Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   «وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ» (And they will not remember unless Allah wills). The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: and they do not remember this Qurʾān, so as to take heed from it and act upon what is in it, unless Allah wills that they remember it; for no one is capable of anything unless Allah wills that he be capable of it and grants him the power to do so.

   And His statement: «هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَى وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ» (He is worthy to be feared, and He is worthy to grant forgiveness). The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: Allah is worthy that His servants should fear His punishment for their disobedience to Him, so that they avoid acts of disobedience to Him and hasten toward obedience to Him; «وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ» (and He is worthy to grant forgiveness), He says: He is worthy to forgive their sins when they do that, and not to punish them for them when they show repentance for them.

   And in accordance with what we have said concerning this, the interpreters of the Qurʾān (ahl al-taʾwīl) have spoken.

   * Mention of who said that:

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, «هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَى وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ» (He is worthy to be feared, and He is worthy to grant forgiveness): our Lord deserves that His prohibitions be feared, and He is worthy to grant forgiveness, He forgives the sins.

   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 statement: «هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَى وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ» (He is worthy to be feared, and He is worthy to grant forgiveness), he said: He is worthy that His prohibitions be feared, «وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ» (and He is worthy to grant forgiveness): He is worthy to forgive the sins.

   Show original Arabic

   ( وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: وما يذكرون هذا القرآن فيتعظون به، ويستعملون ما فيه، إلا أن يشاء الله أن يذكروه؛ لأنه لا أحد يقدر على شيء إلا بأن يشاء الله يقدره عليه، ويعطيه القدرة عليه. وقوله: ( هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَى وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ ) يقول تعالى ذكره: الله أهل أن يتقي عباده عقابه على معصيتهم إياه، فيجتنبوا معاصيه، ويُسارعوا إلى طاعته، ( وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ ) يقول: هو أهل أن يغفر ذنوبهم إذا هم فعلوا ذلك، ولا يعاقبهم عليها مع توبتهم منها. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة ( هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَى وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ ) ربنا محقوق أن تتقى محارمه، وهو أهل المغفرة يغفر الذنوب. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى، قال: ثنا ابن ثور، عن معمر، عن قتادة، في قوله: ( هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَى وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ ) قال: أهل أن تتقى محارمه، ( وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ ): أهل أن يغفر الذنوب.