Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of His word: قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ لا إِلَهَ إِلا هُوَ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ("Say: O people, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all, He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no god but Him; He gives life and causes death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger.")

   Abū Jaʿfar said: He, exalted is His mention, says to His prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: "Say," O Muḥammad, to all people = "Truly, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all," not to some of you to the exclusion of others, as were the messengers before me, who were sent to a part of mankind to the exclusion of another part. Whoever among them was sent in such a manner—well, my mission is not to some of you to the exclusion of others, but it is to you all.

   And His word "He to whom" belongs to the apposition of the name "Allah." For the meaning of the statement is: Say: O people, truly I am the Messenger of Allah, to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, to you.

   He, mighty is His praise, means by His word "to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth": He to whom belongs the sovereignty over the heavens and the earth and what is within them, and the disposal of them and the governance of them = "There is no god but Him," He says: it is not fitting that divinity and worship should belong to anyone other than Him, exalted is His praise, to the exclusion of all things besides Him among partners and idols, except to Him who holds sovereignty over all things, and who is able to create whatever He wills and to give it life and to make it perish whenever He wishes to cause it to die = "So believe in Allah and His Messenger," He, mighty is His praise, says: say to them: then profess your faith in the signs of Allah who has this description, and acknowledge His oneness, and that He it is to whom divinity and worship belong, and believe in His Messenger Muḥammad ﷺ, that he is sent to His creatures, calling to the acknowledgment of His oneness and to obedience to Him.

   * * *

   The explanation of His word: النَّبِيِّ الأُمِّيِّ الَّذِي يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَكَلِمَاتِهِ وَاتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ (158) ("the unlettered prophet who believes in Allah and His words; and follow him, that you may be guided.")

   Abū Jaʿfar said: As for His word "the unlettered prophet," that belongs to the apposition of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

   * * *

   I have already expounded the meaning of "the prophet" earlier, in a manner that makes repetition unnecessary = and likewise the meaning of His word "the unlettered."

   * * *

   = "who believes in Allah," He says: who holds Allah and His words to be true.

   * * *

   Then the exegetes differed concerning the explanation of His word "and His words."

   Some of them said: its meaning is: and His signs.

   * Mention of who said that:

   15247 - Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word "who believes in Allah and His words," he says: His signs.

   * * *

   Others said: no, by that ʿĪsā the son of Maryam, peace be upon him, was meant.

   * Mention of who said that:

   15248 - Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, saying: Mujāhid said concerning His word "who believes in Allah and His words": that is ʿĪsā the son of Maryam.

   15149 - And Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥusayn related to me, saying: Aḥmad related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: "who believes in Allah and His words," that is ʿĪsā the son of Maryam.

   * * *

   Abū Jaʿfar said: And the correct judgment concerning this is, in our view, that Allah, exalted is His mention, commanded His servants to hold true the prophethood of the unlettered prophet who believes in Allah and His words, and He, mighty is His praise, did not restrict the report about his belief in "the words of Allah" to one part to the exclusion of another part, but He informed them about all the "words." The correct view in this, therefore, is that the statement be taken in a general sense, for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ believed in all the words of Allah, in accordance with what the outward text of the Book of Allah conveyed.

