Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The discourse on the explanation of His statement, exalted is He: وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَقَالُوا لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ وَالَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ("And had We made it a non-Arabic (foreign-tongued) Qurʾān, they would have said: 'If only its verses had been clearly set forth! A foreign tongue and an Arab?' Say: 'For those who believe it is a guidance and a healing, but those who do not believe have deafness in their ears, and it is a blindness upon them; they are called from a distant place'") (44).

   He, exalted is His mention, says: and had We made this Qurʾān which We have sent down, O Muḥammad, non-Arabic (foreign-tongued), then your people from the Quraysh would say: لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ ("if only its verses had been clearly set forth"), that is: if only its proofs and the signs that are in it had been made plain, so that we might understand it and know what it is and what is in it — "a foreign tongue?". That is: they said, rejecting it: is this Qurʾān foreign-tongued while the tongue of the one upon whom it was sent down is Arabic?

   And as we have said concerning that, so have the exegetes said.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abū Bishr, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, that concerning this verse لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ he said: had this Qurʾān been foreign-tongued, they would say: the Qurʾān is foreign-tongued and Muḥammad is an Arab.

   Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Abī ʿAdī related to me, on the authority of Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind, on the authority of Jaʿfar ibn Abī Waḥshiyya, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, concerning this verse: لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ he said: the Messenger is an Arab and the tongue is foreign.

   Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, saying: Abū Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, concerning His statement: وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَقَالُوا لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ: a foreign-tongued Qurʾān and an Arabic tongue.

   Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Abī Mūsā, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muṭīʿ, something similar.

   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 of them together, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His statement: لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ — so it was made Arabic: the speech foreign-tongued and the man an Arab.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His statement: وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَقَالُوا لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ he says: if only its verses had been made plain — "a foreign tongue and an Arab"? We are an Arab people, what have we to do with the foreign tongue?

   Others contradicted this statement which we have mentioned from these, and said: its meaning is لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ ("if only its verses had been set forth") — part of it Arabic and part of it foreign-tongued. And this interpretation rests upon the interpretation of those who read أَعْجَمِيّ without the interrogative in it, taking it as a report from Allah, the Exalted, about what the polytheists (mushrikīn) said, that is: if only its verses had been set forth, part of it foreign-tongued which the non-Arabs (al-ʿajam) understand, and part of it Arabic which the Arabs comprehend.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaʿqūb related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Saʿīd, he said: the Quraysh said: if only this Qurʾān had been sent down, part foreign-tongued and part Arabic. Then Allah sent down: لَقَالُوا لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ. And after this verse Allah sent down every tongue; in it is حِجَارَةً مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ ("stones of baked clay"). He said: that is Persian, Arabicized from "sang" (stone) and "gel" (clay).

   The reciters of the cities (the great centers) read: أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ ("a foreign tongue and an Arab?") in the manner of a question. And it is related from al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī that he read it: "aʿjamiyy" with a single hamza, not in the manner of a question, according to the meaning which we have mentioned from Jaʿfar ibn Abī al-Mughīra, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr.

   And the correct reading therein according to us is the reading upon which the reciters of the cities stand, because of the consensus of the authoritative proof upon it, in the manner of a question.

   And His statement: قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ ("Say: for those who believe it is a guidance and a healing"). He, exalted is His mention, says: say, O Muḥammad, to them: it — and by His saying "it" He means the Qurʾān — لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ("for those who believe") in Allah and His Messenger and who have held to be true what has come to them from their Lord, هُدًى ("a guidance"), that is: a clarification of the truth, وَشِفَاءٌ ("and a healing"), that is: it is a healing from ignorance.

   And as we have said concerning that, so have the exegetes said.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ he said: Allah made it a light, a blessing, and a healing for the believers.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ he said: the Qurʾān.

   And His statement: وَالَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى ("but those who do not believe have deafness in their ears, and it is a blindness upon them"). He, exalted is His mention, says: and those who do not believe in Allah and His Messenger and in what he has brought them from Allah, in their ears is a heaviness against hearing this Qurʾān, and a deafness: they do not hear it, but turn away from it. وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى ("and it is a blindness upon them"). He says: and this Qurʾān is a blindness upon the hearts of these deniers against it, so that they do not see its proofs against them, nor the admonitions that are in it.

