Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of His word: تِلْكَ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنْبَائِهَا وَلَقَدْ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا بِمَا كَذَّبُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ كَذَلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِ الْكَافِرِينَ (101) (Those are the towns, some of whose tidings We relate to you; and indeed their messengers came to them with the clear proofs, but they would not believe in what they had denied before. Thus does Allah seal the hearts of the disbelievers.) (7:101)

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: These towns whose affair I have mentioned to you, O Muḥammad, and the affair of their inhabitants — He means: the people of Nūḥ, ʿĀd, Thamūd, the people of Lūṭ, and Shuʿayb — "We relate to you some of their tidings", so that We inform you about them and about the history of their inhabitants, and about what befell them and the messengers of Allah who were sent to them, so that you may know that We grant aid to Our messengers and to those who believe in the worldly life against Our enemies and the people who disbelieve in Us, and so that your deniers among your people may know what is the end of the affair of those who denied the messengers of Allah, so that they might refrain from denying you and turn to the oneness of Allah and obedience to Him — "and indeed their messengers came to them with the clear proofs", that is to say: and indeed, to the inhabitants of the towns whose tidings I have related to you, there came "their messengers with the clear proofs", that is to say: with the proofs, the clear ones — "but they would not believe in what they had denied before".

   * * *

   [Then] the exegetes of the Qurʾān differed concerning the explanation of that.

   Some of them said: its meaning is: these polytheists (mushrikīn) whom We destroyed of the inhabitants of the towns, when We sent the messengers to them, would not believe in what they had denied before, and that was on the day their covenant was taken, when He brought them forth from the back of Ādam — peace be upon him.

   * Mention of who said this:

   14901 — 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: "but they would not believe in what they had denied before", he said: that was on the day the covenant was taken from them, and they believed against their will.

   * * *

   And others said: its meaning is: at the coming of the messengers, they would not believe in that which was established beforehand in the knowledge of Allah that they would deny, on the day He brought them forth from the loins of Ādam — peace be upon him.

   * Mention of who said this:

   14902 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Abū Jaʿfar, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ, on the authority of Abū al-ʿĀliya, on the authority of Ubayy ibn Kaʿb: "but they would not believe in what they had denied before", he said: it was in His knowledge on the day they acknowledged the covenant before Him.

   14903 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Jaʿfar related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Rabīʿ ibn Anas, he said: it is a duty upon the servants to accept of knowledge what their Lord and the prophets have disclosed to them, and to leave the knowledge of what Allah has kept hidden from them, for His knowledge penetrates into what has been and what will be. And in that connection He said: "and indeed their messengers came to them with the clear proofs, but they would not believe in what they had denied before. Thus does Allah seal the hearts of the disbelievers." He said: His knowledge penetrated into them, who of them was obedient and who disobedient, when He created them in the time of Ādam. The confirmation of that is where He said to Nūḥ: اهْبِطْ بِسَلامٍ مِنَّا وَبَرَكَاتٍ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَى أُمَمٍ مِمَّنْ مَعَكَ وَأُمَمٌ سَنُمَتِّعُهُمْ ثُمَّ يَمَسُّهُمْ مِنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ [Hūd: 48] (Descend in peace from Us, and with blessings upon you and upon communities from those who are with you; and there are communities to whom We shall grant enjoyment, then a painful punishment from Us shall touch them). And concerning that He said: وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ [al-Anʿām: 28] (And were they to be sent back, they would surely return to that which they were forbidden, and indeed they are liars). And concerning that He said: وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولا [al-Isrāʾ: 15] (And We never punish until We have sent a messenger). And concerning that He said: لِئَلا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ [al-Nisāʾ: 165] (So that people may have no argument against Allah after the messengers), and no one has any argument against Allah.

   * * *

   And others said: its meaning is: "they would not" — even if We were to bring them back to life after their destruction and after their witnessing what they had witnessed of the punishment of Allah — "believe in what they had denied before", before their destruction, as the Exalted whose praise is great said: وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ (And were they to be sent back, they would surely return to that which they were forbidden).

   * Mention of who said this:

   14904 — 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, concerning Allah's word: "in what they had denied before", he said: like His word: وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ (And were they to be sent back, they would surely return to that which they were forbidden).

