Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ وَلِتَكُونَ آيَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَقِيمًا (48:20) (Allah has promised you abundant war-spoils (maghānim) that you will acquire, and He has hastened this for you and held back the hands of the people from you, and that it might be a sign for the believers, and that He might guide you to a straight path.)

   The Exalted, whose renown be mentioned, says to the people of the pledge of good pleasure (bayʿat al-riḍwān): وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ (Allah has promised you), O people, مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا (abundant war-spoils that you will acquire).

   The exegetes differed concerning these war-spoils that Allah mentioned He promised to this people—which spoils they are. Some of them said: It is all the spoils that Allah granted to those who believe in Him from the possessions of the people of polytheism (shirk), from the moment this verse was sent down by the tongue of His Prophet ﷺ.

   * 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 of them—on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His saying وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا (Allah has promised you abundant war-spoils that you will acquire): He said: The abundant spoils that were promised to them: what they acquire down to this day.

   And on the basis of this interpretation, the text allows that by the second [mention of] spoils the same is meant as the first spoils, and its meaning would then be: He rewarded them with a near victory and abundant spoils that they will acquire; Allah has promised you, O people, these spoils that you will acquire and that you will surely attain, as a promise. Thus He brought about for you the near victory, namely the conquest of Khaybar. And it is possible that the second is something other than the first, so that the first is the spoils of Khaybar, and the second spoils that He promised them are the spoils of the rest of the people of polytheism besides them.

   And others said: These spoils that Allah promised this people are the spoils of Khaybar.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا (Allah has promised you abundant war-spoils that you will acquire): He said: The day of Khaybar. He said: My father used to say that.

   And His saying فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ (and He has hastened this for you)—the exegetes differed concerning that which was hastened for them. A group said: The spoils of Khaybar; and what is deferred is the rest of the conquests of the Muslims after that time until the onset of the Hour.

   * 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 of them—on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ (and He has hastened this for you): He said: He hastened Khaybar for you.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His saying فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ (and He has hastened this for you): and that is Khaybar.

   And others said: No, by it was meant the truce (ṣulḥ) that there was between the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Quraysh.

   * 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 فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ (and He has hastened this for you): He said: The truce.

   And the most correct of the statements in the interpretation of it is what Mujāhid said, namely that that with which Allah rewarded them for that march of theirs—together with the near victory—was the abundant spoils of Khaybar. This is because the Muslims, after al-Ḥudaybiya, had not acquired any spoils, and had achieved no conquest closer to their covenant with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ at al-Ḥudaybiya than the conquest of Khaybar and its spoils.

   As for His saying وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً (Allah has promised you abundant war-spoils)—that is the rest of the spoils that Allah granted them after Khaybar, such as the spoils of Hawāzin, Ghaṭafān, Persia, and Byzantium (al-Rūm).

   And we have said this and not [in the sense of] the spoils of Khaybar, because Allah informed [us] that He hastened for them this, with which He rewarded them for their march that they made with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to Mecca—and that on account of what He knew of the sincerity of their resolve in fighting its inhabitants, when they gave the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the pledge not to flee from him. And there is no doubt that that which was hastened for them is something other than that which was not hastened for them.

   And His saying وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ (and He has held back the hands of the people from you)—the Exalted, whose renown be mentioned, says to the people of the pledge of good pleasure: And Allah has held back the hands of the polytheists from you.

   Then the exegetes differed concerning those whose hands were held back from them, who they are. Some of them said: They are the Jews; Allah held back their hands from the families of those who set out from Medina with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to Mecca.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ (and He has held back the hands of the people from you): from their houses and from their families in Medina, when they set out to al-Ḥudaybiya and to Khaybar; and Khaybar lay in that direction.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His saying وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ (and He has held back the hands of the people from you): He said: He held back the hands of the people from their families in Medina.

   And others said: No, by it were meant the hands of the Quraysh, when Allah restrained them from them, so that they were not able to inflict their harm upon them.

