Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of His statement: "And he does not command you to take the angels and the prophets as lords. Would he command you to disbelief after you have become Muslims?" (3:80).

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The reciters (al-qurrāʾ) differed concerning the reading of His statement: "and he does not command you (wa-lā yaʾmurakum)".

   Most of the reciters of the Ḥijāz and Medina read it: (wa-lā yaʾmurukum), in the nominative, as a new beginning by Allah with the report concerning the Prophet ﷺ, namely that he does not command you, O people, to take the angels and the prophets as lords. And the reciters of this adduced as proof for it a reading which they transmitted from Ibn Masʿūd, that he used to read it, namely: ("wa-lan yaʾmurakum"); they inferred from the entry of "lan" that the sentence is cut off from what precedes it, and that it introduces a new, resumed report. They said: since in our reading "lā" is placed in the position of "lan", its reading in the nominative is obligatory.

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   And some of the Kufans and Basrans read it: (wa-lā yaʾmurakum), with the naṣb (accusative) on the "rāʾ", in coordination with His statement: "then would say to the people (thumma yaqūla lil-nās)". And the explanation of it according to them was: it does not befit a human being that Allah should give him the Book, and that he should then say to the people, nor that he should command you = with the meaning: nor that it should be his right to command you to take the angels and the prophets as lords.

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   Abū Jaʿfar said: And the more correct of the two readings therein is: "wa-lā yaʾmurakum", with the naṣb, in connection with what precedes it, with the meaning: it does not befit a human being that Allah should give him the Book, the wisdom, and the prophethood, and that he should then say to the people: be servants of mine apart from Allah = nor that he should command you to take the angels and the prophets as lords. For the verse was sent down on account of the people who said to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: "Do you want us to worship you?" Then Allah, exalted is His praise, informed them that it does not befit His prophet ﷺ that he should call the people to the worship of himself, nor to taking the angels and the prophets as lords. Rather, what does befit him is: that he should call them to be godly scholars (rabbāniyyīn).

   * * *

   As for that which the one who read it in the nominative claimed, namely that in the reading of ʿAbd Allāh it is "wa-lan yaʾmurakum", as proof for the correctness of his reading in the nominative: that is a report whose chain (sanad) is not authentic. It is only a report which Ḥajjāj transmitted, on the authority of Hārūn al-Aʿwar, that in the reading of ʿAbd Allāh it is so. And even had that been a report with an authentic chain, there would be in it no proof for the one who relies upon it. For what is established in its correctness from the reading from the Book which the Muslims have transmitted as an inheritance from their prophet ﷺ may not be abandoned for the sake of an interpretation based upon a reading that is attributed to some of the Companions, by way of a transmission in which error and mistake in the conveying are possible.

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   Abū Jaʿfar said: The explanation of the verse is then: And it did not befit the Prophet that he should command you, O people, "to take the angels and the prophets as lords" = by which are meant: gods who are worshipped apart from Allah =, just as it does not befit him to say to them: be servants of mine apart from Allah.

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   Then Allah, exalted is His praise, said = denying of His prophet ﷺ that he would command His servants that =: "Would he command you to disbelief (kufr)", O people, your prophet, namely the denial of the oneness of Allah = "after you have become Muslims", by which is meant: after you have submitted to Him in obedience, humble before Him in servitude = that is to say: that will never proceed from him. And indeed:

   7322 - Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, who said: "and he does not command you" — the Prophet ﷺ — "to take the angels and the prophets as lords".

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   Footnotes:

   (20) This is an aspect which al-Farrāʾ mentioned in Maʿānī al-Qurʾān 1:224, 225.

   (21) In the printed edition and the manuscript it reads "bi-taʾawwul", whereas the context requires what has been established.

   (22) In the printed edition it reads "fī sabb al-qawm.." (in the reviling of the people), and that is void in meaning, and the manuscript was not read correctly, because it is undotted; by the expression "fī sabab al-qawm..." is meant: on account of the people and by their utterance of what they said.

   (23) By this al-Farrāʾ is meant, as we have indicated previously in footnote number 1, p. 547.

   (24) In the printed edition and the manuscript it reads ". . . on the authority of Hārūn, it is not permissible that that...", and that is an utterance without meaning, which led the first editors of the tafsīr to write, in their attempts at explaining and correcting it, a meaningless confusion; and the correct reading is what has been established. And this belongs to the strange textual corruptions (taṣḥīf) in the copyists' transcriptions.

   And Ḥajjāj is: "Ḥajjāj ibn Muḥammad al-Miṣṣīṣī al-Aʿwar", who settled in Baghdad, then moved to al-Miṣṣīṣa. Aḥmad said: "How precise he was and how strong his care for the textual readings", and he praised him greatly. He was trustworthy and upright; then he moved from al-Miṣṣīṣa and returned to Baghdad for a matter of his, and he died there in the year 206. And upon this return to Baghdad he had changed and become confused; Yaḥyā ibn Maʿīn saw him and said to his son: "Let no one enter upon him." But the Ḥāfiẓ has transmitted in the biography of Sunayd ibn Dāwūd something indicating that Ḥajjāj transmitted in his state of confusion, such that Abū al-ʿArab al-Qayrawānī mentioned him among the weak (al-ḍuʿafāʾ) on account of the confusion. And I fear that al-Ṭabarī only alluded to this, and to the transmission of Sunayd on his authority in his state of confusion, and therefore said that his chain is not authentic, because it is from the transmission of Sunayd on his authority.

