R

T. A B A R !

Selections fr om
on
T he C om pr eh en si ve E xp os iti
of th e In te rp re ta ti on o f th e
V er se s o f th e Q E r'a n
VO LU ME I

INS TIT UT E
TH E RO YA L AA L AL -BA YT
FO R ISL AM IC TH OU GH T
and
IET Y
TH E ISL AM IC TEX TS SOC

Translated by
Scott C. Lu ca s
Copyright Cl The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought 2017 CONTEN TS

This first edition published 2017 by Acknowledgements VII

THE ROYAL AAL AL-BAIT INSTITUTE FOR ISLAMIC THOUGHT & Abbreviations IX

THE lsLAM1c Tuxrs Soc1ETY Translator's Introduction XI

MILLER'S HOUSE
KINGS MILL LANE
GREAT SHELFORD
CAMBRIDGE CB22 SEN, UK.
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ISBN: 978 l91 II41 26 6 VOL JI
ISBN : 978 l9II 14I 27 3 SET OF 2 VOLUMES
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Cover design copyright 0 The Islamic Texts Society
PaINnd Bv MEGA PRINTING IN Tuakev
Selections from
THE COMPREHE NSIVE EXPOSITIO N OF THE
INTERPRET ATION OF THE VERSES OF THE Q.!:!R'AN
VOLUME I
Tabari's Introduction
Ill
The Opening: Surat al-Fatil;ta (1 :2-'7)
163
The Cow: Surat al-aaqara (2 :255)
The Cow: Surat al-Baqara (2 :284-286) 179
216
The Family of 'Imran: Surat Al ' Imran (3 :7)
The Family of ' Imran: Surat Al ' Imran (3: 18) 247
Repentance: Surat al-Tawba (9 :38-40) 253
262
Repentance: Surat al-Tawba (9 :128- 129)
267
The Cave: Surat al-Kahf (18 :60-82)
The Light: Surat al-Nur (24:35-42) 317
Prostration: Surat al-Sajda (32 :1-30) 348
Ya' Sin : Surat Ya' Sin (36:1-83) 391
468
The Companies: Surat al-Zumar (39 :53-55)
Appendix A: The Disconnected Letters (al-Muqa!!a'at) 477
Appendix B: Tabari's Teachers 495
Appendix C: Tabari's ~ran Interpreters 511
Appendix D : Tabari's Poets 527
Appendix E: References to Arabic Passages of Tafiir al-Tabari 533
Bibliography 535
General Index 543
 ACK NOW LED GEM ENT S

/11 rhe Name of God, the Beneficent, the Mercifi,I.

All praise belongs to God, Lord ofthe Worlds;
may His blessings and mercy be 11po11 our
Master and Prophet, Mubammad.
supp ort from nume rous
A work of this length and comp lexity requi red
ful. HRH Princ e Ghaz i bin
individuals , for whic h I am most grate
yt Instit ute for Islamic Thou ght,
Muhammad and the Royal Aal al-Ba
ously comm ission ed this proje ct in
An1man, Jorda n, approved and gener
ntly for its comp letion . Dr Yusu f Meri
2007, and have waited very patie
on my drafts durin g the proje ct's initial
provided suppo rt and feedback
nued to find revie wers for
years, and Mr Aftab Ahm ed subsequently conti
ing on it. Amo ng the
the later drafts and gentl y ensured I was still work
ams provi ded very helpf ul
reviewers of the early drafts, Mr Khalid Willi
tly, it has been a pleas ure
feedback and corrected many error s. More recen
Society. I am grate ful,
work ing with Ms Fatima Azza m at the Islamic Texts
ew Boos o durin g the final
too, for the excellent editorial eye of Mr Andr
stage of this project.
nate to have had col-
At the Univ ersity of Arizo na, I have been fortu
know ledge of classical Arab ic. Dr
leagues and stude nts with excep tiona l
with some of the most diffic ult
Adel Gama! has graci ously helpe d me
h I rema in indeb ted. My grad uate
passages of these selections, for whic
and revie wed more than half of this
stude nt, Dr Samy Ayoub, proof read
rch assist ance with one of the appe ndi-
translation , and provi ded resea
l Bada reen and Ahm ed
ces. Two addit ional gradu ate stude nts, Dr Naye
ns of my early draft s. I am
Meilo ud, provi ded helpf ul feedback on sectio
s and enco urage ment . A
grateful for all of their sugge stion s, corre ction
2010 allow ed me time to
sabbatical from the Univ ersity of Arizo na in fall
timel y.
work on this proje ct, whic h was beneficial and
My Doktermutter, Professor Wada d Kadi, after revie wing a few pages of
se and literal in my trans la-
an early draft, encouraged me to be more preci
M aha, and our child ren
tion, and I remain thank ful for her advice. My wife,
, wher e I could escap~
Ali and Salma, provi ded a lovin g and joyfu l space

Vil
 TABARI

from the unanticipated administrative burdens that delayed this project

for several years. They have provided the inspiration for me to complete
this book. Finally, I wish to dedicate this translation to my parents, Ellen
and Hank Lucas, who inculcated a love of learning in me and supported,
both financially and compassionately, my journey from French to Arabic,
to Yale and Yemen, and, ultimately, to Islam and Islamic Studies. Their
ABBREV IATIONS
love and support have made this project possible. As the ~r'an says: n., ,_ by Abii
Co111111e111ary: Tabari. The Co111111e11tary 011 I he '<!!ran . d
rabbi'rbamhuma kama rabbayani $aghirat1 (0 Lord, have mercy o n them,just ·
Ja'Jar Mul,a,11111ad b.Jarir aI-:a ..,. b - b · ,o an abridrge
~•~o
arr: ,_
as they cared for me when I was young).
tra11slatio11 ofJami' al-baya11 an-ta 11111 ay al-~r a11,
One request: I trust that the reader will recognize that all of the opin- with an introductio n and notes by John Cooper.
io ns expressed in this translation, regarding the meaning of the ~r'an, New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
are solely those of its author, Abii Ja' far al-Tabari, or of the men and
Al-Durr al-11u111tl1fir: Jalal al-Din al-Suyu~i. Al-Durr al-ma11thfir fi'l-
women whom be cites, and must not be assumed to reflect the opinions
tafsir (bi-]al-ma'thfir. 7 vols. Beirut: Dar al- Kutub
of the translator or publisher.
al-' Ilmiyya, 2004.
Tabari. Tafsir al-Tabari: Jami' al-bayan 'a11-ta'wil
April 2017 Dar Hajar:
~ aI-'<!!r
ay n., ,_an. Ed . 'Abd Allah al-Turki and
Tucson, Arizona .
Markaz al-Bubiith wa'l-Diras at al-'Arab?•y a
wa' I-Islamiyya bi-Dar Hajar. 27 vols. Ca~ro:
Hajar, 2001. Available at: http ://www.arch1ve.
org/details /TafsirTab ariTurki.
EI2:
Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Brill
Online, 2012.
Guillarmre: Guillaume, Alfred. The Life of Mu/1a111111ad : ,:4
Tra11slatio11 of Ib11 Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah . Karachi:
Oxford University Press, 2001 [ 195 5] •
Hava : Hava,J. G. Arabic-English Dictionary. New Delhi :
Goodword Books, 2001 [ 1899].
]falabi or Jami' al-baya11 : Tabari. Jami' al-bayan_ 'an-t~'w_il ay al-~r'a11. 3~
vols. Cairo: MuHafa al-Bab1 al-1:Ialab1, 1954
1968.
Lane: Lane, Edward. An Arabic-E11glisl1 Lexicon. London :
Williams and Norgate, 1863. Available at: http://
www. tyndalearchive.com/tabs/lane/.
Al-Mubarrar al-wajrz: Ibn 'A~iyya. AI-Mubarrar al-wajiz Ji-tafsir al-kitiib
al-'aziz. 6 vols. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-' llmiyya,
2007.

VIII
IX
 TAB AR!

Q. ~r 'an.
Tofiir al-Tnbari: Tabari. Tofii r nl-Tnbari: }iim i' al-b - ' a' -1
- I n .. r ,a,,. Ed. Mah mud Sha-k ·ayan d an-t w,
ay a --<!.! · 1r an . ad
Ahrn
Sh a-k·Ir. 16 vols. Cair o : Dar al-M , _ ·r' 1957 -19159_
. . . . a an
Wrigl,r: Wrig ht, Wilh am. Arab ic Gram mar
·
2 v I .
OSU ] TRA NSL AT OR 'S INT RO DU CT ION
Mi neo Ia, New York: Dov er PubJ 1cat1 · .011s, . I.
2005 _ IR AL-TABAR.I
I. THE AUT HOR : MUf :IAM MAD B.
JAR

i was a scho lar's scho lar.' He col-

Abu Ja' far Mul.ianunad b. Jari r al-Tabar
ious and histo rical repo rts, and
lected an extr aord inar y quan tity of relig
few of whi ch surv ive. Tab ari was
prod uced exceptional books, only a
an (pre sent -day nort hern Iran ) into
born in 224- 25/ 839 in Amu l, Tab arist
supp orte d his lifet ime of scho larly
a prosperous, land own ing family, who
stud ied and colle cted thou sand s of
pursuits. From the ages of 12-1 7, he
lims ' opin ions in Ray y (nea r mod -
is,,ad-supported narrations of earl y Mus
r of poe try and histo ry. From the
ern Tehran). He was also an avid colJ ecto
jour neys in the search of kno wl-
ages of 17-3 1, he und erto ok two long
Iraqi cities of Bag hdad , Basra and
edge: one of whic h brou ght him to the
to cities in Syria, Palestine and
Kufa , and the second of whi ch took him
whe re he com pose d boo ks and
Egypt. He settled in Baghdad in 256/ 870,
ely cons ider ed a mas ter ~cholar and
taug ht until his deat h in 3w/9 23. Wid
muf/aq), his boo ks wer e high ly
an absolutely inde pend ent juri st (mujtahid
mos t scholars, Tab ari neve r mar -
esteemed duri ng his lifetime. Unli ke
wor k. He also avoi ded hold ing any
ried, devo ting him self enti rely to his
ed for a few years as a tuto r for
governm ent positions, alth ough he serv
the son of an ' Abbasid wazir.
repo rts from mor e than 425
Ove r the course of his life, Tabari cited
rt from 148 of his teachers in
teach ers.' He included at least one repo
tary inclu ded in this translation.
the selections of his ~r'a nic com men
n, as non e of the majo r biographical
Fourteen of these teachers are unk now
's intro ducti on to Taba ri, Tire History
1 Sour~es fo: the life ofTa bari inclu de : Frnnz Rose nthal
tht Cr,atio11 to tht Flood, translated by Franz
ofal-Tabar,, Vol. I: C,11,ral b1trod11aio11 a11d From de
, 5-13 4; C . E. Bosword1, "al-Tabari '', El'; Clau
Rose nthal (Albany: SUN Y Press, 1989) , Cora11iq11t dt Tabar i (Pari s : Libra irc
Islam : L' E:,.-lg;s
GilBo t, E~lg;s,, La11g11, ti Tl,lologi, m iim, ed.
afib al-Baghdad;, Tiiriklr madi11at al-sal
Ph,losopluquc J. Vrin, 1990), 19-68; al-Kh al-lsl ami, 2001) , 2:548- 56; Y:iqiit
ut: Dar al-Gh arb
Bashshar ' Aw w:id Ma' ruf, 17 vols. (Beir 2-75 ; Shams
Dar al-Ku tub al-' llmiy ya, t991), 5:24
al-f:l~mawi, M11'jarn al-11dabii' (Beirut : ct al., 28 vols. (Beir ut :
ed. Shu' ayb al-Ar na'iif
al-J?1n al-Dhahabi, Siyar a'liirn al-1111balii',
Mu assasa1 al-Ri sala, 2001) , 14:26 7- 82.
ad al-Achari, Mr/jam
2 The_ most thorough study of Tabari's teachers is Akra m Mu~ anun
: n.p .• 2005) . Sec also Gillio t, Exigcse, 19-33 .
slruy11kl, al-Tabari (Amman aud Cairo

X xr
 TABARi Tra11slator's Introd11ction

dictionaries of early Muslim scholars have an entry on them. The vast • I ' His ori ina1 works on jurispruden ce
Most of Tabari s books are ost. d lg fragments of his study of
majority of these teachers lived in Iraq : 40 were in Baghdad, 32 in Basra, bar~ly a ·tkral l
c_e ~ an o1·1v1ey Portions of his incomplete
have vanished with
26 in Kufa and 2 in Wasit. Egypt, presumably the capital city of Fustat . I h sm (, '" ii./) surv . . d
juristic normative ~ ur~ . f hadiths, Tahdl,ib al-iithiir, have survive
(Old Cairo), was the second most important location for Tabari, with eight
study of the legal unphcauons o _ . I I M hmiid Shakir. A fragment .
teachers, followed by Homs, Syria (six teachers) and Merv, Turkmenista n b]· I d by the Egyptian sc 10 ar a.
and were pu is 1e . k titled al-Tab/ir fl ma'iilim al-din, survives m a
(five teachers). He cited three teachers each from the Palestinian cities of of a short theological wor • b bl" hed The only complete
Ashkelon and Ramla, and two teachers in Rayy and his hometown of . . Spain and has een pu is . . I Ji ·
unique manuscript m . dd" . his short creed and poss1b y is
Amul. Finally, he quoted reports from just a single teacher in the cities I ived m a mon to .
works to n1ave surv • . -r-,1-kl,
I11s , a al-msul wa'l-11111/rik (History.,
of Ahwaz, Beirut, Gaza, Harran, Jerusalem, Mosul, Nishapur and Raqqa. .. ,_ . eadings are
book on --<.!!. r an1c r . • ) d I . ast nur'anic commentary , fjii1111 h
Interestingly, he does not cite any teachers in th.is translated selection of his and Kmgs an us v '<.!!
ive Exposition o t e
of the Messen~e~/s - / n .. ,_ (The Comprehens
commentary from Damascus, Mecca or Medina. al-bayiin 'an ta 1111 ay a -'<!!ran ,_ ,
Most of these teachers narrated a variety of reports from multi- Interpretatio n of the Verses of the Q!r an).
ple sources, while a few of them narrated what most Western scholars
have been reluctant to call "books"-large numbers of reports with II. THE COMMENTARY:
an identical chain of transmitters, or is11iid. Teachers who narrated a The Comprehensive Exposition ofth,e_
diverse array of Companion, Successor and occasionally Prophetic Interpretation of the ~rses of the Q!!r an
reports include: Mubammad b. Bashshar (d. 252/ 866) and MulJammad b. .. b I small cluster of four early
al-Muthanna (d. 252/866) in Basra ; Abu Kurayb Mubammad b. al-'Ala' The Comprehensive E~pos1t1011 edongs ~o a llection of isniid-supported
Q!r'anic commentane s devote to t e co - ' bd b H a d
(d. 248/862) and Sufyan b. Waki' (d. 247/861) in Kufa; and Ya' qub b.
reports, called al-tafsir bi'l-ma't/11,r. Prior ~o Tabanh ~ lost. ait~:u;h
Ibrahim al-Dawraqi in Baghdad. Scholars who narrated books of early
al-Kissi (d. 249/863) composed a work of this genre t at is . .' S ii ti's
exegesis to Tabari include : Bishr b. Mu' adh al-'Aqadi (d. 24 5/85g-60) ·ts content from the references to .tt m lbuy Ab- .
in Basra; Yiinus b. 'Abd al-A' la (d. 264/877-88) in Egypt; and three one can get a sense o f ! n 1
f Tb -• ·unior contempor anes-
Baghdadi scholars: 'Ali b. Dawiid al-Tamimi (d. 272/886 or 270/88 3-84), al-D11rr al-111a11tl111r. Two
O
• a an_s J b I M dh· (d 318/930) a
H-rim (d 327/939) of Rayy and Abu Bakr . a - un Ir . ,
N;shapur~an scholar who settled in Mecca-coll ected ttousa7ds of ~~t
f:larith b. Abi Usama (d. 282/ 895) and Mubammad b. 'Amr al-Bahili
(d. 249/863). Tabari received both diverse narrations and books, such
etical re orts and composed Q!r'anic commentarie s t at on y p_arua y
as Ibn Isbaq's biography of the Prophet, from his first famous teacher
Mubammad b. f:lumayd (d. 248/ 862), in Rayy, Iran. ' :urvive.J it is clear that TabarI, Ibn Abi l:Iatim and Ibn al-Mundhir drew
Tabari collected far more than just exegetical reports from his teach- ~ th b al Nadin recorded several ofschool these titles in hu Fihrist and
ers. In Beirut, he studied with 'Abbas b. al-Walid (d. 27o/88 3), from 1 Within a century of Tabari s dca ' lhn bas-. f ~ . d ndcnt legal · Jbn al-Naclim, Kitiib
' I t· f
dccl labari his own chapter, on t e 1s o m epc
• hran The most comp etc ISi o
whom he obtained the legal teachings of Awza' i and the nur'an awar
al-Fihristli'I-Nadim, cd . n _
=za T .
3Ja ddod rr na:...rint
~"I:' '
)
1973 ' 291712.
. ,.r J-r.lx, • ) So-,
-
reading of Ibn 'Amir. In Egypt,
h e acquired the legal writings
~ IC
of
1•C
Tabans works is found in R.oscntlu.l"s General Introduction to _ Tl~ Hutory-,_~ -,a ~:VO· 1• .34~

Shafi' i from Shafi'i 's disciples Muzani (d. 264/877) and al-Rabi' b. 2 1 have adopted John Cooper's felicitous translation of the mlc ofTaban s ~ r am_c 7 1;n;,cn_
ury; J ohn Cooper, Tht Commt111ary 011 tht Q!Jr'ii11 by ~b,, ]a Jar M11/,a111ma •Jarrr a - a arr,
Su layman (d. 270/884), and the teachings of Malik from two of the sons vol. 1 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987), x11. ., ,
of the famous Maliki jurist 'Abd Allah b. 'Abd al- f::lakam (d. 21 4/ 829). In 3 Only the commentary on Q .2:272 through Q.4:92 su~vcs ~!lbn_al-Mun~hir s co";"'enta!"},
Baghdad, he studied with the philologist Tha' lab (d. 291 /904) and he was which has bttn published in two volumes; lbn al-Mundlur, Kita~ taJs_,~ a~-~r a11, ed. Sad al-Sad,
I di . 2002) There exist several editions of Ibn Ab, I:bnm s complete commentary,
a good friend of Ibn Durayd (d. 321/933), the latter of whom composed 2vo s. (M c na . n.p.. · L. d · f h" k Tl
although only tlie commentary on Q . 1-13 and Q.23-29 is wse ~n n_un~scnpts o I 1s wor . 1c
an elegy for him. He also had in his home a copy of the early medical renwrung · h:ave Locxn
· · sccnons · by u.si11<>
- filled in b
citations
·
of Ibn Ab, H· arun .
s conunentary
f h preserved
I ·
handbook Firdau1s al-bikma by 'Ali b. Rabban al-Tabari. in Suyuri's al-Durr af-rna11 rh,,r. 3 wo rk which provides o nly one versio n o cac rcr.'rr _t l:lt 1s
found, usually with unpn:d.ictable variations. in multiple} ourccs; sec Mchmct K~, Ismu/s and
Rijal Expertise in the Exegesis of lbn Ab, l:latim (327/ 939) , Der Islam, 82 (2005): 146-<SS.

X II
X III
 TABARI Tm11s/111or's I111rod11ctio11

from a conunon pool of early exegetical books and reports ascribed to an Mecca and Kufa are presented as the origins of e~cgesis, although, with
array of Companions, Successors and the Prophet Mubammad. The mas- I exception of the Companion 'Abd Allah b. Abbas (d. 68/687- 88),
ter M_~mluk-era scholar Ibn }:lajar al-'Asqalani (d. 852/i449) considered t1e
h tradition of exegesis begin s with a few Successors-
M 1·
us 1ms w o
h
Taban s comtnentary to be the superior and un surpassed work of this t e . born too late to see the Prophet Muhammad and studied with his
genre, because he synthesized an unprecedented number of exegetical we re
Companions. Some of the early commentators, sue11 as 'A bd a_1- R a.h man
-
reports with detailed grammatical analyses and a summary of the variant al-Suddi and ' Ikrima, are depicted in a less-than-ravourable l~ght. .
~r'anic readings for the entire ~ r'an.' Perhaps the most valuable aspect of Tabari s Introducuon to h1~
~r'anic commentary is the declaration of his hermeneutics. Taban
1. Tabari's Introduction
writes:
One of the most valuable aspects ofTabari's ~r'anic commentary is its Jf that is how it is, then the commentators who are m~st
long Introduction, translated here in its entirety for the fi rst time. After likely to arrive at the true interpretation of the ~ r an
a brief defen se of the premise that every word in the ~r'an is n ative that is accessible to humans arc those who [ 1] have the
to the _Arabi~ language, Tabari devotes tremendous space to explaining clearest proofs of what is interpreted and explained,
the e111gmat1c Prophetic teaching, " The ~ r'an was sent down accord- among the [passages) whose interpretation was sent
i1_1 g to seven abruf" The m eaning of abmf (sing. barf) has generated a exclusively to the Messenger of God (~). [These
nch debate among Muslim and non-Muslim scholars over th e centuries. interpretations must be) in sound reports (thiibita)
Tabari rejects the popular idea that the seven 11(,ruf are seven languages from the Messenger of God (~)- [These reports must
(or dial ect s) of Arabic that are found in the standard Uthrnanic edition be transmitted) either by an overwhelming number of
of the ~ r 'an, arguing on the basis of narrated rcpons that depict the narrators(al-naqlal-mustafief),' or by established, reliable
Prophet allowing the earliest Arab Muslims to recite the ~r'an using transmitters (11aql al-'udul al-athbat), in cases where the
diffe rent Arabic words, so long as these word s were synonymous with transmission is not by an overwhelming number of
the t ex t that he disseminated among them . This va riation of "word- narrators, or by means of an indicator establishing
ings", which is how I have rend ered abmf in English, led to conflict their soundness. [2] (The best commentators also] have
among Muslims shortly after the Prophet died , as each group th ought the soundest proof for what they explain and clarify,
that it had the c orrect wording of th e ~ r'an. The solution to thi s crisis among those whose knowledge of (interpretation] is
offered by th e caliphs Abu Bakr, ' Umar and ' Uthman was to appoint a acquired from the perspective of language, either by
conmtittee of Companions to reduce the ~ r'an to a sin gle wording in means of evidence from all types of Arabic poetry,
a codex (m11~baj) and prohibit the recitation of all wordings that departed or from the overwhelmingly attested [qualities] of
from the Arabic consonantal foundation (raS111) of the codex. The con- the Arabs' speech and languages. This person is [the
sequence of tltis caliphal action, which Tabari defends vigourously, was best interpreter] so long as his interpretation and
that only one barf of the Q!!r'an survived and the remaining ones were commentary does not depart from the exegetical
irretrievably lost. opinions of the Pious Predecessors (salaj), among
Tabari's Introduction is a lso of interest for his discussion of the the Companions and religious authorities (a'imma) ,
deba~es over the propriety of Q!!r'anic commentary and its origins. He and those who followed them (khalaj), among the
identifies several famous scholars of ~ : din a, su_ch as Sa'id b. al-Musayy-
ab, who refused to interpret the Q!!r an and disparaged those who did.

, _ _ I ' Uj'abfi• baya11 nl-asbab. ed. Fawwaz Zamarli (Beirut: D.ir lb H

lb n Haiar al- Asqa 1a nt, a - f I D I ,. n . azm.
I . , - - I. ssagc at the end o a - ,irr a - rna111nur. as an apn.• d h' 1 The term musrafit/ is explained below, in cite chapter containing the cranslation of Tabari's
),
2002 57
. Su yup quotes t u s pa ,..n ox to "
Introduction.
work.

XIV xv
 TABA RJ Translator's b,trod11ctio11
-
Successors and scho lars of the com
mun ity.' ch occ ur at the level o f short vow
variatio ns of ~ r'an ic read ings, whi sist of
Taba ri allow s for . . o r tii',' irre gula r read ings con
The o nl y two form s of evid ence . v111g at the els or whe ther a lette r is a 11fi11 , yii'
corr ect inte rpretatio n of the ~ ('),.ur 'a- n d I J·
are soun ,a uns or 1·
, arn .. t wor ds from those foun d in th e
the subs titu tion of enti rely diff eren
d y, then d~es T b -• 111gu1st1c evi- com men tary is a valu able sou rce
ence_ in the form of Ara bic poe try. Wh
' • a an s com men tary ' Uth miin ic cod ex. In sho rt, Tabari's
con tam ove r 20 0 00 C omp amo . rts? Th 'an , both those that Mu slim scho lars
hi . . • n and Succ esso r repo for the vari ant read ings of the ~r
abov e· whi le th e answ er to rega rd as irre gula r.
t s quest1on is foun d in the final sent ence
. ese repo rts do cons ider regu lar as well as thos e they
f I •-
not yiel d pro of of the mea nin
g ~ t 1e ~ra
the rang e of acce ptable . rpre tatio ns a Muslim rnay ad
n, they esta blish limi ts to
Th · . 3. Arabic Poe try and Syn tax
. inte . f - opt. is rest nc- s heav ily upo n two of the mos t sig-
n on con trast s shar ply w ith th h
eneu tics o Abu Is):iaq al-T ha' labi (d · Tab ari's ~r'a nic com men tary draw ya
4.27/io35) w h om a rece nt Nore therm lang uag e: Ma'ii11i al-Qfr'ii11 by Ya~
A · h I nificant ea rl y boo k s on the Ara bic
•
•- . m:n can sc o ar has argu ed is the real Majiizal-Q fr'ii11 by Abu ' Uba yd a
fo und er of class ical (')u
~ r amc exegesis, and who prom
otes . b. Z iyad al-F arra ' (d. 207/ 822 -23) and
li a very wid e - 25). Al-F arra ' was a fam ous Kuf an
rang e of possible inte rpre tatio ns of
the ~r' an. : Tab - b Ma' mar b. al- Muc han na (d . 209 /824
~ ,_ . an e eved that ther e of the ' Abbasid cali ph M a'm un.
was a corr ect und erst and ing of the gram mar ian w ho tuto red the chil dren
ur an, an~ that the only way to reac h oted by the cali ph and diss emi -
it was thro ugh a prof oun d kno wled His book Ma'ii11i al-Qfr'ii11 was prom
l e ofl~r~b1 c poe try and syntax, soun d Bag hdad, so it wou ld have been easy
(1adirl,s and con side ratio n of w h at tg1e re 1g1ous exp h nated amo ng the scho larly elite of
erts amo ng t e early Abu ' Uba yda was a fam ous Basr an
gen erat ions of Muslims tho ug h t H .
mea nt. for Tab ari to obta in a cop y of it. -
ks surv ive, incl udin g his com para
phil olog ist, several of whose boo Des pite bein g a
araz daq and Jari r.
2. The Vari an t ~ r'an ic R eadi ngs tive coll ecti on of the poe ms by al-F
of his com . exp ertis e in the trad ition al Isla mic disc iplin es, like
Tab ari t ypic ally beg ins each section Khariji and lacking
ld m~n a
t_ ry w ith a syno psis tatio n as a mas ter of the Ara bic
ve h
of the vari ous read ings of the rses, 5 ou va ria ti ons exis · H e usu - law and l;ladith, Abu ' Uba yda 's repu
•- t. his Majiiz al-Q !r'ii11 prov ed indi s-
II
a y re firain s from nam ing ·
i nd · .d
1v1 . ua ~r
I an r 't s, pre
fi
erri
. inst ead
ng lang uage was w idel y adm ired , and
. ec1 er com men tary .
to refe r to cities w here th e maJ or reci ters lived . B K r pensable to the gen re of ~r' ani c
D ama scus , M edin a and Mecca · Tl1e w1.d espread con e
. asra, uca, Syri a/
Whi le most of the poe try foun d in Tab ari's com men tary can be
f t I1e .. seve n
. I ep t o boo ks, it is clea r that Tabari had at
ca n om cal (')ur 'ani c read ing s., was rormr
u ated b T 3 b ans -• trac ed to these t wo afor eme ntio ned .
~ h Y . you nger con - poe try bey ond thes e two sou rces
tem por ary Ibn Muj ahid (d / ) his disposal an exte nsiv e corp us of
!i , wT ~ al_s,o lived in
6 Bag hda d, and purp ose in Tire
er than edif ying ,
h ad not yet bec ome canon.}a~4d~ Poe try has a stric tly func tion al, rath
a com preh ensi ve boo k on n~r .. ,_ _ng · ~ a~• s lifet ime . Tab ari wro te
Co111prehe11sive Exposition. It clar ifies gram mat ical con stru cts as wel l as
amc rec1tat1o ns th at may surv ive in have. In the abse nce of stan dard -
.d I k
man uscr ipt, but nev er beca me w1 e y now n H J • shades of mea ning that a wor d may
read in s" e . : a so mco rpor ates ily on pre- Isla mic , earl y Isla mic
num ero us exa mpl es of "irr egu lar ized dict iona ries , Tabari relie d heav
M , _/(d ' speciall y th ose ascribed into the meaning of unu sual Ara bic
to the Com pan ion 'Abd Allah b · 32 / 6 5 2 -53) . Unl ike mos t and Um ayy ad-e ra poe ts for insi ght
· as u
wor ds and gram mat ical con stru cts.
' as "on e of the Kuf ans" and to
Taftir al-Tabari: Jii1111" al-bara11 011 ta'
wil a I ,_ , Tabari typi call y allu des to al-F arra a-
Allah a.I-Turk ; and Markaz . A seco nd Basran who app ears occ
1
lal: Q!r a11,bed. Abd
al-Bu hurl, wa'l- Diras ar al-'A rabiy )'3 w•'l)'
" - s am,y ya i-D.iir H . 2 vols. (Cair o: Haja r Abu ' Ubayda as "one of the Basrans" khfa sh
.
2 001), I :88 ; Tafsir al-Tabari. ed. Mahm ud Sh· k·
d I •;ar. 4
sion ally in The Co111prehe11sive Expo
sition is Sa'i d b. Mas' ada al-A
al-M a anf. 19s7 -1969). r :93. T his p,'m gc occau a;.
or A .1mad Shak fr, r6 vols. (Cair o : D,;
Tab ari inco rpor ated passages from
from rhe paua ge J ane McAulilfc d1>cu
sscs in ~:; c~:,• ;age~ late~_ in Tabari's Intro ducti on (d. 210/825- 26), a nd it is clear that
Karl, fr" A" , I, Per, ~r anrc Herm eneu tics·· The
View s ofal -Tab ari and lbn · r'P't>a<11rs to t , Hut0 'Y O,jtI1t lmerpmatio11 ofthe n..,,0 ,, ries o f Islam ,
ed . An drcw R.ipp in (Oxf ord
; C larrn don 1 BB) 4 6---<12 The h . --c • whic h was custo mary in the early centu
- . • 9 , h.
no
,...ssagc s e cu es (r :74 of the I Whe n Arabic is writt en with out dots, o rthog raphi cally. This
Sha- 1u red 111011) rs 1111porrar11. bur it does 1101 expI3,n w )' T b -· comm entary has 50 manr arc frequ ently indis tingu ishable
. a an s the letters ha', tii', thii', 11u11 and yii' he emer genc e of varia nt readi ngs that
posr- Pr~p h e 11c rep_o rrs in it. contr ibute d to t
<al T r, - . . . feature of the Arabi~ scrip t may have
2 Sec Wal rd Saleh . 11,e Fom rat1011 of rh, Cla.ui
• srr 7 rad,t,011 (Bost on · Br·JJ ). generally had a rrunrmal unpa ct on
the mean ing of the text.
• I , 2004

xv, XVII
 TABAR i Translator's llltrod1ictio11
al-Akh fash's M a'ii11i al-Q,!;!r'iin into his comm entary as well. f Q!;!r'an ic Comme ntar y
Al-Ak hfash, bl . Early C o llectio ns and Collect o rs o
who came to Basra from Balkh, Afghanistan, was a studen Ta c 1 • , S
Refe rence
t of the fa mous 1 T abari s o urce
N o . of
gramm arians Khalil b. Abmad and Sibawayh, and alleged - Authori t Y C o 1 ector (H o rst 1953)
ly tutore d the Report s'
sons o f the promin ent Kufan grammarian Kisa'i.
Althou gh Tabari relics heavil y upo n al-Fa rra' and Abu Sa' id b . Bishr b. Mu adh 3 ,o60 lmiid 14
' Ubayd a ~tada b .
fo r th eir lexical and gramm atical ex pertise, h e is also highly Abi Aruba al-' Aqadi
critica l o f Di ama
so me o f their positio ns, especia lly tho se of the latter. Fo Vii nus b. 'Abd 1,800 Isrtiid 2 0
r e xampl e, in Ibn Wahb
the Introd uctio n to his comm entary, he rejects at len gth Abu Ibn Zayd al-A' la
' Ubayd a's
claim that " In the N am e o f God (bi'smi 'lliili )" is equiva lent 'A1iyya Muham mad b .
to " with [t h e 1,560
help] of God (bi'lla/1)". Ibn 'Abbas b . Sa' d Sa' d al-'Awf i
al- Awf'i
4. Companion and Successor O pinions Ibn Abi M uhamm ad b. 1,700 lsniid 7a
Mujah id b .
'Am.r al-Bahi li
In an unpub lished study of 1,327 reports among the passage Jabr Najil:i
s translated in
these volumes, I found that only 9 per cent of them consist lbn Abi Al- l:larith b . Abi 1,000
ed o f l;adiths .' Mujah id b .
Nearly one in five reports consist ed of the opinio n of lbn Najil~ U sama
'Abbas, t he Jabr
Companio n and cousin of the Prophet ; and one-third of them 'Ali b. Abi 'Ali b . Dawiid Jsniid 1
were the 9 70
opinions of either the Basran Successor ~tada b. Di'ama (d . Ibn 'Abbas T al]:ia al-Tami mi
117/735) or the
Meccan Successor Mujah.id b. J abr (d. betwee n 102 and 108/ 720-27 al-Mut hanna b . Js11iid 8
). Other Mujahid b . Ibn Abi 680
early religio us author ities whose opinions Tabari cites frequently Ibrahim al-Amu li
in his co m- Jabr N ajil~
menta ry includ e the post-S uccesso r Medin an scholar 'Abd
al-Rab man b. ' Ubayd b. Imiid 19
Zayd (d . 182/ 798); the Kufan Successor al-Oab bak b. Muzab im Al-Oal# ik Anonym ous!
(d. betwee n b. Muzal)i m Sulaym an
102 and 106/72 0-25); and the fa mous Basran Successor
al-l:fasan al-Ba~ri 'Ali b . Abi
(d . 110/ 728). Altogether, Tabari cites the opinions of 86 al-Muth anna b . s6o lmiid 2
early Muslim Ibn 'Abbas T alha Ibrahim al- Amuli
author ities in the passages of his comme ntary included here. · · · ·011,
The domin ance of the exegetical opinio ns of Ibn 'Abbas ' T his refers to the number o f repo rts Ill
. the entire Co111pre/re11si11e Expcs,11 no tJ·ust
, ~tada
and Mujah id makes sense after a closer examin ation of his the passages translated in these volume~l·I.
source s. In d
h ·dentifie d Mul)am mad b. Sa' d as a
his groun dbreak ing 1953 article , H eribert Ho rst pu blished 2 This isnod was co rrcctc by C laude G1 1 rot, w o t . h b k K . -b
an analy- 1
'A1iyya al-'Awfi , r:irher t ,ant , e sch o Iar w ho composed c . e oo ua
sis o f th e is11ads of 35,400 reports in Tahari 's comme ntary! d cscendent o f
H e found al-1abaqo t al- kabir; Gilliot, Exi~ese, 25 . r
that 15,700 of them came from a mere 21 isnads, and then . A h - T bari s source 1or rrus co IIcc tioo of al-Oa!Jl)ak's
L, exegetic al
procee ded to 3 Accordm g to t an , . a _ / / -r b _
identi fy T abari's most freque ntly occurr ing isnads. T he most 'Abd-3 11 b Muhanu nad al-Marw az1 ·(d /n,v,.)• Mu'jat1ul111y11k 10 - !a arr,
plausib le opinions was • .293 Y"" •
ex planat io n fo r this findin g was that Tabari was using books • • .r.- f M so Tabari's reason for supprem. ng
(or private 771. 'Abdan was a well-respected ,nr;11 o e;:, . d chis book witho ut having it
notebo ok s) that record ed a single religio us author ity's opinio his name is puzzling, unless he did so because e co p1e
ns on a read 10 him by 'Abdan (or another teacher).
sig nifican t number of Q.!!r'anic verses, as can be seen from
Table , .
1 Scott C. Lucas. "Disciplinary Sp,:cialization among Companions and
h f: 1 of the ,sntld eviden ce,
Successors: Evidence The men w ho, accord ing, tot_ e ac~-~~ ;e atada al-Dah hak and
fro m the /1111101111.aJof lbn Abi Sh~yba and al-Ta6.arf s ~ r :i~ Commen
at ,he 22 t" mccung of the America n O riental
tary··. paper presented
Soc1Ct)". Clucago. 11 - 14 March 20 11 _ In other
collect ed the o pinion s o f Ibn ~bts• MuJ~ 1
d
~ ly -' Abba.sid pe riods,
words, nine out of ten times. Ta ban q~_'.)tes someone other than
the Prophet Mul,1amn ud in Jbn Zayd all lived during r~e m~ s:u::~ ~: :f : ~ese religio us
rhe ismid-sup portcd reports m Im ~r amc commentary. author ities.
and were kno wn as pro mme n . h d "d n
2 Hcriben Ho rst. ··zur Obcrl,efcrung im Korankommentar
•1-Taban s·. Z,itKhrifi der DmrK/,,,, Howev er, there is signific ant eviden ce th at t ey ' . ot1 alwa s hea t the
M orgmla11diKlie11 G,s,/1,r/rafi , 103 ( 1953) : 29()-J07. hy . . Ibn
teaching s directl y from the mouth s of their exege uca aut
o nttcs.

