Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says to those among the People of the Book who believe in Him and in Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: your Lord does this with you so that the People of the Book may know that they have no power over anything of the bounty of Allah which He has given you and with which He has favored you. For they supposed that Allah had favored them above the whole of creation, so Allah, exalted is His praise, let them know that He has given to the community of Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, a bounty and an honor that He had not given them, and that the People of the Book envied the believers when His saying was sent down: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ("O you who believe, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you may walk, and forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful"). Then Allah, mighty and exalted, said: I did that so that the People of the Book may know that they have no power over anything of the bounty of Allah.

   And in the spirit of what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken.

   * 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 saying: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ ("O you who believe, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger") ... to the end of the verse, he said: when this verse was sent down, the People of the Book envied the Muslims on account of it, so Allah, mighty and exalted, sent down: لِئَلا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَلا يَقْدِرُونَ ("so that the People of the Book may know that they have no power") ... to the end of the verse. He said: it has been related to us that the Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say: "Indeed, our likeness and the likeness of the People of the two Books who preceded us is like the likeness of a man who hired laborers to work for him until the evening for a qīrāṭ. When the day was halfway through, they grew weary of his work and became fed up with it, so he settled accounts with them and gave them in proportion to that. Then he hired laborers until the evening for two qīrāṭ, who carried out the rest of his work for him. Then it was said to him: how is it that these work the least and receive the most wages? He said: what prevents me from giving to whom I will? And I hope that we are the ones with the two qīrāṭ."

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ ("a double portion of His mercy"), he said: it has been related to us that when it was sent down, the People of the Book envied the Muslims, so Allah sent down: لِئَلا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَلا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ ("so that the People of the Book may know that they have no power over anything of the bounty of Allah").

   Abū ʿAmmār related to us, saying: al-Faḍl ibn Mūsā related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn al-Sāʾib, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: لِئَلا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ ("so that the People of the Book may know"): those who listen, أَلا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ ("that they have no power over anything of the bounty of Allah").

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn al-Sāʾib, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, something similar.

   And it has been said: لِئَلا يَعْلَمَ ("so that they may not know") in reality means: so that they may know. And it has been mentioned that in the reading of ʿAbd Allāh it stands: لِكَيْ يَعْلَمَ أهْلُ الكِتابِ ألا يَقْدِرُونَ ("so that the People of the Book may know that they have no power"), for the Arabs place "lā" as a connecting (ṣila) element in every utterance in which a non-explicit negation is included at the beginning or the end, as in His saying with the preceding negation that was not made explicit: مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ("What prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you?"), and His saying: وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَا إِذَا جَاءَتْ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ ("And what makes you perceive that, when it comes, they will not believe?"), and His saying: وَحَرَامٌ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا ("And it is forbidden for a town which We have destroyed") ... to the end of the verse, the meaning of which is: We have destroyed it, that they should return.

   And in the spirit of what we have said about this, the exegetes have spoken.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, saying: Abū Hārūn al-Ghanawī informed us, saying: Khaṭṭāb ibn ʿAbd Allāh said: لِئَلا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَلا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ ("so that the People of the Book may know that they have no power over anything of the bounty of Allah").

   He said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Abū al-Muʿallā, saying: Saʿīd ibn Jubayr used to say: لِكَيْلا يَعْلَمَ أهْلُ الكِتاب ("so that the People of the Book may know").

   And His saying: وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ ("and that the bounty is in the hand of Allah"), the Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: and so that they may know that the bounty is in the hand of Allah, not with them, and not with anyone else of creation, يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ("He gives it to whom He wills"), He says: He gives that bounty of His to whom He wills of His creation; that belongs to none but Him, وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ ("and Allah is the Possessor of great bounty"), the Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: and Allah is the Possessor of bounty over His creation, whose bounty is great.

