Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the words of the Exalted, whose praise is exalted: لَئِنْ بَسَطْتَ إِلَيَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِي مَا أَنَا بِبَاسِطٍ يَدِيَ إِلَيْكَ لأَقْتُلَكَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ (28) ("If you stretch out your hand against me to kill me, I shall not stretch out my hand against you to kill you; indeed, I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds") (5:28).

   Abū Jaʿfar said: This is a report from Allah, whose mention is exalted, concerning the one who was killed of the two sons of Adam: that he said to his brother — when his murdering brother had said to him: "I shall surely kill you" —: By Allah, "if you stretch out your hand against me," that is: stretch your hand toward me, "to kill me, I shall not stretch out my hand against you," that is: I shall not stretch out my hand toward you "to kill you."

   * * *

   People have differed concerning the reason why the one who was killed said this to his brother and did not restrain him from what he was doing to him. Some said: He said that in order to let his murdering brother know that he did not consider it permissible to kill him or to stretch out his hand against him with anything for which Allah, Mighty and Exalted, had granted him no permission.

   Mention of who said that:

   11727 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: ʿAwf related to us, on the authority of Abū al-Mughīra, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn ʿAmr, that he said: By Allah, the one who was killed was the stronger of the two men, but piety restrained him from stretching out his hand against his brother.

   11728 — 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: "If you stretch out your hand against me to kill me, I shall not stretch out my hand against you," that is: I shall not defend myself, and I shall surely hold my hand back from you.

   * * *

   Others said: He did not restrain him from what he intended, namely to kill him, and he said to him what he said, as Allah mentions in His Book, [except] that Allah, whose mention is exalted, had prescribed for them that the one whose death was intended should not defend himself against the one who intended that against him.

   Mention of who said that:

   11729 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: A man who had heard Mujāhid speak related to us, concerning His words: "If you stretch out your hand against me to kill me, I shall not stretch out my hand against you to kill you," Mujāhid said: It was prescribed for them that when a man wished to kill a man, the latter would let him do as he pleased and would not defend himself against him.

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   Abū Jaʿfar said: The correct of the two views concerning this is that one says: Allah, whose mention is exalted, had forbidden them the killing of a soul without justification — unlawfully — and the one who was killed said to his brother: "I shall not stretch out my hand against you if you stretch out your hand against me," because the killing of his brother was forbidden to him just as the killing of him was forbidden to his murdering brother. As for refraining from defense when the other wished to kill him: there is no indication that, when the murderer wished to kill him and had resolved upon it, the one who was killed knew what the other intended against him and was plotting to kill him, such that he abandoned defense in protection of his own life. On the contrary, a group of the scholars have mentioned that he killed him by trickery: he took him by surprise while he slept and smashed his head with a boulder. And since that is possible, and there was in the verse no indication that he was commanded to refrain from defending himself against his brother who wished to kill him, it would be permissible to assert something that is not in the verse, except on the basis of a proof that one is obliged to accept.