XV III
X IX
r

TABA Rl
Translator's /,1trod11ction
from ~sim b Ab-
Abi Najib allegt'dly collected Muja hid 's tafsir da
s prob abl . II I Bazza, d) Yazid b. Zura y' f- Sa'id b. Abr 'Aruba t- ~ta
while 'Ali b. Abi Talba , who settle d in Hom
y;a b. Sa' d ~ l~~; ;/ed Ibn (Horst is11iid 14/ Kor. is11iid 1v)
'Abbas' tnJsi: fro1~1 Mujahid.' The Ku fan 'Ari ' a Stu. c) Abu Mu'adh t-' Ubayd b. Sulay rnan f- al-Qa
bl)ak
with pro-' AJ1·d .
dent of lbn Abbas, was associated sentn nent s and some (Horse is11iid 19/ Kor. is11iid xxx1 )
. d were 'd d •
o f I11s escen dants who narra ted this tar.sir ~J cons1 ere un Ii bl ~ ' Amr b. 1:farnmad t-Asbar b. Na~r t-
Suddr
,
schol ar Sa' id b Ab-r,e a_ e
narrators. On th e o ther hand , the Basran (Horst is11iid 16/ Kor. is11iid v11)
Ub d b S I . - I Aruba
was a recog nized stude nt of ~tada and ' ayma n, a Kufan Jbn al-M undh ir, Taba ri's othe r conte mpor
ary, also incor porated
kno• d ay f. I u
who settled in M erv was a well- exeg etica l opin ions narra ted
ent o a -Oab bak .J Fina lly Sa'id b. Abi 'Aruba's colle ction of ~tad a's
the Egyp tian ' Abd Allah b W aI1 b , wwhnostull Zayd ' . . ' azzaq 's comm entar y from
. . · co ected
d
Ibn
s op1111ons by Yazid b. Z uray' , selections from 'Abd 1 al-R
d urmg Im studies with Malik · M d · Unli ke Taba ri, Ibn al-M un-
al-A'la h T b _, . Ill e ma, passe them to Yunu s b . 'Abd Ma' mar and Abu ' Ubayda's Majiiz al-Q !r ii11.
, w o was . a ans imme diate teach er. riyya b. Oaw ud (d . 286/899)
dhir drew from the early commentar y of Zaka
. Horst also discerned fragments of earlier
~ •- . ngs by Abu ' Ubay d al-~ sim
~~ ~111~ corn m:ntaries, of Nish apur and the book of ~r'a nic readi
autho rities ernbe
which cited multiple religious b. Sallam (d. 224/838).
. f 'h e Ill Taba n s com -
mentary. Tabari acquired I o8o ts o t e comm entar y of Ma' b
'
Rash id (d between 152 and is8! AA-,., ) fi repor mar . tary?
. ad b. 'Abd al-A 'J- 5. Wha t Was Left Out of Tabari's Com men
al-Sa n'ani in Basra, aIong w1th . 7vy ,5 rom Mub anun f . a featu res of classi cal ~ r'an ic
. anoth er 6
Jo repor ts o It from al-Ha san Despite its impo sing size, there are sever al
b. Yabya in Bagh dad • He obt . d lb rehensive Exposition. Taba ri
n Jurayj's (d. r5of767) comm e~ta ry comm entar y t hat are absen t from The Comp
on siiras 1- 29 from ai n ;; . bamel or Med inan, mean ing whe th-
-'<!'_sim · a -Hasan who d· does not indic ate whet her a siira is Mecc an
h
t e Baghdadi theologian who d' d ·. / • accor mg to Gilli ot, was ratio n in 622 CE. H e re frain s
le Ill 2fi72 885.s Finally, Tabari recei ved er it was revea led prior to or after the Emig
860 reports of Sudd i's co ties or meri ts of recit ing
mme nrary rom Muh a d b 1-1:fos ayn
. a from relating repo rts abou t the special quali
l B hd I. . mma sions for the revel ation (asbab
a - ag adi and anoth er 530 re Orts £i unkn own teach er Musa b. certain siiras, calledfaefii 'il in Arab ic. Occa
H arun al-Ha mdan i.6 P rom m not cons isten tly prov ided ,
al-m1z ii~ of specific siiras and verses are
Tabari was not the only sch I passages with the biog raph y
- . oh _ar_ to ~se these early collection s of exe- altho ugh Taba ri does link man y ~r'a nic
getical repor ts. Ibn Abi H. aum, he cite the exeg etica l opin -
is JUmo r cont
empo rary in Rayy , made of che Prop het Mul,iamm ad. Rare ly does rd 1h
use o f t h e following identical co II ect1o . 3 /9 centu ry or who were
ns as Tabari in l . ions of any scholars who lived durin g the
' 11s conu nenr ary:7 the early ' Abba sid peri od-
a) Mu'awiya b. Sali):i t- 'Ali b. Abi . . his conte mporaries. The mast er jurists of
.
(Horst is11iids I 2/ Ko'r ISIIQ -d ) Talba t- lbn Abbas k, Shafi' i, Ibn l:Ianbal, Ibn
b) ' I Abu I;Ianifa, Awz a' i, Sufy an al-Th aw rI, Mali
Al-Hasan b. 'Ariyya b. Sa'd t- 'Ac· , from Taba rI's comm enta ry
.1yya b. Sad t- lbn 'Abbas Rahawayh and Abu Thaw r-ar e absen t
(Hors!, is11ad 3/ Kor. is11iid x) ' show s that he was inti-
coo, even though his book Ikhti laf al-f11qalza
c) Warqa _t- lbn Abi Naji):i t-Mujahid Edify ing poet ry, anec dote s
mately familiar with their legal opin ions.
(Horse uniid 7b/ Kor. isnad m) Taba rI does inclu de a sig-
and storie s are gene rally absen t, altho ugh
in passages that are not part
lbn HaJar, Tahdhib al-tahdl,ibfl ri,a/ I I J· , nificant amou nt of Jude a-C hrist ian lore
I , a - ta tin ' ed · AJ·1 M uaww a~and Adil Abd I etes, such as Abu' I-Lay th
of this trans lation . Unli ke many classical exeg
,·ols (B · D .
· cirut : aral-K u1uba l-' llnu,..
J :684 (lbn Ab; Najil,,); 4:614 (Ali~ -z,~wJOd, 7 rI studi ously avoid s quot ing
al-Samarq andi, Tha' labi or Baghawi, Taba
2 / bn f:lajar, Tahdhib af-tahd/,;b, 4 :510' )a, 2004),
. i Tall,,a).
S -d
J lbn f:laJar, Tal,dhib al-tahdh;b 2 ·6 . ( a I J· . 6 ( Ub b . Sulay man (d. 15of767) and
· · 70 · 4 ·J 4 aydJ. che earl y ~r'a nic comm entar y of Muq atil
4 H orsr, unad 12 and isttad tJ, Jor. entar y of Mul,iamm ad b.
5 _G illiot, 27. This" Horst's isniids 4-6
AI -. make s mini mal refer ence to the early comm
se he did not have confi -
al-Sa 'ib al-Ka lbi (d. 146/763), presu mabl y becau
IS of the oprnio n that dus al-na
.
u o ne ofTab ari', " unkno wn" teach~rs·' iarr ~sun b. al-f:!asan
. M111am shuy,,kh al-Taha,;, 407. short , Taba ri stays true to the
6 H o m, ist,iids 15 and 16, 302.
dence in their opin ions and n arrat ions. In
7 Kor, "bt,ads and Rijiil Expcn i,e in ti Excgcm of lbn Ab· H- . • clari fy the correct m eanin gs
•~ I , a 11111 • 151-55 , title of his comm entary : his objec tive is to

xx
XX I
 TAIJARI
Tra11slator's fotrod11((io11
of the ~r'an, rather than explore all of its possible interpre tations or 1. The Translat ed Passages
the auxiliary issues beyo nd the meaning of its verses.
This publicat ion contai ns tl1irty-t wo discreet passages of T abari's
6. Influence of The Co111prehe11si11e Expositio11 ~ r'anic commen tary in translati on. The selection of siiras and verses
was made by the R oyal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Though t, in
Tabari's conunen tary had a profound influence on the genre of ~r'ani c
of which remains to be determin ed. The old ~ t Amm an, Jordan, which gene rously commis sioned this project. Some
commen tary, the full extent
. . f of the passages, such as Tabari's lengthy Introdu ction to his comme n-
su rv1v111g manuscr ipt o a sig nificant part of The Co11111rehe11sive Exp ,, • ·
0 11
d b k h th ho' h century and is preserved in Fez, Morocc o• whi10h11 tary and his explanation of the mysterio us "disconn ected letters" at the
J

. ates ac to t e 4
beginnin g of numero us sriras, are of interest primaril y for scholarl y rea-
'.s 2,800 miles fro m Tabari's home in Baghdad. Exegctcs such as Tha' la~i
, Ibn Kadur in sons. H owever, most of the ~ r'anic passages arc associat ed with special
in N1shapu r, Maward i in Baghdad, Ilm Ariyya in Granada
Damascus and Suyiiti in Cairo made extensive use of T. a ban-•s conunen- blessings or qualities , called fada'il. As I mention ed previou sly, Tabari
· evinces no interest in his commen tary in the genre offmJa'il al-Q!!r'a n,
ta ry, ~ven tho ugh they felt free to disagree with his personal opinion s
which has deep roots in the ]fadit/1 tradition and was the title for one
~nd discard its bu~ky imiids. In the Imami Shi' i traditio n, Mul)arn mad
of the earliest books in Islam, the Kitab far/,ii 'il al-Q!Jr'a11 by Abu ' Ubayd
. al-f::lasa n al-Tiis1, who lived most of his professional life in Ba hd d
al-~sim b. Sallam. '
171-~ ~sc ~f 17,e Comp:el1e11sir,e Exposition in his importan t comm!n ta: y•
The followin g passages are associated with special blessing s or quali-
~ -, '. ya11 ~ rafsrr al_-Q!r ii11. T he humanist Yaqiit al-l:Iamawi was etfusiv:
dictiona r . Mu''am ties accordin g to badiths and early religious authorit ies:'
Ill m ~~a.ise of tlm work in his famous biographical

~l-11dab~ [. H;w:v~;• like so many early books of the Islamic tracii;ion ~he Surat a1-Fatiba (The Opening , 1)
eman o r . a an s commen tary dissipated over time to such ad ,
. I egree that In several sound badiths, the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him
no complete manuscr ipt existed in the r
Fuat Sezgin, about one hundred volume we;u1et 1 century. ~ ccording to peace) describe d this stira as the "greates t siira of the ~r'an" and declared
that prayer without its recitatio n is invalid. 3 In a "weak" badith, he allegedl y
survive '. n manuscripts in libraries aroundst~e :~;l;~'r'el1e11s111e Exposition
of Muslnn scholars in Egypt laboured t bl. I orrunatc ly, a g roup said, "Four [s,iras] were sent down from treasure beneath the Throne : the
book in 30 volumes between th . o pu isl a complete editio n of this Mother of the Book [Surat al-Fatib a], the Verse of the Throne (Q.2:255 ),
editions of Tabari's commen taryeh:~:rs 1905 ;d 1912. Several improve d the final verses of Surat al-Baqar a (The Cow, 2) and Surat al-Kawt har
be discussed below, to the point th Ta/ppCeare subseque mly, which will (Abunda nce, 108)."•
·1 at ,e. I0111prehe11s · · 1s
ive Expos111011 . more
eas1 }' accessible toda}' than at any nme . . The Verse of the Throne (Q.2:255)
111 11scory.

Accordi ng to Tirmidh i, the Prophet (may God bless him and grant him
n 'NS
Ill. NOTES REGARD ING THIS T l'V\ LATION peace) said, "Whoev er recites the first three verses of (Sura 40] and the
Ton? k.no~le_dge, this publicati on contains the first Verse of the Throne when he wakes up in the morning will be protecte d
E11gl1sh a s1g111/-icant portion of T. aban_,s n .. ,_ . effort to translate into
~r amc by them until the evening . And whoeve r recites them in the evening will
b "d on co1 . f I. commentary witho ut
a n gements. This publicati
. 1 1s1sts o t uny-tw
equ1va ent to approxim ate!}· 8 pe f o passages which are al-' Afiyya ct al.
I h r cent o The C I 1 See Abu ' Ubayd al-Qasim b. Sall:im, Kitab Fa,!a 'i/ al-Q!r'an, ed. Marwan
n t e remainin g pages of this introd . ompre 1e11sive Exposition. (Damascus: Dar lbn Kathir, 2000).
bel1ind the selection of the translated uct1 on, I shall explain the rationale 'il of the ~r'an should
d. 2 Readers interested in additional informatio n regarding the fa,Ja
C I . passages the . Aal al-Bayt
ompre 1e11swe Exposirio11 upo n which I b d I'. print e nions of Tl,e comult al-Kirab al-ja111i' li-f,1da'il al-Q!r'a11 al-karim, produced by the Royal
ooks/
to rial convent ions ase t us translation and m d 1- " Institute for Islamic Thought. This book is avaibble onhne : http://alta fsir.com/B
· ' ye Fadacl_Al ~ran.pdf.
3 Kitab al-jii111t li-fa,Jii'i/ al-Q!r'a11 al-karim, 32-33. The sources for these
l,aditlis include the
"11
, Fuar Sc,zgrn, Crs<h,dur des Arabis<hen Sdirifi (' . d
urns '--"' en : E. J. Brill $a/,i/,s of Bukhari and Muslim.
' l!/6]). I :327- 28. 4 Kitiib al-ja111,', 36. This /,adi1/, is found in Tabarani's nl-M11'jn111 al-kabir.

XX II
XXIII
p

TABAR T
Tra11slator's lntrod11ctio11
morn ing." The Proph et also id •6 d . e divine illum inatio n,
be protected by them huntil the , . ent1 e it as al-Ka hf (The Cave, 18) each Friday in order to receiv
th . mend ed reciti ng · h .
e greatest verse m t e ~ra n and recom It at t e tlln e
l . d rror sleep at night .' according to at least one !,adith.'
one 1es own
The Light Verse (Q .24:35 -42)
86)
. The Final Three Verses of Surat al-Baqara (Q.2: 284-2 y follow ing it conta in
Surat al-Ba ara The Light Verse (Q.24:35) and the verses imme diatel
~ ccord mg to several baditlzs, the final two verses of some of the more comp lex simili tudes offered in the Q!!r'a n, and provi de
enter in ~ h pro-
VIde prote ction against Satan and prevent /um from g one s ouse . insigh t into the skills of the exegete.
On · · M I • et receiv ed h
e narra~1on J~ us im s Sabi!, repor ts that the Proph
g !us Ascension, along with the five dail t ese Surat al-Sajda (Q. 32)
verses durin
longyas~:a r;s and the God bless him and
prnm ise that his comm unity would be forgiven so 1 not asso- Accor ding to Bukh ari and Muslim, the Proph et (may
an (Man , 76) durin g
c1ate partners with God.' grant him peace) would recite this sura and Surat al-Ins
ts that the Proph et
iit (Q . ) the daybreak praye r on Fridays. Anot her !,adith repor
The Verse Abou t the M11!,ka111iit and the M111asl1iibilz .3.7 would not go to sleep until he had recite d Surat
al-Saj da and Surat al-
Th · · f e amon .
is verse is o interest on account of the robus t debat Mulk (Sove reignt y, 67) each night .'
scholars over the mean ing and identi ty of the ~ •- . g M uslim.
"clear (11111!,kama)" or "ambiguous (111111ashiibiha)".
ur anic verses that are Surat Ya' Sin (Q. 36)
bless him and grant
Acco rding to a "wea k" badit/1, the Proph et (may God
. God testifies tlzar there is 110 God save Him (Q.3 : 18) him peace) said, "Trul y every thing has a heart ,
and truly the heart of
According to Ibn I:Ianbal, tlus verse was one am the ~r'a n is Ya' Sin. Whoe ver recites it, it is as
if he has recite d the
the Prophet used in order to heal a Bedouin . • ·11 bong! many passages that g Musl ims to recite
s I rot 1er. J ~r'a n ten times. " 3 There are also !,adiths encou ragin
and durin g any hard-
) this siira in the prese nce of the deceased Musl im
T . The s~co11d ~tlllo; when tlzey two were i11 tlze cave (Q.9: 38-40
it refers to th • ships they face.
his passage is of interest because
from Mecca to Medina. The "second of " . e Proph ets Emig ration
is generally under stood to
Tmly Godforgives sills altogether (Q.39 :53-5 5).
be Abu Bakr al-Sid diq the 6 r st ad uIt ma.lrewo Musli m conve rt to IsIam, and ate verses of the
' Thi s verse is considered amon g the most comp assion
t he firs t caliph after the Prophet. on it, below .
~r'an, as can be seen from Tabar i's comm entar y
The Final Two Verses of Surat al-Taw ba (Q .9.12 .
8-129 ) Surat al-Du khan (Q. 44)
Accor dmg . d th p h
to Abu Dawu the Proph et (may
bless him and grant him Accor ding to a "wea k" f1adith n arrate d by Tirm idhi,
peace) said, " Whoever re~te : [;~P6et (!may God Su IT b J ) said, " Whoe ver recites Surat
. . h e na verse of rat a - aw a seven God bless him and grant him peace
tunes 111 t e morn ing and evenin g, G0 d W J·11 suffice fo h 70,00 0 angel s seeki ng forgive-
him , w I1etI1er he {recited itj sincer l .. . r w atever sorro ws al-Du khan at night will wake up with
e Y or msmcerel y. "• ness on his behal f."•
The Story of Moses and Kh a.u d· (Q
Tl . . h .18:60-82) Surat al-Ral:iman (Q. 55)
sterio us " .
11s is among t e more famo us and m s of the Proph ets"• In a "weak " badith narra ted by Bayhaqi, the Proph
et (may God bless him
and is frequ ently deplo yed to ·11 y h stone
1 ustrate t e relat' b ythin g has a bride, and the bride
and grant him peace) allege dly said, "Ever
L·
p erween a Su6
master and his disciple . Mu slin1s are encouraged t ionsm . h
o recite t e entire Surat
1 Kitab al-Jami", 4,. 1 Kirob al-.Jomi', 65. In Abo 'Ubayd's Fai/a 'i/ al-Qyra
11 (p. 244), the merit of reciting Surat al-
a.1-Khudri, instead of the Prophe t.
2 Kuab al-Jami'. 43 _ 44 _ Kahf on Friday is declared by the Companion Abu Sa'id
J Kitab al-Jami, 46-47. 2 Kitob al-Jami', 75--,6.

4 Kitab al-Jam,<, 57. 3 Kirab al-Jam,•, 77.

4 Kitab al-Jami', 89.

XX / V
XXV
 TA BAR I
Tramlator's lntrod11ctio11
e is also a fair repo rt th h
of the ~r'an is Sura t al-R ab man ." Ther at t e Sura t al-Q!_yama (Q. 75)
r. '
Pro phet recit ed this s11ra in his ,vitr praye edly said, " If anyo ne ask s abo ut
The Calip h ' Uma r b. al-K hana b alleg
siira. " 1
Sura t al-Waqi'a (Q . 56) R esur recti on D ay, then let him read chis
-
The Pro phet (may God bless him and gran t him peace) iden tifie d tiu·s sura Sura t al- A'la (Q. 87)
_ d his hair to turn grey Th .
amo ng a sma II grou p o f s11ras that cause · ere ts Muslim repo rts that the Prop he t (may God
bless him and gran t him peace)
also a " weak" /.inJ·111 · wI11•cI1 he sa1.d , .. Who ever reci tes Sura t a1-W - ., 3
/ rn ay prayer, the F estival prayer and
rty" and he may Iiave recit a_qi wou ld recit e this s,i ra duri ng the midd
ever y nigh t widll never be affl icted by pove ' ed
rhc Frida y co ngre gatio nal prayer. The re
arc also repo rts in o ther sources
I . - . h.
t 11s s11ra m 1s aybreak and 111itr praye rs.' in the first unit of his ivitr prayer
that the Prop het wou ld reci te this s1ira
het (may God bless him and
Surat al-1:f adid (Q. 5?) and in the rain prayer (istisqii'). The Prop
once fo r reci ting a lo ng stira in
by Taba rani the Pro h gran t him peace) repr iman ded Mu' adh
Acco rding to a "weak" baditl, narra ted y enco urag ed him to recite a sura
God bless him and gran t him peace) alleg
ed ly.said "G,od se t dp et S(':1a
n own urat a com mun al pray er he was leadi ng, and
'
I H d-d a Wed nesd ay· Adam ' like Su rat al-A ' la instead o f a lo ng o ne.'
~. . a •. on a Wed nesday; He created iron onMess enge r of God for~ s~n Sura t al-Sh ams (Q. 9r)
11
I e~ his brother on a Wt"dn esday ., ; and the
a e Prop het (may God bless him and
cupp mg on Wed nesda ys.i T his srira may have been recited by the
and he iden tified it as an appr o-
(Q .59: 18-2 ) gran t him peace) in his nigh t-tim e prayer,
The Fi nal T hree Verses of Sura t al-1:f ashr gene rally .l
h priate- leng th siira to recite in prayers more
Acco rd ing to a "fair " badit/1 in the M11s1
1ad of lbn Han baJ tl4 p
and gran t him peace) sa·d "G d
. ·11 ' ~e rop et Sura t al-Lay! (Q. 92)
(may God bless him 1 , o w1 assig n 70•0 00
. er h . God bless him and gran t him
angeIs to say blessmgs on beha lf of th e Accordin g to Muslim, the Prop het (may
sor'. w o, 111 the mor ning, er and recit ed a sura like it in his
says rliree times, ' I seek refu c in God rh: peace) recited chis siira in his midd ay pray
' I I Hearing, the Kno wing , from
the accu rsed Saran , then recg1·tes til C crma f S- J after noon prayer.
4
' ings on beha lf
t 1rcc vcrs
fI. cs _o urat a - I;Iash r.
IT hese angels w ill say bless
·11 ~ - 11111) unt1I the even ing , and Sura t al-Za lzala (Q. 99)
if this perso n dies durin g that day h
, e w 1 I~ as a mart yr. Who ever says buri claims to be "sou nd", the
th i~ in the even ing w ill be of the same status. '• In a badith w hich al-I; Iakim al-N aysa
him p eace) said, " When the earth
Prop het (m ay God bless him and gran t
Surat al-M ulk (Q. 6?) l to half the Q!!r 'an ; Sny : H e
is shaken ,vitlz her earthquake [Q.99] is equa
(ma .
~ccord ing to a "fair " badit/1, the Pro her h )' God bless lum and gran t
. of the Q!!r 'an; and Say: 0
is God, One IQ.112] is equa l to one- third
him peace) said ' "Tru l y there ·
is - P . .h h of the Q!!r 'an." In a diffe rent
a sura m t e n ur'- wit thirt y verse s• disbelievers! [Q.109] is equa l co o ne-f ourt
intercede o n beha lf of ti1c perso n whO~
an, . alzal a was equa l to one- four th
that will
.
kn
. ows It, to the poin t that baditlz, the Prop het state d chat Sura t al-Z
h e will be forgi ven. It is the s1ira [that b . with) was o ne of nin e shor t sliras t hat
egms Bl d ·
Iinnd 1·s t/1e So11ereig 11ry." In another " f: . " I d· J I . es.se dLS He
.
m Whose of th e Q!!r'an. Accordin g to 'Air, this
ai r .ta ,1 i , i c md· I . the Prop het recit ed in his 111itr pray ers.
5
. f h icate t lat dus stira
protects t he belie ver from the Pu111·sh menr o t e G h
I . rave. T ere is also a
repo rt that the Prophet would not g
seep unrd he had recited Sura t
al-Sajda and Sura t al- Mul k each nigh; ) o
1 Suyiifi, al-D11rr al-111a11tl1iir, 6:463 .
2 Kitab al-jami', 13.,-39.
1 Kitiib a/7 ;;,,,,. 10 ,_
.•. J Kitab al-jamt', 142.
in Abu Ub, ·d
2 ~11~b al-1nm i , 10 3 . T he hnditl, is found also } , Fada 11al-Q} , ;;,,, 257_ 4 Kitab al-jiimi', 143. 1:bnbal,
J ~ 11~b al-jlim, , 105. the ,vilr praye r is found in the M,m,ad of lbn
5 Kitabal-jam,", 149. 'Ali's /,adi1/, co ncern ing te
4 >:.,tab al7 iimi , 107. d of Bazzar. The edito rs of Kitiib al-jiimt" evalua
:aJ:i~~vi's Sh~rl, 111a'a11i al-iirhiir and the M11ma
5 K11ab a/-l';m, , 113- 14. 11 as sound .

xxvr XXVII
 TABAR! Tra11Slator's Introd11ction
of his 111itr
Surat al-' Adiyat (Q. IOo) re ort that the Prophe t would recite thissura in the third unit
ambul ation
In a 11111rsal badit/1' from al- Hasan al-Ba~ri, the Prophe t (may
God bless pr~yer, in the second unit of the prayer during the circum
genera lly.'
him an d grant him p~_ace) said, "When [the earth] is shaken {Q.99] is 0 ( the
Ka' ba in Mecca, and in supere rogato ry prayers more
equal to half the ~r an, and By the Chargers [Q. IOO] is equal to half
Surat al-Falaq (Q. rr3) and Surat al-Nas (Q. u4)
the ~r'an ."' of seek-
These two final s,iras of the Q.!;!r'an are called "The two !s1iras]
that the
Surat al-Takatl1ur (Q. ro2) ing refuge [in God)" or the 1111/a111111idlratan. Bukha ri reports
the sliras
Accord ing to al-1-:Iaki rn al-Naysaburi, the Prophe t (may God
bless him Prophe t (may God bless him and gr.mt h.im peace) would recite
to bed.
and grant him peace) said, "Is there not one of )'OU who can
recite 1 00 of Sincerity, Daybreak and the People every night prior to going
' o s to recite these
~erses every day? " [T h e Compa nions) said, "Who can do that?" He said Other (,aditlrs relate that the Proph et encour aged Muslim
g and evenin g,
) distrac~ lam:r two s,iras after the obliga tory prayer s, in the mornin
Is there no;,,on e of y~u wh? c~n r~citc Ri11alry (in worldly increase refuge in God.'
011 mg to Ah, this was one of nine short siiras that t he and declared them to be the best way for a person to seek
Y [Q. I02] • Accord
Prophe t recited in his witr prayers.J
2. Previous Translations of Tabari's Comm entary
comm entary
Surat al-Kafi run (Q. 109) Two earlier abridg ed translations of selections of Tabari's
is applic able projec t:
The aforem ention ed f'.adith that was cited in relation to Q. 99 proved helpful in the course of this
lume
here. Oth~r Co":p amons report that he recited Surat al-Kaf
rrun in his a) The fi rst volum e of John Coope r's projec ted five-vo
tfon of the The Compre hensive Exposition, which was the
sec,o n~ umt of w11r prayer, in his prayer during circum ambula abridg ement of
Kaba m Mecca, and in his supererogatory prayers more genera
lly.◄ only volume to be publ.ished prior to his untime ly death in 1998,
,
includes an abridg ed translation of Tabari's long Introd uction
Sura t al-Na~r (Q . 110) and the first verses of Surat al-Baq ara. Coope r
Surat al-FatiQa 103
God bless 's
~irm.id hi narrat~s a long "fair" badith in which the Prophet (may based his translation on the 1957-69 critical edition of Tabari
one-fo urth e was
h11n and gr~~1t him pea_ce) de~cribed this siira as being equal to comm entary by AQmad and Ma]:unud Shak.ir. This volum
sums that the under
of the ~ran . Accord mg to Ali, this was one of nine short edited by Wilfor d Madel ung and Alan Jones and publish ed
s.5
the ti tie of The Commentary of the Q!r'an by Ab,iJa'far M11ba1
Proph et recited in h.is witr prayer 11mad
Surat al-Ikhla~ (Q . 112) b.Jarir al-Tabari by Oxfor d Unive rsity Press in 1987.
b) The first volum e of An Anthology of Q!r'anic Comme
ntaries,
ri report that the Prophet (may· God bless h 1m - .d
M alik and Bukha an by Feras Hamza
h . ) . sura was equal to one th · d f l n .. ,_ subtitl ed "On the Nature of the Divine ", edited
grant 1m peace said that this - ir o t 1e ~r an · ed
. d . 'dh- and Sajjad Rizvi, with Farhan a Mayer , includ es abridg
M usI1111 an T1rrru 1narrat e that the Prophe t said ' "Is t hereany onewh o of the Thron e
· · bl f · · in a si n I . h ,,, fTh translations of Tabari's comm entary on the Verse
1s m capa e o rec1t111g one-th ird of the nur'an ~ g e r11g t. ,_ .,e a~ (Q. n2).
C . ] 'd "H
ow can anyone recite one-th ·d f h (Q.2:255), The Light Verse (Q.24:35) and Surat al-Ikhl
ompar uons sar , an? of
H e repl 1e ' d"Say: He ts. Go, d One /Q.112) is equal rr t0
o te~r
l .· d f · The translation claims to be based on a 30-vol ume edition
, one-t 11r o the MaQm ud Shakir ,
n .. •- " A gam, · t h e awrem
r .
en tr oned badi1/, that wa · d in • I . Tabari's comm entary edited by Alµnad and
'<Er an. s cne re arion to incom plete and
Q .99 1.s app )·1cable h ere. Accor ding to 'Ali, this w as one O f nm . which is unlike ly becaus e the Shakir edition is
e short be to
-
s11ras
p h d
th at t l1e rop et recite in his wit, prayers· O ther Compa ruons
. only reaches Sura 14. I think the correc t reference should
The A111hol ogy
che 1954- r968 Munaf a al-Bab i al-1:falabi edition .
tion with the
1 For •n explana1ion of mursal. see below in 1he "Translator's
Co was publish ed by Oxfor d Univer sity Press, in associa
nvenc,ons".
2 Abu 'Ubayd, Fada 'i/ al-Q!fr'an, 26J. Institu te for Ismaili Studies, in 2008.
3 Kitab al-Jami'. 15 1.
4 Kitab al-jamt . 155- 56. 1 Kiriib al-jam,", 161.
5 K,tab al-jam( . 159 . 2 Kitab al-ja,m", 169-70.

XXVIII XXIX
 TABARI
3. Print Editions of The Comprel1e11si11e fapositio11 Used for This Translation
This translation is based on the 27-volume, 2001 critical edition, titled Tafsir
al-Tabar,: Jii111 i' al-bayii11 'a11 ta'wil ay al- Q!r'ii11, edited by 'Abd Allah b. 'Abd
al-Mubsin a l-Turki and the Markaz al-Bubuth wa'l-Dirasat al-'Arabiyya
wa'l- Islami yya bi-Dar Hajar in Cairo. This magnifice nt edition is based on
the incomplete 41h/Jo'h-century Fez manuscript of Tabari's commentary
and resolves many of the difficulties found in the earlier print editions
of this text. It contains ex tensive cross- referencing for the thousands of
reports Taba ri narrates in his commentary, as well as valuable internal
cross- referencing, such as when Tabari frequently says " I discussed this
point earlier" without indicating w here he actually did this. Th.is edition
also identifies many, although not all, places w here Tabari quotes without
attribution from Ma'ii11i al-Q!r'ii11 by al-Farra' and Abu ' Ubayda's Majiiz
al-Q!r'ii11. It is, however, less helpful in elucidating th e meaning of the
poetry Tabari cites. This edition was republished by D ar 'Alam al-Kut ub
in Riyadh in 2003, and is held by fewer than a dozen libraries in the United
States. Fortunately, the original 2001 Dar H ajar edition is currently avail-
able on line : https://archive.org/details/TafsirTabariTurki.
l have consulted the 1957-69 critical edition by Ab.mad and Mabm ud
Shakir, titled Tafiir al-Tabari. It has many useful notes, especially regardi ng
the poetry T abari cites.
!he 1954-68 Mugafa al-Babi al-1:::! alabi edition remains useful, pri-
marily for the elucidation of the poetry Tabari cites after Sura 14, where
the Shakir brothers' edition ends.
4. Translato r's Conventions
I adot ed the following conventions throughout the translation o f
Taban s commentary, with the intention of making it more accessible to
the educated reader.
a) The _translation of the ~ r'an is based on the Meat1ing of the
Glono11s Kora 11 bX _M. M. Pickthall, with slight modifications.
Whenever Taban s Ulterpretation of a word differs from Pickthall's
~ranslation, I have adopted Tabari's interpretation and indicated
m a footnote how Pickthall, A. J . Arberry , M . A sad an d M . A . s.
Abde,_l Haleem
. . . have translated the word or passage 111 · question.
· 1 "May God bless (or have mercy on) him and shower him with greetings of peace".
~. r a111c cn anons are put in itaucs throughout th·1s translauon. .
b) Like most Muslim scholars• Tabari habitual] y wntes
· blessmgs
· 3 Unfortunately, until very recently, I was unaware o f t he supcnor, · crmca
.
a fite r t h e mention of God , the Prophet an d t h e C ompa111ons
. of
t I1e Prop l1et. I have translated in full the bl essmgs
. he ma kes m.
XXX
Tra11slator's lntrod11ctio11
reference to God, but abbreviated the standard blessing for the
Prophet MulJammad, $allii'lliil111 'alayl,i tva-sallama,' as "(~)" and
for the Companions, ra~iya'llii/111 'a11hull1ii,1 as "(r)".
c) Tabari generally does not specify which ~r'an reciters adopted
variant readings, preferring instead to say "One (or some) of
the Kufans recited " or "One of the Medinans recited". In the
footnotes, I have identified which specific ~r'an reciters adopted
each reading, primarily on the basis of Ibn 'Afiyya's (d. 546/u51-
S2) ~r'anic commentary, al-M11barrar al-1vajiz Ji tafiir al-kitiib
al- 'az iz, w hich records the opinions of an impressive number of
O!:!r'an reciters. Ibn 'Atiyya was a native of Granada and inherited
the famous Andalusian tradition of ~r'anic recitation, much of
which he preserves in his commentary.
d) In the translations of the isniids, I have not drawn a distinction
between direct and indirect transmission and merely written an
em dash in place of (,addatlianii or 'an. Readers interested in this
distinction should consult the original Arabic text.
e) In the interest of space and utility, I have only identified TabarI's
teachers and the religious authorities whose opinions he quotes in
Appendix B and Appendix C, respectively. In other w~rds, _only
the first name in each is11iid and the last name has been 1denufied,
and these men and women are discussed in the appendices, rather
than the first time their names appear in the translation. Readers
interested in other names occurring in the isniids should consult
the standard Arabic biographical dictionaries.
f) I have provided minimal cross-referencing for the badith in
the translation, and have refrained from providing any cross-
referencing for the Companion and Successor opinions. I have
used Jalal al-Din al-Suyuri's al-Durr al-manthiir ft'l-tafiir [bi-]
al-ma '1/,iir to indicate what additional sources contain a version
of each badith that Tabari cites, relatively few of which are found
in the six canonical collections. 3 In the interest of space, I have
not provided detailed cross-referencing for these badiths, because
2 "May God be pleased with him/her".
· °f al.-
· · 1 c d'mon
Durr al-ma111/11ir, published under the editorial leadership of 'Abd Allah b. 'Abd al-Mu~srn
al-Turki, and available online at : https://archivc.org/dccails/ eldorrclmanthor. All references
in these volumes arc to the commercial, unedited Dar al-Kucub al-' Ilmiyya edition.
XXXI
 TABARi Translator's lntrodrutio11

these references are provided exhaustively in ntly Tabarl subdivides the sections of his commentary
Freque ,. ") f. 1
edition of Tabari's commentary. ·ch the Arabic expression: wa qa111!11hu ("His statement , o -
Wl '
the clause or word from the ~ r anic verse un,, er
d
g) Tabari narrates many !,aditlis that are mrmal, meaning the Succes Iowed by
reports a !,adit/1 from the Prophet without mentioning the n discussion. I have rendered this as " INTERPRETATI_DN ? F ~
of the Companion from whom he heard it. Jurists differ 0 A standard rheto rical formula in Islamic theology ts fa III qala
3.
whether mursal reports can be used as evidence for Islamic law an qa-•·1
, ... q,·/a /ah11 • which literally means, "If a speaker were1to
theology; in general, Tabari does not consider them to be stro say ... it would be said to him." I have rendered this st y js-
evidence. I have endeavoured to identify which !,adiths arc mu tic device in small caps as " QUESTION" (or " OBJECTION") and
in the footnotes. " RESPONSE".
h) No effort has been made to render the verses of poetry into vc Jn order to help the reader keep track of th e disagreements
4.
or meter, as they serve a purely philological function in T, Tabari records over the meaning of specific passages, l have
Compre~1ensive Exposition. I have made an effort to use the spcciali i;iserted in small caps "op1NJ0N" into the translation. These
translanons by A. J. Arberry, Michael Sells and Edward Lan words do not appear in the Arabic text. This is also the case
where possible. All of the poets whom Tabari cites are ide ntified for "ERRONEOUS OPINION." These words do not appear in the
in Appendix D. Arabic text.
i) I. have often used the device of presenting certain parts--even a 5. In many passages, I have inserted Tabari's name into the transla-
smgle _letter, if necessary--of italicized citations in roman script; tion in order to clarify his personal interpretation from those
and vice versa when a text is in roman and it requires the same of the earlier exegetes whom he cites. In these cases, where his
technique of empl~asis. The main goal of this has been to vividly name is not actually in the text, his name appears in small caps
illustrate the pam cular grammatical point that the author is as u - "
TA.BARI SAID •
trying to highlight.
j) The reader w ill note that each passage of commentary d JV. CONCLUSION
.h h k " en s
wtt t e remar Conclusion of the conunentary on ... ". This
Behind the heavy mass of imiids, variant ~ r'anic readings and gram-
statement
. . does not appear .at the end of eac h passage m · t he
matical arguments dispersed throughout The Comprehensive Exposition,
ongmal. F~r the sake of clamy and consistency, I have added the
statement m square brackets wherever it was missing. there exists a probing mind, constantly juggling thousands of fragments
k) l have endeavoured to render Tabari's Arabic int01·d·1omat1c· English of the early Islamic tradition, and shaping them into a monumental text,
. several thousand pages long. Tabari's own opinions and arguments are
t hat is as li'teral as possible.
. . However ' I have d d
eparte cons1sten • tiy
fjrom t h. e li tera1 Ara b1c m the following cases: couched in an idiom of Arabic that had not yet emerged as the refined,
1. It was common practice in classical Islamic books fior an aut hors , classical language of!earning and scholarship. One regularly encounters
· "Y
book to be read back to him and for his nam a dense forest of prepositions and pronouns, and, as was the custom of
edly throughout the text. For the sake of e to ~ppear relp~at- his day, long sentences that simply must be broken up w hen brought
. . maxunum c anty,
and m order to avoid any potential confusio hi 1 . al into English. Perhaps one of his most subtle stylistic devices, noted by
· h b d· n, t s c ass1c con- Franz Rosenthal, is Tabari's use of the expression " the opinion which is
vennon as een 1spensed with.
2. Tabari generally begins each section of . most likely correct (awlii' l-aqwiil... bi'l-fawiib)" to indicate his preferred
. . . commentary wuh
the followtng Arabic expression: al-qaw/fi•1 1 ' 1111•/ [·h. _ _ opinion in cases of exegetical disagreement. This expressio n acknowl-
L, h Jj 11 .. h :a qaw 1 1 ta'ala,
wruc tera y means, T e statement con . l edges that ~r'anic exegesis, like Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), is a field
P retation of His statement, Exalted is He." 1chernmg ave ren
dt le inter-
d hi donunated by probability, rather than certainty. It evokes a degree of
as "COMMENTARY ON T HE FOLLOWING DI VJ ere t s humjlity on the part of Tabari, who, after travelling thousands of miles
NE WORDS".

