Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the words of the Exalted: "Do you not see that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on the earth? There is no secret consultation of three but that He is the fourth of them, nor of five but that He is the sixth of them, nor of fewer than that or of more, but that He is with them, wherever they may be. Then He will inform them on the Day of Resurrection of what they have done. Indeed, Allah has knowledge of all things." (58:7)

   The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: Do you not see, O Muḥammad, with the eye of your heart, so that you perceive "that Allah knows what is in the heavens and what is on the earth" of things — nothing of that remains hidden from Him, neither the small of it nor the great of it. The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: how then could the deeds of these unbelievers and their disobedience to their Lord remain hidden from the One whose attribute this is? Then the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, described His nearness to His servants and His hearing of their secret consultation and of what they keep hidden from people of their conversations, which they conduct secretly among themselves. So He said: "There is no secret consultation of three" of His creatures, "but that He is the fourth of them" — He hears their secret and their secret consultation; nothing of their secrets remains hidden from Him. "Nor of five but that He is the sixth of them" — He says: and there is no secret consultation of five but that He is likewise the sixth of them. "Nor of fewer than that" — He says: nor of fewer than three, "nor of more" than five, "but that He is with them" when they consult secretly, "wherever they may be" — He says: in whatever place and in whatever location they may be.

   And by His word "He is the fourth of them" is meant: that He observes them with His knowledge, while He is upon His Throne. As ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Ziyād related to me, saying: Naṣr ibn Maymūn al-Maḍrūb related to me, saying: Bukayr ibn Maʿrūf related to us, on the authority of Muqātil ibn Ḥayyān, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning His word: "There is no secret consultation of three" ... up to His word: "but that He is with them," he said: He is above the Throne and His knowledge is with them, "wherever they may be. Then He will inform them on the Day of Resurrection of what they have done. Indeed, Allah has knowledge of all things."

   And His word: "Then He will inform them on the Day of Resurrection of what they have done" — the Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: then He will inform these who consult secretly and others of the deed that they have performed, of that which He loves and that which angers Him, on the Day of Resurrection. "Indeed, Allah has knowledge of all things" — He says: indeed, Allah has knowledge of their secret consultation and their secrets, and of the hidden aspects of their deeds, and of the remainder of their affairs and the affairs of His servants.

   And the reciters (qurrāʾ) differed concerning the reading of His word: "There is no secret consultation of three." The reciters of the cities read it as "mā yakūnu min najwā" with the yāʾ, except for Abū Jaʿfar the reciter, for he read it as "mā takūnu" with the tāʾ. And the yāʾ in it is the correct one, on account of the consensus of the authoritative proof concerning it, and on account of its correctness in Arabic.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلاثَةٍ إِلا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ وَلا خَمْسَةٍ إِلا هُوَ سَادِسُهُمْ وَلا أَدْنَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلا أَكْثَرَ إِلا هُوَ مَعَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كَانُوا ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا عَمِلُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ (7) يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيه محمد صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم: ألم تنظر يا محمد بعين قلبك فترى ( أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأرْضِ ) من شيء، لا يخفى عليه صغير ذلك وكبيره؛ يقول جلّ ثناؤه: فكيف يخفى على من كانت هذه صفته أعمال هؤلاء الكافرين وعصيانهم ربهم، ثم وصف جلّ ثناؤه قربه من عباده وسماعه نجواهم، وما يكتمونه الناس من أحاديثهم، فيتحدثونه سرًا بينهم، فقال: (مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلاثَةٍ ) من خلقه، (إِلا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ )، يسمع سرّهم ونجواهم، لا يخفى عليه شيء من أسرارهم، (وَلا خَمْسَةٍ إِلا هُوَ &; 23-237 &; سَادِسُهُمْ ) يقول: ولا يكون من نجوى خمسة إلا هو سادسهم كذلك، (وَلا أَدْنَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ ) يقول: ولا أقل من ثلاثة (وَلا أَكْثَرَ ) من خمسة، (إِلا هُوَ مَعَهُمْ ) إذا تناجوا، (أَيْنَمَا كَانُوا ) يقول: في أيّ موضع ومكان كانوا. وعني بقوله: (هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ )، بمعنى: أنه مشاهدهم بعلمه، وهو على عرشه. كما حدثني عبد الله بن أبي زياد، قال: ثني نصر بن ميمون المضروب، قال: ثنا بكير بن معروف، عن مقاتل بن حيان، عن الضحاك، في قوله: (مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلاثَةٍ ) ... إلى قوله: (هُوَ مَعَهُمْ ) قال: هو فوق العرش وعلمه معهم (أَيْنَمَا كَانُوا ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا عَمِلُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ) . وقوله: (ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا عَمِلُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: ثم يخبر هؤلاء المتناجين وغيرهم بما عملوا من عمل، مما يحبه ويسخطه يوم القيامة.(إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ ) يقول: إن الله بنجواهم وأسرارهم، وسرائر أعمالهم، وغير ذلك من أمورهم وأمور عباده عليم. واختلفت القراء في قراءة قوله: (مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلاثَةٍ )، فقرأت قرّاء الأمصار ذلك (مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ) بالياء، خلا أبي جعفر القارئ، فإنه قرأه ( مَا تَكُونُ ) بالتاء. والياء هي الصواب في ذلك، لإجماع الحجة عليها، ولصحتها في العربية.