Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the words of the Exalted: يَسْأَلُكَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَابًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا مُوسَى أَكْبَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالُوا أَرِنَا اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ثُمَّ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَآتَيْنَا مُوسَى سُلْطَانًا مُبِينًا (4:153) (The People of the Book ask you to bring down upon them a book from heaven. They asked Mūsā for something even greater than that, for they said: Show us Allah openly. Then the thunderbolt seized them because of their wrongdoing. Thereafter they took up the calf, after the clear signs had come to them. Yet We pardoned that and gave Mūsā a clear proof.)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: He, whose praise is exalted, means thereby: "They ask you", O Muḥammad — "the People of the Book", by which is meant: the people of the Torah among the Jews — "to bring down upon them a book from heaven".

   * * *

   The people of the explanation differed concerning "the book" which the Jews asked Muḥammad ﷺ to bring down upon them from heaven.

   Some of them said: They asked him to bring down upon them a written book from heaven, just as Mūsā came to the children of Israel with the Torah, written, from Allah.

   * Mention of who said that:

   10768 — Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "The People of the Book ask you to bring down upon them a book from heaven" — the Jews said: If you are truthful that you are the Messenger of Allah, then bring us a written book from heaven, just as Mūsā brought it.

   10769 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Abū Maʿshar related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb al-Quraẓī, who said: People of the Jews came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and said: Mūsā came with the tablets from Allah, so bring us the tablets from Allah that we may hold you truthful! Then Allah revealed: يَسْأَلُكَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَابًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ (The People of the Book ask you to bring down upon them a book from heaven), up to His words: وَقَوْلِهِمْ عَلَى مَرْيَمَ بُهْتَانًا عَظِيمًا (and their utterance against Maryam, a tremendous slander).

   * * *

   Others said: No, they asked him to bring down upon them a book specially designated for them.

   * Mention of who said that:

   10770 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, his words: "The People of the Book ask you to bring down upon them a book from heaven", that is to say: a book, specially for them — "They asked Mūsā for something even greater than that, for they said: Show us Allah openly".

   And others said: No, they asked him to bring down upon particular men among them, specifically designated, writings with the command to hold him truthful and to follow him.

   * Mention of who said that:

   10771 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, saying: Ibn Jurayj said, his words: "The People of the Book ask you to bring down upon them a book from heaven" — and that is because the Jews and the Christians came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "We will not follow you in that to which you call us, until you bring us a book from Allah, to so-and-so [with the message] that you are the Messenger of Allah, and to so-and-so a book that you are the Messenger of Allah"! Allah, whose praise is exalted, said: "The People of the Book ask you to bring down upon them a book from heaven. They asked Mūsā for something even greater than that, for they said: Show us Allah openly".

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The most correct of the statements concerning this is that one says: The people of the Torah asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he ask his Lord to bring down upon them a book from heaven — a sign that would render all of creation powerless to bring anything like it, testifying for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to his truthfulness, commanding them to follow him.

   It is possible that what they asked him concerning this was a written book that would descend from heaven to their community, and it is possible that it was writings to particular designated persons. But what most accords with the outward meaning of the recitation is that their request to him on this was a request for the descent of the one book to their community, because of the fact that Allah the Exalted, in His report about them, names "the book" in the singular form with His words: "The People of the Book ask you to bring down upon them a book from heaven", and He did not say "books".

   * * *

   As for His words: "They asked Mūsā for something even greater than that", that is a reproof from Allah, whose praise is exalted, to those who asked for the book that they asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to bring down upon them from heaven, on account of their asking him for it — and a rebuke from Him to them. Allah says to His Prophet ﷺ: O Muḥammad, let not their asking for it weigh heavily upon you, for they — out of their ignorance of Allah, their insolence toward Him, and their being deluded by His forbearance — would, had I brought down upon them the book they asked you to bring down upon them, have contradicted the command of Allah just as they contradicted it after Allah had restored their forefathers to life from their stupor caused by the thunderbolt, whereupon they worshipped the calf and took it as a god whom they worshipped in place of their Creator and Originator, who showed them of His power and His tremendous authority what He showed them; for they would be nothing other than as their forefathers and their predecessors.

   * * *

   Then Allah recounted of their history and of the history of Mūsā what He recounted. Allah says: "They asked Mūsā for something even greater than that", that is to say: the predecessors and forefathers of these Jews asked Mūsā, peace be upon him, for something more tremendous than what they asked you regarding the bringing down of a book upon them from heaven, for they said to him: "Show us Allah openly", that is to say: with our own eyes, that we may behold Him and look upon Him.

   * * *

   We have already dealt with the meaning of "openly" (al-jahra), together with what bears upon it of narration and testimonies to the correctness of what we have said about its meaning in what has passed, in a manner that makes it unnecessary to repeat it here.

