Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلا تَنْسَى ("We shall make you recite, and you shall not forget") — he ﷺ would not forget anything — إِلا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ("except what Allah wills").

   And others said: the meaning of forgetting (al-nisyān) in this place is: abandonment (al-tark). They said: the meaning of the expression is: We shall make you recite, O Muḥammad, and you shall not abandon acting upon any of it, except what Allah wills that you abandon acting upon, of that which We abrogate.

   Some of the grammarians (ahl al-ʿarabiyya) said concerning this: Allah did not will that you should forget anything, and it is like His statement: خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ إِلا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ ("abiding therein as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except what your Lord wills"), while He does not will that. He said: and you say in common speech: "I shall give you everything you ask, except what I will," and "except that I will to refuse you something," while the intention is that you will not refuse him and that you do not will to refuse anything. He said: in this manner also proceed the oaths, in which an exception is made, while the intention of the one swearing is affirmation (al-limām).

   And the view that, in my opinion, is closest to the correct one, is the view of him who says: the meaning of it is: you shall not forget, except that We will that We cause you to forget it by abrogating it and removing it.

   We said that this is closest to the correct, because this is the most evident of its meanings.

   His statement: إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَى ("Indeed, He knows what is openly declared and what is concealed"). The Exalted, whose praise is mentioned, says: indeed, Allah knows the open, O Muḥammad, of your deeds — what you have shown and made public — وَمَا يَخْفَى ("and what is concealed"), He says: and what of it remains hidden, which you have not shown, of that which you have kept secret. He says: He knows all your deeds, the secret of them and the public of them. He says: so be on your guard lest He catch you while you, in any of your states, are doing something other than that which He has permitted you.

   Show original Arabic

   حدثنا بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة ( سَنُقْرِئُكَ فَلا تَنْسَى ) كان صلى الله عليه وسلم لا ينسى شيئًا( إِلا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ) . وقال آخرون: معنى النسيان في هذا الموضع: الترك؛ وقالوا: معنى الكلام: سنقرئك يا محمد فلا تترك العمل بشيء منه، إلا ما شاء الله أن تترك العمل به، مما ننسخه. وكان بعض أهل العربية يقول في ذلك: لم يشأ الله أن تنسى شيئًا، وهو كقوله: خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ إِلا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ ولا يشاء. قال: وأنت قائل في الكلام: لأعطينك كلّ ما سألت إلا ما شئت، وإلا أن أشاء أن أمنعك، والنية أن لا تمنعه، ولا تشاء شيئًا. قال: وعلى هذا مجاري الأيمان، يستثنى فيها، ونية الحالف: اللمام. والقول الذي هو أولى بالصواب عندي قول من قال: معنى ذلك: فلا تنسى إلا أن نشاء نحن أن نُنسيكه بنسخه ورفعه. وإنما قلنا ذلك أولى بالصواب، لأن ذلك أظهر معانيه. وقوله: ( إِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ الْجَهْرَ وَمَا يَخْفَى ) يقول تعالى ذكره: إن الله يعلم الجهر يا محمد من عملك ما أظهرته وأعلنته ( وَمَا يَخْفَى ) يقول: وما يخفى منه فلم تظهره مما كتمته، يقول: هو يعلم جميع أعمالك سرّها وعلانيتها؛ يقول: فاحذره أن يطلع عليك وأنت عامل في حال من أحوالك بغير الذي أذن لك به.