Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The discourse on the explanation of His statement, exalted is His remembrance: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَى أَلا تَعْدِلُوا (O you who believe, be steadfast for Allah as witnesses in equity, and let not the hatred of a people lead you to be unjust).

   Abū Jaʿfar said: He, exalted is His praise, means by it: O you who believe in Allah and in His messenger Muḥammad — let it be among your traits of character and qualities that you are steadfast for Allah as witnesses with justice (ʿadl), both with respect to your allies and your enemies. And be not unjust in your judgments and your deeds, such that you would transgress what I have established for you regarding your enemies because of their enmity toward you; nor fall short in what I have established for you of My judgments and My limits (ḥudūd) regarding your allies because of their alliance with you. Rather, hold yourselves, regarding all of them, to My limit, and act therein according to My command.

   * * *

   As for His statement: "and let not the hatred of a people lead you to be unjust" — by it He says: let not the enmity toward a people lead you to be unjust in your judgment concerning them and in your dealings with them, such that you would wrong them on account of the enmity that exists between you and them.

   * * *

   We have already mentioned the report of the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) concerning the meaning of His statement: كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ (Be steadfast in equity as witnesses for Allah) [Surah An-Nisāʾ: 135], and concerning His statement: وَلا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ (And let not the hatred of a people lead you) [Surah Al-Māʾidah: 2], as well as the disagreement of those who differ over its recitation, and which opinion and recitation therein is most in accord with what is correct — on the basis of the proofs that demonstrate its correctness — in a manner that makes it superfluous to repeat here in this place.

   * * *

   And it has been said: this verse was revealed to the messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when the Jews intended to kill him.

   Mention of who said that:

   11556 - Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn Kathīr: "O you who believe, be steadfast for Allah as witnesses in equity, and let not the hatred of a people lead you to be unjust; be just, that is nearer to godfearing" — this was revealed concerning the Jews of Khaybar, who wished to kill the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. And Ibn Jurayj said: ʿAbdallāh ibn Kathīr said: the messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went to the Jews to seek their help with a blood-money payment (diya), and they intended to kill him; so that is His statement: "and let not the hatred of a people lead you to be unjust"... the verse.

   * * *

   The discourse on the explanation of His statement, exalted is His remembrance: اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَى وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ (Be just, that is nearer to godfearing; and fear Allah, indeed Allah is well-informed of what you do) (8).

   Abū Jaʿfar said: by His statement, exalted is His praise, "be just" He means: O believers, toward every person, whether he be an ally of yours or an enemy — bind them, then, to that which I have commanded you to bind them to of My judgments, and deviate from that with none of them in injustice.

   * * *

   As for His statement: "that is nearer to godfearing" — by His statement "that" He means: justice toward them is, for you, O believers, nearer to godfearing (taqwā); that is to say: nearer to your being, by applying it, among the people of godfearing with Allah — and they are the people of fear of and wariness toward Allah, lest they oppose Him in anything of His command, or commit anything of the sins against Him.

   * * *

   He, exalted is His praise, characterized "justice" with that with which He characterized it — namely that it is "nearer to godfearing" than injustice — only because whoever is just is, by his justice, obedient to Allah; and whoever is obedient to Allah belongs without doubt among the people of godfearing; and whoever is unjust is disobedient to Allah; and whoever is disobedient to Allah is far removed from His godfearing.

   * * *

   By His statement "that is nearer" He refers only metonymically to the action. The Arabs refer metonymically to actions, when they refer to them, with "huwa" (he/it) and with "dhālika" (that), just as He, exalted is His praise, said: فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ (then that is better for you) [Surah Al-Baqarah: 271] and ذَلِكُمْ أَزْكَى لَكُمْ (that is purer for you) [Surah Al-Baqarah: 232]. And had the word "huwa" not been present in the statement, then "aqrab" (nearer) would have stood in the accusative, and it would have been said: "be just, nearer to godfearing", just as it was said: انْتَهُوا خَيْرًا لَكُمْ (cease, that is better for you) [Surah An-Nisāʾ: 171].