   * * *

   And it has been narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās that he used to say concerning this, namely:

   10772 — Al-Ḥārith related it to me, saying: Abū ʿUbayd related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to us, on the authority of Hārūn ibn Mūsā, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muʿāwiya, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās concerning this verse, he said: Had they seen Him, then they would have seen Him; they merely said openly: "Show us Allah". He said: it is brought forward and put back [in order].

   * * *

   Ibn ʿAbbās interpreted that thus: that their request to Mūsā was open.

   * * *

   As for His words: "Then the thunderbolt seized them", He says: "then they were struck by the thunderbolt" — "because of their wrongdoing" against themselves. And their wrongdoing against themselves was their asking Mūsā to show them their Lord openly, because that was among what it was not theirs to ask.

   * * *

   We have already set forth the meaning of "the thunderbolt" (al-ṣāʿiqa) in what has passed, together with the disagreements of those who differed over its explanation, and the proof for the most correct of what has been said about it.

   * * *

   As for His words: "Thereafter they took up the calf", He means: thereafter those who asked Mūsā what they asked him, namely the seeing of their Lord openly, after Allah had restored them to life and raised them up from their stupor caused by the thunderbolt — took up the calf, into which the Sāmirī cast what he cast of the handful he had taken from the track of the horse of Jibrīl, peace be upon him — as a god whom they worshipped in place of Allah.

   * * *

   We have mentioned the reason why they took up the calf, and how their affair and its affair proceeded, in what has passed, in a manner that suffices.

   * * *

   And His words: "after the clear signs had come to them", mean: after there had come to those who asked Mūsā what they asked, the clear signs of Allah and the manifest proofs that they would not see Allah with their own eyes openly.

   By "the clear signs" is meant only: that they were signs which made clear that they would not see Allah during the days of their life in this world openly. And those clear signs to them, that this was so, were: Allah's striking them with stupor when they asked Mūsā to show them their Lord openly, then His restoring them to life after their death, besides the remaining signs that Allah showed them as proof of that.

   * * *

   Allah says, reproving their deed and making clear to His servants their ignorance and the deficiency of their understanding and their judgment: thereafter they acknowledged the calf as a god for them, while they saw it with their own eyes and looked upon it openly, after their Lord had shown them of the clear signs what He showed them — that they would not see their Lord openly and with their own eyes in their worldly life — and so they devoted themselves to its worship, believing in its godhood!!