   And as we have said concerning that, so have the exegetes said.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَالَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى: they are blind and deaf to the Qurʾān, they derive no benefit from it and have no desire for it.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: وَالَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ he said: deafness; وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى he said: their hearts are blinded against it.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His statement: وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى he said: the blindness is unbelief (kufr).

   The reciters of the cities read: وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى with fatḥa on the "mīm". And it is related from Ibn ʿAbbās that he read: "wa-huwa ʿalayhim ʿamin" with kasra on the "mīm", in the manner of an adjectival qualification of the Qurʾān.

   And the correct reading therein according to us is that upon which the reciters of the cities stand.

   And His statement: أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ("they are called from a distant place"). The exegetes differed concerning its meaning. Some of them said: its meaning is a comparison by Allah, exalted is His praise, of the blindness of their hearts with respect to understanding what has been sent down in the Qurʾān of proofs and admonitions, with something far away: they are like one who is called with a voice from afar and does not understand what has been called out to him — just as the Arabs say to a man of little understanding: "indeed, you are called from afar," and just as they say to the keen-minded: "indeed, you grasp matters from close at hand".

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of one of his companions, on the authority of Mujāhid: أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ he said: far from their hearts.

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, something similar.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His statement: أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ he said: they failed to accept the matter from close at hand — that they should repent and believe, so that it would be accepted from them —, but they refused.

   And others said: no, its meaning is: they are called on the Day of Resurrection from a place far from them with their most hideous names.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ajlaḥ, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk ibn Muzāḥim: أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ he said: the man is called by his most hideous name.

   The grammarians differed concerning the place where His statement إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالذِّكْرِ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ ("Indeed, those who rejected the reminder when it came to them") is completed. Some of them said: its completion is أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ("they are called from a distant place"). Those who held this statement made أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ the predicate (khabar) of إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالذِّكْرِ. And some grammarians of Basra said: that is possible, and it is also possible that it belongs to the reports in the Qurʾān that stand on their own, just as other things are stated without a predicate when the discourse becomes long and the meaning is well known, like His statement: وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْآنًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ الْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ الأَرْضُ ("And if there were a Qurʾān by which the mountains were set in motion or by which the earth were cleft asunder"), and what resembles that.

   He said: and a sheikh of the people of knowledge related to me, saying: I heard ʿĪsā ibn ʿUmar ask ʿAmr ibn ʿUbayd: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالذِّكْرِ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ — where is its predicate? Then ʿAmr said: its meaning in the interpretation is: indeed, those who rejected the reminder when it came to them, rejected it, وَإِنَّهُ لَكِتَابٌ عَزِيزٌ ("and indeed it is a mighty Book"). Thereupon ʿĪsā said: excellent, O Abū ʿUthmān.

   And some grammarians of Kufa used to say: if you wish, you make the answer to إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالذِّكْرِ to be أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ, and if you wish, its answer is in His statement وَإِنَّهُ لَكِتَابٌ عَزِيزٌ, its answer being well known and therefore omitted; and that is the more eloquent of the two possibilities and the most resembling what has occurred in the Qurʾān.

   And others said: no, that belongs to what has turned away from the report about that with which it began, to the report about what comes after it of the reminder. According to this statement, the report about those who rejected the reminder is omitted, and the report about the reminder is set in its place; its completion according to this statement is: وَإِنَّهُ لَكِتَابٌ عَزِيزٌ. The meaning of the statement according to whoever says this is: indeed, the reminder which these polytheists (mushrikīn) rejected when it came to them — and indeed it is a mighty Book. He compared it with His statement: وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنْفُسِهِنَّ ("And those of you who pass away and leave behind wives — these wait by themselves...").

   And the most fitting of the statements concerning that according to me is that one should say: it belongs to that whose predicate is omitted, since one was content with the hearers' familiarity with its meaning, because the discourse became long.

