Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The statement concerning the interpretation of His word, the Exalted: أَمْ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ وَلا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ ("Am I not better than this one who is contemptible and can scarcely make himself intelligible?") (43:52).

   The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says, reporting about what Firʿawn said to his people, after he had argued against them with his kingship and his power, and the clarity of his tongue and the perfection of his stature, and the difference between him and Mūsā in the qualities by which he described himself and Mūsā: I am better, O people, and my characteristic is this characteristic which I have described to you, أم هذا الذي هو مهين ("or [am I better than] this one who is contemptible") and possesses nothing of kingship or possessions, besides the defect that is in his body and the affliction that is in his tongue, such that he can scarcely make his speech intelligible thereby?

   People differed concerning the meaning of His word أمْ ("am") in this place. Some said: its meaning is: no, I am better; and they said: that is "bal" (rather/nay), not an interrogative particle.

   * 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 statement: أَمْ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ ("Am I not better than this one who is contemptible"), he said: no, I am better than this one. And in that vein a group of the scholars of the Arabic language from the inhabitants of Basra used to speak.

   And a group of the grammarians of Kufa said: it belongs to the interrogative form constructed with "am," because of its connection with the words preceding it. He said: and if you wish, you may refer it back to His statement أَلَيْسَ لِي مُلْكُ مِصْرَ ("Does the kingship of Egypt not belong to me?"). And when the word is understood as a question, then there must be something omitted in the sentence, where what is mentioned suffices for what has been left out of mention; and the meaning of the word is then: am I better, O people, than this one who is contemptible, or is he?

   And it has been transmitted concerning some reciters that they read it as "ammā anā khayrun."

   That was related to us on the authority of al-Farrāʾ, he said: one of the old masters informed me that it reached him that a group of the reciters read it thus. And had this recitation been a widespread recitation among the reciters of the regions, then it would have been correct, and its meaning would be good; except that it contradicts what the reciters of the regions follow, so I do not consider reciting it permissible. And according to this recitation — were it correct — there would be no difficulty or burden in its meaning.

   And the correct recitation therein is what the reciters of the regions follow. And the most fitting of the interpretations of the word, since it is so, is the interpretation of whoever understands أم أنا خَيْرٌ ("am anā khayrun," "am I not better") as belonging to the interrogative form constructed with "am," because of its connection with the words preceding it, and understands it in the meaning of: am I better than this one who is contemptible, or is he? And then the mention of "or is he" was left out, because of the indication of it present in the word.

   And by His statement مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ ("than this one who is contemptible") is meant: than this one who is weak through the paucity of his possessions, and who does not possess the kingship and power that he possesses.

   And in the vein of what we have said concerning that, the interpreters spoke.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: أَمْ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ ("Am I not better than this one who is contemptible"), he said: weak.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ ("than this one who is contemptible"), he said: the contemptible one (al-mahīn) is the weak one.

   And His statement: وَلا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ ("and can scarcely make himself intelligible"), He says: and he can scarcely make his speech intelligible because of the defectiveness of his tongue. And in the vein of what we have said concerning that, the interpreters spoke.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَلا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ ("and can scarcely make himself intelligible"): that is, with a defective tongue.

   Muḥammad related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: وَلا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ ("and can scarcely make himself intelligible"), [namely] the speech.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : أَمْ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ وَلا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ (52) يقوله تعالى ذكره مخبرًا عن قيل فرعون لقومه بعد احتجاجه عليهم بملكه وسلطانه, وبيان لسانه وتمام خلقه, وفضل ما بينه وبين موسى بالصفات التي وصف بها نفسه وموسى: أنا خير أيها القوم, وصفتي هذه الصفة التي وصفت لكم ( أم هذا الذي هو مهين ) لا شيء له من الملك والأموال مع العلة التي في جسده, والآفة التي بلسانه, فلا يكاد من أجلها يبين كلامه؟. وقد اختُلف في معنى قوله: ( أمْ ) في هذا الموضع, فقال بعضهم: معناها: بل أنا خير, وقالوا. ذلك خير, لا استفهام. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا محمد: قال: ثنا أحمد قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ, قوله: ( أَمْ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ ) قال: بل أنا خير من هذا. وبنحو ذلك كان يقول بعض أهل العلم بكلام العرب من أهل البصرة. وقال بعض نحويي الكوفة, هو من الاستفهام الذي جعل بأم لاتصاله بكلام قبله. قال: وإن شئت رددته على قوله: أَلَيْسَ لِي مُلْكُ مِصْرَ ؟ وإذا وجه الكلام إلى أنه استفهام, وجب أن يكون في الكلام محذوف استغني بذكر ما ذكر مما ترك ذكره, ويكون معنى الكلام حينئذ: أنا خير أيها القوم من هذا الذي هو مهين, أم هو؟. وذُكر عن بعض القرّاء أنه كان يقرأ ذلك " أما أنا خَيْرٌ". حدثنا بذلك عن الفرّاء قال: أخبرني بعض المشيخة أنه بلغه أن بعض القرّاء قرأ كذلك, ولو كانت هذه القراءة قراءة مستفيضة في قَرَأة الأمصار لكانت صحيحة, وكان معناها حسنا, غير أنها خلاف ما عليه قرّاء الأمصار, فلا أستجيز القراءة بها, وعلى هذه القراءة لو صحت لا كلفة له في معناها ولا مؤنة. والصواب من القراءة في ذلك ما عليه قرّاء الأمصار. وأولى التأويلات بالكلام إذ كان ذلك كذلك, تأويل من جعل: أم أنا( خَيْرٌ )؟ من الاستفهام الذي جعل بأم, لاتصاله بما قبله من الكلام, ووجهه إلى أنه بمعنى: أأنا خير من هذا الذي هو مهين؟ أم هو؟ ثم ترك ذكر أم هو, لما في الكلام من الدليل عليه. وعني بقوله: ( مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ ) : من هذا الذي هو ضعيف لقلة ماله, وأنه ليس له من الملك والسلطان ماله. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( أَمْ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ ) قال: ضعيف. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ( مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ ) قال: المهين: الضعيف. وقوله: ( وَلا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ ) يقول: ولا يكاد يبين الكلام من عِيّ لسانه. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( وَلا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ ) : أي عَييّ اللسان. حدثنا محمد, قال: ثنا أحمد, قال: ثنا أسباط, عن السديّ( وَلا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ ) الكلام.