Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ ("So when you meet those who disbelieve, then strike the necks, until, when you have overwhelmed them, bind the bonds firmly, and thereafter either gracious release or ransom, until the war lays down its burdens. So it is. And had Allah willed, He would have taken vengeance upon them, but it is so that He may test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the path of Allah — He will never let their deeds go astray") (4).

   He — exalted is His mention — says to the group that believes in Him and in His Messenger: ( فَإِذا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ) ("So when you meet those who disbelieve") in Allah and His Messenger, belonging to the combatants, then strike their necks.

   And His saying ( حَتَّى إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ ) says: until you have overwhelmed them and subdued those of them whose necks you have not struck, so that they have fallen into your hands as captives of war ( فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ ) — He says: bind them firmly in the bonds, so that they do not kill you and do not flee from you.

   And His saying ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ) says: when you have then taken them captive after the overwhelming, then either that you grant them gracious release thereafter by setting them free from captivity and freeing them without any countervalue or ransom, or that they ransom themselves from you with a ransom, in that they give you of themselves a countervalue until you release them and clear the way for them.

   The people of knowledge differ over His saying ( حَتَّى إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ). Some of them said: it is abrogated (mansūkh), abrogated by His saying فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ ("then kill the polytheists wherever you find them") and by His saying فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ مَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ ("so if you encounter them in war, scatter by means of them those who are behind them").

   * Mention of who said that:

   Ibn Ḥumayd and Ibn ʿĪsā al-Dāmaghānī related to us, both saying: Ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, that he said, concerning His saying ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ): it is abrogated by His saying فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ .

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ), he said: it is abrogated by فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ .

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ): it is abrogated by His saying فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ مَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ .

   Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His saying ( فَإِذا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ) up to His saying ( وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ): the Muslims, when they met the polytheists (mushrikīn), would fight them, and when they took one of them as a captive of war, it was permitted to them only to ransom him or to grant him gracious release and then set him free. That was subsequently abrogated by His saying فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ مَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ , that is to say: make of them a deterrent example for the rest of the people, so that they may take heed.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Jazarī, he said: it was written to Abū Bakr — may Allah be pleased with him — concerning a captive who had been taken prisoner, and it was mentioned that they were asking a certain ransom for him. Then Abū Bakr said: kill him; the killing of one man of the polytheists (mushrikīn) is dearer to me than this and that.

   Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His saying ( فَإِذا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ ) ... to the end of the āyah, he said: the ransom is abrogated; it is abrogated by فَإِذَا انْسَلَخَ الأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ ("so when the sacred months have passed") ... up to كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ ("at every place of ambush"). He said: there remained for none of the polytheists (mushrikīn) any covenant or inviolability after Sūrat Barāʾa and the passing of the sacred months.

   It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say, concerning His saying ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ): this is abrogated; it is abrogated by His saying فَإِذَا انْسَلَخَ الأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ ("so when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them"). There remained for none of the polytheists (mushrikīn) any covenant or treaty of protection after Sūrat Barāʾa.

   And others said: it is firmly established (muḥkam) and not abrogated, and they said: it is not permitted to kill the captive of war; only gracious release and ransom of him are permitted.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, he said: Abū ʿAttāb Sahl ibn Ḥammād related to us, he said: Khālid ibn Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, he said: al-Ḥajjāj was supplied with captives of war, and he gave to Ibn ʿUmar a man for him to kill. Then Ibn ʿUmar said: we have not been commanded to this; Allah — mighty and exalted is He — has said ( حَتَّى إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ). He said: [there arose] the weeping in his presence. Then al-Ḥasan said: had this been he and his companions, they would have hastened toward them [those captives].

   Ibn Ḥumayd and Ibn ʿĪsā al-Dāmaghānī related to us, both saying: Ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, that he disapproved of killing a polytheist (mushrik) while in captivity (ṣabran). He said: and he recited this āyah ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ).

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, he said: the captives of war are not killed except in war, to strike terror into the enemy.

