Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: أَمْ مَنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا يَحْذَرُ الآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لا يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الأَلْبَابِ (Or [is] he who is devoutly obedient during the hours of the night, prostrating and standing, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the mercy of his Lord? Say: "Are those who know and those who do not know equal?" Only those who possess understanding take heed) (9).

   The Qurʾān-reciters differed over the reading of His word: ( أَمِنَ ). Some Meccans, some Medinans, and most Kūfans read it as "أمن" with the lightening of the mīm, and for their reading thus there are two possibilities. The first: that the alif in "أمَّنْ" has the meaning of calling out (al-duʿāʾ), by which is meant: O he who is devoutly obedient during the hours of the night. The Arabs call out with the alif just as they call out with yā, and so they say: "Azayd, come here" and "Yā Zayd, come here." Of this is the verse of Aws ibn Ḥajar:

   O sons of Lubaynā, you are no [strong] hand,

   except a hand that has no upper arm (5).

   And when one directs the alif toward the calling out, then the meaning of the words is: say: enjoy, O unbeliever (kāfir), yet a short while in your unbelief, for you are among the inhabitants of the Fire; and O he who is devoutly obedient during the hours of the night, prostrating and standing, you are among the people of the Garden (janna). And in [the words] "in the Fire" there lies, for the unbelieving party, on account of what Allah has [prepared] for them of requital in the Hereafter, a blindness, which suffices to leave aside the exposition of what is for the believing party, since the difference between the two states of both in the worldly life is known, and it is comprehensible that when the one belongs to the inhabitants of the Fire on account of his unbelief in his Lord, the other belongs to the inhabitants of the Garden. Therefore the announcement of what is for [the believer] has been omitted, in reliance upon the listener's understanding of what is meant by it, since what is omitted has already been indicated by what is mentioned. And the second [possibility]: that the alif in His word "أمن" is an interrogative alif (alif al-istifhām), so that the meaning of the words is: is this one like the one who has assigned equals to Allah in order to lead [people] astray from His way? Then it was sufficient with what had already preceded of Allah's report about the party that is unbelieving in Him, among His enemies, since the intent of the words was comprehensible, as the poet said:

   And I swear: had a messenger reached us

   from other than you — but we found no repelling against you (6).

   He omitted [the words] "then we would have repelled him," although that is intended in the words, since his intent was comprehensible to the listener. And some reciters of Medina and Basra and some people of Kūfa read it as ( أمَّن ) with the doubling of the mīm, in the meaning of: am man huwa? (or: who is he?). And they say: it is only ( أمَّن ) as a question inserted into the words after words that have already preceded, in which am has been used. According to this explanation the answer to the question must necessarily be omitted, because the announcement about the unbelieving party and what has been prepared for them in the Hereafter has already taken place, after which the announcement about the believing party followed, so that thereby the intent became known, and it could suffice with the listener's knowledge of its meaning instead of mentioning it, since it was comprehensible that the meaning is: is this one better, or this one?

   And our saying about this is that they are two readings, each of which has been read by scholars among the reciters, while each of the two is correct in respect of explanation and grammatical parsing; with whichever of the two the reader reads, he has hit upon the correct [course].

   And we have already mentioned the disagreement of those who differ, and the correct saying about it according to us, earlier, concerning the meaning of al-qānit, in a manner that makes it unnecessary to repeat it in this place. However, we do mention in this place some sayings of the people of interpretation about it, so that whoever looks into the book may know the agreement of its meaning in this place and elsewhere. Some of them said: it [al-qānit] in this place is the reciting by the reader while he is standing in the prayer.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of ʿUbayd Allāh, that he said: Nāfiʿ informed me, on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar, that he, when he was asked about al-qunūt, said: I know al-qunūt only as the reciting of the Qurʾān and the long standing, and he recited: ( أمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا ) (Or he who is devoutly obedient during the hours of the night, prostrating and standing).