   * * *

   As for His word "and follow him, that you may be guided," so let yourselves be guided by him, O people, and act according to what He commanded you to do of obedience to Allah = "that you may be guided," He says: that you may be guided and thus find the straight path and attain what is correct in your following of him.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله : قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ لا إِلَهَ إِلا هُوَ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ قال أبو جعفر: يقول تعالى ذكره لنبيِّه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: " قل "، يا محمد للناس كلهم= " إنّي رسول الله إليكم جميعًا "، لا إلى بعضكم دون بعض, كما كان من قبلي من الرُّسل, مرسلا إلى بعض الناس دون بعض. فمن كان منهم أرسل كذلك, فإن رسالتي ليست إلى بعضكم دون بعض، ولكنها إلى جميعكم. وقوله: " الذي"، من نعت اسم " الله " وإنما معنى الكلام: قل: يا أيها الناس إني رسول الله، الذي له ملك السموات والأرض، إليكم. ويعني جل ثناؤه بقوله: " الذي له ملك السموات والأرض "، الذي له سلطان السَّموات والأرض وما فيهما, وتدبير ذلك وتصريفه (35) = " لا إله إلا هو "، يقول: لا ينبغي أن تكون الألوهة والعِبادة إلا له جل ثناؤه، دون سائر الأشياء غيره من الأنداد والأوثان, إلا لمن له سلطان كل شيء، والقادر على إنشاء خلق كل ما شاء وإحيائه، وإفنائه إذا شاء إماتته = " فآمنوا بالله ورسوله "، يقول جل ثناؤه: قل لهم: فصدِّقوا بآيات الله الذي هذه صفته, وأقِرُّوا بوحدانيته, وأنه الذي له الألوهة والعبادة, وصدقوا برسوله محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم أنَّه مبعوث إلى خلقه، داع إلى توحيده وطاعته. * * * القول في تأويل قوله : النَّبِيِّ الأُمِّيِّ الَّذِي يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَكَلِمَاتِهِ وَاتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ (158) قال أبو جعفر: أما قوله: " النبي الأمي"، فإنه من نعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم. * * * وقد بينت معنى " النبي" فيما مضى بما أغنى عن إعادته= ومعنى قوله: " الأمي". (36) * * * = " الذي يؤمن بالله "، يقول: الذي يصدق بالله وكلماته. * * * ثم اختلف أهل التأويل في تأويل قوله: " وكلماته ". (37) فقال بعضهم: معناه: وآياته. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 15247- حدثنا بشر بن معاذ قال، حدثنا يزيد قال، حدثنا سعيد, عن قتادة, قوله: " الذي يؤمن بالله وكلماته "، يقول: آياته. * * * وقال آخرون: بل عنى بذلك عيسى ابن مريم عليه السلام. * ذكر من قال ذلك: 15248- حدثنا القاسم قال، حدثنا الحسين قال، حدثني حجاج, عن ابن جريج قال، قال مجاهد قوله: " الذي يؤمن بالله وكلماته "، قال: عيسى ابن مريم. 15149- وحدثني محمد بن الحسين قال، حدثنا أحمد قال، حدثنا أسباط, عن السدي: " الذي يؤمن بالله وكلماته "، فهو عيسى ابن مريم. * * * قال أبو جعفر: والصواب من القول في ذلك عندنا، أنَّ الله تعالى ذكره أمرَ عباده أن يصدِّقوا بنبوِّة النبيّ الأمي الذي يؤمن بالله وكلماته، ولم يخصص الخبرَ جل ثناؤه عن إيمانه من " كلمات الله " ببعض دون بعضٍ, بل أخبرهم عن جميع " الكلمات ", فالحق في ذلك أن يعمَّ القول, فإن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يؤمن بكلمات الله كلِّها، على ما جاء به ظاهرُ كتابِ الله. * * * وأما قوله: " واتبعوه لعلكم تهتدون "، فاهتدوا به أيها الناس, واعملوا بما أمركم أن تعملوا به من طاعة الله= " لعلكم تهتدون "، يقول: لكي تهتدوا فترشدوا وتصيبوا الحقّ في اتّباعكم إيّاه. ---------------------- الهوامش : (35) (1) انظر تفسير (( الملك )) فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة ( ملك ) . (36) (1) انظر تفسير (( النبي )) فيما سلف 2 : 140 - 142 / 6 : 284 ، 380 ، وغيرها من المواضع . = وتفسير (( الأمي )) ، فيما سلف قريباً ص : 163 ، تعليق : 3 ، والمراجع هناك . (37) (2) انظر تفسير (( الكلمة )) فيما سلف من الفهارس اللغة ( كلم ) .