   And what Qatāda said about this seems to me more in accord with the interpretation of the verse. This is because Allah's holding back of the hands of the polytheists of Mecca from the people of al-Ḥudaybiya was mentioned by Allah after this verse, in His saying وَهُوَ الَّذِي كَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنْكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ بِبَطْنِ مَكَّةَ (And He it is who held back their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Mecca). From this it appears that the holding back that Allah, the Exalted, mentioned in His saying وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ (and He has held back the hands of the people from you) is something other than the holding back that Allah mentioned after this verse in His saying وَهُوَ الَّذِي كَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنْكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ بِبَطْنِ مَكَّةَ (And He it is who held back their hands from you and your hands from them in the midst of Mecca).

   And His saying وَلِتَكُونَ آيَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (and that it might be a sign for the believers)—He says: And that His holding back, the Exalted whose renown be mentioned, of their hands away from their families might be a sign (āya) and a lesson for those who believe in Him, so that they might know that it is Allah who undertakes their protection and their preservation, whether they are present or absent, and so that they might fear Allah concerning themselves, their possessions, and their families, through [His] protection and good care, as long as they remain steadfast in obedience to Him and adhere to His command and His prohibition.

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

   * Mention of who said that:

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda وَلِتَكُونَ آيَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ (and that it might be a sign for the believers): He says: And that is a sign for the believers, the holding back of the hands of the people from their families. وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَقِيمًا (and that He might guide you to a straight path): He says: And He brings you, O believers, onto the straight path, a clear way in which there is no crookedness, and He makes it plain for you; and that is that you place your trust in your Lord in all your affairs and rely upon Him in all of them, so that He may surround you with His protection, as He protected you on your march to Mecca with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, concerning yourselves, your families, and your possessions. For you have indeed seen the outcome of Allah's dealing with you, when you placed [your] trust [in Him] on this march of yours.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ وَلِتَكُونَ آيَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَقِيمًا (20) يقول تعالى ذكره لأهل بيعة الرضوان : ( وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ ) أيها القوم ( مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا ). اختلف أهل التأويل في هذه المغانم التي ذكر الله أنه وعدها هؤلاء القوم أيّ المغانم هي؟, فقال بعضهم: هي كل مغنم غنمها الله المؤمنين به من أموال أهل الشرك من لدن أنـزل هذه الآية على لسان نبيه صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم. * 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 ( وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا ) قال: المغانم الكثيرة التي وعدوا: ما يأخذونها إلى اليوم. وعلى هذا التأويل يحتمل الكلام أن يكون مرادا بالمغانم الثانية المغانم الأولى, ويكون معناه عند ذلك, فأثابهم فتحا قريبا, ومغانم كثيرة يأخذونها, وعدكم الله أيها القوم هذه المغانم التي تأخذونها, وأنتم إليها واصلون عدة, فجعل لكم الفتح القريب من فتح خيبر. ويُحتمل أن تكون الثانية غير الأولى, وتكون الأولى من غنائم خيبر, والغنائم الثانية التي وعدهموها من غنائم سائر أهل الشرك سواهم. وقال آخرون: هذه المغانم التي وعد الله هؤلاء القوم هي مغانم خيبر. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله ( وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً تَأْخُذُونَهَا ) قال: يوم خيبر, قال: كان أبي يقول ذلك. وقوله ( فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ ) اختلف أهل التأويل في التي عجلت لهم, فقال جماعة: غنائم خيبر والمؤخرة سائر فتوح المسلمين بعد ذلك الوقت إلى قيام الساعة. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن عمرو, قال: ثنا أبو عاصم, قال: ثناء عيسى; وحدثني الحارث, قال: ثنا الحسن, قال: ثنا ورقاء جميعا, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد ( فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ ) قال: عجل لكم خيبر. حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة, قوله ( فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ ) وهي خيبر. وقال آخرون: بل عنى بذلك الصلح الذي كان بين رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم وبين قريش. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن سعد, قال: ثني أبي, قال: ثني عمي, قال: ثني أبي, عن أبيه, عن ابن عباس ( فَعَجَّلَ لَكُمْ هَذِهِ ) قال: الصلح. وأولى الأقوال في تأويل ذلك بالصواب ما قاله مجاهد, وهو أن الذي أثابهم الله من مسيرهم ذلك مع الفتح القريب المغانم الكثيرة من مغانم خيبر, وذلك أن المسلمين لم يغنموا بعد الحديبية غنيمة, ولم يفتحوا فتحا أقرب من بيعتهم رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم بالحديبية إليها من فتح خيبر وغنائمها. وأما قوله ( وَعَدَكُمُ اللَّهُ مَغَانِمَ كَثِيرَةً ) فهي سائر المغانم التي غنمهموها الله بعد خيبر, كغنائم هوازن, وغطفان, وفارس, والروم. وإنما قلنا ذلك كذلك دون غنائم خيبر, لأن الله أخبر أنه عجل لهم هذه التي أثابهم من مسيرهم الذي ساروه مع رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم إلى مكة, ولما علم من صحة نيتهم في قتال أهلها, إذ بايعوا رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم, على أن لا يفرّوا عنه, ولا شكّ أن التي عجلت لهم غير التي لم تُعجَّل لهم. وقوله ( وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ ) يقول تعالى ذكره لأهل بيعة الرضوان: وكفّ الله أيدي المشركين عنكم. ثم اختلف أهل التأويل في الذين كفَّت أيديهم عنهم من هم؟ فقال بعضهم: هم اليهود كفّ الله أيديهم عن عيال الذين ساروا من المدينة مع رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم إلى مكة. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة ( وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ ) : عن بيوتهم, وعن عيالهم بالمدينة حين ساروا إلى الحديبية وإلى خيبر, وكانت خيبر في ذلك الوجه. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة, في قوله ( وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ ) قال: كف أيدي الناس عن عيالهم بالمدينة. وقال آخرون: بل عني بذلك أيدي قريش إذ حبسهم الله عنهم, فلم يقدروا له على مكروه. والذي قاله قتادة في ذلك عندي أشبه بتأويل الآية, وذلك أن كفّ الله أيدي المشركين من أهل مكة عن أهل الحُديبية قد ذكره الله بعد هذه الآية في قوله وَهُوَ الَّذِي كَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنْكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ بِبَطْنِ مَكَّةَ فعلم بذلك أن الكفّ الذي ذكره الله تعالى في قوله ( وَكَفَّ أَيْدِيَ النَّاسِ عَنْكُمْ ) غير الكفّ الذي ذكر الله بعد هذه الآية في قوله وَهُوَ الَّذِي كَفَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ عَنْكُمْ وَأَيْدِيَكُمْ عَنْهُمْ بِبَطْنِ مَكَّةَ . وقوله ( وَلِتَكُونَ آيَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ) يقول: وليكون كفه تعالى ذكره أيديهم عن عيالهم آية وعبرة للمؤمنين به فيعلموا أن الله هو المتولي حياطَتهم وكلاءتهم في مشهدهم ومغيبهم, ويتقوا الله في أنفسهم وأموالهم وأهليهم بالحفظ وحُسن الولاية ما كانوا مقيمين على طاعته, منتهين إلى أمره ونهيه. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة ( وَلِتَكُونَ آيَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ) يقول: وذلك آية للمؤمنين, كفّ أيدي الناس عن عيالهم (وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ صِرَاطًا مُسْتَقِيمًا) يقول: ويسدّدكم أيها المؤمنون طريقا واضحا لا اعوجاج فيه, فيبينه لكم, وهو أن تثقوا في أموركم كلها بربكم, فتتوكلوا عليه في جميعها, ليحوطكم حياطته إياكم في مسيركم إلى مكة مع رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم في أنفسكم وأهليكم وأموالكم, فقد رأيتم أثر فعل الله بكم, إذ وثقتم في مسيركم هذا.