   He said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, he said: ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz used to ransom them, the man for the man, and al-Ḥasan disapproved of ransoming with money.

   He said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of a man from the people of Syria, one of those who kept guard over ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, and he was from Banū Asad, he said: I never saw ʿUmar — may Allah have mercy on him — kill a captive of war, except one man of the Turks. Captives of war from the Turks were brought, and he commanded that they be made slaves (an yustaraqqū). Then a man of those who had brought them said: O Commander of the Believers, had you seen this one of them while he was killing the Muslims, then your weeping over them would have been great. Then ʿUmar said: come then and kill him. He rose toward him and killed him.

   And the correct position concerning this is, according to us, that this āyah is firmly established (muḥkam) and not abrogated. That is because the description of the abrogating (nāsikh) and the abrogated (mansūkh) is what we have set forth in more than one place in our book: namely that it is [an abrogation] when it is not possible for both of their rulings to coexist in one and the same state, or that proof has been furnished that the one is the abrogator of the other. And it is not strange that the choice between gracious release, ransom, and killing has been placed in the hands of the Messenger ﷺ, and of those charged after him with the governance of the community, even if the killing is not mentioned in this āyah, for He has permitted the killing of them in another āyah, namely His saying فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ ... — the āyah. Yes, indeed it is so, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to act thus with whoever fell into his hand as a captive of war from the combatants: he killed some, ransomed some, and granted gracious release to some. As on the day of Badr, when he killed ʿUqba ibn Abī Muʿayṭ — and this one had been brought to him as a captive of war —, and he killed the Banū Qurayẓa — and they had surrendered to the judgment of Saʿd and had come into his hand as those who had surrendered, while he was able to ransom them or to grant them gracious release —, and he ransomed a group of the captives of war of the polytheists (mushrikīn) who had been taken prisoner at Badr, and he granted gracious release to Thumāma ibn Athāl al-Ḥanafī, while this one was a captive of war in his hand. And that remained continuously established in his conduct (sīra) with the combatants, from the moment that Allah gave him permission to fight them, until He took him to Himself ﷺ, uninterruptedly thus with them. He — exalted is His praise — mentioned in this āyah only the gracious release and the ransom of the captives of war, and specified the mention of those two therein, because the command to [kill] them both and the permission for that from Him had already preceded repeatedly in the rest of the āyāt of His revelation. Thus He made known to His Prophet ﷺ, in that which is mentioned in this āyah, of the gracious release and the ransom, what he had regarding them, alongside the killing.

   And His saying ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ) — He — exalted is His mention — says: so when you meet those who disbelieve, then strike their necks, and do with their captives of war what I have set forth for you, until the war lays down its sins and the burdens of its people — the polytheists (mushrikīn) against Allah — by their repenting to Allah of their shirk and believing in Him and His Messenger and obeying Him in His command and His prohibition. That is the laying down by the war of its burdens. And it has been said: ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ), where the meaning is: until the war lays down the burdens of its people. And it has been said: the meaning of it is: until the combatant lays down his burdens (his weaponry).

   And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (the exegetes) have spoken.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both together — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His saying ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ), he said: until ʿĪsā ibn Maryam comes forth, then every Jew, Christian, and adherent of a religious community will submit, and the sheep will be safe from the wolf, and a mouse will not gnaw through a travelling-bag, and enmity will depart from all things. That is the victory of Islam over all religion, and the Muslim man will be so prosperous that his foot drips blood when he sets it down [without any harm befalling him].

   Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His saying ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ): until there is no more shirk.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ), he said: until there is no more shirk.

   Mention of who said: by "the war" in this place the combatants are intended.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ), he said: "the war": whoever fought them, those He called "war."

