Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of His word, the Exalted: خُذُوهُ فَاعْتِلُوهُ إِلَى سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ ("Seize him and drag him to the midst of the blazing Fire (al-jaḥīm)") (47)

   The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: (Seize him) — that is to say: this sinner against his Lord, concerning whom He, mighty and exalted is His praise, has reported that the tree of al-Zaqqūm is appointed as food for him. (and drag him) — the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: push him and drive him forward. One says of this: ʿatala-hu yaʿtilu-hu ʿatlan, when he drives him forward by pushing and pulling. Of this too is the saying of al-Farazdaq:

   "The noble ones do not bestow upon you their father, until you are brought back to ʿAṭiyya, dragged along (tuʿtalu)" (1)

   that is to say: driven forward by pushing and dragging.

   And His word: إِلَى سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ ("to the midst of the blazing Fire"): to the midst of al-jaḥīm. The meaning of the statement is: on the Day of Resurrection it will be said: "Seize this sinner and drive him forward by pushing him in his back, and drag him to the midst of the Fire."

   And in accordance with what we have said concerning the meaning of His word (and drag him), the exegetes have spoken.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to me; 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 خُذُوهُ فَاعْتِلُوهُ إِلَى سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ ("Seize him and drag him to the midst of the blazing Fire"), he said: Seize him and push him forward.

   And in His word (and drag him, fa-ʿtilūhu) there are two linguistic variants: the breaking of the tāʾ (kasra), and that is the reading of some of the reciters of Medina and some of the inhabitants of Mecca (2).

   And the correct view concerning this, according to us, is that they are two linguistic variants well known among the Arabs; one says of this: ʿatala yaʿtilu and yaʿtulu. With whichever of the two the reciter recites, he has acted correctly.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda إِلَى سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ ("to the midst of the blazing Fire"): to the midst of the Fire.

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   Footnotes:

   (1) The verse is found in the dīwān of al-Farazdaq (edition of al-Ṣāwī, Cairo, p. 722). Nāḥilīka means: those who give you something. The point of evidence in the verse lies in his word "tuʿtalu". In (al-Lisān: ʿatala) it is said: in the Revelation there stands "khudhūhu fa-ʿtilūhu ilā sawāʾi l-jaḥīm". ʿĀṣim, Ḥamza, al-Kisāʾī and Abū ʿAmr read "fa-ʿtilūhu" with kasra on the tāʾ; Ibn Kathīr, Nāfiʿ, Ibn ʿĀmir and Yaʿqūb read "fa-ʿtulūhu" with ḍamma on the tāʾ. Al-Azharī said: they are two eloquent linguistic variants. Its meaning is: seize him and break him as firewood is broken. Al-ʿatl is pushing and driving forward forcibly and roughly. End.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : خُذُوهُ فَاعْتِلُوهُ إِلَى سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ (47) يقول تعالى ذكره: (خُذُوهُ) يعني هذا الأثيم بربه, الذي أخبر جلّ ثناؤه أن له شجرة الزقوم طعام (فاعْتلُوهُ) يقول تعالى ذكره: فادفعوه وسوقوه, يقال منه: عتله يعتله عتلا إذا ساقه بالدفع والجذب; ومنه قول الفرزدق: ليْسَ الكِـــرَامُ بِنَــاحِلِيكَ أبَــاهُمُ حــتى تُــرَدّ إلـى عَطِيَّـةَ تُعْتِـلُ (1) أي تُساق دَفْعا وسحبا. وقوله ( إِلَى سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ ) : إلى وسط الجحيم. ومعنى الكلام: يقال يوم القيامة: خذوا هذا الأثيم فسوقوه دفعا في ظهره, وسحبا إلى وسط النار. وبنحو الذي قلنا في معنى قوله: (فاعْتلُوهُ) قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن عمرو, قال: ثنا أبو عاصم, قال: ثني عيسى; وحدثني الحارث, قال: ثنا الحسن, قال: ثنا ورقاء جميعا, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد قوله ( خُذُوهُ فَاعْتِلُوهُ إِلَى سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ ) قال: خذوه فادفعوه. وفي قوله (فاعْتلُوهُ) لغتان: كسر التاء, وهي قراءة بعض قرّاء أهل المدينة وبعض أهل مكة (2) . والصواب من القراءة في ذلك عندنا أنهما لغتان معروفتان في العرب, يقال منه: عتل يعتِل ويعتُل, فبأيتهما قرأ القارئ فمصيب. حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال. ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( إِلَى سَوَاءِ الْجَحِيمِ ) : إلى وَسَط النار. ------------------------ الهوامش: (1) البيت في ديوان الفرزدق (طبعة الصاوي بالقاهرة ص 722 ) وناحليك : معطيك . وموضع الشاهد في البيت قوله"تعتل". قال في (اللسان: عتل) : وفي التنزيل"خذوه فاعتلوه إلى سواء الجحيم" قرأ عاصم وحمزة والكسائي وأبو عمرو"فاعتلوه" بكسر التاء؛ وقرأ ابن كثير ونافع وابن عامر ويعقوب :"فاعتلوه" بضم التاء. قال الأزهري : وهما لغتان فصيحتان. ومعناه : خذوه فاقصفوه كما يقصف الحطب. والعتل : الدفع والإرهاق بالسوق العنيف. ا هـ.