   * * *

   As for His statement: "and fear Allah, indeed Allah is well-informed of what you do" — by it He means: and be wary, O believers, lest you commit injustice against His servants, such that you would transgress, regarding them, His judgment and His decree, which He has made clear to you, whereby His punishment would descend upon you and you would deserve His painful chastisement. "Indeed Allah is well-informed of what you do", that is to say: indeed Allah possesses knowledge and is aware of what you do, O believers, with respect to that which He has commanded you and that which He has forbidden you — whether one acts upon it or opposes it — and He records all of that against you, until He will requite you for it with your requital: the doer of good among you for his good deed, and the doer of evil for his evil. So be wary, then, lest you do evil.

   -------------------------

   The footnotes:

   (192) In the printed edition it reads: "li-wilāyatihim", with "lakum" omitted; I have adopted it from the manuscript.

   (193) See the explanation of "al-qisṭ" (equity) in what preceded, 9: 301, footnote 5, and the references there.

   (194) See what preceded, 9: 301, the first verse = then the second, 9: 483-487.

   (195) See the explanation of "al-ʿadl" (justice) and "al-taqwā" (godfearing) in the preceding linguistic indices.

   (196) "Al-fiʿl" (the action) here means the verbal noun (maṣdar) of the verb, as just preceded on p. 82, footnote 2; see also the index of terms.

   (197) In the printed edition it stood: "huwa khayrun lakum", and in the manuscript with the omission of "huwa"; what I have adopted is the text of the verse Al-Baqarah: 271; consult it at 5: 582 of what preceded. See also Maʿānī al-Qurʾān of al-Farrāʾ, 1: 303.

   (198) In the printed edition and the manuscript it reads: "dhālika adhkā"; I have adopted the text of the verse Al-Baqarah. See what preceded, 5: 29.

   (199) See what preceded, 9: 413-415.

