Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُمْ مَعَهُمْ رَحْمَةً مِنَّا وَذِكْرَى لأُولِي الأَلْبَابِ (And We bestowed upon him his family and the like of them along with them, as a mercy from Us and a reminder for those possessed of understanding) (43).

   The exegetes (ahl al-taʾwīl) differed concerning the meaning of His saying وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُمْ مَعَهُمْ (And We bestowed upon him his family and the like of them along with them). We have already mentioned their disagreement about it and the correct opinion concerning it according to us in the Surah of the Prophets (al-Anbiyāʾ), in a manner that makes it unnecessary to repeat it in this place. So the meaning of the saying is: and he washed himself and drank, and We relieved him of the affliction in which he was, and We bestowed upon him his family — wife and child — وَمِثْلَهُمْ مَعَهُمْ رَحْمَةً مِنَّا (and the like of them along with them, as a mercy from Us) toward him and as compassion, وَذِكْرَى (and a reminder) — He says: and as a remembrance for those possessed of understanding, so that they may take a lesson from it and be admonished.

   And Yūnus has already related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Nāfiʿ ibn Yazīd informed me, on the authority of ʿUqayl, on the authority of Ibn Shihāb, on the authority of Anas ibn Mālik, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Verily, the prophet of Allah Ayyūb remained in his affliction for eighteen years, and both distant and near relatives abandoned him, except two men of his brothers who were among his most trusted brothers; they would go to him morning and evening. Then one of them said to his companion: Know, by Allah, that Ayyūb has surely committed a sin such as no one of the worlds has committed. His companion said to him: And what is that? He said: For eighteen years Allah has not had mercy upon him so as to remove what afflicts him. So when they went to him, the man could not restrain himself until he mentioned this to him. Then Ayyūb said: I do not know what you are saying, except that Allah knows that I used to pass by two men who were quarrelling with one another and invoking Allah's name in it, whereupon I would return to my house and offer an expiation (atonement) on their behalf, out of dislike that Allah should be mentioned in other than the right way." He said: "And he used to go out to relieve himself, and when he had done so, his wife would hold him by the hand until he returned. When one day he stayed away longer than she expected — and it had been revealed to Ayyūb in his place: ارْكُضْ بِرِجْلِكَ هَذَا مُغْتَسَلٌ بَارِدٌ وَشَرَابٌ (Stamp with your foot; this is a cool bath and a drink) — she found that he was tarrying, and she went out to meet him, looking out for him. Then he came to her, while Allah had removed the affliction that afflicted him, and he was in the best form he had ever been in. When she saw him, she said: Oh, may Allah bless you, have you seen this afflicted prophet of Allah? For by Allah, in spite of that, I have not seen anyone who more resembled him than you do when he was healthy. He said: Verily, I am he. He said: And he had two threshing-floors: a threshing-floor for the wheat and a threshing-floor for the barley. Then Allah sent two clouds, and when one of them was above the threshing-floor of the wheat, it poured out gold into it until it overflowed, and the other poured out silver onto the threshing-floor of the barley until it overflowed."

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُمْ مَعَهُمْ (And We bestowed upon him his family and the like of them along with them), he said: al-Ḥasan and Qatāda said: Allah brought them back to life in their own persons, and increased them by the like of them.

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAwf related to me, saying: Abū al-Mughīra related to us, saying: Ṣafwān related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Jubayr related to us, saying: When the prophet of Allah Ayyūb, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was afflicted in his wealth, his children, and his body, and was cast onto a refuse-heap, his wife began to go out to earn for him what she could feed him. Then Satan envied her for that, and he went to the people of the bread and the roasted meat who used to give her alms, and said: Drive away this woman who comes to you, for she tends to her husband and touches him with her hand, and people are revolted by your food because she comes to you and knocks at your door while she is in that condition. And he used to meet her when she went out, as one who was grieved over what afflicted Ayyūb, and said: Your husband has been stubborn and has resisted, and has wanted nothing other than what has befallen him; and by Allah, if he would but speak a single word, all harm would be removed from him and his wealth and his children would return to him. Then she would come and convey it to Ayyūb, whereupon he said to her: The enemy of Allah has met you and has put these words into you; woe to you! Verily, your likeness is as the likeness of the adulteress: when her lover comes with something, she accepts it and lets him in, and when he brings her nothing, she drives him away and shuts her door against him! When Allah gave us the wealth and the children, we believed in Him, and when He then removes what belongs to Him of ours, would we become disbelievers in Him and exchange it for something else! If Allah raises me up from this sickness of mine, I shall surely give you a hundred lashes. He said: And that is why Allah said: وَخُذْ بِيَدِكَ ضِغْثًا فَاضْرِبْ بِهِ وَلا تَحْنَثْ (and take in your hand a bundle of twigs and strike with it, and do not break your oath).

