفرهم بربهم، وجحودهم نعمه عليهم، مع تتابع إحسانه عليهم، وكثرة أياديه عندهم، ( وَلَكِنْ كَانُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ ) بتصرّفهم في نعم ربهم، وتقلبهم في آلائه وعبادتهم غيره، ومعصيتهم من أنعم عليهم. ----------------------- الهوامش : الهوامش: (1) البيتان للأخطل، وقد سبق الاستشهاد بهما في غير هذا الموضع من التفسير انظره في (15: 124). (2) البيت للفرزدق، وهو من شواهد أبي عبيدة في مجاز القرآن (مصورة الجامعة الورقة رقم 185) قال: (أرسلنا عليه حاصبًا): أي ريحا عاصفًا فيها حصى، ويكون في كلام العرب الحاصب من الجليد ونحوه أيضًا. وقال الفرزدق: "مستقبلين شمال الشام ... " البيت. اهـ.