XXX II
XXXIII
 TABARi
~nd collectin g tens of thousands of is11ad-sup ported reports, can onJ
rnforrn rhe reader of wh ich opinion is most likel y correct. C ertain t Y
as ir relates to the ~ r'an's correct meaning, belongs to God and ~
final Pro phet.' Mul~amm ad. Scrupulo us scholars, like Tabari, can go no
further than its probable meaning.
In his entry o n Tabari in the Encyclopaedia of Islam, the late C. E
Bosworth wrote, "It may be doubted whether any modern translatio ~
can con~ey ~he subtlety of al-Tabari's thought and scholarsh ip except in
a very c1rcu1to us and prolix fashion." I concur with th.is sentimen t and
have strugg led to balance clarity with fidelity to Tabari's unique Arabic
style. It has been a privilege to bring selections of Tabari's ~r'anic com-
mentary in to English, and I sincerely hope future translators will improve
and expand upon w hat they £ind in these pages.
XXXJ\I
TABARI'S INTRO DUCTI ON
In tl,e Name of God, 1/,e Beneficent , tl,e Merciful
The following was read back to Abu Ja' far Mul~ammad b. J arir al-Tabari
in the year 306 (918-19):
All praise belongs to God, Whose exq uisite decree overpowe rs all
minds and Whose subtle argument s conquer all intellects. The wonders
0 ( His creation
eviscerate the excuses of extreme heretics (mulbidi11), and
the languages of His indicators cry out in the ears of all creatures ,' test'.-
fying that He is God-the re is no god save He, W~o ha~ no peer ~ho 1s
equal, no similitude that is similar, no partner who aids Hun, no child _and
110 parent. H e has no consort and nothing is equal to Him. [He testifies
rhatj He is the Compellc r to whose compulsi on (jabariit) all tyrants arc
rendered submissiv e; He is the Mighty to Whose might all mighty kings
arc abased. All who possess dread are humbled by His dreadful might.
All creatures submit obedientl y to Him, either willingly or unwillingly,
as God (Majestic is His praise and holy arc His Names) said, And to God
prostrates wl,osoever is in tl,e l,eavens and 011 eartl,, willingly or 11nwilli11gly, as do
r/,eir sl,adows in tl,e 111omi11g and the evening hours (Q. 13 :15).
Each existing thing calls out His oneness; and every sensible thing
guides to His Lordship , through the traces of His creation with which
He has branded them: from decrease and increase; impotenc e and need ;
encounte ring accidental afflictions and unavoida ble events-a ll 2of this
is so that to Him belongs the ultimate proof (al-bujja al-baligl1a). Then
He followed up His indicator s, which testify to His existence , and affirm
His beauty, which shines in the hearts [of men], w ith Messenge rs whom
He sent to His servants. They all summon to that [message] whose
soundness has been clear to them, and whose proof has been established
in the minds of men, i11 order tl,at l111111anity might have no proofagai11st God
after 1/,e Messengers (Q.4:165), and so the possessors of discernm ent and
forbearance might reflect. [God] provision ed them with His assistance ,
1 John Coo~r reads rliis as 'ali111i11 ("men of learning") instead of 'a/a111i11, which is generally
glossed in Q .1:2 as "humans and jinn"'; Commentary, 5.
2 This sentence duws heavily from Cooper' s translation; ibid .
 TABARI
and disting uished them from all o ther creatures by in d icato r s testify
ing to their truthfulness. H e aided them wit h the ultimate proofs and
m irac ulo us signs, so th at no o ne among [the people to w hom they were
se ntj could say, This i5 only a mortal like you, 111/,0 eats of that which yo11 eat
and drinks of that which you drink. If you 1vere to obey a mortal like yo11rselves,
then , lo! yo11 surely would be losers (Q.23 :33- 4).
He m ade them His envoys, between Himself and His creatures, and
the ones entrusted w ith His inspiration (wa/,yi/11). He singled them out for
His bounty and selected them with His message. Then He put t hem at
different levels and distinct stations, with regard to the special talents and
honours H e bestowed upon them, raising some of them above others, in
distinct deg rees of excellence. H e honoured one of them with [His) direct
speech and intimate conversation ,' while one of them He reinforced with
the H oly Spirit and singled o ut for reviving the dead and hcaung the seri-
o u sly ill and blind.' God favoured ou r Prophet Mu~anunad M with the
highest level and the most tremendous station. [God] gave him the g reat-
est bounty among His great ho no urs, and singled him out with the most
generous portion amo ng the levels of prophethood and the greatest n um-
ber o f followers and companions. [God] sent him with the comprehensive
call and the universal message, guarding and protecting him uniquely,
fro m every o bstin ate compellcr and rebellious satan, 3 until H e established
the religion [of Islam] and clarified its path through [Mu!Jammad]. [God)
used him to elucidate the indicators of the truth, annihilate the beacon of
pol ytheism◄ and destroy falsehood. On account of [MulJammad), error,
the deceptive stratagem s of Satan and idolatr y dwindled away. [He was)
reinforced with an endu ring proof (daliila) for all time, ages and eras,
througho u t the passing months and years, in perpetuity. Its illumination
in creases in brightness as time march es on , as night and day follow each
o ther. All of this is God's unique gift to [Mu~ammad]. to the e xclusio n
of all His other M essengers, w hom t yrants vanqu ished and whom wicked
, T his is an allusion to M oses: se~ Q .2:223 .
2 Thjs is an allusio n to J esu s; ,ee Q.2:223 and Q . 5: 110.
3 The word shayfari can refe r to Sotan, the .'.pccili~_jmn (firc-sp,nt) who d11obcyed God's com-
mand t o prost rate before Adam, o r to •~'.an.' o'.1~ .~mong many c,·,I Jinn who afflict alJ
humons (hence it can be understood .~s an ~vii sp,m ). _1 , hall be tran,laung sha)'ran and its
plural slrayatin as "~tan'" and ··sarans, rcspecuvely, despnc •he fact that we do not genualJy
m
put "i.atan" '" the plural (or lower ose) ut En~li_sh, o rd« to pres.,n •c the e1ymological link
betwee n the o riginal Satan and l,js satanic m1111ons 111 1hc ong111al Arabic.
4 L.l l <f3 II ),. " the assoaario n !of an y partner o r de11y wn h Godj (sh1rk)."
2
Tabari's lntrod11ctio11
. , b d. d in som e cases, whose traces were effaced after them ,
nanons a asc , an ' d d b . .
ssion of] the nights and days were re uce too scunty,
and w I10111 [succc
lusio n of [those Messengers] w ho were sent to o ne com-
an d to t h c cxc ·£i I J
• t O the exclusio n of another community, or to a spec11c group
munity I I h th col
rather than the general [masses), or to a singe group rat 1cr t an c -
lcctivity [of humanity] • . f
So all praise belo ngs to God, w ho ho no ured us by [ou r) affirma~10n o
I d's j truthfulness and ennobled us by having us follow h11n. H e
IMdu )an11naong the people of affirmation and faith in [MuQammad ] and
ma c us am d bl h.
. ·h t lie summoned [us to do] and brought us'-may Go ess 1111
mw a h H"
and his fam ily w ith His purest blessings and grant t cm 1s most su 11nc
bl·
cace and His most perfect greetings. .
p So and now: Truly among the tremendo us excellences, which God
has singled o ut for the community of our Prophet Mu~ammad (~) an_d by
which He has elevated them to a lo fty station, above all the o ther natio ns,
and given them a sublime ho nour, is His act (~~jcst'.c is_His remembra~ce
and holy are His Names) of safeguar~ing H1~ m ~p1rat1on and reve!at1on
with thcm.l He has made [this revelation) an md1cator of the veracity of
chc prophethood of their Prophet (~). a clear sign of_the ho~o~r H~ has
singled o ut for ltim and an ultimate proof. Through 1t, ~e d1stm~mshed
[Mubanunad] from every liar and fabricator, 1:fe uses [His revelation] _t~
distinguish between [the Musums) and every rcJccter and extreme heretic,
an d, by means of it, He separates them from every dis~eli~ver (kii.fir) and
polytheist.◄ [The Q!!r'an is such) that were all of the Jinn and human_s,
young and old, from every corner of the world, to gather together m
1 I generally prefer to translate 11111,na (plural 111110111) as "communjry" rather than the mode~~
e,;prcssion "nation": bur in some contexts, onl y rh_c word "nation" makes sense. In Taban s
,·icw, "nations·· would include the Arabs, lsrad1tcs, Persians, Greeks and other erhno-
linguisric groups of people.
i An allusion to the Q!!riin and wisdom (/,ik111a), which is often understood to mean the Sunna
(Propheuc practkc and teaching). .. . .. .
3 In other words, the Q!!r'iin. Note that the word 1ar1zi/, w hich I translate as revelanon, IS
actually 3 verbal noun meaning "sending down." I translate the verbs ,iazzala and a,izala as
"10 send down" and nazala as " to come down" throughout this work.
4 L11crally, "someone who associates partners o r deities with God (11111~/iri~}-" Unfortun~_tely,
there is no single English word that caprnrcs the meaning of '"'"!•nk; assoc1auomsr _ IS a
neologism and "polytheist (or pagan or idolater)" obscures the sahent concept of asmbmg
pmncrs or deities to a superior God. I will use "polytheism" occasionally, altho ugh I prefer
the cumbersome expression "someone who associates partners with God."
S The jinn are living creatures created from fire who arc generally invisible. Unlike •ngcls,
who arc created from light, som e jinn o n and do disobey God . Fo r mo re on the jinn, see
Q .72 and the entry " Djinn" in the El' .
3
 TABAR!
Tabari's Jnrroduction
o rder to bring forth a single siim' like it, they could not bring forth the favours o f m emorizing it and
like tl,ereof tl,ougl, tl,ey were helpers one of another (Q. 17 :88). 2 [ God) m ade 6 r Your act of bestowing upon us I y, are the One Who hears
ror 1. (/ d -d)' -tru y ou
them Ithe ~ r'an ] a sci ntillating light in the overspread darkness, a shi kno,vledge of its ru m gs .111 : res onse is near; and m ay God bless
ing meteor in the dusks of doubts, a guide to the path for the waywa supplications and the One ~ te f: n~ly and shower them with greet-
Mul~ammad, the Prophet an 11s a1 '
traveller and a driver to the paths of salvation and truth: By (the ~r'an
God guides li im w/10 seeks His good pleasure to paths ofpeace. He brings them out ings of peace. God h ave mercy on you), know t hat th e most
darkness iwo liglit by His permission, and guides tl,em to a straig/,1 path (Q.5:16) 0 servants of God (may . '1 d1·rect his knowledge is that
d b. · to w h1c 1 one can f
H e guarded [the ~r'an] with an eye that sleeps no t and protcc worthy care an O ~ecuve . d t b le) to God and will lead t JC
it with a limb that feels no pain. Its pillars do not crumble from endle knowledge which is plcasmg (an dacc~dp ace (Know also] that the most
) f t"tudc an gU1 an · · ·
days, nor do its marks vanish with the ravages of time. N o follower o knower to the pat 1 o rec I I . l l} . h . Book of God, in w/ric/, there ,s
I .
compre iens1ve wa)
, to seek t us goa is t e
I . .
d.
. I ich t here is no isputc.
Th
c
[ the ~r'an] deviates from its straight path, nor docs its companion go
b (Q ) ,d His reve at1on, over w 1 dd d
astray from the paths o f guidance. Whoever adheres to it ach ieves success uo do11 t .2 :2_ ' ;11 b . dous stores and a splcn i rewar .
I ·t s it O tams trcmcn . J, I
and is guided ; whoever shuns it goes astray and awry. [The ~r'an] is person w 10 rec1 c b ,r, . b /,ind it. (it is) a revelat1011 rom t ie
FaL<cl,ood ca1111ot come at it from 0ore ,1 or e ,
thei r refuge, in which they seek shel ter when they disagree; their for-
tress, in which they seek refuge from calarn.i ties; and their stronghold, Wise, rlre Praised One (~.41_:42). . nd clarifying its meanings, are
W . . ·plaini ng its mtcrpretat1on a 11 h .
w hich protects them from the whisperings of Satan. Jt is the w isdom e, 111 ex . b k G d willing, containing a t at IS nee-
of th eir Lord, w ith w hich they consult !when making judgements), and composing a comprchenkstve ood, I~ h surpasses all other books on this
r I ·ty to now an w u c .
its decisive judgement is th e final decision they accept. T hey proceed in cssary ror 1uma111 [h d ] f 11 that h as reached us concernmg
. W, • forming t e rca er o a h .
accord ance with it and it is His rope to which they hold fast, seeking topic. e arc m . d those for which t ere 1s
) ich there 1s agreem ent an , / fl
protection from perdition. arguments over w l . h [~ 'an]. We will clarify the proofs ( i a,,
0 God , gran t us success in hitting the mark of correctness regard- disagreeme~t-con(cer;,1;gb)t, : luci~:ting what is sound in our estimation,
of each posmon ma ' a , ·bl J
ing !the ~ r'an's] clear (mubkam) and ambiguous (mutasliiibil,) verses; its • d bbreviated manner poSSI e.
in the most succmct an a . · all that b rings
!rulings concerning w hat isl lawful and unlawful ; its general and specific It is God Whom I ask for help and graotmg success 111
[rulings ]; its ambiguous (m11jmaD 1 and clear (mrifassar) [passages]; its abro-
gating and abrogated [verses]; its apparent and hidden [meanings) ; and
I d " I" lits" and Cooper translates it in this context
the interpretation (ta'wiD of its verses and explanation (tafsir) of its d ifficult I T he word l,11d1id is frequently trans ate. }sd. m . f ti is word occurs in his commentary
[passages].• Inspire us to cling to it and hold fast to its clear verses, and
d ,. C
as ··,acre norms ; omr,,e,
llary 8 Taban s 1scuss1on o
• · :' .. ) H I . I the meaning of tilka /111d1idII '//·/
a1
Q . 8 ( . - 5 in the Dar H aJar cdmon . e exp am s I I. h
on .2.1 7 3 .274 . .111 . I d fi 1 the categorically lawful jact s , w uc
make firm our acceptance of its ambiguous ones. Arouse in us gratitude as ..,he prohibited !acts! that H_e d m _g m s ,c ro n . d of which H e informed His
He defined (/,addadalia) with their d escnpto rs and attrk1bu,teds~;'; mean "conditions (slumif),"
.. T b - k •I d cs that some exegeccs ta e " ' II o
servants. . a an ac no" e g I . Al Ra h ib al-Iibahani indicates that
1 Tabari explams 1he c-t ymo logy o f th,s word nc-ar the end of this lntrodurnon. and that this is close in meaning to his o wn exp an_a non. I - (ghk- ) "a~d I think that is the
f I J-a
II · I h . nur' an is " ru1111gs or aws a am , ·
m c~ .· .
2 .
Mabmiid Shak ir notes t hat t his is• collage of the co mems of Q.1 : 13 , io:JS and , :SS; Tafsir one of the meanmgs o ,u . I Ra hib al-ljbahani , M11fradar
al-Tabari, 1 :s. 7 sense in which Tabari is using the word m thts context , see a - g
3 Both mutaJhabil, and 11111j111al arc gener~lly transla1cd as "ambiguous". The former term is al'az a/-n11, ,;11 ed. Safwan Dawiidi (Dam ascus : Dar al-Q!lam, 2002), 221. T b _
'<= madl,l,ab
'J' · word
2 The ' · can mean " schooI" or ..posmon . . " or "opinion ." In n,ost cases.I a I an a
co nventio na lly used in conjunc11o n w11h theological vrrses 111 ,he ~r'an whose mean-
ings Muslims have debated for centuries, whereas '""Jmal ts the term Jurists emplo y in legal is addressing individual excgeticaI p0St.t1ons . an d optmo
. . n s in his commentary,
. I I I . ratI,er . tThe
,. n

theor y for ambiguous co,~mands or stat:-'mcnts found 111 the ~ • :in and Hadith hteramre. opmions of exeget ical sc hooIs a,un 1., to t h e vanou f s 111 1Is M
· s legal or theolog1ca. sc 100 alfl., ·1-
Follo wing Q 3 . 7 ,nutaJhiib,I, 1> usually paired with mul,kam (..clear'') , •h·t . I I d" only exceptio n, identified in chis translation , is his occasional refutauon ° genera u taz t t
• • •
mujmal is paired 1111,ba~r•" (
wi,d t_ rmif,= r o r
.. ..
clear ). .. .
, \ J e in rga 1scoursc
posnio m . . I h t,· n .. ·-nic
4 .I luve rendered ta 1ml conm1cn1l )' a, mtcrpr«auon (w11h the exccpt1·0 f h r 3 Tabari is not being ironic or insincere in his claim to being succmct, even c , o ugl . 15 ~llurfa h
he ading "COMMENTARY O N T HE Fo LLOW ING DIVINE WOn DS") n o I ed trequent
,r. - ·
commentary fi lls thousan d s o f pages. H 1s" po mt
· h ere is that he d ocs no t exp am
,_ a . o t de
"explanatio n " or " commenta ry. .. ,, an ca Jrr as
1 meanings of a w ord or t h c d e ta.I·ts o f a narranvc
· every rime- it occurs
. in the ~ • an; m stea ,
he regular!)' refers the reade rs to h is earlier discussion of the topic.

4
5
 TABA R!
Tabari's lntrod11ctio11
er from those who uent fpersonJ at expr essin g
us clloser to those who m He loves and furth earn and highest level amo ng them the most eloq
d 1sp easur e M ay God bl ess H 1·s purest creature and his fami ly a d h of them at expressin g what is
I. . · n s o what he wishes to express and the clear est
um with coun tless greet ings of peace. in his soul. Then [God ] taug ht them , in His
revel ation and the clear verses
ernin g all that, is 3 clari£ j ( 11111 (,kam iiy)' of His Book , the
exce llenc e of the clear expo sitio n He had
tion :;~~ ~:t;~ :i:::~ tl~ ~hic h we begin, conc to begi n and h I them over the mute folks and
e
. ic it is most appro priat
. wa . hJ t h e expos · ou dc oi bestowed upon them , by whic h He favo ured
prior .to ever ythin g else. That is, [we be gm · f j (al-m11sta'jim al-lisiin). God
w Id s1t1o n o chose w ho are incapable of spea king fprop erly
m~an mgs of the verse s of t he ~r'an that ou conf use anyo ne who who is reared among ornam ents
I (Exalted is His re mem brance) said, Wlrat, one
neah er exert ed himself t

:;~,:~,:;:u: :!~';:;,:i:?.:~r:'.~:;;;:~,:~,~~!~::;:,b:~::r:t•r:
lrimselj dear? (Q.43: 18).
1 1111d ;,, disp111e ra11not make rstan ding and intel ligen ce,
Therefore, to those folks who possess unde
le of clear expositio n ove r the
God has clarified the supe riori ty of the peop
speak ing. [Thi s supe riori ty is]
people of mute ness, who are incapable of
er perso n I, who can expr ess
DISC USSION ELU CIDA TING on accou nt of the great er abi lity of this [form
MEA NING S OF THE VERSES OF~~~ AGR
.~~MENT BET WEE N THE his own sake, by mean s of his
clearly what ever he wish es to artic ulate for
AN AND THE LANGUAGB is incap able of artic ulati ng
OF THE PEOPLE TO WHO M THE Q.\:!~ clear exposition , over this [othe r perso n] who
AN CAME DOW N FRO M s of his tong ue.
THE PERS PECT IVE OF C LEAR EXPOQ.\:!R whatever he tries to express clearly by mean
SITIO N; AND THE INDI CATOR. n (ma'nii), by whic h the supe-
THA T WHA T COM ES FRO M GOD If that is how it is--g iven the conv entio
ESTI C A~D MIG HTY IS HE) /a~, such that [one perso n J
IS THE ULT IMA TE WISD OM (A L rior (fodi~ is distin guish ed from the infer ior (majt
(MAJ
iA AL-B A LIC HA), ALO NG beco mes infer ior, is what we
WIT H A C LARIFIC ATIO N OF ;:~~ becomes supe rior whil e the othe r (person]
IS D PERI OR MEA NING BY of the eloq uent pers on's clear
WHI CH THE nuR'AN have described, conc ernin g the supe riori ty
~ ISTIN CT FRO M ALL
n who is incap able of spea k-
OTH ER FOR MS OF SPEECH expression over the shor tcom ings of the perso
a gap betw een outc ome s and
u .
Trul y amo ng the great est boun ries of God pon His serva nts and ere- ing (and this is a difference of abilities and
t that the high est statio n
men dous favours for His creat u . I b
res is r ie oun t yo f c Iear expo sitio n "il(i[ fi nal accom plish men ts) -the n there is no doub
/b - , . h h· its most lofty level, belo ngs
a - ayan) that He gran ted them . Ir .IS Wit I S Ib II V" amon g che stations of clear expo sitio n, and
I I t I1e inne rmos t thou ghts of th . b t ou ncy t iat they express eyin g clear ly what he perso n-
c ear y eir reascs and · d · to the person who is most capable of conv
I · f Ill icate the firm reso- what be inten ds to say, and
utton s o their souls. By this gift • God so fitens Iti ally needs to conv ey, clearest at expr essin g
ie ~oarseness ofJ their d rum. If some one is able
tong ues an d facili tates that which the . woul
d most successful at maki ng his listen er unde rstan
otherwise find difficult · By expo sitio n J and surpass the
mean s of it jpeop lej affirm H 1·s onen)ess glori'"'· H · to cross beyo nd this (high est level of clear
•) im, sanctify Him and ssibl e for the serva nts [of
reach out to Him to obtai n their ne d ' B capacity of all creatures, such that it is impo
mutu al dialo gue, get to know one ao:tl1er s. y d~eans of it they enga ge in this is a proo f and sign [of
interace Wlt . h one anot her. God] to bring forth some tltlng like it, then
Th en G o d ( Majestic is His remernb an the Vanq uishe r. [Trus is a
ranee ) mad . respe ct
h em, wtth the truthfulness] of the Messenge rs of the One,
h H
to w at c gran ted them jin term s of cIcar exposit" ] d·
et sed and curin g of leprosy and
pr_o of] just as the resuscitation of the decea
I, b - ) .. I I ion , ilferent classes fulne ss ofJesus ], on acco unt
va aqat , ramn g some of them to high blindness were proo fs and signs for [the truth
heve s above others. [He disti n- great est doct ors of the time ,
g uishe dj betw een a verbose preacher, cr w o speak s I of these acts trans cend ing the abilities of the
"di d correct y, eloqu ently d heale rs, and beyo nd the
an d rap1 y, an a speechless person , wl10 canno t e hjmse lf whose as we~! as the heali ng abilities of the most skille
. _ II o f thou ghts that he cann ot
. ,ru
h cart is xpress is also like the proo f and sign
convey H •
made the most lofty capa my_of a!l cre~tures, now and then. This
. e nce that norm ally takes two mon ths
of crossmg, 111 a smgle nigh t, a dista
1 1 am indc b1cd to Coop er s rramla rion for ;ushtaric ewn h ti, f, I
" rna 5erHen ce •· c 0mme11tary
2Jo h n Coopcr transla tes bayan as "clarit y 0 ( discou r•.-c- ••., Com, ' 9·
I "'"""'ry.9 - I have ch JJrnti1)," sec below , the translation o f Tabari's
·
11 as c onsm cnt y as p ossibl e as "clear cxpos ruo n
.
•· osen ro rende r 1
For more on the m eaning of "clear signs (m11bk ·
commentary o n Q .J: 7.

6
7
 TABAR!
Tabari's /,rtrod11ctio11
ible
to cross.' w~ich is beyond the capacity of all creatures, and imposs hidden, became mani fest, as did the weakne ss of his to ngue, which
had
even though they arc capable of for that which was not
~ny of [God sj servants to imitate,
cover- been g uarded. [This igno rant person] brough t fort h
distance [during a night] . saying,
mg some small impossible for a weak foo l or an igno rant idiot [to compo se],
. .
_dlf what we have describ ed concern i ng all that is as it is t h "The grinder s grin ding: the kneade rs kneadin g; the bread-bakers
bak-
~t~
ev1 elnr thdat there is no clearer exposition, no higher wisdom ' noel: 1er
lS crumbl ing ; the bread-s licers slici ng! " ' There
ing: che bread-c rumblcr s
speec 1 an no nobler ex . h I • Ito
mean f h . press1on t an a c ear exposit ion and speech b arc oc her stupidities like th is that resemb le [Musaylima's] fa lse claim
0 1
~h: prophct hood].
leacli:g 1~:t;~~ ; /;1~: : !:aitl;: rs~ :e~~:; 3~ 1; ·~~~:r~:a~~;: ;; :v:~e J( the differing levels of excellen ce of clear exposit io n
and distinc-
quence , r i ymed prose and sooth-s aying [and surpass, cd in I e o-
ove ranks of speech arc as we have described them previou sly-a nd God
e oquenceJ
ever y speech give
and soothsa y~r
·
I
H:: k '
;e~quuceedncthsp~ader , poet, speaker in rhymed prose
cir reams to fant f; d d
(Exalted is H is rememb rance and hol y are His Names)
among the sages and the m ost Forbea ring amo ng the possess
is the most
ors of
Wi sc
for-
mind s, reno unced their religion and called asyh con o ~n e their His exposit ion,
bearanc e-t hen it is obvio u s that die clearest expositio n is
and accept his [claim I as true and ,to belie _upt1 t cm to ollow
him e
and affirm that he is and that the most excellen t speech is His speech ; and that the measur
a Messen ger to them from th~ir Lo d H . ve m un brance)
r . de mhforme d them that the indica- of the excellen ce of His clear expositio n (Majest ic is H is remem
tor o f the truthfu ln ess of hi s . f His creatur es is like the [degree ] of His
message an t e proof of th ahove the clear ex position of all of
h
pro p ethood was the clear exposit ion h· h h e verac1t y o his
rxccllrnce over all of His servant s.
the
wisdom and the F11rqii11, i in a langua e ·l;e :~e· e brough t them, and If chat is how it is-and conside ring that it would not be a case of
the meanin gs of which conform d g h . ir languag es, and a speech,
could
ed all clear speech for us to address someon e in a way that the address ee
of them that t hey were incapab l; o;~ t. e1~speech. T hen he inform was being said to him- then it is obviou s that it
g resem bli ng not understand what
just a part of it, and that th ey I k dr11l1grnbg·1~onh anythin h (Majest ic is His rememb rance) to
I ffi ac e t ie a I tty to do h. Al is not possible (gl1ayr jii'iz) for God
t iey ~ rmed that th ey were inca able !of . t. is. toget er ee can
.. ·- ]p d . equalh.n g ttsh eloquence], address any o ne of His creatures save by that which the address
submtt ted in assent to Ithe n '-<.!;!r an an temfied . send a Messen ger with a message
. . . agamst t emselves to understa nd. [Likewise], H e does not
h
t etr 111ab1lit y to do this except r I ion
•
lowed in igno ran ce and blindne ss• [Y
ror someon e an
I persiong] t iem who wal- to anyone, save that it was [phrased! in a languag e and clear exposit
• et sue 1 a chat the person to whom it was sent could underst and. This is because
. t and
ignoran t and tried to acco mplish that which he tn was arrogan do
w hich h db new was beyond bis the addressee and the person to whom someon e was sent, if they
ca parn y and de sired Ito do[ that t hem , their conditi on
of doing. The weakne s f ~ - een
_ made certain that he not understa nd w hat was addressed or sent to
wa s in capable , and after it,
s o is intellect, which had been Iboth] prior to the address and the arrival of the message
messag e benefite d them
d' I
is identical, because neither the address nor the
T h i, is an allu<ro n to tire Pro phet Muh,n1111 • • nnracu ou, Nigh J God
at all, concern ing that of which they were previou sly ignoran t.
I
. r .
h t ourney (ur.i\ 1 mentione
d
Ill Q. 17 .. 1. , rom Mecca to Jeru~ lem • nd b,ck
to M d
CCC>, w 1ch ing an address or
I1u cm1gr:1u o n to M c d ma m 6~.z. occurrr somrumr prior to
{Majesti c is His rememb rance) is exalted above address
b for the person w ho
2 It II o bvio us fro m the context tint Tabari
I II
, d.
' 1, cscn •ng the Prophet Muhamm,d"s mission sending a message that does not bring about a benefit
,ere, ~'. iou~h he rc r.r.irns from narnrng 111111 cxphutly.
is addressed or to whom someone was sent, because that is for us among
3 T•ban 1den11fics al-1'11rqa11 •• one of the four na,,1es o r t hc~r'·
the aces of someon e who is deficien t and purpose less ('abatli) , and
h II •n • nd cxpl>Jns Its mc,ni God
near t c end of the lntroduc tro n to Im comrncnt >ry I .ng
Ibet ween truth and fa lschoodJ· •· · gener, 1 transl,ir 11 ,s "'th•.. Cnrcnon His remem -
is exalted fa r above that. For that purpose , God (Majest ic is
Ii. 1-fabih who cl J And We never
brance) said in the clear verse (11111bka111) of His revelati on,
4 T im " • reference to Mus• )·l11113 · • 11nr to I>< . p
l;lamfa 1n eastern Arab1J (Yarnama ) d uring the fin,I )"car~ or Muh~ rophet
• •mong ,h 8 -
r anu
d'
""11• 1 nu,sion •nd wa.s sent a Messenge r save ivitli the language of /1isfolk, rliat lie miglit make (rlie mes-
su bd ued Wtl h g reat sIaugh ter h)' Musl, m anm<s the L IC A b·" .,
·••tt or I qta • during thr c,J· h
ate o f Abe, B,kr (632- 4). Cla,11cal Mu, lnn hi<tonans dtia 0
pl.cc 111 11 or earl )' 12 A ll (632- 3): sec Dhahabi
•
s,>·•• ,8~rcrc '"" whether tl111 '- . 111 'P k.
• • .4 7 '1> Tab.,1 "" c 100 1 Malunu~
History; Tafsir
Shj ktr 1dcn111i<.'s this as a quo te of Musaylim a that is founJ in Tahari's
d>ted 1110 11 ; 632_ _ s,iras, although
Sec also W. Mo m gomcr)' Wa11. " Mus>yhm a," £1 • al-Tab.irr'. ' : 10. The rhythm of this prose is similar to the opening of sever.ii
1 •
3
Its 1nran111g bc,rs no rc,emblancc 10 anything in the ~r'an.

N
9
 TABAR!
Taba ri's fotrod,wio11
Pro het Muh
sage) clearfar tl,em (Q. i4 :4). God said to His
,':::, ';,.v:;evealed the Bo~k to you o11ly so you
may :pla in to
(Q
;,;;:n;;; ~•
.i.~
he,_
and abrid gem ent; the emp loym ent of
expressio ns :ind of sho rt rather than leng
concealed rathe r than literal
thy /expressions/ in certa in sit-
! iffi , and (as) a g11 1da11ce a11d a mercy far a people 111/ 10 believ~ -I6:cs4i spee ch and prol ixity , repe tition
uations; the emp loym ent of elon gate d
1tis not possible for som eon e to be uided b . ' s with fconc rete} no uns rathe r
y It were he igno rant of and emp hasis; mak ing apparent mea ning
that /speech J by w hich he is bein g gu~d
ed. concealing /of mea ning s] on
~ than figurative speech (al-ki11iiya 'a11l1ii); the
the basis of w hat state men t that is inten ded to be
The refore it has beco me clear , on I we have in certain occasion s; the !use of] a specific
care. d, that, with respe ct to ever y M . . clear ly inten ded to be specific;
gene ral and a general [stat em ent} that is
• .
essen er w 10m God (M aj estic ts
gh _ I ative w hose inten ded mean ing
pra1se) has sent to a peop le • God on Iy sent rm to sp kJ · h I ft he usage of a state men t I w hich is figur
I . . ea Ill t e ang u~
o f t Iie peop le to w hom he h as been sent. L1kew1seJ• ever y book h ich a qual ity is subs tituted for
fGod J sen t d own to a Prop het, or message H is literal; [the usage of a state men t] in w
t ity; [the usage of a state men t]
I e sent to a com mun jty, ia the thing whic h is described by this qual
lang ua e of th qual ity by which it is
o nly sent down in the a de scribed thin g is su bstit uted fo r the
:I ~ ro :h~m hit is being sent. 111 whic h
o rder] of a sent ence ; syne cdo-
It is clear , then , from wha t w!h ave sa~l: escn e , t at the Boo k o described; the inve rsio n of the flog ical
God , whic h He sent dow . wha t wou ld have been said /in
rophh clt Mu]: iamm ad (~). in the lang u che; and the replaceme nt of an ellipsis by
of Mu]:iamr nad (~'-- - nd ng~:eHrshP
.
A ra b ic-
,- d n t at t e
is in Arab ic • Th 1.s 1.s aIso w hat the I
angu age of M u h. anun ad (~) was
f
its place]; and brin ging forth that whic h
was elide d.
We will clarify all of this in its prop er place
s, if God so wi lls and aids
. . . H· c car verses o the reve latio
of Ou r Lord say, for God (M aJest tc is is reme mbra ) .d L f th is task] with assistance and stren
gth.
11 rl t nee sa1 ' of 1# l,a~
sent it do11111, a11 Arabic n11,ii
J
. ) H al .
• ,a yo11 may 1111aersta11d (Q 2 2 ·
A 11d lof II. IS. a re11elatio11 ef the Lord of tl,e I¼,/ e so said,
'<'.: ·1 ·
. Y
b (ds, )111l11ch tl,e Trutlif,,! Spirit• luu THA T ARE SIMU LTA NEOUSL
bro11g /11 do11111 11pon yo11r l,eart that DISC USS ION ELUCIDATING WOR DS
, you may e one ojtl,e wamers, i11clear Arabic EXP RESSION S OF THE ARA BS AND EXP RES SION S OF
speech. (Q.2 6: 192-5 ). ER NAT ION S
PEOPLE FRO M OTH
I
If the soun dness of wha t we have said . c ear, based as it is on the evi-
e we have brou ght forth and ti . d· is d If someone were to ask us:
denc 1 e m rcato rs we h · d·
of G av~ Ill !care ' then it
QUE STIO N: Since you have men
tione d that it is impossible for God
is nece ssary that the mea nings of the Book
.

b . od, whic h was sent dow n in

any of His creat ures exce pt
ro o ur Prop het Muh· amm ad (s) . , e 111 agreemen t ':•t · I1 I (Exalted is His remembrance) to address
r ie meanings of the a message exce pt in the lan-
spee ch of th e Arabs; and that it s apparent meaning ( -1, • , ) a manner he can understan d and to send
;;a "''"" conf orm s do you resp ond to wha t has
to r h e appa rent mea ning of rhei
h
• even thou g h t IJC Book of God guage whose mean ing he can grasp, how
. d · . g ui sh ed from their speechr speec b. I:f umayd al-Razr -I:Iak kam
1s 1stm on acco unt of it . . been narrated to you from Mu]:iamm ad
of h s supe nonry, by whic h ]:iwa ~-A bu Musa [al-Ash' arI]
God elev ated it abov e all othe r form s b. Salm- 'Anb asa- Abu lsQa q-Ab u'I-A
speec • aa d clear expo sitio n, as His mercy (Q.57:28), "A kijlii11 is
we d escri bed prev iously. said, concerning He will gi11e yo11 kijlayn ef
h . f h etorical lang uage "?
If th at is h ow it is, then it is clear th at t e followm g r a double porti on of reward in the Ethi opic
fou nd in the Book of G d been narra ted to you from Ibn
d evic esJ w ill be o • sent dow n t O H1·s p roph et Likewise, [what do you say] to wha t has
M u h. amm a d () ~ , w h ich are foun d in the
h -Sa' rd b.Ju bay r-Ib n 'Abbas
speec of the Arab s : l ellip sis Hum ayd- ):Iakkam- 'Anb asa- Abu IslJaq
3 :6), "In the Ethi opic lang uage ,
said, concernin g Tmly 11iishi'a the 11ight (Q.7
they say 11as/1a 'a"?
Follo wing 1he readin g o f 1he Dar Ha;•r
ed111on. whi I d
c,a ds acruc , ~lb''/11•·rn rhis senten ce;
when a man stands up part of the nigh t,
1
narra ted to you from Ibn
1 : 11 · And !what do you say] to wha t has been
Angd Gabr. id; ><< T•bari', commcn1an• I h - Abu Maysara said, conc ern-
2 T l11s 1s an allusio n to the
_ mcluded II h ·, on esr vrrses in 17 :6 •• 1_ 2 Humayd- ):Iakkam- 'Anbasa- Abu Is]:iaq
o f 1he Dar Hapr ed,11011 of hu Taftir (1101 ning ] 'Glorify (sabbibi)'
'.ng O mo1111tai11s, awwibi witlr /rim (Q.3 4: 10),
' , "h •rall)lau on)· " [Mea
J I haY<" bendi 1cd g reatly fro m
Coop er', iranslauon of 1
us111g tlir La,,·11 tcrnu
" ca,aloguc of Arabic rheiorical
devices, ahlio ugh I have refr:u ncd fro111 I. J rn the Ethiopic language"?
(' <'ITip oys In S00}(' cscs; expr ession "He narr ated
Com, ne11tn rr, J2 . (Every thing we say in this book w ith the

JO
II
 TABAR)
Tabari's l11trod11a io,r

t o you (liaddatl,almm)" r e·all Y m eans .. t I1ey narra ted it to u s (hadJ h- ust anyo ne w ho coun ted the ir
. ')" )' · • aat u and other s, w hich would amaze and exha
b' 111 this book by ment ionin g them
numbe r- and we do not wish to elong ate
•

di-S alm b n.. b ings in Persian and Arabic.

Mu_l,i amm ad b. Khal id b . Khid ash al-Az. . ~ tay a all-t hat have ident ical expressio ns and mean
b z d -
H. arnm ad b. Salam a - AJ-1 · ay - Yusu f b. M1hran- Ibn 'Abb as () Perhaps this is the same case for all o f the othe
r lan guages that we do not
. . f,0111 a qaswara (Q 7r .\Val)
fieerng
asked a b o ut "t h e mean. in_g o f H is "
state ment know and w hose speech is unfam iliar to us.
H
it
1· d
;/;;;y;; ~n~~ 1~: t co,p1t1·cis1·acs~d (" lion" )_;, in Persian, it
is slriir; in Naba~~:~~
- OBJ ECTI ON: !W hat if J some one
were to say, conc ernin g all of the
, 1s qaswara. repor ted w hose expr essio ns
al-" " - J 'f. b _, chings we have ment io ned . enum erated and
Ibn l:Ium ayd- Ya I . "¥m m1- a ar . Ab1 1-Mu ghira-Sa' id b
qub an and Arab i c, as wel l as simil ar th ings
Jubayr said "Th "" d • and meanings are ident ical in Persi
' e ~ rays l said, W hy was th is Q':!r'a is entir el y Persi an, no t Arabic!" or
Arab ic?' Then God (Ex:, ~:~ ·
s1 s
e 11Ht. own in a we refrained from ment ionin g, "Thi s
forei gn) langu age as well as in or " It is partially Arab ic and par-
b ranee sent d own , Tl,ey would assuredly /,ave <aid WI, .
1s rerne m. "'This is en tirely Arab ic, not Persian! "
Arab s and then it came to
expo1111ded (so rl,at we migl,r ,mdersta11d)' Wl,a1
A
I fi ' . y were ,ts verses not tially Pcnian! '" or " It was originally with
h,"
the
or "It was origi nally with the
e ;;e'.g"
t: rg ue a11~ an/A rab? the Persi:rns, wh o used it in their speec
Say to tl1e111 (0 Mu/,ammad): For rl,ose. wl,o beiiev made it Arab ic"?
ver IS g111 ~11ce _a11 a iealing Persians and then came to the Arabs, who
(Q .41 :44). Then God sent d own, after this tlung in every lan-
. se,
guag e in the "ur' a . IF or ex. ample, Hesa 1d] sto,resofsi ""i/ (Q
some
) RES P O N SE: We woul d say: He has
show n his igno rance, becau se, in cases
. ~ n . 11 :82 ' w hich a singl e mean ing in the lan-
d • I ') I ~ where a single expression is used to represent
is a Persi an expressio n, sa,rg va-gil ('stone
, w 11ch ~eca me,A rabic." not have a great er claim that
Mul,i amm ad b. Bash sha r- 'Abd aJ_; n I c ~y guages of two natio ns Ui11say11), the Arab s do
I. a )man Mahd1- Isra Il- Abu
b. came to the Persians, nor do
Isl,iaq - Abu Maysara said " IS every langu age is found in la word ] was originally with them and then
, omet 11ngJ from ] was origi nally with them
the Q':!r 'an .,. the Persia ns have a bette r claim that [ a word
There are many similar repor ts the mcntAonb~ i f I. and then came to the Arabs.
w 11ch woul d elongate the case of the langu ages of
this book , w hich indi cate that t he re. are non- ra icwords in [theQ ':!r'a nJ If what we have descr ibed has been foun d in
. .. a great er claim to the origi n
!these early autl . . ] I · . two nations, then one peop le does not have
RESP ONS . E: Trul y w hat g of, h , . h1or1t1es. . lave said on this top ic 1s of the two natio ns claims that
no r o utsid e of the m eanin v at \\ e ave said ' f;or t J1ey I1ave not said of that word over the othe r natio n. If one
f, ly a claim, the veracity of
that these word s and their like are not part o the h f h the word originates in their langu age, it is mere
A...,b j k speec do t . e Arab s; which can not be verified exce pt by a repo rt
(kl,abar) that yield s know ledge
no r !do they claim ] that !the s never spo e th
ese. wor s prior to t he doub t and whose corre ctness
• d

corni ng d own o f the "ur' ~

an. nor d 0 I . cIaim
• t le}
.
that I A b were unfa- that must be accep ted as true, elim inates
. I f t ie ra s f removes any excuse [for not know ing it].
1nilia r with these words p rio r to tll e arr1\"a o the C . .
. men on. Had .they , is that [these word sJ
said any o f these thing s], then our opini o
n wou
Id h
ave be . oppo smo . R ather, the correct opin ion , in our estim ation
. All en m n pic-A rabic" if both natio ns
tot I1e1rs. that som e of them said is "Tl .
11s wor
d
mean s this . E hiop1c, ". should be called "Ara bo-P ersian" or " Ethio
d m t their speec h- the same way
" Tl . h
an d . u s wor m eans that in Persian ·" W,e ave never d · d h at t h ere use them- both in their clear exposition and
em e t and clear exposition . Neit her
d b
are som e words that are represente } t e I ent1cal exp . h .d .
· • Jl f they use all of their othe r word s in speec h
ress1 on ma o to its own langu age over the
t h e Iangu ages of the nat ions
•
so how is 1-t k b
th /
remar a le at t 1e same expr es-I natio n has a greater claim to ascri be it solely
. . . h
s1o n j 1s used in o nl y two langu ages.' Li'kew1se we av f; d other nation.
·d· / :, ~un many word s whose expr ession and m ean-
in com mo n in d ifferen t languages, such 1 10111 -
· ") , J·111ar . _T he same follows for every word o r noun
· "), dawar · k st and" ), qalam (" as '')~ . _( silver
- (" m .. com
mg is comm on to vario us natio ns, and is foun d to be used in each natio n
(" goId com pen ' qtr_tas ( scroll of pape r"), r word s. The way to ascri be
in the same mann er they use all of their othe
the way we have descr ibed-
me• 1 ( !such a word] to each natio n that uses it is
1 Ar rhis po mr 111 dtc re,cr, Tabar i danfi,., die 1tng o rite u l
nu,ua u»ge of haddathak u,n t and qalam , whose expressio ns
ar 1hc beg111mng o r 1I,e, isuads he i, rd•1tn.,.
" ,n ,lt,
I scc11on Tl 11111 l concerning the cases of dirl1a111, dinar, dawii
· tc " word of ltts isniids is Arab ic, and so deser ve to be
ryp,call y hadda1ha11ii or 11addatltm11 . and meanings are ident ical in Persian and

IJ
 TABA R(
Tabari's llltrod11aion

-by join ing them and bri n in th e case with s~eech and
ascri bed to each of thes e nati ons g g thc111 eqllitable ill 1/,e .1ight of God (Q.33 :5~. • This
is n~t
toge ther a_nd separatin g them with I a hyph en].
clear expo sitio n, beca use spee ch 1s
on ly ascr ibed to w hoev er 1s kno wn
rts we narr ated at the o eni mor e natio ns used a word with the
. Tha t is the mea ning of t he repo P n~ cl use it. Were it kno wn that two or
tlm chap ter conc ernin g [cert ain] words '
som e of w l . h 10
this wor d would be ascribed to all
Hc wer e ascn bcd identical expression and mea ning , then
to the Ethi c i ) lang uage and h not wor thy of havi ng a g reater claim
P c angu age. o ther s to the Persian • • fi Ot en the nations that used it. One natio n is ther e
h k I b
to t e Gr ee angu agc, ccau se who ever ascribes som ethi ng
to ihat ,vor d over all of the othe
r natio ns [ that use it] . Likewise , if
l
docs not pros crib e b hr.o m that and a mou ntai n, there would be air
[ an~u ~ge] ~o [one of thes e nations] h, y t IS act of were land betw een a level plain (salz~
ascn puo n, It from bein g Arab ic N d
som eone w O say s "Th is II • mou ntai n-also, between the land
. ,, • or ocs
. [abo \·c] the plain and air [above] the ng
A ra b 1c pros crib e that [wo rd) from cscrvmg an ascr iptio n to all f h
d . . air- and there is noth ing prev enti
_o t c and the sea. ther e is land -air and sea- oun tain
h I than [Arabic] Th ffi d escribe this [air] as "pla in-m
o t er ang uages of the nati o ns o ther . e a rma uon of the possesso r of soun d intel lige nce to rs
r of ti . . ascr iptio n o f o ne of the descripto
som ethi ng is only an indi cato
. 1c negation [of .som cth ·mg e Ise] lb air" of "land-sea air, " so lo ng as the
to [the air].
I . g ascr ibed
wo t 11ng.s to exis t tog 1cr s1m uI-
ble fior t or from bein
case s Ill w hich it is imp ossi e tl • docs not proscribe the othe r descript
as the state m "S d · h ascr ibed to it witho ut null ifyin g the [me anin g
tane ousl ' y such em o-an -so 1s st d · " I~ '~ ich this
If one of the descripto rs is
is not sitti Th. . an . Ill~, ect and appr opri ate [to ascri be bo th
se nten ce indi cate s that he
ng. is applies Ill simi lar situ a- of] the othe r descripto r, then it is corr
tion s in whi ch it is imp oss1'b] c 10r r
two cont rary thi ngs to ex ist • desc ripto rs simu ltane ousl y).
I toge ther
prin cipl d ds we men tion ed at the begi n-
simu ltan eous ly. This
c oes not .app )' to .
t
wo t
I.
iing s
h
t at can The same is true conc erni ng the wor
eous ly such as "S d
exis t simu ltan 0 -an -so 1s stand mg s k· ning of this chap ter.
.. '
. f h· ' pea m g to som e- t we have said is, in our estim a-
one. The re is noth ing in the aa: 111rmat1on o is sta nd mg · I. h.
11c mdicates In relation to the afor eme ntio ned, wha
t I1at he ca nn o t be spea king t o someone e se du
I w the pers on who said , " [Som ethi ng]
I .
ussi bilit y tion , the mea ning of the expr essio n of
thin gs in . I , e to tic pern ~ r'an ." And God kno ws best . In
of join ing thes e two
a smg c moment of a. si ng1e pers on. The from ever y lang uage is foun d in the
I ·f h
spea ker of this sentence is truth fi I t e person he IS desc ribin g fits this y lang uage amo ng the non -A rab
othe r words, !som ethi ng from ] ever
d escr iptio n. u n w ith the expr essions of the Arabs
natio ns that shar es a com mon expr essio d
Like wise , wha t we have said cone
. man ner to wha t we have desc ribe
. ernm g the words we have men- is found in the G!:!r'an, in a similar
tion cd and thei r like is that it . '
, is not 1111p oss1b le f, h previously.
A b· ·.f or t cm to be Arab ic anyo ne with a soun d natu ral dis-
and also Pers ian, o r Ethi opic and also ra ic, • they fi d That is because it is not possible for
. b h [h d are o un to be used the Boo k of God amo ng thos e who
m o t nati ons. The ascr iptio n of t ese wor s] t0 b position, who affir ms [the vera city] of
one or oth o f these gs of God , to be delu ded into beli ev-
nati ons is correct and not inva lid. recite the G!:!r'an and kno w the rulin
If som eone w ho lacks all iutellige nee supposes th at It and not Arabic, and othe r parts are
. . . ossib le
1s imp ing that some of the G!:!r'an is Persian
r d
!Or a wor to be com mon [to two anguages] JUst · · impo
I . part s are Gree k and not Arabic,
•
ssible for Nabatcan and not Arabic, w hile o ther
3 IlUlllan ' to be a mem ber of [two
. J ·h as It is . not Arab ic, after God (Exa lted is
. . nations , t en he has mad e an 1gno - and still other pans are Ethi opic and
t is beca use the g I . that He made it an Arabic Q!r'ii11
rant supp ositi on. Tha enea og1es of h uma ns are restr icted His remembrance) has info rme d him
to one of two mut ually excl usive
wa , . e acceptab le to say these things],
. . ys, according t0 Go d,s state men t (Q. 12:2). That is so because if it [wer is]
(E xaIted 1s His rem emb ranc e) Ascribe ti1e111 to Ihe1r. rather . I . an is Ethi opic " or " [The G!:!r 'an
J' s, r 111,l/ be
1111 more then the person who said "T he ~r' ct from that
is at least part ially d istin
Persian," or any other lang uage that

