Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the words of the Exalted: إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ (Secret counsel comes only from Satan, to grieve those who believe; but it cannot harm them in anything, except by the permission of Allah. And upon Allah let the believers rely) (10).

   The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: secret counsel comes only from Satan. Then the people of knowledge differed concerning which secret counsel is meant, of which Allah has informed that it comes from Satan. Some of them said: by this is meant the secret counsel of the hypocrites (munāfiqūn) among themselves.

   * 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 words: إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا (Secret counsel comes only from Satan, to grieve those who believe): the hypocrites used to take secret counsel among themselves, and that enraged the believers and weighed heavily upon them. Then Allah revealed concerning that the Qurʾān: إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا ... the verse.

   And others said, according to what Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning the words of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ, he said: the man would come to the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ, to ask him about something he needed, so that the people would see that he had taken secret counsel with the Messenger of Allah, ﷺ. He said: and the Prophet, ﷺ, refused no one that. He said: and the land at that time was at war against the people of this city, and Iblīs would come to the people and say to them: "They are taking counsel only about matters that are imminent, and about troops that have been gathered against you," and the like of that. Then Allah said: إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ... to the end of the verse.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, saying: when the Muslims saw the hypocrites withdrawing apart to take secret counsel, that weighed heavily upon them. Then was revealed: إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا.

   And others said: by this are meant the dream-visions in sleep that a person sees in his sleep and that grieve him.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Dāwūd al-Balkhī related to us, saying: ʿAṭiyya was asked, while I was listening, about the dream, and he said: the dream is of three kinds; among them is the whispering of Satan, and that is His words: إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ (Secret counsel comes only from Satan); and among them is what a person ponders within himself during the day and sees at night; and among them is what is like being taken by the hand.

   The most correct of the views concerning this is the statement of him who said: by this is meant the secret counsel of the hypocrites among themselves over sin and enmity. That is because Allah, whose praise is exalted, had let precede it the prohibition of it with His words: إِذَا تَنَاجَيْتُمْ فَلا تَتَنَاجَوْا بِالإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَمَعْصِيَةِ الرَّسُولِ (when you take secret counsel, do not take counsel over sin, enmity, and disobedience to the Messenger); then [He informed] about what is grievous therein for the people of faith and about the reason for His prohibiting it to them, and said: إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا (Secret counsel comes only from Satan, to grieve those who believe). By that He made it clear, since the prohibition of what a person sees in his sleep [was not at issue]; and because the [verse] directly followed His prohibition of secret counsel, with the characteristics of that which He has forbidden.

   And His words: وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ (but it cannot harm them in anything, except by the permission of Allah) — the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and taking secret counsel harms the believers in nothing, except by the permission of Allah, that is to say: by the decree of Allah and His foreordainment.

   And His words: وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ (And upon Allah let the believers rely) — the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and upon Allah let the people who believe in Him rely in their affairs, and let them not be grieved by the secret counsel of the hypocrites and of whoever assails them with it; and their secret counsel does not harm them, so long as their Lord protects them.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ (10) يقول تعالى ذكره: إنما المناجاة من الشيطان، ثم اختلف أهل العلم في النجوى التي أخبر الله أنها من الشيطان، أيّ ذلك هو، فقال بعضهم: عُنِيَ بذلك مناجاة المنافقين بعضهم بعضًا. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: ( إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ): كان المنافقون يتناجون بينهم، وكان ذلك يغيظ المؤمنين، ويكبر عليهم، فأنـزل الله في ذلك القرآن: ( إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا ) ... الآية. &; 23-242 &; وقال آخرون بما حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال، قال ابن زيد، في قول الله عزّ وجلّ( إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ) قال: كان الرجل يأتي رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم يسأله الحاجة، ليرى الناس أنه قد ناجى رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم، قال: وكان النبيّ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم لا يمنع ذلك من أحد. قال: والأرض يومئذ حرب على أهل هذا البلد، وكان إبليس يأتي القوم فيقول لهم: إنما يتناجون في أمور قد حضرت، وجموع قد جمعت لكم وأشياء، فقال الله: ( إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ) ... إلى آخر الآية. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا ابن ثور، عن معمر، قال: كان المسلمون إذا رأوا المنافقين خلوا يتناجون، يشقّ عليهم، فنـزلت: ( إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ) . وقال آخرون: عُنِي بذلك أحلام النوم التي يراها الإنسان في نومه فتحزنه. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن حُميد، قال: ثنا يحيى بن داود البلخي، قال: سئل عطية، وأنا أسمع الرؤيا، فقال: الرؤيا على ثلاث منازل، فمنها وسوسة الشيطان، فذلك قوله: ( إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ )، ومنها ما يحدّث نفسه بالنهار فيراه بالليل، ومنها كالأخذ باليد. وأولى الأقوال في ذلك بالصواب قول من قال: عُنِي به مناجاة المنافقين بعضهم بعضًا بِالإثْمِ والعدوان، وذلك أن الله جلّ ثناؤه تقدم بالنهي عنها بقوله: إِذَا تَنَاجَيْتُمْ فَلا تَتَنَاجَوْا بِالإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ وَمَعْصِيَةِ الرَّسُولِ ، ثم عما في ذلك من المكروه على أهل الإيمان، وعن سبب نهيه إياهم عنه، فقال: ( إِنَّمَا النَّجْوَى مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ لِيَحْزُنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا )، فبيَّن بذلك (1) ، إذ كان النهي عن رؤية المرء في &; 23-243 &; منامه كان كذلك، وكان عقيب نهيه عن النجوى بصفة أنه من صفة ما نهى عنه. وقوله: ( وَلَيْسَ بِضَارِّهِمْ شَيْئًا إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: وليس التناجي بضارّ المؤمنين شيئا إلا بإذن الله، يعني بقضاء الله وقدره. وقوله: ( وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: وعلى الله فليتوكل في أمورهم أهل الإيمان به، ولا يحزنوا من تناجي المنافقين ومن يكيدهم بذلك، وأن تناجيهم غير ضارّهم إذا حفظهم ربهم.