   And others said: it is obedience.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: ( أمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ ) (Or he who is devoutly obedient): by al-qunūt he means obedience; and that is because He said: ثُمَّ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ دَعْوَةً مِنَ الأَرْضِ إِذَا أَنْتُمْ تَخْرُجُونَ (Then, when He calls you with a call from the earth, behold, you come forth) ... up to كُلٌّ لَهُ قَانِتُونَ (all are devoutly obedient to Him): he said: obedient.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His word: ( أمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا ) (Or he who is devoutly obedient during the hours of the night, prostrating and standing): he said: al-qānit is the obedient one.

   And His word: ( آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ ) (the hours of the night) means: the times of the night.

   As Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: ( أمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ ) (Or he who is devoutly obedient during the hours of the night): its beginning, its middle, and its end.

   Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, ( آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ ) (the hours of the night): he said: the times of the night.

   And we have already given our exposition of the meaning of al-ānāʾ with its proofs, and the account of the sayings of the people of interpretation about it, in a manner that makes it unnecessary to repeat it in this place.

   And His word: ( سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا ) (prostrating and standing) means: he is obedient, sometimes prostrating and sometimes standing, that is to say: he obeys. And al-qunūt according to us is obedience, and therefore His word ( سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا ) (prostrating and standing) is in the accusative, for the meaning is: or he who is obedient during the hours of the night, sometimes prostrating and sometimes standing; these two are thus a circumstantial qualifier (ḥāl) of qānit.

   And His word: ( يَحْذَرُ الآخِرَةَ ) (who fears the Hereafter) means: he fears the punishment of the Hereafter. As ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥasan al-Azdī related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn al-Yamān related to us, on the authority of Ashʿath, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: ( يَحْذَرُ الآخِرَةَ ) (who fears the Hereafter): he said: he fears the punishment of the Hereafter, and hopes for the mercy of his Lord; he says: and he hopes that Allah will have mercy upon him and admit him into the Garden (janna).

   And His word: ( قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لا يَعْلَمُونَ ) (Say: "Are those who know and those who do not know equal?") — the Exalted, whose praise is proclaimed, says: say, O Muḥammad, to your people: are those who know what reward is for them in their obedience to their Lord, and what consequences rest upon them in their disobedience to Him, equal to those who do not know that, so that they wander about in blind darkness, expecting no good from their good deeds and fearing no evil from their bad ones? He says: these two are not equal to each other.

   And concerning Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī there is transmitted about that what Muḥammad ibn Khalaf related to me, saying: Naṣr ibn Muzāḥim related to me, saying: Sufyān al-Jarīrī related to us, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Abī Mujāhid, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of Abū Jaʿfar, may Allah's good pleasure rest upon him: ( هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لا يَعْلَمُونَ ) (Are those who know and those who do not know equal?): he said: we are those who know, and our enemies are those who do not know.

   And His word: ( إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الألْبَابِ ) (Only those who possess understanding take heed) — the Exalted, whose praise is proclaimed, says: only those who possess understanding and discernment take to heart the proofs of Allah, let themselves be admonished by them, reflect upon them and ponder them — not the people of ignorance and deficient understanding.

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   Footnotes:

   (5) The citation of this verse has already occurred earlier in volume (14:110), where we have explained it at length; consult it there. The verse belongs to the proof-verses of al-Farrāʾ in Maʿānī al-Qurʾān (folio 284), and the reason for the citation here is that the Arabs call out with the hamza just as they call out with yā. Al-Farrāʾ said concerning His word "أم من هو قانت آناء الليل": Yaḥyā ibn Waththāb read it with lightening. And he mentioned that from Nāfiʿ and Ḥamza, and they explained it: he means: O he who is devoutly obedient; and that is a good explanation. The Arabs call out with the alif just as they call out with yā, and so they say: "Yā Zayd, come here" and "Azayd, come here"; the poet said: "O sons of Lubaynā ... [the verse]," and another said: "Aḍmar ibn Ḍamra ... [the verse]." And this occurs frequently in poetry, so that the meaning is traced back to the calling out, as a linkage, because he named the heedless unbeliever and then told the story of the sincere one by means of the calling out, as you say in colloquial speech: "So-and-so does not pray and does not fast, but O you who pray and fast, rejoice." This, then, is its meaning. And the alif may also be a question, with the meaning of am, because the Arabs sometimes put am in the place of the alif when words precede it, and of that I have described what suffices, so that the meaning is: amman huwa qānit? (is he who is devoutly obedient ...?), like the first one who was mentioned with heedlessness and unbelief. And whoever read it with doubling, he means the meaning of the alif — and that is the [good] explanation: that you pronounce am, when it is traced back to a meaning that has already preceded, with am. And al-Ḥasan, ʿĀṣim, and Abū Jaʿfar al-Madanī read it, meaning by it "am man huwa"; thus it has become clear in the words that there is something implicit, the meaning of which has preceded at the beginning of the word, since he named the one who goes astray and then named the rightly-guided one by means of the question; this is an indication that he means: is this one like this one? or: is this one better? And whoever does not know the ways of the Arabs and to whom the meaning in this and in similar cases does not become clear, he can neither be content with it nor find satisfaction in it. End.

   (6) The citation of this verse and our extensive explanation of it has already occurred in volume (12:18); consult it there. Al-Farrāʾ cited it in Maʿānī al-Qurʾān (folio 284), following on from his words which we have transmitted about him concerning the previous proof-verse; he said: do you not see that the word of the poet "And I swear: had a messenger reached us ... [the verse]" means: had a messenger other than you reached us, then we would have repelled him; thus the meaning was known without it being made explicit. And His word "أفمن شرح الله صدره للإسلام" (Is then he whose breast Allah has opened for Islam ...) proceeds according to the same [pattern].