   And as for "Hārūn al-Aʿwar", that is: "Hārūn ibn Mūsā Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Aʿwar al-ʿAtakī", a scholar, upright and excellent, with a well-known reading (qirāʾa). And he belongs to the trustworthy. And both of them have a biography in al-Tahdhīb and in the Ṭabaqāt al-Qurrāʾ of Ibn al-Jazarī.

   (25) In the printed edition it reads "li-taʾwīl naḥwa qirāʾa..." and that is a defective expression, and the cause of it is that "ʿalā" was not read correctly due to the mishap of the copyist, and he wrote it as "naḥwa", whereby the expression became defective.

   (26) In the manuscript it reads: "and it did not befit the Prophet that he should command the people to take... as lords", and that is an expression with a correct meaning. As for the manuscript, in it was one of the marvels of textual corruption — and the textual corruption of the copyist in this place is abundant, as you see — namely that he wrote: "and it did not befit the Prophet that he should command as he forbade the people (kamā nahā al-nās)"; he joined the alif of "ayyuhā" with the mīm in "yaʾmurukum", then read "yhā" of "ayyuhā" as "nahā" and wrote it thus. And it is as though the copyist was weary and exhausted, so that he erred through the exhaustion of his mind. And the editor came, and found in it no meaning, and struck it out. This too arises from the abundance of the copyist's textual corruption!!

