Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of His word: إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ وَالْمَوْتَى يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ (36) ("Only those who hear give response, and the dead — Allah will raise them, then to Him they will be returned.") (36)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: He, exalted is His mention, says to His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: let not the turning away of these who turn from you weigh heavily upon you, nor their refusal to respond to your call when you invite them to the oneness of their Lord and to the acknowledgment of your prophethood. For no one responds to your call to that to which you invite him therein, except those whose ears Allah has opened to listen to the truth and for whom He has made easy the following of right guidance — in contrast to whomever Allah has sealed upon his hearing, so that he comprehends nothing of your call to him to Allah and to the following of the truth except what cattle comprehend of the voices of their herdsmen. They are as Allah, exalted is His mention, has described them: صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لا يَعْقِلُونَ ("Deaf, dumb, blind; so they do not understand") [Surah Al-Baqarah: 171]. "And the dead — Allah will raise them" — He says: and the unbelievers (kuffār), Allah will raise them together with the dead. Thus He, exalted is His mention, has counted them among the dead who hear no sound, comprehend no call, and grasp no word, since they do not ponder Allah's proofs, do not take His signs as instruction, and do not let themselves be admonished so that they would refrain from that in which they persist: the denial of Allah's messengers and the opposition against them.

   And in accordance with what we have said about this, the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) also spoke.

   Mention of who said that:

   13206 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: "Only those who hear give response" — the believers, to the admonition; "and the dead", the unbelievers, when Allah raises them together with the dead.

   13207 — 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, the like of it.

   13208 — Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to me, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word "Only those who hear give response", he said: this is the example of the believer; he heard the Book of Allah, benefited from it, took it to heart, and understood it. And those who denied Our signs are deaf and dumb; and this is the example of the unbeliever: deaf and dumb, he sees no guidance and gains no benefit from it.

   13209 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Abū Usāma related to us, on the authority of Sufyān al-Thawrī, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Jaḥāda, on the authority of al-Ḥasan: "Only those who hear give response", the believers; "and the dead", he said: the unbelievers.

   13210 — Ibn Bashshār related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Jaḥāda, saying: I heard al-Ḥasan say concerning His word "Only those who hear give response, and the dead — Allah will raise them", he said: the unbelievers.

   As for His word "then to Him they will be returned" — He, exalted is His mention, says: then to Allah return the believers who responded to Allah and the Messenger, and the unbelievers whom Allah prevents from comprehending anything from you. Then He rewards this believer for the good work he performed in the worldly life, with that which He has promised the people of faith of reward, and punishes this unbeliever with that which He has warned the people of unbelief of as punishment. He wrongs none of them, not even by the measure of a speck of dust.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله : إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ وَالْمَوْتَى يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ (36) قال أبو جعفر: يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: لا يكبُرنّ عليك إعراض هؤلاء المعرضين عنك، وعن الاستجابة لدعائك إذا دعوتهم إلى توحيد ربّهم والإقرار بنبوّتك, فإنه لا يستجيب لدعائك إلى ما تدعوه إليه من ذلك، (1) إلا الذين فتح الله أسماعهم للإصغاء إلى الحق، وسهَّل لهم اتباع الرُّشد, دون من ختم الله على سمعه، فلا يفقه من دعائك إياه إلى الله وإلى اتباع الحق إلا ما تفقه الأنعام من أصوات رُعاتها, فهم كما وصفهم به الله تعالى ذكره: صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لا يَعْقِلُونَ [سورة البقرة: 171] =" والموتى يبعثهم الله " ، يقول: والكفارُ يبعثهم الله مع الموتى, فجعلهم تعالى ذكره في عداد الموتى الذين لا يسمعون صوتًا، ولا يعقلون دعاء، ولا يفقهون قولا إذ كانوا لا يتدبرون حُجج الله، ولا يعتبرون آياته، ولا يتذكرون فينـزجرون عما هم عليه من تكذيب رُسل الله وخلافهم. (2) * * * وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل . * ذكر من قال ذلك: 13206 - حدثني محمد بن عمرو قال، حدثنا أبو عاصم قال، حدثنا عيسى, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد: " إنما يستجيب الذين يسمعون "، المؤمنون، للذكر =" والموتى " ، الكفار, حين يبعثهم الله مع الموتى. 13207- حدثني المثنى قال، حدثنا أبو حذيفة قال، حدثنا شبل , عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد, مثله . 13208 - حدثني بشر بن معاذ قال، حدثنا يزيد قال، حدثنا سعيد, عن قتادة قوله: " إنما يستجيب الذين يسمعون " ، قال: هذا مَثَل المؤمن، سمع كتاب الله فانتفع به وأخذ به وعقله. والذين كذَّبوا بآياتنا صم وبكم, وهذا مثل الكافر أصم أبكم, لا يبصر هدًى ولا ينتفع به. 13209 - حدثنا ابن وكيع قال، حدثنا أبو أسامة, عن سفيان الثوري, عن محمد بن جحادة, عن الحسن: " إنما يستجيب الذين يسمعون "، المؤمنون =" والموتى " ، قال: الكفار. 13210- حدثني ابن بشار قال، حدثنا عبد الرحمن قال، حدثنا سفيان, عن محمد بن جحادة قال: سمعت الحسن يقول في قوله: " إنما يستجيب الذين يسمعون والموتى يبعثهم الله " ، قال: الكفار. * * * وأما قوله: " ثم إليه يرجعون " ، فإنه يقول تعالى ذكره: ثم إلى الله يرجع المؤمنون الذين استجابوا لله والرسول, (3) والكفارُ الذين يحول الله بينهم وبين أن يفقهوا عنك شيئًا, فيثيب هذا المؤمن على ما سلف من صالح عمله في الدنيا بما وعد أهل الإيمان به من الثواب, ويعاقب هذا الكافرَ بما أوعدَ أهل الكفر به من العقاب, لا يظلم أحدًا منهم مثقال ذرة. --------------------- الهوامش : (1) انظر تفسير"الاستجابة" فيما سلف 3: 483 ، 484/7 : 486 - 488. (2) في المطبوعة: "ولا يتذكرون فينزجروا" وفي المخطوطة: "ولا يتذكروا فينزجروا" والصواب ما أثبته. (3) في المطبوعة والمخطوطة: "ثم إلى الله يرجعون المؤمنون" ، وليس بشيء هنا ، والجيد ما أثبته.