   (200) See the explanation of "khabīr" (well-informed) in the preceding linguistic indices.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله عز ذكره : يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَى أَلا تَعْدِلُوا قال أبو جعفر: يعني بذلك جل ثناؤه: يا أيها الذين آمنوا بالله وبرسوله محمد، ليكن من أخلاقكم وصفاتكم القيامُ لله شهداء بالعدل في أوليائكم وأعدائكم، (192) ولا تجوروا في أحكامكم وأفعالكم فتجاوزوا ما حددت لكم في أعدائكم لعدواتهم لكم، ولا تقصِّروا فيما حددت لكم من أحكامي وحدودي في أوليائكم لولايتهم لكم، (193) ولكن انتهوا في جميعهم إلى حدِّي، واعملوا فيه بأمري. * * * وأما قوله: " ولا يجرمنكم شنآن قوم على ألا تعدلوا " فإنه يقول: ولا يحملنكم عداوةُ قوم على ألا تعدلوا في حكمكم فيهم وسيرتكم بينهم، فتجوروا عليهم من أجل ما بينكم وبينهم من العداوة. * * * وقد ذَكرنا الرواية عن أهل التأويل في معنى قوله: كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ [سورة النساء: 135] وفي قوله: وَلا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ [سورة المائدة: 2] واختلاف المختلفين في قراءة ذلك، والذي هو أولى بالصواب من القول فيه والقراءة= بالأدلة الدالة على صحته، بما أغنى عن إعادته في هذا الموضع. (194) * * * وقد قيل: إن هذه الآية نـزلت على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم حين همت اليهود بقتله. ذكر من قال ذلك: 11556 - حدثنا القاسم قال، حدثنا الحسين قال، حدثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج، عن عبد الله بن كثير: " يا أيها الذين آمنوا كونوا قوامين لله شهداء بالقسط ولا يجرمنكم شنآن قوم على ألا تعدلوا اعدلوا هو أقرب للتقوى "، نـزلت في يهود خيبر، أرادوا قتل النبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم= وقال ابن جريج، قال عبد الله بن كثير: ذهب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى يهود يستعينهم في دية، فهمُّوا أن يقتلوه، فذلك قوله: " ولا يجرمنكم شنآن قوم على ألا تعدلوا "... الآية. * * * القول في تأويل قوله عز ذكره : اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَى وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ (8) قال أبو جعفر: يعني بقوله جل ثناؤه: " اعدلوا " أيها المؤمنون، على كل أحد من الناس وليًّا لكم كان أو عدوًّا، فاحملوهم على ما أمرتكم أن تحملوهم عليه من أحكامي، ولا تجوروا بأحد منهم عنه. * * * وأما قوله: " هو أقرب للتقوى " فإنه يعني بقوله: " هو " العدلُ عليهم أقرب لكم أيها المؤمنون إلى التقوى، يعني: إلى أن تكونوا عند الله باستعمالكم إياه من أهل التقوى، وهم أهل الخوف والحذر من الله أن يخالفوه في شيء من أمره، أو يأتوا شيئا من معاصيه. (195) * * * وإنما وصف جل ثناؤه " العَدْل " بما وصفه به من أنه " أقرب للتقوى " من الجور، لأن من كان عادلا كان لله بعدله مطيعًا، ومن كان لله مطيعا، كان لا شك من أهل التقوى، ومن كان جائرا كان لله عاصيا، ومن كان لله عاصيا، كان بعيدًا من تقواه. * * * وإنما كنى بقوله: " هو أقرب " عن الفعل (196) والعرب تكني عن الأفعال إذا كَنَتْ عنها بـ " هو " وبـ " ذلك "، كما قال جل ثناؤه: فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ (197) [سورة البقرة: 271] و ذَلِكُمْ أَزْكَى لَكُمْ [سورة البقرة: 232]. (198) ولو لم يكن في الكلام " هو " لكان " أقرب " نصبا، ولقيل: " اعدلوا أقربَ للتقوى "، كما قيل: انْتَهُوا خَيْرًا لَكُمْ [سورة النساء: 171]. (199) * * * وأما قوله: " واتقوا الله إنّ الله خبير بما تعملون "، فإنه يعني: واحذروا أيها المؤمنون، أن تجوروا في عباده فتجاوزوا فيهم حكمه وقضاءَه الذين بيّن لكم، فيحلّ بكم عقوبته، وتستوجبوا منه أليم نكاله=" إن الله خبير بما تعملون "، يقول: إن الله ذو خبرة وعلم بما تعملون أيها المؤمنون فيما أمركم به وفيما نهاكم عنه، من عمل به أو خلافٍ له، مُحْصٍ ذلكم عليكم كلّه، حتى يجازيكم به جزاءَكم، المحسنَ منكم بإحسانه، والمسيءَ بإساءته، فاتقوا أن تسيئوا. (200) ------------------------- الهوامش : (192) في المطبوعة: "لولايتهم" ، وأسقط"لكم" ، وأثبتها من المخطوطة. (193) انظر تفسير"القسط" فيما سلف 9: 301 ، تعليق: 5 ، والمراجع هناك. (194) انظر ما سلف 9: 301 ، الآية الأولى = ثم الثانية 9: 483- 487. (195) انظر تفسير"العدل" ، و"التقوى" ، فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة. (196) "الفعل" ، يعني مصدر الفعل ، كما سلف قريبا ص: 82 ، تعليق: 2 ، وانظر فهرس المصطلحات. (197) كان في المطبوعة: "هو خير لكم" ، وفي المخطوطة بإسقاط"هو" ، وهذا الذي أثبته هو نص آية البقرة: 271 ، وراجع ذلك في 5: 582 مما سلف. وانظر معاني القرآن للفراء 1: 303. (198) في المطبوعة والمخطوطة: "ذلك أذكى" ، وأثبت نص آية البقرة. وانظر ما سلف 5: 29. (199) انظر ما سلف 9: 413-415. (200) انظر تفسير"خبير" فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة.