Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: هُوَ الأوَّلُ ("He is the First") before all things, without beginning, وَالآخِرُ ("and the Last"). He says: and the Last after all things, without end. That is said thus because He existed while nothing other than He existed, and He remains in existence after the perishing of all things, just as the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, said: كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلا وَجْهَهُ ("All things perish, except His Face"). And His statement: وَالظَّاهِرُ ("and the Manifest"). He says: and He is exalted above everything that is below Him, and He is the High above all things, so that nothing is higher than He. وَالْبَاطِنُ ("and the Hidden"). He says: and He is more inwardly intimate than all things, so that nothing is closer to anything than He, just as He said: وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ ("And We are closer to him than his jugular vein").

   In accordance with what we have said concerning this, the report from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ has come, and thus the exegetes have said it.

   * Mention of who said that, and the report that has been transmitted concerning it:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, His statement: هُوَ الأوَّلُ وَالآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ ("He is the First and the Last and the Manifest and the Hidden"). It has been related to us that the Prophet of Allah ﷺ, while he was sitting amidst his companions, suddenly a cloud loomed up above them. He said: "Do you know what this is?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "Indeed, this is al-raqīʿ [something is missing here in the text], a restrained wave and a well-guarded roof." He said: "Do you know how much is between you and it?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "A distance of five hundred years." He said: "Do you know what is above that?" They said the same. He said: "Above that is another heaven, and between those two is a distance of five hundred years." He said: "Do you know what is above that?" They said the same as their first answer. He said: "Indeed, above that is the Throne (al-ʿarsh), and between it and the seventh heaven is the same as between the two heavens." He said: "Do you know what is beneath you?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "Indeed, that is the earth." He said: "Do you know what is beneath that?" They said to him the same as their first answer. He said: "Indeed, beneath that is another earth, and between those two is a distance of five hundred years" — until he enumerated seven earths, between each two earths a distance of five hundred years. Then he said: "By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muḥammad, if one of you were let down by a rope to the lowest earth, he would come down upon Allah." Then he recited: هُوَ الأوَّلُ وَالآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ("He is the First and the Last and the Manifest and the Hidden, and He is All-Knowing of all things").

   And His statement: وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ("and He is All-Knowing of all things"). The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and He possesses knowledge of all things; nothing is hidden from Him, so that not even the weight of an atom escapes Him, neither on the earth nor in the heaven, nor anything smaller than that nor anything greater, but it is in a clear Book.

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   Footnotes:

   (2) In this there is a lacuna, as is not hidden. In al-Durr and in Ibn Kathīr it reads: he said: "This is al-ʿanān (the clouds); these are the water-carriers of the earth, which Allah drives forth to a people who do not thank Him and do not call upon Him." Then he said: "Do you know what is above you?" They said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said: "Indeed, that is al-raqīʿ", and so forth.

   Show original Arabic

   يقول تعالى ذكره: ( هُوَ الأوَّلُ ) قبل كل شيء بغير حدّ، ( وَالآخِرُ ) يقول: والآخر بعد كل شيء بغير نهاية. وإنما قيل ذلك كذلك، لأنه كان ولا شيء موجود سواه، وهو كائن بعد فناء الأشياء كلها، كما قال جلّ ثناؤه: كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلا وَجْهَهُ . وقوله: ( وَالظَّاهِرُ ) يقول: وهو الظاهر على كل شيء دونه، وهو العالي فوق كل شيء، فلا شيء أعلى منه.( وَالْبَاطِنُ ) يقول: وهو الباطن جميع الأشياء، فلا شيء أقرب إلى شيء منه، كما قال: وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ . وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك جاء الخبر عن رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم، وقال به أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك، والخبر الذي روي فيه: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: ( هُوَ الأوَّلُ وَالآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ )، ذُكر لنا أن نبيّ الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم بينما هو جالس في أصحابه، إذ ثار عليهم سحاب، فقال: هَلْ تَدْرُونَ ما هَذَا؟ قالوا: الله ورسوله أعلم، قال: فإنَّها الرَّقِيعَ (2) مَوْجُ مَكْفُوفٌ، وَسَقْفٌ مَحْفُوظٌ، قال: فَهَلَ تَدوْرُنَ كَمْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَها؟ قالوا: الله ورسوله أعلم؟ قال: مَسيرةُ خَمْس مِئِةِ سَنَةٍ، قال: فَهَلْ تَدْرُوْنَ ما فَوْقَ ذلكَ؟ فقالوا مثل ذلك، قال: فَوْقَها سَماءٌ أخرْىَ، وَبَيْنَهُما مَسِيرةُ خَمْسِ مِئةِ سَنَةٍ، قال: هَلْ تَدْرُوْنَ ما فَوْقَ ذلك؟ فقالوا مثل قولهم الأوّل، قال: فإنَّ فَوْقَ ذلكَ العَرْشَ، وَبَيْنَهُ وَبَينَ السَّماءِ السَّابِعَةِ مثْلُ ما بَيَن السَّماءَيْن، قال: هَلْ تَدْرُوْنَ ما الَّتِي تَحْتَكُمْ؟ قالوا: الله ورسوله أعلم، قال: فإنَّها الأرْضُ، قال: فَهَلْ تَدْرُون ما تَحْتَها؟ قالوا له مثل قولهم الأوّل، قال: فإنَّ تَحْتَها أرْضًا أخْرَى، وبَيْنهُما مَسِيرَةُ خَمْسِ مِئَةِِ سَنَةٍ، حتى عدّ سبع أرضين، بين كلّ أرضيْن مسيرة خمس مئة سنة، ثم قال: وَالذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّد بيَدِهِ، لَوْ دُلِّيَ أحَدكُمْ بِحَبْل إلى الأرْضِ الأخْرى لَهَبَطَ على الله، ثُمَّ قرأ: ( هُوَ الأوَّلُ وَالآخِرُ وَالظَّاهِرُ وَالْبَاطِنُ وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ) . وقوله: ( وَهُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: وهو بكلّ شيء ذو علم، لا يخفى عليه شيء، فلا يعزب عنه مثقال ذرّة في الأرض ولا في السماء، ولا أصغر من ذلك ولا أكبر، إلا في كتاب مبين. ------------------------ الهوامش: (2) فيه سقط كما لا يخفي وفي الدر وابن كثير: قال هذا العنان، هذه روايا الأرض يسوقها الله إلى قوم لا يشكرونه ولا يدعونه، ثم قال تدرون ما فوقكم؟ قالوا الله ورسوله أعلم، قال فإنها الرقيع. إلخ