Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The discourse on the explanation of His statement, the Exalted: وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً لَجَعَلْنَا لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ (43:33) (And were it not that mankind would become a single community, We would have made for those who disbelieve in the All-Merciful, for their houses, roofs of silver, and stairways by which they ascend.)

   The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً ) (And were it not that mankind would become a single community): a single assemblage.

   Then the people of interpretation differed concerning the matter regarding which their unification would not be safe, had He — whose praise is exalted — done what He said, and concerning that for which He did not do it. Some of them said: that is their unification upon disbelief. And he said: the meaning of the statement is: and were it not that mankind would become a single community upon disbelief, such that they would all become disbelievers, ( لَجَعَلْنَا لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ ) (We would have made for those who disbelieve in the All-Merciful, for their houses, roofs of silver).

   * Mention of who said 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 ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) (And were it not that mankind would become a single community): Allah, glorified is He, says: were it not that I would make all mankind disbelievers, I would have made for the disbelievers, for their houses, roofs of silver.

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Hawdha ibn Khalīfa related to us, saying: ʿAwf related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, concerning His statement ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) (And were it not that mankind would become a single community): he said: were it not that the people would all become disbelievers, inclining toward the worldly life, then Allah, blessed and exalted is He, would have done what He said. Then he said: by Allah, the worldly life has already made most of its people incline toward it, while He did not do that — so how would it be had He done it?

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) (And were it not that mankind would become a single community): that is: all disbelievers.

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) (And were it not that mankind would become a single community): he said: were it not that the people would become disbelievers.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) (And were it not that mankind would become a single community): he says: disbelievers upon a single religion.

   And others said: their unification upon the pursuit of the worldly life and the abandonment of the pursuit of the Hereafter. And he said: the meaning of the statement is: and were it not that mankind would become a single community upon the pursuit of the worldly life and the rejection of the Hereafter.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Yūnus related to us, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His statement ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) (And were it not that mankind would become a single community): he said: were it not that mankind would prefer their worldly life over their religion, We would have given this to the people of disbelief.

   And His statement ( لَجَعَلْنَا لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ ) (We would have made for those who disbelieve in the All-Merciful, for their houses, roofs of silver): the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: We would have made for those who disbelieve in the All-Merciful, in the worldly life, roofs — that is: the tops of their houses, which are the flat roofs — of silver.

   As Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda ( لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ ) (for their houses, roofs of silver): the roof (al-saqf) is the top of the houses.

   And the philologists of Arabic differed concerning the repetition of the lām that occurs in His statement ( لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ ) (for those who disbelieve) and in His statement ( لِبُيُوتِهِمْ ) (for their houses). Some of the grammarians of Basra claimed that with "for their houses" it is inserted as a substitution (badal). And some of the grammarians of Kūfa said: if you wish, you regard it in ( لِبُيُوتِهِمْ ) as repeated, as in يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الشَّهْرِ الْحَرَامِ قِتَالٍ فِيهِ (they ask you about the sacred month, about fighting (qitāl) therein); and if you wish, you regard the two lāms as different, as though the second has the meaning of ʿalā (upon), as though He said: We made for them upon their houses roofs. He said: and the Arabs say to a man in his presence: I made for you, for your people, the gifts — that is: I gave it to them for your sake.

   And the reciters differed concerning the recitation of His statement "سُقُفًا" (roofs). Most of the reciters of the people of Mecca, some of the Medinans, and most of the Basrans recited it as ( سَقْفا ) (saqfan) with fatḥa on the sīn and sukūn on the qāf, basing this on His statement فَخَرَّ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّقْفُ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ (so the roof fell down upon them from above them), and taking it as a single expression with a plural meaning. And some of the reciters of Medina and most of the reciters of Kūfa recited ( سُقُفًا ) (suqufan) with ḍamma on the sīn and the qāf, and they took it as the plural of saqīfa or as suqūf. And when it is taken as the plural of suqūf, then it is a plural of a plural, because suqūf is the plural of saqf, and then suqūf is contracted to suqufan; that is then comparable to the recitation of whoever recited "فَرُهُنٌ مَقْبُوضَةٌ" (then pledges taken in hand) with ḍamma on the rāʾ and the hāʾ, which is the plural, whose singular is rihān and ruhūn, and the singular of ruhūn and rihān is rahn.