1 L11crally, .. ,he son of Adam ... m the Proph et's wife manu mitte d
1 Th11 ,·rrse rrfcrs 10 the issue of Zayd b. al-1:laritha, w ho
.. 10 whic h Taba ri" all ud1ng ar, •) anun ad wish rd 10
2 I 1h1nk dm 1hr .. ,wo way, own son. When the Proph et Mul,
tha n their father , 0 11r sI1ou 1·d » cnp110
b
11 10 th•, ·r r h
, rat rrs • 2
) and whom the Proph rt adopt ed as his 33, in ~rt. serve d 10 quell.
11on 10 sonir onr o d1cr al crup trd, whic h Sur.i
:ucnp
10 moth cw• J) a'<'np11 011 pro •bl) 1drnt, f)• ,h '
rre ways · m•rry Zayd·, rx-w, fc, Zayn ab, a scand them in spiri1 ,jurim
' ) ascnp uon to fa thers ; 2) ascrip11on 10 ><>rnronc oth• ; raged 10 care for orpha ns and adop t
.. rt 11~n one s Thrre forr, whilr Musl im, arc encou
b10 Iog,ca l parcm s. allow rd 10 give them I heir famil y name.
agree 1ha1 1hry arr not

14
15
 TABAR!
Tabari's lnrrod11ctio11
correct than s
spok en by the Arabs, wou ld not be more ome one wh 0 laJI find j that he will not be able to
" It · A ra b·tc. " Lt•kewise, someo ne who says "/Tl •- • bcrwccn these rwo cases , and [you will
is
h 1eh ~r an} ts Arab ic" has say anrth ing rega rding one case except
that the same thin g appl ies to the
no g reate r claim to bein g soun d and corre ct t an t e pers on h
h n .. , j men tione d if ti w o ascribes
I t cd'< f an to s0111e of the nations we have
other one roo.
are in it are eq,ui va;e no[~-Arabfc
;orj s rim all of the other nations that
speech of the A b enr tn null). GUAGE IN WHI CH THE
er ~o ~ e_con rent that com es from the DISCUSSION CON CER NING THE LAN
THE
a
I t at ts how it is, then the error is clear of nyon e who clau ns that tL::.
ra s .. QYR.'AN CAME DOW N FR.OM AMO NG
"I
state men t of the Pio us p red ecessors, Something] fi QC LANGUAGES OF THE AR.A BS
. h
s that th ere is clear ex . . r
_ o~ ever y language q er has been grac ed with unde r-
111 t e ~ r'an , " mean
pom1on tn tt that is not Arabic We ha\'e shown suffic iencl y, to who mev
and whic h cann ot be ascribed I I that God (Maj estic is His praise)
to tide a_ngu age of the Arabs. stand ing. the soundness of rhe opin ion
It sho uld be sa id to h of the Arabs, to the excl usion
w oever emes what we I1ave sat.d ' amo ng the sent dow n rhe entire Q!!r 'a n in rhe lang uage
peop le who claim that the w d
. that the claim that parts of it are
or s ~ve_ ,men ttone d prev iousl y at the be . of cl 1e languages of all ocher natio ns, and
ning of this chap ter and oth l b uages of the Arabs is inval id.
. • ers s1m1 ar to them
. ' can o n y e [ascr ibed } 1101 from amo ng the lang t in whic h lang uages'
to natio ns othe r than the A rabs, an d were lat A b· d b the Arabs Now we shall discu ss, if all chat is corre
ct, abou
y
WIlat is your JJroo f (b11 rI10-1111ka) c,o r tI1e sound er raf tze lang uage of all of them or just
s
h . w hat you said sue of chr Arabs it was sent dow n . Is it in the
t ac tt necessita tes accep tance?. ,ou · now rhos
k ness o ssaryJ beca use the Arabs, even
some' of them ? [This discu ssio n is nece
v
I d· with yo
. .
. io e w to tsagr ee the nam e "Ara b, " diffe r in their
conc ern mg that • and ad here to an opm I though all of chem colle ctive ly share
w h at is the differenc e betw een d ~ t lat opposes your opin io So n.
n, and use disti nct man ners of
t 1e person who oppo ses you OD languages and [form s) of clear expo sitio
chis issue and says, "The se worx ;u a~ speech a11d word s.
~tter words like them , {all] have (Maj estic is His praise)
Ar~bic origi ns, and then they ca;1 :~o If that is how it is-a nd [con sider ing that] God
. I of rhe orhc r natio ns and each e the Q!!r 'an an Arab ic [boo k],
natio n adop ted some of th em .mco Its angua ?" [H has infor med His serva nts that He mad
I j . such a way that necessitates ge. ow do you refiJCe la11g11age (Q. r6: w3), and chat this
t 1em 111
of your opin ion? char He sent it dow n in a clarifying Arabic
They wiJI nor be able to say ~n . ~cep tance and a gene ral [mea ning )3-w e
except that the [expression) has a parti cular fmean ing]
same thing appli es to this fadve rsar ~-:)
on~ regar ding chis ] God inten ded (Exa lted is His
) p11110 11 too. have no way of know ing whic h !mea ning
If som eone uses as evid ence some of h idati on of the pers on to who m
p d . c e sratemenrs of the Piou s remembra nce), exce pt by mean s of the eluc
re ecessors, some of whic h w~ h T his pers on is the Mes senger of
, ave rne 11110 d I
ne . ie should be dem ande d the elucidation of the Q!!r'an was give n.
d
to answ er wha t we have men tion ed • an sav t I · God (~).•
I · J chat someone who ascrib , o lllll: Why do you reject the repo rts on his (~) auth or-
It le prem ise So if chat is how it is, and give n that
~Orne /of these wordsJ to one of ted to us from Khal lad b.
the non- Arab natio ns has only ascrib ;s iry collectively establish wha t has been
narra
t em to one of their two ascri p-
tions, both of w hich are corre ct wir~o Aslam- Anas b. ' Iyac_i-Abii f::lazim- Abii
Salam a said, " I only know of
nrgattng the ocher one? T hen
say to him : Have you nor considered rh~t
. I perso n who says ofa level and today we wo uld call "a langu age" and
mou ntain ous land ' " It is level," WH 1ou t den •i 1 Tabar; d°"s not dn.w a clear distin ction betwee n what
?
o us. Or, chis pers on says " Ir is mouncafoo
t n~ char it is also mou n tain- ·••dia lect. .. Therefore J have 1r.1nsla1ed als1111 (plura l of /isii11, literally " tongu e") and /11ghii1
t this text.
ghou
te us '~thout rejecting that it is {plun.l of f11J1ha , o r "language") as "lang uages
" throu
a~so leve l-is it reall y necessary to nega escriptor 011 acco unt 0 f 2 The comm on Arabi c noun bail can mean "some ,"
"o ne," o r "pare of." I think tha, Coop er's
one? one al- Arab
t e exist ence of th e o ther · diorce of "one of 1hcm" does nor work
in ,his passage, which reads bi-ayyi als1111
. in bot h
If this perso n resp onds yes then h know111gl , the word "lang uages " is plural
•wla: a-bi-als1111 jami',i,;; arv bi-alsu n ba'efil,ii,
11 since
If Ite says no, t I1en say to him : ' Why the d ) contradicts rus~
.
L• . d
n cases: Cooper's readmg would requir e the text 10 read aw bi-lisd 11 IM(fil,ii; Com111m1ary , 16.
m o~ . h at· g .. to be " 3 single langu age of the Ar:ibs..
and the
h o ( some one who sa)·s co ncern 111 . u reJecr rhe pre nuse t 3 ~oopc r undm tands ,he .. partic ular m rn1in
t e state.men ts ..
. ..
conc ernm g q1s/as, It is Greek," is like
this? Ask tlJ''
g ....1 I t is Persian, " and
im abou c the d1·,r
grneral meaning"' 10 be .. all langu ages of the
4 Cooper's tn.rrslatron proved very helpfu l in clarify ing the
Arabs ": Comm emary. 16.
meani ng of d,esc two senten ces;
ucrence Commrntary, 16.

J(i
17
 TABAR ! Tobari 's /ntrod11ctio11
this from Abu Huray ra: the Messenger of God M d (s}said " The ~r'an was sent down
said, 'The ~ r'an WII
b. Mas' ud sat.d .· t h e Messe nger o f Go - ' . ( / ) d
sent down accor ding to seven word ings (o/im.f),' and d· d each word ing has an exter ior +o tr an
quarr elling over the ·en wor mgs an
~ r' an is disbelief.' He said this three times. Then
he said, 'Wha tever YOI
according to sev h wordi ng has a limit (badd} ; and each 11m1t · . l
ias a
·nterior (bap1). Eac
know of lthe ~r'a n\, then act in accordance with an 1 ) ., 1
it ; w hatev er you
not know , then refer it to some one who knows it."'' lookout (,1111/!alo . . I rt was narrat ed to us from Jbn }:lumayd -
A near1)· idcnn ca repo-]- Ibrah im al-Haiari- Ab-u 'J Ah
!Then it is correct and established that the ~r'an
came down in the ·J _ Sufyan !al-Thawn - . wa~ -'Abd
langu ages of some of the Arabs but not all of them, Mt ,ran- I ( )
:i
for it is obvious that -
there are more than seven Arab languages, and that Allah b · Mas u d- the Prop db iet ~.
1-'Ala'- Abu Bakr b. 'Ayyas I1- 'A - .
the total numb er of - K -b Muha mma · a $tm-
them is impossible to enum erate.l3 b
A u ura) . ,-dJ ·d "Two men disagreed over 11 d"
t te rea mg
' Ubayd b. Asbat b . Mu}:ianunad- my father- MulJa Zirr- Abd AU-I lb Mas u sat '
a f1 I . ·d 'The Proph et (s} read it to me, ' and t h e o t her
mmad b. 'Am r- of] a s1ira. One o t iem(s)a1 . d .
Abu Salam a-Ab u Hura yra said: the Messe nge r
of God (~) said, "The ·d 'Tl Proph et $ rea tt to me. , On~ of them went to the Proph et
~r'a n was sent down accor ding to seven wordings; one ~a1 • ic . f this His face darke ned. While a man was wit .I
!He is] Know ing, (~) and informed h11n o i
Wise, Forgi ving, Merciful." 4 . I . . taug ht'-I know not wheth er
·d 'Recite the way you were
A nearly identical repor t was narrated to us from Abu him, ie sa1 .
ti ing d d or some thing he inven te d on I11s .
b. Sulay man- Mu}: iamm ad b. 'Amr- Abu Salama-
Kuray b-'A bch it was some 1 he was Icomm an e f
Abu Huray ra-t he •~ t uly the peop e w Ito came before you perish ed on accou nt o
Proph et (~)- own- or r . . p hets.' Each man rose from amon g us
MulJa mmad b. Bumayd al-Ra zi-Jarir b. 'Abd their disagrceme~ts :vttlh their ropfhis comp anion ."
and refused to recite 111 tie mann er o (Some thing simila r
al-I:Ia mid -
Mugh ira-Wa~il b . }:layyan-anonymous-Abu'l-
A}:iwa ~-'Abd Allah to chis meaning !was said,~!)' - d Ahma d b. Mani'-Ya} :iya b.
Sa id b. Ya\_iya b. Sa id al-~! n_aw1 an_ . b
1 The wo rd lia~f(pl ural ahru_f) tn this contex t has been
·d I Umawil-al-A' mash- A$1m -Z1r r b. l:lu aysh-'Abd Allah b .
subject to much debate and 1s sometimes SMa' _ad- ·d "We argued over [the numb er of verses
rr:uu lated as modes.•· I am follow111g Tabari's mtcrpre
0

of] a siira of thhe

uuon of 111 mcan111 g, which is "word - as u sai , h • •
ings," as w ill becom e clear b y 1hr end of thu cliapter
. It might also be rendere d as " dialccu • •- ,v,
~ran . we sa1 , ·d 'It has thirty -five or t irty-s1 x verses. So
,
we went tot e
o r " lang uage,," ah ho ugh Tabari includes a report . ·
the entire ~r'in to be in the languag e of the ~raysh
near 1hr end of this sectio n that declare s
Messenger o f Go d ($) an d ' cound
1 'Ali havin g a privat e conve rsano 11 with
. Cooper refraine d from mnslat ing . W ·d 'Truly we are disagreeing · . f h ri,, •- J '
this word, on accoun t of the :unbigui1y of II! meanin
g; see Commtr11ary, x,ui- xxiv. L:ine 1nm. e sat , over the readmg lo t e '-<.!:!r an_.
offers· · A dialrct, an idiom, o r n modr of txpr,,s1on, ptc11l1ar
10 cma111 of tlrt Arabs" in this contex t This caused the face of the Messe nger of Go d ($) to re dd d he sa1d
and transla tes the l1adi1h, nazala'I-O!!r'an ala ,ab en,_an ,
at ahruf. a, ""The ~r'iin has been re\'caled 'Truly the people prior to you perished only because of
accord ing 10 seven dialect>"; Edward u ne, ,1,,
Arab,c-E,ig/ul, Lrxicon (Londo n : William s tl~e d1sag ~~;1e nt~
and N o rgate, 1863), h-r-f' (available at : http://w
0 between them.' Then he said some thing we could not
ww.1yndalearch1ve.corn/tabs/lane/). For ear co , a~
m o re on the 1op1C of the "seven aliruf. see Claude
0

G1ll1ot. ··t..,, sept ' lectures' : Corps social Ali said to us, 'Truly the Messenger of God (~) comm
et Ecritur e rcvclce , Premie re parue," S111d1a Llmn1Ca,
ands you to recite
61 ( 1985): s- 25; the second part of 1t in the manner you were taught. "'4
this article appcarc~ in Stud'.a lslain'.ca, 6 3 ( 19~_6):
4~2. Sec aho the eleventh topic in Badr Abu Kurayb- ' Ubayd Allah b. Musa- Isa b.
,- . _ z d
al-Din al -Zarkashl s al- 8 11rl1anfl "':'.'" al-Q!r "" and Q!!"~as~ ay
the sixteent h 1opic (11aw1 in J alal al-Din
al-Suy ii1i's al- ltqaN fl 11l1~•• al-~r ""· Nearly all al-Qe_ssar-Zayd b. Arqam said, "We were with !Zayd
_'.radiuonal Muslnn scholars agree th.at the b. Arq~m] 111 the
mosqu..e, and he was narrat.mg I/_10J-11,J] ror
",even a/ir1,f' arc categon cally d1ffere111 from thr
seven rcadmg s (qira'at)" o f the ~r'an that c a while then he said, A man
lbn MuJiihl d cano mzed 111 the early fourth/ tenth
ccmury. · ,
2 Accord ing 10 Al)mad Shakir, this l111d11l1 "fou,_ ,d 1n the Mumadsof lbn 1:bnbal and Abu Ya la; · h .
Tajsir al-Tabari, I : 22. Fo r addn1o n_•I ,ourcrs m_,wh_1Ch
1h11 and the followmg hadit/11 can be
1 Tabari explains 1he meanin g of thts report at I e ,el), end of 1he . h
follow ing chapte r of his
.
found, consul t the D ar H aJar ed111011 of Taban s 1ntroclur non. Accordi ng to Al)ma d Sha-k·tr, t Ius · found tn t c $a11111 o f lbn H 1'bb-3 11
· /_10 J·11/1 is
1af,ir, 1 : 2 1. ·
3 The apodou s. o r respo1u c, to th~s condn,onal ,nd ~uyu1i's al-Jami al-/0,~l,ir; Tafiir al-Taba ri, 1:i 3.
sentence, which I have nurkcd in brackets, 2 Accordmg 10 Al:miad Shakir, van·auons f 1 · / J· /
d f b H b I
,. u 1d
o I u s _1a 111 are ro 1 in_the
occurs t wenry- fi ve P"gcs after tins_ P'"":gc m the
Shikir ednion of Tafii, al-Tabari and I am _ _Muma. o I 11 ·•an. a .
lhe Sa~il, of lbn Hibban and the M,u1adrak of al-1:lak
IUOS[ gn le(ul for M ahmud . Sh akir s clanficauon of this extraordtn•rili· I im al-Nay sabun : Tafsir al-Toba n, 1 ·2 3-
. • ong St'Oltnc e. .
J Int1it narraiion from ' I1er" ·
4 Accord111g to Al,mad Shakir . tlm had11h
" found in the M11snad of lbn Hanbal: Tafsir Sa id, Sa id says ~my ,al mstead_,of "Yahya b Sa' id "
a/-Tabari, ~ Accordmg to Al)mad Shikir, this l1adi1h is unique to Taban s Tfnr_ . : .. · _ 1. 2 •
I : 22. : Tafsiral-Taban, - 4 • The
Dor H•J•r editors located it in lbn l:libbiin 's $a/1i/i and 1 2
l:l akim s M,wadrak; : 3.

IX

_l
 TABAR.I
Tabari's l11trod11ctio11

came to the Messenge r of God($) and said, " Abd Allah b. M as' iid recited wordings (a/iruj), so recite it in whichever way amo ng
a s11,a to me that Zayd b . Thabit] had reci ted t o me, as h ad Ubayy b.
I 1hem is easiest."'
Ka b. Al l of their readings differed, so which of them sh o uld I adopt ~ M . ur- 'Abd al-Sam ad b. ,
'Abd al-W arith- 1:farb b. Abi
Ahma d b · an$ b- 11 h·
The Messenge r o f God ($) was quiet, and 'Ali was at his side. Then 'AJi
-
·_ . r B nu Sulaym- Isb aq b. Abd Allah b. A I Ta .1a - 1s
11 1 An$an - -J ·d, "A m an
said. " Let each person recite in the manner he was taught . Each [reading) Thabn, irom a
. I· dfather !Abu Talha Zayd b. Sa 1 a-
]
sa1
-b ( ) d
lachcr- us gran · · c
is good and beautiful .""' • . d I f he nur'an j in the presence of Um ar b. al- K 1ana r , an
recne part o t ~ I
Yunus b. 'Abd al- A la- Ibn Wahb-Yunus -lbn Shihab [al-Zuhri]- d him H e said • ' I recited th is passage]I tot
I 1c Messenge
I ()
r
Umar corrcc te · ,
Urwa b. al-Zubay r- al- M isw ar b. Makhram a and 'Abd al-Rahm an b. d I e did not correct m e. Then they went to t 1e Prop 1et $ ,

Abd al-Q!ri' b oth heard Umar b. al-Khanab (r) say: of God (s) an this i
issue and the man said, 'O M essenger o
f
Go
d d ·d
, 1 you
· 1· ·d 'B
arguing over • ' I'
I heard Hisham b. f:l akim reci te Surat al-Furqan (25) ·
nor recne t 1 1 ·
i s verse (iiya) to me in this m anner ? H e rep 1e ., d ut• yes.
du ring the lifetime o f the Messenger of God M and, · fflictcd ' U mar 's chest , w hich' the Prophet ($) no tice 1mme-
Somet Iung a ' ]
,
. 'B
saymg, •- e ·gone,
when I listened to h is reading, I heard many words I · I ·
. y 111 11s • •
d iatc face !T he Prophet] struck [ Umar s chest
f I
{/1urii.f} that the Messenger of God ($) had not recited to ,· I · . and then he said 'O ' Umar, truly all o t 1e Q!r an 1s cor-
-c I
Satan. t 1nce, • • ' .
me. I nearly rushed him during the !communal] prayer, I as one docs no t m ake !w hile reading
h .
it] somethtn
•fi I
g
,.,,
mercnu
ren , so ong
but instead endured patientl y until he concluded the a punishme nt o r a punishme nt into somet tng m erc1 u .
prayer.' When he concluded it, I seized him by his mantle mlO' Ub ·d Allah b. Muhamm ad al-Firyab i-'Abd Allah b. Maymun-
and said, "Who taught you this s1tra, which I just heard . ' - ' b ' ·d
Uba\·d a)Allah, meaning the son of U mar- N afi ~ I n Umar sa1 ,
you recite ?" He said. ''The Messenger of God($) recited .. Un~ar b. al-Khan ab heard a man reciting the Q!r an and he heard a
it to me." I said, "You lied! By God! The Messenger verse that was different fro m w hat he had h eard from the Pro phet (~). S~
of God ($) recited this siira to me. which I just heard
Umar brought him to the Pro phet ($) and said, 'O M essenger of God, ~]us
you recite." I set off, dragging him to the Messenger of
Iman] recites this verse in this manner!' The M esscnge_r o f God (~) repli~d,
God M and said , "O Messenger of God, I heard Su rat
The ~r'an was sent down according to seve n wo rdmgs, each of w hich
al- Furqan !recited] with words I did not hear from you , , _ _
is a healing and a sufficient [message] (shiifi11 ka.fi 11 )."'J
w~en.. you read it _to me!" The Messenger of God ($) Ah b. Ab1
Yunus b. 'Abd al-A' la -l bn Wahb -H isham b. Sa d-
said, Umar, let hm1 go! 0 Hisham, recite !this sitraj ."
So Hisham r ecited this s1tra in rhe manner I had heard Ali-Zubayd-'Alqa ma al-Nakha' i said :
him recite it , and the Messenger of God(~) said, "This is When 'Abd Allah b. Mas' fid left Kufa, his companio ns
how it ~an~.e down lfr~m Godj." Then the Messenger of gathered and bade him fa rewell. Then he said, ''D~ n~r
God said, Umar, recite to me lt11is s1tra j." So, I recited argue over the ~r'an : it will not differ, n or will It
it to h im in 1he manner the Messenger of God ($) had
10 Al,,mad Shakir, variations of this /,adirlr are ~ u1~d i~ the _ M 11~11a~ of I~~-!:fan~~;
read it to me. and the Messenger of God (i) said, "This is 1 According
b ..
the Sal,ihs of Bukhari and Muslim ; and the Su11011s of Ab u Dawud, T irrmdh,, Nasa and
I

how it came down." Then the Messrnger of God (s) said
"Trul y rhi s ~ r'an was sent down according 10· seve~
MiJ>: Tafsiral-Tabari, 1 :25. lbn 1:fajar al-'Asqalani d iscusses the issue of the "seven " '.o_rdm~'..
of 1he ~r'in 21 grrn length in his comm entary o n this /,adirlr in Bukhari's Salri~ (K11ab
fat/~ '.I
al-Q!,a11: bob s: 1111zilo'l-(e, ii11 'alii-sab 'at abru.f); see his Farb al-biiri bi-sl,ar/, $al11h al-B kloarr,
11

f T b _ ., b k 14 ,·oh. (Bmuc: Dlr al-Fikr, 1996), 10:27- 46.

1 According 10 Al,miad Shakir, tins l111dirl, "0111)' founJ hcrt· and 111 ;
· · I ::i4. H.- note> I Iu1 It " "b»<b,.. {/a as/ lahu) •ndon(' 0 ;a aram s oo s;
h -• b ~ _ l Accordrng 10 Arymad Shakir. chis lraditl, is found only here and in the M,111,ad of lbn l:f:mbal
Taftir al-1abaro. 1 1u • 1n» Ta{si, al-Tabon, 1:26.
-J II d i '
appcan 111 1I1c u 110 , W'2> • rgr y • rorgrr o f ,.
na J·
,th >t • • w ho
111.-aning o f this /radii/, at the very end of t his cha~ter. John
Coop~:
2 Lu crall y. " unul h e ,aid 1hr final 01-salam alaykun, ('""•er ht
, , J T;b,ri clarifies 1hc
,
r upon )Ou ) of 1hr pra}'Cr 1t2mbtt1 1he cxprrssion k11//1111 kafi 11 slriifi11 as "each of them bdng curauve and sufficient
(Jalla,M)." Accord111g 10 1110, 1 M u, I1111 J Un>C., 1hc d.ul1 l"•)·en c oneIud r wn h the person O
b . h I
u yrng al-Jaliim alaylwm m An 1c over t r n g 11 ,houldcr·
. • nd !> Commr111a,y. 19, 28. A~mad Shakir indicates that its is11iid is extremely weak on account _f
· unn, J Un 51s differ on the Abel Allah b. Mar mon and docs no t indicate that it is fo und in any other collccuons;
Tafs1r
lcg•I siatu, of rcpcaung II over the left one.
al-Tabari. 1:27. This is confirmrd by the Dir H ajar editor s: I :26.

.:?O
21
 TAIJAR.I
Tirbari's lntrod11ctio11
se
will no t lose its inte nsi ' bac k to him , and I did not cea·d
dw ind le Ito not hin gness]. It ty . d rd 1·11 g to me ' and I reci ted .it v1 e
ions. Tru l y the L ren tc a wo exc ept tha t he wo uld pro
on acc oun t of ma ny rep etit .. dditio nal !wo rdings) from lurn " b Shihab aI- Z u hn-Jsa,·d , I
Islda":1 (sl,ari'at al- Isliim), its1 pre
scribed pen alti es 11 11 (:,wd_°J k
sec lllg a ·l we con clud ed at seven wo rdin gs. I
n • h
(, ..,
obl i · ( inh . t11cm , un tl con cer ned top ics t at
an Its gat1 o ns or ru cs gov ern ing the "It has reached me that the se sev en wo rdin gs onl y
word ings !of th ent~~ce tha t the y did not dif fer in rela
tion to wh at
sha res),_ are one . If one of the h e ~r an] yielded a sing le jmea ning], and
· 1
resu lt s 111 pro hib itin g someth 111g t 1at ano t er wo rdi
of d · ng is lawful and unlawf ul." ' and Yun us
com ma nds, then that is a
case b. Ab i Ma kh l:id al-W asit i
II I f h isagreem ent . Muhan un ad b. 'Ab d All ah ah [b. Ab i
Ho wev er eth er d o not yan b. ' U yay na- ' Ub ayd All
. , a o t ese wordin gsj. tog ,
b. Abd .al-A' la al-Sad afi- Suf
d 1sag ree O Pro phe t (~)
~ m~t ing the pre scri bed pen alti es ub info rme d him tha t the
or th ters con cern
_ Yaz idj -his fath cr- Um m Ayy ngs. Yo u wi ll
~ ~bhgat1ons (or mh erit ance sha res) or any th.i n' acc ord ing to seven wo rdi
the law s of I I I ng said. "The ~r 'an cam e dow
perta1n111g to s am. saw us arg uing ove r f I . "J
. . h
t h is rn t e presenc e of the M esse nge r of God ( )
be correct reciting any one o t 1em b. Sur ad,
d ik- Abu lsQaq-S ulay ma n
h e o rde red us to recite Ith esc wo rd ·mgsj to h ·~
' an
d fsma ii b. Mu sa al-S uddi-Shar cam e to me . On e
t, wh o said , "Tw o angels
h e .m formed us tha t all O f us were cor rect W,
im an who elevated it to the Pro phe ' Th e
er said, 'In how ma ny Iwo
I rdin gs}?
to
k now any one wh o h d
. ere oi them said , 'Recite!' The oth (He kep t say-
gre ater kno wledge than myself ' The oth er said, 'Inc rease it.'
of w hat God d a [first one j said, 'In a wor din g.
sent own to His Mcsdsen ger, I wo uld seek at seven wor din gs."•
out so I cou ld add h·is k nowIc ge to . I . ing chis! until they concluded fr' b.
him
nun e. reci ted arq i-l bn Abi Ma rya m- Na
the ton gue of ti M d ( ) [Ab mad b. 'Abd Alla h] b. al-B 'Ab d All ah -
from ie essenge r of G . 0 ~ seve nty n Sh iha b-' Uba yd All ah b.
s1iras and J kne w that the ~r•
- Ya zid - Uqayl b. Kh alid -Ib the Q!r 'an
an ~as rern e~ to him l fby God ($) said, "Gabriel recited
the Ang el Gab ri el] eve r R lbn Ab bas -the Messen ger of one ; and he
wh ich he passed away · YI n talma
c,lan up unu l the yea r in rdin g. I sou ght an add itio nal
lat year • it was reCJ. ted to to me acco rdin g to a single wo , unt il we
him twi ce and ' when .It was nn1shed I
r . the r one ; and he pro vid ed one
. d added one. The n I sought ano
h I • reci te it to
him and he info rme d Ill
e t at was corr ect Wh concluded at seven wordin gs." ma d
• ( . _, . · oev er one nar rate d to us by fMuQam
rec1tes accord ing to Ill)' r ead·mg qira at,) h do not A nea rly iden tical rep ort to the nar rate d to us
.t A d h' t
aba ndo n it, turn ing away from 1 • 11 w oever reci· tes
en ad [thre e (,adiths prio r] was
b. Abd AUab] ibn AbI Ma khl Allah b.
s th d ad b. Mu sa- Su fya n-' Ubayd
firom one of thes e wor ding
en. o not aban d on it, · from al-Rabi' b. Sulaym an -As
•mg away from it Wli · rere m Ayy iib -th e Pro phe t($).
turn . oevcr ' cts any vers e reje cts Abi Ya zid -his father heard Um an-
the m all."• b. Miisa- Abii'l- R abt al-Samm
Al-Rabi' b. Sulayma n-Asad hea rd the Pro phe t (~)
Wa hb- _ fathex- -Um m Ayy ub
Yun us b. 'Ab d al-A 'la- lbn Ab 'Ubard Allah b. Abi Ya zid -lus you are cor -
yl b Kh- l.;u nus [al-Ayli]; and ord ing to seven wor din gs, so
Kurayb -R. .ish din b.
' Uq ayl- Ibn Shi hab [al-Z uhr
Sa'd - Uqa
i]- ' Uba d ~;J-~ bo
th Yiinus [al- Ayl i] an
a b. Abd Allah b. ' Utb a
say. "The ~r' an cam e down acc
rect however you recite." eon e
that the M y am -Is ra'II-A bii Isba q-s om
Ibn 'Ab bas info rme d him
essenger of God (~) said, "Ga
brid Ab~ Kurayb-Yal_iya b. Ad Ka' said ,
b
layman b. Sur ad- Ub ayy b.
al-Abd, (h1~ name eludes me) -Su
Haja r editi on, wluch ha. y•~•• r,,
h
1 Follo win g 1hc Diir yatag •yyaru; 1 :26. The verb
1 • . 111uead of
.. L _ urless or rasrclt.,..
ta,fiJ,a•l so m eans 10 occo mc flavo lbn J:lan bal ond 1he Sahihs
mea ning of··obligarorv · .. 111 hadith is fou nd in the Musnad of
~ The wor dfora'ii carr iesih e •ct•
'
•
general •nd "'the rules co ncer mng
1 d
:!~o, r~g-to Abrnad Shakir, this
in n.arr icula r· bari, 1:29-30.
inhe ri1aa cc shar es· r- ukhm and Mu,lim; Taf,ir al-Ta
J The verb 'ara9a here is
• tech nical term of hadith 2 Following the o- H - d· f ad of anzala: , :27.
''""' """ 1 wh1cI1 me:.ns ..rcadi n rhe
10 1
ar •Jar re• rng o 11azala inste bal and one of
·J ' · h'u pres ence . " pre.sum.ably so i'1c- com lili d in 1he M,m,ad of lbn Han
com p1. ~rs u:xt m p,lcr can correct any mi,rak! 3 this badit
t t~d•-~g ro Abmad Shakir,al-Tabari, ' :30.
h is foun .
n uden ts have mad e. hadu h £, • •ram ' collec1ions : Tafiir
.ir. variatio ns of tl11, d s h- k· 1h /_,aditli is foun d rn o ne of Tabar:ini 's collec1io ns; Taf,ir
4 Accordin g to Al;,.m ad Sh~k :i:'.e ouuJ in rhc Musnad of Jbn Han
bal 4 According to Ah is
; Taf,ir al-Taba,i, 1 ba,i, l:Jo -r. · "" • ir,
and o n< of Tabar3ni 's collc criom al-Ta

22
23
 TAllARI
Tabari 's lntrod11ctio11

I went to the mosqu e, where I heard a man reci te and (Tabar i: The uncert ainty comes from Abu Kuray b. Ibn
I said to him, "Who taught you !thisj?" He said, .',The Oashshar said "until it reached seven wordi ngs," witho ut
Messenger of Go~(~~;" So_l broug! :t him co rhe Messenger any uncert aint y.) Each of [the wordin gs I is a healin g and
of God (~) and _sa1~: Reme tl11S! He recited it and the I a sufficie nt [messa ge/." (The wordi ng of this baditl,
is
Messengerj said , Good J'ob." Then I said ' " But you from the narrati o n of Abu Kuray b.)
. d I !The M esseng erJ
t iis to me in such a manne r'" Yunu s b. 'Abd
recue
·d .. · A nearly identi cal report was narrat ed to us fro m
sa1 ', You ~lso did a _good job." I said, "IHow can you al-A la- Ibn Wah b-Yab ya b. Ayyu b-1:; lumayd al-Ta wil-A nas b.
say I You did a good Job, you did a good j ob?"' Then he (~). excep t that he said in his narra-
s rru ck my chest w ith his hand and said , "O G o d , remov e M:ilik- Ubarr b. Ka' b-th e Proph et
he said, "Reci te it accord ing to
cion '' until it reache d six wo rdings ." Then
the ~oub t fro m Ubayy ." I began to swear profusely, and and a suffici ent [messa ge}."
sevrn wordi ngs, each [of which } is a healin g
'.~Y mnard s filled with fea r. Then !the Messenger] said,
. Mu ban11nad b. Marzu g - Abu'l- Walid- 1 :famm ad b. Salam a-
Two angels came to me, and one of them said ' 'Rec1re Ubayy b. Ka' b said: the
I ("),, ,_
o ther Huma\'d- Anas b. Malik - ' Ubada b. al-Sam ir-
tie ~ ; ~~da;cor_d i~g co a single wordin g.· The ~1em·;1gcr of God Msaid, "The ~ r'an was sent down
accord ing to seven
o ne sa1 '. • to_it,. and I said, 'Add more fo r me.' [The
\\'ord111gs. ''
angelI said, Recite 1t according to two wordin gs,' until da-'A~im-
. Abu Kuray b-al-1:;lusay n b. 'Ali and Abu Usama -Za'i
we] reache d seven wordi ngs, and lrhe angel] sa1·d . ' R ec1te l at the Rocks
.
[.it 111 seven wordi ngs."' • Zirr- Ubayy said , "The M esseng er of God (~) met Gabrie
to an unlett ered
b---M h ol Mira' !outsid e of Medina} and said, ' I have been sent
Muba mmad b. Bashsh ar- lbn Abi Adi· and Ab - K servan ts, and old men
Ab/ Adi ud Zur;r - - u. :ur,m. & (111111111)')'i11) comm unity, amon g them arc boys and
b. M aymun al-Za' farani ; both Ibn a raram -Hum a accord ing to seven
I T -1 an
· and wome n.' Gabriel said, 'Let them recite the ~ r'an
a - . awi - Arm b. M alik- Ubayy b. Ka b said ng of this baditlz is Abu Usama 's narrat ion.)
\\'ordings."'• (The wordi
I
N o ldo ubcj wavered in my chest f;om the time Abu Kurayb -Jbn Numa yr; and 'Abd al-1:;l amid b. Bayan al-~n nad-
conver ted to Islam except when . d
1 rec1te a verse and lbn Numa yr and Wasir i-lsm a' il b.
Mubammad b. Yazid al-Wa siri; both
ano t Iier. man reci ted it in a manne r chat d.,,,. d fi b. Abi Layla- his
mere rom Abi Khal id"- 'Abd Allah b. ' Isa b. 'Abd al-Ra bman
,r
. . . ,.
n, rec1tat1lon. J sa1~ , The Messenger of God recited
t 11s verse to me. and the man said , "Th e M.essenger
(s)
grandfa ther- Ubayy b. Ka' b said,
I was in che mosqu e when a man came in to p ray and
o f God (~) recited it to me." So I came to the M
of God (~) and said, "Did yo u not recit~' I o me t he~seng er recited a reading that I rejected to him directl y. Then
is verse
. I· . ""
But yes," he repli d Th e man said, . anothe r man came in and recited anothe r readin g that
111 sue I a manne r?
"D ·d . I. e · d I was differe nt from that of his compa nion. We all went
I you no t rec11e t 11s ve rse in clus 11131111
~"

replied , "But yes, p did] . Gabrie l and M1· I erl .(pan b1e together to the Messenger of God (~). and I said , "O
c 1ae eace c
I b
upon t 1e111 I o th) came co me. Gabri I . Messenger of God, this person recited a readin g that
e sat on my nght •
and M 1c
. I
1ae o n my lefr. Gabriel said , 'Rec1ce . I nur,an I rejected, and then this other person entered and
. 11e
accor d
.
mg to a smgle wordin g ' Mid I .d , ~ recited anothe r readin g, w hich differed from that of his
, . . iae sa1 , Ask him
to add ano ther one. Gabriel said 'll . t hc ~r'an companion." The Messenger of God (~) o rdered both
' d . . ecae )
. d·
111 two wo r 111gs, an Michael said · 'Ask I11m . men to recite and they recited . The Messenger of God(~
, . . · to add
anot h er one, u1111 1 1t reache d six or
. seven wordings.
1 According to Al)mad Shakir, this haditl, is found in the Suttatt of Tirmid hi and the Mumads
of lbn Hanb2l 2nd Abu Dawiid al~Tay.'ilisi : Taftir al-7'abar
i, , :35.
ihe M d The o nly differen ce between my
, Acco rding 10 Abrnad Shakir, rl11, hadirh " found III l I h,\'e edited 1he u11iid slig htly in the intc re;t of readabilit y.
of Abo Diwud ; Ta{sir al-Tabari. 1:34. No1c 1hai d,e
ne ":{,. of lbn f:!anbal and the S,man
21 and 1hc Ar.ibrc text is thac Tabari indicate s that lbn Numay r said "lsmii' il b. Abi
!~"
xi ozcn or so narra11ons consist o f tra~sl
n n auons and abndgc menu of thts hadirh. Khalid. while Wasi!i merely said " lsm:i'il. "

