Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of His word: وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالأَنْعَامِ نَصِيبًا فَقَالُوا هَذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَذَا لِشُرَكَائِنَا فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَائِهِمْ فَلا يَصِلُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَى شُرَكَائِهِمْ سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ (6:136) (And they have assigned to Allah a portion of what He has produced of crops and cattle, and they said: "This is for Allah" — according to their claim — "and this is for our associates." But what was for their associates did not reach Allah, and what was for Allah, that reached their associates. Evil is that which they decide.)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: And these who set the idols and the false gods equal to their Lord have assigned to their Lord — (of what He has produced) their Creator, that is: of what He created of crops and cattle.

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   One says of this: "ḏaraʾa Allāhu al-khalq yaḏraʾuhum ḏarʾan wa-ḏarwan" (Allah produced the creation, He produces them), when He created them.

   * * *

   = "a portion", that is: a share and a part.

   * * *

   Then the people differed in the explanation concerning the nature of the portion that they assigned to Allah, and that which they assigned to their associates of the idols and the devil.

   Some of them said: That was a portion of their fields and their cattle which they set apart for the one, and another portion for the other.

   * Mention of who said that:

   13899 - Isḥāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Ḥabīb ibn al-Shahīd related to me, saying: ʿAttāb ibn Bishr related to us, on the authority of Khuṣayf, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: (But what was for their associates did not reach Allah), the verse, he said: When they brought in the food and laid it in bundles, they assigned of it a share for Allah and a share for their gods. And when the wind blew from the direction of what they had assigned for their gods toward what they had assigned for Allah, they brought it back to what they had assigned for their gods. And when the wind blew from the direction of what they had assigned for Allah toward what they had assigned for their gods, they left it so and did not bring it back. That is His word: (Evil is that which they decide).

   13900 - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya ibn Ṣāliḥ related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥa, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās concerning His word: (And they have assigned to Allah a portion of what He has produced of crops and cattle, and they said: "This is for Allah" — according to their claim — "and this is for our associates"), he said: They assigned to Allah of their fruits and their possessions a portion, and to the devil and the idols a portion. If anything of a fruit of what they had assigned for Allah fell into the share of the devil, they left it lying, and if anything fell of what they had assigned for the devil into the share of Allah, they picked it up and kept it and brought it back to the share of the devil. And if water broke through from the irrigation of what they had assigned for Allah toward the share of the devil, they left it so, and if water broke through from the irrigation of what they had assigned for the devil toward the share of Allah, they stopped it up. This was what they assigned of the fields and the water irrigation. And as for what they assigned for the devil of the cattle, that is the word of Allah: مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَحِيرَةٍ وَلا سَائِبَةٍ وَلا وَصِيلَةٍ وَلا حَامٍ [sūrat al-Māʾida: 103] (Allah has not instituted any baḥīra, nor sāʾiba, nor waṣīla, nor ḥām).

   13901 - Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, his word: (And they have assigned to Allah a portion of what He has produced of crops and cattle, and they said: "This is for Allah" — according to their claim), the verse. And that was because the enemies of Allah, when they cultivated a field or had a fruit, assigned of it a portion for Allah and a portion for the idol. And whatever of field or fruit or anything else belonged to the share of the idols, that they kept and counted. If anything of it fell within what was designated for Allah, they brought it back to what they had assigned for the idol. And if the water preceded them toward what they had assigned for the idol and irrigated something that they had assigned for Allah, they assigned that to the idol. And if anything fell from the field and the fruit that they had assigned for Allah, and it became mixed with what they had assigned for the idol, they said: "This is poor!" and they did not bring it back to what they had assigned for Allah. And if the water that they had assigned for Allah preceded them and irrigated something that was designated for the idol, they left it for the idol. And they declared forbidden of their cattle the baḥīra, the sāʾiba, the waṣīla and the ḥām and assigned them to the idols, while claiming that they declared them forbidden for Allah. Then Allah said concerning this: (And they have assigned to Allah a portion of what He has produced of crops and cattle), the verse.

   13902 - Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid concerning the word of Allah: (And they have assigned to Allah a portion of what He has produced of crops and cattle), he said: They designated for Allah a portion of the field, and for their associates and their idols a portion; and what the wind carried away of what they had designated for Allah toward the portion of their idols, that they left lying, and what went from the portion of their idols toward the portion of Allah, that they brought back, and they said: "Allah has no need of this!" And "the cattle" were the sāʾiba and the baḥīra which they designated.

