Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   And His word: فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا (But they denied him and slaughtered her). He says: they denied Ṣāliḥ in his report which he gave them, namely that it was Allah who had appointed the she-camel's turn to drink on one day, and their turn to drink on a particular day, and that Allah would bring down His vengeance upon them if they slaughtered her — as He, exalted be His praise, described them when He said: كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ وَعَادٌ بِالْقَارِعَةِ (Thamūd and ʿĀd denied the Striking Calamity). And it is possible that the denial coincided with the slaughtering. If that is so, then it is permissible to place the denial before the slaughtering, and the slaughtering before the denial, for every act that takes place as a consequence of a cause may rightly be mentioned before the cause or after it, just as one says: "I gave, so I did good" and "I did good, so I gave" — for giving is doing good, and giving is among doing good. Likewise, if the slaughtering was the cause of the denial, then it is permissible for the speaker to put first whatever he wishes.

   Some have claimed that His word فَكَذَّبُوهُ (but they denied him) is an independent, complete statement, and that His word فَعَقَرُوهَا (and slaughtered her) is the response to His word إِذِ انْبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا (when the most wretched of them rose up), as if it were said: when the most wretched of them rose up and slaughtered her. And he said: how can it be said فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا (but they denied him and slaughtered her), when the people, before the killing of the she-camel, had complied, with a turn to drink for her on one day and a turn to drink for them on another day? The answer is: the report has come that they, after they had complied in that, agreed together to prevent her from drinking, and were content with her killing; and with the agreement of all of them her killer killed her and the one who slaughtered her slaughtered her. For this reason the denial and the slaughtering were attributed to all of them, so He, exalted be His praise, said: فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا (but they denied him and slaughtered her).

   And His word: فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنْبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا (Then their Lord destroyed them utterly for their sin and made them equal). He, exalted be His mention, says: then their Lord annihilated them for that sin of theirs, their disbelief in Him, their denial of His messenger Ṣāliḥ, and their slaughtering of his she-camel. فَسَوَّاهَا (and made her equal), He says: He made the annihilation equal over all of them, so that none of them escaped.

   As Bishr related to me, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنْبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا (Then their Lord destroyed them utterly for their sin and made them equal) — it has been related to us that the red one of Thamūd refused to slaughter her, until their small and their great, their man and their woman, pledged allegiance to him. When the people jointly took part in the slaughtering of her, Allah annihilated them for their sin and made them equal.

   Bishr ibn Ādam related to me, saying: Qutayba related to us, saying: Abū Hilāl related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḥasan say: when they slaughtered the she-camel, they went searching for her young, which was on the summit of the mountain, whereupon Allah tore apart their hearts.

   Show original Arabic

   وقوله: ( فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا ) يقول: فكذّبوا صالحا في خبره الذي أخبرهم به، من أن الله الذي جعل شِرْبَ الناقة يوما، ولهم شِرْبُ يوم معلوم، وأن الله يُحِلّ بهم نقمته، إن هم عقروها، كما وصفهم جلّ ثناؤه فقال: كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ وَعَادٌ بِالْقَارِعَةِ ، وقد يُحتمل أن يكون التكذيب بالعقْر. وإذا كان ذلك كذلك، جاز تقديم التكذيب قبل العقر، والعقر قبل التكذيب، وذلك أن كلّ فعل وقع عن سبب حَسُنَ ابتداؤه قبل السبب وبعده، كقول القائل: أعطيت فأحسنت، وأحسنت فأعطيت؛ لأن الإعطاء هو الإحسان، ومن الإحسان الإعطاء، وكذلك لو كان العقر هو سبب التكذيب، جاز تقديم أيّ ذلك شاء المتكلم. وقد زعم بعضهم أن قوله: ( فَكَذَّبُوهُ ) كلمة مكتفية بنفسها، وأن قوله: ( فَعَقَرُوهَا ) جواب لقوله: ( إِذِ انْبَعَثَ أَشْقَاهَا ) كأنه قيل: إذ انبعث أشقاها فعقرها، فقال: وكيف قيل ( فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا ) وقد كان القوم قبل قتل الناقة مُسَلِّمين، لها شرب يوم، ولهم شرب يوم آخر. قيل: جاء الخبر أنهم بعد تسليمهم ذلك أجمعوا على منعها الشرب، ورضوا بقتلها، وعن رضا جميعهم قَتَلها قاتِلُها، وعقَرَها من عقرها ولذلك نُسب التكذيب والعقر إلى جميعهم، فقال جلّ ثناؤه: ( فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَعَقَرُوهَا ). وقوله: ( فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنْبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا ) يقول تعالى ذكره: فدمَّر عليهم ربهم بذنبهم ذلك، وكفرهم به، وتكذيبهم رسوله صالحا، وعقرهم ناقته ( فَسَوَّاهَا ) يقول: فسوّى الدمدمة عليهم جميعهم، فلم يُفْلِت منهم أحد. كما حدثني بشر، قال: ثنا يزيد، قال: ثنا سعيد، عن قتادة، قوله: ( فَدَمْدَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ بِذَنْبِهِمْ فَسَوَّاهَا ) ذُكر لنا أن أحيمر ثَمود أبى أن يعقرها، حتى بايعه صغيرُهم وكبيرُهم، وذكرهم وأنثاهم، فلما اشترك القوم في عقرها دمدم الله عليهم بذنبهم فسوّاها. حدثني بشر بن آدم، قال: ثنا قُتيبة، قال: ثنا أبو هلال، قال: سمعت الحسن يقول: لما عقروا الناقة طلبوا فصيلها، فصار في قارة الجبل، فقطع الله قلوبهم.