2 .j
25

n_a
 TABAR!
approved of w hat both of them recited, at which point
some doubt arose in my soul. unlike any thing [I had
felt J since my pre-Islamic days. 1 W hen the Messenger
of God (~) saw w hat had overco me me, he struck my
chest, and l began to sweat profusely, as if I were looking
at God in terror. H e said to me, " O Ubayy, Ian angel)
was sent to me [saying], ' Recite the ~ r'an according
to a single wording,' and I replied, ' Make it easier for
my community!' So he responded to me a second
time, saying, ' R ecite the ~r'an according to a single
wording,' to w hich l replied to him, ' Make it easier for
my co mmunity!' H e responded to me the third time
saying, 'R ecite it according to seven wordings, and
each time l replied to you, you arc allowed to make a
request of me.' I said, ' O God, forgive my community!
0 God, forgive my commun ity!' and I delayed my third
request until the rime when all creatures will be seeking
Imy intercession J, even Abraham."'
T.h e narra~io n of thi s badit/1 from l'Abd al-1::lamid J Ibn Bayan is sligb
different Im two places]. T he Prophet said to [the two men w ho recit
"Correct , and good job"; and the verb iifa#a was used to describe Uba
stream s of sweat .
A nearly identical repo ~r,_was na_:rated to us from Abii Kuray
MuQammad b . Fuc;layl- l sma 11 b . Abt Khalid, with the same isniid as
previous /iad'.t/1 back to the Pro~het (~). with the following addition : "T
IProphet] said to me (U bayy), I seek refu ge in God for you from dou
~d denial.' .H e also said.' ·~od commanded me to recite the ~ r'an in
smgle wordmg; and I said , 0 God, My Lord, be lighter on m commu
niry !" Then he said , " R ecite it according to two wordings." tLarer] H
cornmanded me to recite ir acc~rd~ng to seven •wordings, from the seve
gates of_the G arden, each_,of w hich _ and a suffic1·cot fmessage] . '
_,_I S a healing
_ Abu _Kuray~ Wak 1 - lsma 11 -~· Ab1 Khalid- 'Abd Allah b. ' Isa b.
~b1 La~la ; a1~d Abu ~ uray~ Wak1 --::IMui)anm1ad b. 'Abd al-R aQman]
ibn Ab1 Layla ; both Abd Allah b . Ab, Layla and IMui)ammad] ibn Abi
1T h e Ar:ab,c w o rd jah ,l,na is frequently rendered 1n English " " th A O f
· I A b I kd k Id
fahdy implies that t IC r:, ' ac < any now r gc pnor to Isl
e ge Ignorance. w hic
A .
•· I f ·
1io n migh t be t 1e Age o 11npctuou, an
d d •ni. mo re precise tr:ansla-
cstrucuvc rrtJlm •· 1 h
" · · ( d i·· h l •on ·
expressio n prc- hbnuc nn1c1 o r ays t ro ug 1ou1 tlrn, lr2n.slauon.
2 Acco rding to Al).mad.,. Shakir . this /iadith 1s found m the $ahih of M 1.
ba . us un and t hr M"snad o f
lb n l;b nbal; Tafiir aI- , a ro. 1 :22.
26
Tabari's lntrod11ctio11
_ k - ['Abd al-RaQman) ibn Abi Layla- Ubayy said ,'
La •la-Ha am
) · d the mosque and prayed, reciting Surat al-Nai)l
J entcre d·
n a man came and reci ted it accor mg to a
(Bres, 16) • The
. h differed from mine. T hen another man came
read111g t aI - f
·red 1·1 in a manner differing from both o our
wI10 rec• ·
. Some doubt and denial arose in my soul, even
rcad 111gs. . I ·
t han chat which I felt durmg my pre-ls anuc
stronger db I
. s J took bo th of them by their hands an roug tt
da)s· o fG d
them to the Prophet (~) and ~~d, "O Messenger_o o '
men recite. O ne of them recited, and
rnake t h cse two
·d "You are correct." T hen the other was made to
I1e sat , ., h r 1· f
· and lie said , "Yo u are correct. T en .ree m gs o
reare,
fo; doubt and denial stro nger than those I had pnor to Islam
arose in my heart, so the Messenger of God($) struck my
chest. saying, " May God grant you refu ge from doubt,
and drive Satan away firom you I. "
-'-J ·d [in his narratio n] " I (Ubayy) began to sweat profusely.
Isma 1 sa1 , ' l h. · ) !Th
(jMul.ia mmad] Jbn Abi Layla did no t m entio~. t u s _in 1s narra~~o n. e
Prophet] said, 'Gabriel came to me and said, Recite the ~ r an acco rd-
ing to a single wording." I said, "My c~mmunity ~ ill not b:, able. t o do
ldiisj." until we had done this seven umes. H e said to me, R ec_1te !1tj
according 10 seven wordings. You are gr~nted a request for e~ch ob~ecu o n
winch was raised."' [The Pro phet] said, The creatures all will be m need
of me \on the Last D ay), even Abraham ."' _ ,
A nearly identical report w as narrated to us from A~u Kurayb-,Abd
Allah- \Mui)ammad b. 'Abd al-RaQman] ibn AbI Layla-I:;Iakam-Abd
al-Rai)man b. Abi Layla-Ubayy-the Prophet(~).
Ahmad b. Muhammad al-TusI- 'Abd al-Sam ad [b. 'Abd al-Warith)-
my father- Mui)a~ ad b.Jub~da-al-I:;Iakam b. ' Utayba- Mujahid- Ibn
Abi Layla- Ubayy b. Ka' b said , " Gabriel came to the Prophet (~) at the
pool of Banii Glufar and said, 'Truly God (Blessed and Exalted is H e)
conunands you to recite the ~r'an to your community according to
seven wordings. Whoever recites one of these w ordings, [the correct reci-
tation] is the manner in w hich he recited it."'
Mui)ammad b. al- Muthanna- MuQammad b . J a' far-Shu'ba-
.. . h
1:lakam- Mujahid-lbn Abi Layla-Ubayy b . Ka' b said that the
ave used the neutnl
t I would not have been able 10 so rt out this difficult ist1iid were it not for the assistance o f
Sha)·kh A\.imad Shakir's detailed foo tno tes; Tafiir al-Tabari, 1 :38-9.
27
 TAOART
Tabari's flltrod11ctio11
el came to 'luni . t that my face redden ed, and the Messe nger
Proph et ($) was at the pool of Ban ii Ghifa r when Gabri
r'an to your COni- . d Imy situation I and struck my chest
and said, " Truly God commands you to recite the ~ to the pom
h ·d "O God • cast this satan out
ng." [The Proph et} said, " I aslc God of God ($) recogn l1ze
. I I . h nd T ien e sa1 ' d
me from my L~~
munit y accord ing to a single wordi
rnnity canno t bear that.• wit ~ i;sO~ b .yy a messe nger ' came to
fo r His pardo n and forgiveness! Truly my conm ofh11n . a ' d . · ti e ~ran
y God conun ands,ou d .1id 'Truly God com man s you to recite 1 . ,
Then !Gabr iel] came a second time and said, "Trul
to two worcli ugs.• an s ' nit according to a single wordm g. I
to recite the ~ r'an to your comm unity accord ing he came
iveness! TruJy y to_ y~i; ~:';~ml~gh(e n this load for me!' Then
!The Proph et] said, " J ask God for His pardo n and forg 111 s:ud. . . . d ·d ' 'Truly God comm ands you to
and said, "Truly d ' ' I ·d
comm unity canno t bear that." Then he came a third time a second nme an sa1 sa1 ,
to your comm unity according . ch ~ f""lur'a n according to a single wor· mg. !' Th he
God commands you to recite the ~r'an recite , ~ _edn he
"J ask God for His pardo n and 'O Lord, lighten this load for my co~m un1t y
to three wordi ngs." !The Proph et) said, . d ·
c1 me saying the same thmg, and I sa1 t
forgiv e ness! Truly my cornm uniry canno t bear th at. " Then he came bad came a t Iur d ·d 'T I
the Qyr'in ' I. T hen he came a fourth time•-an sa1 d' " rutoy
you to recite same t 11ng.
a fou rth time and said, "Trul y God comma nds to recite the ~ran accorfi mg I
be correc t with God comm and s You
accord ing to seven wordi ngs, and [your followe rs] will ·11gs, and you are entitle d to a reques d fi t or · eac J
which ever wordi ng they recite. " 1 seven wordl
anunad b. time I went back [to God] .' I said, 'O Lo~ •,,org~~~ ~~
N early identical reports were narrated to us from Mul:t comm unity! 0 Lord, forgive my commu_mty. an ie
arud- Ibn Abi
al- Muth anna- Ibn Abi 'Adi- Shu ba-J:Iakam -Muj back my third request, which is interc~ ~s1on on behalf of
of Ban ii Ghia, ;
Layla said : Gabriel came to the Proph et ($) at the pool my comm unity on R esurre ction Day. , _ _ _
san b. 'Arafa-
an d from Abu Kuray b-Mu sa b. Dawu d; and from al-Ha d b 'Abd 1-A'la al-San ' ani-a l-Mu tarrur b. Sulay man
m~M ujaru d-Ibn _, 1-I:Iakam-'Abd a1- Rahm b AbT
Sh ababa; both Musa and Shababa-Shu' ba- f;Iaka Mul,ia mma · a
-Sayy ar Abu . an .
, ba ·d Allah b ' Umar
Ab1 Layla -Uba yy b. Ka' b-th e Prophet ($). that t~o_me~
Allah L~yli who ele~ated this to the Proph et(~). H e menti oned)
Yun us b. 'Abd al-A la-Ibn Wahb -Hisharn b. Sa'd- ' Ubayd verse of the ~r'an , and eac 1 on~ c a1me_
b. Abi Layla- Uban b. Ka' b said, d;s Ju;ed the !readi ng] of a
' Umar- 'Abd al-Ra l~man [the ir] readin ~. So,dthf :ey rech1t~d the~
thalt the Proph et($) had taugh t him
I heard a man recite Surat al-Nary ) with a reading that d. Ub y b . Ka' b , but Ubayy 's readin g d1ffere rom
·d "O p
t eirs, anof
het
differed from my reading of ir. Then I heard another man rea mgs to ay J sat • h rop f
50 they [went] to recite to the Proph et ($). [Ubay y
reci te it with a reading that differed fro111 that reading. So God we differ in our readin g of a verse of the ~ r'an
and eac one o us
set off with them to the Messenger of God($) and said,
!, (The P.~ ophet] said to on,~ of them,
cla~s that you taugh t us our reading."
I heard these two men recite Su rat al-Nab) and I asked et] said, You are correc t. Then he
"R.ecite!" He recited and [the Proph
~hem, 'Who taugh t' th is t? you?' They both replied , l" He recited somet hing differ ent Th what
"than I
The Messenger of God ($). So I said. ' J will bring you sa1·d tot he other one, "Reci· te · t. en 1e
· d an d [t h e p rop h e t] s ·d
ai , "You are correc .
both to th e Messenger of God (~). since what you have his companion recite
hing differ ent fro m the pre:1 1 -
recited differs from what the Messenger of God (s) t h said to Ubayy, " Recite!" He recite d somet
f d . aug t iou are corr ect · " Ubay y said •
"' h
me. T e Messe nger o Go (~) said to one of th ous two readings, and [the Prop het] sat"d , " v
,. d d e men,
"Recit e! He recite an [the Messenger] said "G 0 d Some doubt arose in me regard ing the matter of the
H•
J·ob. •· Then he said to the other one ' "Recite '•" e recite ?d Messen ger of God (~). strong er than any dou?t I _h~d
and /the Messenger] said, "Good J'ob· " Vb .d
ayy sa1 · prior to Islam, and the Messe nger of God recogm zed '.t 111
in my soul:
/Sudde nly) I found the whispering of a satan my face. He raised his hand and stru ck my chest, saymg ,
Sal,ih o( Musi,
"Seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan. " I began to
1 Acco rding ro Al.11nad Sh3k ir. tht> l,adirl, IS found 1n the
Tafi ;, al-T ba . m. the S 11na11 of AbO
Dawild . and the MuJnad , o( lbn l:lanbal and T•yalo,i ; Contras t this vague express ion wirh
Literall y, "recited tlus 10 you. ,,
a r,, I :40·
• Literally. ·•someo ne who comes came to me (ararti dtill)."
2
us reports which specify char ir was Gabriel who came to the Prophe t.
the numero

28
29
 TABAR!
Tabari's lntroductio11

sweat profusely, as if I were seeing God in terror. Then asked the Messeng er of God ($) about this and the Messenger of _God ($)
!the Prophet] said, "A messenger came to me' from m said, 'Truly the ~ r'an was. sent down accord'.n g to sev~n-w ~ rdm_gs, ,!.~
lord and said, 'Truly your Lord comman ds you to reci? t quarrel over the ~ r an. Truly quarrell mg about It 1s d isbelief.
d o no c ] ' b 0- - 'd
the ~r'an according to a single wording .' I said, •~ Y0 nus lb. Abd al-A' la]- Sufyan lb. U yayna - Amr . mar sat :
Lor~, lighten the l?ad on my commun ity.' Then he came the Prophet($) said, "The ~r'an was sent down accordin g ,t,o seven word-
Iagam ] and said, Truly your Lord comman ds you ro ings, each of w hich is a healing and a sufficient [m<:_ssage]. _'_ _ ,- _
. I (")., ,
~ec1te t 1e '<!,!r an according to a single wording .' I said Yunus [b. 'Abd al-A' la]- rbn Wahb-S ulayman b. Bilal- Abu Isa
0 Lord, lighten the load on my commun ity!' Then h~ b. 'Abd Allah b. Mas' od-his father- his grandfa ther- 'Abd Allah b.
came a thfrd time and said, 'Trul y your Lord comman d comman ded to recite
. h , . s Mas ud- che Messenger of God said, " I have been
rou_ to ~eCJte t e ~ran according to a single wording .•
ity!' the ~ r'an accordin g to seven wordings, each of w hich is a healing and
said, 0 Lord , lighten the load on my commun
a sufficient [message ]."
Then he came to me a fourth time and said, 'Truly your Alumd b. H azim al-GhifarI- Abu Nu' aym-A bu Khalda- Abu'I-
l ord comm_an ds you to recite th e ~ r·an accordin g to Aliva ·said, "01~e o ut of every five men recited [ the ~ r'an] to the
seven ~ordmg s, and you are entitled to a request for
each time. I came back·' I said , 'O l or d , c1org1ve · my t Me;scnger of God(~) and, althoug h they differed over their languag e, he
forgive my commun ity! ' I held was pleased with all of their readings. The Banu Tamim were the most
commum t~! 0 Lord.
articulate of the Arabs (a'raba'l-qarum). " J
back the third [request] , which is intercession on behalf
'Amr b. ' Uthman al-' Uthman i- lbn Abi Uways- my brother -
of my communi ty--even Abraham. the Friend of tbe
M erciful, will seek it!"' Sulayman b. Bilal- Mul:iarn mad b. 'Ajlan- [Sa'idJ al-Maqb uri- Abu
Hurayra (r)-che Messeng er of God ($) said, "Truly dus ~ r'an was sent
Ab~ Kurayb -Zayd b. al-Hubab-1:fam mad b. Salama -' down accordin g to seven wordings, so recite without hardship . H owever,
Zayd- ~bd .~1-Ra~ a~ b .• Abi Bakra- his father said : the M essen do not recast a merciful passage as one of punishm ent, or a punish ing pas-
God($) sa1d, Gabriel said,. Recite the nur'a d· .
. , M· I I . • ~ n accor mg to a smgle sage as one of mercy." 4
m g. ic 1ae said , Ask him to increase it , Tl h .d •
Mui)ammad b. Marzuq -Abu Ma' mar 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. Abi'l-
two wording s,, until it reached six or scv~n \~:~di~ sa~. , Acc?rd~
s. He said, I:Ia.ijaj-'Abd al-Warit h b. Sa'id- MuQam mad b. juQida -al-I;Ia kam b.
o ne of them is a healing, and a sufficient In1essage], as glong as O d
ent as one of ne oes ' Utayba- Mujah id-'Abd al-R alµna n b. Abi Layla-U bayy b. Ka' b said,
recast a verse of punishm mercy or a verse of mercy
-I
pums 1ment. An example of !two word· J . as on Gabriel came to the Prophet ($), while he was at the pool
ta'iila !_both of 7 lucb me~n 'Come!'] ."i mgs is your saying hal1Jmm11 of Banii Ghifar, and said, "Truly God comman ds you
Yunus b. Abd al-A la- Ibn Wahb-S ula _ ._ to recite the ~r'an to your commun ity according to
Khu$ayfa-Busr b. Sa'id-A b- Juh aym al-An$ir yman b. B1la1-Y azid
. a single wording ." [The Prophet] said, "I ask God for
u i s "d "T
greed over rtbe reading] of a verse of the ,_ ai ' WO men His forgiveness and His pardon (or His pardon and His
' I received this directly from the M ~ r fan, and one of chem forgiveness). Ask God to lighten their load, for they will
. ' . . essenger o God ($) · ' The or b er not be able to bear that." [Gabriel] left and returned, and
said, I received this directly from the M
essenger of God($).' So they he said, "Truly God commands you to recite the ~r'an
l Arabic: orani ari11 ; sec the previo us note.
to your commun ity according to two wordings." [The
2 This n a mursa/ narration of o ne of Uban-·• J,adir/,s
3 According 10 A(unad Shakir, 1his hadirh " fo d I n· 1hc Mu ad f b 1
A_ccording 10 Al)mad Shakir, this badirh is found in the Muniod o f lbn l:lanbal;
Tofiir al-Tobori,
. I un sn o I n l:fanbal and o ne
.... -·s co IIcct1ons;
T a ba,.111 ,aJ' "· a -Tabari, 1:43_ As we sh
-r,r.
1.44,
~II later 111 this introducti on ir
This hodirh is ,,11,=/.
reports like this o ne that appear 10 have led Tab - sec
an to unders1 d h • 2
ha ,f as ., word m ' g, ,. t... h . an I c am biguous cxpreul
occausc I C)' md,caie the ac l T hi, hodirl, is m11=1.
srnonymo
cxprcmons in the identical passag.-s of Q,!!ranic 1;:;.u b,l1t)' of differing )'Cl 4 Accord.ing to Al,,mad Shakir, this lradith is unique to Tabari's Tafiir; Tofiiral-Tabari, 1:4 7.

JO
31

,l.JIL
 TAllARI
Tabari's /111rod11ctio11
Proph et! said, "I ask God for Hi s forgiveness and pardon we have
of the Prophet (~) and a group of his Compa nions, some of which
(or His pardon and His forgiven ess), for they will not ones, which we will relate with
already mention ed and the rem aining
be able to bear thac. Ask God to lighten their load." So, God willing.
clarificat io ns, if we reach that po int [in our book],
he left and returne d, and said , " Truly God comma nds there
As for the reports we have already mentio ned on this topic,
you to recite the ~r'an to your commu nity accordi ng - Ibn
is the report of Ubayy b. Ka' b, in the narratio ns of Abu Kurayb
to three wordings." jThe Prophet] said, " I ask God ty of the
Fu~ayl -Isma' il b. Abi Khalid, which mention s, on th e authori
for H is forgiven ess and pardon (or His pardon and His ~ r'an
Prophet (~). that he said , " I h ave b een comma nded to recite the
forgi veness), for they will not be able to bear that. Ask seven gates of the Garden ."
according to seven wordin gs, from
God to lighten their load." So he left and returne d, and
The "seven wordi ngs" are, as we have said, seven languag es (als,111),
said, "Truly God comman ds you to recite the ~r'an in them ,
while the "seven gates o f the Garden " arc the meanin gs that are
to your commu nity according to seven wordings; and to do good deeds, inspirat io n
such as com mand, prohibi tio n, inspirat ion
whoeve r recites one of them, [the correct reading j is the which, if one does them and
manner in which he recited it." to shun bad deeds. narratives and similtud cs,
Garden .
Q!:! • steers clear of the forbidd en limits, w ill guarant ee [entry to ] the
[These reporrs show that] it is correct and establish ed that the There is no opposit ion- thank God!- betwee n the opinion of our Pious
not all f ~r
came down in the languag es of some of the Arabs but
becau se it is obviou s that th ere arc more than seven Arab langu;
g e:, d Predecessors a nd w hat we have said [concer ning this matter]
The e,·idenc c for the soundn ess of what we have said- that the mean-
.

that the total number of them is impossible to enumer ate. ng to

ing of the Prophet's stateme nt (~). "The ~ r'an came down accordi
OBJ ECTJ ~ N: Wha'.! s your proof that the meaning of the Prophe
t's st word-
sewn a/,ruf." only means that it came down accordi ng to seven
"I h
men ts(~) The ~ran c_ame down .accordin g to seven abruf' and
Umar b.
ings. as we mention ed previously in the sound narratio ns from '
be~n com,_nanded to recite the ~r an accordin g to seven almif' is as al-Khan ab, 'Abd AJlah b. M as\id, Ubayy b. Ka' b and everyon e
else we
is th at it was sent down accordin g to s · d · (/ ty of the Prophe t (~). at the beginni ng of this
cla1111,
d h I
w .
ine h even wor mgs ug mentioned, on the authori
a~ t _a t JC was co mmand ed to : ecite it in seven languag es (a/s1111),
to quarrell ed over the ~r'an because some of them
chapter -is that they
exclusi on of what your adversa ries say it means' •
jTh h
ey say t at it me
·
di ffered with others over their way of reciting it (tiliilva) ,' rather than over
, ] d
t h at It h e ~ r an came down to command rebuk · ·
its range of meanin gs. They sought the arbitrat ion of the Prophe t (~) and
dee.ds (ra /~b•)11;sp1rde o~eh to o~
deeds (rarglzib),' inspire one to shun bad r 11 , an w it n arrat1 he made each man among them recite (his unique reading ] , and then he
· ·t d
s11111 tu es and things like that. You know that t h e ad vocate o f t h1s op . ·
said that all of them were correct in their reading s, despite their differ-
· c .
1011 comes uom t I1c Pious, Predecessors of this [M us11111 . ] commu nity ences. Some of them even grew doubtfu l [about the veracity of
Islam]
among t IJC best lead ers (a imma). on account of the Prophe t saying that they were all correct , and so the
nions] who were struck with doubt on
•
R ESPON S E: Truly those who advocate th at d O not cl aim
. Prophet (~) said to the (Compa
· f h that the mt of their reading s were correct , "Truly God has
pretat10 11 o . t .e reports . .
we have previous!}' mcnnon d. h . account of him saying aU
. e 1s w at you cl s."
h I
t at t 1ey said 1t 1s, concern ing the mere " , d . ., . . commanded me to recite the ~ r'an accordi ng to seven wording
n .. •- cam e d own. T I1at would have gonese\en wor mgs 111 which t quarrel over the ~r'an, among those
· . . It is obvious that had the
~ran
c agamst our opm1on for [thes over differe nces in the meanin gs of their
l
reports o n l y inrorm us that the nur'an c d . ' who quarrell ed over it, been
. . I . '<.!! ame own accordm g to seve r someth ing was lawful or unlawfu l, or
word 111gs, meanm g t Jat 1t came down in seven manners (a111'}·11h) and wha readi ngs,' w hich affected whethe
t h e y said concern ing that is like what the}· sai·d [concern.mg the' fo rmer]
as "reading"
Th~ word ,;/;;,.':• is largely synonymous with qira'a. both of which I translate
We have narrated reports that are like what t hC}. have said
1
.
o n the authori ty; '.~cita11on. Note that the word 1ilawo generally refers 10 the audible recitation of the
or
to come across
Q!,r an, wheras a qira'a could be audible or wri11cn. It is also for more common
1 L11craUr. ··111>1ill111g hope jtliat one will rnior tho Gard th < plural of qira'a than th< plural of tilawd.
good deeds]."
2 L11crall }, "11mill111 g t<rror ltliat one w,11 be, <>st 11110 ~•;lof,n 'OCoum of ones
e Ir< for doing bad dccdsJ." 2
L1terally, "that which their readings indicated."

J;!
33
 TABAR!
Tabari's lntrod11ctio11

whether [a verse\ promised [entry to the Garden ] or threatened [entry Book of God is supported by so many indicators that it is unnecessar y to
into Hell], or anything similar to this, it would have been impossible for ount them at this j uncture.
Ithe Prophet] to say that they were all correct and to command each rcdt- rec c 1·ven chat rhe Book of God prohibits this, our opinion (in relation]
er among them to adhere to his reading in the manner he recited. [This is ro the meaning of the Prophet's statem ent($), "Th e ~r'an was sent down
impossible] because were this interpretation correct, it would necessitate . g to seven wordings," to the d isputants who brought their differ-
arcord111 . • • . •
that God (Majestic is His praise) would have commanded the act o f some- ~ r'anic readings to him, 1s necessaril y correct and the mterpretatlon
thing specific and made it obligatory, accordi ng to the indicators of one :rthosc who oppose our opinion is necessarily invalid.
l ~r'a nic] reading (riliiwa), while [simultaneously] proh ibiting t he exact Furthermore, 1 non e of the people who were quarrelling over [the
same thi ng and rebuking one for doing it, according to the indicators of . of the nur'an] and subm itted this [issue] to the arbitration
reacI111gs ~
another reading. This would have made this specific act permissible and of the Prophet ($) ever denied that God. could c~mma_n d His servants
unn.·stricted, and would have granted His servants, who wish ed to do this (M;i_jestic is His praise) in His Book _and His rcvelauo n w_1th whatever He
act and those who wished to abstain from this act, [the ability ] to choose willed, or prohibit w hatever h e willed, or could pronuse [the Garden]
a reading [of the ~r'an] that supported their preferences! for [observing] whatever acts of obedie1~ce to Him He liked, ~r threaten
Th at opinion- if anyone has actually claimed it-is clearly an d firm- !Hellfire] for acts of di sobedien ce _to 1:f1~1'. and decree _for His Prophet
ly among the things that God (Majestic is His praise) has negated in His and to exhort him to this, and com smubtudes for His servants, such
revelat ion and the rulings of H is Book, for He says, Will 1/,ey not then ponder that they would dispute with any~ne else a~d deny that they co~ld
011 1/,e Q.!.!r'ii11? If it /,ad bee11 Jro111 01/,er 1l,a11 God they would ha11eJo1md therein ha\·c heard this [reading] from their teacher. Rather, the affirmat10n
m11cl, i11co11gmity (Q.4 :82). of all chis is inherent in the submission of those who submitted [to
God's negation (Majestic is His praise) of [incongruity] in the rulings the Prophet's judgement] among them. 3 In what po~sible w_ay could
of His Book is the clearest indicator that He sent down His Book in the some of chem have rej ected [the readings of others] 1f the differences
lan~uage of Mu~ammad (~) with a coherent single ruling (b11km), upon between chem had been anything other than [specific] words (a/fii-?) and
w hich all creatures agree, and not with inconsistent rulings. languages? .
Additional s~ppo:t for the soundness o,f [w_hat we have said] is [the To continue: A report from the Messenger of God($) further clari-
argu":en t] that mval.idat:s our opponent~. claim regard ing our inter- fied che soundness of what we have said [on this topic], and that report
pretation of the Prophet s statement (~). The ~r'an was sent d o wn is one we have already mentioned: Abu Kurayb-Zayd b. al-I:Jubab-
according to seven a(m,f." [~nd the quarrel which led to its issuance]
am o ng those w ho were argumg over the differences between their read-
1 Follo"ing the Dar Hajar reading of wa-ukhra instead of wa-a/,ra; 1:45.
ings; [n am ely, that th e Propher (~)] commanded all of chem to hold fast
2 I am gmcful
·
for the reviewer K )1aJ·d
t
w 1·JJ·1a111s' suggcsnon · f◄o r this djfficult
· passage, found b
to t heir own read ings and he was pleased with the readings of each o ne 0 £ on 1 :45 ·m the Dar Hapr · edm · ·o n o f T. a b ans
-• -r,r.-
,aJsir. Tl1e •argument Tabari . . seems/ to
J· / e
. f h r,., •-311 ccorded m the ,a rt 1s
chem , despite their differences, and said each one was correct. Were this a making is that none of the dispu tes over I h c read mg o t c '<Er r d · h
wa, over whether a verse consisted o f a command or prohibition or similitu e; rat er.
case of him declaring .. each one . of their meanings to be correct, an d wer e . r,., •- · ages which triggered the
t her concerned the presence of differing wor ds 111 -<Er amc pass ,_ h d
hjs (s)
• statement, T he ~ r an was sen t down accordi·ng to seven ahru.r" . I person reciting the ~ .r an hi a
t h at tie
1, assumption, on behalf of some of the listeners,
atio nal prayers m w c 11
a declarati on ro tliem thar ir was sent down in seven di·rr ·
uerent manners made an error in his recitation. As anyone w I10 h as Ied congreg h d
, I . h d · tion from t e expeete
and seven different meanings, he would have affirmed a type O f d =er- ',r t he ~r an is recited out loud can attest, 1 1c s1tg test erro r o r evta dc I
re,dmg m ones ' rec11at1on
. . ts . 1111me
. d 1ate
. Iy seize . d upon b Y the congrega111s an rrequent y
ence ch at God negated i11 _His Book and negated a consistency that [G o d]
made incumbent upon him [to accept]. [Our opponent's posm .. on must corre'.ted during the actual prayer. . _ . Th meanjng of
l Ar.b,c: bal 'ala'l-iqriir bi-dhalika kulli/ii ka11a ,slam man aslama mmlu1tn. e I .
aJso b e reconciledj with the proof that the Prophet (s) . . h o- H · dition T ,e reviewer
. . . . . ver a ~u d·1cated
ne d· th"i<ntencc is not entirely clear to me; see t :45 m t e ar apr c
.. . . h ,
· . b
n c of 1heir em race
with rwo differing rulmgs for• rhe hsame case . at the sam .
e t1111e, nor was suggested Rather 1hc acceptance o f all those thmgs.ts t e vcr) esse c f h d'
,. ' I
t
h I·J all O t e 1spu1an s
0 f IsI•m. but the Arabic implies 1ha1 only some o f them as ama, w e
chis permitted of bis community; r at rl11S [practice] is fo rbidden by the
were Muslims who had embraced Islam . And God knows beSI.

34
35
 TABART Tabari's Introduction
read s
1:-famm ad b. Salam a- Ali b. Zayd- Abd al- R ahman b Ab-
B rrcy 0 11 him) onl y inten ded ch is statem en t to m ea n t hat w hoever
I . . I • akra-h is it to a nother
a,cording 10 one of its word ings (barf) sho uld n ot c h ange
"G. b . 111
che Messen ger o f God (s) said
facher
n .. ,_
said:
. • , a n e said R • !. Pn this case, ] " h is
'<.!:!ran accord
. ,
mg to a single wordi ng' •
M 1c . I1ae I sa1'd ;A sk ecuc hi the crson·s wordin g, forsak ing his !orig inal word
) " h A
ing
b " barf'
.
to two word in s ' , . . Ill to ( . _, I
wording" is "I1is rea d.mg qira a/11 111 , as t e ra s say
P So- an d-so's
•~crease It. Then he said, 'Accord ing ean "a
gs." He said "E h f I g '. until It reached
[a) a synony m for] "a readin g of a m an" ; and o ne ca n u se baif to m
six or sevrn wordin , ac one o t 1cm is a h 1· you call an ode
lcurr.among the lctccrs (l,11riij) of t he alp habe t," just as
a:_
ea mg, and
a surncie nt [message!, as long as o ne does not recast a ver se o f .h
ver recites
menc as one o f mercy or a verse of mercy as o f . p unts - among a poec·s odes "a word (k11/i11111) of so- and-so ." Whoe
example of [cwo word in ] . . . • ne o pu nishm en t . An accordin g co the wo rdi ng of Ubayy , o r th e wordin g of Z ayd
[b. Thabit ]
which mean 'Come !'j." gs is )Our saying lial11mm 11 a nd ta<iila [both of er of God($)
or lhr wording of some of the Com panio ns of the M esseng
seven word ings, sh o uld not ch ange his wordin g
I who rccitrd one of th e
TA BARI SAID: The texc of this re Ort make saking it, fo r truly rejecti o n o f part of
among che seven wordin gs are o1PI d ·rr s c ear tha t the differe nces lo agree wich anotl1e r o ne, for
1 )' 1rrerences of · d · 'd I [wordi ng] , and rejecti on o f one
-) . '. n 1v 1 u a w ords [lhc wording] is rej ectio n of the e ntire
(a/fla? , 1ike your saying /,a/1111111111 and ta'iila b I f e mea ning of baif is as we have
dirr
m eani ng , and noc rrerenccs o meanm f . , ot J o wh ich h ave t he same wording is rejectio n of all of th em . (Th
h . I1 eone w ho recites o ne of the
ferenc lega l rulings. g, w I C necess a rily cause dif- described. mea ning a reading (qirii'a) of som
<el'cn wordin gs.)
Several sound reports on the autl . read
Pious Predecessors are [in agreeme ,]on'.y of a group of early
and later Yaln·a b. Dawud al-Wasiri-A bu U sam a-al- A' m ash said , "Anas
time) when impress ion is more keen and
Abu'l- s - ' I·b S I b nt wnh what we have said.
, · lhis rem as Lo! the 11igil of the night is (a
· Junada al-SU\ -•- Ab -
a am
Mul)am mad b. al-Mu thanna- Ibn A - v~ I-=- . u ,Mu awiya ; a nd speed, more accurace (aJwab11 qi/1111; Q. 73 :6). O ne of th e people said to him,

Mu awiya and Shu ba- I A h b, Adi- Shu ba; both Abu ·o Abii l;lamza [ArJaS], it can o nly be 11q1v1111111 (uprigh t)!"' [An as] replied ,
mas -Shaq 1q .d 'Abd IIa h [b. Mas' ud]
.d .. a -
sai , I heard ch c reciters and rroun d ch em sai : A "The words aq111a11111, a~111ab11 and ahya'11 are o ne (in m ean ing]."
b Iose [ to one a n oth er Layth -
MulJammad b. I:Jumay d al-Ra zi-I:Iakkam -<Anbasa-
. h t O
111 c cir recitat ions] , so re I h
cne t e ~r' an] h
c c
ing to
id) recited the ~ r'an accord
Bewar e of extravagance (tallattll ) f, I d · oweve r you were taught . Mujiihid said chat he (meani ng Mujah
expressions ha/1111111111 and taa , _,.. ('C' or [t ,e ifferenc es are] only like y our fi1·e wordings.
a ome' ') ,. b . Jubayr
Mub ammad b. al-Mut hanna- Ab ~ 0- -
u ,~wud [al-Tayalisi]- Shu' ba-
lbn l;luma yd-I:Jakkam- 'An basa- Salim [said] , "Sa' Id
Abu Isl_1aq -so meone who h eard lb n Mas recited the Q!!r'an accord ing to two wordin gs."
ud . "WI the
.
recites acc.ord ing to one wo rd 111 ' [ f Sa), 1oever a m o ng yo u Ibn l;l umayd -Jarir- M ughira said, " Yazid b. al-Wal id recited
g o the n .. •- ], d o not ch ang e i t!
Were r to kn ow anvonc who , k '<!!ran ~r'an according co th ree wordin gs."
. vas more n Ie d gea bl e than me o f the
B oo k' of God, I would come to I11111 . I I ow I. ]" TA_BA Ri SAID: [These reports] underm ine the person
w ho [fa lsely]
to earn fr
Abd al - om 11m . statem e nt ($), "The ~r'an
rb n a I -Mu thanna-
Shu' ba- 'Abd daum that che in terpret ation of the Proph e t's
al-Rab man b. 'Abis- a man am - Ral)man b. Mahd1- was sent down accordi ng to seven abmf," is that it can only mean that it
_che compa nions of 'Abd Alla h [b.
Mas' udJ- 'Abd Allah b M as, u_odngsaid, tioned -com mand,
. · " Wh . came_d_o~vn in che seven manne rs (awjuli) that we men
accord mg co one wordin g, do not ch . . oever recnes th e ~ r ' an sim.ilic ude--
- . . . ange It to an other o ne!" ~oh,bmon, promise, threat , arg ument (Jada~, narrati ve and
two or five
T ~ BARI SA I D. le is o bvious that Abd Allah
,_ .. /ause he claims that Mujahjd and Sa' rd b . Jubayr only read
this sta temen t to mean "Whoe ver rcn . . l b. Mas ud] did not inte nd ~ 1_he manners of the ~r'an to the excl usio n of the o ther o nes! If this is
. tes comm d d
an s an prohib itions is incon-
firom . rlJJS Q!ir'a n shou ld not chang e It .
to a read·
5
impression of these two men , the n he has an impres sio n that
concer n ing the rror k nowIe d ge o f t h e ~ r' an an d 111s1· ·g h t
prom ise /oF rhe Garde n J and the threat [of Hell . mg gruou1
. with th cir ·
· reputat ions
tha t w h ich relates to the promi se and rh c t h rcat should I, and whoev er reci tes
h . Into the l'e rses o f t h e Criteri on.
. . ,, not c ange It
to a read mg con cer111ng narrati ves and similit ud cs. He (may God have va·qubb. Ibrahim [al-Da wraqi ]-Ibn ' Ulayy a-Ayy ub-M ulJamm
ad

36
37
 TABAR I
Tabari 's lutroduction

I am mad has delega ted [this autho rity I to me, and

Mich ael came to the I
lb. Sirin] said, "I w as infor med that Gabri el and
~r'a n accor ding to two 1 " [Z h - 'dj , "Tl· us. 1.s w hat Sa'-d 1
Proph et (~) and Gabri el said to him, ' Recit e the Mu)
wri·te w-hatev er I wis 1! u n sa1 . ,
se it.' Then [Gabriel] b. al-Musayyab menti on ed to me conce rnmg the seven
word ings.' Mich ael said to him , 'Ask him to increa
ings,' and Michael said to
said , ' R ecite th e ~ r'an accor ding to three word wordi ngs."' '
reache d seven word ings." Mul:iattunad Mugh ira- Ibrah im- ,_'Abd Allah [b. Mas' f. udj
him, 'Ask him to increase it,' un til it ·d- Jarir- I
regar ding what is lawful Ibn Huma) , verse o 1t, 1as
[b. Sirin] said, "[Th ese word ings] do not differ said. ··wI1oc
. vc r rCJC_ · cts o ne
,. wo rding of the ~ r an, or one
; rathe r, they arc like
o r forbi dden , or [wha t is] a comm and or prohi bition .·~cced it in its entiret y.
mean 'Com e!'). In OUr I ,s statem ent () $, "The
your w o rds ra'iila, l1al11111111a and aqbil !which all TC} . If ,our interp retati on of the Prop 1et d" ., · h
but in the readi ng of Ibn
readi ng, it is Ir was b,u 0 11e sho ut (iayba; Q .36:29), OBJEC TION · )
,_ . down accor ding to seven wor mgs, d1s has you h ave
Mas' ud, it is Jr rvas but one cry (zaqya). "• f"l01r an was sent us
'<.!: •. d 1 . b ·s of th e evide nce you have muste. re , t. ens•ffiow J Id
b. al-l:la b~ab said, describe . on t ie as1
Ya' qub [al- Dawraqi]- Ibn ' Ulayya-Sh u' ayb recited in the Book of God m seven bl . d 1 erent
ce, Abu' l-'Ali ya woul d not an expression· (IJO'.J1
.I\ th at' is
"Wh eneve r a man woul d recite in his presen
· ges and we shaII accep ' t your opini on. If you are una Ie.an canno h ht
he would onl y say, 'As for me, langua t at t . e
say, 'It is not recite d that way.' Instead, I sound ness of the opini on of the perso n, who c aimsd
said, "I ment ioned this to find~ that 11c
I recite this way and that way." ' [Shu' ayb] ' · n of !the "seven ahrnr
.mtcrpre1at1o · 'J '] is that. the• .
Q!!r an was •
sent
h own 111
r has heard [ the say-
Ibrah im al- Nakh a' i, wh o said, ' I see that your teache la'iinin) -con unand , proh161t1on , prorm h se, t . b"I·
reat, argu-
ng has reject ed the entire ty of [the seYcn manners (II ma 1 1ty to
ing] l.,,,,, whoe ver reject s one wordi
" Truly
n~..r,•-an ment narrat1·,.e and si·nulitu de--w
ill be obvio
invali
us
dity
throu
of
g
your
your
opini
. .
on.
b [al-Zuhri )- find a. wordi ng like that, as well as the
Yun us b. 'Abd al-A' la-Ib n Wahb -Yunus-Ibn Shiha ' are seven langu~ges
Sa' id b. al-Mu sayya b said, Or do you say, conce rning this, that the "seve n abriij
G_!!r' an, from the langu a~es_of the mbes
that char are dispersed thro ugho ut the
God 's Istatem ent J (Exalted is His remembrance) of che Arabs, who have different langu ages, which is, the opm1 0n of some -
(Mubammad) is only ta11gl,t by a l11m,a11 (Q. 16: 103) refers [~e_re ~ou to _addopdt
one who has looked into this matte r superficially. -
solel y to th e scribe ' who wrote Ithe ~r'a nJ and was
led
h e whos e opm1 .on 1s cons1. ere ous
se the Messe nger of God (~) would this explanation] . you wouId b e amon g t os
to apost asize becau e, and whos e error is unam bigu
innlid by all possessors of intelligenc
dictat e to him All- lrearing, All-k11 orvi11g or Mig/,ty, Wise
for anyone with a mind.
o r some thing else amo ng the endings of verses, then that the re~~r ts
becom e di verted from him while he was receiv
ing !Our objection to this thesis is groun ded on the fact]
h undn ess of your
.. opmw ,_n
revela tion (wa-l11rn a 'alii'l-wahy). Then the
1 scribe would you have relied upon as ev1•d ence as to t e so
h • t cemen t (s)
. • The Q!!r an
seek clarifi cation from the Messenger of God (~). saying concern ing the interp retati•on o f t h e p rop et s s a
J" are repor t s that you narra ted on
"Is it M ighty, W ise or All-lrean·11g, All-k11orvi11g or Might
y, came down according to seven aI_,ruJ,
nger of God (~) would reply to ity of ' Umar b. al-K h ana -6 , 'Abd AJl-h a b · Mas' ud and Ubay y
All- kno111i11g?" The Messe the author
him, "Whi cheve r of those you write is how it is." This
y
cause d [the scribe ! to rebel ({ata11a), for he said, "Trul h. I · d j urist
r Th11 hadith appears 10 be mur,a/. 8), 3 P 110 og1Sbt an Ab-
Ubayd al-~ sim b. Sall:im (d. 224/83
2 Thu 111he opinion of Abu ' see u
I ( d '
13 lects) o f the
d 'n N
to a s;
Abu'I- Khayr
' ~ages or
Th.is l,adith is ""m a/. \\ho argued that 1he "\ even a/m,f were seven ang
1 1995), 339 - Accorh \;e disa rec over
:u Abel Allah b. Sad b. Ab; Sarb (d . JS or Ubayd. Kuobfada'i/ al-OJ!ra11 (Beirut : D a_r lbn Kathtr,
Al;tma d (or MalJm Od) Sh~br identif ied ~Im scribe s, al thoug/ Ji· 'Jy . _,_g /- 'a,lir
2
1 =H · lbn Ab, Sarb wa, a foucr brother of the Caliph ' Uchmi in, b al-Jm ri (d. 833/r429), this is the o pinio n of m ostb scholar
J6/656 -8); Taftir al-Toba n.
. ,~- ccr, "'h1ch seven Arabic m bal lang uages are 1nten
. dc d ; I n a I-Jazan-, aI-Na5 " , -q,ra Aat a d· '
ihe Proph ec•s .,. ' ·
- ed ht"m and helped l11m rc,1u rn 10 Islam during
w h o protc..... 1 ul
11reun1e. leader,
militar y
d
< . Zakaro)' )'• ' Umayra t 2 vols (Beirut : Dar aJ-Kut
mn •
u b a I- ' II1 • .3 2oo6) 1•26. cco d r hrng
s s ar-
' Umar appoin ted h im govern o r o f Eg)'P • where,
dc,pnc being• successf
' · , . ° f " I·"",fas d ifferen
. t w1or
h · . dafter
h w as unpop ular. h w:ts chc memb ers of the
Eg)'pna n ddeg,11 00 oppo,ed 10 lbn Abi Sari, ,o ~qubi , mo!t scholar s ad hered to Tabari s interpr
I
etatio
w hO
n
h e Id this view / w
n., o
,_ l\e o ls
u ,hcnng on tli, fin, o,,I war ,·n Isl am ., see C . H • ong a< o,e meaning although he does no t name anyone
J. ccly k illed ' Uthmi in in 656, h ' li-a~kti m a -'<:!' 0 " • 20 v ·
wch o u tuna b . Sa d .
.. ,
El . , , fou n hltemh ce~tury ; Abu 'Abd Allah al- Q!!qub i, al-Jami
Becker , u'Abd Allah
(B(irut: Dir al-Ku1ub al-' llmiyya , 1993), t :32.

38
39
 TABARl Tabari's lntrod11ctio11

all had the same teacher and the knowle dge

b. Ka' b (may God have mercy on them all) and on the authori ty of th01e . sJ w I1en t h cY
IC01np3111On . ular not multifac eted? In fact, the soundne ss o f
who narrate d \reports ' fr?m the Compa nions of the Messeng er of God I • ··di was smg ,
(I) 11\ic\' rccciH I disagree d over the words (l11m'i}) of the ~ r,an
l
that say: Some Compa nions] quarrell ed over the recitatio n of part of
the l .
1hc report
of chose w iO
I , 1.retime (s) and sought the Messen ger of God 's arb·1-
dunng tIic Prop 1ct s II' as we· have describe d previo
~r'an and disagre ed over its reading (qirii'a) rather than its interpre tation.
usly, 1s the cIearest
. .
Some of them rejected the readings of others, despite the claim of each in chat matter, I
inuon () ~ I
r he invalidi ty of the opinion t 1at t 1e " seven a I.ml_J.r•
reciter that the Messen ger of God (~) had taught them their recitatio
n, ·d
c,·1 cncc 1·n support OI t I - r h n., ,_
• d' gs
and then they submitt ed this to the Messen ger of God (~) for arbitrat ion. . different \\ or 111 disperse d through out t 1e sums o r t • e ~r an.
nc ,c, cn . . d (/uo/riit) that all sh are a commo n meamng .
The Messen ger of God's ruling(~ ) was that the reading of each reciter was d'Aerent \\Or s "'
and not 1 . reflective person to po nder upon t he op1.111on .
correct , despite its d ifferenc e from the reading of the other ones, and furthermore. " ere a
be , ·I e interpre tation of th e Prophet' s stateme . ( ) "Tl
nt ~ ,
commanded each one of them to recite whateve r they were taught. [This 1e
0I. 1his 11crson, " dios ccordin g to seven a
I ,f," . I . .
ruling1 even led to doubt about the [truth} of Islam infectin g the hearts ·- .3s sent own a _1ru , 1 s t 1at its meanmg
" . 1 diAcrent Iang uages (/uo/iiit)
~ran " . • disperse d through out the entire
of o n e of them , when he saw the Messeng er of God(~) declarin g correct o
is s~, c .'. , d I ompared his O(Jinion with the reports t hat ser ve
each of the diverge nt reading s {of the ~r'an1 . Then God dispelle d this ('\., an • an t icn c I l . f h
~ r · . •d ce
do ubt from him by means of the explana tion of the Messeng er of God(~), h ppornng ev1 en , that were narrated on t 1e aut 1onty I k
o t e
a1 is su . d S cessors who said that [ this differen ce1is i e your
" Truly the ~ r' an was sent down accordin g to seven abruf"
Co111pa010,nsa·a/an /,a/~1~11111a and aqbil (all of which mean "Come! ") or who
lf these seven abruf. in w hich the ~ r'an came down, were dispersed statement a ,
·d h tit is like the differen ce between ,Abd A JJ-h [b M ' -d']
. as u s_ rea d-
through out the ~r'an. as this person' has claimed . and establish ed today
in the codices (,11~iil:1i.f)2 of t he people of Islam , then the meaning s
of
:~• ;f a
;//ii zaqya and our reading i/lii $ayba, and s!milar piec~s of ev1denc~,
g A .•
the reports you 3 h ave narr:ited from those \Successors]- who narrated [thisre cctl\e person ) would know th at the pieces of evidenc . .
e [actua -
d'
from the Companions of the Messenger of God (~) that they disagree ,.
I1 un d enmne · !Abu- ' Ubayd's ] opinion and that this op1111on contra 1cts
d
over the reading of a siira of the ~r'an and brought their dispute to the 1;s cYidencc. 3

\All 0 [ this is true) because the part of the ~~ an t hat came d O wn•
,
M essenge r of God (~), who ordered each one of them to recite w hat be
was t aught-w ould be invalid, because, if these seven languages were dis- according co him is !only j one of two reading s--e1the r $ayba or zaj!°'
persed th roug ho ut the entire ~r'an, a single barf would not necessar ily either raiila or aqbil or /,a/wmna -and not all of them, because, accor di~g
create a disagre ement between the \~r'an] reciters. This is because each 10him, each language , rrom c
among t h e seven Ianguages • that is fou.n hm
reciter (tii/i11 ) would only read that !,arf in a single reading in accorda nce aword (kali111a) or /,arf of the ~r'an is other than the word o r barf m t e
with what is in the codex Iof the ~r'an) and what was sent down. 01her language. . . h
If that is how it is, then the nature of the disagreement that was nar- If 1ha1 is how it is, then the evidenc e is invalid for the opimon t at
rated {in these reports j- that it was over .the reading of a s11ra-wo uld be [1he differences between the wordings] is like [the difference] between
invalid and the meanin g of the Prophet s comman d (~) to each of them
to recite what they were taug ht \indivi_dually] is wrong, because there is
words. Abu Ubayd.
1 ln 01hri
no way in thh case for there to be a d1sagreemen_t in terms of words or , b / ,...., ,_ -r.r.- 1-rabari 1 , 57 Compare t Iu·s
au11ahii sab lughiit niutafarriqa fijn mi , a-'<!!rau;
l ,"\n 1c·
, a;srr a-,, • · : ,_ .
.
meanin gs. H ow is it possible that there was this disagree ment among the ~1th Abu Ubavd', statement: auualtu uazala 'ala sab' lugl,at ,,.,,,afarriqa }mm' al-Q!!r 1111
Ji "'"'
·,,,..;,./.:1,ab; Kuabfad,i'il al-Q!!r'au, 339.
I
:· T•b•n··s 1n«rlocutor is trying 10 prevent h im f rom d ep Ioym · g Ab-u ' Ubayd· 's argument t 1at
- ' Uba)'d and anyone d,e w ho , hored hi, o pnuo n. Nowhere in his intro- thr •\f\(n an,uf
, • do not refer
1 I 11 o ther word s, Abu • b d"
1
to reading a sing Ic ,vord tn• seven ina nncrs which appears to
• .
. · · n d ocs T ;u,-,.n spcdfy that tlus " Abu U •r s op,111011. be ' h' opinion of 1his imcrlocuto r. Noucc how Tabari arranges th.is passage m J r~_anncr
L
d -

ucno , d {i r a w ritten copy o r codex of the «!!r ·-.111 ""'"sliaf (plural 1naµj/1i.f).
. '"' h 1h" h< 11 able to refute
2 The Arabic wo~T ~:,rt's oppcnent sh ifts from
H erc both his anonym o us inter Iocutor•s argurn~nl chat ' , the seven
o ral reciuuon of parts of the «!!r'an to rccita· ,h"r : ,re k \en
. ,.m:mncrs.. or .. mo d .. f
rhc argumen t O a . I a written copy o f the «!!r':in. cs o spcecI1 an d , .m d ire' •ctl)' • Abii Ubayd s argument
d
1lu11h<I. •re seven . languages or
don i.n accord2nc e wn ' Ar.ab,c dialects. aII o f w I11c
. II arc• ,oun
c d in 1he existing co ex
3 In o ther words. Tabarl. of the ~ r'in.

40
41
 TA!V.R l Tabari's lntrod11ctio11

l,a/1111,ma, ta ii/a and aqbil, because these words are all differ ent
expressions fcguar d . R at IJc-r • the IMusli m} comm unity was comm .
anded
d r
that share the same single meani ng and the person , IAbu a Jcd to sa
111 11 ,_ d it was given the choice to recite an sare-
<ubay d], whose to 1afcguard the ~r an, an rdings that it chose . T I11s · 1s· t·k I10w tt · was
opinio n we quoted above , has invalidated the positi on f hcsc 1 ·e
that all seven lan- ouard an)' 0 '. I seven wo
n .. ,_ 1for a well-o ff person , who violat es an oat I1,
guages (l11gl1iit) are fou nd in a single lraif of the ~ r' ~con1n1an 1d\1n t1c '-<!:!ran
an. There fore this lc
I . hcver o f t I1e. expiat
I } ·1 f
clarifies the invalidity of the evidence of the person who
claim s this posi- wchoosc w 11c . • ions he wishe s to use --e1t 1er to ree
tion , and his positio n invalid ates his eviden ce. d f, \ks] or clo the them. ' Were they to agree upon
a s\a,·e, frcd [ten nee YI o ·blc} expiat ions, witho ut banni
RESPO NSE: The opinio n on this topic is no t restric ng the other
ted to only o ne of the onh- one of the three pold sst t"ll have succee ded in fulfilling God's ruling
,
t\\'O cxp1at10 . they. wou
two positio ns that you have described. R ather, the seven ns st
a!iruf accor d- . bent upon him , accord ing t o God's c1atm . lfi
ing to which God sent down the ~r'an are seven wordi • g what 1s mcum .
or
ngs (lugl,at) for andcxcc uun I} ' L"k .
a smgle expression (bar}) or a single word, havin g differ • of an oat J . 1 e,vise for the [MuslimJ comm umty: tt was
ent expressions the noIanon . d I . nur':in and its recita tion, an d tt · ·
d ar t Je ~ was given
w ith the same meani ng. like the sayings l1al11111ma, aqbil, conunan ed to safegu h
f the seven wordi ngs it wis e . t cc1.de d '
d I d
. o rcntc w I11c
rlala, ilayya, qa,J,, .' .h
na/11111, q11rbi !all o f which mean "Com e!"! and the theeItoKc t ever o
like. !Thes e are] expres- ('·// ) ti at necessitated the establisIiment o f a smg . l
c
on account of a c:iusc
1
sions that differ in speech yet agree in meani ng. If the . . .
I a
. I· r · · g h
langu ages differ citc1t 111]a s111gewo rd ing , and refrain uom rec1tmd. t e
conce rning \which words qualify as} clear expos ition,
as we narrat ed \\'ord1ng. lto re . I I the recita tion of all of its other wor mgs
earlie r from the Messe nger of God($) and from some of six other wordings. event JOU~ J unt of what he was permitted
the Companion s,
then this is like the difference bctw<.>en your statem ent
lral1mm1a, ra<ala and \\'as not 1•rorbidden tO the reciter, on acco
aqbi/, or betwe en Tirey wait 011/y for a zaqya and 011/y for a $ayba regarding HS recitation.
. . hm f
QUESTI ON: What was the cause that n~cessitated
QUEST I ON: Wh ere \in the Book of GodJ can ch;. esta~h s ent o a
we find a single wordi ng
(/1a,j) that is read according to seven differe nt expres sions (alfa~) single wording to the exclusion of the six othe~ wo: ~n'~ ~d
. all of al-Da bhi-
which agree in meani ng? T hen we will accept the sound
claim conce rning your interpretation of this matte r.
ness of what you RESPONSE: !It is what] was narrat ed t~ us
!\bJ al- t\ziz b. Mu~anunad al-Da rawar t
fr;m ~ Zra b. G;az iyya-Ibn
. .. d b Tl -b·
Shihab [al-Zu hri}-K hanp b. Zay · 13 it -his at er, ay sa1 •
. f: h z d ·d
RESP ONSE : We do not claim that this is presen t
\in the ~ r' an] today . All
that we repor ted is that the meani ng of the Proph et's When \man)•! Companions of the Messenger of Gobd
statem ent (~). "The
~r'a n was sent down according to seven a/rr11J." is in accord
ance with the (~) were killed at the battIe o f y am~m - a 3 ' Umar •
•kr and said
report s we cited previously. It is as we have descri bed, al-Khanab entered the presence of Abu Baf od (s) feli
to the exclusio n of
what o ur oppon ents claim concer ning it, on the basis ··rruly the Companions of the Messenger O G
of the evide nce we h.
have alread y clarified. at the battle of Yamama lI·ke t h e f:alling of mot fi l s on ·11
QUE STIO N: What happe ned to the other six wordi fire and I fear that every other place they
ngs that are no lon- ig itfwh,
ger prese nt, if the m atter is how you have descri bed have a similar outcom e, untt·t t h ey • the bearers o t de
it? The Messe nger ~r'an, are all killed, and the ~r'an becom es los~ an_
o f God ($) recite d them to his Comp anions, o rdered them
to recite them
and God sent them down to His Proph et ($}-w ere [these forgotten. If onl y you were to gat her it •and w nte·dIt
wordings] abro- down!" Then Abu Bakr shunn ed thjs idea nd
gated and removed? What is your eviden ce that they a sai '
were abrog ated and
remov ed? Or did the \Muslim\ comm unity forget them?
That would be 1 T,h,,; 11 alluding I ~ expiati ng broken oaths.
a case of chem losing what they were comm anded to 10 Q .5:89. w hich lap down t 11c rues or _ d b hi
safeguard! What is "It .
' , nu wu a purrly h}·potlm iol case in Taban-·s d ay, as . · indicate }' s usa
gc of the
the sto r y conce rning this? · g O f sl:wery o ver the past
IS 1wo
condmonal pm,cle law. Interestingly, due to t 1I C ,. uannm ·
• 0 longer an ava1 . ·1 '-le option to
RESP ONSE : [The other wordi ngs] were nor abroga «otune,, n 11 now a real case. smce the freeing o f as1ave 11 au
ted and conse quent ly n
remo ved; nor did th e \Muslim\ comm un ity lose what \lui\um who need to expiate their broken oaths.
they were com- 'Th11 lnule w,s pm of the " Wars of Apostasy•· during the
. . f Ab. B3 kr (632.-4) and
cahpha te O u
'•'1 ,g:>1111t Musaylima in ca1tcrn Arabia .

.p
43
 TAl3ARI Tabari's fotrod11ctio11

"Shall I do what the M essenger of God($) did not do?" [die Syrians] to be disbelievers . ~-nd , w h en the Ir~qis
and they argued back and forth o n this matter. The n recited the reading o f Ibn M as ud and the Syrians
Abu Bakr sen t for Zayd b. Thabit, who said, I entered beard something they had nor heard prev iously, the
h is presence and found ' Umar looking read y to pounce Syrians would declare them to be disbeli~vers." ~ayd
(11111/iza'il~. Abu Bakr said , "Trul y thi s [ man J h as call ed said: Uthman b. 'Affan o rdered me to w rite fo r him a
o n me to do something that I have refused , a nd y ou are codex (11111, /Ulj}, saying " I w ill send t o you a man w ho
one of the scribes of the revelation . If yo u are with him is intelligent and elo quent, so that whatever you two
on this, I will follow bo th o f you ; but if you agree with a rec upon, write it dow n , and whatever yo u disagree
me, I w ill not do it. " So Abu Bakr n arrated ' Umar's o~·er, bring it to m e." [' Uthman I appointed A ban b.
opinion w hile Urnar was sil ent. I' d isliked what I heard Sa id b. al-'A~ to work w ith him. When they reached
and said, "Are we going to do w hat the M essen ger of the verse, Lo! t/re sig11 of /ris ki11gclo111 is tl,at t/rere s/ra/1 come to
God (~) did not do?'' Th en ' Umar said, "What w ill be you ,he ark (tiibiit ; Q .2 :248), Zayd said ta_b,,h ~ hile A~a~
hel~ against you two were you to do that?" We (meaning b. Sa id said 1iil111t. So, we brought tlus to Uthman s
Abu Bakr and Zayd) began to think abo ut this and said atten tion and he wrote tiib111.
[Zayd said: ] When I fi nished it, .I read thro ugh
"Norh~ng, by God! N othing w ill be held against u s.':
it once, bur d id uor come across this verse: Of the
So Abu Bakr commanded me to write [ t he ~r'an] on
pieces of animal skins, shoulder blades and leafless palm beliet1ers are men who are true to that 1vhicl1 they compacted
branches. W~1en Abu Bakr passed away and ' Umar with God. Some of them have paid their vow by death (in
battle), 1111d some of them still are wailing; and they /rave
isuc_cee~cd h1111j , all this was w ritten in a single book
(sal1ifa), which he kept to himself. Then he died and 1101 altered i11 the least (Q.33 :23). So, I inquired among
the book passed to [his daughter] 1:laf~a. wife of the the Emigrants' and asked them about it, but I did not
Proph et (~). Then l:ludhayfa b. al-Yam iin returned [to fi nd [chis verse) among any o f them. Then I inquired
Medina[ from a campaign he had led in A . H among the Helpers' and asked them about it, ~nd_ I
d'd h rmema. e did nor fmd it among any of them until I found tt [111
J • not enc er _is home until he [ first J cam e to [ the

f hph I Uthman
Cali b. Affan and sa1·d , "O C omman d er rhe reading] of Khuzayma b. Thabit and then w rote
. it down. Then I read through [ my codex] another
o" H r e Fa1thfu
,. I l, attend ro the people!''
• ' Utl1man
- sat'd ,
ow' so? . I:Judhayfaj said, "A group of us from Iraq time and I did not find these two verses: Now there
and S) n a raided ihe fronti er of Arme ma,
. an d w h en t h e lras c;me to yo11 a Messenger Jrorn amo11g yourselves; grievous
I .
~?0bea o~ tyna,
recited rhe [~r'anicj reading (qirii'a)
ro l1i111 is /,o,v you suffer, a11xio11s is he over yo11; ge11tle tot/re
belie11ers, fi1/I ofmercy; So iftl,ey t11rt1 a111ay, say: God sriffices
I d )') 1· Ka band rhe Iraqi s heard something rhey
Ia never ieard previously, th e Iraqis wo uld declare me there is 110 god save Him. In Him I have p11t my tnist,
) i I
a11d He is Lord of the Tremendous Throne (Q.9.128-9 ·
' .
1 In 01her words. Za"d b Th·b
' . a u, w l'° is nur.iung• ti inquired among the Emigrants, but could not find any
> T I111 repon >nd the foll 11, rrpon.
owmg ones make I - · r
1al1ifa and chw 1uh11J Coon, I • iern,ung r<icrcncc, to Abo Bak r's and H af~'• one amo ng them who h ad it. Then I inquired among
,.• rtrans accsial,ifa., "scroll.. bl ·
h
w ere» t l< plur,I , 11 h,,f m,pl1r•
I I I I • prcsuma )' since ic is in the singubr.
~ r ~ mu t i p r eavr~ o r
P"" '} P"f"'T or ofsk111; a 11,,.,11,., or ,I . 1111111. ' -
pages. L.anc defines sa/,ifa as "A 111rittt!ff . . f h p h t who embraced Islam in
1Th< Em1gr:in1s (11111hajir1i11) are those Compantons o t c rop e r I
ob,crv<'1 tutuI ••· ung
I\ $}'11ony111ous wuh Jmiib· La ." ·.. r vo/ umt; a /tltt r, i.e. an ~pistlt " a n d
<11' a book o M E M
' <cc, pr1or to the Emigration (l,ijra) in 6 22 C . ost o
f ti1 em cam e rrotn among c ,c
the b1ograpl11cal l1tcraiure of C . ne, s-h-J. There arc also numero us re ports in
or oth ompanions >nd Sue h h ~r.iy,h.
~• "mtcn maicn,1, The rebt d d ccssors >vmg personal snl,ifas of t,adit Th I h from the tribes of Aws
(111h11flJ ti,., Ime ocen 1 < Helpers (a11sar) arc chc Com pan ions o f che Prop ,ec w O came . . d h p h
L. puc
10 I e Gwor mu1ha,j("c_0 dex") " Incrally " a gro up of pages • d Kh I E · ·on and rnvirc t e rop cc
111cl111ed I LI I get >er. l\'en the refcre
o oc le\'e t w chc word h·r.
bo I
uccs co I ' a µ,/,;'i, and 111/,11,f. I :un n azraJ The)' embraced Islam j usc prior to t te cmgrau d'
a scroll , 1h ia ~• llleam a "book" .. II ,, · ' Muhmurud to serve as cheir leade r in Vath rib, which later became known as Me ma.
n "context or a co. ecuon of pages" rather than
J S« below for a cranslacion o f T abari's full commentary on these cwo verses.

H
45
 TA BAR) Tabarf 's lntrod11ction

th e Helpers and as ked them about it, but could not find tUt hmJn, he rose to give a speech, saying, "You all,
anyone who had it, until I found it with another man in my estimation, disagree over [chc O!!r'an's J reading
named Khuzayma, i so I put them at the end of Sil rat and make solecisms. Whoever among the people of the
lal-Ta":ba (9)J. ' Had lthis passagc J consisted of thre garri so n cities departs from m y reading is intensifying
v~ rses (mste~d o f two), I wou ld have made it a se parat: the disagree ments ove r lche Q.!!r'a.nj and solecisms
~ira. I rea~ It th:o~ gh one more time and I did not in it. 0 Companion s of Mul)ammad, come together
md an~thm g [m1ssrn g ]. Then ' Uthrnan se nt for Haf: a and write a single master Icodex} (imam) for the
rcques_tt ng that she bring him th e book \fro m the.tin!e people! .. AbU Q!Jaba sa id: Malik, the father of Anas
o f Abu Bakr\. He swore to her that he would return it lh. Milik l' cold me, "I was among those to whom it
~o she gave it to him. H e co mpared the ln ew j codex t~ was dictated. Some times they would disagree over a
er [book! : and th e codi ces did not disagree in a sin le ve rse :md mention the man who allegedly obtained it
place. So I Uthmanl returned ll:lafia sJ book to h~r from the Messenger of God($)- Perhaps he was absent
deli ~ht ed, and th en o rdered the people to w rite man ' or among so me of che Bedouins, and they would write
what came before it and what followed it, but leave
cop:es o f the code,x. When 1:Iaf~a died, l'Uthm.an] se n~
'.or Abd Allah b. Umar to demand her book. he its place !blankj, until he came [to itj or it was sent co
n to rurh man's me sse ngers] and it was wasl:cd 'ave him. When he completed the codex (mu$baj) , tUthman
[and erasedJ.1 c ean wrote rn the people of the garrison cities, 'I have done
this and chat, and erased my Iprevious codex], so erase
al-NAJ--nearl
N y' identical
b re p o~t was aIso narrated to us from Yil suf b. 'Abel
all [the codices j chat are with you!"'
a u aym . J:lanunad-'Abd al-'Aziz b M I d c -
Ghaziyya-Ib n Shihab ial-ZuhriJ-KhariJa b
Th a.bit. ·
Zay::1h1m~ -h Umara b.
ts rat er, Zayd b.
Yunus b. 'Abd al-A'la-Ibn Wahb-YGnus-Ibn Shihab ial-Zuhri]-
Anas b. Milik al-An$arI said, "A group of Syrians and Iraqis campaigned
together in Azerbaijan and Armenia; and when they would discuss the
Ya'qub b. Ibrahim [al-DawraqiJ- Ibn ' Ulay•ya-Ayyu-b-Abu- ~r·an with each ocher, they would disagree over it to the point that civil
Q!_laba:
strife nearl y erupted. When he saw this disagreement over the ~r'an,
During th e caliph ate of ' Uthman, one teacher would f:{udhayfa b. al-Yaman rode back to <Uthman and said, 'Truly the people
teacb someon e's reading (q ira'a) , w hile anot her teacher are disagreeing ove r the ~r'an so much so that I fear, by God, that the
~1ould teac h someon e else 's reading, such that the same disagreement will befall them that befell the Jews and Christians.'
)OUth s. w ho studied with them began to disagree, to Uthman grew severely upset by that [suggestion] , and sent for l:laf$a, in
th e po mt that it -.vas brought to the attenti on of the order 10 obtain ,he pages Iof the Q!r'an] that Abu Bakr had ordered Zayd
rea~hers. (AyyGb said, ··1 only know of IAbu Q!_laba J rocollect. Then he !hadJ codices copied from (I:Iaf~a's] pages, and he sent
say rng !chat it esca lated I to the point that some o f chem
would deny the readin g of oc hers.") When chis reached 1hem 10 the fro ntiers !of Muslim rule] ."
Sa'id b. al-Rabi'-Su fyan b. ' Uyayna-ZuhrI said, "When the
l In o1 her ~o~rces, this Khu uyma u considered to be I . - . . Prophet($) passed away, the Q.!!r'an had not been collected. It was only
o n Bukh :iri s Sabfli (KitJbj(lda'i/ (ll-Q!r',fo· bab . . iuza} ~ab. Th2bn . In ~u cornmem2ry
th;it the Hdpc r who b ro ught the fin.i. l l\~O v:/(l,n (I-_Q! r m,), Ibn ~ apr .i. 1- Asqal:inI ugues
\written ] on the roots of palm boughs (kariini}), leafless palm branches
O
n.i.me h e1 dwr Abu Khuz.1ynu b. Aws b Yazkrs S~ ra 9 was Abu Khuz.i.ym2, whose full and palm-boughs."
u ·c lbn 1:1.i.j:n, Filth rJl-bari, io:iS . · or Abu Khu z.i.yma al-l:f:irith b. Khu z2ym.i.; Sa'ld b. al-Rabi'-Sufyan lb. ' Uyayna]-Mujalid-Sha'bi-Sa' ia' a
1. This JUra is acm.i.ll y referred I I1 b [b. Siii)fo I said, "Abu Bakr was the first to grant an inheritance share to
(b,,ra'a)," which 1, .i.ho iti. opcni~ig ::.:rdy m altcrn .i.u vc name, " The R.dc2se [from a pact]
1
3 For .i.n 11mgh1ful analvsn of the · . 1
sec H.i.rald Motzki, ..The Collcc; ::::~t~:ncc~;.~n~ the compi_lario n_of the ~ r':inic code~. 1 ~ollowing the c:xplan;uion found in the O:ir H;ijar edition of Tabari's 1'iljsir; ;57 (note 3).
1
L1gl11 of Re-cent Med od I . ID I A R.ccom1dcr.i.n o n o f Wei.tern Views in n full nlmc h Malik b. Abi 'Amir al~Aiba~i.
l o og1ca eve o p111cnu, rkr }sl(l ,n. 78 (1.001): 1- 34.

47
 TABAR I Tabari's l,rtroducrio11

distant rel at ives (kaliila) and to collect th e code x [o f the ~ r'an]." . Ig cne ra· tions ) of Muslims
and successive ] have
f refused
. .
Were we ro incl ude all of the reports resemb ling this. this book wllhout a trace, The Muslim community did this not out o_ reJcct10n
wou ld become too long. These report s indicate chat the leader (imOm) of co< ecitr chem d - I !of the word mg
· sj • but instead o ut of their personald·
th e Musli ms and Commander of the Faithfu l, <Uthman b. cAffiin (rna oI c
. ,IH· soun. ness all [MuS1ms1. J. Today .
the Muslims have no rca mg
. .
1
God have mercy on him), brought th e Mu slims toge th er and restrictc~ onsi dcr:it1on ~r d . (harl\ that their co mpassionate and smccrc
c I rngle wor 111g . 'JI f I · · ·
th em ro a single wording (/,ar_/) [of the ~r' anj . [He did t hi s] out of (qirJ'a) s:ive tie~ I fi r them , to th e exclusio n o t 1c rcmamrng six
\eaJcr, I Ut hman\ , c wsc o
hi s rega rd for them, compassio n for t hem and as an ac t o f kindness to 1

th em, in ordrr to prevent some of chem from apostasizing after th eir wordings- . "bl fo r chem to relinquish a reading that th e
·•How was ,c posst c d I . .,
co nversion to Islam, and en terin g into di sbelief after belief. when it QUESTION ·f God (s) had taught them and conunande t 1em to recite.
became clear from some of them [who ca me into ] hi s presence that, Mrsscngcr o .o hct"s command to chem regarding this matter was
in hi s age , some IMu slimsj we re reje cting some of the seve n wordings RESPONS E : The p-~- P d lf"ar,1\ command; rather, it was only
. )' (c,ab) or man acory V' '!I ( kh ) , !Tl ·
acco rding ro w hi ch the ~r'an cam e down. (They did this] despite not an° bl ,gator ": . •b· l·t)' (ibiilia) and allowance "' $a· ns
man y Co mpan ions of rhe Messe nger of God (i) having he ard (directly[ d . dicat mg pcrm1ss1 I I . bl c h
..conunan Ill . f [ II en wordings] were O igatory 1or t cm,
th e Messenge r of God's prohibitio n(~) agai nst rejec tin g any of them and is\ became if the rcadmg o a she~ forth the proof that knowledge of
Id be necessary to rmg b I h
hi s informing chem rhac qu arreling over Ith e wordings of the ~ r'an] d1t'n it wou . I f I nur'an] was known y t wlesc w o
r •en wordmgs o t 1e '-<.:=
is di sbelief. On ce l<Ut hman l saw chat thi s was manife st among th em in I
each o t iesc sc, 1. ould remove any excuse ior not
his age, and du e to t he nea rne ss of t he rim e to th e ~ r'an "s revel ation, transmitted it; an d char t. 11s repo: w Id eliminate the doubt of the
and the departure of the Messe nger of God (~) from among them, he knowing :ill seven wordings], an wou. The clearest indicator that
. . f che Muslim commumty. h d.
jbro ughc t hem toget herl with so mething that wo uld protect them from ~r J.n renters o h l .chever reading they wis e ts
d the right to c oose wu d ]
tremendou s tribu lation s in reli gion, and that was th e recitation (tiliiwa) they were grantc . . h d transmitting Ithe other six wor ings •
of th e ~r'a n according to a single wording (bmj). 1 [the fact} th at th ey relmquts e . the [Muslim] community to
after it became incumbent for so meone tn. f he ~r'an.
j'Uthman ) brought th em toge ther by ag reeing upo n a single codex
mnsmit some (or one) of these seven wordmgs o t . . 1 .-
and tore up all of th e other codices that had bee n ga thered previously.
If that is how it was, then the !Muslims' act} of relinqmshmg tie cransnus
He firml y in sisted that anyone w ho had a codex th at dive rged from the
codex he had ga th ered mu st tear it up. All [of th e Muslims) agreed upon
ate unc uivocally that earl y Muslims ab~n-
obeying him in thi s matter and were of th e opinio n that what r uthman) 1 Ti.hlrl 11 ont of thr fr w Muslim scholars t~-s:- Accor1in to ibn al-Jaz:r.ri, .. The maj_o rny
did was uprigh t and correct. 3 The ~r·an reci ters reli nquished the other doncd m: of the sewn wordmgs of the ~r ar h.d
f
li ms
0
the Muslims, arc of the op1ruon
six wordings th at their just leader had firml y insisted they relinquish (,.i,,...ihir) of bot~ c_arliet and l:ite_r schol_ars, all ; t~i:nscvcn abmf what the skeletal text (,asm)
O
th21 the Uthmam n1Uthafa o'.11) contam ou t 'last renditio n" (al- 'a ,da al-aklrira) as rendered
o ur of obedie nce to him and our of the ir own pe rsonal co nsideration can rnpport, although they mdude all of th c b . I . h t leaving out any ~1arJfrom
for all of th e future members of this religion, to the point chat knowl- b\ the Pr~phct. !,al/a l~ /Jhu 'ala~hi wa-.sallam. to G~ r;Jt1;1i:"i: bouYasin Dutton, in his article,
edge of !these wordin gs J va ni shed from the jMuslim] comm unity. The lth:.1 rcndmonl . (Tim 1Ta'.n la11o n of lbn al-~az7,n ; unwl of Jsl!inic Studies, 23 : 1 (2012): 29.) I
"Onh1)._ Luc~cr and '.he Seven A!""f_Had,th. J f the seven wordings arc still part of
trac es [of th e other six wordings] became effaced and there is no way tlunk 1h1.; Jbn :r.l-Jaza ri s statemrnt 1mph~s chat lll~SC I cm arc absent from it and that the
for anyo ne today to recite them, because they arc obliterated and lost Uthnilnscodcx. unli ke Tabari, who cbnns that six o t 1
m!y Mushnu sdened jus1 onr of chem. .•

1 ' U1hrn;i11 b. 'Affan wa~ an early Comp:m1on o ftl1e Prophet and the third Muslim caliph. He
:: lnmll~·. "If mmeonc who~e knowledge was weak were,~~ :~:i-jiqli),
which was a Jcvclop-
J l1bufsrespo111e cmp_loys tlw terminology.of _legal theoJ fo~ centuries whether a command
ruled from 6,u to 656.
ing fidd of !iCholanh1p in hh day. Master JUflS ts debate . ..b fi r!J !ways recommended
2 A~ t!u~ c1mre pu:r.graph IS a \ inglc Ara bi c ~t'nte11ce. I have- !1ad to rearrange its wording from t_hc Prophet (or the ~r'in) \~•:is always obli ~ai_or~ (u:~cr0 ; ~~ k_: an assessment. This
sligh tl y to rendt"r n m English. I ;un indebted to Cooper's transl:ition for :assistance with the 3
(11'.andMb) or whether addaion:r.l cv1dc11cc was needed 111 : miti 0ate th<-' liceral command of
fin al ~emcnce of tlm par,1grapli; Co,,11nm tary. i.7. dd».te pronded room for casuh1ry. as well as a means t g
) Lu crally ... [m accordance- wnh the true] guidance (hidJya)." the re\"e1.led ~ource~ of Jslani .

