Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of His word: لَنْ يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلا أَذًى ("They will not harm you except with vexation.")

   Abū Jaʿfar said: By this He means, exalted is His praise: They will not harm you, O people of faith in Allah and His Messenger — these corrupt ones (al-fāsiqūn) among the People of the Book — through their unbelief (kufr) and through their denial of your Prophet Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in any respect, "except with vexation." By this He means: but they vex you with their shirk, and by making you hear their unbelief, and by their statements about ʿĪsā, his mother, and ʿUzayr, and by their call to you toward error; but by that they will not harm you.

   * * *

   This belongs to the disjoined exception (al-istithnāʾ al-munqaṭiʿ), which differs in meaning from what precedes it, as one says: "He complained of nothing except good." This is an expression attributed to the Arabs on the authority of transmission.

   * * *

   And in accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes (ahl al-taʾwīl) spoke.

   * Mention of who said that:

   7626 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: "They will not harm you except with vexation," he says: They will not harm you except with a vexation that you hear from them.

   7627 — It was related to me on the authority of ʿAmmār, saying: Ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, concerning His word: "They will not harm you except with vexation," he said: A vexation that you hear from them.

   7628 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, concerning His word: "They will not harm you except with vexation," he said: Their shirk regarding ʿUzayr, ʿĪsā, and the cross.

   7629 — Muḥammad ibn Sinān related to me, saying: Abū Bakr al-Ḥanafī related to us, on the authority of ʿAbbād, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning His word: "They will not harm you except with vexation," the verse, he said: You hear from them lies about Allah; they call you toward error.

   * * *

   The explanation of His word: وَإِنْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ يُوَلُّوكُمُ الأَدْبَارَ ثُمَّ لا يُنْصَرُونَ (111) ("And if they fight you, they will turn their backs to you; then they will not be helped.") (3:111)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: By this He means, exalted is His praise: And if the People of the Book among the Jews and the Christians fight you (qitāl), they will be defeated by you and will turn their backs to you in flight.

   * * *

   His word "they will turn their backs to you" is a description of their defeat, for the defeated one turns his back toward his pursuer, fleeing to a refuge and shelter to which he withdraws from him, out of fear for his life, while the pursuer is hard on his heels. The back of the pursued is then opposite the face of the pursuing victor.

   * * *

   "Then they will not be helped," that is to say: then Allah will not help them, O believers, against you, on account of their unbelief in Allah and His Messenger, and your belief in that with which your Prophet Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, came to you. For Allah, mighty and exalted, has cast terror into their hearts and supported you, O believers, with victory on your side.

   * * *

   This is a promise from Allah, exalted is His mention, to His Prophet Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and to the people of faith: their victory over the unbelievers among the People of the Book.

   * * *

   His word "then they will not be helped" was placed in the nominative (rafʿ), even though His word "they will turn their backs to you" is in the jussive (jazm) as the answer to the condition — this as a fresh resumption (istiʾnāf) of the statement, because the verse-endings before this verse end in nūn, so He made this conform with them, as He said: وَلا يُؤْذَنُ لَهُمْ فَيَعْتَذِرُونَ ("And permission will not be given to them, so that they might excuse themselves") [Sūrat al-Mursalāt: 36], in the nominative. And in another place He said: لا يُقْضَى عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا ("It will not be decreed upon them, so that they might die") [Sūrat Fāṭir: 36], since that was not a verse-ending.

