Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the words of the Exalted: "And those who separate themselves from their wives by ẓihār and then go back on what they have said [must] free a slave before they touch one another. By this you are admonished, and Allah is well aware of what you do." (58:3)

   The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and those who say to their wives: "You are to us as the back of our mothers."

   And His word: "then go back on what they have said": the people of knowledge differed concerning the meaning of going back on what the man who pronounced the ẓihār has said. Some of them said: it is the retraction of the prohibition that he had imposed upon himself with respect to his wife, who was lawful to him before his ẓihār, so that he makes her lawful again — after having declared her forbidden to himself — through his firm resolve to have intercourse with her and to lie with her.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: "then go back on what they have said," he said: he wishes to have intercourse after his utterance.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, something similar.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: "then go back on what they have said," he said: he forbade her [to himself], and then he wishes to return to her and to lie with her.

   And others said something similar to this statement, except that they said: his holding on to her after his ẓihār and his refraining from divorcing her is on his part a going back on what he has said, whether he had the intention of lying with her or not. And Abū al-ʿĀliya used to say: the meaning of His word "on what they have said" is: in what they have said.

   Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, saying: Dāwūd related to us, saying: I heard Abū al-ʿĀliya say concerning His word: "then go back on what they have said": that is, he reverses it.

   The scholars of the Arabic language differed concerning the meaning of that. Some grammarians of Basra said concerning that meaning: "[must] free a slave before they touch one another, and whoever cannot [do that], then fasting, [and whoever cannot do that,] then feeding sixty needy persons," then [the clause] "go back on what they have said: that we will not do it," so that they then nonetheless perform that ẓihār, whereby he says: "she is to me as the back of my mother," and what resembles that of utterances; and when he then frees a slave or feeds sixty needy persons, he has gone back on what he had said: "she is forbidden to me." It is as though the one who made this statement held the view that this belongs to that which is placed first while its meaning stands last (taqdīm and taʾkhīr).

   And some grammarians of Kufa said: "then go back on what they have said" is permissible in Arabic [to be read as]: then go back to what they have said, and in what they have said, whereby they intend the marriage [the marital relations]; he means: they go back on what they have said, and on the annulment of what they have said. He said: and it is permissible in Arabic that you say: "in ʿāda li-mā faʿala," by which you mean: if he does it again; and it is permissible that "in ʿāda li-mā faʿala" means: if he annuls what he has done. It is as you say: "he swore to strike him," the meaning of which may be: he swore not to strike him, or: he swore that he would surely strike him.

   * And the correct view concerning that, according to me, is that one says: the meaning of the lām in His word "on what they have said" has the meaning of "to" or "in," for the meaning of the statement is: then they go back to annulling the prohibition that they had pronounced, so that they make it lawful [again]. And if it is said that the meaning is: then they return to making lawful what they had forbidden, or [to being] in making lawful what they had forbidden, then that is correct, for all of this is a going back on it. So the explanation of the statement is: then they return to making lawful what they had forbidden to themselves of that which Allah had made lawful to them.

   And His word: "[must] free a slave before they touch one another," He says: then there is incumbent upon him the freeing of a slave, that is, the manumission (ʿitq) of a male slave (ʿabd) or a female slave (ama), before the man who pronounced the ẓihār touches his wife from whom he separated himself by ẓihār, or [before] she touches him.

   And there was disagreement concerning what is meant by the touching (masīs) in this place, similar to their disagreement concerning His word: "And if you divorce them before you have touched them," and we have already mentioned that there.

   And we will mention a portion of what we did not mention there:

   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: "And those who separate themselves from their wives by ẓihār and then go back on what they have said": that is the man who says to his wife: "you are to me as the back of my mother." When he says that, it is not permitted for him to approach her, neither through marital relations nor in any other manner, until he makes expiation for his oath by freeing a slave, "and whoever cannot [do that], then fasting two consecutive months before they touch one another" — and the touching (al-mass) is marital relations — "and whoever is unable [to do] that, then feeding sixty needy persons." And if he says to her: "you are to me as the back of my mother if I do such and such," then no ẓihār takes effect therein until he breaks [his oath]; and if he breaks it, he may not approach her until he makes expiation. And in the ẓihār no divorce (ṭalāq) takes place.

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Ibn Abī ʿAdī related to us, saying: Ashʿath related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, that he saw no objection to the man who pronounced the ẓihār having intercourse with her in a manner other than through the vagina.

   ʿAlī ibn Sahl related to us, saying: Zayd related to us, saying: Sufyān said: the ẓihār pertains only to sexual intercourse. And he saw no objection to his satisfying his need without [penetrating] the vagina, or above the vagina, or wherever he wishes, or that he caress her.

   And others said: by it all the meanings of touching are intended, and they said: the verse is general [in its scope].

   * Mention of who said that:

   Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Wuhayb related to us, on the authority of Yūnus, saying: it reached me, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, that he held the touching to be reprehensible for the man who pronounced the ẓihār.