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   As for the explanation of His words: "Indeed, I fear Allah, the Lord of the worlds," it is: indeed, I fear Allah concerning the stretching out of my hand against you, were I to stretch it out to kill you, "the Lord of the worlds," meaning: the Owner of all creatures, that He would punish me for stretching out my hand against you.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله عز ذكره : لَئِنْ بَسَطْتَ إِلَيَّ يَدَكَ لِتَقْتُلَنِي مَا أَنَا بِبَاسِطٍ يَدِيَ إِلَيْكَ لأَقْتُلَكَ إِنِّي أَخَافُ اللَّهَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ (28) قال أبو جعفر: وهذا خبر من الله تعالى ذكره عن المقتول من ابني آدم أنه قال لأخيه= لما قال له أخوه القاتل: لأقتلنك=: والله " لئن بسطت إليَّ يدك "، يقول: مددت إليَّ يدك=" لتقتلني ما أنا بباسط يدي إليك "، يقول: ما أنا بمادٍّ يدي إليك (104) " لأقتلك ". * * * وقد اختلف في السبب الذي من أجله قال المقتول ذلك لأخيه، ولم يمانعه ما فَعَل به. فقال بعضهم: قال ذلك، إعلامًا منه لأخيه القاتل أنه لا يستحل قتلَه ولا بسطَ يده إليه بما لم يأذن الله جل وعز له به. (105) ذكر من قال ذلك: 11727 - حدثنا محمد بن بشار قال، حدثنا محمد بن جعفر قال، حدثنا عوف، عن أبي المغيرة، عن عبد الله بن عمرو أنه قال: وايم الله، إن كان المقتول لأشدَّ الرجلين، ولكن منعه التحرُّج أن يبسُط إلى أخيه. (106) 11728 - حدثني محمد بن سعد قال، حدثني أبي قال، حدثني عمي قال، حدثني أبي، عن أبيه، عن ابن عباس: " لئن بسطت إليّ يدك لتقتلني ما أنا بباسط يدي إليك "، ما أنا بمنتصر، (107) ولأمسكنَّ يدي عنك. * * * وقال آخرون: لم يمنعه مما أراد من قتله، وقال ما قال له مما قصَّ الله في كتابه: [إلا] أن الله عزّ ذكره فرضَ عليهم أن لا يمتنع من أريد قتله ممن أراد ذلك منه. (108) ذكر من قال ذلك: 11729 - حدثني الحارث قال، حدثنا عبد العزيز قال، حدثنا رجل سمع مجاهدًا يقول في قوله: " لئن بسطت إليّ يدك لتقتلني ما أنا بباسط يدي إليك لأقتلك "، قال مجاهد: كان كُتب عليهم، (109) إذا أراد الرجل أن يقتل رجلا تركه ولا يمتنع منه. * * * قال أبو جعفر: وأولى القولين في ذلك بالصواب أن يقال: إن الله عز ذكره قد كان حرَّم عليهم قتل نفسٍ بغير نفس ظلمًا، وأن المقتول قال لأخيه: " ما أنا بباسط يدي إليك إن بسطت إليّ يدك "، لأنه كان حرامًا عليه من قتل أخيه مثلُ الذي كان حرامًا على أخيه القاتل من قتله. فأما الامتناع من قتله حين أراد قتله، فلا دلالة على أن القاتلَ حين أراد قتله وعزم عليه، كان المقتول عالمًا بما هو عليه عازمٌ منه ومحاولٌ من قتله، فترك دفعَه عن نفسه. بل قد ذكر جماعة من أهل العلم أنه قتله غِيلةً، اغتاله وهو نائم، فشدَخ رأسه بصخرةٍ. (110) فإذْ كان ذلك ممكنًا، ولم يكن في الآيةِ دلالة على أنه كان مأمورًا بترك منع أخيه من قتله، يكون جائزًا ادعاءُ ما ليس في الآية، إلا ببرهان يجب تسليمُه. * * * وأما تأويل قوله: " إنّي أخاف الله رب العالمين " فإنه: إنّي أخاف الله في بسط يدي إليك إن بسطتها لقتلك= (111) " رب العالمين "، يعني: مالك الخلائق كلها (112) =أن يعاقبني على بسط يدي إليك. -------------------- الهوامش : (104) انظر تفسير: "بسط" فيما سلف ص: 100. (105) في المطبوعة: "بما لم يأذن الله به" ، أسقط ما هو ثابت في المخطوطة ، ولا أدري لم يرتكب ذلك!! (106) الأثر: 11727- سلف هذا الأثر مطولا برقم: 11705 ، وانظر التعليق عليه هناك. (107) في المطبوعة والمخطوطة: "لا أنا" ، والسياق يقتضي ما أثبت. (108) الزيادة بين القوسين لا بد منها لسياق هذه الجملة. (109) في المطبوعة: "كان كتب الله عليهم" ، وأثبت ما في المخطوطة. (110) انظر الآثار التالية من رقم: 11746-11749. (111) في المطبوعة: "فإني أخاف" ، وهو لا يستقيم ، والصواب ما أثبته من المخطوطة. (112) انظر تفسير"رب" و"العالمون" فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة.