Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The statement concerning the explanation of His saying: قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِي رَبًّا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلا عَلَيْهَا وَلا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى ("Say: Shall I seek a lord other than Allah, while He is the Lord of every thing? And no soul earns anything except against itself, and no bearer of burdens bears the burden of another")

   The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: "Say," O Muḥammad, to these people who set up the idols as equals to their Lord, who call you to the worship of the graven images and to the following of the footsteps of Satan: "Shall I seek a lord other than Allah?" He says: Shall I seek, apart from Allah, a master who rules over me? "While He is the Lord of every thing," He says: and He is the master of every thing apart from Him, its governor and its sustainer. "And no soul earns anything except against itself," He says: and no soul commits a sin except against itself; that is to say: no one is held accountable for what another has committed of disobedience toward Allah, blessed and exalted is He, and has perpetrated of transgression, but rather everyone who bears a sin is punished for his sin and held accountable for his offense. "And no bearer of burdens bears the burden of another," He says: and no sinful soul is laden with the sin of another soul than itself, but rather it is laden with its own sin, and for that it is punished, not for the sin of another than itself.

   By this He means the polytheists (mushrikīn), to whom Allah commanded His Prophet ﷺ to speak this statement. He says: Say to them: We are not held accountable for your sins, and upon you rests the punishment for your crimes, and for us is the reward of our deeds. And this is like that which Allah, whose praise is exalted, commanded him in another place to say to them: لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ ("For you is your religion and for me is my religion") (Sūrat al-Kāfirūn: 6). And that is as in the following:

   14307 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbdullāh ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, who said: In that time there was no way out for the God-fearing scholars except one of two states, the one of which was more excellent than its companion: either the enjoining of and the calling to the truth, or seclusion — so that you do not become a partner with the people of falsehood in their conduct, while you perform the obligatory duties in that which is between you and your Lord, and love for the sake of Allah and hate for the sake of Allah, and share with no one in sin. He said: And concerning that a muḥkam (unambiguous) verse was sent down: "Say: Shall I seek a lord other than Allah, while He is the Lord of every thing," up to His saying: فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ ("about which you used to differ"). And concerning that He said: وَمَا تَفَرَّقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ ("And those who were given the Book did not become divided except after the clear proof had come to them") (Sūrat al-Bayyina: 4).

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   It is said of "al-wizr" (the burden): "wazara, yazir," and "wazara, yawzar," and "wuzira, yūzar, fa-huwa mawzūr" (he was laden, he is laden, and he is laden).

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   The statement concerning the explanation of His saying: ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ ("Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you about that wherein you used to differ") (6:164)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: Say to these people who set up the idols as equals to their Lord: Each of us and of you who acts, for him is the reward of his deed, and upon him rests his burden. So do what you do — "then to your Lord," O people, "is your return," He says: then to Him is your destination and your coming back. "And He will inform you about that wherein you" in the worldly life "used to differ" in religions and creeds — since some of you adhered to Judaism, some to Christianity, some to Mazdaism (al-majūsiyya), and some to the worship of the graven images and the ascribing of partners and equals to Allah. Thereupon He will requite you all according to what each one performed in the worldly life of good or evil, and then you will come to know which of us was the doer of good and which the doer of evil.

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   The footnotes:

   (82) See the explanation of "baghy" (seeking/desiring) in what precedes, 11:337, note 2, and the references therein.

   (83) See the explanation of "al-rabb" (the Lord) in what precedes, 1:142.

   (84) See the explanation of "kasb" (earning) in what precedes, p. 266, note 2, and the references therein.

   (85) In the printed edition it reads "wazara yūzar fa-huwa wazīr, wa-wazara yūzar fa-huwa mawzūr," differing from what is in the manuscript; the editor of his own accord deleted and added, and his excuse for that is the poor hand of the copyist of the manuscript, but the correct reading of what is in it is what I have adopted. And that agrees with the text of the works of the lexicographers.

   (86) See the explanation of "al-marjiʿ" (the return) in what precedes, p. 37, note 3, and the references therein.