49
 TA DA.Rf
1
sion of a_ll seven readings (qirii iit) [together] wo uld n o t have consicitutc
abandonmg what had been made incumbent upon them In st d d bet" 11 those whose transmissions arc considered as st,r~ng proofs. _
. b I . ea,wbat
was m~um ent upon t 1cm was th at they do what they did, becau se what
the y did was done out of considerat ion fo r Jth e future ben efit] of I I
an d Mu slims. The exec ution of an act ch at was incumbent upon th s arn
more app ropri·ate t I domg
· s~me t I11ng
1a'.~ _ · w h·1c h, Irnd the y done it,crn was
would
have led to offences ~"'.aya) against Islam and Mu slim s, and it is closer to
the secure path than 1s its alternative.
Th e differences between th e ~ r 'anic readings related co case end-
ings, or whether there is a sukii,1 on a_le tter o r a short vowel, or t he c hange
of on e lett er to another, both of w hi ch share the sa m e written shape 1
all excl u,d ed from th e Proph et's statement (~) " I was commanded to :e;:
the ~ran according to seven wordings." This is because it is o bvious tbat
~her~ is no case of ~cttcrs in the ~ r 'an ove r w hi ch the reciters disagreed
:.n ~lu s ,_n anner, ~~'hich w~uld necessitate describing the e n suing quarrel as
di sbelief (kufr), accord mg to the op inion of th e religio us scholars of the
conm_rnnity. J The Proph et (~) decreed chat quarreling over [ the Q!! r'an's
wordmgsJ was di sbelief, on the basis of what the disp ut ants were disput-
ing. and this is evident &om the n arrat ion s ,.ve have mentioned p reviously
at the begin ning of thi s chapter.
QUESTION: Do you have knowledge of th e seve n la nguages (alsuu) in
which the Q!_ir'an was sent down and w hi ch languages (o r dialects) among
the Arabs are ch ey ?
RE SPON SE: As for th e six !oth er ] lan g uages in w hich the Q!!r'an came
down , there is no need to have any knowledge of chem because even if
we knew th em, we wo uld nor recite them tod ay for th e reasons we have
mentioned previously. It has been sa id chat five of ch em belong to cajuz 3
o f Hawazin , and two of chem are ~ raysh and Khu za' a. All of th.i s has
1 For eumple, the leuers ,.a· and tJ ' arc indi~1inguhh.ible in 1he e.irliest dodess m anuscripts of
1he ~r"in, m yafnliin {'" they do") and rafolii11 (.. you all do") look identical.
2 111 other words, it 1s inconceivable th.:n a scholarl y deb.i1e over che short \•owels of the
Uthm:i mc t"dmon of 1lil· ~r'in could be construed as disbelief. and it h clear to Tabari t hat
die dcba1c~..tha1 led 10 1he Prophet "s reportt·d dedar.ition tha1 ··~arrcling ove r tbe ~ r'5.n
1s d11bd1ef wcre categorie.1ll y diffC"rcnr from this.
3 Ta~.iri explaim the me.ining of thh word below after two par.igr.iphs. Cooper t r.inslates it
.ii tl1t hmd lor lower! d arn of [1ht tribcs ofj H awlzin." The 1-bw:izin were "a large Norih
Arab1,rn tribe or group of tribes," tradnionally rival~ of the G.!:_Jraysh, rnme of whom were
)Cttlcd m the nea rby town of Ta"if: W. Momgomery Wau , '" H:iwiizin," EJJ. A significant
contmgent of Haw:izi n was \'l nqun hed by 1hl· Muslims in the Baulc of Hunayn, sho rtly
afte r the peacdul conquest of Me cca, m 630. · \\i. 0 1 i.. member of ~raysh .
50
Tabari's lutrod11ctio11
na rrated from Ibn 'Abbas '. but th e narr~tors of this narration a~e not
11
amo g"five of them arc from rh e language of the a;11z of Hawazm
"I'°" - !Muhammad b. al-Sa' ibj Kalb,- Abil Sali~, and the report
comes trom I r ianguagcs arc the language of ~raysh and Khuza' a"
·"The two ot h 1 d I. f:
JC • .
comes from Q:!_t:ida, and Qe.t:ida nelt er m et nor 1ear anyt m1g rom
Jhn Abbas. . _.
ic of our compan io ns informed m e of tlllS from Salt!) b. Na$r
01
_- I Ha)'tham b cAdi- Sa' id b. Abi 'ArUba-Qe_tada- Ibn
].K11uza1- a- · · ·
aAbhls said, "The ~r ';111 ca me dow n in the language of ~raysh and th e
language of Khuza (a, because they share the sam~ abode. _ .
One of our companions informed, me of t!:1s from ~alil) b. Na$r-
Shu'ba~t:ida- Abo' I-Aswad al-Du ali sa\d, Tl,1e °¥:ran came d~wn
in the languages of the rwo Jmen nan:ed] Ka~: _Ka~ b. Amr and Ka b b.
lu·a,·v.·•: Khalid b. Salama 3 said to Sad b. Ibrah1111, Are you not amaz~d
b, tiiis blind man IQ!t3daJ! He claims chat the ~r'an came do~n m
,iit language of the two .~acbs, when in fact it only came down m the
language of rhe ~raysh. c
The cajuz of Hawazin arc [the clans of] Sa d b. Bakr, Ju sham b. Bakr,
N~r b. Mu·awiya an d Thaqif.
As for the meaning of the Prophet's statement($), whe~ he ment~~ned
the coming down of the Q!!r'an according to seven wording.~, ch_at. e~ch
one was, healing (shafi,i) and a sufficient [message) (kii}in), this ts ,~ke
God"s statement (Maj esti c is His praise) in His description of the ~ran:
Ohumanity, there lias come to you a,i exhortation from your Lord, a healing (shifii')
Ji, rhat wliich is in
the breasts, a guidance and a mercy for believers (Q. rn:57).
God made [the ~r'an] a healing for the believers. They are healed by
llStxhortations of the illnesses in their breasts, from the whisperings and
1Tlbri 11refming here to Mu~ammad b. al-Sa'ibal-Kalbi (d. ~~6~763), :is ~he is,_radfollo\~~~~
thu1cntenreind1r:itts. Sunni Jjadith schob rs unanimously crmc1zcd and mvalidatcd Ka _1 5
n,rm1on1, JI can be src-n from his en try in Jbn l:Iajar's Tahdhrb al-taltdhib, 5:594-6. Despn:
h11 ncg;.th-c tcputa1ion, many subsequent exegctcs, such as Abii'l-Layth al-S~margan~t
(d r;5/98y-6), Tha' hbi {d . .p. 7ho35) and Baghawi (d. 516/ 1122), regularly cne Kalbi s
0 P1n1on1 in thdr comme ntaries, along wit h th ost'. of Muq3til b. Sulaymfo (d. i5o/7 6 7),
·.rhoni T•bari al10 rcfusrd 10 ci te in his Tafiir.
'A;imi.d Shlki r pro\ides anotht"r narrat ion identifying Ka' b b. 'Amr as the a.llcg:d forcfoihrr
0'. ~huzi i.. and Ka b b. Lu'ayy :is tl1c forefa1her of the ~raysh; 'Jafii~ a/-'l~barr. ;~~c wa~
: ~le~
l Kluhd b. Si.. b rna was a leader of the Murji'a from G.!:_Jraysh who hw d 111 Ku · _
by the Abb.isid1 when chey conquered ~raq in 132!7~0: ibn_J:laja~. Tahd:rba~~:~iid~'!:
·- iJ. Note ilm ~t:ida was affiliated wi1h .i rl\'al theological onentat1on, th )Y
1nd 111
 TABARl
inclinations of satan s, and \the ~r'an] is sufficient for them (fa-yakfihitti
and alleviates th eir need for all exhortations ot her than it, on account
0
the clear exposition of its ve rses.
DI SCUSSION ELUC IDATING THE MEAN ING ()F THE STATEMENT
OF THE MESSENGER OF GOD($), "THE Q!d R'AN WAS SENT DOWN
FROM THE SEVEN GATES OF THE GARDEN" AND AN ACCOUNT
OF THE NARRATED REPORTS CONC ERNING T HAT
Th e tran sn~ittcrs of this report on the authority of the Messenger of
God (~) differed ove r the word s it contains.
It has been narrated from Ibn Mas' Ud that the Prophet (~) said, ..The
firs~ !revcale<lJ,_Book came down from one gate acco rding to one ba,f,
while th e OE:r an ca me down from seve n gates according to seve n abruf:
reprimanding and commandi ng; lawful an d unl awfu l; clear an d ambigu-
ous; and similitudes. So make lawfu l w hat is lawful and prohibit what is
unlawfu l. Do what you have been commanded to do and refrain from
do ing what has been made forbidden to you. Consid er ca refully its simili-
tudes. Act in accordance with its clear verses and believe in its ambiguous
ones, saying, We belie11e in it; tl,e u,/,ole isfrom 011, Lord (Q.3 :7). " 1
This has been narrated to me from YO.nu s b. 'Abd al-A' la-Ibn
Wahb-lJaywa b. Shurayh-' Uqayl b. Khalid- Salama b. Abi Salama
b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf-his father- lbn Mas' ud- the Prophet (I).
It ha s been narrated in a 11wrsal narra ti o n from Aha Q_ijaba that
the Prophet (~) said somet hin g else: Mul~arnmad b. Bashs har-<.Abbad
b. Zakariyy:i-cAwf-Abu Q.Daba said, " It ha s re ac hed me_, chat the
Prophet (~) said, 'Tb e ~r'Jn was sent down according to seven abruf:
command and reprimand; inspiration to good deeds; inspiration to shun
bad de eds; arg ument; narrative; and similitud e."'
And it was narrated from Ubayy b. Ka' b, from th e Messe nger of God,
according to what was narrated to me from: Abo. Kurayb-Mu)Jammad
b. Fudayl- lsml'il b. Abi Khalid- 'Abd Allah b. 'lsa b. 'Abd al-Ra~min
b. Abi Lay la-Iii ~ fathcr- hi s grandfather-Ubayy b. Kach said, "The
Mcs~:nge r of God($} said to me, 'Trul y God commanded me to recite the
~ran acco rding to a si ngle barf; and I said, '"Q Lo rd , lighten the load for
: i~c~m nrnnit y:" Then He said, ''Recite it according to two ba,fs"; and 1
, 0 Lord, lighten the load for my co mmunity!" He commanded me
1
il';r1i-~g t :luml-hbb:in
1
IC <1
11 0
d Sh~br, \'arimom o( tlm baJ,-,li
• nd al -Hik 1m•s
1 11
Musradrak;
;ir(' found the Musriad of
in
Tafsir al-Jabari,
1 :68.
Ibn l;bnbal.
52
7i1barf's !titrod11aio11
reci te it according t~ seven abruf. f:om seven gate~.~f the Garden, each
one of which is a hcalm g and a suffioent [message J.
10
Something completely different from all of this has been
narrJ.rcd from Jbn Mas' Ud, as ~vc have bee n inforn~cd by: Kura~b-
Muhiribi- al-Abwa$ b. f:-lakun ~ Oam:a ~; }:lab16-al-~s1m b. Abd
al-Ral_un:ln- 'Abd Allah b. Mas ml sa id , Trul y God sent do~n the
Qir"in according to five abruf: lawful .and unlawful; cle~r_and am~1guous;
and similitudes. So make lawful w hat ts lawful and prol11b1t what 1s unlaw-
ful: act in accordance with tl~ c c~ea: _ve rses .~nd believe in the ambiguous
onct: and consider carcfu lly its smulttud cs.
TABAR! SAID: All of rh c report s that we have mentioned on the authori-
;roi rhc Messenger of God (~) arc close in meaning, because the following
~~prmions all mean rh~,s~~nc thing: ".So-and-so ~s pre~ccupi.ed ~ith
min abui,ib of chis matter ; So-and-so ts preoccupied with tvaJh mm tvupt/1
of this matter··: and "So-and-so is preoccupied with a barfof this matter. " 1
Do you nor sec char God (Exalted is His remembrance) described a group
of people who worship Him in only one of the many possible ways of
worship, hy saying that they worship Him by means of a single barfl He
said, Alld among hwna11ity is he who worships God in a single mam1er (barf;
Q.22:u). 2 God means that they worship Him in the way of doubt, not in
the way of certainty in it and [total] submission to His command.
The same is true of the narration from the Prophet($) in which he said
MTht' ~r'an came down from seven gates" and "came down from seven
ahnf. Thelr meani ngs arc the same, and the interpretation of them both
does not differ in thi s case.
The meaning of all of that is that it is a statement from the Prophet($)
~bout what excellence and honour God has restricted to him and his com-
munity, which He has not given anyone else among what He has sent
down [to them J. That is, each Book that preceded our Book came down
to Ont' of the Prophets of God ($) according to a single language, such
th at when it was changed into words in which it had not come down, it
1 1
;; t~rceie nte~_cn mean "So-and-so is preoccupied with {11mqi111 'ala) one as peel or dimension
fro~/:;;~1::· Cooper tramlatcs muqim 'ala as "so-and-so is standing at the gate of, or in
, Abt '.
1
the t"dge of ~omething"; Commemary, 29.
· ;~ ~;; _eal~-~ Picktha.11 render /i,iifin thi s versc as "narrow edge" and "a narrow margc ,"
53
 TA BAR.I
beca1~1e ~n ex~Jlanation (ra,~j,mia) ' and com menc ar y of the Book and
a rec1t:m on (1,/Qu,a) of what God had actually sent d ow n . [By contra~~t
God sent down our Bo ok according to seven lang ua ( I )
whicheve r o f th e seven ones the reciter recites he _g
dI . ,v1 llebse arcc1t111g
su~ .' so that
w hat
Go actuall y J se nt dow n. rath er than an explan ation o r cl •fi •
it . unl ess he changes it to something outsid e of th ese anl1cat1on of
Wh oeve r docs thi s. if th e meaning is still correct has b seve n anguages.
.. . , ecomc an cxplica-
to r _(muta 91r11a,1) of lth c O!:!r an J, and not a recit er of it. This is like the
recit er of some of .the Books th at God sen t down according to a sin le
lan ? uage (or. wordmg): when someone reci tes them using o th er w or~s
he 1s an ex pltcat o r and not a reciter of what God h as se nt down. That i;
th e m eaning _o f th e P:ophec's statement (~) "Trul y th e first Book came
down accord11~~ to a single baif, while the ~r'an ca m e dow n according
to se,·en ahruf.
As fo r th e Prophet's statement(~) " Trul y the first Book came down
fro m o ne gat e, w l~~lc the Q.!!r'an came down from seve n gates," he means
by the statement the fir st Book came down from o ne gate"- and God
kno ,~,s bes t- the Books th at God sent down to His Pro phets th at are
~cvotd o f any m enti on of rulings (/wdiid). laws and !discussion of what
~s J law f~I and unlav,,ful, like th e Psalms of David, which arc exclusively
mvocat1o ns and ex h ortations, and the Gospel of Jesus, w hi ch co nsists of
glo rificat io n and praises and urge s one to forgive and be munificent, to the
exclusio n of oc h er Books w ith laws and rulings. !He refers j co Books like
th at. which came down wit h on ly some of th e seven m ea nings (matanQ,
all o f w hi ch are contain ed in o ur Book, which God h as res tri cted co His
Prophet Mu\:iammad (~) and hi s communit y.
Non e:- o f th ese other worsh ippers has any othe r recourse to gaining
th e pleas ure o f God (Exalt ed is Hi s rem embrance-). or ob tai nin g !entry]
int o the Garden o r being brought closer to Him except by m eans of
Iuph o ldin g ] the singl e manner (wajh ) according to wh ich H e se nt d own
th ei r Boo k. That is th e singl e gate from among the ga tes of the Garden
fro m ,1o•h1 ch that Book came down. God (M.ighry an d M ajes tic is H e) has
singled om o ur Proph et Mu}:i ammad M and hi s community beca use He
se nt dow n to th em Hi s Book acco rding to seven of the manners (awjuh)
by whi ch, if th ey uphold chem, the y can obtain the pleasure of God and
I t-,.hhin Ud Shl kn m:i ko thf 11npo ru n1 point that T .ib.i ri i~ nor rde rring 10 the trara ladon
of. for example, d ie Torah from H ebrew to Grc,:k . bur rat he r 1hc im eruo n of cx pl::in:itory
wo1d1 1n I lc brew (or one of 1a d1.1lct:B) m to t h<" o n gmal wo rd) G od ~poke to Mosd on
')ina1: "J'iJfm al-1abmi. 1 :70 .
)4
Tabari 's J,urod11ctio11
1,chir,·r." the triu~1ph ~f the Ga rden. Eac h mann er am o ng th e seven man-
ners !of the ~ r an] 1s a gate amo ng th e ga tes of the G_arden , from which
,hr Q!r.in came down. because th e person w ho acts 111 accordance with
],
eachof the scYen 111anncrs acts .in acco rd ance \\'. ich _each of th e gates of the
G.ll'drn. see king success (fawz) 111 accordance wah it. Acting in accordance
iiith what God (Majes tic is Hi s praise) co mmand s in Hi s Boo k is a gate
lmong the gates of the Garden ; shunning w hat God has forbidden him is
• ~coud gate among its gates ; maki ng lawful what God made lawful in
is its third gate ; prohibiting what God m ade unl awfu l in it is its fourth
11
l!:i.rc; bdicf in the clear verses is its fifth gate; acceptance of the ambigu-
,·rrscs. the knowl edge of which God ha s reserved for Himself and
h:Jdcn from 1--liscreaturc..·s. and affirmatio n that it comes from hi s Lord, is
ltl l!'.lilh~u•; and carefu l consideration of its similitudes and exhortation s
tl !l)~v;n,h gate.
God made all that is in the ~r'an-its seve n burUf and th e seven
c,m from which it came down-a guide for His servants, who seek His
p1wure. and a leader (qii'id) fo r them to the Garden. That is the meaning
o~ thc Prophrr·s statement(~) "Th e ~_r'an came down from seven gates
of 1lir Gardcn."
As for the Prophet's statemen t($) "Truly each ba,Jhas a limit (badd),"
ht means that cwry manne r among the seven manners has a limit that God
(~\Jjmk is His praise) fixed and it is impermiss ible for anyone to cross it.
1
As for bis statement(~) "Each barf has an ex terior and interior," its
rncrior is its accessible recitation , while its interior is its interpretation
1h1111 hidden.
As for his statement(~) ''a nd each limit (badd) has a lookout (,,111.t.tala') ,"
bt means that there is a set amount (miqdiira,i) of reward and punishment
from G~ in the Hereafter for each limit among the limits of God that
Hernabltshed in it-among the lawfu l and th e unlawful and all of His
01hcrbws. [Each person] will view it and see it direccly o~ Resurrection
0~:·· as Umar b. al-Khanab (r) said, "Were I to have all of the gold and
1~1er in this world , I would use it to ransom myself from the terror of
1
1i,xpl.1.Jn1ng he- re- 1hc- mc-~ning of lbn Mas' Ud's baditli • ..The ~r';i.n was sent down
(~curo
~::i.'~:t;.
h br
wo,dmgs .ind wording has :in apparent !meaning) and an.. inw~rd
e~c h
mg ha~ a lnmt (hadd'); and each limi1
0rd a looko ut (t1w.1fala), which
h;is
u I e ginrnng of the previous chapter of his introd uction.
55
 TAHARf
the lookour." 1 [In other words, 'Umar J mea ns [the angel] w hich, by h
command of God, wi ll examine and inspect p1is deeds] after his death, e
DI SC U SSION CONCERN IN G THE WAYS BY_ WH ICH KNOWLEDGE
OF THE INTERPRETATION OF THE Q!dR'AN C AN BE OBTAJNJ!O
We have already mentioned the evidence su pporting the assertion that
the ent ire ~r'an is Arabic, that it was se nt dow n in the lang u ages of
so me of the Arabs to the exclus ion of th e languages of othe r [ArabsJ,
and that th e Mu slim reci ters today- alo ng with th e codi ces of the
~ r'a n in their mjdst- have just one of the lang u ages (or wordings)
acco rding to which th e ~r'an came down and not all of them. We have
said a suffi cie nt amount, for whomeve r has been g ranted [by God] its
understanding, regarding th e ex planation of the li ght , proofs, wisdom
and elu cidation that the ~r'an contain s, whic h God placed in it among
Hi s command s an d prohibit io n s, Hi s lawfu l and unl awful [t hings) , H is
promise and threat, Hi s clea r and ambiguou s Ive rses ), and the sub tleties
of H is ruling s.
N ow we shall ex plain th e ways by ,vhich one ca n see k the interpre-
tatio n !of the ~r'an l.
God (Majestic is Hi s praise and h o ly are Hi s Names) said to His
Prop het Mubammad (~). And J,Ve hai,e sent dowt1 to you the R emembrance
1hat you may explain to humanity that which has bee,1 se,11 doum for them, and
that perhaps th ey may reflect (Q . 16:44). He (Maj estic is Hi s r e membrance)
also said. And J,Ve ha,,e se111 doum the Book to yoi, only rhat you may explain LO
them rhat wl,ereiu rl,ey differ, and (as) a g uidance and a mercy for a people who
belie1,c (Q. 16:64). And H e sa id , He it is Who has sent down to you the Book
,i,J1erei11 arc clear signs-thq are the Morl,er of th e Book-arid others (which art)
aml,ig11011s; bra those in whose hearts is doubt p11rsuc that wlziclz is ambi!u~us of
it, seeking (to muse) dissension by seeking its i11terpretatio11 ; t1one kno rvs ,cs
11
,~,t~~
preta1io11 saw Cod mid those well-grounded in knowledge say, We believe HI ~
the whole is from our Lord; but only 111e,1of 1111derstauding really heed (Q.3 :7):
It has been clarified, by the clear exposit ion of God (Majestic is ~s
remembrance). that among what God sent down in t h e -...c,!!r n .. •-an to His
h if u comes forth after m~ , then God is the One Who will watch over
Prophet ($) arc things whose inte rpretation can on ly be a tt ained by c e
1 Accordmg 10 lbn S:i d, th e C:i!1ph ' ~mar ~aid ~hh sho~dy :ifc_er _he w:i.s sta
dying from Im wou nd; lbn S:i d, Kuab al-/'1baqat al-k'1bir, ed. Al , Mul_1:i.mt~
:1;1J:
_ , :67 .
\'Oh . (C:1 1ro: MJkub;n Jl~ Kh;111ji. 2001), 3:329. For Jdd1tio nal rderences. sec D:i.r H:i.J:i.r·
2 ~er br io" for :i tr:1mla1ion of T:ib:iri's compll.'H' commentary on thh sign ific:i.ut verse-
ua
56
Tabari's l,1rro,J,wio11
:,; \anation provided by th e Messenger of God ($) . That appli es to all
\~tis included among the types of His ~o mm and s-o bligator y. rcc-
~nimended and prudent directio1~ (irsl~iid) - and th e_ categori.es of His
rohibi tion s: the fulfillmen_t of Hi s claims .and prescnhcd pu111 shment s ;
;hnhares He fixed in inheri tance; the specifi~ a,_nounts that arc owed by
<ome of Hi s crearnres to others : and o tl1~r s11mlar cases of le ga l ve rses,
;ht knowledge of which ca nn ot be acq uired save through th e ex plana-
uon pro,·ided by che Messenger of God (~) to hi s co mmunit y. This is
t,·pc [of ,·erse] for which it is impermi ssible for ~nyon~ t~ give an
orinion concerni ng it, save by mea ns of th e ex planation of Its mt crprc-
unon from the Messenger of God(~). in an explicit text (1,a$~) about it,
o; by an indicator he has estab li shed that indicates its interpretation for
hiscommunitv.
[Th ese ,·e~ses also indicatej that there arc parts of [th e ~r'anJ
,\hose interpretat ion is known only to God, th e One, the Vanquisher.
Thll would include- informa tion about the duration of the lifespans of
lfocrcltu res and futu re tim es, like the exact time of th e Last Hour, the
~lowing of the Horn, the desce nt of Jesus the Son of Mary , and thin~s
]ikr that . Truly no one knows the exact times of these events or their
mterpretation except by means of reports of their portents (ashrii.tihii) ,
because God has reserved knowledge of all that for Himself, to the
mlmion of His creatu res.
That is why our Lord sent down the clear verses of His Book
•~dsaid, They ask you about the Last Hour, wheu it will come to port• Say:
K.r.ow!cdge of 1/iis is wit!, my Lord only. He alone will manifest it at its proper
lime. !1isl1ea11}' in thelieavema 11 d the ea rth . It comes not to you sa ve you are rma-
U\lre. Tirey q11estio11 you as if yo 11 could be well informed of it. Say: Kn owledge
~f:r irnirli God o,dy, b111most ef lwma,iity knows not (Q.7: 187). Wheneve r
our Prophe t Mul.iammad ($) mention ed any thing regarding that, he onl y
i:idicaied [its timingJ by mentioning it s portents to the exclusion of a
ipeofic 1ime, such as wha t has been narrated from him ($) saying to hi s
Complnions when he mentioned t he Antichrist (Dajjii~: "If it comes
ou.1 while I am with you then J am th e one w ho will challenge it; and
:r~~
1
1 1rd
('b El Sh1m~y nan~lates irshad as "prudent direction" and iden tifies it as one of the
:~ '. tnni common to Tabari's introduction Jnd thl' famous Ri5iila of Mul;iammad b. Idris
~,' '"."-G i(d. 2o4/820); sec El Shamsy, Tiu· Canonization of Islamic Law (New York: Cambridge
m1~1wy Pt('l\, 2013), 21 5.
57
 TAOARf Tabari 's lntrod11crion

you after rne." Th ere arc many simil ar reports to this-which

1 Mu'anuna l- Su fyan lal-Thawrij- Abo.'1-Zinad said: Jbn <Abbas said,
we to recount th em exhaustively, woul d elo ngate thi s book- tha; "QEr·anic con11nc ntary (t11Jsir) co mes in four ty pes. One type th e Arabs
ca re th at he (~) did not have any kn owledge o f th e exact times oft: I- kuoW [because it is] _th_e ir speech. jThe sec~nd type] _J s commentary, the
eve nt s in term s of yea rs and days and that ~od (Maj es tic is His prai::) ien orancc of whi ch 1s rn cxc usablc. [The third t ypeJ 1s commentary that
on ly taught him about the portents of th eir arrival, ind icating the ~ih- the scholars know. [The fourth typ e] is commentary that no one
1
indirectl y. Ill ~n; ws except God (Exa lted is His remembrance)."
!These verses also in dicate ! chat th ere arc parts of the ~ r'an wb os( This /sccond lz type th at Ibn <Abbas mentioned-that of which no
int er pretation [can be acquired] by every perso n who has knowlcd e one can excusabl y claim ignoran ce- is not meant actually as a clari-
of the language in which th e ~r' an ca m e down. This [knowlcd ~j (i o iion of th e types of m ea ns of interpretation. Rather, it is only a
inclu de s provid in g its vocalizat ions {trab)/ knowing the things tti declaration tha t there arc some things of which it is impermissible to be
ignorant of their int erpretation (or meaning).
are refe rred to by simple and una mbi guous names; and t h in gs that ar(
described by speci fi c attributes ro the exclusio n of other ones. No On( Somrdiin g si mila r to what we said has been narrated on the authority
w ho kn ows !Arabic j is ign oram of th ese things. For ex ample , the listen- of 1hr Messenger of God(~). although there is a problem with its chain
of transmission :3 Yllnus b. 'Abd al-Nia al-Sadafi- lbn Wahb- 'Amr b.
er who hears a reci ter recite, A11d when it is said to them, Make not corrup1iot1
al- H;]rith-Kalbi- Abll ~alil), the maw/a of Umm Hani'-(Abd Allah
011the ea rth , th ey say, f,Veare but doers ofgood. Beware! They indeed aresplladm
b. A.bbas-rhe Messenger of God (}) said, "The ~r'an came down
of corruption , though they perceive not (Q.2: 11 - 12), can not be ignorant that
according to fou r abmj: che lawful and the unlawful , the ignorance of
the meani ng of iftad (" making corruptio n") is "any harmful thing th at
which is ine xcusable ; commentar y, which the Arabs explain; commen-
one shou ld refrain from doing," an d that i$li"ib ("do ing good") means
my, which the scholars explain; and the 'ambiguous [verses],' which no
"an y beneficial thin g that one should do. " [Th e liste ner k n o ws thisj
onr knows except God (Exalted is His remembrance). Whoever claims
even if he is igno rant of al l of the specific th ings (macOni) that God has
10 ha\·e knowled ge of them, other than God (Exalted is His remem-
decla red to be "maki ng corruptio n" and all of the specific t hings He has
brancr), is a liar. "~
declared to be "doing good." The in terpretat ion that the person who
knows the language in which the ~r'an came down is what I described :
kn owledge of the indivi du al words with their n ecessary n ames th.at are
not shared !wi th other words], 3 and things that are described by spe-
cific attributes. [This knowl edge) excl udes [understa nding of] which
laws are obligatory, or th eir attributes an d co nd ition s, the knowledge
of which God has restricted to Hjs Prophet (~). and the kn ow ledge of
t~at which cannot be acqui red save by hi s ex pl anat ion, with the excep- 1 A umili r report, transmitted by Sufyan al-Thawri, on the authority of lbn 'Abbas. is
tion of the knowledge God has reserved for Himself to the exclusion fou~d ilio m the brief int roduction to 'Abd al-Razz:iq aHian' :ini's (d. 211/827) Taftir; seC"
of Hi s creatu res. T~firr Abd al-Rau.iq, ed . Mahmud Muhammad 'Abduh, 3 vols. (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub

ft
aJ.Jlm1rp). 1:2n. . .
. .Tl~c following report narrated on the autho rit y of Ibn cAbbis 1
A~bic says •'founb type," bu t it is cle:ir rl1at Tabari is referring co the second type; Tajsir
is smular to what we have just sa id: Muham mad b. Bashshar- '·Tab.m, 1:75; Di r Hajar, 1:70.

:te
J problem \'try clearl y is thC" pre~encc 0 ( Muhammad b. al-Sii'ib al-Kalbi in its ismid; seC"
:!.r~;:~~r on Kalbi. AQmaJ Shakir also n~akC"s this obsC"rvation in a foomote; Tafsir
' ' .~taJ/ mdin ic-s dm this SC'ntC"ncC" i~ put of a longer hadith fo und in M uslim's $tJ~ih; 1
1 a;:nra -lao,;m.1:,.,1 -s. ·
l C.oorr ~sn ~lC' rnorC' tt·chniCll C'Xprcss1011 -des111ential inflexions·' ; Commentary. JJ· In ot:her
"
0
r s. 1 1"r nov. m o ugh Ar.ibic synu x to affix dw proper short vowels and case eo dings ~ ~:iry
: lnttrmmgly. ilus repon from Kalbi was inserted into Muqiitil b. Su1aym:in ·s (d. 150/70) Q!!r'foic
by ~la_ier rc~c:ror, since Muq:iril w~s a contemporary of Kalbi an~ did not ?arratc
il-Hnkh ' ~ 7'f1r Muqaril b. Sulayma,1, ed. 'Abd Allah Shil_i;ita, 5 vols. (Bcirm: Mu ass.asac
1
1 1
t~ fro~ .d,r objm of rhe "erb.
1 ;r:~:/"ax;,J:ra~~: ~~: ~) ~ ; 1 4J1M rhaal-f,u,magharral-,nu$ht,uak; .
O ;ir HaJar, 1:70.
.i.l- Ar.ib1,ro,n), ,:27,

58 59
 TABAR I
AN ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE NARRATED REPORTS TH
PROHIBIT THE INTERPRETATION O F THE Q!,!R.:A N A'f
BY MEANS OF UNAIDED REASON (RA'Y)
Yal) y• b. Tal ba al-Yarbu 'I-Sharik- 'Abd al-A' la-Sa' id b. Juba r--lb
(Abbas- the Prophet(~) sa id. "Whoever in terprets the ~r' an on :be ba
of hi s un aid ed reason 1- let him take his seat in Hellfire ."l
Mul)ammad b. Bashshar-Yab ya b. Sa'id [al-~nan]-Sufy
l=il-Thawrl}- cAbd al-Nl:i, meaning the son of cAmir al-Tha' labi-Sa'~~
b. J~bayr- lbn 'AbMs-rhc Prophet (i) said, " Whoever interprets the
~ r :in on the basis of hi s unaid ed reasoning (or by something he docs
not know) -lct him take hi s scat in H ellfire ."
Abu Kurayb- Mul)amm ad b. Bishr and ~biia-Sufyin
\al-Th awrIJ - 'Abd al-A' la-Sa'id b. Ju bayr-Ibn 'Abbas said: the
Messe nger of God (~) said, "Whoever in terprets the GE:r'a n without
[basing it} on knowledgc--lct him take hi s seat in Hellfire ."
Mu\J amnud b. f-::lumayd-al-}:I akam b. Bashir-'Amr b. Q!ys
al-M u\a'I-'Abd al-A' la-Sa'id b. Jubayr- lbn 'Abbas said, "Whoever
interprets the ~r':in on the basis of hi s unaided reaso n- let him take
hi s place in Hellfire."
!bn l:lumayd-Jarlr-Layrh-Bakr-Sa' id b. Jubayr-Ibn 'Abbas
sa id , "Whoever interprets the ~r 'an on the basis of his unaided rea-
son- let him take h is place in Hellfire.''
Abu'l-Sa'ib Salm b. Junada al-Suwa'i- Hafi b. Ghiyarh-al-f:iasan
b. ' Ubayd Allah- Ibrahim- Abu Ma' mar said: Ab u Bakr al-5iddiq (r)
sa id, '"What land will bear me and what sky will shade me were I to
interpret the ~r'an with something I do not know!"
MulJammad b. al-Muthanna- Ibn Abt 'Adl- Shu' ba-Sulayman
b. 'Abd Allah b. Murra- Abu Ma' mar said: Abu Bakr al-5iddiq said,
"What land will bear me and what sky will sh ade me were I to inter-
Cooper tmubt el ,a·y ;i.s .,pcnon;i.l opmion.'· which 1s certainly ;i. ,·alid re ndering of the
1
word m man y contex1s. Howtvcr. ;i. ·•penonal op1111 011 " could be ba~ed o n Ar:i.bic gr.untn~
or pottr r, ;i.j lttem-d reptJtedlr m Tabari°s Taf~ir. Wh:it I think Tab.ari is criticizing here lS
a pc-nonl l o pm1011 that 1s not bJ~cd on any credi ble e,·1dence, wh~thcr tex tual or linguiifi~,
this
wl 11 d 1 is ,,h >· I ha\·e 1ramla1c<l ra'y as ··unaided rc-1.son." Ano1htr 1r.anslarion of it in
comtxt rmght bt Hpun: spccu lauon ."
1 ~ ccordmg 10 Al.1mad Shi kir, vanauom of tlm hadith ne fou nd in the Su11a11s of AbO DJW~•
r i m 11 dhi and ~-1.si'l ; the Mwmad of lbn l:fanhll; ;i.nd al-Hikim's Must<Jdra lc Tajsir af-Ta"4ri ,
1:"7. T im hadrrh n also found m the introduction to 'J\bd ;i.l-Razziq·s ·faJsir; T11ftir ~l,d
al- RtJuijq. 1:i si .
60
Tabari 's lnrrod11ctio,1
ret the 13ook of God (Mighty an d Majestic is Het on the basis of my
~naidrd reason (or bas:d on w hat I d o not know)!
Thrse reports temfy, on our behalf, to the soundn ess of what we
h,re said, which is that there ca n be no interpretation of the verses of
515
the ~r°:in, 1bc knowledge of w hich is in access ible, exce pt through an
hca statement of the Me sse nge r of God(~) or an indicator that he ha s
:~~hlish('d indic:tting [its interpretation). It is impermi ss ible for anyone
io interpret ld1e ~r·:in] on the basis of hi s unaided rea so n.
[\"en if the person who int erp rets it on the basis of hi s unaided
roion is correc t regard ing what he sa id, he still will have erred in what
he has done on accou nt of hi s having spoken on the basis of his unaided
reason. This is du e to the fact that his correct opinion is not that of
pmon who is certain he is correct; rather, it is merely the correct
1
opinion of someone who g uesses and supposes [he is correct). The per-
ion wbo speaks :tbout the religion of God on the basis of supposition
(:m;u) is someone who says things he does not really know about God.
God (MJ_1estic is His praise) has forbidden that in His Book to His serv-
ints, when He said , l\,fy Lord forbids only indece11cies, such of them as are
J[['Jrem and mch as are hidden, and si11 and wrong/it! oppressiott, and that you
rJJ..wiatr uith God that for 11,hich no proof lias been revealed, a11d that you say
1
,,,ucerni,ig God that which you know 1101 (Q.7:33). The person who offers
1n interpretation of the Book of God, the knowledge of which can
only be acquired through the explanation of the Messenger of God (~),
which God has given him, is someone who says something he knows
not. even if his opin ion agrees with its !correct) interpretation, which
is the meaning God intended for it to have. This is because the person
who says something without knowledge [of it] is someone who says
iomething about God that he does not know !with certainty]. This
11 the meaning of the report that was narrated to us from: al-'Abbas
b. Ahdal -cA?im al-(Anbari- 1:labban b. Hilal-S uhayl, the brother of
~.zm-Abii (Imran al-Jawnl-Jundub-the Messenger of God(~) said,
Whoever interprets rhe ~r'an based on his unaided reason and is cor-
rect, th en in fact he has erred. " 2
n·h By•th is, the Prophet(~) means that this person has erred in his action,
b 1Ch Is offe ring an opin ion on th e basis of his unaided reason, even
1
ough bis opinion agrees with God's intended meaning. This is because
:~:~:;,.,ngihcmding in the Dir H ajar edition; 1 :72 .
Ni.if[di;;/o A~nud Shikir, this baditlz is fo und in the Sww1s of AbU O:iwUd, Tirmidld and
· , s11al-fobari.i:,9.
61
 TA BARI
hi s opinion concerning {the ~ r'a n l is based o n hi s un aided reaso
is not the opi n ion of one who possesses ce r ta in kn owledge {'a/im} ~ d
w ho says so mething he knows not abo ut God and a sinne r in his
doin g what ha s been forbidden to him and prohi b ited.
::~ne:
what h e is saying is tru e and corrC'ct. Ins tead, !t he fo rme r] is 501 t at
of
AN ACCOUNT OF THE NA!l l\.ATED I\.EPOllTS T HAT EN C O UllAGE
KNOWLEDGE OF Ql)ll'AN IC COMMENTARY AN D \AN ACC O U NT
OF\ THE COM PAN IONS WHO EX PLA INED T H E Ql!~ AN
Mul)anunad b. cAli b. al-Hasa n b. Shaqiq al-M an.vazi- m y father-
al-f:lusay n b. W aqid-al-A'mash-Shaqiq- lbn M asrGd said, " If a man
am ong us learns ten ver ses, he is not to go beyond t hem u ntil he knows
their m eanings and acts in accordance w it h them."
lbn J-:Iu mayd-Jarir- cA~a'- AbU cAbd al-Ral~ man lal-Sulami} said,
"Those folks who used to teach us the Ol!r'an informe d us that they usC"d
to seek out the Prophet(~) to teach them the ~ r ' an and w henever they
,vould learn ten verses, they would not go beyond t hem until they acted
in accordance with th e aces they prescribed. T hu s we learned the ~ r'in
and its practice togeth er."
Abu Kurayb- Jabir b. Nul:i--al-A'mash-Muslim- M asruq-'Abd
Allah !b. MascGd}: "By the One W hom there is no god save H e! No
ve rse of th e Book of God came down excep t chat I kn ew w hich matter it
came down regardin g and where it ca me down . If I kn ew o f anyone more
knowled geable about th e Book of God than me and he co uld be reached
by horse o r camel, I would go to him."
Yal)ya b. Ibrahim lb. Muhanunad b. Abi ' Ubayda] al-Mas'udi~
father- his father--lus grandfather IAbu ' Ubayda]--al-A'mash-Muslim
Masriiq said. ••<Abd Allah lb- Mas' udJ would reci te a si'ira to us. and then he
would di f.Cuss it with us and explain it for most of the day." _ 01 111 re1idenn resmed conversion to Islam fo r ;i. couple centuries u111il pro•<AJid ntissionar•
Abu'I-Sa'ib Salm b. Junada-Abu Mucawiya-al-N mash -Shaqiq
said, •· Ali appoimcd Ibn cAbbas to lead the J:I ajj, and he delivere~ a ~er~
mon that was so moving th at, had th e Turks and Byzantin es heard it, t) e}
wo uld have embraced Islam . Then he recited Surat al-NGr (Light, Z4 co
th em and explained it." fyin
MulJammad b. Bashshar- 1Abd al-Ral:un an b. ~ ah1i-~U bb:is
ial-Thawri!--al-A mash- Abu Wa'il Shaqiq b. Salama said, Ibo A ·d
recited SUrat al-Baqara (The Cow, 2) and began to explain it. A inan saJ '
62
Tabari's lutrod,ution
·Were the people of Dayla m 1 to hea~ this, th e~ wo ul~ embra~e Isla m! '"
Abu Kurayb-lbn Yaman---:~sh at h b. Isba9- Ja far-S~ 1d h:Ju_bayr
said. "Whoever reci tes thc_~r an an d ch en docs no t ex pla m 1t ts like a
. (ajam iY or a Bedoum.
Pcrs~~li Kurayb sa id: AbU Ba kr b. <Ayyash mentioned al-A' ~:as h, w ho
siid: Abll Wa'il said, "lbn 'Abbas _was ma de leader ~f the J:faJJ and gave
smnon. He reci ted SU ra t al-Nur fro m th e pulpit an,~. by God,_ had
ihe Turks he:ird it, they wou ld have , ~n_1br~cc<l Islam!
1
1:
was said to
[al -Amashj, '' Narrate thi s3 to us from A~1111, and he was silent.
AbG Kurayb-Ibn Idris- al- A' mash- Shagiq said , " J w itn essed lbn
Abb:is who, when he was made leader o f the J:I ajj , reci ted Surat al-NUr
from the pu lpit and explained it. H ad the Byzantin es heard fhis explana-
tion of it]. rhey wou ld have embraced Islam!"•
God (Mighty and Majestic is H e) has encouraged His servants to con-
sider carefull y the ex hortations an d clear signs in the verses of the ~r'a n
in His sratement (Majest ic is His remembran ce) to H is Prophet(~) , (This
l.')a Book that We have se11r down to you, fi,11 of blessing, that they may ponder its
m-elarfrms, andtliat peopleof,mdersta11di11g may reflect (Q.38:29). Likewise , His
m.temem, A11d 11erily We ha1•e coined for humanity in this Q!r'an all kinds of
nmi!irudes, that haply they may reflect; a Q!!r'an in Arabic, contafoing rio crooked-
r.t.1s, diar haply they may ward off(evif) (Q.39:27-8), and many similar things
L11 other verses of the ~ r'an. God commanded His servants and urged
them to consider carefull y the similitudes [contained] in the verse s of th e
~r'an, and t0 heed its exhortations regarding those matters fo r which
they ha\·e knowledge of its interpretation, among His verses 5 whose inter-
pretation has not been concealed fro m chem. The reason for this is that it
is impossible for someone who can neither understand what is being said
to him nor grasp its interpretatio ns to be told "Consider carefull y this
1D_iylun iuh~ 1ropio.l mount;i.inous region of Iran j ust south-west of the Caspian Sea. Most
1n1,,onthemovn
"h>llowmg die Dlr H;i.ju edition, which also notes the reading of " blind person (a'ma)" in
~meof the m~nmcripts. Tbe word a'jami means ··non-Arab or fo reigner," though it is used
'try frequendy with regard to Persians. Literall y, it mems "someone who cannot speak
Anbic pro~rl{; see J. G. Hav;i., Arabic-E,1g!M1 Dictio11ary (New Del hi : Goodword Books,
:cm(1899]),456
! Follo,.,,1ng the Dlr l·fajar editors' reading of lwddithna ; 1 :76 (note J).
i It II noteworthy that all of the repons T;i.bari cites in this chapter are of Kufa n provenance
~t
1F;n:: 1b. Mih_rin al_-A'm;i.sh (d. 148/:6s).
neJ:lr all of thc-m p;i.ss through the famous Kufa n ~ r';in reci ter and badith scholar
g ihc Dar HaJ;i.r reading of ay,h instead of QyJt; 1 :77.
63
 Ti\11Allf
Ibook J of which you have no under standing or kn m.vlcd
mcnts. exposition and speech " unless he und• r t d
. d I ,
dgc of tts state-
,._ s an s an cotnp r h
It, a n c 1en ~xa min cs it and co nsiders it carefull y.
. Orhcnv1sc, t he co mm and for him co exa mine it is non se nsical if h .
ignorant o_f the meaning . _of lits words] . Likc"vi se • it is itn poss1·bt e rror 0c is
to say to mcm bcr s o f _different nations, w h o do not g rasp che speech of t~c
Arabs_or un.d e~s.tand 1c. were a poe tic ode of some of the Arabs recited cha:
conta~n e~ s~1~11l1tudcs, exho rtat ion s and '-v isdom: .. Consid er carefully this
poems_s1m1l1tudcs and reflect upon its ex hortations." [This onl y makes
se n s~ J tf the person understands and knows the speech of che Arabs, then
cons1~c~s ca refu ll y w h at its wisdom ex horts him to do. As for someone
w h o IS .ig n oran t of the _m eanin gs of lthe poem 's] wo rd s and language,
~hen this com.mand to d iscern w h at its similitudes and lesso ns indicate is
11npossiblc. Rather, this command is eq ui va lent to commanding beasts to
do th e sa me thing, unless !the listener] h as knowledge of the m ean ings of
the speech and clear expositi on that is in !this poem].
The sa me is tru e of all that is in the verses of the Book of God
conce rnin g its lessons. wisdom, sim..ilirudes and exhortatio ns. It is imper-
m..issibl c for o ne to say "Consider them carefull y" unl ess the addressee is
knowledgeable of the mean in gs of its clear exposition and fa m..iliar with
the speech of the Arabs; ot herw ise, th e meaning of that command, w hen
it is addressed to someone w ho is ignorant of [Arabic), is that he must
Ifirst J lea rn the meanings of th e language of the Arabs, and then exam.inc
[the G.!:!r 'a n] afterwa rd s, and heed its wisdom and its varieties of lessons.
If tha t is h ow it is, an d co nsid ering that God (M ajes ti c is His praise)
com m anded Hi s se rvants to refl ect upon fthe ~r•an] and encouraged
them to consid er carefully its similitudes, th en it is o bvious that He did
not comm:md someone who is igno rant of wha t the l~r'3nic] verses
indica te to [interpret icJ . If it is not possib le for Him to command them
to do that unle ss chcy know what jthe ~r 'an] is ind ica ting !them to
do], it is correct ch at they must know the interpretatio n o f all t hat has
not been co ncea led from them, [m ca ningJ the verses, the knowledge of
whose interpretation God has kept to H imself to rhe excl usion of H~s
creatures. as we d escribed previously a short wh ile ago. And if that
._,, _, ,.,•.
correct, th en the opinion of those people ' who rejec ted che commen tary
of th e co1111nc11tators of God's Book and revelation is in va lid , so lo ng as
, .......... .... _
1 ·1 he 1Jent1! ) o( tlu: pC'oplC' who HJC'C!c-d ;i ll fonm o (~r•lriiccon1111ent;ir y is clarified in rbe
Taba ri's /11trod11ctio11
. •heircot1111\Cnlary] is not lco_nccrncd withJ chose passages whose inter-
!, . . concealed from His creatures .
f:'CtlllOn lS
e ends
AN ACCOUNT OF THE REPORTS THAT THE DENIERS
OF Q!dR.AN IC INTE RPR ETAT ION HAVE
INTERPRETED ERRONEOU SLY
OBJECTIO N: What do you say co nce rning these reports?
!\1-Abbas b. 'Abd al-cA~im-Mul_iammad b. Khalid b. 'Athma- JN:1.r
1
b \;ubammad al-Zubayri-Hisham b. Urwa- hi s father- 'A'isha said,
]he Prophet would never explain (yu.fassim) anything in the ~r'an, save
for,num ber of vcrses (ayat bi- cadad),' which Gabriel caught him."~
:\bll Bakr Mui)am mad b. Yazid al-TarsOsi-Ma<n b. cisa-Jacfar b.
Kh~hd-Hi~ham b. ' Urwa-his farher- 'A'isha said, "The Prophet(~) did
cow;rbin anything from che ~r'an, save for a number of verses, which
G1bnel (pt-ac(' be upon him) taught him."
.\hmad b. 'Abda al-QabbI- l:lammad b. Zayd-' Ubayd Allah b.
Uma; s.aid. ··1 witnessed che [famous] jurists of Medina, and they were
most 1emC" in their disapproval of opinions of [~r'anic] commentary
(:.;J:,). Among them were Salim b. cAbd Allah, al-Q!sim b. MulJammad,
S.id b. al-Musayyab and Nafi' ." 3
Mu~ammad b. Bashshar-Bishr b. ' U mar-Malik b. Anas-Ya}Jya
b S1id [il-An~irl] said, "I heard a man ask Sa' id b. al-Musayyab about
i mSC" of thr ~ r'an, and he said, 'I do not interpret anything in the
~d.n.···
Yunu1 [b. 'Abd al-A'la]- Ibn Wahb--Malik [b. Anas]-Yal)ya b.
S, id [;i.l-An~irl]-Sacid b. al-Musayyab was asked about the commcn-
~·on a verse of the ~r'a n, and he said, "Truly we 4 do not interpret
;..;;·rhmgin the~r'an."
Yunu1 [b. 'Abd al -A'la]-Ibn Wahb--Layth-Yai)ya b. Sa'Id said, "!bn
~-.\lu)lnab would on ly discuss what was obvious (ma'liim) in the ~r'an."
i~i:r,'.ollowmgthe suggestion of Kh alid Williams and D r Samy Ayo ub here. Cooper trans-
1 ~~p !-,. ,;J.iJ~1 "except for ve rses with a num ber••; C,mrmrnMry, 37·
15
\ :~~iJmgto Al_mud Shlk1r. chis hadith is found also in th e- M11mads o( Abll Ya'li and Bazz:ir;
,"'::1-T~b.Jn, 1 .84.
l~irtpon •nd chc ones followi ng it may help ex pbin why the ovcrwhdming maj~rity of
;:-..(k::~;~;zn:p1nions an.- quotC"d in t(Jfair books, lived in M("CC;I ;ind Iraq, while very
1
~mg) '"'. D.ir
-•,,tt ; J"1<}
H~jH re.iding of /J ,,,,,,iii ins1cad of the earlier readings of la aqiil ("I do not
-,
65
 TABAR1
Taba ri's I,,1rod11ctio11

