Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of His statement — exalted is He: مَا كَانَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ مِنْ حَرَجٍ فِيمَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَهُ سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ فِي الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا (38) ("There is no blame upon the Prophet concerning what Allah has ordained (made lawful) for him. (This is) the way (sunna) of Allah with regard to those who passed away before. And the command of Allah is a decree determined") (38).

   He — exalted is His mention — says: (there is no blame upon the Prophet) — no sin — concerning what Allah has made lawful for him, namely the marrying of the wife of the one whom he had taken as a son (mutabannā), after the latter had divorced her.

   As Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: مَا كَانَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ مِنْ حَرَجٍ فِيمَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَهُ ("There is no blame upon the Prophet concerning what Allah has ordained for him"), that is to say: what Allah has made lawful for him.

   And His statement: سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ فِي الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ ("(This is) the way of Allah with regard to those who passed away before") — He says: Allah, the Exalted, would not hold His Prophet sinful for what He has made lawful for him, after the example of His way with the messengers before him who passed away, in that He did not hold against them as a sin what He had made lawful for them. It is not fitting for His Prophet to fear the people concerning that which He commanded him or made lawful for him. The word سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ ("the way of Allah") is in the accusative with the meaning of: as a truth from Allah, as though He said: We did that as a way on Our part.

   And His statement: وَكَانَ أمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا ("And the command of Allah is a decree determined") — He says: and the command of Allah is a settled decree.