   (87) See the explanation of "al-nabaʾ" (the tidings) in what precedes, p. 274, note 1, and the references therein.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله : قُلْ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِي رَبًّا وَهُوَ رَبُّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلا تَكْسِبُ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ إِلا عَلَيْهَا وَلا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: (قل)، يا محمد، لهؤلاء العادلين بربهم الأوثان, الداعيك إلى عبادة الأصنام واتباع خطوات الشيطان =(أغير الله أبغي ربًّا)، يقول: أسوى الله أطلب سيدًا يسودني ؟ (82) =(وهو رب كل شيء)، يقول: وهو سيد كل شيء دونه ومدبّره ومصلحه (83) =(ولا تكسب كل نفس إلا عليها)، يقول: ولا تجترح نفس إثمًا إلا عليها، أي: لا يؤخذ بما أتت من معصية الله تبارك وتعالى، وركبت من الخطيئة، سواها, بل كل ذي إثم فهو المعاقب بإثمه والمأخوذ بذنبه (84) =(ولا تزر وازرة وزر أخرى)، يقول: ولا تأثم نفس آثمة بإثم نفس أخرى غيرها, ولكنها تأثم بإثمها، وعليه تعاقب، دون إثم أخرى غيرها . وإنما يعني بذلك المشركين الذين أمرَ الله نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يقول هذا القول لهم. يقول: قل لهم: إنا لسنا مأخوذين بآثامكم, وعليكم عقوبة إجرامكم, ولنا جزاء أعمالنا . وهذا كما أمره الله جل ثناؤه في موضع آخر أن يقول لهم: لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ [سورة الكافرون:6]، وذلك كما:- 14307- حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا إسحاق قال، حدثنا عبد الله بن أبي جعفر, عن أبيه, عن الربيع قال: كان في ذلك الزمان، لا مخرج للعلماء العابدين إلا إحدى خَلَّتين: إحداهما أفضل من صاحبتها. إمَّا أمرٌ ودعاء إلى الحق, أو الاعتزال = فلا تشارك أهل الباطل في عملهم, وتؤدي الفرائض فيما بينك وبين ربك, وتحبّ لله وتبغض لله, ولا تشارك أحدًا في إثم . قال: وقد أنـزل في ذلك آية محكمة: (قل أغير الله أبغي ربًا وهو رب كل شيء)، إلى قوله: فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ , وفي ذلك قال: وَمَا تَفَرَّقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ [سورة البينة: 4]. * * * يقال من " الوزر "" وزَر يَزِر "," و وزَرَ يَوْزَر ", و " وُزِرَ يُؤزر، فهو موزور ". (85) * * * القول في تأويل قوله : ثُمَّ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ (164) قال أبو جعفر: يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: قل لهؤلاء العادلين بربهم الأوثان: كل عامل منا ومنكم فله ثواب عمله، وعليه وزره, فاعملوا ما أنتم عاملوه -(ثم إلى ربكم)، أيها الناس =(مرجعكم)، يقول: ثم إليه مصيركم ومنقلبكم (86) =(فينبئكم بما كنتم فيه)، في الدنيا,(تختلفون) من الأديان والملل, (87) إذ كان بعضكم يدين باليهودية, وبعضٌ بالنصرانية, وبعض بالمجوسية, وبعض بعبادة الأصنام وادِّعاء الشركاء مع الله والأنداد, ثم يجازي جميعَكم بما كان يعمل في الدنيا من خير أو شر, فتعلموا حينئذ من المحسنُ منَّا والمسيء . ------------------- الهوامش : (82) انظر تفسير (( بغي )) فيما سلف 11 : 337 ، تعليق : 2 ، والمراجع هناك . (83) انظر تفسير (( الرب )) فيما سلف 1 : 142 . (84) انظر تفسير (( كسب )) فيما سلف صلى الله عليه وسلم : 266 ، تعليق 2 ، والمراجع هناك . (85) في المطبوعة : (( وزر يوزر فهو وزير ، ووزر يوزر فهو موزور )) ، غير ما في المخطوطة ، وحذف وزاد من عند نفسه ، وعذره في ذلك سوء كتابة ناسخ المخطوطة ، وصواب قراءة ما فيها ما أثبت . وهو المطابق لنص كتب اللغة . (86) انظر تفسير (( المرجع )) فيما سلف ص : 37 ، تعليق : 3 ، والمراجع هناك . (87) انظر تفسير (( النبأ )) فيما سلف ص : 274 ، تعليق : 1 ، والمراجع هناك .