   13903 - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, in a similar manner.

   13904 - Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, his word: (And they have assigned to Allah a portion of what He has produced of crops and cattle), the verse. People of error went so far as to divide of their fields and their herds a portion for Allah and a portion for their associates. And when anything of what they had divided for Allah became mixed with what they had divided for their associates, they left it so. And when anything of what they had divided for their associates became mixed with what they had divided for Allah, they brought it back to their associates. And when a year of drought struck them, they helped themselves with what they had divided for Allah, and they left what they had divided for their associates untouched. Allah said: (Evil is that which they decide).

   13905 - Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: (And they have assigned to Allah a portion of what He has produced of crops and cattle), he said: They divided of their possessions something and said: "This is for Allah, and this is for the idols" which they worshipped. And when a camel of what they had assigned for their associates strayed and became mixed with what they had assigned for Allah, they brought it back. And when something disappeared of what they had assigned for Allah and became mixed with something of what they had assigned for their associates, they left it so. And when a year of drought struck them, they ate what they had assigned for Allah and left what they had assigned for their associates untouched. Then Allah said: (Evil is that which they decide).

   13906 - Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad ibn al-Mufaḍḍal related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: (And they have assigned to Allah a portion of what He has produced of crops and cattle) up to (decide), he said: They divided of their possessions a portion and assigned it to Allah, and they sowed a crop and assigned it to Allah, and they assigned to their gods the like of that. Then what came forth for the gods, they spent on it, and what came forth for Allah, they gave away as alms. And when that which they designated for their associates perished and that which was for Allah became abundant, they said: "Our gods cannot do without maintenance", and they took what was for Allah and spent it on their gods. And when that which was for Allah became meager and that which was for their gods became abundant, they said: "If He had willed, He would have made that which is for Him thrive!", and they brought back to Him nothing of what was for the gods. Allah said: If they were sincere in what they divided, then indeed evil is what they decided: that they take from Me and give Me nothing. That is when He says: (Evil is that which they decide).

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   And others said: "The portion" that they assigned to Allah and of which yet something would come to their associates was that they did not eat of what they had slaughtered for Allah until they had pronounced the names of the gods over it, while they did eat of what they had slaughtered for the gods without pronouncing the name of Allah over it.

   * Mention of who said that:

   13907 - Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: (And they have assigned to Allah a portion of what He has produced of crops and cattle) up to where he reached: (and what was for Allah, that reached their associates), he said: Everything that they designated for Allah of a sacrificial animal that they slaughtered, of it they never ate until they mentioned over it the names of the gods. And what was for the gods, over it they did not mention the name of Allah. And he recited the verse up to where he reached: (Evil is that which they decide).

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: And the correct of the two explanations regarding this verse is that which Ibn ʿAbbās said and those who said the like of his statement concerning it, because Allah, whose praise is exalted, reported that they assigned to Allah of their field and their cattle a fixed portion and said: "This is for Allah", and that they assigned the like to their associates, namely their idols — by the consensus of the people of explanation concerning it — and said: "This is for our associates". And that of the portion of their associates nothing came to Allah, in the meaning: nothing came to the portion of Allah, while what was for Allah did come to the portion of their associates. Now if that "coming" were to occur through the pronouncing of the name and the omission of it, then it would be possible that precisely those concrete things of which Allah reported that they did not come, would in fact have come, and that those of which He reported that they did come, would not have come. And that contradicts what the outward wording indicates, because of two sacrificial animals, one of which is slaughtered for Allah and the other for the gods, it is possible that their flesh has become mixed and that they have mixed it — since the objectionable thing in their view was the pronouncing of the name of Allah over what was slaughtered for the gods, and not the mixing of the concrete things and their flowing into one another.

