Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: فَلا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنْتُمُ الأَعْلَوْنَ وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ (47:35) (So do not be weak and call for peace, while you are the upper party, and Allah is with you, and He will not diminish you in your deeds.)

   The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: So do not be weak, O you who believe in Allah, in the jihād against the polytheists (mushrikīn), and do not be cowardly in fighting against them (qitāl). As 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 (فَلا تَهِنُوا), he said: do not be weak.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying (فَلا تَهِنُوا): do not you be weak.

   And His saying (وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ) "and do not call for peace, while you are the upper party" means: do not be weak before them, so that you call them to reconciliation and peace, while you dominate them and stand above them. (وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ) "and Allah is with you" means: and Allah is with you by helping you against them.

   And in accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken, except that they differed concerning the meaning of His saying (وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ). Some of them said: its meaning is: and you are nearer to Allah than they. And some of them said the same as what we have said about it.

   Mention of who said that, and said that the meaning of His saying (وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ) is: you are nearer to Allah than they:

   Aḥmad ibn al-Miqdām related to me, saying: al-Muʿtamir related to us, saying: I heard my father narrate, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His saying (فَلا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ), he said: that is to say: do not be the party of the two parties that is brought down.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda (فَلا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ), he said: do not be the party of the two parties that is brought down in favor of its opponent and calls it to a truce, while you are nearer to Allah than they and Allah is with you.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda (فَلا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ), he said: do not be the party of the two parties that is brought down in favor of its opponent. (وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ), he said, means: and you are nearer to Allah than they.

   Mention of who said that the meaning of His saying (وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ) is: you are the victors, the mightier of them:

   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 saying (وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ), he said: the victors, as on the day of Uḥud: the turn will turn against them.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying (فَلا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ), he said: this is abrogated (mansūkh); he said: the fighting and the jihād abrogated it. He says: do not you be weak, so that you call them to peace while you are the upper one. He said: and this was at the time when there existed pacts and a truce between him and the polytheists, before there was fighting. He says: do not be weak, so that it is seen that you call for peace while you stand above him and are mightier than he. (وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ) you are mightier than they. Then came the fighting, which abrogated all of this, and He commanded him to fight them and to be harsh against them. And it has been said: by His saying (وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ) is meant: and you are the victors at the end of the matter, even if they overcome you at some moments and dominate you in some wars.

   And His saying (فَلا تَهِنُوا) is in the jussive because of the prohibition. And in His saying (وَتَدْعُوا) there are two possibilities. The first is the jussive, by conjunction (ʿaṭf) with tahinū, so that the meaning of the words is: so do not be weak and do not call for peace. The second is the accusative on the grounds of diversion (ṣarf).

   And His saying (وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ) "and He will not diminish you in your deeds" means: and He will not withhold from you the rewards for your deeds by diminishing the recompense for them. It is derived from their expression: "watartu al-rajul" — when you kill a relative of someone and unlawfully strip him of his possessions.

   And in accordance with what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken.

   * Mention of who said that:

   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 his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His saying (وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ), he says: He will not withhold from you the rewards for your deeds.

   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 saying (وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ), he said: He will not diminish you.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda (وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ): that is to say: He will not withhold your deeds from you.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, the same.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying (وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ), he said: He will not unjustly withhold your deeds from you; that is "yatirukum".

   It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His saying (وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ), he said: He will not withhold your deeds from you.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : فَلا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنْتُمُ الأَعْلَوْنَ وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ (35) يقول تعالى ذكره: فلا تضعفوا أيها المؤمنون بالله عن جهاد المشركين وتجبُنوا عن قتالهم. كما 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 ( فَلا تَهِنُوا ) قال: لا تضعفوا. حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله ( فَلا تَهِنُوا ) لا تضعف أنت. وقوله ( وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ ) يقول: لا تضعفوا عنهم وتدعوهم إلى الصلح والمسالمة, وأنتم القاهرون لهم والعالون عليهم ( وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ ) يقول: والله معكم بالنصر لكم عليهم. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل, غير أنهم اختلفوا في معنى قوله ( وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ ) فقال بعضهم: معناه: وأنتم أولى بالله منهم. وقال بعضهم: مثل الذي قلنا فيه. ذكر من قال ذلك, وقال معنى قوله ( وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ ) أنتم أولى بالله منهم. حدثني أحمد بن المقدام, قال: ثنا المعتمر, قال: سمعت أبي يحدّث, عن قتادة, في قوله ( فَلا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ ) قال: أي لا تكونوا أولى الطائفتين تصرع. حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( فَلا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ ) قال: لا تكونوا أولى الطائفتين صرعت لصاحبتها, ودعتها إلى الموادعة, وأنتم أولى بالله منهم والله معكم. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة ( فَلا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ ) قال: لا تكونوا أولى الطائفتين صرعت إلى صاحبتها( وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ ) قال: يقول: وأنتم أولى بالله منهم ذكر من قال معنى قوله ( وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ ) : أنتم الغالبون الأعزّ منهم. حدثني محمد بن عمرو, قال: ثنا أبو عاصم, قال: ثنا عيسى; وحدثني الحارث, قال: ثنا الحسن, قال: ثنا ورقاء جميعا, عن ابن أبي نحيح, عن مجاهد, قوله ( وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ ) قال: الغالبون مثل يوم أُحد, تكون عليهم الدائرة. حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, فى قوله ( فَلا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ ) قال: هذا منسوخ, قال: نسخه القتال والجهاد, يقول: لا تضعف أنت وتدعوهم أنت إلى السلم وأنت الأعلى, قال: وهذا حين كانت العهود والهدنة فيما بينه وبين المشركين قبل أن يكون القتال, يقول: لا تهن فتضعف, فيرى أنك تدعو. إلى السلم وأنت فوقه, وأعزّ منه ( وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ ) أنتم أعزّ منهم, ثم جاء القتال بعد فنسخ هذا أجمع, فأمره بجهادهم والغلظة عليهم. وقد قيل: عنى بقوله ( وَأَنْتُمُ الأعْلَوْنَ ) وأنتم الغالبون آخر الأمر, وإن غلبوكم في بعض الأوقات, وقهروكم في بعض الحروب. وقوله ( فَلا تَهِنُوا ) جزم بالنهي, وفي قوله ( وَتَدْعُوا ) وجهان: أحدهما الجزم على العطف على تهنوا, فيكون معنى الكلام: فلا تهنوا ولا تدعوا إلى السلم, والآخر النصب على الصرف. وقوله ( وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ ) يقول: ولن يظلمكم أجور أعمالكم فينقصكم ثوابها, من قولهم: وترت الرجل إذا قتلت له قتيلا فأخذت له مالا غصبا. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن سعد, قال: ثني أبي, قال: ثني عمي, قال: ثني أبي, عن أبيه, عن ابن عباس, قوله يقول ( وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ ) يقول: لن يظلمكم أجور أعمالكم. 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, في قوله ( وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ ) قال: لن ينقصكم. حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ ) : أي لن يظلمكم أعمالكم. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة, مثله. حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد في قوله ( وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ ) قال: لن يظلمكم, أعمالكم ذلك يتركم. حُدثت عن الحسين, قال: سمعت أبا معاذ يقول: أخبرنا عبيد, قال: سمعت الضحاك يقول في قوله ( وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ ) قال: لن يظلمكم أعمالكم.