Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The statement concerning the interpretation of His word, the Exalted: سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ (1) ("A questioner asked about a punishment that will befall (1)")

   Abū Jaʿfar said: the reciters differed concerning the reading of His word: سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ ("A questioner asked"). Most of the reciters of Kūfa and Basra read it: سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ with the hamza in "saʾala sāʾil," with the meaning: a questioner among the unbelievers asked about the punishment of Allah, upon whom it would fall. And some of the reciters of Medina read it: سالَ سَائِلٌ ("sāla sāʾil") without the hamza in "sāla," and they directed it to the meaning that it is a verb derived from flowing (al-sayl).

   And the reading that is the most correct of the two readings is the reading of the one who read it with the hamza, because of the consensus of the authoritative proof among the reciters concerning that, and because the generality of the people of interpretation among the predecessors (al-salaf) interpreted it according to the meaning of the hamza.

   * Mention of those who interpreted it thus and whose interpretation agrees with our statement concerning that:

   Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd related to me, saying: my father related to me, saying: my uncle related to me, saying: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word: سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ("A questioner asked about a punishment that will befall"), he said: that is the questioning of the unbelievers about the punishment of Allah, and it will befall.

   Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿAnbasa, on the authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujāhid: إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ ("If this is the truth from You") ... the verse, he said: سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ("A questioner asked about a punishment that will befall").

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us, both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the word of Allah: سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ ("A questioner asked"), he said: a supplicant supplicated, بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ("about a punishment that will befall"), he said: it will befall in the hereafter; he said: and that is their word: اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ ("O Allah, if this is the truth from You, then rain down upon us stones from the sky").

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ("A questioner asked about a punishment that will befall"), he said: people asked for the punishment of Allah, and Allah made clear upon whom it would fall: upon the unbelievers.

   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 word: سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ ("A questioner asked"), he said: he asked about a punishment that would befall, and Allah said: لِلْكَافِرينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ ("for the unbelievers; none can avert it").

   And as for those who read it without the hamza, they said: al-sāʾil is a valley among the valleys of Hell (jahannam).

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning the word of Allah: سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ("A questioner asked about a punishment that will befall"), he said: some of the people of knowledge said: it is a valley in Hell (jahannam) called "sāʾil."

   And His word: بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ * لِلْكَافِرينَ ("about a punishment that will befall, for the unbelievers") — he says: he asked for a punishment for the unbelievers, which is rightfully due to them on the Day of Resurrection and will befall them. And the meaning of لِلْكَافِرِينَ ("for the unbelievers") is: upon the unbelievers, like that which was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd related to us, saying: I heard

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ (1) قال أبو جعفر: اختلفت القرّاء في قراءة قوله: ( سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ )، فقرأته عامة قرّاء الكوفة والبصرة: ( سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ ) بهمز سأل سائل، بمعنى سأل سائل من الكفار عن عذاب الله، بمن هو واقع، وقرأ ذلك بعض قرّاء المدينة ( سالَ سَائِلٌ ) فلم يهمز سأل، ووجهه إلى أنه فعل من السيل. والذي هو أولى القراءتين بالصواب قراءة من قرأه بالهمز؛ لإجماع الحجة من القرّاء على ذلك، وأن عامة أهل التأويل من السلف بمعنى الهمز تأوّلوه. * ذكر من تأوّل ذلك كذلك، وقال تأويله نحو قولنا فيه: حدثني محمد بن سعيد، قال: ثني أبي، قال: ثني عمي، قال: ثني أبي، عن أبيه، عن ابن عباس، قوله: ( سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ) قال: ذاك سؤال الكفار عن عذاب الله وهو واقع. حدثنا ابن حميد، قال: ثنا حكام، عن عنبسة، عن ليث، عن مجاهد إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ ... الآية، قال ( سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ). حدثنا محمد بن عمرو، قال: ثنا أبو عاصم، قال: ثنا عيسى؛ وحدثني الحارث، قال: ثنا الحسن، قال: ثنا ورقاء، جميعا عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد، في قول الله: ( سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ ) قال: دعا داع، ( بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ) قال: يقع في الآخرة، قال: وهو قولهم: اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ . حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: ( سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ) قال: سأل عذاب الله أقوام، فبين الله على من يقع؛ على الكافرين. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا ابن ثور، عن معمر، عن قتادة، قوله: ( سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ ) قال: سأل عن عذاب واقع، فقال الله: ( لِلْكَافِرينَ لَيْسَ لَهُ دَافِعٌ ). وأما الذين قرءوا ذلك بغير همز، فإنهم قالوا: السائل واد من أودية جهنم. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال، قال ابن زيد، في قوله الله: ( سَأَلَ سَائِلٌ بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ ) قال: قال بعض أهل العلم: هو واد في جهنم يقال له سائل. وقوله: ( بِعَذَابٍ وَاقِعٍ * لِلْكَافِرينَ ) يقول: سأل بعذاب للكافرين واجب لهم يوم القيامة واقع بهم، ومعنى ( لِلْكَافِرِينَ ) على الكافرين، كالذي حُدثت عن الحسين، قال: سمعت أبا معاذ يقول: ثنا عبيد، قال: سمعت