Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The statement concerning the explanation of His saying, the Exalted: وَكَذَلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَى وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَتُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ الْجَمْعِ لا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ ("And thus We have revealed to you an Arabic Qurʾān, that you may warn the mother of the towns and those around it, and that you may warn of the Day of Gathering, about which there is no doubt — a group in the Garden and a group in the Blaze") (7).

   He, exalted is His mention, says: and thus أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ ("We have revealed to you"), O Muḥammad, قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا ("an Arabic Qurʾān") in the language of the Arabs, because those to whom We have sent you are an Arab people; therefore We have revealed this Qurʾān to you in their language, so that they may understand what is in it of Allah's proofs and His admonition, for We send no messenger except in the language of his people, so that he may make it clear to them. لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَى ("that you may warn the mother of the towns"), and that is Mecca, وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا ("and those around it"). He says: and those who dwell around the mother of the towns, of the rest of mankind.

   And as we have said concerning it, the exegetes have said.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, concerning His saying: لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَى he said: Mecca.

   And His saying: وَتُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ الْجَمْعِ ("and that you may warn of the Day of Gathering"). He, mighty and exalted, says: and that you may warn His servants of the punishment of Allah on the Day of Gathering, at the place of the reckoning and the presentation. And it has been said: "wa-tundhira yawma l-jamʿ," wherein the meaning is: and that you may warn them of the Day of Gathering, just as it is said "he makes His helpers fearsome," while the meaning is: "He makes you fearful of His helpers."

   And as we have said concerning it, the exegetes have said.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: وَتُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ الْجَمْعِ he said: the Day of Resurrection.

   And His saying: لا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ("about which there is no doubt"). He says: there is no doubt about it.

   And His saying: فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ ("a group in the Garden and a group in the Blaze"). He says: among them is a group in the Garden (janna), and they are those who believed in Allah and followed what His Messenger brought them; وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ ("and a group in the Blaze"). He says: and among them is a group in the kindled fire of Allah, that is stoked over its inhabitants, and they are those who disbelieved in Allah and acted in opposition to what His Messenger brought them.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith informed me, on the authority of Abū Qabīl al-Maʿāfirī, on the authority of Shufayy al-Aṣbaḥī, on the authority of a man from the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to us with two writings in his hand, and he said: 'Do you know what this is?' We said: no, unless you inform us, O Messenger of Allah. He said: 'This is a writing from the Lord of the worlds; in it are the names of the inhabitants of the Garden, and the names of their fathers and their tribes,' then He summed them up to the last of them, 'nothing is added to them and nothing is subtracted from them forever. And this is the writing of the inhabitants of the Fire, with their names and the names of their fathers,' then He summed them up to the last of them, 'nothing is added to them and nothing is subtracted from them forever.' The companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: then for what do we perform works, if this is a matter that has already been concluded? Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Rather, keep to the right course and seek what is right, for the inhabitant of the Garden is sealed off with the work of the Garden, whatever work he performs, and the inhabitant of the Fire is sealed off with the work of the Fire, whatever work he performs. Your Lord has finished with the servants.' Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ made with both his hands as though he were casting them both away and said: 'Your Lord has finished with creation: a group in the Garden and a group in the Blaze.' They said: glory be to Allah, then for what do we work and toil? Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Work is judged by its conclusions.'"

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith and Ḥaywa ibn Shurayḥ informed me, on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn Abī Usayd, that Abū Firās related to him that he heard ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr say: indeed, when Allah, exalted is His mention, created Adam, He shook him out as a travelling sack is shaken out, and brought forth from him every descendant; they came forth like little worms (amthāl al-naghaf). Then He seized them in two handfuls and said: wretched and blessed. Then He cast them both down, then He seized them and said: فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ ("a group in the Garden and a group in the Blaze").

   He said: ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith informed me, on the authority of Abū Shubbūyah, who related to him on the authority of Ibn Ḥujayra, that it had reached him that Mūsā said: O Lord, Your creatures whom You have created — You have made of them a group in the Garden and a group in the Blaze; could You not have admitted them all into the Garden? He said: O Mūsā, lift up your crop. He lifted it up. He said: I have lifted it up. He said: lift up. He lifted up, and left nothing. He said: O Lord, I have lifted it up. He said: lift up. He said: I have lifted it up, except what contains no good. He said: thus do I admit all My creatures into the Garden, except whoever contains no good. And it has been said: فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ in the nominative (rafʿ). And the discourse before it had preceded with His saying: لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَى وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا in the accusative (naṣb), because by it a new beginning (ibtidāʾ) is intended, just as one says: "I saw the army killed or defeated," with the meaning: a part of it killed and a part of it defeated.

