Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His statement: ( رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) (Our Lord, You have caused us to die twice and to live twice.) We have already dealt with this in Sūrah al-Baqarah, and that makes repeating it in this place unnecessary; but we shall nevertheless mention a portion of what some have said about it.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement: ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) he said: They were dead in the loins of their fathers, then Allah brought them to life in this world, then He caused them to die with the death that is inescapable, then He brought them to life for the resurrection on the Day of Resurrection. So those are two lives and two deaths.

   And it was related to me, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His statement: ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ): it is the statement of Allah: كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنْتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ (How can you disbelieve in Allah, when you were dead and He brought you to life; then He causes you to die, then He brings you to life, then to Him you will be returned.)

   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 statement: ( رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) he said: it is like His statement: كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنْتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا (How can you disbelieve in Allah, when you were dead) ... the [rest of the] āya.

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū al-Aḥwaṣ, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh, concerning His statement: ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) he said: it is like that which is in al-Baqarah: وَكُنْتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ (when you were dead and He brought you to life, then He causes you to die, then He brings you to life).

   Abū Ḥaṣīn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Aḥmad ibn Yūnus related to me, saying: ʿAbthar related to us, saying: Ḥaṣīn related to us, on the authority of Abū Mālik, concerning this āya ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) he said: You created us when we were nothing, then You caused us to die, then You brought us to life.

   Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Hushaym related to us, on the authority of Ḥaṣīn, on the authority of Abū Mālik, concerning His statement: ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) they said: They were dead, then Allah brought them to life, then He caused them to die, then He brought them to life.

   And others said concerning this what Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His statement: ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) he said: They were killed in this world, then they were brought to life in their graves and were questioned or addressed, then they were killed in their graves, then they were brought to life in the Hereafter.

   And others said concerning this what Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His statement ( رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) he said: He created them from the back of Adam when He took the covenant with them, and he recited: وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ (And when your Lord took from the children of Adam, from their backs, their descendants), and he recited on until he reached الْمُبْطِلُونَ (the liars). He said: then He made them forget the deed, and He took the covenant with them. He said: and He took out a rib from the short ribs of Adam, and created from it Eve — this he relates from the Prophet ﷺ. He said: and that is the statement of Allah: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً (O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul, and created from it its mate, and dispersed from them both many men and women). He said: He dispersed from them both thereafter in the wombs many creatures, and he recited: يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ خَلْقًا مِنْ بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ (He creates you in the bellies of your mothers, creation after creation). He said: a creation thereafter. He said: and when He had taken the covenant with them, He caused them to die, then He created them in the wombs, then He caused them to die, then He brought them to life on the Day of Resurrection. So that is the statement of Allah: ( رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا ) (Our Lord, You have caused us to die twice and to live twice, and we confess our sins). And he recited the statement of Allah: وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُمْ مِيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا (And We took from them a solemn covenant), he said: on that Day. And he recited the statement of Allah: وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمِيثَاقَهُ الَّذِي وَاثَقَكُمْ بِهِ إِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا (And remember the favor of Allah upon you and His covenant by which He bound you, when you said: "We hear and we obey").

   And His statement: ( فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا ) — He says: thus we have acknowledged the sins we committed in this world. ( فَهَلْ إِلَى خُرُوجٍ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ) — He says: is there for us a way to depart from the Fire, that we may return to the world and do something other than what we did therein?

   As Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda ( فَهَلْ إِلَى خُرُوجٍ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ): is there a way to return to the world.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله: ( رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) قد أتينا عليه في سورة البقرة, فأغنى ذلك عن إعادته في هذا الموضع, ولكنا نذكر بعض ما قال بعضهم فيه. حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة, قوله: ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) قال: كانوا أمواتا في أصلاب آبائهم, فأحياهم الله في الدنيا, ثم أماتهم الموتة التي لا بد منها, ثم أحياهم للبعث يوم القيامة, فهما حياتان وموتتان. وحُدثت عن الحسين, قال: سمعت أبا معاذ يقول: أخبرنا عبيد, قال: سمعت الضحاك يقول فى قوله: ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) هو قول الله كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنْتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ . حدثني محمد بن سعد, قال: ثني أبي, قال: ثني عمي, قال: ثني أبي, عن أبيه, عن ابن عباس, قوله: ( رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) قال: هو كقوله: كَيْفَ تَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَكُنْتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا ... الآية. حدثنا ابن بشار, قال: ثنا عبد الرحمن, قال: ثنا سفيان, عن أبي إسحاق, عن أبي الأحوص, عن عبد الله, في قوله: ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) قال: هي كالتي في البقرة وَكُنْتُمْ أَمْوَاتًا فَأَحْيَاكُمْ ثُمَّ يُمِيتُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُحْيِيكُمْ . حدثني أبو حصين عبد الله بن أحمد بن يونس, قال: ثنا عبثر, قال: ثنا حصين, عن أبي مالك في هذه الآية ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) قال: خلقتنا ولم نكن شيئا ثم أمتنا, ثم أحييتنا. حدثني يعقوب, قال: ثنا هشيم, عن حصين, عن أبي مالك, في قوله: ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) قالوا: كانوا أمواتا فأحياهم الله, ثم أماتهم, ثم أحياهم. وقال آخرون فيه ما حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ, قوله: ( أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) قال: أميتوا في الدنيا, ثم أحيوا في قبورهم, فسئلوا أو خوطبوا, ثم أميتوا في قبورهم, ثم أحيوا في الآخرة. وقال آخرون في ذلك ما حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله ( رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ ) قال: خلقهم من ظهر آدم حين أخذ عليهم الميثاق, وقرأ: وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ فقرأ حتى بلغ الْمُبْطِلُونَ قال: فنساهم الفعل, وأخذ عليهم الميثاق, قال: وانتزع ضلعا من أضلاع آدم القصرى, فخلق منه حواء, ذكره عن النبي صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم, قال: وذلك قول الله: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً قال: بث منهما بعد ذلك في الأرحام خلقا كثيرا, وقرأ: يَخْلُقُكُمْ فِي بُطُونِ أُمَّهَاتِكُمْ خَلْقًا مِنْ بَعْدِ خَلْقٍ قال: خلقا بعد ذلك, قال: فلما أخذ عليهم الميثاق, أماتهم ثم خلقهم في الأرحام, ثم أماتهم, ثم أحياهم يوم القيامة, فذلك قول الله: ( رَبَّنَا أَمَتَّنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَحْيَيْتَنَا اثْنَتَيْنِ فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا ) , وقرأ قول الله: وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُمْ مِيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا قال: يومئذ, وقرأ قول الله: وَاذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ وَمِيثَاقَهُ الَّذِي وَاثَقَكُمْ بِهِ إِذْ قُلْتُمْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا . وقوله: ( فَاعْتَرَفْنَا بِذُنُوبِنَا ) يقول: فأقررنا بما عملنا من الذنوب في الدنيا( فَهَلْ إِلَى خُرُوجٍ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ) يقول: فهل إلى خروج من النار لنا سبيل, لنرجع إلى الدنيا, فنعمل غير الذي كنا نعمل فيها. كما حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( فَهَلْ إِلَى خُرُوجٍ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ) : فهل إلى كرّة إلى الدنيا.