Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His word: ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَتْ تَأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ("that is because their messengers used to come to them with the clear proofs"). He, exalted be His praise, says: this which befell the unbelievers before these — these polytheists (mushrikīn) — of the evil consequences of their unbelief, and what their Lord has prepared for them on the Day of Resurrection of punishment (ʿadhāb), is because their messengers used to come to them with the clear proofs with which their Lord had sent them to them — with the manifest evidences and signs concerning the truth of that to which they were calling them. Then they said to them: shall a mortal guide us? — out of arrogance on their part that the messengers of Allah to them should be mortals like themselves, and out of arrogance against following the truth because a mortal like themselves was calling them to it. And the statement about the mortal was put in the plural, for it was said: "shall they guide us" and not "shall he guide us," because "the mortal" (al-bashar), although in the form of the singular, has the meaning of collectivity.

   And His word: فَكَفَرُوا وَتَوَلَّوْا ("so they disbelieved and turned away"). He says: so they disbelieved in Allah and denied the message of His messengers whom Allah had sent to them, out of arrogance. وَتَوَلَّوْا ("and turned away"). He says: and they turned their backs on the truth and did not accept it, and turned away from that to which their messengers were calling them. وَاسْتَغْنَى اللَّهُ ("and Allah showed Himself free of need"). He says: and Allah showed Himself free of need with respect to them and to their belief in Him and in His messengers, and He had no need of that on their part. وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ ("and Allah is free of need, praiseworthy"). He says: and Allah is free of need with respect to His entire creation, praised by them all on account of His beautiful favors toward them and His generous dealings among them.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله: (ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُ كَانَتْ تَأْتِيهِمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ ) يقول جلّ ثناؤه: هذا الذي نال الذين كفروا من قبل هؤلاء المشركين من وبال كفرهم، والذي أعدّ لهم ربهم يوم القيامة من العذاب، من أجل أنه كانت تأتيهم رسلهم بالبينات الذي أرسلهم إليهم ربهم بالواضحات من الأدلة والإعلام على حقيقة ما يدعونهم إليه، فقالوا لهم: أبشر يهدوننا، استكبارًا منهم أن تكون رسل الله إليهم بشرًا مثلهم واستكبارًا عن اتباع الحقّ من أجل أن بشرًا مثلهم دعاهم إليه ؛ وجمع الخبر عن البشر، فقيل: يهدوننا، ولم يقل: يهدينا، لأن البشر، وإن كان في لفظ الواحد، فإنه بمعنى الجميع. وقوله: (فَكَفَرُوا وَتَوَلَّوْا ) يقول: فكفروا بالله، وجحدوا رسالة رسله الذين بعثهم الله إليهم استكبارًا(وَتَوَلَّوْا ) يقول: وأدبروا عن الحقّ فلم يقبلوه، وأعرضوا عما دعاهم إليه رسلهم (وَاسْتَغْنَى اللَّهُ ) يقول: واستغنى الله عنهم، وعن إيمانهم به وبرسله، ولم تكن به إلى ذلك منهم حاجة (وَاللَّهُ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ ) يقول: والله غني عن جميع خلقه، محمود عند جميعهم بجميل أياديه عندهم، وكريم فعاله فيهم.