Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   His saying: فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ ("so fear Allah as much as you are able"). He, exalted be His mention, says: and be on your guard against Allah, O believers, and fear His punishment, and avoid His torment (ʿadhāb) by performing His prescribed duties and shunning acts of disobedience to Him, and by performing that which draws near to Him, as much as you are able and as far as your strength reaches.

   And it has been mentioned that His saying فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ ("so fear Allah as much as you are able") was sent down after His saying اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ ("fear Allah as He ought to be feared" (3:102)), as an alleviation for the Muslims, and that His saying فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ is the abrogating (nāsikh) of His saying اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ .

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, [concerning] His saying فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا ("so fear Allah as much as you are able, and listen and obey"): this is an alleviation from Allah, and Allah is merciful toward His servants. Allah, exalted be His praise, had before that sent down اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ ("fear Allah as He ought to be feared"), and as He ought to be feared is that He be obeyed and not disobeyed. Then Allah, exalted be His mention, alleviated it for His servants, and sent down the alleviation after that, and said: فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا ("so fear Allah as much as you are able, and listen and obey") — according to what you are able, O son of Ādam. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took the pledge of allegiance upon hearing and obeying according to what you are able.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His saying اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ ("fear Allah as He ought to be feared"), he said: it was abrogated (nasakha-hā) by فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ ("so fear Allah as much as you are able").

   And we have already given our exposition earlier concerning the meaning of the abrogating (al-nāsikh) and the abrogated (al-mansūkh), in a manner that absolves us from repeating it in this place. And in His saying فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ ("so fear Allah as much as you are able") there is no clear indication that it is abrogating for His saying اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ ("fear Allah as He ought to be feared"), since His saying "fear Allah as He ought to be feared" may be understood as "according to what you are able," and there is no [report] from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that it is abrogating for it. If that is so, then it is obligatory to apply both together, according to the valid meanings that they permit.

   And His saying: وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا ("and listen and obey"). He says: and listen to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and obey him in what he commands you and what he forbids you. وَأَنْفِقُوا خَيْرًا لأنْفُسِكُمْ ("and spend — better for yourselves"). He says: and spend from your possessions for the benefit of yourselves, that you may save them [the souls] from the punishment (ʿadhāb) of Allah; and "the good" (al-khayr) in this place means: wealth.

   And His saying: وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ("and whoever is protected from the avarice of his soul — those are the ones who succeed"). He, exalted be His mention, says: and whoever Allah protects from the avarice of his soul, and that is following its desire in what Allah has forbidden.

   * Mention of who said that:

   ʿAlī related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Abū Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, [concerning] His saying وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ ("and whoever is protected from the avarice of his soul"), he says: the desire of his soul, whereby he follows his desire and does not accept the faith.

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Mihrān related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Jāmiʿ ibn Shaddād, on the authority of al-Aswad ibn Hilāl, on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd, [concerning] وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ ("and whoever is protected from the avarice of his soul"), he said: that he betakes himself to the property of another and devours it. And His saying: فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ("those are the ones who succeed"). He says: it is these, who were protected from the avarice of their souls, who are the ones who have succeeded, who have attained their aspirations with their Lord.

   Show original Arabic

   قوله: ( فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: واحذروا الله أيها المؤمنون وخافوا عقابه، وتجنبوا عذابه بأداء فرائضه واجتناب معاصيه، والعمل بما يقرّب إليه ما أطقتم وبلَغه وسعكم. وذُكر أن قوله: ( فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ ) نـزل بعد قوله: اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ تخفيفًا عن المسلمين، وأن قوله: ( فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ ) ناسخ قوله: اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ . * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: ( فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا ) هذه رخصة من الله، والله رحيم بعباده، وكان الله جلّ ثناؤه أنـزل قبل ذلك اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وحقّ تقاته أن يُطاع فلا يعصى، ثم خفَّف الله تعالى ذكره عن عباده، فأنـزل الرخصة بعد ذلك فقال: ( فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا ) فيما استطعت يا ابن آدم، عليها بايع رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم على السمع والطاعة فيما استطعتم. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا ابن ثور، عن معمر، عن قتادة، في قوله: اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ قال: نسختها: ( فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ ) . وقد تقدم بياننا عن معنى الناسخ والمنسوخ بما أغنى عن إعادته في هذا الموضع ؛ وليس في قوله: ( فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ ) دلالة واضحة على أنه لقوله: اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ ناسخ، إذ كان محتملا قوله: اتقوا الله حقّ تقاته فيما استطعتم، ولم يكن بأنه له ناسخ عن رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم فإذا كان ذلك كذلك، فالواجب استعمالهما جميعًا على ما يحتملان من وجوه الصحة. وقوله: ( وَاسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا ) يقول: واسمعوا لرسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم، وأطيعوه فيما أمركم به ونهاكم عنه ( وَأَنْفِقُوا خَيْرًا لأنْفُسِكُمْ ) يقول: وأنفقوا مالا من أموالكم لأنفسكم تستنقذوها من عذاب الله، والخير في هذا الموضع المال. وقوله: ( وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: ومن يَقِه الله شحَ نفسه، وذلك اتباع هواها فيما نهى الله عنه. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني عليّ، قال: ثنا أبو صالح، قال: ثني أَبو معاوية، عن عليّ، عن ابن عباس، قوله: ( وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ ) يقول: هوى نفسه حيث يتبع هواه ولم يقبل الإيمان. حدثنا ابن حميد، قال: ثنا مهران، عن سفيان، عن جامع بن شدّاد، عن الأسود بن هلال، عن ابن مسعود ( وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ ) قال: أن يعمد إلى مال غيره فيأكله، وقوله: ( فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ ) يقول: فهؤلاء الذين وُقُوا شحّ أنفسهم، المُنجحون الذين أدركوا طلباتهم عند ربهم.