Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The discourse on the interpretation of His saying: مَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَذَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى مَا أَنْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَمِيزَ الْخَبِيثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ (Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are, until He distinguishes the evil from the good.)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: He means by His saying "Allah will not leave the believers": Allah would not leave the believers behind (31) "in the state in which you are" — namely the intermingling of the believer among you with the hypocrite, such that the one is not distinguished from the other — "until He distinguishes the evil from the good." By this He means: "until He distinguishes the evil," which is the hypocrite who conceals unbelief within himself, (32) "from the good," which is the sincere believer, truthful in faith, (33) through trials and testing, just as He distinguished between them on the Day of Uḥud at the encounter with the enemy when they marched out against them.

   * * *

   And the people of interpretation differed concerning "the evil" that Allah intended by this verse.

   Some of them said concerning it the same as our statement.

   * Mention of who said that:

   8268 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the saying of Allah "Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are, until He distinguishes the evil from the good," he said: He distinguished between them on the Day of Uḥud, the hypocrite from the believer.

   8269 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj: "Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are, until He distinguishes the evil from the good," Ibn Jurayj said, he says: so that He may make clear the one truthful in his faith from the liar. Ibn Jurayj said: Mujāhid said: on the Day of Uḥud He distinguished the one from the other, the hypocrite from the believer.

   8270 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq: "Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are, until He distinguishes the evil from the good," that is: the hypocrites. (34)

   * * *

   And others said: the meaning of it is: until He distinguishes the believer from the unbeliever through the emigration (hijra) and the jihād.

   * Mention of who said that:

   8271 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning his saying "Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are," he means the unbelievers. He says: Allah would not leave the believers in the state in which you are of misguidance: "until He distinguishes the evil from the good," He distinguishes between them in the jihād and the emigration (hijra).

   8272 — Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning his saying "until He distinguishes the evil from the good," he said: until He distinguishes the corrupt one (al-fājir) from the believer.

   8273 — Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are, until He distinguishes the evil from the good" — they said: "If Muḥammad is truthful, let him inform us who believes in Allah and who disbelieves!" Then Allah revealed: "Allah will not leave the believers in the state in which you are, until He distinguishes the evil from the good," until He brings forth the believer from the unbeliever.

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: And the first interpretation is the most fitting for the interpretation of the verse, because the verses before this verse are about the hypocrites, and this verse stands within their context. So that it should be about them is more likely than that it should be about others than them.

   * * *

   The discourse on the interpretation of His saying: وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُطْلِعَكُمْ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْتَبِي مِنْ رُسُلِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ (And Allah will not give you insight into the unseen, but Allah chooses from His messengers whom He wills.)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The people of interpretation differed concerning the interpretation of it.

   Some of them said what:

   8274 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related it to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "and Allah will not give you insight into the unseen," and Allah would not give Muḥammad insight into the unseen, but Allah chose him and made him a messenger.

   * * *

   And others said what:

   8275 — Ibn Ḥumayd related it to me, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq: "and Allah will not give you insight into the unseen," that is: into that with which He wishes to try you, so that you may guard yourselves against what befalls you therein, "but Allah chooses from His messengers whom He wills," He instructs him. (35)

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: And the most fitting of the statements concerning it for its interpretation is: and Allah will not give you insight into the inner states of the hearts of His servants, so that you would know the believer among them from the hypocrite and the unbeliever, but He distinguishes between them through trials and testing — just as He distinguished between them through the adversity on the Day of Uḥud — and the jihād against His enemy, and what resembles that of the kinds of trials, until you know their believer, their unbeliever, and their hypocrite. Except that He, the Exalted whose praise is exalted, chooses from His messengers whom He wills and selects him, and then gives him insight into a part of what is in the inner states of some of them, by revealing that to him and through His message, just as:

   8276 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning his saying "but Allah chooses from His messengers whom He wills," he said: He sets them apart for Himself.

