Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His word: between the two is a barrier (barzakh) which they do not transgress (55:20). The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: between the two is a barrier and a distance; neither spoils the other by encroaching upon it. And everything that lies between two things is, among the Arabs, a "barzakh," and what lies between this world and the Hereafter is a barzakh.

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

   * Mention of who said that:

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaʿqūb related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Ibn Abzā: between the two is a barzakh which they do not transgress: neither encroaches upon the other.

   He said: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, saying: Fiṭr related to us, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: between the two is a barzakh which they do not transgress. He said: between the two is a barrier from Allah, neither encroaches upon the other.

   ʿAlī related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: between the two is a barzakh which they do not transgress. He says: a barrier.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: between the two is a barzakh which they do not transgress: and the barzakh is this island, this dry land.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, he said: the barzakh which is between the two: the land that is between the two.

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Marwān related to us, saying: Abū al-ʿAwwām related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: between the two is a barzakh which they do not transgress. He said: the salt is held back from the sweet, and the sweet from the salt, and the water from the dry land, and the dry land from the water, so that neither encroaches upon the other, by His power, His subtlety, and His might.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: He has joined the two seas together, they meet * between the two is a barzakh which they do not transgress. He said: He has prevented them from meeting each other by the barzakh which He has placed between the two of the land. He said: and the barzakh is the distance of the land which He has placed between the two.

   And the exegetes differed concerning the meaning of His word: they do not transgress. Some of them said: the meaning of that is: neither encroaches upon the other.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaʿqūb related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar, on the authority of Ibn Abzā: they do not transgress: neither encroaches upon the other.

   He said: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, saying: Fiṭr related to us, on the authority of Mujāhid, the same.

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Marwān related to us, saying: Abū al-ʿAwwām related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, the same.

   And others said: the meaning of that is rather that they do not mix together.

   * 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 on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: they do not transgress. He said: they do not mix together.

   And others said: the meaning of that is rather: they do not encroach upon the dry land.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: they do not transgress: upon the dry land, and what each takes from the other is an encroachment; so He held back each from the other by His might, His subtlety, and His majesty, blessed and exalted is He.

   And others said: the meaning of that is rather: they do not strive to meet each other.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: they do not transgress. He said: neither strives to meet the other.

   And the most correct of the statements concerning this is to say: Allah described the two seas which He mentioned in this verse as not transgressing, and He did not restrict their description to one aspect rather than another; rather, He stated the report concerning that in general terms. So the correct view is that it be understood generally, just as He, exalted is His praise, stated it generally, so that one says: they do not encroach upon anything, and neither encroaches upon the other, and they do not transgress the limit of Allah which He has set for them.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله: ( بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيَانِ )، يقول تعالى ذكره: بينهما حاجز وبعدٌ، لا يُفسد أحدهما صاحبه فيبغي بذلك عليه، وكل شيء كان بين شيئين فهو برزخ عند العرب، وما بين الدنيا والآخرة برزخ. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن حُميد، قال: ثنا يعقوب، عن جعفر، عن ابن أبزى ( بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيَانِ ): لا يبغي أحدهما على صاحبه. قال: ثنا يحيى بن واضح، قال: ثنا فطر، عن مجاهد، قوله: ( بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيَانِ ) قال: بينهما حاجز من الله، لا يبغي أحدهما على الآخر. حدثني عليّ، قال: ثنا أبو صالح، قال: ثني معاوية، عن عليّ، عن ابن عباس، قوله: ( بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيَانِ ) يقول: حاجز. حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: ( بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيَانِ )، والبرزخ : هذه الجزيرة، هذا اليبَس. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا ابن ثور، عن معمر، عن قتادة، قال: البرزخ الذي بينهما: الأرض التي بينهما. حدثنا ابن بشار، قال: ثنا محمد بن مروان، قال: ثنا أبو العوّام، عن قتادة ( بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيَانِ ) قال: حُجِز المالح عن العذب، والعذب عن المالح، والماء عن اليبس، واليبس عن الماء، فلا يبغي بعضه على بعض بقوتّه ولطفه وقُدرته. حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال: قال ابن زيد، في قوله: ( مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ * بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لا يَبْغِيَانِ ) قال: منعهما أن يلتقيا بالبرزخ الذي جعل بينهما من الأرض. قال: والبرزخ بعد الأرض الذي جعل بينهما. واختلف أهل التأويل في معنى قوله: ( لا يَبْغِيانِ ) فقال بعضهم: معنى ذلك: لا يبغي أحدهما على صاحبه. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن حُميد، قال: ثنا يعقوب، عَن جعفر، عن ابن أبزى ( لا يَبْغِيانِ ) : لا يبغي أحدهما على صاحبه. قال: ثنا يحيى بن واضح، قال: ثنا فطر، عن مجاهد، مثله. حدثنا ابن بشار، قال: ثنا محمد بن مروان، قال: ثنا أبو العوّام، عن قتادة مثله. وقال آخرون : بل معنى ذلك: أنهما لا يختلطان. * 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 &; 23-32 &; أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد، قوله: ( لا يَبْغِيانِ ) قال: لا يختلطان. وقال آخرون : بل معنى ذلك: لا يبغيان على اليَبَس. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: ( لا يَبْغِيانِ ): على اليبس، وما أخذ أحدهما من صاحبه فهو بغي، فحجز أحدهما عن صاحبه بقدرته ولطفه وجلاله تبارك وتعالى. وقال آخرون : بل معناه: لا يبغيان أن يلتقيا. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال، قال ابن زيد، في قوله: ( لا يَبْغِيانِ ) قال: لا يبغي أحدهما أن يلتقي مع صاحبه. وأولى الأقوال في ذلك بالصواب أن يقال: إن الله وصف البحرين اللذين ذكرهما في هذه الآية أنهما لا يبغيان، ولم يخصص وصفهما في شيء دون شيء، بل عمّ الخبر عنهما بذلك، فالصواب أن يُعَمَّ كما عمّ جلّ ثناؤه، فيقال: إنهما لا يبغيان على شيء، ولا يبغي أحدهما على صاحبه، ولا يتجاوزان حدّ الله الذي حدّه لهما.