   And His word: "By this you are admonished," the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: your Lord has made that obligatory upon you as an admonition for you, by which you let yourselves be admonished, so that you desist from the ẓihār and from the mendacious utterance. "And Allah is well aware of what you do," the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and Allah has knowledge of your deeds that you perform, O people; nothing of that remains hidden from Him, and He will requite you for it, so desist from uttering the reprehensible and the lie.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَالَّذِينَ يُظَاهِرُونَ مِنْ نِسَائِهِمْ ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَتَمَاسَّا ذَلِكُمْ تُوعَظُونَ بِهِ وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ (3) يقول جلّ ثناؤه: والذين يقولون لنسائهم: أنتنّ علينا كظهور أمهاتنا. وقوله: ( ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا ): اختلف أهل العلم في معنى العود لما قال المظاهر، فقال بعضهم: هو الرجوع في تحريم ما حرّم على نفسه من زوجته، التي كانت له حلالا قبل تظاهره، فيحلها بعد تحريمه إياها على نفسه بعزمه على غشيانها ووطئها. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن بشار، قال: ثنا عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة ( ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا ) قال: يريد أن يغشى بعد قوله. حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، مثله. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا ابن ثور، عن معمر، عن قتادة ( ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا ) قال: حرّمها، ثم يريد أن يعود لها فيطأها. وقال آخرون نحو هذا القول، إلا أنهم قالوا: إمساكه إياها بعد تظهيره منها، وتركه فراقها عود منه لما قال، عزم على الوطء أو لم يعزم. وكان أبو العالية يقول: معنى قوله: ( لِمَا قَالُوا ) : فيما قالوا. حدثنا ابن المثنى، قال: ثني عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا داود، قال: سمعت أبا العالية يقول في قوله: ( ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا ) : أي يرجع فيه. &; 23-230 &; واختلف أهل العربية في معنى ذلك، فقال بعض نحويي البصرة في ذلك المعنى: فتحرير رقبة من قبل أن يتماسا، فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ، فَإِطْعَامُ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا ، ثم يعودون لما قالوا: إنا لا نفعله، فيفعلونه هذا الظهار، يقول: هي عليّ كظهر أمي، وما أشبه هذا من الكلام، فإذا أعتق رقبة، أو أطعم ستين مسكينًا، عاد لما قد قال: هو عليّ حرام يفعله. وكأن قائل هذا القول كان يرى أن هذا من المقدّم الذي معناه التأخير. وقال بعض نحويي الكوفة ( ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا ) يصلح فيها في العربية: ثم يعودون إلى ما قالوا، وفيما قالوا، يريدون النكاح، يريد: يرجعون عما قالوا، وفي نقض ما قالوا، قال: ويجوز في العربية أن تقول: إن عاد لما فعل، تريد إن فعل مرّة أخرى، ويجوز إن عاد لما فعل: إن نقض ما فعل، وهو كما تقول: حلف أن يضربك، فيكون معناه: حلف لا يضربك، وحلف ليضربنك. * والصواب من القول في ذلك عندي أن يقال: معنى اللام في قوله: ( لِمَا قَالُوا ) بمعنى إلى أو في، لأن معنى الكلام: ثم يعودون لنقض ما قالوا من التحريم فيحللونه، وإن قيل معناه: ثم يعودون إلى تحليل ما حرّموا، أو في تحليل ما حرّموا فصواب، لأن كلّ ذلك عود له، فتأويل الكلام: ثم يعودون لتحليل ما حرّموا على أنفسهم مما أحله الله لهم. وقوله: ( فَتَحْرِيرُ رَقَبَةٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَتَمَاسَّا ) يقول: فعليه تحرير رقبة، يعني عتق رقبة عبد أو أمة، من قبل أن يماسّ الرجل المظاهر امرأته التي ظاهر منها أو تماسه. واختلف في المعنّى بالمسيس في هذا الموضع نظير اختلافهم في قوله: وَإِنْ طَلَّقْتُمُوهُنَّ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ تَمَسُّوهُنَّ وقد ذكرنا ذلك هنالك. وسنذكر بعض ما لم نذكره هنالك: حدثني عليّ، قال: ثنا أبو صالح، قال: ثني معاوية، عن عليّ، عن &; 23-231 &; ابن عباس، في قوله: ( وَالَّذِينَ يُظَاهِرُونَ مِنْ نِسَائِهِمْ ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ لِمَا قَالُوا ) فهو الرجل يقول لامرأته: أنت عليّ كظهر أمي، فإذا قال ذلك، فليس يحلّ له أن يقربها بنكاح ولا غيره حتى يكفر عن يمينه بعتق رقبة، فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ شَهْرَيْنِ مُتَتَابِعَيْنِ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَتَمَاسَّا والمسّ: النكاح، فَمَنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَإِطْعَامُ سِتِّينَ مِسْكِينًا وإن هو قال لها: أنت عليّ كظهر أمي إن فعلت كذا وكذا، فليس يقع في ذلك ظهار حتى يحنث، فإن حنث فلا يقربها حتى يكفِّر، ولا يقع في الظهار طلاق. حدثنا ابن بشار، قال: ثنا ابن أبي عدى، قال: ثنا أشعث، عن الحسن أنه كان لا يرى بأسًا أن يغشى المظاهر دون الفرج. حدثنا عليّ بن سهل، قال: ثنا زيد، قال، قال سفيان: إنما المظاهرة عن الجماع. ولم ير بأسًا أن يقضي حاجته دون الفرج أو فوق الفرج، أو حيث يشاء، أو يباشر. وقال آخرون: عني بذلك كلّ معاني المسيس، وقالوا: الآية على العموم. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا ابن بشار، قال: ثنا عبد الرحمن، قال: ثنا وهيب، عن يونس، قال: بلغني عن الحسن أنه كره للمظاهر المسيس. وقوله: ( ذَلِكُمْ تُوعَظُونَ بِهِ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: أوجب ربكم ذلك عليكم عظة لكم تتعظون به، فتنتهون عن الظهار وقول الزور.( وَاللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: والله بأعمالكم التي تعملونها أيها الناس ذو خبرة، لا يخفى عليه شيء منها، وهو مجازيكم عليها، فانتهوا عن قول المنكر والزور.