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : أَمْ مَنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا يَحْذَرُ الآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لا يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الأَلْبَابِ (9) اختلفت القرّاء في قراءة قوله: ( أَمِنَ ) فقرأ ذلك بعض المكيين وبعض المدنيين وعامة الكوفيين: " أمن " بتخفيف الميم، ولقراءتهم ذلك كذلك وجهان: أحدهما أن يكون الألف في" أمَّنْ" بمعنى الدعاء, يراد بها: يا من هو قانت آناء الليل, والعرب تنادي بالألف كما تنادي بيا, فتقول: أزيد أقبل, ويا زيد أقبل، ومنه قول أوس بن حجر: أبَنِـــي لُبَيْنَـــى لَسْــتُم بِيَــدٍ إلا يَـــدٌ لَيْسَــتْ لَهَــا عَضُــدُ (5) وإذا وجهت الألف إلى النداء كان معنى الكلام: قل تمتع أيها الكافر بكفرك قليلا إنك من أصحاب النار, ويا من هو قانت آناء الليل ساجدا وقائما إنك من أهل الجنة, ويكون في النار عمى للفريق الكافر عند الله من الجزاء في الآخرة, الكفاية عن بيان ما للفريق المؤمن, إذ كان معلوما اختلاف أحوالهما في الدنيا, ومعقولا أن أحدهما إذا كان من أصحاب النار لكفره بربه أن الآخر من أصحاب الجنة, فحذف الخبر عما له, اكتفاءً بفهم السامع المراد منه من ذكره, إذ كان قد دلّ على المحذوف بالمذكور. والثاني: أن تكون الألف التي في قوله: " أمن " ألف استفهام, فيكون معنى الكلام: أهذا كالذي جعل لله أندادا ليضلّ عن سبيله, ثم اكتفى بما قد سبق من خبر الله عن فريق الكفر به من أعدائه, إذ كان مفهوما المراد بالكلام, كما قال الشاعر: فَأُقْسِــمُ لَـوْ شَـيْءٌ أتَانَـا رَسُـولُهُ سِـوَاكَ وَلَكِـنْ لَـمْ نَجِـدْ لَـكَ مَدْفَعا (6) فحذف لدفعناه وهو مراد في الكلام إذ كان مفهوما عند السامع مراده. وقرأ ذلك بعض قرّاء المدينة والبصرة وبعض أهل الكوفة: ( أمَّن ) بتشديد الميم, بمعنى: أم من هو؟ ويقولون: إنما هي ( أمَّن ) استفهام اعترض في الكلام بعد كلام قد مضى, فجاء بأم، فعلى هذا التأويل يجب أن يكون جواب الاستفهام متروكا من أجل أنه قد جرى الخبر عن فريق الكفر, وما أعدّ له في الآخرة, ثم أتبع الخبر عن فريق الإيمان, فعلم بذلك المراد, فاستغني بمعرفة السامع بمعناه من ذكره, إذ كان معقولا أن معناه: هذا أفضل أم هذا؟. والقول في ذلك عندنا أنهما قراءتان قرأ بكل واحدة علماء من القرّاء مع صحة كل واحدة منهما في التأويل والإعراب, فبأيتهما قرأ القارئ فمصيب. وقد ذكرنا اختلاف المختلفين, والصواب من القول عندنا فيما مضى قبل في معنى القانت, بما أغنى عن إعادته في هذا الموضع، غير أنا نذكر بعض أقوال أهل التأويل في ذلك في هذا الموضع, ليعلم الناظر في الكتاب اتفاق معنى ذلك في هذا الموضع وغيره, فكان بعضهم يقول: هو في هذا الموضع قراءة القارئ قائما في الصلاة. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن المثنى, قال: ثنا يحيى, عن عبيد الله, أنه قال: أخبرني نافع, عن ابن عمر, أنه كان إذا سُئل عن القنوت, قال: لا أعلم القنوت إلا قراءة القرآن وطول القيام, وقرأ: ( أمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا ) وقال آخرون: هو الطاعة. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن سعد, قال: ثني أبي, قال: ثني عمي, قال: ثني أبي, عن أبيه, عن ابن عباس, قوله: ( أمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ ) يعني بالقنوت: الطاعة, وذلك أنه قال: ثُمَّ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ دَعْوَةً مِنَ الأَرْضِ إِذَا أَنْتُمْ تَخْرُجُونَ ... إلى كُلٌّ لَهُ قَانِتُونَ قال: مطيعون. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ, في قوله: ( أمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا ) قال: القانت: المطيع. وقوله: ( آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ ) يعني: ساعات الليل. كما حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة, قوله: ( أمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ ) أوله, وأوسطه, وآخره. حدثنا محمد بن الحسين, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ( آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ ) قال: ساعات الليل. وقد مضى بياننا عن معنى الآناء بشواهده, وحكاية أقوال أهل التأويل فيها بما أغنى عن إعادته في هذا الموضع. وقوله: ( سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا ) يقول: يقنت ساجدا أحيانا, وأحيانا قائما, يعني: يطيع، والقنوت عندنا الطاعة, ولذلك نصب قوله: ( سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا ) لأن معناه: أمَّن هو يقنت آناء الليل ساجدا طورا, وقائما طورا, فهما حال من قانت. وقوله: ( يَحْذَرُ الآخِرَةَ ) يقول: يحذر عذاب الآخرة. كما حدثنا عليّ بن الحسن الأزديّ. قال: ثنا يحيى بن اليمان, عن أشعث, عن جعفر, عن سعيد بن جُبَير, عن ابن عباس, في قوله: ( يَحْذَرُ الآخِرَةَ ) قال: يحذر عقاب الآخرة, ويرجو رحمة ربه, يقول: ويرجو أن يرحمه الله فيدخله الجنة. وقوله: ( قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لا يَعْلَمُونَ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: قل يا محمد لقومك: هل يستوي الذين يعلمون ما لهم في طاعتهم لربهم من الثواب, وما عليهم في معصيتهم إياه من التبعات, والذين لا يعلمون ذلك, فهم يخبطون في عشواء, لا يرجون بحسن أعمالهم خيرا, ولا يخافون بسيئها شرا؟ يقول: ما هذان بمتساويين. وقد رُوي عن أبي جعفر محمد بن عليّ في ذلك ما حدثني محمد بن خلف, قال: ثني نصر بن مزاحم, قال: ثنا سفيان الجريري, عن سعيد بن أبي مجاهد, عن جابر, عن أبي جعفر, رضوان الله عليه ( هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لا يَعْلَمُونَ ) قال: نحن الذين يعلمون, وعدونا الذين لا يعلمون. وقوله: ( إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُولُو الألْبَابِ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: إنما يعتبر حجج الله, فيتعظ, ويتفكر فيها, ويتدبرها أهل العقول والحجى, لا أهل الجهل والنقص في العقول. ------------------------ الهوامش: (5) تقدم الاستشهاد بالبيت في الجزء ( 14 : 110 ) وشرحناه شرحا مفصلا ، فراجعه ثمة . والبيت من شواهد الفراء في معاني القرآن (الورقة 284 ) وموضع الاستشهاد به في هذا الموضع أن العرب تنادي بالهمزة ، كما تنادي بيا . قال الفراء : عند قوله تعالى" أم من هو قانت آناء الليل" قرأها يحيي بن وثاب بالتخفيف . وذكر ذلك عن نافع وحمزة ، وفسروها : يريد : يا من هو قانت ، وهو وجه حسن . العرب تدعو بألف كما يدعون بيا ، فيقولون : يا زيد أقبل ، وأزيد أقبل ؛ قال الشاعر :" أبني لبيني ... البيت" وقال آخر :" أضمر بن ضمرة ... البيت" . وهو كثير في الشعر ، فيكون المعنى مردودا بالدعاء ، كالمنسوق ، لأنه ذكر الناسي الكافر ، ثم قص قصة الصالح بالنداء ، كما تقول في كلام : فلان لا يصلي ولا يصوم ، فيا من يصلي ويصوم أبشر . فهذا هو معناه . وقد تكون الألف استفهاما ، وبتأويل أم ، لأن العرب قد تضع" أم" في موضع الألف ، إذا سبقها كلام ، وقد وصفت من ذلك ما يكتفي به ، فيكون المعنى أمن هو قانت ؟ كالأول الذي ذكر بالنسيان والكفر . ومن قرأها بالتشديد ، فإنه يريد معنى الألف وهو الوجه : أن تجعل" أم" إذا كانت مردودة على معنى قد سبق ، قلتها بأم . وقد قرأها الحسن وعاصم وأبو جعفر المدني ، يريدون" أم من هو" فقد تبين في الكلام أنه مضمر قد جرى معناه في أول الكلمة ، إذ ذكر الضال ، ثم ذكر المهتدي بالاستفهام فهو دليل على أنه يريد : أهذا مثل هذا ؟ أو أهذا أفضل ؟ ومن لم يعرف مذاهب العرب ، ويتبين له المعنى في هذا وشبهه ، لم يكتف ولم يشتف . ا هـ . (6) تقدم الاستشهاد بالبيت وشرحناه مفصلا في الجزء ( 12 : 18 ) فراجعه ثمة . وقد أورده الفراء في معاني القرآن (الورقة 284) بعقب كلامه الذي نقلناه عنه في الشاهد السابق على هذا ، قال : ألا ترى قول الشاعر" فأقسم لو شيء أتانا رسوله .... البيت" أن معناه : لو أتانا رسول غيرك لدفعناه ، فعلم المعنى ولم يظهر . وجرى قوله" أفمن شرح الله صدره للإسلام" على مثل هذا .