Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the words of the Exalted: وَإِنْ جَاهَدَاكَ عَلَى أَنْ تُشْرِكَ بِي مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلا تُطِعْهُمَا وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَيَّ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (15) (But if the two of them strive against you to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them; yet keep company with them in this worldly life in kindness, and follow the path of him who turns to Me. Then to Me is your return, and I shall inform you of what you used to do.) (15)

   The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: And if your two parents, O man, strive against you so that, in your worship of Me, you associate alongside Me another as a partner to Me, of which you do not know that it is a partner to Me — while He has no partner, the Exalted, whose mention is high and greatly exalted — then do not obey them in that to which they urge you, namely the associating of partners with Me. وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيا مَعْرُوفًا (yet keep company with them in this worldly life in kindness). He says: and keep company with them in the worldly life by obeying them in that for which you bear no consequence, in that which stands between you and your Lord and in which there is no sin.

   And His word: وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أنابَ إليَّ (and follow the path of him who turns to Me). He says: and tread the way of him who has turned away from his idolatry (shirk) and has returned to Islam, and has followed Muḥammad ﷺ.

   And similar to what we have said concerning this, the exegetes have said.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إليَّ (and follow the path of him who turns to Me), that is to say: of him who turns toward Me.

   And His word: إليَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (to Me is your return, and I shall inform you of what you used to do): for to Me is your destination and your return after your death, and I shall inform you of all that you used to do in the worldly life of good and evil; then I shall requite you according to your deeds — the doer of good among you for his good, and the doer of evil for his evil.

   And were a questioner to ask us: what is the purpose of inserting this statement amid the report of Luqmān's admonition to his son? — then it is answered: that too, although it is a report from Allah, the Exalted whose mention is exalted, about His admonition with which He charged His servants, and that Luqmān admonished his son with it — so that the meaning of the statement is: وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ لابْنِهِ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ يَا بُنَيَّ لا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ (And when Luqmān said to his son, while he was admonishing him: "O my son, do not associate partners with Allah; verily, associating partners is a tremendous wrong") — and do not obey your two parents in associating partners with Him, وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيا مَعْرُوفا (yet keep company with them in this worldly life in kindness), for Allah has urged kindness to them both. Thus the statement was begun anew by way of a report from Allah, and within it this meaning is contained; and that is the purpose of inserting it between the two reports of His admonition.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَإِنْ جَاهَدَاكَ عَلَى أَنْ تُشْرِكَ بِي مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلا تُطِعْهُمَا وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَيَّ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (15) يقول تعالى ذكره: وإن جاهدك أيها الإنسان، والداك على أن تشرك بي في عبادتك إياي معي غيري، مما لا تعلم أنه لي شريك، ولا شريك له تعالى ذكره علوّا كبيرا، فلا تطعهما فيما أراداك عليه من الشرك بي، (وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيا مَعْرُوفًا) يقول: وصاحبهما في الدنيا بالطاعة لهما فيما لا تبعة عليك فيه، فيما بينك وبين ربك ولا إثم. وقوله: (وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أنابَ إليَّ) يقول: واسلك طريق من تاب من شركه، ورجع إلى الإسلام، واتبع محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قَتادة (وَاتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إليَّ) أي: من أقبل إليّ. وقوله: (إليَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فأُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ) فإن إليّ مصيركم ومعادكم بعد مماتكم، فأخبركم بجميع ما كنتم في الدنيا تعملون من خير وشرّ، ثم أجازيكم على أعمالكم، المحسن منكم بإحسانه والمسيء بإساءته. فإن قال لنا قائل: ما وجه اعتراض هذا الكلام بين الخبر عن وصيتي لقمان ابنه؟ قيل: ذلك أيضا وإن كان خبرا من الله تعالى ذكره عن وصيته عباده به، وأنه إنما أوصى به لقمان ابنه، فكان معنى الكلام: وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ لابْنِهِ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ يَا بُنَيَّ لا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ ولا تطع في الشرك به والديك (وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيا مَعْرُوفا) فإن الله وصّى بهما، فاستؤنف الكلام على وجه الخبر من الله، وفيه هذا المعنى، فذلك وجه اعتراض ذلك بين الخبرين عن وصيته.