   * * *

   And we said only that this interpretation is the most fitting for the interpretation of the verse, because its beginning is a report from Allah, the Exalted whose praise is exalted, that He does not leave His servants (36) — that is: without trials — until through the testing He makes a distinction between their believer, their unbeliever, and the people of their hypocrisy. Then He followed that with His saying "and Allah will not give you insight into the unseen," so that in that with which He began — namely the description of Allah's making manifest the hypocrisy of the hypocrite and the unbelief of the unbeliever — there is a clear indication that what followed it is the report that He would not give them insight into what is hidden from them of the inner part of their secrets, except through that of which He has mentioned that He distinguishes their natures by it — except whomever He excepts of His messengers, whom He has favored with His knowledge.

   * * *

   The discourse on the interpretation of His saying: فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَلَكُمْ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ (179) (So believe in Allah and His messengers, and if you believe and fear (Allah), then for you is a great reward. (3:179))

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, mighty is His praise, means by His saying: (37) "and if you believe," and if you hold to be true those of My messengers whom I chose through My knowledge and to whom I gave insight into the hypocrites among you, "and fear (Allah)," your Lord through obedience to Him in what your Prophet Muḥammad, the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him, commanded you and in what he forbade you, "then for you is a great reward," he says: then for you, through that faith of yours and through your fearing of your Lord, is a great reward, just as:

   8277 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq: "so believe in Allah and His messengers, and if you believe and fear (Allah)," that is: if you return and repent, "then for you is a great reward." (38)

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   The footnotes:

   (31) See the interpretation of "yadhar" in what came earlier, 6: 22.

   (32) See the interpretation of "al-khabīth" in what came earlier, 5: 559.

   (33) See the interpretation of "al-ṭayyib" in what came earlier, 3: 301 / 5: 555, 556 / 6: 361.

   (34) Report 8270 — Sīrat Ibn Hishām 3: 128, and it is a part of the preceding report number: 8265, and the continuation of the reports that come before it from the tafsīr of Ibn Isḥāq. And in the printed edition there stood here "the hypocrite (al-munāfiq)," and the correct reading is from the manuscript, the preceding report, and Sīrat Ibn Hishām.

   (35) Report 8275 — Sīrat Ibn Hishām 3: 128, and it is the continuation of the reports the last of which is 8270, and in the printed edition there stood "through His knowledge (bi-ʿilmihi)" with the "bā" at its beginning, and the correct reading is from Sīrat Ibn Hishām, and its text is: "that is: He instructs him that," while the word in the manuscript is without diacritical points.

   (36) In the printed edition and the manuscript "and its beginning is a report from Allah (wa-btidāʾuhā khabar min Allāh)," and that is a syntax that is not correct, and it appears that the copyist of the manuscript, when he copied, saw the "the verse (al-āya)" and after it "because (li-anna)" upon it confused before his eyes. So he omitted "li-anna," and wrote "wa-btidāʾuhā," and the drawing of the word in the manuscript is "wa-btidāhā," and for this reason I have given preference to what I have established, even though the ordering of the syntax alone would have sufficed for the preference.

   (37) In the manuscript and the printed edition: "He means by it, mighty is His praise, by His saying," and the insertion of "by it (bi-dhālik)" is a corruption and ugliness in the speech, so I have omitted it, and it is a scribal error of the copyist.

