Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His statement وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ (And those who avoided the ṭāghūt) means: they avoided the worship of all that is worshipped besides Allah. We have already explained the meaning of "al-ṭāghūt" earlier, with the proofs for it, and we have mentioned the disagreement of the people of interpretation concerning it in a manner that makes it unnecessary to repeat it in this place. We have mentioned that in this place it means: Satan, and it has, in this place and elsewhere, according to us, one and the same meaning.

   Mention of who said what we have stated in this place:

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His statement وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ (And those who avoided the ṭāghūt): he said: Satan.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهَا (And those who avoided the ṭāghūt, that they should worship it): he said: Satan.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His statement وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهَا (And those who avoided the ṭāghūt, that they should worship it): he said: Satan here is one, while it is [grammatically] a plural.

   The ṭāghūt, according to this statement of Ibn Zayd, is one and feminine, and that is why it was said: أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهَا (that they should worship her/it). And it has been said: it was only put in the feminine because it has the meaning of a plural.

   And His statement وَأَنَابُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ (and turned to Allah) means: and they repented to Allah and returned to the acknowledgment of His oneness, acting in accordance with His obedience, and freeing themselves from all else besides Him of gods and partners. And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation have spoken.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement وَأَنَابُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ (and turned to Allah): and they turned to Allah.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His statement وَأَنَابُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ (and turned to Allah): he said: they gave Him obedience.

   And His statement لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَى (for them is the glad tiding) means: for them is the glad tiding in this world of the Garden in the Hereafter. فَبَشِّرْ عِبَادِ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ (So give glad tidings to My servants, who listen to the word) — the Exalted and Praised says to His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: so give glad tidings, O Muḥammad, to My servants, who listen to the word of the speakers and follow the most rightly guided and best-guiding of it, that which most points to the oneness of Allah and to acting according to His obedience, and who leave aside all else of the word that points neither to rectitude nor leads to correctness.

   And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation have spoken.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ (and follow the best of it), and the best of it is obedience to Allah.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His statement فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ (and follow the best of it): he said: the best of what they are commanded, and they act according to it.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله: ( وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ ) : أي اجتنبوا عبادة كلّ ما عبد من دون الله من شيء. وقد بيَّنا معنى الطاغوت فيما مضى قبل بشواهد ذلك, وذكرنا اختلاف أهل التأويل فيه بما أغنى عن إعادته في هذا الموضع, وذكرنا أنه في هذا الموضع: الشيطان, وهو في هذا الموضع وغيره بمعنى واحد عندنا. ذكر من قال ما ذكرنا في هذا الموضع: حدثني محمد بن عمرو, قال: ثنا أبو عاصم, قال: ثنا عيسى، وحدثني الحارث, قال: ثنا الحسن, قال: ثنا ورقاء جميعا، عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد, قوله: ( وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ ) قال: الشيطان. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ( وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهَا ) قال: الشيطان. حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله: ( وَالَّذِينَ اجْتَنَبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ أَنْ يَعْبُدُوهَا ) قال: الشيطان هو ها هنا واحد وهي جماعة. والطاغوت على قول ابن زيد هذا واحد مؤنث, ولذلك قيل: أن يعبدوها. وقيل: إنما أُنثت لأنها في معنى جماعة. وقوله: ( وَأَنَابُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ ) يقول: وتابوا إلى الله ورجعوا إلى الإقرار بتوحيده, والعمل بطاعته, والبراءة مما سواه من الآلهة والأنداد. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا زيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة, قوله: ( وَأَنَابُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ ) : وأقبلوا إلى الله. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ, قوله: ( وَأَنَابُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ ) قال: أجابوا إليه. وقوله: ( لَهُمُ الْبُشْرَى ) يقول: لهم البشرى في الدنيا بالجنة في الآخرة ( فَبَشِّرْ عِبَادِ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ ) يقول جل ثناؤه لنبيه محمد صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم: فبشر يا محمد عبادي الذين يستمعون القول من القائلين, فيتبعون أرشده وأهداه, وأدله على توحيد الله, والعمل بطاعته, ويتركون ما سوى ذلك من القول الذي لا يدل على رشاد, ولا يهدي إلى سداد. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ ) وأحسنه طاعة الله. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ, في قوله: ( فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ ) قال: أحسن ما يؤمرون به فيعلمون به.