   And likewise the recitation of whoever recited "كُلُوا مِنْ ثُمُرِهِ" (eat of its fruits) with ḍamma on the thāʾ and the mīm, and comparable to the saying of the rajaz poet:

   "Until the gullets of the throat became drenched" (2)

   And some of them claimed that al-suqf with ḍamma on the sīn and the qāf is the plural of saqf, and al-ruhn with ḍamma on the rāʾ and the hāʾ is the plural of rahn, but in this the correct path eluded them, for it does not occur in the language of the Arabs that a noun of the pattern faʿl, with fatḥa on the fāʾ and sukūn on the ʿayn, is contracted to fuʿul, such that one could liken al-suqf and al-ruhn to it.

   And the correct statement concerning this, in my view, is that they are two recitations close to each other in meaning, both well-known in the recitation of the regions; with whichever of the two the reciter recites, he is correct.

   And His statement ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) (and stairways by which they ascend): he says: and ascents and steps by which they climb up, so that they come to the top of the roof. And the maʿārij are the steps themselves, as al-Muthannā ibn Jandal said:

   "O Lord, Lord of the House with the stairways" (3)

   And in agreement with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) also spoke.

   * Mention of who said 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 ( وَمَعَارِجَ ) (and stairways): he said: stairways of silver, and those are steps.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) (and stairways by which they ascend): that is: steps by which they climb up.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) (and stairways by which they ascend): he said: the maʿārij are the ascents.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) (and stairways by which they ascend): he said: steps by which they go up.

   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 Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) (and stairways by which they ascend): he said: steps by which they climb up to the upper chambers.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His statement ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) (and stairways by which they ascend): he said: the maʿārij are steps of silver.

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   The footnotes:

   (2) The verse occurs in (al-Lisān: ḥ-l-q), and he did not attribute it; possibly it is by Ruʾba. He said: al-ḥalq is the passage of food and drink in the gullet; the small plural is aḥlāq, and the large plural is ḥulūq and ḥulq — this last, on the pattern of kutub, is rare. Al-Fārisī recited:

   "Until the gullets of the throat became drenched"

   And in the Maʿānī al-Qurʾān of al-Farrāʾ (folio 295) he said concerning His statement, the Exalted: ( لجعلنا لمن يكفر بالرحمن لبيوتهم سقفا ) (We would have made for those who disbelieve in the All-Merciful, for their houses, roofs): and "al-saqf" ʿĀṣim and al-Aʿmash recited as "suqufan" (that is: with ḍamma on the sīn and the qāf). And if you wish, you make its singular "saqīfa", and if you wish, you make it "suqūf", so that it becomes a plural of a plural, as the poet said:

   "Until the gullets of the throat became drenched"

   "It descended to the nearest vertebra at the evening twilight"

   And comparable to it is the recitation of whoever recited "كلوا من ثمره" (eat of its fruits) with ḍamma on the thāʾ and the mīm, which is a plural whose singular is thimār; and as the saying of whoever recited "فرهن مقبوضة" (then pledges taken in hand), whose singular is "rihān" and "ruhūn". End of quotation.