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُمْ مَعَهُمْ رَحْمَةً مِنَّا وَذِكْرَى لأُولِي الأَلْبَابِ (43) اختلف أهل التأويل في معنى قوله ( وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُمْ مَعَهُمْ ) وقد ذكرنا اختلافهم في ذلك والصواب من القول عندنا فيه في سورة الأنبياء بما أغنى عن إعادته في هذا الموضع. فتأويل الكلام: فاغتسل وشرب, ففرجنا عنه ما كان فيه من البلاء, ووهبنا له أهله, من زوجة وولد ( وَمِثْلَهُمْ مَعَهُمْ رَحْمَةً مِنَّا ) له ورأفة ( وَذِكْرَى ) يقول: وتذكيرا لأولي العقول, ليعتبروا بها فيتعظوا. وقد حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: أخبرني نافع بن يزيد, عن عقيل, عن ابن شهاب, عن أنس بن مالك, أن رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم قال: " إنَّ نَبِيَّ الله أيُّوبَ لَبِثَ بِهِ بَلاؤهُ ثَمانِيَ عَشْرَة سَنَة, فَرَفَضَه القَرِيبُ وَالبَعِيدُ, إلا رَجُلانِ مِنْ إخْوَانِهِ كانا مِنْ أخَصّ إخْوَانِهِ بِهِ, كَانَا يَغْدُوانِ إلَيْهِ ويَرُوحانِ, فَقالَ أحَدُهُما لِصَاحِبه: تَعْلَم والله لَقَدْ أذْنَبَ أيُّوبُ ذَنْبًا ما أذْنَبَهُ أحَدٌ مِنَ العَالَمِينَ, قَالَ لَهُ صَاحِبُهُ: ومَا ذَاكَ؟ قَالَ: مِنْ ثَمانِيَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً لَمْ يَرْحَمْهُ الله فَيَكْشِفَ ما بِهِ; فَلَمَّا رَاحا إلَيْهِ لَمْ يَصْبِر الرَّجُلُ حتَّى ذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ لَهُ, فقَالَ أيَّوُّبُ: لا أدْرِي ما تَقُولُ, غَيرَ أنَّ الله يَعْلَمُ أنِّي كُنْتُ أمُرُّ على الرُّجُلَيْنِ يَتَنازَعانِ فَيَذْكُرَانِ الله, فَأَرْجِعَ إلى بَيْتِي فَأكفِّرُ عَنْهُما كَرَاهِيَةَ أنْ يُذْكَرَ الله إلا في حَقّ" ; قال: " وكان يَخْرُجُ إلى حاجَتِهِ, فإذَا قَضَاها أمْسَكَت امْرأُتُه بِيَدِهِ حتى يَبْلُغ فَلَما كانَ ذاتَ يَوْمٍ أبْطَأُ عَلَيْها, وأوحِيَ إلى أيُّوب في مَكانِهِ: ارْكُضْ بِرِجْلِكَ هَذَا مُغْتَسَلٌ بَارِدٌ وَشَرَابٌ فاسْتَبطأتَهُ, فَتَلقتهُ تَنْظُرُ, فأقْبَلَ عَلَيْهَا قَدْ أذْهَبَ الله ما بِهِ مِنَ البَلاءِ, وَهُوَ عَلى أحْسَنِ ما كانَ . فَلَمَّا رَأتْهُ قَالَتْ: أيْ بارَكَ الله فِيكَ, هَلْ رَأَيْتَ نَبِيَّ الله هَذَا المُبْتَلى, فوالله على ذلك ما رَأَيْتُ أحَدًا أشْبَهَ بِهِ منْكَ إذْ كانَ صحيحا؟ قال: فإنّي أنا هُوَ ، قال: وكانَ لَهُ أنْدرَانِ: أنْدَرٌ للْقَمْحِ, وأنْدَرٌ للشَّعِيرِ, فَبَعَثَ الله سَحَابَتَيْنِ, فَلَمَّا كانَتْ إحْداهُما على أنْدَرِ القَمْحِ, أفْرَغَتْ فِيهِ الذَّهَبَ حتى فاضَ, وأفرغَتِ الأخْرَى في أنْدَرِ الشَّعِيرِ الوَرِق حتى فاضَ . " حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُمْ مَعَهُمْ ) قال: قال الحسن وقتادة: فأحياهم الله بأعيانهم, وزادهم مثلهم . حدثني محمد بن عوف, قال: ثنا أبو المغيرة, قال: ثنا صفوان, قال: ثنا عبد الرحمن بن جُبَير, قال: لما ابتُلي نبيّ الله أيوب صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم بماله وولده وجسده, وطُرح في مَزْبَلة, جعلت امرأته تخرج تكسب عليه ما تطعمه, فحسده الشيطان على ذلك, وكان يأتي أصحاب الخبز والشويّ الذين كانوا يتصدّقون عليها, فيقول: اطردوا هذه المرأة التي تغشاكم, فإنها تعالج صاحبها وتلمسه بيدها, فالناس يتقذّرون طعامكم من أجل أنها تأتيكم وتغشاكم على ذلك; وكان يلقاها إذا خرجت كالمحزون لمَا لقي أيوب, فيقول: لَجَّ صاحبك, فأبى إلا ما أتى, فوالله لو تكلم بكلمة واحدة لكشف عنه كلّ ضرّ, ولرجع إليه ماله وولده, فتجيء, فتخبر أيوب, فيقول لها: لقيك عدوّ الله فلقنك هذا الكلام; ويلك, إنما مثلك كمثل المرأة الزانية إذا جاء صديقها بشيء قبلته وأدخلته, وإن لم يأتها بشيء طردته, وأغلقت بابها عنه! لما أعطانا الله المال والولد آمنا به, وإذا قبض الذي له منا نكفر به, ونبدّل غيره ! إن أقامني الله من مرضي هذا لأجلدنَّك مئةً, قال: فلذلك قال الله: ( وَخُذْ بِيَدِكَ ضِغْثًا فَاضْرِبْ بِهِ وَلا تَحْنَثْ )