   (27) In the printed edition it reads "bil-ʿubūdiyya", and I have established what is in the manuscript, and the editor did not leave the word "al-ʿubūda" unchanged, but made it everywhere in the preceding into "al-ʿubūdiyya". See the last note on that on p. 404, note 2.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله : وَلا يَأْمُرَكُمْ أَنْ تَتَّخِذُوا الْمَلائِكَةَ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ أَرْبَابًا أَيَأْمُرُكُمْ بِالْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ أَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ (80) قال أبو جعفر: اختلفت القرأة في قراءة قوله: " ولا يأمركم ". فقرأته عامة قرأة الحجاز والمدينة: ( وَلا يَأْمُرُكُمْ )، على وجه الابتداء من الله بالخبر عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه لا يأمركم، أيها الناس، أن تتخذوا الملائكة والنبيين أربابًا. واستشهد قارئو ذلك كذلك بقراءة ذكروها عن ابن مسعود أنه كان يقرؤها، وهي: ( " وَلَنْ يَأْمُرَكُمْ " )، فاستدلوا بدخول " لن "، على انقطاع الكلام عما قبله، وابتداء خبر مستأنف. قالوا: فلما صير مكان " لن " في قراءتنا " لا "، وجبت قراءَته بالرفع. (20) * * * وقرأه بعض الكوفيين والبصريين: ( وَلا يَأْمُرَكُمْ )، بنصب " الراء " ، عطفًا على قوله: ثُمَّ يَقُولَ لِلنَّاسِ . وكان تأويله عندهم: ما كان لبشر أن يؤتيه الله الكتاب، ثم يقولَ للناس، ولا أن يأمرَكم = بمعنى: ولا كان له أن يأمرَكم أن تتخذوا الملائكة والنبيين أربابًا. * * * قال أبو جعفر: وأولى القراءتين بالصواب في ذلك: " ولا يأمرَكم "، بالنصب على الاتصال بالذي قبله، بتأويل: (21) ما كان لبشر أن يؤتيه الله الكتابَ والحكمَ والنبوةَ، ثم يقولَ للناس كونوا عبادًا لي من دون الله = ولا أنْ يأمركم أن تتخذوا الملائكة والنبيين أربابًا. لأن الآية نـزلت في سبب القوم الذين قالوا لرسول &; 6-548 &; الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: (22) " أتريد أن نعبدك "؟ فأخبرهم الله جل ثناؤه أنه ليس لنبيّه صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يدعو الناسَ إلى عبادة نفسه، ولا إلى اتخاذ الملائكة والنبيين أربابًا. ولكن الذي له: أنْ يدعوهم إلى أن يكونوا ربانيين. * * * فأما الذي ادَّعى من قرأ ذلك رفعًا، (23) أنه في قراءة عبد الله: " ولن يأمركم " استشهادًا لصحة قراءته بالرفع، فذلك خبر غيرُ صحيح سَنَده، وإنما هو خبر رواه حجاج، عن هارون الأعور (24) أنّ ذلك في قراءة عبد الله كذلك. ولو كان ذلك خبرًا صحيحًا سنده، لم يكن فيه لمحتجٍّ حجة. لأن ما كان على صحته من القراءة من الكتاب الذي جاءَ به المسلمون وراثةً عن نبيهم صلى الله عليه وسلم، لا يجوز تركه لتأويلٍ على قراءة أضيفت إلى بعض الصحابة، (25) بنقل من يجوز في نقله الخطأ والسهو. * * * &; 6-549 &; قال أبو جعفر: فتأويل الآية إذًا: وما كان للنبي أن يأمركم، أيها الناس، (26) " أن يتخذوا الملائكة والنبيين أربابًا " = يعني بذلك آلهة يعبدون من دون الله =، كما ليس له أن يقول لهم: كونوا عبادًا لي من دون الله. * * * ثم قال جل ثناؤه = نافيًا عن نبيّه صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يأمرَ عباده بذلك =: " أيأمُركم بالكفر "، أيها الناس، نبيُّكم، بجحود وحدانية الله =" بعد إذ أنتم مسلمون "، يعني: بعد إذ أنتم له منقادون بالطاعة، متذللون له بالعبودة = (27) أي أن ذلك غير كائن منه أبدًا. وقد:- 7322 - حدثنا القاسم قال، حدثنا الحسين قال، حدثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج قال: " ولا يأمركم " النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم =" أن تتخذوا الملائكة والنبيين أربايًا ". ---------------------- الهوامش : (20) هذا وجه ذكره الفراء في معاني القرآن 1: 224 ، 225. (21) في المطبوعة والمخطوطة: "بتأول" ، والسياق يقتضي ما أثبت. (22) في المطبوعة: "في سب القوم.." ، وهو باطل المعنى ، ولم يحسن قراءة المخطوطة ، لأنها غير منقوطة ، يعني بقوله: "في سب القوم..." ، من جراء القوم وبسبب قولهم ما قالوا. (23) يعني الفراء كما أسلفنا في التعليق رقم: 1 ، ص: 547. (24) في المطبوعة والمخطوطة: ". . . عن هارون لا يجوز أن ذلك..." ، وهو كلام بلا معنى ، جعل الناشرين الأولين للتفسير يكتبون في وجوه تأويلها وتصويبها خلطًا لا معنى له أيضًا ، والصواب ما أثبت. وهذا من التصحيف الغريب في نسخ النساخ. وحجاج ، هو: "حجاج بن محمد المصيصي الأعور" سكن بغداد ، ثم تحول إلى المصيصة قال أحمد: "ما كان أضبطه وأشد تعاهده للحروف" ورفع أمره جدًا. كان ثقة صدوقًا ، ثم تحول من المصيصة فعاد إلى بغداد في حاجة له ، فمات بها سنة 206 ، وعند مرجعه هذا إلى بغداد كان قد تغير وخلط ، فرآه يحيى بن معين ، فقال لابنه: "لا تدخل عليه أحدًا" ، ولكن روى الحافظ في ترجمة سنيد ابن داود ما يدل على أن حجاجًا قد حدث في حال اختلاطه ، حتى ذكره أبو العرب القيرواني في الضعفاء ، لسبب الاختلاط. وأخشى أن يكون الطبري ، إنما أشار إلى هذا ، وإلى رواية سنيد عنه في حال اختلاطه ، فقال إن إسناده غير صحيح ، لأنه من رواية سنيد عنه. وأما "هارون الأعور" فهو: "هارون بن موسى أبو عبد الله الأعور العتكي" علامة صدوق نبيل ، له قراءة معروفة. وهو من الثقات. وكلاهما مترجم في التهذيب ، وفي الطبقات القراء لابن الجزري. (25) في المطبوعة: "لتأويل نحو قراءة..." ، وهي عبارة مريضة ، وسبب ذلك أنه لم يحسن قراءة"على" لسوء حظ الناسخ ، فكتبها"نحو" ، فمرضت العبارة. (26) في المخطوطة: "وما كان للنبي أن يأمر الناس أن يتخذوا..." ، وهي عبارة مستقيمة المعنى ، أما المخطوطة فقد كانت فيها عجيبة من عجائب التصحيف - وقد كثر تصحيف الناسخ في هذا الموضع كما ترى وذلك أنه كتب: "وما كان للنبي أن يأمر كما نهى الناس" ، وصل ألف"أيها" بالميم في"يأمركم" ، ثم قرأ"يها" من"أيها" ، "نهى" ، وكتبها كذلك. وكأن الناسخ كان قد تعب وكل ، فكل مع كلالة ذهنه. وجاء الناشر ، فلم يجد لذلك معنى فحذفه. كل هو أيضًا من كثرة تصحيف الناسخ!! (27) في المطبوعة: "بالعبودية" ، وأثبت ما في المخطوطة ، ولم يدع الناشر كلمة"العبودة" إلا جعلها"العبودية" في كل ما سلف. انظر آخر تعليق على ذلك ص: 404 ، تعليق: 2.