   * * *

   And His words: "Yet We pardoned that", He says: We pardoned the worshippers of the calf their worship of it, and to those among them who believed that it was their god — after Allah had shown them by signs that they would not see their Lord in their life, what He showed them — their belief in that, on account of the repentance (tawba) which they displayed to their Lord by killing themselves and their patience therein with the command of their Lord — "and gave Mūsā a clear proof", He says: and We gave Mūsā a proof (ḥujja) that made clear his truthfulness and the reality of his prophethood; and that proof was: the clear signs that Allah had given him.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله : يَسْأَلُكَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَابًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَقَدْ سَأَلُوا مُوسَى أَكْبَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَقَالُوا أَرِنَا اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ثُمَّ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَآتَيْنَا مُوسَى سُلْطَانًا مُبِينًا (153) قال أبو جعفر: يعني بذلك جل ثناؤه: " يسألك " يا محمد=" أهل الكتاب "، يعني بذلك: أهل التوراة من اليهود=" أن تنـزل عليهم كتابًا من السماء ". * * * واختلف أهل التأويل في" الكتاب " الذي سألَ اليهودُ محمدًا صلى الله عليه وسلم أن ينـزل عليهم من السماء. فقال بعضهم: سألوه أن ينـزل عليهم كتابًا من السماء مكتوبًا، كما جاء موسى بني إسرائيل بالتوراة مكتوبةً من عند الله. *ذكر من قال ذلك: 10768- حدثنا محمد بن الحسين قال، حدثنا أحمد بن المفضل قال، حدثنا أسباط، عن السدي: " يسألك أهل الكتاب أن تنـزل عليهم كتابًا من السماء "، قالت اليهود: إن كنت صادقًا أنك رسول الله، فآتنا كتابًا مكتوبًا من السماء، كما جاء به موسى. 10769- حدثني الحارث قال، حدثنا عبد العزيز قال، حدثنا أبو معشر، عن محمد بن كعب القرظي قال: جاء أناس من اليهود إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقالوا: إن موسى جاء بالألواحِ من عند الله، فأتنا بالألواح من عند الله حتى نصدّقك! فأنـزل الله: " يَسْأَلُكَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَنْ تُنَـزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَابًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ"، إلى قوله: وَقَوْلِهِمْ عَلَى مَرْيَمَ بُهْتَانًا عَظِيمًا . * * * وقال آخرون: بل سألوه أن ينـزل عليهم كتابًا، خاصَّة لهم. *ذكر من قال ذلك: 10770- حدثنا بشر بن معاذ قال، حدثنا يزيد قال، حدثنا سعيد، عن قتادة قوله: " يَسْأَلُكَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَنْ تُنَـزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتَابًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ"، أي كتابًا، خاصةً=" فقد سألوا موسى أكبر من ذلك فقالوا أرنا الله جهرة ". وقال آخرون: بل سألوه أن ينـزل على رجال منهم بأعيانهم كتبًا بالأمر بتصديقه واتّباعه. *ذكر من قال ذلك: 10771- حدثنا القاسم قال، حدثنا الحسين قال، حدثني حجاج قال، قال ابن جريج قوله: " يسألك أهل الكتاب أن تنـزل عليهم كتابًا من السماء "، وذلك أن اليهود والنصارى أتوا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقالوا: " لن نتابعك على ما تدعونا إليه، حتى تأتينا بكتاب من عند الله إلى فلان (28) أنك رسول الله، وإلى فلان بكتاب أنك رسول الله "! قال الله جل ثناؤه: " يسألك أهل الكتاب أن تنـزل عليهم كتابًا من السماء فقد سألوا موسى أكبر من ذلك فقالوا أرنا الله جهرة ". قال أبو جعفر: وأولى الأقوال في ذلك بالصواب أن يقال: إن أهل التوراة سألوا رسولَ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يسأل ربه أن ينـزل عليهم كتابًا من السماء، آيةً معجزةً جميعَ الخلق عن أن يأتوا بمثلها، شاهدةً لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بالصدق، آمرة لهم باتباعه. وجائز أن يكون الذي سألوه من ذلك كتابًا مكتوبًا ينـزل عليهم من السماء إلى جماعتهم= وجائز أن يكون ذلك كتبًا إلى أشخاص بأعينهم. بل الذي هو أولى &; 9-358 &; بظاهر التلاوة، أن تكون مسألتهم إياه ذلك كانت مسألة لتنـزيل الكتاب الواحد إلى جماعتهم، (29) لذكر الله تعالى في خبره عنهم " الكتاب " بلفظ الواحد بقوله: " يسألك أهل الكتاب أن تنـزل عليهم كتابًا من السماء "، (30) ولم يقل " كتبًا ". * * * وأما قوله: " فقد سألوا موسى أكبر من ذلك "، فإنه توبيخ من الله جل ثناؤه سائلي الكتابَ الذي سألوا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن ينـزله عليهم من السماء، في مسألتهم إياه ذلك= وتقريعٌ منه لهم. يقول الله لنبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم: يا محمد، لا يعظُمَنَّ عليك مسألتهم ذلك، فإنهم من جهلهم بالله وجراءَتهم عليه واغترارهم بحلمه، لو أنـزلت عليهم الكتاب الذي سألوك أن تنـزله عليهم، لخالفوا أمر الله كما خالفوه بعد إحياء الله أوائلهم من صعقتهم، فعبدوا العجل واتخذوه إلهًا يعبدونه من دون خالقهم وبارئهم الذي أرَاهم من قدرته وعظيم سلطانه ما أراهم، لأنهم لن يعدُوا أن يكونوا كأوائلهم وأسلافهم. * * * ثم قصّ الله من قصتهم وقصة موسى ما قصَّ، يقول الله: " فقد سألوا موسى أكبرَ من ذلك "، يعني: فقد سأل أسلافُ هؤلاء اليهود وأوائلهم موسى عليه السلام، أعظم مما سألوك من تنـزيل كتاب عليهم من السماء، فقالوا له: " أرنا الله جهرة "، أي: عِيانًا نعاينه وننظر إليه. * * * وقد أتينا على معنى " الجهرة "، بما في ذلك من الرواية والشواهد على صحة ما قلنا في معناه فيما مضى، بما أغنى عن إعادته في هذا الموضع. (31) * * * وقد ذكر عن ابن عباس أنه كان يقول في ذلك، بما:- 10772- حدثني به الحارث قال، حدثنا أبو عبيد قال، حدثنا حجاج، عن هارون بن موسى، عن عبد الرحمن بن إسحاق، عن عبد الرحمن بن معاوية، عن ابن عباس في هذه الآية قال: إنهم إذا رأوه فقد رأوه، إنما قالوا جهرةً: " أرنا الله ". قال: هو مقدّم ومؤخر. * * * وكان ابن عباس يتأول ذلك: أن سؤالهم موسى كان جهرة. (32) * * * وأما قوله: " فأخذتهم الصاعقة "، فإنه يقول: " فصُعقوا "=" بظلمهم " أنفسهم. وظلمهم أنفسهم، كان مسألَتهم موسى أن يريهم ربهم جهرة، لأن ذلك مما لم يكن لهم مسألته. * * * وقد بينا معنى: " الصاعقة "، فيما مضى باختلاف المختلفين في تأويلها، والدليل على أولى ما قيل فيها بالصواب. (33) * * * وأما قوله: " ثم اتخذوا العجل "، فإنه يعني: ثم اتخذ= هؤلاء الذين سألوا موسى ما سألوه من رؤية ربهم جهرةً، بعد ما أحياهم الله فبعثهم من صعقتهم= العجلَ الذي كان السامريُّ نبذ فيه ما نبذ من القبْضة التي قبضها من أثر فرس جبريل عليه السلام= إلهًا يعبدونه من دون الله. (34) * * * وقد أتينا على ذكر السبب الذي من أجله اتخذوا العجل، وكيف كان أمرهم وأمره، فيما مضى بما فيه الكفاية. (35) * * * وقوله: " من بعد ما جاءتهم البينات "، يعني: من بعد ما جاءت هؤلاء الذين سألوا موسى ما سألوا، البينات من الله، والدلالاتُ الواضحات بأنهم لن يروا الله عيانًا جهارًا. وإنما عنى بـ " البينات ": أنها آيات تبين عن أنهم لن يروا الله في أيام حياتهم في الدنيا جهرة. (36) وكانت تلك الآيات البينات لهم على أن ذلك كذلك: إصعاقُ الله إياهم عند مسألتهم موسى أن يريهم ربه جهرة، ثم إحياءه إياهم بعد مماتهم، مع سائر الآيات التي أراهم الله دلالةً على ذلك. * * * = يقول الله، مقبِّحًا إليهم فعلهم ذلك، وموضحًا لعباده جهلهم ونقصَ عقولهم وأحلامهم: ثم أقرُّوا للعجل بأنه لهم إله، وهم يرونه عيانًا، وينظرون إليه جِهَارًا، بعد ما أراهم ربهم من الآيات البينات ما أراهم: أنهم لا يرون ربهم جهرة وعِيانًا في حياتهم الدنيا، فعكفوا على عبادته مصدِّقين بألوهته!! * * * وقوله: " فعفونا عن ذلك "، يقول: فعفونا لعبدة العجل عن عبادتهم إياه، (37) وللمصدقين منهم بأنه إلههم بعد الذي أراهم الله أنهم لا يرون ربهم في حياتهم من الآيات ما أراهم= عن تصديقهم بذلك، (38) بالتوبة التي تابوها إلى ربّهم بقتلهم أنفسهم، وصبرهم في ذلك على أمر ربهم=" وآتينا موسى سلطانًا مبينًا "، يقول: وآتينا موسى حجة تبين عن صدقه، وحقيقة نبوّته، (39) وتلك الحجة هي: الآيات البينات التي آتاه الله إياها. (40) --------------------- الهوامش : (28) في المخطوطة: "من عبد الله ، من الله إلى فلان" ، والذي في المطبوعة هو الصواب ، إلا أن يكون الناسخ كتب"من عند الله" ثم ، غيرها"من الله" ، ثم لم يضرب على أولاهما. (29) في المطبوعة: "لينزل الكتاب" ، وأثبت ما في المخطوطة. (30) في المطبوعة: "يقول: يسألك ..." ، والصواب من المخطوطة. (31) انظر تفسير"جهرة" فيما سلف 2 : 80-82. (32) هذا القول الذي نسب إلى ابن عباس ، لم يمض مثله في تفسير آية سورة البقرة 2 : 80-82 ، وهذا أحد الأدلة على اختصار هذا التفسير. (33) انظر تفسير"الصاعقة" فيما سلف 2 : 82-84. (34) سياق هذه الفقرة: ثم اتخذ هؤلاء ... العجل ... إلها ...". (35) انظر ما سلف 2 : 63-68. (36) انظر تفسير"البينات" فيما سلف 7 : 450 ، تعليق: 2 ، والمراجع هناك. (37) انظر تفسير"العفو" فيما سلف ص: 351 ، تعليق: 2 ، والمراجع هناك. (38) السياق: "فعفونا لعبدة العجل ... عن تصديقهم بذلك". (39) في المطبوعة: "وحقية نبوته" ، غير ما في المخطوطة عن وجهه ، ظنًا منه أنه خطأ ، وقد أشرنا إلى مثل ذلك من فعله فيما سلف ص: 336 ، تعليق: 4 ، وما سيأتي بعد قليل ص: 363 ، تعليق 2. (40) انظر تفسير"الإيتاء" فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة. وتفسير"السلطان" فيما سلف 7 : 279 / 9 : 336 ، 337. وتفسير"مبين" فيما سلف ص: 336 تعليق: 3 ، والمراجع هناك.