Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His saying: ( وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا ) (And the recompense of an evil is an evil the like thereof). We have already expounded the meaning of this earlier, namely that the meaning is: and the recompense for the evil of the evildoer is his punishment with that which Allah has imposed upon him; and that punishment, even though it is a penalty imposed upon him by Allah, is nevertheless an evil for him. And "al-sayyiʾa" is in fact the deed derived from evil (al-sūʾ). That is comparable to the saying of Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He: وَمَنْ جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلا يُجْزَى إِلا مِثْلَهَا (And whoever comes with the evil, he will be recompensed only with the like thereof). And it has also been said that the meaning of this is: that whoever utters an ugly word is answered with the like thereof.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Abū Bishr said to me: I heard Ibn Abī Najīḥ saying concerning His saying: ( وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا ): one says, "may Allah disgrace him," and the other says, "may Allah disgrace him."

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His saying: ( وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا ) he said: when someone reviles you with an insult, then revile him with the like thereof, without your transgressing the bounds.

   And Ibn Zayd used to speak about this according to what Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning: (وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَهُمُ الْبَغْيُ هُمْ يَنْتَصِرُونَ) — of the polytheists (mushrikīn) — ( وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ ) ... the verse: you have not been commanded to forgive them because He loved them; وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ (And whoever takes his due after wrong has been done to him — against them there is no way [of blame]). Then all of this was abrogated (nasakha), and He commanded him to jihād.

   According to this saying of Ibn Zayd, the explanation of the words is: and the recompense of an evil that the polytheists do to you is an evil the like thereof from you to them; and if you forgive and do good in forgiving, then the reward for your forgiveness of them rests with Allah — indeed, He does not love the unbelievers (kāfirīn). And this, according to his saying, corresponds to the saying of Allah, Mighty and Exalted is He: فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ (So whoever transgresses against you, then transgress against him in the measure in which he transgressed against you, and fear Allah). And for what he has said concerning this there is a basis. However, the correct view, in our judgment, is: that the verse is taken according to its outward meaning (ẓāhir), so long as nothing that makes submission to it obligatory transfers it to the inward meaning (bāṭin); and no proof has been established for his saying concerning ( وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا ) that thereby the polytheists are intended and not the Muslims, nor that this verse is abrogated (mansūkh), such that we should submit to it being so.

   And His saying: ( فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ ) — He, exalted be His praise, says: whoever then forgives the one who did him evil for that one's evil against him, and pardons him and does not punish him for it, while he is able to punish him for it, and does this seeking the Face of Allah — his reward for that forgiveness rests with Allah, and Allah will reward him for it with His reward. ( إِنَّهُ لا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ ) — He says: indeed, Allah does not love the wrongdoers, who transgress against the people and inflict evil upon them without Allah having permitted them that.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله: ( وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا ) وقد بينا فيما مضى معنى ذلك, وأن معناه: وجزاء سيئة المسيء عقوبته بما أوجبه الله عليه, فهي وإن كانت عقوبة من الله أوجبها عليه, فهي مساءة له. والسيئة: إنما هي الفعلة من السوء, وذلك نظير قول الله عز وجل وَمَنْ جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلا يُجْزَى إِلا مِثْلَهَا وقد قيل: إن معنى ذلك: أن يجاب القائل الكلمة القزعة بمثلها. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني يعقوب, قال: قال لي أبو بشر: سمعت. ابن أبي نجيح يقول في قوله: ( وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا ) قال: يقول أخزاه الله, فيقول: أخزاه الله. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ, في قوله: ( وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا ) قال: إذا شتمك بشتمة فاشمته مثلها من غير أن تعتدي. وكان ابن زيد يقول في ذلك بما حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد في: (وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَهُمُ الْبَغْيُ هُمْ يَنْتَصِرُونَ) من المشركين ( وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ )... الآية, ليس أمركم أن تعفوا عنهم لأنه أحبهم وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ , ثم نسخ هذا كله وأمره بالجهاد. فعلى قول ابن زيد هذا تأويل الكلام: وجزاء سيئة من المشركين إليك, سيئة مثلها منكم إليهم, وإن عفوتم وأصلحتم في العفو, فأجركم في عفوكم عنهم إلى الله, إنه لا يحب الكافرين; وهذا على قوله كقول الله عز وجل فَمَنِ اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ فَاعْتَدُوا عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا اعْتَدَى عَلَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وللذي قال من ذلك وجه. غير أن الصواب عندنا: أن تحمل الآية على الظاهر ما لم ينقله إلى الباطن ما يجب التسليم لها, ولم يثبت حجة في قوله: ( وَجَزَاءُ سَيِّئَةٍ سَيِّئَةٌ مِثْلُهَا ) أنه مراد به المشركون دون المسلمين, ولا بأن هذه الآية منسوخة, فنسلم لها بأن ذلك كذلك. وقوله: ( فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ ) يقول جل ثناؤه: فمن عفا عمن أساء إليه إساءته إليه, فغفرها له, ولم يعاقبه بها, وهو على عقوبته عليها قادر ابتغاء وجه الله, فأجر عفوه ذلك على الله, والله مثيبه عليه ثوابه.( إِنَّهُ لا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ ) يقول: إن الله لا يحب أهل الظلم الذين يتعدّون على الناس, فيسيئون إليهم بغير ما أذن الله لهم فيه.