Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of the saying: اتَّبِعُوا مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَلا تَتَّبِعُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ قَلِيلا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ (Follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord, and do not follow protectors apart from Him; little do you take heed) (7:3).

   Abū Jaʿfar said: He, whose praise is exalted, says to His Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ: Say, O Muḥammad, to these polytheists (mushrikīn) from your people who worship the idols and the images: Follow, O people, what has come to you from your Lord of clear proofs and guidance, and act according to what your Lord has commanded you, and follow nothing apart from Him — that is to say: nothing other than what your Lord has sent down to you. He says: Do not follow the command of your protectors who command you to associate partners with Allah (shirk) and to worship the idols, for they lead you astray and do not guide you.

   * * *

   If someone were to ask: How can you say, "The meaning of the words is: Say: follow," while in the text there is no mention of "saying"?

   Then it is said: Even though it is not explicitly mentioned, there is nonetheless in the text an indication of it, namely His saying: فَلا يَكُنْ فِي صَدْرِكَ حَرَجٌ مِنْهُ لِتُنْذِرَ بِهِ (let there be no constriction in your breast on account of it, that you may warn thereby) (7:2). For in His saying "that you may warn thereby" lies enclosed the command to warn, and in the command to warn lies enclosed the command to speak, for warning is a form of speaking. It is as though the meaning of the text is: Warn the people and say to them: Follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord.

   And if one were to say that the meaning is: that you may warn thereby and admonish the believers thereby, and say to them: follow what has been sent down to you — then that would not be refutable.

   * * *

   Some of the scholars of the Arabic language said: His saying (follow) is an address directed to the Prophet ﷺ, and its meaning is: a Book that has been sent down to you, so let there be no constriction in your breast on account of it; follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord. He holds the view that this corresponds to the saying of Allah: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِعِدَّتِهِنَّ (O Prophet, when you divorce women, then divorce them with regard to their waiting period) [Surah al-Ṭalāq 65:1], wherein He began by addressing the Prophet ﷺ, and then made the verb plural for all, because when Allah commands His Prophet with a command, that is a command from Him to his entire community. Just as one says to a man who is addressed individually, while he and his band of followers, or his tribe and clan, are intended: "Do you then not fear Allah, are you then not ashamed before Allah!", and similar expressions.

   And even though that is a manner of interpretation that cannot be refuted, the position that we have chosen is nonetheless more fitting to the meaning of the text, on account of the indication of the explicit (the context) which we have described.

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   And His saying: (little do you take heed), he says: little do you let yourselves be warned and take instruction, so that you may return to the truth.

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله : اتَّبِعُوا مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَلا تَتَّبِعُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ قَلِيلا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ (3) قال أبو جعفر: يقول جل ثناؤه لنبيه محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: قل، يا محمد، لهؤلاء المشركين من قومك الذين يعبدون الأوثان والأصنام: اتبعوا، أيها الناس، ما جاءكم من عند ربكم بالبينات والهدى, واعملوا بما أمركم به ربكم, ولا تتبعوا شيئًا من دونه = يعني: شيئًا غير ما أنـزل إليكم ربكم. يقول: لا تتبعوا أمر أوليائكم الذين يأمرونكم بالشرك بالله وعبادة الأوثان, فإنهم يضلونكم ولا يهدونكم. * * * فإن قال قائل: وكيف قلت: " معنى الكلام: قل اتبعوا ", وليس في الكلام موجودًا ذكرُ القول؟ قيل: إنه وإن لم يكن مذكورًا صريحًا, فإن في الكلام دلالة عليه, وذلك قوله: فَلا يَكُنْ فِي صَدْرِكَ حَرَجٌ مِنْهُ لِتُنْذِرَ بِهِ , ففي قوله: " لتنذر به "، الأمر بالإنذار, وفي الأمر بالإنذار، الأمرُ بالقول، لأن الإنذار قول. فكأن معنى الكلام: أنذر القومَ وقل لهم: اتبعوا ما أنـزل إليكم من ربكم. ولو قيل معناه: لتنذر به وتذكر به المؤمنين فتقول لهم: اتبعوا ما أنـزل إليكم = كان غير مدفوع. * * * وقد كان بعض أهل العربية يقول: قوله: (اتبعوا)، خطاب للنبيّ صلى الله عليه وسلم , ومعناه: كتاب أنـزل إليك, فلا يكن في صدرك حرج منه, اتبع ما أنـزل إليك من ربك = ويرى أن ذلك نظير قول الله: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِذَا طَلَّقْتُمُ النِّسَاءَ فَطَلِّقُوهُنَّ لِعِدَّتِهِنَّ [سورة الطلاق: 1]، إذ ابتدأ خطابَ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم , ثم جعل الفعل للجميع, إذ كان أمر الله نبيه بأمرٍ، أمرًا منه لجميع أمته, كما يقال للرجل يُفْرَد بالخطاب والمراد به هو وجماعة أتباعه أو عشيرته وقبيلته: " أما تتقون الله، أما تستحيون من الله!"، ونحو ذلك من الكلام. (5) وذلك وإن كان وجهًا غير مدفوع, فالقولُ الذي اخترناه أولى بمعنى الكلام، لدلالة الظاهر الذي وصفنا عليه. * * * وقوله: (قَلِيلا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ)، يقول: قليلا ما تتعظون وتعتبرون فتراجعون الحق. (6) ------------------ الهوامش : (5) انظر معاني القرآن للفراء 1 : 371 ، فهذه مقالته . (6) انظر تفسير (( التذكر )) فيما سلف 11 : 489 ، تعليق 3 ، والمراجع هناك .