   * * *

   And as for His word (Evil is that which they decide), that is a report from Allah, whose praise is exalted, about the conduct of these polytheists (mushrikīn) whose state He described. He, whose praise is exalted, says: And they have acted evilly in their decision, in that they took from My portion for their associates and gave Me nothing of the portion of their associates. And He, the Exalted, whose mention is exalted, intended thereby only the report about their ignorance and their error and their deviation from the path of the truth: that they were not content to set equal to Him who created them and fed them and bestowed upon them innumerable favors, that which neither harms them nor benefits them, until they even set the other above Him in their divisions, according to their own opinion, in the apportioning over against Him.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله : وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ مِمَّا ذَرَأَ مِنَ الْحَرْثِ وَالأَنْعَامِ نَصِيبًا فَقَالُوا هَذَا لِلَّهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ وَهَذَا لِشُرَكَائِنَا فَمَا كَانَ لِشُرَكَائِهِمْ فَلا يَصِلُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَمَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ فَهُوَ يَصِلُ إِلَى شُرَكَائِهِمْ سَاءَ مَا يَحْكُمُونَ (136) قال أبو جعفر: يقول تعالى ذكره: وجعل هؤلاء العادلون بربهم الأوثانَ والأصنام لربهم =(مما ذرأ) خالقهم, يعني: مما خلق من الحرث والأنعام. * * * يقال منه: " ذرأ الله الخلق يذرؤهم ذَرْءًا، وذَرْوًا "، (15) إذا خَلَقهم . * * * =" نصيبًا "، يعني قسمًا وجزءًا . (16) * * * ثم اختلف أهل التأويل في صفة النصيب الذي جعلوا لله، والذي جعلوه لشركائهم من الأوثان والشيطان. فقال بعضهم: كان ذلك جزءًا من حُروثهم وأنعامهم يُفْرِزُونه لهذا، (17) وجزءًا آخر لهذا . * ذكر من قال ذلك: 13899- حدثني إسحاق بن إبراهيم بن حبيب بن الشهيد قال، حدثنا عتاب بن بشير, عن خصيف, عن عكرمة عن ابن عباس (فما كان لشركائهم فلا يصل إلى الله)، الآية, قال: كانوا إذا أدخلوا الطعام فجعلوه حُزَمًا، جعلوا منها لله سَهْمًا، وسهمًا لآلهتهم. وكان إذا هبت الريح من نحو الذي جعلوه لآلهتهم إلى الذي جعلوه لله، ردُّوه إلى الذي جعلوه لآلهتهم. وإذا هبت الريح من نحو الذي جعلوه لله إلى الذي جعلوه لآلهتهم، أقرُّوه ولم يردُّوه. فذلك قوله: (سَاءَ ما يحكمون) . 13900- حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا أبو صالح قال، حدثني معاوية بن صالح, عن علي بن أبي طلحة, عن ابن عباس في قوله: (وجعلوا لله مما ذرأ من الحرث والأنعام نصيبًا فقالوا هذا لله بزعمهم وهذا لشركائنا)، قال: جعلوا لله من ثمراتهم وما لهم نصيبًا، وللشيطان والأوثان نصيبًا. فإن سقط من ثمرة ما جَعَلوا لله في نصيب الشيطان تركوه ، وإن سقط مما جعلوه للشيطان في نصيب الله التقَطُوه وحفظُوه وردُّوه إلى نصيب الشيطان ، وإن انفجر من سِقْي ما جعلوه لله في نصيب الشيطان تركوه، (18) وإن انفجر من سِقْي ما جعلوه للشيطان في نصيب الله سدُّوه. فهذا ما جعلوا من الحروث وسِقْي الماء . وأما ما جعلوا للشيطان من الأنعام فهو قول الله: مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَحِيرَةٍ وَلا سَائِبَةٍ وَلا وَصِيلَةٍ وَلا حَامٍ ، [سورة المائدة: 103] . 