Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the statement of the Exalted: وَلَا يَمْلِكُ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ (43:86)

   The scholars of exegesis differed concerning the explanation of this. Some of them said: its meaning is: and ʿĪsā, ʿUzayr, and the angels, whom these polytheists who believe in the Hour worship, possess no power of intercession (shafāʿa) with Allah for anyone, except whoever bears witness to the truth, thus professing Allah's oneness and obeying Him, with a tawḥīd that he knows and with the affirmation of what His messengers brought.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: وَلَا يَمْلِكُ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الشَّفَاعَةَ, he said: ʿĪsā, ʿUzayr, and the angels.

   His word: إِلَّا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ, he said: the word of sincere devotion (kalimat al-ikhlāṣ); and they know that Allah is the Truth, and ʿĪsā, ʿUzayr, and the angels. He says: ʿĪsā, ʿUzayr, and the angels do not utter intercession except for whoever bears witness to the truth while he knows the truth.

   And others said: by this was meant: and the gods whom the polytheists invoke and worship besides Allah possess no power of intercession, except ʿĪsā, ʿUzayr, and those like them, and the angels who bore witness to the truth, thus acknowledging it, while they know the reality of that to which they bore witness.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَلَا يَمْلِكُ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلَّا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ: the angels, ʿĪsā, and ʿUzayr — they were worshipped besides Allah, and they have intercession with Allah and an exalted rank.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: إِلَّا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ, he said: the angels, ʿĪsā the son of Maryam, and ʿUzayr, for they have with Allah a testimony.

   And the most correct of the statements concerning this is to say: Allah — exalted be His mention — has informed that those whom the polytheists worship besides Allah possess no power of intercession with Him for anyone, except whoever bears witness to the truth; and his witness to the truth is his acknowledgment of Allah's oneness. By this He means: except whoever believes in Allah, while they know the reality of His oneness. And He did not specify that the one among them who possesses no power of intercession is only a portion of those who were worshipped besides Allah; that therefore applies to all whom the Quraysh worshipped besides Allah on the Day on which this verse descended, and to others. Among them were those who worshipped the gods besides Allah, and among them were those who worshipped the angels and others besides Him; and all of those are included in His word: and those whom the Quraysh and the rest of the Arabs invoke besides Allah possess no power of intercession with Allah. Then He — praised be His praise — made an exception with His word: إِلَّا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ, and they are those who give the testimony of the truth, thus professing Allah's oneness and devoting the oneness purely to Him, with knowledge and certainty regarding that — that they do indeed possess the power of intercession with Him, by virtue of His permission to them for that, as He — praised be His praise — has said: وَلَا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ارْتَضَىٰ (21:28). Thus He — praised be His praise — affirmed for the angels, ʿĪsā, and ʿUzayr the possession of that intercession which He denied to the gods and the idols, through the exception that He made.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَلا يَمْلِكُ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ (86) اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويل ذلك, فقال بعضهم: معنى ذلك: ولا يملك عيسى وعُزير والملائكة الذين يعبدهم هؤلاء المشركون بالساعة, الشفاعة عند الله لأحد, إلا من شهد بالحقّ, فوحد الله وأطاعه, بتوحيد علم منه وصحة بما جاءت به رسله. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن عمرو, قال: ثنا أبو عاصم, قال: ثنا عيسى; وحدثني الحارث, قال: ثنا الحسن, قال: ثنا ورقاء جميعا, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد, قوله: ( وَلا يَمْلِكُ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الشَّفَاعَةَ ) قال: عيسى, وعُزير, والملائكة. قوله: ( إِلا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ ) قال: كلمة الإخلاص, وهم يعلمون أن الله حقّ, وعيسى وعُزير والملائكة يقول: لا يشفع عيسى وعُزير والملائكة إلا من شهد بالحقّ, وهو يعلم الحقّ. وقال آخرون: عني بذلك: ولا تملك الآلهة التي يدعوها المشركون ويعبدونها من دون الله الشفاعة إلا عيسى وعُزير وذووهما, والملائكة الذين شهدوا بالحقّ, فأقروا به وهم يعلمون حقيقة ما شهدوا به. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( وَلا يَمْلِكُ الَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ الشَّفَاعَةَ إِلا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ) : الملائكة وعيسى وعُزير, قد عُبِدوا من دون الله ولهم شفاعة عند الله ومنـزلة. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة ( إِلا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ ) قال: الملائكة وعيسى ابن مريم وعُزير, فإن لهم عند الله شهادة. وأولى الأقوال في ذلك بالصواب أن يقال: إن الله تعالى ذكره أخبر أنه لا يملك الذين يعبدهم المشركون من دون الله الشفاعة عنده لأحد, إلا من شهد بالحقّ, وشهادته بالحقّ: هو إقراره بتوحيد الله, يعني بذلك: إلا من آمن بالله, وهم يعلمون حقيقة توحيده, ولم يخصص بأن الذي لا يملك ملك الشفاعة منهم بعض من كان يعبد من دون الله, فذلك على جميع من كان تعبد قريش من دون الله يوم نـزلت هذه الآية وغيرهم, وقد كان فيهم من يعبد من دون الله الآلهة, وكان فيهم من يعبد من دونه الملائكة وغيرهم, فجميع أولئك داخلون في قوله: ولا يملك الذين يدعو قريش وسائر العرب من دون الله الشفاعة عند الله. ثم استثنى جلّ ثناؤه بقوله: ( إِلا مَنْ شَهِدَ بِالْحَقِّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ ) وهم الذين يشهدون شهادة الحقّ فيوحدون الله, ويخلصون له الوحدانية, على علم منهم ويقين بذلك, أنهم يملكون الشفاعة عنده بإذنه لهم بها, كما قال جلّ ثناؤه: وَلا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلا لِمَنِ ارْتَضَى فأثبت جلّ ثناؤه للملائكة وعيسى وعُزير ملكهم من الشفاعة ما نفاه عن الآلهة والأوثان باستثنائه الذي استثناه.