   Abū Jaʿfar said: The most fitting of these statements with the explanation of the verse, and the most deserving in terms of correctness, is the statement which we have mentioned on the authority of Ubayy ibn Kaʿb and al-Rabīʿ. That is because whoever it is established beforehand in the knowledge of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, that he will not believe in Him, will never believe. And it was established beforehand in the knowledge of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, concerning those who perished of the communities whose tidings He has related in this sūra, that they would never believe. So He, whose praise is great, informed concerning them that they would not believe in that which they denied according to His prior knowledge, before the coming of the messengers and at their coming to them. And if it were said that its explanation is: "these who inherited the earth, O Muḥammad, from the polytheists of your people, after its inhabitants who were of ʿĀd and Thamūd, would not believe in what those who inherited the earth from them had denied, concerning the oneness of Allah, His promise, and His threat" — then that would be a valid direction and view, except that I know of no one who said it among those upon whose knowledge of the explanation of the Qurʾān one relies.

   * * *

   And as for what Mujāhid said, namely that its meaning is: even were they to be brought back, they would not believe — that is an explanation for which there is no indication in the outward wording of the revelation, nor in any sound narration from the Messenger. And if that is so, then the correct view is rather that for which there exists an indication in the outward wording of the revelation.

   * * *

   And as for His word: "Thus does Allah seal the hearts of the disbelievers", by it the Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: just as Allah sealed the hearts of these who disbelieved in their Lord and disobeyed His messengers, of these communities whose tidings We have related to you, O Muḥammad, in this sūra, until the punishment of Allah came to them and they perished by it — "thus does Allah seal the hearts of the disbelievers", concerning whom it is decreed that they will never believe, of your people.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله : تِلْكَ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنْبَائِهَا وَلَقَدْ جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا بِمَا كَذَّبُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ كَذَلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِ الْكَافِرِينَ (101) قال أبو جعفر: يقول تعالى ذكره: هذه القرى التي ذكرت لك، يا محمد، أمَرها وأمر أهلها= يعني: قوم نوح وعاد وثمود وقوم لوط وشعيب= " نقص عليك من أنبائها " فنخبرك عنها وعن أخبار أهلها, وما كان من أمرهم وأمر رُسل الله التي أرسلت إليهم, (6) لتعلم أنا ننصر رسلنا والذين آمنوا في الحياة الدنيا على أعدائنا وأهل الكفر بنا، ويعلم مكذبوك من قومك ما عاقبة أمر من كذَّب رسل الله, فيرتدعوا عن تكذيبك, وينيبوا إلى توحيد الله وطاعته= " ولقد جاءتهم رسلهم بالبينات "، يقول: ولقد جاءت أهل القرى التي قصصت عليك نبأها،= " رسلهم بالبينات "، يعني بالحجج: البينات (7) = " فما كانوا ليؤمنوا بما كذبوا من قبل ". * * * [ثم] اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويل ذلك. (8) . فقال بعضهم: معناه: فما كان هؤلاء المشركون الذين أهلكناهم من أهل القرى ليؤمنوا عند إرسالنا إليهم بما كذبوا من قبل ذلك, (9) وذلك يوم أخذِ ميثاقهم حين أخرجهم من ظهر آدم عليه السلام. * ذكر من قال ذلك. 14901 - حدثني محمد بن الحسين قال، حدثنا أحمد بن المفضل قال، حدثنا أسباط, عن السدي: " فما كانوا ليؤمنوا بما كذبوا من قبل " قال : ذلك يوم أخذ منهم الميثاق فآمنوا كرهًا. * * * وقال آخرون: معنى ذلك: فما كانوا ليؤمنوا عند مجيء الرسل، بما سبق في علم الله أنهم يكذبون به يوم أخرجهم من صُلب آدم عليه السلام . * ذكر من قال ذلك: 14902 - حدثنا القاسم قال، حدثنا الحسين قال، حدثني حجاج, عن ابن جريج, عن أبي جعفر, عن الربيع, عن أبي العالية, عن أبي بن كعب: " فما كانوا ليؤمنوا بما كذبوا من قبل: قال: كان في علمه يوم أقرُّوا له بالميثاق " . 