13901- حدثني محمد بن سعد قال، حدثني أبي قال، حدثني عمي قال، حدثني أبي عن أبيه, عن ابن عباس قوله: (وجعلوا لله مما ذرأ من الحرث والأنعام نصيبًا فقالوا هذا لله بزعمهم)، الآية, وذلك أن أعداءَ الله كانوا إذا احترثُوا حرثًا، أو كانت لهم ثمرة, جعلوا لله منها جزءًا وللوَثَن جزءًا, فما كان من حرث أو ثمرة أو شيء من نصيب الأوثان حفظوه وأحصوه. فإن سقط منه شيء فيما سُمِّي لله ردُّوه إلى ما جعلوا للوثن. وإن سبقهم الماء إلى الذي جعلوه للوثن، فسقى شيئًا جعلوه لله. جعلوا ذلك للوثن, وإن سقط شيء من الحرث والثمرة التي جعلوا لله. فاختلط بالذي جعلوا للوثن, قالوا: " هذا فقير "! ولم يردوه إلى ما جعلوا لله . وإن سبقهم الماء الذي جعلوا لله فسقى ما سُمِّي للوثن، تركوه للوثن . وكانوا يحرِّمون من أنعامهم البَحيرة والسائبة والوصيلةَ والحام, فيجعلونه للأوثان, ويزعمون أنهم يحرّمونه لله. فقال الله في ذلك: (وجعلوا لله مما ذرأ من الحرث والأنعام نصيبًا)، الآية . 13902- حدثنا محمد بن عمرو قال، حدثنا أبو عاصم قال، حدثنا عيسى, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد في قول الله: (وجعلوا لله مما ذرأ من الحرث والأنعام نصيبًا)، قال: يسمون لله جزءًا من الحرث، ولشركائهم وأوثانهم جزءًا ، فما ذهبت به الريح مما سمّوا لله إلى جزء أوثانهم تركوه, وما ذهب من جزء أوثانهم إلى جزء الله ردُّوه، وقالوا: " الله عن هذا غنيّ" ! و " الأنعام " السائبة والبحيرة التي سمُّوا . 13903- حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا أبو حذيفة قال، حدثنا شبل, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد, نحوه . 13904- حدثنا بشر قال، حدثنا يزيد قال، حدثنا سعيد, عن قتادة قوله: (وجعلوا لله مما ذرأ من الحرث والأنعام نصيبًا)، الآية, عمَدَ ناس من أهل الضلالة فجزَّءوا من حروثهم ومواشيهم جزءًا لله وجزءًا لشركائهم . وكانوا إذا خالط شيء مما جزّءوا لله فيما جزءوا لشركائهم خلَّوه. فإذا خالط شيء مما جزءوا لشركائهم فيما جزءوا لله ردّوه على شركائهم . وكانوا إذا أصابتهم السَّنةُ استعانوا بما جزءوا لله، وأقرُّوا ما جزءوا لشركائهم ، قال الله: (ساء ما يحكمون) . 13905- حدثنا محمد بن عبد الأعلى قال، حدثنا محمد بن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة: (وجعلوا لله مما ذرأ من الحرث والأنعام نصيبًا)، قال: كانوا يجزئون من أموالهم شيئًا, فيقولون: " هذا لله, وهذا للأصنام "، التي يعبدون . فإذا ذهب بعيرٌ مما جعلوا لشركائهم، (19) فخالط ما جعلوا لله ردُّوه. وإن ذهب مما جعلوه لله فخالط شيئًا مما جعلوه لشركائهم تركوه . وإن أصابتهم سنة, أكلوا ما جعلوا لله، وتركوا ما جعلوا لشركائهم, فقال الله: (ساء ما يحكمون) . 13906- حدثني محمد بن الحسين قال، حدثنا أحمد بن المفضل قال، حدثنا أسباط, عن السدي: (وجعلوا لله مما ذرأ من الحرث والأنعام نصيبًا) إلى (يحكمون)، قال: كانوا يقسمون من أموالهم قِسْمًا فيجعلونه لله, ويزرعون زَرْعًا فيجعلونه لله, ويجعلون لآلهتهم مثل ذلك. فما خرج للآلهة أنفقوه عليها, وما خرج لله تصدقوا به . فإذا هلك الذي يصنعون لشركائهم، وكثر الذي لله قالوا: " ليس بُدٌّ لآلهتنا من نفقة " ، وأخذوا الذي لله فأنفقوه على آلهتهم. وإذا أجدب الذي لله، وكثر الذي