   (38) Report 8277 — Sīrat Ibn Hishām 3: 128, and it is the continuation of the reports the last of which is 8275.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله : مَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيَذَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى مَا أَنْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَمِيزَ الْخَبِيثَ مِنَ الطَّيِّبِ قال أبو جعفر: يعني بقوله: " ما كان الله ليذر المؤمنين "، ما كان الله ليدع المؤمنين (31) =" على ما أنتم عليه " من التباس المؤمن منكم بالمنافق، فلا يعرف هذا من هذا=" حتى يميز الخبيث من الطيب "، يعنى بذلك: " حتى يميز الخبيث " وهو المنافق المستسرُّ للكفر (32) =" من الطيب "، وهو المؤمن المخلص الصادق الإيمان، (33) بالمحن والاختبار، كما ميَّز بينهم يوم أحد عند لقاء العدوّ عند خروجهم إليهم. * * * واختلف أهل التأويل في" الخبيث " الذي عنى الله بهذه الآية. فقال بعضهم فيه، مثل قولنا. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 8268 - حدثني محمد بن عمرو قال، حدثني أبو عاصم، عن عيسى، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد في قول الله: " ما كان الله ليذر المؤمنين على ما أنتم عليه حتى يميز الخبيث من الطيب "، قال: ميز بينهم يوم أحد، المنافقَ من المؤمن. 8269 - حدثنا القاسم قال، حدثنا الحسين قال، حدثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج: " ما كان الله ليذر المؤمنين على ما أنتم عليه حتى يميز الخبيث من الطيب "، قال: ابن جريج، يقول: ليبين الصادق بإيمانه من الكاذب= قال ابن جريج، قال مجاهد: يوم أحد، ميز بعضهم عن بعض، المنافق عن المؤمن. 8270 - حدثنا ابن حميد قال، حدثنا سلمة، عن ابن إسحاق: " ما كان الله ليذر المؤمنين على ما أنتم عليه حتى يميز الخبيث من الطيب "، أي: المنافقين. (34) * * * وقال آخرون: معنى ذلك: حتى يميز المؤمن من الكافر بالهجرة والجهاد. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 8271 - حدثنا بشر قال، حدثنا يزيد قال، حدثنا سعيد، عن قتادة قوله: " ما كان الله ليذر المؤمنين على ما أنتم عليه "، يعني الكفار. يقول: لم يكن الله ليدع المؤمنين على ما أنتم عليه من الضلالة: " حتى يميز الخبيث من الطيب "، يميز بينهم في الجهاد والهجرة. 8272 - حدثنا الحسن بن يحيى قال، أخبرنا عبد الرزاق قال، أخبرنا معمر، عن قتادة في قوله: " حتى يميز الخبيث من الطيب "، قال: حتى يميز الفاجر من المؤمن. 8273 - حدثنا محمد قال، حدثنا أحمد قال، حدثنا أسباط، عن السدي،" ما كان الله ليذر المؤمنين على ما أنتم عليه حتى يميز الخبيث من الطيب " قالوا: " إن كان محمدٌ صادقًا، فليخبرنا بمن يؤمن بالله ومن يكفر "!! فأنـزل الله: " ما كان الله ليذر المؤمنين على ما أنتم عليه حتى يميز الخبيث من الطيب "، حتى يخرج المؤمن من الكافر. * * * قال أبو جعفر: والتأويل الأول أولى بتأويل الآية، لأن الآيات قبلها في ذكر المنافقين، وهذه في سياقتها. فكونها بأن تكون فيهم، أشبه منها بأن تكون في غيرهم. * * * القول في تأويل قوله : وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُطْلِعَكُمْ عَلَى الْغَيْبِ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَجْتَبِي مِنْ رُسُلِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ قال أبو جعفر: اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويل ذلك. فقال بعضهم بما:- 8274 - حدثنا به محمد بن الحسين قال، حدثنا أحمد بن المفضل قال، حدثنا أسباط، عن السدي: " وما كان الله ليطلعكم على الغيب "، وما كان الله ليطلع