Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His statement: وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ * الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ("And woe to the polytheists (mushrikīn) * who do not give the zakāh and who reject the Hereafter"). The Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: and the pus of the inhabitants of the Fire and what flows from them is for those who ascribe a partner to Allah and worship the idols instead of Him, those who do not give the zakāh.

   The scholars of exegesis differed about this. Some of them said: its meaning is: those who do not render to Allah the obedience that purifies them and cleanses their bodies, and who do not affirm Him as one. That is a statement related on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās.

   * The mention of the narration concerning that:

   ʿAlī related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement: وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ * الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ ("And woe to the polytheists * who do not give the zakāh"), he said: they are those who do not testify that there is no god but Allah.

   Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥakam related to me, saying: Ḥafṣ related to us, saying: al-Ḥakam ibn Abān related to us, on the authority of ʿIkrima, concerning His statement: وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ * الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ ("And woe to the polytheists * who do not give the zakāh"): those who do not say: there is no god but Allah.

   And others said: no, the meaning of that is: those who do not acknowledge the zakāh upon their possessions, which Allah has made obligatory for them concerning it, and who do not give it to those entitled to it. And we have already mentioned earlier those who hold this statement.

   And Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ * الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ ("And woe to the polytheists * who do not give the zakāh"), he said: they do not acknowledge it and do not believe in it. And it used to be said: the zakāh is the bridge of Islam; whoever crosses it is saved, and whoever lags behind perishes. And the apostates (ahl al-ridda) said after the Prophet of Allah: as for the prayer, that we shall perform, but as for the zakāh — by Allah, our possessions shall not be extorted. He said: then Abū Bakr said: by Allah, I will not make a distinction between anything that Allah has joined together; by Allah, if they were to refuse me a small cord of what Allah and His Messenger have made obligatory, then we would fight them for it.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ ("And woe to the polytheists who do not give the zakāh"), he said: even if they were to give the zakāh while they are polytheists, it would not benefit them.

   And the correct view concerning that is what those said who said: its meaning is: they do not pay the zakāh upon their possessions. That is because that is the most well-known meaning of zakāh, and because in His statement وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ("and who reject the Hereafter") there is an indication that it is so. For the disbelievers (kuffār) who are intended by this verse were people who did not testify that there is no god but Allah; and if His statement الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ ("who do not give the zakāh") were intended for those who do not testify that there is no god but Allah, then His statement وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ("and who reject the Hereafter") would have no meaning, for it is known that whoever does not testify that there is no god but Allah does not believe in the Hereafter. And in Allah's following up of His statement وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ("and who reject the Hereafter") upon His statement الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ ("who do not give the zakāh") there is something that indicates that by zakāh in this place is meant the zakāh upon possessions.

   And His statement وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ("and who reject the Hereafter") means: and they deny the coming of the Hour, and Allah's resurrection of His creatures alive from their graves, after their decay and their disintegration.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله: (وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ * الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ) يقول تعالى ذكره: وصديد أهل النار, وما يسيل منهم للمدعين لله شريكا العابدين الأوثان دونه الذين لا يؤتون الزكاة. اختلف أهل التأويل في ذلك, فقال بعضهم: معناه: الذين لا يعطون الله الطاعة التي تطهرهم, وتزكي أبدانهم, ولا يوحدونه; وذلك قول يذكر عن ابن عباس. * ذكر الرواية بذلك: حدثني عليّ, قال: ثنا أبو صالح, قال: ثني معاوية, عن عليّ, عن ابن عباس, قوله: (وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ * الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ ) قال: هم الذين لا يشهدون أن لا إله إلا الله. حدثني سعيد بن عبد الله بن عبد الحكم, قال: ثنا حفص, قال: ثنا الحكم بن أبان, عن عكرمة, قوله: ( وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ * الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ): الذين لا يقولون لا إله إلا الله. وقال آخرون: بل معنى ذلك: الذين لا يقرّون بزكاة أموالهم التي فرضها الله فيها, ولا يعطونها أهلها. وقد ذكرنا أيضا قائلي ذلك قبلُ. وقد حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة (وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ * الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ) قال: لا يقرّون بها ولا يؤمنون بها. وكان يقال: إن الزكاة قنطرة الإسلام, فمن قطعها نجا, ومن تخلف عنها هلك; وقد كان أهل الردّة بعد نبيّ الله قالوا: أما الصلاة فنصلِّي, وأما الزكاة فوالله لا تغصب أموالنا; قال: فقال أبو بكر: والله لا أفرق بين شيء جمع الله بينه; والله لو منعوني عقالا مما فرض الله ورسوله لقاتلناهم عليه. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ( وَوَيْلٌ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ ) قال: لو زَكَّوا وهم مشركون لم ينفعهم. والصواب من القول في ذلك ما قاله الذين قالوا: معناه: لا يؤدّون زكاة أموالهم; وذلك أن ذلك هو الأشهر من معنى الزكاة, وأن في قوله: ( وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ) دليلا على أن ذلك كذلك, لأن الكفار الذين عنوا بهذه الآية كانوا لا يشهدون أن لا إله إلا الله, فلو كان قوله: ( الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ ) مرادا به الذين لا يشهدون أن لا إله إلا الله لم يكن لقوله: ( وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ) معنى, لأنه معلوم أن من لا يشهد أن لا إله إلا الله لا يؤمن بالآخرة, وفي اتباع الله قوله: ( وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ) قوله ( الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ ) ما ينبئ عن أن الزكاة في هذا الموضع معنيّ بها زكاة الأموال. وقوله: ( وَهُمْ بِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ ) يقول: وهم بقيام الساعة, وبعث الله خلقه أحياء من قبورهم, من بعد بلائهم وفنائهم منكرون.