Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The statement concerning the interpretation of His word, the Exalted: سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ (31) ("We shall soon attend to you, O you two weighty groups").

   The reciters have differed over the recitation of His word: سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ. Most of the reciters of Medina and Baṣra, as well as some of the Meccans, read it as سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ ("We shall attend to you") with the nūn. And most of the reciters of Kūfa read it as سَيَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ ("He shall attend to you") with the yāʾ, with a fatḥa upon it, in agreement with His word: يَسْأَلُهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ("Whoever is in the heavens and the earth asks of Him"), for He did not say, "Whoever is in the heavens asks of us." Thus they made the one statement follow upon the other.

   The correct view concerning this, in our judgement, is that they are two well-known recitations, related to one another in meaning; with whichever of the two the reciter recites, he has hit upon what is correct.

   As for its interpretation: it is a threat and a warning from Allah to His servants, like the saying of one who threatens and warns another, while he has no occupation that distracts him from punishing him: "I shall most assuredly attend to you completely" and "I shall come to attend to you," in the sense of: I shall exert myself over your affair and punish you. And sometimes a person says to one who has no occupation: "You have devoted yourself to me" and "You have devoted yourself to reviling me," that is to say: you have set about it and directed yourself to it. So too is His word, exalted be His praise: سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ ("We shall attend to you"): We shall call you to account and attend to your affair, O mankind and jinn, and We shall punish the people of disobedience and reward the people of obedience.

   In accordance with what we have said concerning this, the scholars of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   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: سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ ("We shall soon attend to you, O you two weighty groups"), he said: It is a threat from Allah to the servants, while Allah has no occupation, and He is unoccupied.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, that he recited: سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ ("We shall soon attend to you, O you two weighty groups"), he said: The time when Allah will attend to His creation has drawn near.

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk: سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ ("We shall soon attend to you, O you two weighty groups"), he said: a threat. And it is possible to direct the meaning thereof toward: We shall free Ourselves for you in order to fulfil that which We have promised you of reward and punishment.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ (31) اختلفت القرّاء في قراءة قوله: ( سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ ) فقرأته عامة قرّاء المدينة والبصرة وبعض المكيين (سَنَفَرغُ لَكُمْ ) بالنون. وقرأ ذلك عامة قرّاء الكوفة ( سَيَفرغ لَكُمْ ) بالياء، وفتحها ردّا على قوله: يَسْأَلُهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ، ولم يقل : يسألنا من في السموات، فأتبعوا الخبر الخبر. والصواب من القول في ذلك عندنا أنهما قراءتان معروفتان متقاربتا المعنى، فبأيّتهما قرأ القارئ فمصيب. وأما تأويله : فإنه وعيد من الله لعباده وتهدد، كقول القائل الذي يتهدّد غيره ويتوعده، ولا شغل له يشغله عن عقابه، لأتفرغنّ لك، وسأتفرّغ لك، بمعنى: سأجدّ في أمرك وأعاقبك، وقد يقول القائل للذي لا شغل له: قد فرغت لي، وقد فرغت لشتمي: أي أخذت فيه، وأقبلت عليه، وكذلك قوله جلّ ثناؤه: (سَنَفْرغُ لَكُمْ ): سنحاسبكم، ونأخذ في أمركم أيها الإنس والجنّ، فنعاقب أهل المعاصي، ونثيب أهل الطاعة. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك، قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني عليّ، قال: ثنا أبو صالح، قال: ثني معاوية، عن عليّ، عن ابن عباس، قوله: ( سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ )، قال: وَعيد من الله للعباد، وليس بالله شغل، وهو فارغ. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا ابن ثور، عن معمر، عن قتادة أنه تلا( سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ ) قال: دنا من الله فراغ لخلقه. حدثنا ابن حُميد، قال: ثنا مهران، عن سفيان، عن جُويبر، عن الضحاك ( سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَا الثَّقَلانِ )، قال: وعيد، وقد يحتمل أن يوجه معنى ذلك إلى: سنفرغ لكم من وعدناكم ما وعدناكم من الثواب والعقاب.