Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His statement وَنَصَرْنَاهُمْ ("And We helped them"): He says: and We helped Mūsā and Hārūn and their people against Pharaoh and his retinue by causing them to drown, فَكَانُوا هُمُ الْغَالِبِينَ ("so that they were the victors") over them.

   And some of the linguists (ahl al-ʿarabiyya) said: by the "hāʾ" and the "mīm" in His statement وَنَصَرْنَاهُمْ only Mūsā and Hārūn are meant, but it is expressed in the form of the plural pronoun, because the Arabs, in the case of a leader — such as a prophet or a commander and the like — pass over to the plural on account of his troops and followers, and to the singular because he is in origin one. A similar case is: عَلَى خَوْفٍ مِنْ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِمْ ("in fear of Pharaoh and their notables"), whereas in another place it reads: "and his notables" (wa-malaʾihi). He said: and sometimes the Arabs, in the case of the two [persons], pass over to the plural, just as they pass over to the plural in the case of the one; thus they address the man and say: "how well you (pl.) have done and how excellently you (pl.) have acted," while they specifically mean him alone. This statement which this [linguist], whose words we have reproduced, made concerning His statement وَنَصَرْنَاهُمْ — even though it is a statement that cannot be rejected — is something for which we have no need of an artifice with respect to His statement وَنَصَرْنَاهُمْ, because Allah made this follow upon His statement وَنَجَّيْنَاهُمَا وَقَوْمَهُمَا مِنَ الْكَرْبِ الْعَظِيمِ ("And We saved them both and their people from the tremendous distress"), and thereafter said: وَنَصَرْنَاهُمْ, that is to say: them both and their people; for Pharaoh and his people were enemies of all the Children of Israel, they had oppressed them, slaughtered their sons and let their women live. Then Allah helped them against them, by causing them to drown and saving the others.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله ( وَنَصَرْنَاهُمْ ) يقول: ونصرنا موسى وهارون وقومهما على فرعون وآله بتغريقناهم، ( فَكَانُوا هُمُ الْغَالِبِينَ ) لهم. وقال بعض أهل العربية: إنما أريد بالهاء والميم في قوله ( وَنَصَرْنَاهُمْ ) موسى وهارون، ولكنها أخرجت على مخرج مكنيّ الجمع، لأن العرب تذهب بالرئيس &; 21-94 &; كالنبي والأمير وشبه إلى الجمع بجنوده وأتباعه، وإلى التوحيد لأنه واحد في الأصل، ومثله: عَلَى خَوْفٍ مِنْ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِمْ وفي موضع آخر: وملئه قال: وربما ذهبت العرب بالاثنين إلى الجمع كما تذهب بالواحد إلى الجمع، فتخاطب الرجل، فتقول: ما أحسنتم ولا أجملتم، وإنما تريده بعينه، وهذا القول الذي قاله هذا الذي حكينا قوله في قوله ( وَنَصَرْنَاهُمْ ) وإن كان قولا غير مدفوع، فإنه لا حاجة بنا إلى الاحتيال به لقوله ( وَنَصَرْنَاهُمْ ) لأن الله أتبع ذلك قوله ( وَنَجَّيْنَاهُمَا وَقَوْمَهُمَا مِنَ الْكَرْبِ الْعَظِيمِ ) ثم قال: ( وَنَصَرْنَاهُمْ ) يعني: هما وقومهما، لأن فرعون وقومه كانوا أعداء لجميع بني إسرائيل، قد استضعفوهم، يذبحون أبناءهم، ويستحيون نساءهم، فنصرهم الله عليهم، بأن غرّقهم ونجى الآخرين.