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   Footnotes:

   (2) "ajmala": that is to say, He mentioned the total number of them at the end of the writing.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَكَذَلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَى وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَتُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ الْجَمْعِ لا رَيْبَ فِيهِ فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ (7) يقول تعالى ذكره: وهكذا( أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ ) يا محمد ( قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا ) بلسان العرب, لأن الذين أرسلتك إليهم قوم عرب, فأوحينا إليك هذا القرآن بألسنتهم, ليفهموا ما فيه من حجج الله وذكره, لأنا لا نرسل رسولا إلا بلسان قومه, ليبين لهم ( لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَى ) وهي مكة ( وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا ) يقول: ومن حول أم القرى من سائر الناس. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ, في قوله: ( لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَى ) قال: مكة. وقوله: ( وَتُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ الْجَمْعِ ) يقول عزّ وجلّ: وتنذر عقاب الله في يوم الجمع عباده لموقف الحساب والعرض. وقيل: وتنذر يوم الجمع, والمعنى: وتنذرهم يوم الجمع, كما قيل: يخوّف أولياءه, والمعنى: يخوّفكم أولياءه. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ( وَتُنْذِرَ يَوْمَ الْجَمْعِ ) قال: يوم القيامة. وقوله: ( لا رَيْبَ فِيهِ ) يقول: لا شكّ فيه. وقوله: ( فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ ) يقول: منهم فريق في الجنة, وهم الذين آمنوا بالله واتبعوا ما جاءهم به رسوله ( وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ ) يقول: ومنهم فريق في الموقدة من نار الله المسعورة على أهلها, وهم الذين كفروا بالله, وخالفوا ما جاءهم به رسوله. وقد حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: أخبرني عمرو بن الحارث, عن أبي قبيل المعافريّ, عن شفيّ الأصبحيّ, عن رجل من أصحاب رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم, قال: " خرج علينا رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم وفى يده كتابان, فقال: " هل تدرون ما هذا؟" فقلنا: لا إلا أن تخبرنا يا رسول الله, قال: " هَذَا كِتابٌ مِنْ رَبّ العَالمِينَ, فِيهِ أسْمَاءُ أهْلِ الجَنَّة, وأسْمَاءُ آبائِهِمْ وَقَبَائِلِهِمْ", ثُمَّ أجْمَلَ (2) على آخِرِهِمْ, فَلا يُزَاد فِيهِمْ وَلا يُنْقَصُ مِنْهُمْ أبَدًا, وهَذَا كِتَابُ أهْلِ النَّارِ بأسْمائِهِمْ وأسْمَاءِ آبَائِهِمْ", ثُمَّ أجْمَلَ على آخِرِهِمْ," فَلا يُزَادُ ولا يُنْقَصُ مِنْهُمْ أبَدًا ", قال أصحاب رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم: ففيم إذن نعمل إن كان هذا أمر قد فُرغ منه؟ فقال رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم: " بَلْ سَدِّدُوا وقَارِبُوا, فإنَّ صَاحبَ الجَنَّة يُخْتَمُ لَهُ بعَمَلِ الْجَنَّةِ وإنْ عَمِلَ أيَّ عَمَلٍ, وَصَاحِبُ النَّارِ يُخْتَمُ لَه بعَمَلِ النَّارِ وإنْ عَمِلَ أيَّ عَمَلٍ, فَرَغَ رَبُّكُمْ مِنَ العِبَادِ" ثم قال رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم بيديه فنبذهما: " فَرَغَ رَبُّكُمْ مِنَ الخَلْقِ, فَرِيقٌ في الجَنَّةِ, وفَرِيقٌ في السَّعِيرِ" قالوا: سبحان الله, فلم نعمل وننصب؟ فقال رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم: " العَمَلُ إلى خَوَاتِمِهِ". حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: أخبرني عمرو بن الحارث وحيوة بن شريح, عن يحيى بن أبي أسيد, أن أبا فراس حدثه أنه سمع عبد الله بن عمرو يقول: إن الله تعالى ذكره لما خلق آدم نفضه نفض المزود, فأخرج منه كلّ ذرية, فخرج أمثال النغف, فقبضهم قبضتين, ثم قال: شقي وسعيد, ثم ألقاهما, ثم قبضهما فقال : ( فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ )". قال: أخبرني عمرو بن الحارث, عن أبي شُبُّويه, حدثه عن ابن حجيرة أنه بلغه أن موسى قال: يا ربّ خلقك الذين خلقتهم, جعلت منهم فريقا في الجنة, وفريقا في السعير, لو ما أدخلتهم كلهم الجنة قال: يا موسى ارفع زرعك, فرفع, قال: قد رفعت, قال: ارفع, فرفع, فلم يترك شيئا, قال: يا رب قد رفعت, قال: ارفع, قال: قد رفعت إلا ما لا خير فيه, قال: كذلك أدخل خلقي كلهم الجنة إلا ما لا خير فيه. وقيل: ( فَرِيقٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَفَرِيقٌ فِي السَّعِيرِ ) فرفع. وقد تقدم الكلام قبل ذلك بقوله: ( لِتُنْذِرَ أُمَّ الْقُرَى وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا ) بالنصب, لأنه أريد به الابتداء, كما يقال: رأيت العسكر مقتول أو منهزم, بمعنى: منهم مقتول, ومنهم منهزم. ------------------------ الهوامش: (2) أجمل : أي ذكر جملة عددهم في آخر الكتاب .