   And Ibn Zayd said concerning that what Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His statement وَكَانَ أمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا ("And the command of Allah is a decree determined"): truly, Allah had His knowledge with Him before He created all things, and He brought to completion in His knowledge that He would create a creation, command them and forbid them, and establish a reward for the people of His obedience and a punishment for the people of His disobedience. When He decided that matter, He decreed it; and when He decreed it, He wrote it down and kept it hidden — and He called that the unseen (al-ghayb) and the Mother of the Book (umm al-kitāb). And He created the creation in accordance with that Book: their sustenance, their (appointed) life-terms, their deeds, and what befalls them of matters of prosperity and adversity, according to the Book that He had written would befall them. And he recited: أُولَئِكَ يَنَالُهُمْ نَصِيبُهُمْ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا يَتَوَفَّوْنَهُمْ ("Those are the ones whom their share from the Book reaches, until, when Our messengers come to them to take them away ...") — when that comes to an end. And the command of Allah which He decided, He decreed when He decreed it, settled, so that only what is (contained) therein comes to pass, and what is in that Book, and in that decree. He decided a matter, then decreed it, and created (the creation) upon it. He said: the command of Allah which has passed and with which He was prepared, and upon which He created the creation, is قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا ("a decree determined"). He willed a matter in order to carry out thereby His command and His decree, and He willed a matter with which He was pleased on the part of His servants, namely their obedience to Him. So when it came to be what He willed of the obedience of His servants, He was pleased therewith for them; and when it came to be what He willed, He willed therein to carry out His command, His governance, and His decree. And he recited: وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنْسِ ("And indeed, We have created for Hell (jahannam) many of the jinn and mankind"). Thus He willed that these would be among the people of the Fire, and He willed that their deeds would be the deeds of the people of the Fire. Therefore He said: كَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ ("Thus We have made fair-seeming to every community their deed"). And He said: وَكَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِكَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قَتْلَ أَوْلادِهِمْ شُرَكَاؤُهُمْ لِيُرْدُوهُمْ وَلِيَلْبِسُوا عَلَيْهِمْ دِينَهُمْ ("And thus their associates have made fair-seeming to many of the polytheists (mushrikīn) the killing of their children, in order to ruin them and to confound their religion for them"). These are the deeds of the people of the Fire. وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا فَعَلُوهُ ("And had Allah willed, they would not have done it"). He said: وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ ... ("And thus We have made for every prophet an enemy: devils ...") up to His statement وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُ ("And had your Lord willed, they would not have done it"). And he recited: وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ ... ("And they swore by Allah their strongest oaths ...") up to كُلَّ شَيْءٍ قُبُلا مَا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا إِلا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ ("... all things openly before them (would bring), they still would not believe, unless Allah should will it") — that they would believe therein. He said: thus they have removed Him from the name by which He has named Himself. He said: He is the One who does what He wills — yet they claimed that He did not will.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : مَا كَانَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ مِنْ حَرَجٍ فِيمَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَهُ سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ فِي الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا (38) يقول تعالى ذكره: ( ما كان على النبي من حرج ) من إثم فيما أحل الله له من نكاح امرأة من تبناه بعد فراقه إياها. كما حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة ( مَا كَانَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ مِنْ حَرَجٍ فِيمَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَهُ ) : أي أحل الله له. وقوله: ( سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ فِي الَّذِينَ خَلَوْا مِنْ قَبْلُ ) يقول: لم يكن الله تعالى ليؤثم نبيه فيما أحل له مثال فعله بمن قبله من الرسل الذين مضوا قبله في أنه لم يؤثمهم بما أحل لهم، لم يكن لنبيه أن يخشى الناس فيما أمره به أو أحله له، ونصب قوله (سُنَّةَ اللَّهِ) على معنى: حقًّا من الله، كأنه قال: فعلنا ذلك سنة منا. وقوله: (وَكَانَ أمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا) يقول: وكان أمر الله قضاء مقضيًّا. وكان ابن زيد يقول في ذلك ما حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال: قال ابن زيد، في قوله (وَكَانَ أمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا): إن الله كان علمه معه قبل أن يخلق الأشياء كلها، فأتمه في علمه أن يخلق خلقا، ويأمرهم وينهاهم، ويجعل ثوابا لأهل طاعته، وعقابا لأهل معصيته، فلما ائتمر ذلك الأمر قدره، فلما قدره كتب وغاب عليه؛ فسماه الغيب وأم الكتاب، وخلق الخلق على ذلك الكتاب أرزاقهم وآجالهم وأعمالهم، وما يصيبهم من الأشياء من الرخاء والشدة من الكتاب الذي كتبه أنه يصيبهم، وقرأ أُولَئِكَ يَنَالُهُمْ نَصِيبُهُمْ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ حَتَّى إِذَا نَفِدَ ذَلِكَ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا يَتَوَفَّوْنَهُمْ وأمر الله الذي ائتمر قدره حين قدره مقدرا، فلا يكون إلا ما في ذلك، وما في ذلك الكتاب، وفي ذلك التقدير، ائتمر أمرا ثم قدره، ثم خلق عليه فقال: كان أمر الله الذي مضى وفرغ منه، وخلق عليه الخلق (قَدَرًا مَقْدُورًا) شاء أمرا ليمضي به أمره وقدره، وشاء أمرا يرضاه من عباده في طاعته، فلما أن كان الذي شاء من طاعته لعباده رضيه لهم، ولما أن كان الذي شاء أراد أن ينفذ فيه أمره وتدبيره وقدره، وقرأ وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنْسِ فشاء أن يكون هؤلاء من أهل النار، وشاء أن تكون أعمالهم أعمال أهل النار، فقال كَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَّا لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ عَمَلَهُمْ وقال وَكَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِكَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قَتْلَ أَوْلادِهِمْ شُرَكَاؤُهُمْ لِيُرْدُوهُمْ وَلِيَلْبِسُوا عَلَيْهِمْ دِينَهُمْ هذه أعمال أهل النار وَلَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا فَعَلُوهُ قال وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَا لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ عَدُوًّا شَيَاطِينَ ... إلى قوله وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ مَا فَعَلُوهُ وقرأ وَأَقْسَمُوا بِاللَّهِ جَهْدَ أَيْمَانِهِمْ ... إلى كُلَّ شَيْءٍ قُبُلا مَا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا إِلا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ أن يؤمنوا بذلك، قال: فأخرجوه من اسمه الذي تسمى به، قال: هو الفعال لما يريد، فزعموا أنه ما أراد .