Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His statement: رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا الرَّحْمَنِ ("The Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, the Most Merciful") (78:37). The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says: a reward from your Lord, the Lord of the seven heavens and the earth and what is between them of creation.

   And the reciters differ concerning its recitation. Most of the reciters of Medina read it: رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا الرَّحْمَنِ ("the Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, the Most Merciful") with the nominative (rafʿ) in both words. And some of the scholars of Basra and some of the scholars of Kūfa read "rabbi" (Lord) in the genitive (khafḍ) and "al-raḥmāni" (the Most Merciful) in the nominative (rafʿ). For each of these there is, in our view, a sound grammatical basis, so with whichever of the two the reciter recites, he is correct. However, the genitive in "rabbi" (the Lord) — on account of its proximity to His statement جَزَاءً مِنْ رَبِّكَ ("a reward from your Lord") — is my preference. As for "al-raḥmāni" (the Most Merciful) in the nominative: that is more elegant on account of its greater distance from that statement.

   And His statement: الرَّحْمَنِ لا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا ("The Most Merciful, they have no power to address Him") (78:37). The Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: the Most Merciful — none of His creatures will be able to address Him on the Day of Resurrection, except the one whom He permits among them and who speaks what is right.

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

   * Mention of who said that:

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, 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 His statement: لا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا ("they have no power to address Him"), he said: that is to say: words.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His statement: لا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا ("they have no power to address Him"): that is to say: words.

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His statement: لا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا ("they have no power to address Him"), he said: they have no power to address Allah. And the mukhāṭib (the one who directs speech) is the adversary who disputes with his companion.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله: (رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا الرَّحْمَنِ) يقول جلّ ثناؤه: جزاء من ربك ربّ السموات السبع والأرض وما بينهما من الخلق. واختلف القرّاء في قراءة ذلك، فقرأته عامة قراء المدينة: (رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا الرَّحْمَنِ) بالرفع في كليهما. وقرأ ذلك بعض أهل البصرة وبعض الكوفيين: (رَبِّ) خفضًا: (الرَّحْمَنِ) رفعًا ولكلّ ذلك عندنا وجه صحيح، فبأيّ ذلك قرأ القارئ فمصيب، غير أن الخفض في الربّ، لقربه من قوله: (جَزَاءً مِنْ رَبِّكَ): أعجب إليّ، وأما(الرَّحْمَنِ) بالرفع فإنه أحسن لبعده من ذلك. وقوله: (الرَّحْمَنِ لا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا) يقول تعالى ذكره: الرحمن لا يقدر أحد من خلقه خطابه يوم القيامة، إلا من أذن له منهم وقال صوابًا. وبنحو الذي قلنا في ذلك قال أهل التأويل. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني 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، قوله: (لا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا) قال: كلاما. حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: (لا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا) أي كلاما. حدثني يونس، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال: قال ابن زيد، في قوله: لا يَمْلِكُونَ مِنْهُ خِطَابًا قال: لا يملكون أن يخاطبوا الله، والمخاطِب: المخاصم الذي يخاصم صاحبه.