   And His saying ( ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ ) — He — exalted is His mention — says: this is what I have commanded you, O believers, namely the killing of the polytheists (mushrikīn) when you meet them in war, binding them firmly after overwhelming and capturing them, and the gracious release and the ransom ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ); that is the truth that your Lord has imposed upon you. And if your Lord willed and wished, He would take vengeance upon these polytheists (mushrikīn) concerning whom this ruling has been set forth, by a swift punishment from Him upon them, and He would spare you all of that. But He — exalted is His mention — chose not to take vengeance upon them and not to punish them swiftly, except by your hands, O believers ( لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ ). He says: so that He may test you by means of them, so that He may know the fighters and the patient among you, and so that He may try them by means of you, so that He may punish by your hands whomever He wills of them, and so that whomever He wills of them may take heed from those whom He has destroyed by your hands, until he turns to the truth.

   And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation (the exegetes) have spoken.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda ( وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ ): yes, by Allah, with His numerous armies; every one of His creatures is for Him an army, and if He were to give power to the weakest of His creatures, it would be an army.

   And His saying ( وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ) — the reciters differ over the reading of it. Most of the reciters of the Ḥijāz and Kufa read it ( وَالَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوا ) ("and those who fought"), with the meaning: those who fought the polytheists (mushrikīn) and waged jihād against them, with the alif. And al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī used, according to what is related from him, to read it as ( قُتِّلُوا ), with a ḍamma on the qāf and a doubling (tashdīd) of the tāʾ, with the meaning: that the polytheists (mushrikīn) killed them, one after another, except that the doers are not named. And from al-Jaḥdarī ʿĀṣim it is related that he used to read it as ( وَالَّذِينَ قَتَلُوا ), with a fatḥa on the qāf and a lightening (takhfīf) of the tāʾ, with the meaning: and those who killed the polytheists against Allah. And Abū ʿAmr used to read it as ( قُتِلُوا ), with a ḍamma on the qāf and a lightening of the tāʾ, with the meaning: and those whom the polytheists (mushrikīn) killed, whereupon he omitted the doers and set them [grammatically] as without a named doer of that action.

   And the most fitting of the readings with respect to correctness is the reading of whoever read it as ( وَالَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوا ), because of the agreement of the authoritative testimony of the reciters, even though all [the readings] have understandable meanings.

   And since that is the most fitting reading according to us with respect to correctness, the interpretation of the word is: and those of you, O believers, who fought the enemies of Allah among the unbelievers (kuffār) in the religion of Allah, and in support of that with which He sent His Messenger Muḥammad ﷺ of guidance, and waged jihād therein against them ( فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ ) ("He will never let their deeds go astray") — Allah will not make their deeds which they performed in the worldly life a loss for them, as He let the deeds of the unbelievers (kāfir) go astray.

   And it has been mentioned that by this āyah the people of Uḥud are intended.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda ( وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ ): it has been mentioned to us that this āyah was revealed on the day of Uḥud, while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in the mountain pass (al-shiʿb), and the wounds and the killing had spread among them. The polytheists (mushrikīn) called out on that day: "Exalted is Hubal!" Then the Muslims called out: "Allah is higher and more exalted!" Then the polytheists called out: "A day for a day, indeed war has alternating fortune; indeed, we have al-ʿUzzā, and you have no ʿUzzā." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Allah is our Protector and you have no protector. Indeed, the slain are different: our slain are alive and are provided for, while your slain are punished in the Fire."

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda ( وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ ), he said: those who were killed on the day of Uḥud.

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   Footnotes:

   (1) Perhaps here a word or the like has dropped out of the original, such as "rose" or "raised itself" or "ascended," that is to say: the weeping of the captives of war rose in the presence of al-Ḥajjāj.