محمدًا على الغيب، ولكن الله اجتباه فجعله رسولا. * * * وقال آخرون بما:- 8275 - حدثنا به ابن حميد قال، حدثنا سلمة، عن ابن إسحاق: " وما كان الله ليطلعكم على الغيب "، أي: فيما يريد أن يبتليكم به، لتحذروا ما يدخل &; 7-427 &; عليكم فيه=" ولكنّ الله يجتبي من رسله من يشاء "، يعلمه. (35) * * * قال أبو جعفر: وأولى الأقوال في ذلك بتأويله: وما كان الله ليطلعكم على ضمائر قلوب عباده، فتعرفوا المؤمن منهم من المنافق والكافر، ولكنه يميز بينهم بالمحن والابتلاء= كما ميز بينهم بالبأساء يوم أحد= وجهاد عدوه، وما أشبه ذلك من صنوف المحن، حتى تعرفوا مؤمنهم وكافرهم ومنافقهم. غير أنه تعالى ذكره يجتبي من رسله من يشاء فيصطفيه، فيطلعه على بعض ما في ضمائر بعضهم، بوحيه ذلك إليه ورسالته، كما:- 8276 - حدثنا محمد بن عمرو قال، حدثنا أبو عاصم، عن عيسى، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد في قوله: " ولكن الله يجتبي من رسله من يشاء "، قال: يخلصهم لنفسه. * * * وإنما قلنا هذا التأويل أولى بتأويل الآية، لأنّ ابتداءها خبرٌ من الله تعالى ذكره أنه غير تارك عباده (36) -يعني بغير محن- حتى يفرق بالابتلاء بين مؤمنهم وكافرهم وأهل نفاقهم. ثم عقب ذلك بقوله: " وما كان الله ليطلعكم على الغيب "، فكان فيما افتتح به من صفة إظهار الله نفاق المنافق وكفر الكافر، دلالةٌ واضحةٌ على أن الذي ولي ذلك هو الخبر عن أنه لم يكن ليطلعهم على ما يخفى عنهم من باطن سرائرهم، إلا بالذي ذكر أنه مميِّزٌ به نعتَهم إلا من استثناه من رسله الذي خصه بعلمه. * * * القول في تأويل قوله : فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَإِنْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا فَلَكُمْ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ (179) قال أبو جعفر: يعني جل ثناؤه بقوله: (37) " وإن تؤمنوا "، وإن تصدِّقوا من اجتبيته من رُسلي بعلمي وأطلعته على المنافقين منكم=" وتتقوا " ربكم بطاعته فيما أمركم به نبيكم محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وفيما نهاكم عنه=" فلكم أجر عظيم "، يقول: فلكم بذلك من إيمانكم واتقائكم ربكم، ثوابٌ عظيم، كما:- 8277 - حدثنا ابن حميد قال، حدثنا سلمة، عن ابن إسحاق: " فآمنوا بالله ورسله وإن تؤمنوا وتتقوا "، أي: ترجعوا وتتوبوا=" فلكم أجر عظيم ". (38) ----------------------------- الهوامش: (31) انظر تفسير"يذر" فيما سلف 6: 22. (32) انظر تفسير"الخبيث" فيما سلف 5: 559. (33) انظر تفسير"الطيب" فيما سلف 3: 301 / 5: 555 ، 556 / 6: 361. (34) الأثر: 8270 - سيرة ابن هشام 3: 128 ، وهو جزء من الأثر السالف رقم: 8265 ، وتتمة الآثار التي قبله من تفسير ابن إسحاق. وكان في المطبوعة هنا"المنافق" ، والصواب من المخطوطة ، والأثر السالف ، وسيرة ابن هشام. (35) الأثر: 8275 - سيرة ابن هشام 3: 128 ، وهو تتمة الآثار التي آخرها: 8270 ، وكان في المطبوعة: "بعلمه" بالباء في أوله ، والصواب من سيرة ابن هشام ، ونصه: "أي: يعلمه ذلك" ، أما المخطوطة ، فالكلمة فيها غير منقوطة. (36) في المطبوعة والمخطوطة"وابتداؤها خبر من الله" ، وهو سياق لا يستقيم ، والظاهر أن ناسخ المخطوطة لما نسخ ، أشكل على بصره ، "الآية" ثم"لأن" بعقبها. فأسقط"لأن" ، وكتب"وابتداؤها" ، ورسم الكلمة في المخطوطة"وابتداها" ، فلذلك رجحت ما أثبته ، وإن كان ضبط السياق وحده كافيًا في الترجيح. (37) في المخطوطة والمطبوعة: "يعني بذلك جل ثناؤه بقوله" ، وإقحام"بذلك" مفسدة وهجنة في الكلام ، فأسقطتها ، وهي سبق قلم من الناسخ. (38) الأثر: 8277 - سيرة ابن هشام 3: 128 ، وهو تتمة الآثار التي آخرها: 8275.