   Show original Arabic

   يقول تعالى ذكره للمؤمنين به وبمحمد صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم من أهل الكتاب، يفعل بكم ربكم هذا لكي يعلم أهل الكتاب أنهم لا يقدرون على شيء من فضل الله الذي آتاكم وخصكم به، لأنهم كانوا يرون أن الله قد فضّلهم على جميع الخلق، فأعلمهم الله جلّ ثناؤه أنه قد آتى أمة محمد صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم من الفضل والكرامة، ما لم يؤتهم، وأن أهل الكتاب حسدوا المؤمنين لما نـزل قوله: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ، فقال الله عزّ وجلّ: فعلت ذلك؛ ليعلم أهل الكتاب أنهم لا يقدرون على شيء من فضل الله. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: ( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ ) ... الآية، قال: لما نـزلت هذه الآية، حسد أهل الكتاب المسلمين عليها، فأنـزل الله عزّ وجلّ( لِئَلا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَلا يَقْدِرُونَ ) ... الآية، قال: ذُكر لنا أن نبيّ الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم كان يقول: " إنَّما مَثَلُنا وَمَثَلُ أهْل الكتابَيْن قَبْلَنا، كمَثَل رَجُلٍ اسْتأجَرَ أُجُرَاءَ، يَعْمَلُونَ إلى اللَّيْلِ على قيرَاطٍ، فَلَمَّا انْتَصَفَ النهارُ سَئمُوا عَمَلَهُ وَمَلُّوا، فحاسَبَهُمْ، فأعَطَاهُمْ عَلى قَدْرِ ذَلكَ، ثُمَّ اسْتأجَرَ أُجُرَاءَ إلىَ اللَّيْلِ عَلى قِيرَاطَيْن، يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ بَقيةَ عَمَلِهِ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ ما شأنُ هَؤُلاءِ أقَلَّهُمْ عَمَلا وأكْثرهُمْ أجْرًا؟ قال: مالي أُعْطِي مَنْ شِئْتُ، فأرْجُو أنْ نَكون نَحْنُ أصحاب القِيرَاطَينِ". حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا ابن ثور، عن معمر، عن قتادة كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ قال: بلغنا أنها حين نـزلت حسد أهل الكتاب المسلمين، فأنـزل الله ( لِئَلا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَلا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ ) . حدثنا أبو عمار، قال: ثنا الفضل بن موسى، عن سفيان، عن عطاء بن السائب، عن سعيد بن جُبَير عن ابن عباس ( لِئَلا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ ) : الذين يتسمعون ( أَلا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ ) . حدثنا ابن حُمَيد، قال: ثنا مهران، عن سفيان، عن عطاء بن السائب، عن سعيد بن جُبَير، عن ابن عباس، مثله. وقيل ( لِئَلا يَعْلَمَ ) إنما هو ليعلم: وذُكر أن ذلك في قراءة عبد الله ( لِكَيْ يَعْلَمَ أهْلُ الكِتابِ ألا يَقْدِرُونَ )، لأن العرب تجعل " لا " صلة في كلّ كلام دخل في أوّله أو آخره جحد غير مصرّح، كقوله في الجحد السابق، الذي لم يصرّح به مَا مَنَعَكَ أَلا تَسْجُدَ إِذْ أَمَرْتُكَ ، وقوله: وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَا إِذَا جَاءَتْ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ ، وقوله: وَحَرَامٌ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا ... الآية، ومعنى ذلك: أهلكناها أنهم يرجعون. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني يعقوب بن إبراهيم، قال: ثنا ابن علية، قال: أخبرنا أبو هارون الغنويّ، قال، قال خطاب بن عبد الله: ( لِئَلا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَلا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ ) . قال: ثنا ابن علية، عن أبي المعلى، قال: كان سعيد بن جُبَير يقول ( لِكَيْلا يَعْلَمَ أهْلُ الكِتاب ). وقوله: ( وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: وليعلموا أن الفضل بيد الله دونهم، ودون غيرهم من الخلق، ( يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ ) يقول: يعطي فضله ذلك من يشاء من خلقه، ليس ذلك إلى أحد سواه، ( وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: والله ذو الفضل على خلقه، العظيم فضله.