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   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ (4) يقول تعالى ذكره لفريق الإيمان به وبرسوله: ( فَإِذا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ) بالله ورسوله من أهل الحرب, فاضربوا رقابهم. وقوله ( حَتَّى إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ ) يقول: حتى إذا غلبتموهم وقهرتم من لم تضربوا رقبته منهم, فصاروا في أيديكم أسرى ( فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ ) يقول: فشدّوهم في الوثاق كيلا يقتلوكم, فيهربوا منكم. وقوله ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ) يقول: فإذا أسرتموهم بعد الإثخان, فإما أن تمنوا عليهم بعد ذلك بإطلاقكم إياهم من الأسر, وتحرروهم بغير عوض ولا فدية, وإما أن يفادوكم فداء بأن يعطوكم من أنفسهم عوضا حتى تطلقوهم, وتخلوا لهم السبيل. واختلف أهل العلم في قوله ( حَتَّى إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ) فقال بعضهم: هو منسوخ نسخه قوله فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ وقوله فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ مَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ . * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن حُمَيد وابن عيسى الدامغانيّ, قالا ثنا ابن المبارك, عن ابن جُرَيج أنه كان يقول, في قوله ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ) نسخها قوله فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ . حدثنا ابن بشار, قال: ثنا عبد الرحمن, قال: ثنا سفيان, عن السديّ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ) قال: نسخها فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ . حدثنا محمد بن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ) نسخها قوله فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ مَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ . حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة, قوله ( فَإِذا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ) إلى قوله ( وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ) كان المسلمون إذا لقوا المشركين قاتلوهم, فإذا أسروا منهم أسيرا, فليس لهم إلا أن يُفادوه, أو يمنوا عليه, ثم يرسلوه, فنسخ ذلك بعد قوله فَإِمَّا تَثْقَفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْحَرْبِ فَشَرِّدْ بِهِمْ مَنْ خَلْفَهُمْ : أي عظ بهم من سواهم من الناس لعلهم يذّكرون. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن عبد الكريم &; 22-155 &; الجزري, قال: كتب إلى أبي بكر رضي الله عنه في أسير أُسر, فذكر أنهم التمسوه بفداء كذا وكذا, فقال أبو بكر: اقتلوه, لقتلُ رجل من المشركين, أحبّ إليّ من كذا وكذا. حدثني محمد بن سعد, قال: ثني أبي, قال: ثني عمي, قال: ثني أبي, عن أبيه, عن ابن عباس, قوله ( فَإِذا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَضَرْبَ الرِّقَابِ )... إلى آخر الآية, قال: الفداء منسوخ, نسختها: فَإِذَا انْسَلَخَ الأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ ... إلى كُلَّ مَرْصَدٍ قال: فلم يبق لأحد من المشركين عهد ولا حرمة بعد براءة, وانسلاخ الأشهر الحرم. حُدثت عن الحسين, قال: سمعت أبا معاذ يقول: أخبرنا عبيد, قال: سمعت الضحاك يقول في قوله ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ) هذا منسوخ, نسخه قوله: فَإِذَا انْسَلَخَ الأَشْهُرُ الْحُرُمُ فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ فلم يبق لأحد من المشركين عهد ولا ذمة بعد براءة. وقال آخرون: هي محكمة وليست بمنسوخة, وقالوا: لا يحوز قتل الأسير, وإنما يجوز المن عليه والفداء. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن المثنى, قال: ثنا أبو عتاب سهل بن حماد, قال: ثنا خالد بن جعفر, عن الحسن, قال: أتى الحجاج بأسارى, فدفع إلى ابن عمر رجلا يقتله, فقال ابن عمر: ليس بهذا أُمرنا, قال الله عزّ وجلّ( حَتَّى إِذَا أَثْخَنْتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا الْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ) قال: (1) البكاء بين يديه فقال الحسن: لو كان هذا وأصحابه لابتدروا إليهم. حدثنا ابن حميد وابن عيسى الدامغانيّ, قالا ثنا ابن المبارك, عن ابن جُرَيج, عن عطاء أنه كان يكره قتل المشرك صبرا, قال: ويتلو هذه الآية ( فَإِمَّا مَنًّا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَاءً ) . حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن الحسن, قال: لا تقتل الأسارى إلا في الحرب يهيب بهم العدوّ. قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, قال: كان عمر بن عبد العزيز يفديهم الرجل بالرجل, وكان الحسن يكره أن يفادى بالمال. قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن رجل من أهل الشأم ممن كان يحرس عمر بن عبد العزيز, وهو من بني أسد, قال: ما رأيت عمر رحمه الله قتل أسيرا إلا واحدا من الترك كان جيء بأسارى من الترك, فأمر بهم أن يُسترقوا, فقال رجل ممن جاء بهم: يا أمير المومنين, لو كنت رأيت هذا لأحدهم وهو يقتل المسلمين لكثر بكاؤك عليهم, فقال عمر: فدونك فاقتله, فقام إليه فقتله. والصواب من القول عندنا في ذلك أن هذه الآية محكمة غير منسوخة, وذلك أن صفة الناسخ والمنسوخ ما قد بيَّنا في غير موضع في كتابنا إنه ما لم يجز اجتماع حكميهما في حال واحدة, أو ما قامت الحجة بأن أحدهما ناسخ الآخر, وغير مستنكر أن يكون جعل الخيار في المنّ والفداء والقتل إلى الرسول صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم , وإلى القائمين بعده بأمر الأمة, وإن لم يكن القتل مذكورا في هذه الآية, لأنه قد أذن بقتلهم في آية أخرى, وذلك قوله فَاقْتُلُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ حَيْثُ وَجَدْتُمُوهُمْ ... الآية، بل ذلك كذلك, لأن رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم كذلك كان يفعل فيمن صار أسيرا في يده من أهل الحرب, فيقتل بعضا, ويفادي ببعض, ويمنّ على بعض, مثل يوم بدر قتل عقبة بن أبي مُعَيْطٍ وقد أتي به أسيرا, وقتل بني قُرَيظة, وقد نـزلوا على حكم سعد, وصاروا في يده سلما, وهو على فدائهم, والمنّ عليهم قادر, وفادى بجماعة أسارى المشركين الذين أُسروا ببدر, ومنّ على ثمامة بن أثال الحنفيّ, وهو أسير في يده, ولم يزل ذلك ثابتا من سيره في أهل الحرب من لدن أذن الله له بحربهم, إلى أن قبضه إليه صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم دائما ذلك فيهم, وإنما ذكر جلّ ثناؤه في هذه الآية المنّ والفداء في الأسارى, فخصّ ذكرهما فيها, لأن الأمر بقتلهما والإذن منه بذلك قد كان تقدم في سائر آي تنـزيله مكرّرا, فأعلم نبيه صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم بما ذكر في هذه الآية من المنّ والفداء ما له فيهم مع القتل. وقوله ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ) يقول تعالى ذكره: فإذا لقيتم الذين كفروا فاضربوا رقابهم, وافعلوا بأسراهم ما بيَّنت لكم, حتى تضع الحرب آثامها وأثقال أهلها, المشركين بالله بأن يتوبوا إلى الله من شركهم, فيؤمنوا به وبرسوله, ويطيعوه في أمره ونهيه, فذلك وضع الحرب أوزارها, وقيل: ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ) والمعنى: حتى تلقي الحرب أوزار أهلها. وقيل: معنى ذلك: حتى يضع المحارب أوزاره. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن عمرو, قال: ثنا أبو عاصم, قال: ثنا عيسى: وحدثني الحارث, قال: ثنا الحسن, قال: ثنا ووقاء جميعا, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد, قوله ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ) قال: حتى يخرج عيسى ابن مريم, فيسلم كلّ يهودي ونصرانيّ وصاحب ملة, وتأمن الشاة من الذئب, ولا تقرض فأرة جِرابا, وتذهب العداوة من الأشياء كلها, ذلك ظهور الإسلام على الدين كله, وينعم الرجل المسلم حتى تقطر رجله دما إذا وضعها. حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة, قوله ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ) حتى لا يكون شرك. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ) قال: حتى لا يكون شرك. ذكر من قال : عني بالحرب في هذا الموضع: المحاربون. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور عن معمر, عن قتادة ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ) قال الحرب: من كان يقاتلهم سماهم حربا. وقوله ( ذَلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: هذا الذي أمرتكم به أيها المؤمنون من قتل المشركين إذا لقيتموهم في حرب, وشدّهم وثاقا بعد قهرهم, وأسرهم, والمنّ والفداء ( حَتَّى تَضَعَ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ) هو الحق الذي ألزمكم ربكم ولو يشاء ربكم, ويريد لانتصر من هؤلاء المشركين الذين بين هذا الحكم فيهم بعقوبة منه لهم عاجلة, وكفاكم ذلك كله, ولكنه تعالى ذكره كره الانتصار منهم, وعقوبتهم عاجلا إلا بأيديكم أيها المؤمنون ( لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ ) يقول: ليختبركم بهم, فيعلم المجاهدين منكم والصابرين, ويبلوهم بكم, فيعاقب بأيديكم من شاء منهم, ويتعظ من شاء منهم بمن أهلك بأيديكم من شاء منهم حتى ينيب إلى الحقّ. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لانْتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ ) إي والله بجنوده الكثيرة كلّ خلقه له جند, ولو سلط أضعف خلقه لكان جندا. وقوله ( وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ) اختلفت القرّاء في قراءة ذلك, فقرأته عامة قراء الحجاز والكوفة ( وَالَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوا ) بمعنى: حاربوا المشركين, وجاهدوهم, بالألف; وكان الحسن البصري فيما ذُكر عنه يقرأه ( قُتِّلُوا ) بضم القاف وتشديد التاء, بمعنى: أنه قتلهم المشركون بعضهم بعد بعض, غير أنه لم يُسمّ الفاعلون. وذُكر عن الجحدريّ عاصم أنه كان يقرأه ( وَالَّذِينَ قَتَلُوا ) بفتح القاف وتخفيف التاء, بمعنى: والذين قتلوا المشركون بالله. وكان أبو عمرو يقرأه ( قُتِلُوا ) بضم القاف وتخفيف التاء بمعنى: والذين قتلهم المشركون, ثم أسقط الفاعلين, فجعلهم لم يسمّ فاعل ذلك بهم. وأولى القراءات بالصواب قراءة من قرأه ( وَالَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوا ) لاتفاق الحجة من القرّاء, وإن كان لجميعها وجوه مفهومة. وإذ كان ذلك أولى القراءات عندنا بالصواب, فتأويل الكلام: والذين قاتلوا منكم أيها المؤمنون أعداء الله من الكفار في دين الله, وفي نصرة ما بعث به رسوله محمدا صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم من الهدى, فجاهدوهم في ذلك ( فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ ) فلن يجعل الله أعمالهم التي عملوها في الدنيا ضلالا عليهم كما أضلّ أعمال الكافرين. وذُكر أن هذه الآية عُنِي بها أهل أحد. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ ) ذُكر لنا أن هذه الآية أُنـزلت يوم أُحد ورسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم في الشِّعْب, وقد فَشَت فيهم الجراحات والقتل, وقد نادى المشركون يومئذ: اُعْلُ هُبَلْ, فنادى المسلمون: الله أعلى وأجلّ, فنادى المشركون: يوم بيوم, إن الحرب سجال, إن لنا عُزَّى, ولا عُزَّى لكم, قال رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم : " اللهُ مَوْلانا وَلا مَوْلَى لَكُمْ. إنَّ القَتْلَى مُخْتَلِفَةٌ, أمَّا قَتْلانا فأَحْيَاءٌ يُرْزَقُونَ, وأمَّا قَتْلاكم فَفِي النَّارِ يُعَذَّبُونَ" . حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة ( وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ ) قال: الذين قُتلوا يوم أُحد. ------------------------ الهوامش: (1) لعله سقط من الأصل هنا كلمة أو نحوها ، مثل اشتد أو علا ، أو ارتفع أي ارتفع : بكاء الأسرى بين يدي الحجاج .