Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the words of the Exalted: أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُۥ ۖ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍ ("Is Allah not sufficient for His servant? And they threaten you with those besides Him. And whomever Allah leaves to stray, for him there is no guide.") (39:36).

   The Qurʾān-reciters differed over the reading of Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?. Some reciters of Medina and the majority of the reciters of Kūfa read this as "Is Allah not sufficient for His servants (ʿibāda-hu)?" in the plural, with the meaning: Is Allah not sufficient for Muḥammad and the prophets before him against that with which their communities threatened them, namely that their gods would do them harm? And the majority of the reciters of Medina and Basra, as well as some reciters of Kūfa, read His servant (ʿabda-hu) not sufficient in the singular, with the meaning: Is Allah not sufficient for His servant Muḥammad?

   The correct view concerning this is that they are two well-known readings among the readings of the [various] regions. Whichever of the two the reciter recites, he hits upon what is correct, on account of the soundness of the meanings of both and the wide diffusion of its recitation among the reciters of the regions.

   And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes have spoken.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Muḥammad related to me, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?, he says: Muḥammad ﷺ.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His words Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?: Indeed; by Allah, Allah will surely be sufficient for him, grant him honour, and aid him, just as He promised him.

   And His words And they threaten you with those besides Him — the Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says to His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: and these polytheists wish to make you afraid, O Muḥammad, with those who are besides Allah — the idols and the gods — that they would strike you with harm because you dissociate yourself from them and revile them; but Allah is sufficient for you against that.

   And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the exegetes 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: And they threaten you with those besides Him — the gods; he said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Khālid ibn al-Walīd to a mountain pass at Suqām to destroy al-ʿUzzā. Its keeper, that is, her custodian, said: O Khālid, I warn you against her, for she has a power against which nothing can stand. But Khālid advanced upon her with the axe and shattered her nose."

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: And they threaten you with those besides Him, he says: with their gods whom they used to worship.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His words And they threaten you with those besides Him: he said: they threaten you with their gods who are besides Him.

   And His words And whomever Allah leaves to stray, for him there is no guide — the Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: and whomever Allah forsakes and thus leaves to stray from the way of truth and the path of right guidance, for him there is, besides Him, no leader and none who leads him to the way of truth, none who enables him to believe in Allah, to affirm His messenger, and to act according to His obedience.

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   Footnotes:

   (2) Suqām, on the pattern of "ghurāb": a valley in the Ḥijāz, which the Quraysh made into a sanctified precinct for al-ʿUzzā, by which they imitated the sanctified precinct of the Kaʿba. Thus from the Muʿjam of Yāqūt.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ (36) اختلفت القرّاء في قراءة: ( أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ ) فقرأ ذلك بعض قرّاء المدينة وعامة قرّاء أهل الكوفة: " أليس الله بكاف عباده " على الجماع, بمعنى: أليس الله بكاف محمدا وأنبياءه من قبله ما خوّفتهم أممهم من أن تنالهم آلهتهم بسوء، وقرأ ذلك عامة قرّاء المدينة والبصرة, وبعض قرّاء الكوفة: ( بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ ) على التوحيد, بمعنى: أليس الله بكاف عبده محمدا. والصواب من القول في ذلك أنهما قراءتان مشهورتان في قراءة الأمصار. فبأيتهما قرأ القارئ فمصيب لصحة مَعْنَيَيْهَا واستفاضة القراءة بهما في قَرَأَةِ الأمصار. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ( أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ ) يقول: محمد صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم. حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله: ( أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ ) قال: بلى, والله ليكفينه الله ويعزّه وينصره كما وعده. وقوله: ( وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ ) يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيه محمد صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم: ويخوّفك هؤلاء المشركون يا محمد بالذين من دون الله من الأوثان والآلهة أن تصيبك بسوء, ببراءتك منها, وعيبك لها, والله كافيك ذلك. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ ) الآلهة, قال: " بعث رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم خالد بن الوليد إلى شعب بسُقام (2) ليكسر العزّى, فقال سادنها, وهو قيمها: يا خالد أنا أحذّركها, إن لها شدّة لا يقوم إليها شيء, فمشى إليها خالد بالفأس فهشّم أنفها ". حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ( وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ ) يقول: بآلهتهم التي كانوا يعبدون. حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله: ( وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِالَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ ) قال: يخوّفونك بآلهتهم التي من دونه. وقوله: ( وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: ومن يخذله الله فيضلَّه عن طريق الحق وسبيل الرشد, فما له سواه من مرشد ومسدّد إلى طريق الحقّ, ومُوفِّق للإيمان بالله, وتصديق رسوله, والعمل بطاعته . ------------------------ الهوامش: (2) سقام كغراب : واد بالحجاز ، حمته قريش للعزى ، يضاهئون به حرم الكعبة . ا هـ من معجم ياقوت .