   ---------------- Footnotes: (23) In the printed edition it reads "wa-lā yaḍurrūnakum," and in the manuscript "wa-lā yaḍurrūkum," and the correct reading is what has been established. (24) In the printed edition it reads "He cast terror into the hearts of whoever assails you," which is a correction of what is in the manuscript: "He cast terror into the hearts and supported you." It is clear that "hearts" should properly be "their hearts," and the statement has been set right according to what is in the manuscript. (25) See Maʿānī al-Qurʾān of al-Farrāʾ 1: 229.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله : لَنْ يَضُرُّوكُمْ إِلا أَذًى قال أبو جعفر: يعني بذلك جل ثناؤه: لن يضركم، يا أهل الإيمان بالله ورسوله، هؤلاء الفاسقون من أهل الكتاب بكفرهم وتكذيبهم نبيَّكم محمدًا صلى الله عليه وسلم شيئا =" إلا أذى "، يعني بذلك: ولكنهم يؤذونكم بشركهم، وإسماعكم كفرهم، وقولهم في عيسى وأمه وعزير، ودعائهم إياكم إلى الضلالة، ولن يضروكم بذلك، (23) . * * * وهذا من الاستثناء المنقطع الذي هو مخالف معنى ما قبله، كما قيل: " ما اشتكى شيئًا إلا خيرًا "، وهذه كلمة محكية عن العرب سماعًا. * * * وبنحو ما قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. *ذكر من قال ذلك: 7626- حدثنا بشر قال، حدثنا يزيد قال، حدثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: " لن يضروكم إلا أذى "، يقول: لن يضروكم إلا أذى تسمعونه منهم. 7627- حدثت عن عمار قال، حدثنا ابن أبي جعفر، عن أبيه، عن الربيع، قوله: " لن يضروكم إلا أذى "، قال: أذى تسمعونه منهم. 7628- حدثنا القاسم قال، حدثنا الحسين قال، حدثني حجاج، عن &; 7-109 &; ابن جريج، قوله: " لن يضروكم إلا أذى "، قال: إشراكهم في عُزير وعيسى والصَّليب. 7629- حدثني محمد بن سنان قال، حدثنا أبو بكر الحنفي، عن عباد، عن الحسن في قوله: " لن يضروكم إلا أذى " الآية، قال: تسمعون منهم كذبًا على الله، يدعونكم إلى الضلالة. * * * القول في تأويل قوله : وَإِنْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ يُوَلُّوكُمُ الأَدْبَارَ ثُمَّ لا يُنْصَرُونَ (111) قال أبو جعفر: يعني بذلك جل ثناؤه: وإن يقاتلكم أهلُ الكتاب من اليهود والنصارى يهزَموا عنكم، فيولوكم أدبارهم انهزامًا. * * * فقوله: " يولوكم الأدبار "، كناية عن انهزامهم، لأن المنهزم يحوِّل ظهره إلى جهة الطالب هربًا إلى ملجأ وموئل يئل إليه منه، خوفًا على نفسه، والطالبُ في أثره. فدُبُر المطلوب حينئذ يكون محاذي وجه الطالب الهازِمِِة. * * * =" ثم لا ينصرون "، يعني: ثم لا ينصرهم الله، أيها المؤمنون، عليكم، لكفرهم بالله ورسوله، وإيمانكم بما آتاكم نبيكم محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم. لأن الله عز وجل قد ألقى الرعب في قلوبهم، فأيدكم أيها المؤمنون بنصركم. (24) . * * * وهذا وعدٌ من الله تعالى ذكره نبيه محمدًا صلى الله عليه وسلم وأهل الإيمان، نصرَهم على الكفرة به من أهل الكتاب. * * * وإنما رفع قوله: " ثم لا ينصرون " وقد جَزم قوله: " يولوكم الأدبار "، على جواب الجزاء، ائتنافًا للكلام، لأن رؤوس الآيات قبلها بالنون، فألحق هذه بها، كما قال: وَلا يُؤْذَنُ لَهُمْ فَيَعْتَذِرُونَ [سورة المرسلات: 36]، رفعًا، وقد قال في موضع آخر: لا يُقْضَى عَلَيْهِمْ فَيَمُوتُوا [سورة فاطر: 36] إذْ لم يكن رأس آية. (25) ---------------- الهوامش : (23) في المطبوعة: "ولا يضرونكم" ، وفي المخطوطة: "ولا يضروكم" ، والصواب هو ما أثبت. (24) في المطبوعة: "قد ألقى الرعب في قلوب كائدكم" ، وهو تصحيح لما في المخطوطة: "قد ألقى الرعب في قلوب فأيدكم" ، وظاهر أن"قلوب" صوابها"قلوبهم" ، واستقام الكلام على ما في المخطوطة. (25) انظر معاني القرآن للفراء 1: 229.