   (3) The verse the author attributed to al-Muthannā ibn Jandal. And Abū ʿUbayda, in his Majāz al-Qurʾān (folio 220-b), attributed it to Jandal ibn al-Muthannā, and that is correct; it is Jandal ibn al-Muthannā al-Ṭahawī, as in Simṭ al-laʾālī (702). And the maʿārij are the plural of miʿrāj, and those are — as in (al-Lisān: ʿ-r-j) — the ascents and the steps. The author cited it concerning His statement, the Exalted: ( ومعارج عليها يظهرون ) (and stairways by which they ascend). Abū ʿUbayda said: the maʿārij are the steps. Jandal ibn al-Muthannā said:

   "O Lord, Lord of the House with the stairways"

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   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً لَجَعَلْنَا لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ (33) يقول تعالى ذكره: ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً ) : جماعة واحدة. ثم اختلف أهل التأويل في المعنى الذي لم يؤمن اجتماعهم عليه, لو فعل ما قال جلّ ثناؤه, وما به لم يفعله من أجله, فقال بعضهم: ذلك اجتماعهم على الكفر. وقال: معنى الكلام: ولولا أن يكون الناس أمة واحدة على الكفر, فيصيرَ جميعهم كفارا( لَجَعَلْنَا لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ ). * ذكر من قال ذلك. حدثني عليّ, قال: ثنا أبو صالح, قال: ثني معاوية, عن عليّ, عن ابن عباس, قوله: ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) يقول الله سبحانه: لولا أن أجعل الناس كلهم كفارا, لجعلت للكفار لبيوتهم سقفا من فضة. حدثنا ابن بشار, قال: ثنا هوذة بن خليفة, قال: ثنا عوف, عن الحسن, في قوله: ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) قال: لولا أن يكون الناس كفارا أجمعون, يميلون إلى الدنيا, لجعل الله تبارك وتعالى الذي قال, ثم قال: والله لقد مالت الدنيا بأكثر أهلها, وما فعل ذلك, فكيف لو فعله. حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة, قوله: ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) : أي كفارا كلهم. حدثنا محمد بن عيد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) قال: لولا أن يكون الناس كفارا. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال. ثما أسباط, عن السديّ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) يقول: كفارا على دين واحد. وقال آخرون: اجتماعهم على طلب الدنيا وترك طلب الآخرة. وقال: معنى الكلام: ولولا أن يكون الناس أمة واحدة على طلب الدنيا ورفض الآخرة. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله: ( وَلَوْلا أَنْ يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ) قال: لولا أن يختار الناس دنياهم على دينهم, لجعلنا هذا لأهل الكفر. وقوله: ( لَجَعَلْنَا لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: لجعلنا لمن يكفر بالرحمن فى الدنيا سقفا, يعني أعالي بيوتهم, وهي السطوح فضة . كما حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِنْ فِضَّةٍ ) السقف: أعلى البيوت. واختلف أهل العربية فى تكرير اللام التي في قوله: ( لِمَنْ يَكْفُرُ ) وفي قوله: ( لِبُيُوتِهِمْ ), فكان بعض نحويي البصرة يزعم أنها أدخلت في البيوت على البدل. وكان بعض نحويي الكوفة يقول: إن شئت حملتها في ( لِبُيُوتِهِمْ ) مكرّرة، كما في يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الشَّهْرِ الْحَرَامِ قِتَالٍ فِيهِ وإن شئت جعلت اللامين مختلفتين, كأن الثانية في معنى على, كأنه قال: جعلنا لهم على بيوتهم سقفا. قال: وتقول العرب للرجل في وجهه: جعلت لك لقومك الأعطية: أي جعلته من أجلك لهم. واختلفت القرّاء في قراءة قوله: " سُقُفًا " فقرأته عامة قرّاء أهل مكة وبعض المدنيين وعامة البصريين ( سَقْفا ) بفتح السين وسكون القاف اعتبارا منهم ذلك بقوله: فَخَرَّ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّقْفُ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وتوجيها منهم ذلك إلى أنه بلفظ واحد معناه الجمع. وقرأه بعض قرّاء المدينة وعامة قرّاء الكوفة ( سُقُفًا ) بضم السين والقاف، ووجهوها إلى أنها جمع سقيفة أو سقوف. وإذا وجهت إلى أنها جمع سقوف كانت جمع الجمع, لأن السقوف: جمع سقف, ثم تجمع السقوف سقفا, فيكون ذلك نظير قراءة من قرأه " فَرُهُنٌ مَقْبُوضَةٌ" بضم الراء والهاء, وهي الجمع, واحدها رهان ورهون, وواحد الرهون والرهان: رهن. وكذلك قراءة من قرأ " كُلُوا مِنْ ثُمُرِهِ" بضم الثاء والميم, ونظير قول الراجز: حتى إذَا ابْتَلَّتْ حَلاقِيمُ الحُلُقْ (2) وقد زعم بعضهم أن السُّقُف بضم السين والقاف جمع سقف, والرُّهُن بضم الراء والهاء جمع رهن, فأغفل وجه الصواب في ذلك, وذلك أنه غير موجود في كلام العرب اسم على تقدير فعل بفتح الفاء وسكون العين مجموعا على فعل, فيجعل السُّقُف والرُّهُن مثله. والصواب من القول في ذلك عندي, أنهما قراءتان متقاربتا المعنى, معروفتان في قراءة الأمصار, فبأيتهما قرأ القارئ فمصيب. وقوله: ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) يقول: ومراقي ودَرَجا عليها يصعدون, فيظهرون على السقف والمعارج: هي الدرج نفسها, كما قال المثنى بن جندل? يا رَبّ ربَّ البَيْتِ ذي المَعَارِج (3) وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني عليّ, قال: ثنا أبو صالح, قال: ثني معاوية, عن عليّ, عن ابن عباس ( وَمَعَارِجَ ) قال: معارج من فضة, وهي درج. حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ): أي دَرجا عليها يصعدون. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) قال: المعارج: المراقي. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن حمر, عن قتادة, في قوله: ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) قال: درج عليها يرفعون. حدثني محمد بن سعد, قال: ثني أبي, قال: ثني عمي, قال: ثني أبي, عن ابن عباس قوله: ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) قال: درج عليها يصعدون إلى الغرف. حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله: ( وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ ) قال: المعارج: درج من فضة. ------------------------ الهوامش: (2) البيت في ( اللسان : حلق ) ، ولم ينسبه ، ولعله لرؤبة . قال : الحلق : مساغ الطعام والشراب في المريء ، والجمع القليل : أحلاق ، والكثير : حلوق ، وحلق . الأخيرة ككتب عزيزة . أنشد الفارسي : * حـتى إذا ابتلـت حـلاقيم الحلق * وفي معاني القرآن للفراء ( الورقة 295) قال عند قوله تعالى : ( لجعلنا لمن يكفر بالرحمن لبيوتهم سقفا ) : والسقف قرأها عاصم والأعمش" سقفا" ( أي بضم السين والقاف ) . وإن شئت جعلت واحدها" سقيفة" ، وإن شئت جعلت" سقوفا" ، فيكون جمع الجمع ، كما قال الشاعر : * حـتى إذَا بُلَّـتْ حَـلاقِيمُ الحُـلُقْ * * أهْـوَى لأدْنـى فَقْـرَةٍ عَلى شَفَقٍ * ومثله قراءة من قرأ :" كلوا من ثمره" ( بضم الثاء والميم ) ، وهو جمع ، وواحده : ثمار وكقول من قرأ :" فرهن مقبوضة" واحدها" رهان" و" رهون" . ا هـ . (3) البيت نسبه المؤلف إلى المثنى بن جندل . ونسبه أبو عبيدة في مجاز القرآن ، ( الورقة 220 - ب ) إلى جندل بن المثنى ، وهو الصواب ، وهو جندل بن المثنى الطهوي ، كما في سمط اللآلي ( 702 ) . والمعارج : جمع معراج ، وهي كما في ( اللسان : عرج ) المصاعد والدرج . واستشهد به المؤلف عند قوله تعالى : ( ومعارج عليها يظهرون ) . قال أبو عبيدة : المعارج : الدرج . قال جندل ابن المثنى : * يـا رب رب البيـت ذي المعارج *