14903 - حدثني المثنى , قال: حدثنا إسحاق قال، حدثنا عبد الله بن أبي جعفر, عن أبيه, عن الربيع بن أنس قال، يحق على العباد أن يأخذوا من العلم ما أبدى لهم ربهم والأنبياء، ويدعوا علمَ ما أخفى الله عليهم, (10) فإن علمه نافذٌ فيما كان وفيما يكون، وفي ذلك قال: " ولقد جاءتهم رسلهم بالبينات فما كانوا ليؤمنوا بما كذبوا من قبل كذلك يطبع الله على قلوب الكافرين "، قال: نفذ علمه فيهم، أيُّهم المطيع من العاصي حيث خلقهم في زمان آدم. وتصديق ذلك حيث قال لنوح: اهْبِطْ بِسَلامٍ مِنَّا وَبَرَكَاتٍ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَى أُمَمٍ مِمَّنْ مَعَكَ وَأُمَمٌ سَنُمَتِّعُهُمْ ثُمَّ يَمَسُّهُمْ مِنَّا عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ ، [هود: 48]، وقال في ذلك: وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ وَإِنَّهُمْ لَكَاذِبُونَ ، [الأنعام: 28]، وفي ذلك قال: وَمَا كُنَّا مُعَذِّبِينَ حَتَّى نَبْعَثَ رَسُولا [الإسراء: 15]، وفي ذلك قال: لِئَلا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ [النساء: 165]، ولا حجة لأحد على الله. * * * وقال آخرون: معنى ذلك: " فما كانوا " لو أحييناهم بعد هلاكهم ومعاينتهم ما عاينوا من عذاب الله، " ليؤمنوا بما كذبوا من قبل " هلاكهم, كما قال جل ثناؤه: وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ . * ذكر من قال ذلك: 14904 - حدثني محمد بن عمرو قال، حدثنا أبو عاصم قال، حدثنا عيسى, عن ابن أبي نجيح, عن مجاهد, في قول الله: " بما كذبوا من قبل "، قال: كقوله: وَلَوْ رُدُّوا لَعَادُوا لِمَا نُهُوا عَنْهُ . قال أبو جعفر: وأشبه هذه الأقوال بتأويل الآية وأولاها بالصواب, القولُ الذي ذكرناه عن أبيّ بن كعب والربيع. وذلك أن من سبق في علم الله تبارك وتعالى أنه لا يؤمن به, فلن يؤمن أبدًا, وقد كان سبق في علم الله تبارك وتعالى لمن هلك من الأمم التي قص نبأهم في هذه السورة، أنه لا يؤمن أبدًا, فأخبر جل ثناؤه عنهم, أنهم لم يكونوا ليؤمنوا بما هم به مكذبون في سابق علمه، قبل مجيء الرسل وعند مجيئهم إليهم. ولو قيل: تأويله: فما كان هؤلاء الذين وَرِثوا الأرض، يا محمد، من مشركي قومك من بعد أهلها، الذين كانوا بها من عاد وثمود, ليؤمنوا بما كذب به الذين ورثوها عنهم من توحيد الله ووعده ووعيده= كان وجهًا ومذهبًا, غير أني لا أعلم قائلا قاله ممن يعتمد على علمه بتأويل القرآن. * * * وأما الذي قاله مجاهد من أن معناه: لو ردّوا ما كانوا ليؤمنوا= فتأويلٌ لا دلالة عليه من ظاهر التنـزيل, ولا من خبر عن الرسول صحيح. وإذا كان ذلك كذلك, فأولى منه بالصواب ما كان عليه من ظاهر التنـزيل دليل. * * * وأما قوله: " كذلك يطبع الله على قلوب الكافرين " ، فإنه يقول تعالى ذكره: كما طبع الله على قلوب هؤلاء الذين كفروا بربهم وعصوا رسله من هذه الأمم التي قصصنا عليك نبأهم، يا محمد، في هذه السورة، حتى جاءهم بأسُ الله فهلكوا به= " كذلك يطبع الله على قلوب الكافرين " ، الذين كتب عليهم أنهم لا يؤمنون أبدًا من قومك. (11) . ---------------- الهوامش : (6) انظر تفسير (( القصص )) فيما سلف 12 : 406 ، تعليق : 1 ، والمراجع هناك . = وتفسير(( النبأ )) فيما سلف 12 : 287 ، تعليق : 2 ، والمراجع هناك . (7) انظر تفسير (( البينات )) فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة ( بين ) . (8) الزيادة بين القوسين يقتضيها السياق . (9) في المطبوعة : (( بما كذبوا قبل ذلك )) ، وفي المخطوطة : (( بما يحدثوا قبل ذلك )) ، واستظهرت أن يكون الصواب ما أثبت ، لقوله في الأثر الذي استدل به (( فآمنوا كرها )) . (10) في المخطوطة : (( ولوا علم ما أخفي الله عليهم )) ، وكأن الصواب ما في المطبوعة. (11) انظر تفسير الطبع فيما سلف 12 : 579 ، تعليق : 4 ، والمراجع هناك .