لآلهتهم, قالوا: " لو شاء أزكى الذي له " ! فلا يردُّون عليه شيئًا مما للآلهة . قال الله: لو كانوا صادقين فيما قسموا، لبئس إذًا ما حكموا: أن يأخذوا مني ولا يعطوني . فذلك حين يقول: (ساء ما يحكمون). * * * وقال آخرون: " النصيب " الذي كانوا يجعلونه لله فكان يصل منه إلى شركائهم: أنهم كانوا لا يأكلون ما ذبحوا لله حتى يسمّوا الآلهة, وكانوا ما ذبحوه للآلهة يأكلونه ولا يسمون الله عليه . * ذكر من قال ذلك: 13907- حدثني يونس بن عبد الأعلى قال، أخبرنا ابن وهب قال، قال ابن زيد في قوله: (وجعلوا لله مما ذرأ من الحرث والأنعام نصيبًا) حتى بلغ: (وما كان لله فهو يصل إلى شركائهم)، قال: كل شيء جعلوه لله من ذِبْح يذبحونه، (20) لا يأكلونه أبدًا حتى يذكروا معه أسماء الآلهة. وما كان للآلهة لم يذكروا اسمَ الله معه ، وقرأ الآية حتى بلغ: (ساء ما يحكمون) . * * * قال أبو جعفر: وأولى التأويلين بالآية ما قال ابن عباس ومَنْ قال بمثل قوله في ذلك, لأن الله جل ثناؤه أخبر أنهم جعلوا لله من حرثهم وأنعامهم قسمًا مقدرُا, فقالوا: " هذا لله " وجعلوا مثله لشركائهم, وهم أوثانهم، بإجماع من أهل التأويل عليه, فقالوا: " هذا لشركائنا " = وإن نصيب شركائهم لا يصل منه إلى الله, بمعنى: لا يصل إلى نصيب الله, وما كان لله وصَل إلى نصيب شركائهم . فلو كان وصول ذلك بالتسمية وترك التسمية, كان أعيان ما أخبر الله عنه أنه لم يصل، جائزًا أن تكون قد وصلت, وما أخبر عنه أنه قد وصل، لم يصل. وذلك خلاف ما دلّ عليه ظاهر الكلام، لأن الذبيحتين تُذبح إحداهما لله، والأخرى للآلهة, جائز أن تكون لحومهما قد اختلطت، وخلطوها إذ كان المكروه عندهم تسمية الله على ما كان مذبوحًا للآلهة، دون اختلاط الأعيان واتصال بعضها ببعض . * * * وأما قوله : (ساء ما يحكمون)، فإنه خبر من الله جل ثناؤه عن فعل هؤلاء المشركين الذين وصف صفتهم . يقول جل ثناؤه: وقد أساؤوا في حكمهم، (21) إذ أخذوا من نصيبي لشركائهم، ولم يعطوني من نصيب شركائهم . وإنما عنى بذلك تعالى ذكره الخبرَ عن جهلهم وضلالتهم، وذهابهم عن سبيل الحق، بأنهم لم يرضوا أن عدلوا بمن خلقهم وغذاهم، وأنعم عليهم بالنعم التي لا تحصى، ما لا يضرهم ولا ينفعهم, حتى فضّلوه في أقسامهم عند أنفسهم بالقَسْم عليه . ---------------------- الهوامش : (15) في المخطوطة أيضًا (( وذروا )) ، كأنه يعني تسهيل الهمزة ، ولم أجد ذكر ذلك في مصادر هذا الفعل ، ولا أظنه أراد : (( وذروءًا )) ، فإن أحدًا لم يذكر ذلك . (16) انظر تفسير (( نصيب )) فيما سلف 9 : 324 ، تعليق : 1 ، والمراجع هناك . (17) في المطبوعة : (( يقرونه )) ، وفي المخطوطة : (( يفررون )) غير تامة النقط ، وصواب قراءتها ما أثبت . (( فرزت الشيء )) و (( أفرزته )) ، إذا عزلته عن غيره ، ومزته . و (( الفِرْز)) ( بكسر فسكون ) : النصيب المفروز لصاحبه ، واحدًا كل أو اثنين . (18) (( السقي )) ( بكسر السين وسكون القاف ) : والشرب ( بكسر فسكون ) ، وهو مورد الماء كالجدول ، يسقى به الزرع . (19) في المطبوعة : (( فإذا ذهب مما جعلوا )) غير ما كان في المخطوطة لغير طائل . (20) (( الذبح )) ( بكسر فسكون ) ، هو (( الذبيح )) ، و (( المذبوح )) ، وهو كل ما أعد للذبح من الأضاحي ، وغيرها من الحيوان . (21) انظر تفسير (( ساء )) فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة ( سوأ ) = وتفسير (( يحكم )) فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة ( حكم ) .