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   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَقَالُوا لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ وَالَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ( 44 ) يقول تعالى ذكره: ولو جعلنا هذا القرآن الذي أنـزلناه يا محمد أعجميا لقال قومك من قريش: ( لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ ) يعني: هلا بينت أدلته وما فيه من آية, فنفقهه ونعلم ما هو وما فيه, أأعجميّ, يعني أنهم كانوا يقولون إنكارا له: أأعجميّ هذا القرآن ولسان الذي أنـزل عليه عربي؟. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا محمد بن بشار, قال: ثنا محمد بن جعفر, قال: ثنا شعبة, عن أبي بشر, عن سعيد بن جبير أنه قال في هذه الآية ( لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ ) قال: لو كان هذا القران أعجميا لقالوا: القرآن أعجميّ, ومحمد عربيّ. حدثنا محمد بن المثنى, قال: ثني محمد بن أبي عديّ, عن داود بن أبي هند, عن جعفر بن أبي وحشية عن سعيد بن جبير في هذه الآية: ( لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ ) قال: الرسول عربيّ, واللسان أعجميّ. حدثنا ابن المثنى, قال: ثني عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا أبو داود عن سعيد بن جبير في قوله: ( وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَقَالُوا لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ ) قرآن أعجميّ ولسان عربيّ. حدثنا ابن المثنى, قال: ثنا عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا داود, عن محمد بن أبي موسى, عن عبد الله بن مطيع بنحوه. 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: ( لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ ) فجعل عربيا, أعجميّ الكلام وعربيّ الرجل. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ, في قوله: ( وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَقَالُوا لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ ) يقول: بُينت آياته, أأعجميّ وعربيّ, نحن قوم عرب ما لنا وللعجمة. وقد خالف هذا القول الذي ذكرناه عن هؤلاء آخرون, فقالوا: معنى ذلك ( لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ ) بعضها عربيّ, وبعضها عجميّ. وهذا التأويل على تأويل من قرأ ( أَعْجَمِيّ ) بترك الاستفهام فيه, وحمله خبرا من الله تعالى عن قيل المشركين ذلك, يعني: هلا فصلت آياته, منها عجميّ تعرفه العجم, ومنها عربيّ تفقهه العرب. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن حميد, قال: ثنا يعقوب, عن جعفر, عن سعيد, قال: قالت قريش: لولا أنـزل هذا القرآن أعجميا وعربيا, فأنـزل الله ( لَقَالُوا لَوْلا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ ) فأنـزل الله بعد هذه الآية كل لسان, فيه حِجَارَةً مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ قال: فارسية أعربت سنك وكل. وقرأت قراء الأمصار: ( أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ ؟ ) على وجه الاستفهام, وذكر عن الحسن البصري أنه قرأ ذلك: أعجميّ بهمزة واحدة على غير مذهب الاستفهام, على المعنى الذي ذكرناه عن جعفر بن أبي المغيرة, عن سعيد بن جبير. والصواب من القراءة في ذلك عندنا القراءة التي عليها قراء الأمصار لإجماع الحجة عليها على مذهب الاستفهام. وقوله: ( قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: قل يا محمد لهم: هو, ويعني بقوله ( هُوَ ) القرآن ( لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ) بالله ورسوله, وصدقوا بما جاءهم به من عند ربهم ( هُدًى ) يعني بيان للحق ( وَشِفَاءٌ ) يعني أنه شفاء من الجهل. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال. ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ ) قال: جمله الله نورا وبركة وشفاء للمؤمنين. حدثنا محمد, قال. ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ ( قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاءٌ ) قال: القرآن. وقوله: ( وَالَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى ) يقول تعالى ذكره: والذين لا يؤمنون بالله ورسوله, وما جاءهم به من عند الله في آذانهم ثقل عن استماع هذا القرآن, وصمم لا يستمعونه ولكنهم يعرضون عنه, ( وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى ) يقول: وهذا القرآن على قلوب هؤلاء المكذّبين به عمى عنه, فلا يبصرون حججه عليهم, وما فيه من مواعظه. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( وَالَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى ) عموا وصموا عن القرآن, فلا ينتفعون به, ولا يرغبون فيه. حدثنا محمد, قال. ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ ( وَالَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ ) قال: صمم ( وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى ) قال: عميت قلوبهم عنه. حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله: ( وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى ) قال: العمى: الكفر. وقرأت قرّاء الأمصار: ( وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى ) بفتح الميم. وذُكر عن ابن عباس أنه قرأ: " وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمٍ" بكسر الميم على وجه النعت للقرآن. والصواب من القراءة في ذلك عندنا ما عليه قرّاء الأمصار. وقوله: ( أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ) اختلف أهل التأويل في معناه, فقال بعضهم: معنى ذلك: تشبيه من الله جلّ ثناؤه, لعمى قلوبهم عن فهم ما أنـزل في القرآن من حججه ومواعظه ببعيد, فهم كما مع صوت من بعيد نودي, فلم يفهم ما نودي, كقول العرب للرجل القليل الفهم: إنك لتنادى من بعيد, وكقولهم للفهم: إنك لتأخذ الأمور من قريب. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن بشار, قال: ثنا عبد الرحمن, قال: ثنا سفيان, عن ابن جريج, عن بعض أصحابه, عن مجاهد ( أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ) قال: بعيد من قلوبهم. حدثنا ابن بشار, قال: ثنا أبو أحمد, قال: ثنا سفيان, عن ابن جريج عن مجاهد, بنحوه. حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله: ( أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ) قال: ضيعوا أن يقبلوا الأمر من قريب, يتوبون ويؤمنون, فيقبل منهم, فأبوا. وقال آخرون: بل معنى ذلك: إنهم ينادون يوم القيامة من مكان بعيد منهم بأشنع أسمائهم. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن بشار, قال: ثنا أبو أحمد, قال: ثنا سفيان, عن أجلح, عن الضحاك بن مزاحم ( أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ) قال: ينادَى الرجل بأشنع اسمه. واختلف أهل العربية في موضع تمام قوله: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالذِّكْرِ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ فقال بعضهم: تمامه: ( أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ) وجعل قائلو هذا القول خبر إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالذِّكْرِ - ( أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ) ; وقال بعض نحويي البصرة: يجوز ذلك ويجوز أن بكون على الأخبار التي في القرآن يستغنى بها, كما استغنت أشياء عن الخبر إذا طال الكلام, وعرف المعنى, نحو قوله: وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْآنًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ الْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ الأَرْضُ . وما أشبه ذلك. قال: وحدثني شيخ من أهل العلم, قال: سمعت عيسى بن عمر يسأل عمرو بن عبيد إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالذِّكْرِ لَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ أين خبره؟ فقال عمرو: معناه في التفسير: إن الذين كفروا بالذكر لما جاءهم كفروا به وَإِنَّهُ لَكِتَابٌ عَزِيزٌ فقال عيسى: أجدت يا أبا عثمان. وكان بعض نحويي الكوفة يقول: إن شئت جعلت جواب إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِالذِّكْرِ ( أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ ) وإن شئت كان جوابه في قوله: وَإِنَّهُ لَكِتَابٌ عَزِيزٌ , فيكون جوابه معلوما, فترك فيكون أعرب الوجهين وأشبهه بما جاء في القرآن. وقال آخرون: بل ذلك مما انصرف عن الخبر عما ابتدئ به إلى الخبر عن الذي بعده من الذكر; فعلى هذا القول ترك الخبر عن الذين كفروا بالذكر, وجعل الخبر عن الذكر فتمامه على هذا القول; وإنه لكتاب عزيز; فكان معنى الكلام عند قائل هذا القول: إن الذكر الذي كفر به هؤلاء المشركون لما جاءهم, وإنه لكتاب عزيز, وشبهه بقوله: وَالَّذِينَ يُتَوَفَّوْنَ مِنْكُمْ وَيَذَرُونَ أَزْوَاجًا يَتَرَبَّصْنَ بِأَنْفُسِهِنَّ . وأولى الأقوال في ذلك عندي بالصواب أن يقال: هو مما ترك خبره اكتفاء بمعرفة السامعين بمعناه لما تطاول الكلام.