. I ~." Hum ald-:-H akk am -::-~ufyan \al-Th awri]-Hisham-Ibn Sirin . A for the report , narrat ed on the authority of the Messe nger
s:ud, I asked Ab1da al-Salm a111 about a verse and he said , 'Yo u should RE SPONSE· h:t he never ex plained anything in the ~r'an, save for a
ad h ere to th e tr~th , for all ~~ ose w h o kn ew abot:~. !the mean ings of] what of God (~)f. t I this in fact verifies what we said in the previous chap-
was se nt d o\.vn m th e ~ r an h ave passed away. umber o verse , . •-
n . chat there arc some intcrprctat1ons of th ~ ~ran, the knowledge of
Ya' qnb \al-Dawraqi]-lb11 ' Ulayya-Ayy ub and Ibn 'Awn- te_~· d can only be acquired by an cxpla1~at1on from ~he ~essenger of
1 1
Mu\:i amm_ad lb. Sirinj said , " I asked cAbida about a verse of th e ~r'an, \\ (s) That refers to the elucidatio n (tafi10 of un specified V1m1a0 verses
and h ~ said , Th ~se w ho knew about \ th e meanings of] what was sent God · · od'
3bou1 G s com ,
,,,,,,ds and prohibition s, what is lawful and unlawful ,
. . . .
d o\.vn m th e ~ r an h ave passed away. Fear God and ad here to the truth!"' mcribrd penalties and obliga ti o ns, and a_ll other 1ss~cs p~rtammg to the
Ya q ub \al- D aw ra91J- lb11 ' Ulayya-Ayy ub- lb11 Abi Mulayka said L-sof Hi s religio n, all of which arc ambiguous (nutpna0 Ill the apparent
" lbn (Abbas was asked 3.bout a ve rse !of th e ~ r' an} which, were som; 1ex1of thr revelation. .
of yo u to be 3.s ked about it, you would h ave responded, yet he refused to Thrsrn·ants :i.rc in need of explan at ion of the passages whose 1nt~rpre-
expbin it."
wion on only be acquired through an explanati~n ~ram God, delivered
Ya' qub \al-D awraqi] - lbn ' Ul ayya- Mahdi b. Maymun- al-Walid br His Messenger($), an d [this applies to] ~ther ~mular cases_ of the con-
b. Mu slim said , " Talq b. H abib ca me to Ju11dub b. 'Abd Allah to ask him i~nts of OEr':inic verses, regarding all of its rulmgs for which G:od has
abo ut a verse of th e ~ r'a n, and h e respo nded , ' I urge yo u, if you are a btito,,·rd upon the Messenger of God ($} their clari~cation for Hts crea-
Mu slim . n ot to leave m e\"' (Or he said "that you sit wi th me." ) 1 tures. None of God's creatures knows the interpretation of [these verses J,
'Abbas b. al-Walid- m y fathcr-'Abd All ah b. Sh awd hab--Yazid b. im ihrough their explanation by the Messenger ($), and the Messeng~r
Abt Yazld said , "We used to ask Sacid b . al-M usayyab about what w as law- iGod(~) does not know it, save from what God taught him t~rough Hts
fu l and unlawfu l, for he was th e mos t kn owledgeable person; but when inspiration. either by means of Gabriel or via whichever [angelic] messen-
,ve asked h im about the commentary on a verse of th e ~r'an, he was ger He willrd !to send] to him. 1 These are the verses that the Messe~g_e~
sil ent, as ifh e h ad no t hea rd !the quest ion}.'' of God (s) explained to his Companions, on the basis of what Ga ~e
Mul~ ammad b. al-Muth ann 5.-Mu1.1 ammad b. Jacfar-Shu' ba -<A.mr t,ught hi;n, and there is no doubt that this applies to a [modeS t ] num er
b . Murra sa id, "A man asked $acid b. al-Mu sayyab about a verse of the
of \"erses (dhawiit11 'a1ad). _ . d hereb [it was
~ r 'a n, and he replied , ' D o not ask m e about the ~ r'an. Ask the person As for the QEr 3.nic verses which we menuone w Y
w h o clai m s th:n he knows it inside our,· meaning ' Ikrima [the mawli of . ts
11a1ed] 1hat God (Majestic . Hi.s praise
. ) I1a d kept to Himself knowledgeI
!bn 'Abbas\." of their interpretation He has not divulged this knowledge to an anhge
Ibn al-Muth anna- Sacid b. 'Antir-Shucba- (Abd Allah b. Abi' I-Safar . . ' . [ h.
who 1s near Hun or a Prophet who ts sent to IS pe
ople] · Rather, tI ey
.
sa id: Sh acbi said, ''By God! Th ere is not a single verse save that I had inquired 1!lbelie\"e that [these ve rses are] from God and that no one knows t ieir
about it, but [each vcrse j is a narration from God (Exalted is He)! " mmprctation (ra'wi~, save God.i _ _ r for the serv-
Yacqub b. Ibrahim !al-Dawraqi] - lbn (Ulayya- Salil:i b. Muslim~ A~for [those ve rses J whose interprctatto~l ts neces;,ar :hem, through
m an-Sha(bi said , '·Th ere are three thin gs about which I shall say nothi~~ ant1to know their Prophet (s) has already clarified that O . .
(o r inter pret) until I die: the ~r' an, the Spirit (n~b) and un ai ded reason. , , . h. k I d c] to him via
an explanation from God Who inspired It is now e g d]
\ What do you say rega rd in g th ese repon sJ and others that are like chcrn. Gabnel.· That is the mea ning ' of what Go d comman ded [Muhamma · ·d A id
to clarify for them whe n He (Majestic is His remembrance) sat.' /
1 h I\ not 11111neJ1.itd y ob\'IOU> wlut tl m report has to do with the topic. Ju~dub's i:::~t:
to T.ilq n11gl11 be "~ t l)' w11h me .ind do not .1sk o ther people who .1re unqualified a ·ar,
1
II ( have m u down to you the Reminder rliat you may explain 10 humamty iat

m ~ m ng o f the ~r·an.'" Jundub wa> prob.ibly a Companion of 1he Prophet; lbn J:laJ 1 T,li,r"111 riiculau:d initially by Sh:ili'i,
Tahdlub al- tahdliib. 1 :588. . j· t\u, fully endornng the principle, which may h.ivc been ahct Muhammad .
2 ~omC' m :i.nu>cnph of T.11'ui'> "IiJfsir have n ba Cu>ury") m>1cad of F<1°y ("unaided reason '
1
n; God1e1-e;iled
6 1
both the ~r':in and the Sunna to ~hetrop , ;/olu~ illii 'lliih.
Dh l ilJ.ll , 1.81 (notc8). nild,usc ech~s Q .3: 7, dhcus~cd hclow: 1110-lo yolonm tow

(,6 67

...,.,
 TA BARi
wlricl_, l,as been sell! down fo r them, and that perhaps they may reflect (Q .
16
Were the repo rt th at the M essenger of God (s) did not cx pl ·. · 44 ).
thing from the ~ r ' :i n, save for a numbe r of vc~r ses to be ,· n,am any.
• e rpreted
accordin g ~o th e w him s of the ignoramuses, [th ey would say] that he
o nl y cxp lamcd a few ve rses a nd words (burii}). and that the Reminder r
was o nl y, se nt down to him (~) so t h at h e could leave the cl arification of
\ th e ~ r a n j up to the people . rather than h e him self cl arify ing for theni
what w as se m down to t hem .
Th e ignoran ce of w h oever supposes or imagines that the meaning of
the re port we m e nti o n ed from 'A'is ha , that the Messenger of God(~) did
not ex p la in a n y thi ng fr o m the ~ r'a n except for a few ver se s , is t h at (the
P rophet J did nor clarify to hi s com munit y its inte rpre tation , except for a
very sm a ll amount of it, is demonst rated b y t h e fo ll owin g p oi nts . [First] ,
God (Maj est ic is His praise) commanded Hi s Prophet (~) to di sseminate
w h at H e se nt dow n to him : and H e an n ou n ced to him th a t H e only sent
down to him w h at H e sent down in order to clari fy for the people what
I
h ad come d o , v n to th e m. Second ly, Godj b rought fo rth th e proof ch at
t he P roph e t (~) di ssemjna ted a nd exec uted what God comman ded him to
disse mllla te and exec ute, in accordan ce with Hi s co mmand. [T hirdly],
there is th e so und report that 'Abd Allah b. Mas' lld sajd, "If a man a mong
u s lea rn s ten verses, he is not to go be yond th e m until h e knows their
meanings a n d ac ts in accord an ce with rh em."3
Th ese !aforementioned r e mark s make t h e poin t), along with th e
defe c t in t hl' cha in of tran sm itt e r s of the r e port from ' A'isha , w hi ch
r e nd e r s i t im pl'rm iss ib le as ev id ence for a n y one w ho kn ows chat
!the a rt of di sti ngu ishin g] re port s w ith sound c h ains of tran s mi s-
sio n from th ose wi th co rrupt o n es is part of the religion {of Islam] .
Th e tran smitter in thi s c hain o f tran srnitt ers w ho i s not known to
1 Tabni 1de1111fic) .. the Rem11Hlcr (ol-dhih f' a~ on, of ihe four na m e) of the QEr'in bier 0 "
111 t h1 ) lrnroducuon.
J In other wordJ. the ~r·an. Tah.ui reframs from u1 ing the word "~r'i n .. even ° ~:"e
thu )Clltence and cboo1e) 11ntcad th e vrrbal co1mruniom "th:11 which He sent down a d
~du t wl11cl1 cm1e down to them .·· While the ~unna of ihc Prophet is generall y con~~dcrc d
10 be di\'lnd y 1mpired. "1hat whJCb was scm down" is usuall y restri cted to the ~ran an
previous Boob
J l Im n 1hr fir st rcpon III the prcn ou1 cl1apter ofTabari's introduction. Thi s cnrirc p.tra~tc
11 a smglc :Klllcncc m the ongmll Arabic and m I havr had to re.llrrowge it s conten c to
H comprchermbl, 111 E.nghsh; k'.e D i 1 l·hJar. 1:83.
6S
Tal,ari's bttrod11ctio11
he among cbe ex pert s in l_-{adith is Ja' far b. Mul)ammad al-Zubayri.1
As for rbe reports we ment~oned that ~re ascribed to the Successors
\iho refr.iinc-d (il1Jiim)J _fro m ~fle ~ing [~r anic ] inte rpretation, the act
of tho~e who acted tl11 s way 1s like the act o~ those at~ong th~m who
fnim:-d from issuing lega l resp'.:mses to quemon s (fiaya) regardmg new
::its,rnd situations. with their afhrm.ation chat ~od (Maj~stic is Hi s ~rai se)
did 1101 t:i.ke b:i.ck Hi s Pro ph et to H11nsclfl until after Hi s completion of
thnd igion for His se rva nt s, a nd their knowledg~ th~t God has an ex ist ing
rulm . either in :m explici t text o r thro u gh an mdtcator, for every new
me ;id simadon.' Thi s [Successor's J refra ining from issuing an opinion
W!.ir.lmg [new legal m atters] is not an act of denial that God has an cxist-
m~ rulmg in the pre se nce of His ser va nts. Rather, his ace of refraini ng
11
~ut of fe 3 r chat he wi ll n ot b e able co achieve, by m ean s of hi s legal
rwonmg (ijtiliiidilii), [the hi gh sra ndardj that God has imposed upon the
1,holm. among His se rva nt s, w ho e ngage in chis [endeavourJ.
That is the mea ning of the ac t of refraining [adopted by] the schol-
m among the Pio us Predecessor s who refrained from offering opinions
regardmg the interpretation of the ~ r'an and its commentary. The ir
refuining from it was out of ca ution that they would not achieve the
mru1ion of what had been made obligatory for chose who endeavour to
main 1he correct opi nion in these matters, not that the interpretation of
ih.11 [part of the ~r'an ] was concealed from the scholars of the {Muslim]
community and was not present among chem.
; ,\hlll.ld Sh.ik1r note~ elm Tabari's negative cVJluation of Ja'far b. Mul,1ammad is not as cat·
~~nal In the liinature of .. invalidation :i.nd valida1ion (al-jarb 11,a'/-ia'din" as he claims; see
~;no1n 1n Tafairal-Tabari. 1:84- 5 _For example, Jbn Hibb:in includes ~tim in hi s b~ok of_rdi-
;! (Beirut: D.Conip:mion
•..rn.in1nuttm; Jbn 1:hl>b.in, Kirab a/.t/iiqiit, ed. Ibrahim Sh:uns al-Dm and Turk, Farl.1au. 5
1, l r al-Kutub al.' llmiyp.199 8). 3 : 252 , Ja'fa r b. Mul_
Zubayr b. al-'Aww:im.
,ammad is a great-grandson
trtr f,unou1
: !}:e ~r.b1ce:1.prc11ion Tabari uses here, a/ijama 'an, mean s .. to refrain: to draw back in fear
l!om. which 11JCt"I)' captures tht" sentiment of those quoted Successors who refused to intcr-
ret ihr ~r-~n pul>lidy ; >l'e Ha\'a, 113.
t
J foo ber word1, -the Prophet did not die um il God had com pleted His religion.'' This sen·
::;:;l~~~es to d!eclamc in Q.s:J. in which God says. Today J haw p~J:aed my religiorifor ycm,
h 11u ·, d.\lyJa1"01n fo , you, aud made pleasi11g fo Mc Islam as yo11r relrgion.
\nr~~~ore icnet of and just ific:i.tion for Islamic legal theory-
1
1
the idea 1hai God's ~ay,;
t'(ctsof
11
)ond the finite rulings fou nd in a d osed corpus of revealed text s to encompass al
10
<:ietyind p('nonal life.
69
 TABAR.I
Tabari 's ln trod11ctio11
AN ACCOUNT OF T HE REPORTS CONCE RNING SOME OF , bd Allah b. Ahmad b. Shabbu ya-'All b. al- f:lusayn b. Waqid- my
PIOUS PREDECESSORS. W HO WERE AMON G THE FIRS;HE A , h S <· d b Juba)' r- Ibn (Abbas sa id , conccrntng God
INTERPRETERS WHOSE KNOWLEDGE OF COMMENTARY th -:.ii-Amas - a 1 . . d d
fa ~r ·'/ ha "He is Capable of req uiting a good deed w1 tl.1 a good cc ,;
WAS PRA ISED, AND [REPORTS OF] T H OSE WHOSE
KNOWLEDGE OF IT WAS C RITI C IZED
31
)'J.1 hi ddr!~ with a bad deed, tmly God is the Hearing, theSeemg (Q.40:20) ..
JTTJ:ib~ b w· 'd] said " I sai d to al-Nmash , ' I was informed of this
Mul)ammad b. Bash sh ar-Wak1<- Sufyan !al-Th awri]- Sul ayman A!-Hus:iyn I . aq1l h 'aid "Truly God is Ca pable of requiting a bad
from Kalbi exce pt t iat es. , ., c l
[a l- A' mash\- Mu slim sa id: 'Abd Allah {b. M as' ud] said, "What a won- . I ' d d cd and a good deed w ith ten [good deeds ]. Al-A mas 1
du-d wit1:i 6a c ' ]d ] ·d
d erful ~ r'a n interpreter is Ibn 'Abbas!" . "If K:ilbi's [commentary J were w ith me, it wou not cave my SI c
Ya\:i ya b. Dawud al-Wasi\i- lsl)aq al- Azraq- Sufya n {al-Thawri]- ~'.d . 1
with a uard."· ••i c _
al-A'mash-Abu' I-Ouh a !Muslim\ - Masruq- 'Abd Allah b . M as' ud ""PI - gb 'Abd al-Jabbar- 'Ali b. Haklm al-Awdi- Abd Allah
Suayman • · · ' · - 1 ·1 h
sai d , "Wh at a wonderful inte rpreter of the ~r'an is Ibn ½bbas!" b. Bub\'r-Salil.1 b. Musli m said , '"Sh~cbi passed by Sudd1 w 1l e c was
A nearly identical repo rt was narrated to me from Mu}:i ammad b. ex bini~g [the ~r'an J, and sa id to hun , It would be be~ter f~r you. to
Bash sh ar- J a<far b. cAwn- al-Nmash-Abu ' l-Oul~a -Masrllq -'Abd be~truck on the buttocks wi th a drum than for you [to be m] this scss1011
Allah !b . Mas' ud]. \'OUarc holding!'·'i c
Abu Ku rayb--Talq b. Ghann am-' Uthman al-Makki-Ib n Abi . Sulaymln b. 'Abd al-Jabbar- 'Ali b. l:lakim-Sharik- S,~lm b. Abd
Mulay k a said, " 1 saw Mujihid ask lbn 'Abbas about the commentary of il-Ra~min al-Nakhaci said, "I was with Ibrahim [~~-Nakha 1] . when he
the ~r'an, while he had tablets in hi s hand , and Ibn 'Abbas said to him , mduddi:md said, 'Trul y he is explaining the (~ran) accordmg to th e
' Write!' This lasted until he asked him about th e e ntire co mmentary Ion explanation of the [common] people!'" 3 c _ _ .
,he Q!;r'an ]. " ibn al-B:irqi-'Amt b. Abi Salama-Sa id b. Bashir-O!tada,_:;a'.d,
Abu Kurayb--Mu}:iaribl and Yii n us b. Bukayr- Mu}:ianunad b. "No one remains who can compe te with Kalbi in the field of [~r amc]
Is}:iaq-Aba n b. S5.lil_i-Mujahid said, " I recited th e G.!:!r'an codex to commem:iry.''• ..
l bn <Abb:is three times, from its opening throu gh to it s conclusion, and I Concerning the types of ~r'Jnic interpretation, we have. said m .:n
would stop him at every verse to ask him abou t it.'' w!ier pass:ige of our book that the interpretation of the entire ~r an
' Ubayd All ah b. Yu suf al-J ubayri-Abu Bakr al-1:l an afi said , " I heacd consists of three types:
Sufya n al -Thawri say. "If th e commentary of Muj ah.id comes to you, then One of them is tota lly inaccess ible jto human s], and this is the knov.i:-
you have all that you need."' !edge that God has reserved fo r Himself and concealed from all of His
Mul.i ammad b. al-Mut hanna-Sulayman Ab ll Dawud [al-Tayalisi]- cmtutts. This includes the precise times of future events of which God
Sh u' ba- 'Abd al -Malik b. Maysara said, "Ad-Oahhak [b . Muzahim] ne';:r hl1informed us in His Book will happen, like the arrival of the Last Hour,
met Ibn (Abbas. Rather, he met Sa(id b. Jubayr in Rayy , and took [I n the time of Jesus the Son of Mary's descent, the time w h en the sun will
cAbbas' J commentar y from h im."
. l~n ~1-Muthan n:i-=-A~u . Dawod lal-T ay~lisi]-Shucb ~-~u;,
sa1d , I said to ad-Oabbak, D1d you hear anyt hmg from Ibn Abbas.
h- h
:~d 1 lc

he replied no. "
Abu Kurayb-Ibn Jdris-Zakariyya said. "Sh a(bi passed by A bu S~_ ·
'0
other words... I would not dincminate it so openly." T his is a reference ~o the ~ r';inic
m:nmcaryof Mul,:i.mmad b. al-Sa'ibal-Kalbi (d. 146/763), w hich Tabari ass1duomly avoids
_ -Hh ming. For more on K:i.lbi. see che earlier no te in which he is me ntio ned.
! Dnpite 1h11 derogato ry remark. Tabari includes a signi fica nt number of lsma'i.l b. 'Abd

Badhan,t grabbed hi s car and twisted it , sayin g, 'Yo u exp lain the QEr an , ~·R•\irnin al-Suddi's (d. 1271744 _ 5) opinions in his Tafs ir. l:iadi1h-1ransmit.ter critics have
brcnd11·1dedover Suddi's re-liabilit y. altliough h c is cited in all of the six canonical collec1ion s,
though you cannot read the ~r'in!"' u.·c Bukh.iri'1 Sahih. For more o n Suddi sec Talidhib af- talidhib. 1 :294-5 .

1 Abo S:ahl, B:adhan (death d.ue unknown) 1s Mul.1ammad b: al-.S:i'ib al~Kalbi'~

111form;mt for lbn Abbas· alleged cxcgc1ical o pmiom. Kalbi 1s criticized m rh.e
~ru;;~
O
be
:Ar.abic: a.111;:2 innahu yuf1Jisiru tafiir al-qau,;n; Dar Hajar, I :87.
• F~o-~111 ~ che Diir Haj~r edition of Tabni's TtJ.fiir, which has mii btlqiya abad instead of the
~ i r edi_non, which has ,na arii ahadan; 1:8 . T lic Ku fan Kaibi was a junior contemporary of
repo rt. HaJirh-1ra1nnu1tcr criucs gene rall y had ncgauve ass.c-ssmcrHS of AbU Sabb. as 7
'<....udi., v.hoh\'ed1n Basu.
sccn 111 lbn 1-hJ~r. Tahdhib al-1ahdhib. 1 :39 1- 2.

70 71
 TAUARI
Tabari's lntrodrution
ri se in the west. the blowing of the H o rn , and things like t hat. . ·ous authoriti es (a'imma), and those who followed them (kliala.f) ,
The second ty pe is the [~r'a nicl interpretation w hose knowled Jnd rcbgi ors and schola rs of the community.'
~;nong chr Success ·
God ha s restricted to Hi s Proph et (~) to the exclu sion of his comrnuni g~
In it is the imerpretation of the knowledge of which His servants are i~ N CON C ERN ING THE INTERPRETAT ION OF T H E
need , and there is no _way for them to acquire th is kn owledge except by DiSCUSSIO T l,E nu R'AN ITS S0RA S. AND ITS VERSE S
mea ns of an explanat ion from the Messe nger of God (~) of its interp reta- NAMES Oc '= ·
tion fo r th em. od (Mi ht , and Majestic is He) call ed Hi s revelation, w hich He sent
TrulyG . S(;.:i.;it Mu hanun ad (~). by four different names.
Th e third [type of interpretat ion} is the knowl edge whi ch is with down to His · . ·.. , c nur':i n " by w hich He ca ll ed it in His rev-
th e people of the language in which the ~r' an ca me down. That is th e A l chc names 1s 11 • •
[ I mm~ (lvfoli ammad) the best cf r1arrati1,es in that We have
1
knowledge of the interpretation of it s exo ti c expressio ns 1 and its case end- btion· li e ,wrmte to you . di ( . )
. .J· 1.11 -ou ,hit Q!r'iill, though previo11sly you were cf the hee ess Q. r2 .3 .
ings, for which th ere is no way ro arrive at its knowledge save by (mastery i•:.<rm ?d J 0 ; I. n 11 r •,1,, 11 arrates to the Children cf Israel most cf that con-
of the Arabic languageJ. · Hr aho sa1 • ~ • t IIS 'C
If that is how it is, then th e co mmentators who are most likely to .;,,, 11,f11c/,thcyd;ffer(Q.27:76). ,, d ( . . . H.
r111. • • • '"the Criteri on (al-f11rqan). Go Majestic IS is
arrive at the true interpretation of the ~r'Jn ch at is access ible to humans 11) Among i_cs_ nan~es ~s t His Prophet (s), calls it by that name: Blessed
are those v,,J10 !1J h:ivc the clearest proofs of w h at is interpreted and rm() in His msp1ranon o · ) / h
He1i'hohas sent do11111 to His sewant the Criterion (of right and wrong , t iat e
exp lain ed , among the [passagesJ whose interpretation was sent excl u-
nJrbe awamertothepcople(Q.25:r). . . ) II
sively to th e Messenger of God (~). !These interpretations must beJ in ,·IAmon its names is "th e Book (al-kitiib)." God (Blessed IS His na~e ca s
so und reports (rhiibita) from the Messe nger of God(~)- !These reports must J,b I • g , . Allii·-, ·s e belonr1s to God Who has revealed the Book to HIS servant
11 vt us nam . ,.. .s )
be transmitted] either by an overwhelming number of narrators (al-naql
(in;)s1raigli1 (manner), and has 11ot placed therein a,1y croo~edt1ess (Q. 18: 1-2 : .
al-m 11s1afid), or by established, reliable transmjtters (uaql al- 'udU! al-athbiit),
2

[4] Among its names is "the Reminder (al-dhikr). God (Exalted I~ 71s
in cases where the transmjssion is not by an overwhelming nu mber of nar- rtme-mbrance)call s it by this name: Lo! We, even We, seud doum the Remin er,
rators, or by means of an ind ica tor establishing th eir sou ndness. (2] (The
best commen tators alsoj have the so undest proof for what th ey explain :~dfo! We,•erily are its G11ardia11s (Q. i5:9).
,_ . h s eech of the
Each of these four names rof the OEr an] has, 111 t e p
and clarify, amo ng those whose knowledge of [interpretation] is acquired
Arabs, differing, inde pendent m ean ings. . _ .
from the perspective of language. either by m eans of evidence fro~. all As for .. the OEr'an," the commentators disagreed over its mterpretauon.
types of Arabi c poetry, or from the ove rwhelmingly attested (q uabnesj
of the Arabs' speech and languages. This person is [the best interpreterJ OPIN ION : According to the opinion of Ibn <Abbas, it is necessary that
so long as his interpretation and co mmentary does not d epart from_ t be i1sinterpretation be "reciting" an d "reading," and that it be a verbal.noun
exegetical opi nions of rh e Pious Predecesso rs, amo ng the Compamons

1 Fo llowmg 1he ~ lr HaJJr rt·ad111g of gha,ib,hi 111i 1e;,.d of the tfal;,.bi reading of _'arabiyr,;::·~ :~
T he te rm m,mafi d o n be ~r11011p nous with the 1em1 mutau'litir(a report that is so ~de~Jii,i,,
rn m e<l l t c::11d 1 u;ige of It } tr.tm111 h}1on that m vcr.icin• cmuot be doubted) o r ",ch eel
w!uch i i tedm1call y : 11 non-mu1a11\l1i, lradith {Jhadi) th.it, I\ widdy known and disseminat ·,:
n the J omm,uu ~}1~ 1011 ;uno ng Hadi1/i >cl1ob.n or 1:lanafi j unsis : see Badr al-Din al - ~ ~-a:
ul- & h, al-mul111fi 1<)ulal-fiqlr, ed . Mul.1.;m unaJ Ta.nm. 4 vols. {lkirut : O:ir a.1-Kutub a.I- .· ,Wch
2000), J :l l l . U rb .s hi C"IIMan ··un u~uar · opi111011 , mentioned br M;iwardi (d. 44o/1058). Ul \\f his
m Jtafid rrpon 1~ lic-ld to be the h1gl1~""1t type of m111,m'<Z1i, repo rt. From the- context O U:~ s
11
Jl',l~~e, I tlunk Tahari 1s U>mg 11111J1ojid to mean 111111,m'<Ziir. bee.au~ he only 1dcnrifi_esc:t::cit is
o( rtpo ru and, unli~<" 1he seco nd type- of repon. 1he ,m1~rajid i.s w wide]?, transr_m u ·scusst'(I
unneccnar, 1o d1eck 1he probu y of •ll of it } tramnutter) 111 ihe isnads. Tim term 1s not di .
b) ti l t" eduon of die Sh;ikir cdmon (1.9J) o r the Di r Hajar edition {1:88) of Tabl ri's Taftir.
1
T~1 p.m g n.p~ i1 where TabarI dari~es and justifi:s the vast co'.it:its u~:a~:~ :~::;~:::::~:
Garn_the rdam c pl Ucity 0 ( Prophe_11c r~port s ~f dire_ct_ rclevanc~ ;en~ his inions. Also
O
fi
11b n rel1 t1 wry heavilr on linguimc evidence 111 <lcn vmg ~nd dctd Succ~ssors his Tafsir is
1
hu rt.uon for indudmg ro many repo rt s ascri bed _to Compamo ns ar . exc etical "'knowl-
duo~1t<l_ m thil,.ra1ugc. Thrn: reports do _not, Ill themselves, c_o n~mute acccg table r:111 e of
eJgt or proof. but they do provide linu:s as to ':,"hat fall s w1t,lt1n d: 'this ~ranslatior~ that
1
= ~rtt..11011 for a gm· n plSsagc of the ~ r i 11 . It will become dca ~ fr:f lexical and linguistic
cl. .' • if_1101 mo11 , of these Companiun and Successor reports conslSt d Tabari's "linguistic"
,1,nfic111oni of d!fficult An bk words, ;r nd th us could be mb_mm ed un e:a~h's assessment that
•1 ;1:1) ~f ~r fo1c interp~et~1io11. In _g~ncral, ! _agree ':,"1th ~etc~ -~ ter H eath, "Creative
Henn baih1ppro..ch to ~r Jmc exegem is esscnuall ~· plulo logic~l- ,; I e bica : ( ): !S t.
tneutici: A Compamive Analysis of Three Islamic Approacltt s, Ara 'l 6 2 1989

72 73
 TABARl Tabari's /,Jt rod11aio11

(m£1$dar) 1 from th e verb " I recited (qara'ru )," that !follows t h e paradi 111rika id/iii daklwlra < a~,1 k~al~ '~11 -
ofl klwsriin, which comes from khasirtu (" I perished, went astray"); agn~ w.i-qad a111i11at '11yii11~, l-~as~11l1ma
g l11,frii11, w hich comes from " May God forg ive (ghafara) you" ; and kufa- Jhir.ia}' 'ay1a/i,1 adma a~'~"'! -
which comes from " I cursed you (kafartuka)"; and furqan, whi ch co~;; hifJui'l-larv,1i l.un raq ra ;a11111a .
from "God distin guished (faraqa) between tru th and falsehood. " hows 'Oll, when you ent er privil y w 1t li her
Shes • ) om the eyes of the hatefu l focmen
Yah ya b. 'Uchman b. Salih al -Sahmi -'Abd Allah b. Salih- Mu' awiya b. And shtf· SSl<'c-urc r ked she-camel , w hit e and yo uthful ,
Sal ib - 'All b. Ahl Tall)a- lbn 'Abba s said, concerning His sta tem ent And Arms o a ong-ncc i

The pun·st white colo ur, never pregnant.

when We recile it, "We clarify it,follow its recitat ion (Q.75:18). He says : Act
in accord ance w ith it. " 2 Th e meani ng of chis statem ent of Ibn cAbbas is: ' . - - he mea ns "she never joined her womb to her
By sJyin g fa,n 1aqra ;a11111a,
"' W h en We clarify it by reciting it, t he n act in accord ance with what We
child." been informed ofby Bishr b. Mu<adh al-<Aqadi-
have clarified for yo u by [this) recitatio n. " Th e fo llowing report clari6cs
Tha1is what we b Abl 'ArOba- Qetada said, concerning His
th e so undn ess of w hat we have j ust sa id conce rn ing th e in terpre tation of
Ibn cAbbas's statement:
Y,2id b. Zu ray - . a I ) f i,ll (rests)Jam 'ahu wa-Q!!r'tlnalm, "The
Mu~ ammad b. Sa' d jb. Mu~ammad al-'AwHJ - my fa ther-my
uncl e lal -J:I usayn b. al-E:-Iasan J- my fat her-hi s father rA ~iyya b. Sa(d
~fr-gu,rding,:hcreof a,,1.
f.,1/ou• rrsQjran. He sa)S-
;:11:~::;:
sutrrnrnt (Exalted ,s H~ ~j 11~11 ~ereof. and wlie,i We put it together,
~awful [chingsJ , and avoid its unlaw-

al-'AwfiJ - lbn 'Abbas said, J conce rning l o! upon Us (rests) Jam cal,u and
Q!r'ti11ah11 , "We recite it to you so you do nor fo rge t (itJ. A,id 1vhen We .ful 1:~:!:1;:·idcncical reporc was narrated to us :rom
Mul.ia'.~mad b. 'Abd
recite it to you,Jo!low its recitation. He says: Wh en it is recited to you, fol- ,I-Ali al-Sanc;ini- Mul.1ammad b. Thawr-Ma n_1ar-~ta a. " he
low w hat is in it." . Thererore nat:ida
"<.:!
considered the interprctanon
.,
of [the nameJ t
This repo rt from Ibn 'Abbas makes exp li cit th at rhe mean ing of ~r'in" to be "the composition (ta'lif). . h f lb 'Abbas and
" ~r' an·· for him is "recitation (qira 'a)," and that it is the ve rbaJ noun of Each of these nvo opinions-meanmg t ose o n f h A b

th e ve rb " J reci ted ," in accordan ce w ith what we have clarified previously.
OP INION : As for the opinion of Qe_tada, he says ch at it is n ecessary _for
l"~ r' an" J to be a verbal noun from rh e expression "I joined a chm~
Q!rida-dm we have quoted has a sound basis in the speech o t c] . ra s,
e:,;ccpc chat the opinion which is more likel y to be the (correcht mt~r-
. I d . H ) L 1 ,n Us (rests) t e p1111111g
prmtion of God's statement {Exa te is e ' 0 • "r 011. _ b G d
1.yether thereof and the recitation thereof, is Ibn 'Abba.s's opmion, e;~~e
0

lrogether J {qara't11 al-sliay')," wh en you join or combine parts 0 ~ it

together. This is like yo ur expression "This she-camel absolutely fai led
to join {mti qa ra'aI) wit h its fetus," when yo u intend by th at co say that :he
(Majestic is His praise) commands His Prophet in other verses o . isdr:1:c-
l.tion to follow what He has revealed to him. God never aut 11onz~
io stop following anything that He commanded un til th e time w en . e
;;1
was u nable to join her womb co her child , as the poer 'Amr b. Kulthurn pu1 together the [entire] OEr'an for him. For example, and_wlien We re;~te
al-TaghUbi says: .
11,{~ll011,ifsred1a1io11 is equiva Ient to a II o f t h e O ther verses m th e ~r
h" an
.
in ·which God commands him co follow what He has inspired to tm 111
1 Tcchnia.ll y, the ,naµ/ar is o ne of nm1 y diffcrr111 l rJ>t S of •·vcrb.1.1 no u~s" in Ar.ibic, ~~;r!~ His m·dation. , - fi /low its n,ir'a11 to be
!:
:.m d p;;iu 1,·c pu11c1plcs. For 1hc s;ikc of comis_icucy, J ;im rc)[ricting the- use 0 b
:.Ktl \'<' cc Were the meaning of a11d when We qara 11alw, 0 --e
noun'" 10 1hr An.hie 1MJJ1"'3 , 111 1hh 1n.ml.111on . WnglH ddincs die \'erb:i.l noun as_ a ::.~s. -when we have put it all together [in a unified compositionJ, then follow
1u~1a1111vcs, wh 1cl1 cxprcu 1hc ;icuon, pa)sion . or u2rc india.1cd by thc co rrespon ding vols.
without ;iny rcfr rcnce to obJCCI, ~ubjcct, or ti me" ; Willi.i.m Wrigbt , A rabi< Grammar, 2
m 1 (Mmcol.i., New Yo rk : Dover Publications, 2005), 1: 11 0. d thl'" 1 Thu 11 A. J. Arberry's 11,nubtion of thC'se rwo vcrsei from 'Anir's famou s mu'allaqaJ ~-
2 Sec below for .a tn.ml. u on ofT2lnri's complc1c commcn ury o ri this ve rse (Q .75:tB) an J Arberr'". Tkr Sn,rn Odrs (New York: M2crnillan, 1957), 204. The iccond vc~sc an . m
pu1-2ge 111 which H occurs. • . -Tahari, npl2n2ri~n are fou nd in Abu ' Ubavd;i, Majiiz al-Q}r'an, ed. Fuat Sczgin, 2 vo s. (Cairo:
J For dt:"t.1111 of thc n.arr:.a1on m dus Un.Id which T.ab;iri fr<"qucntl y ci!C"s, )C'C 1aftir al .\foh.imnud .i.1-Kh.i.i~i .i.l-Ku1ubi, 19j 4), 1:2.
1: 263 .

74
75

4t:Sb
 TABAR f
w h~r w_e have put to~ct hcr fo r you ,., it would necessitate that none
o b liga n ons [H e had J 11nposcd upo n !the Prophet] wou ld be in e ffectofr he
as Recite in r~ie Na me of your Lord M11,o creates (Q .96: 1) and, 0 you envel;
yo1tr cloak, nsc a11d.11,am (Q.74:1- 2), pri o r to the tim e when alJ of the :ch "'
vc: ses _of.th e ~ ra n were pur roge r her. Thar [cl aim ), if so m eone were :;
voice n_, 1~ beyon d rhe pale of th e opinion of rhe people of this religion
. If It 1s tru ~ th.at th e assessmcnc o f eve r y verse of the ~r'an th~t
nnposes an o~lig~t1on upon th e Pro ph e t {~) is that he follow it and act in
a_ccordance w ith It , rega rdl :s~ ~f w he ther .It hese ver ses j were put together
[111 a ~od.e x J. t~cn Ibn Abbas s mrerpre catton of and when We recite ir,fallow
,rs ren rar,011 as and w hen We clarify it fo r you by Our recitati on of it ro
yo u, th en fo llow wh at We have cl arifi ed for you in Our recitation" is cor-
~-cct , to th e cxclus io ~ of th e opin ion o f the person who says its mea ning is
an d w hen We put 1t toge th er, then follow what We h ave put tog e ther. "
!Furth er ev id ence in suppo rt of chis opi nio n is found) in the state-
ment o f th e poct: 1
dalilww bi- aslm ia_,a '1m wiimt'l-suj 1idi bil,i
yuqntti 11 'l- layla tasbi~,a11 wa -Q!!r'anan
T he y slauglncrcd an old man, with traces of pros trations o n his
fo rd1 ead,
Who spent 1he whole night praising God and reci ting jrhe
Q!! r'a11] .
Th e poec mean s /by Q!r 'a11a11J " praising God and recit ing (qirti'ata,i) fthe
Ql!r'an J."
OBJE C TIO N : H ow is ic possible to give the m eaning of " the act o f reci-
tation (qira'a)" rn the word Q!r 'an when it is actua ll y something chat is
o rally recic ed (maqrii ')?
R ES P ONSE: JThi s is] jusc like ho w it is possibl e rn call something which
is "w ritt en (maktiib)" a "book (or ,v riting ; ki1ab), " w ith the meaning of
" t he writin g of th e w rit er," as ca n be see n by how th e poet d escribes, in
th e verse of poetr y, a di vo rce he wro te for hi s wife: i
t11 'ammi/11 raj atan mim ii wa-.fiha
ku abun m itlila mii la1iqa'f-,,;:l1 irii'11
1 Acrn rd111 8 10 M~l.imUd Sh.ilm, !Im ixx· n1 1s by H:iufo b . T h.ibi t a n d alludes to the mu rd er
of t !iC' dm J C :ihph, Ud u n .lin, 1n 15 / 656: Tafi ir al-J/Jb,ui, 1 : _
97
2
/1.hlJrnlld Sliak.1r w:r, ) un:ib lc:- 10 loc:itc 1h11 \"C' rM: of poetry in .m y of thl· sourcc1 at his.disp0s:i.l.
WA
Tabari 's h11rod11ctio11
She ~1\"(,. 5 hope for m e to take h er back. y_ct in [my lcncrj
ls ~ ~\·titten [divo rce ]. as binding as the binding of glu e.
:~c.h Tbr poct 111 caus. "a writt en di vorce (1aliiqa n makt1iba11)," and he uses kitiib
iu,tradof maktiib. ,_ , " . . ,,
As for rh e interp retation of the J~r ans] name the C ntenon, th en
ibrcommentaior s l'xplain it by differing expressions whose meanings arc
CDil'\s~::::~a said. accordin g to w h:u was narr:n ed to us from Ibn }:lumayd-
Hakkim b. Salm- <Anbasa- Jib ir- ' Ikrima sa id, "/The F11rqiir1] is th e
~h-a1ion {11(y',i1). " . . .
Likewise, thi s is how Suddi mrcrprctcd lt, as I was mformed by
\!uhan1tm.d b. al- J:lu sayn- Abmad b. al-Mufac;lc;lal- Asba~-SuddT. This
;s th.r opinion of a group of interpreters in addition to these t:o men.
lbn Abbas said. "The Furqfln is the way out (maklira1), as I was
mformrd by Yab ya b. ' Uthman b. sali}:t-CAbd Allah b. sali}:t-Mu' awiya
b. Slhh- Ali b. Abi Tall,>a- Ibn 'Abbas.
· Likewise, Muj:ihid had the same interpretation of it, as we were
1
aformrd by Ibn J:1umayd- J:Iakkam- 'Anbasa-J5.bir-Muj5.hid.
Mujihid said, concern ing God's statement (Majest.ic ~s Hi.s praise) Tlie
,]J}' ~f 11re.fi1rqii 11 (Q. 8:41), "This is a day in which God d1stmgmshed (faraqa)
k Ewcrn trutb and fa lsehood. "
TA BARi SAID: I was informed of this by Mui).ammad b. 'Amr al-B5.hi]I-
Abl! cA~im-'lsa b. Maymlln-lbn AbI NajIQ- Muj:ihid. .
AUof these interpretat ions of th e meaning offurqan are close m mean-
mg. despite their differences in expression. That is bec,~use for \~l10mever
thm is made "a way ou t" of some affair he is in, that way out has been
mido "sa lvation" fo r him. Likewise, if someone has been saved from a
bad situation, he has been aided against someone who has wronged him
b,dly, and so he "has been sepa rated or delivered (furiqa)" from the person
who his wronged him badly. . the
All of what we have narrated from these narrators, regarding
me~ning of al-Furqii11 , is sound because of the agreement in meaning of
the expressions they used fto ex plainJ it. .
J
The original meaning of 11 rqiin in our estimation, is the "separatton
'.f•rq) betwren two things and the• division (fa1Q between them ." This
•pplies to rulings, deliverance, bringing forth a proof, assistance and o:h-
~r words that di stinguish between validating (i,wbiqq} and invalidanr~g
inubri~. h is clear from th at, then, that the ~r'an is called th e Furqan
77
 TABAR I
Tnbnri's Introd11ctio11

~cc~u sc it dis tin.gu ishcs be twee n righ t and w ron g, by mean

1
. Prophets] with 'Oft- div ide~ O n es ~11wf a$$al). "' _ •
u_1dic~ ro~s. specific obligat ions and all o th er cases o f rulin s o f Its proofs, y,'qu bb. Ibra hun jal-Dawra9t [- Ibn Ul ayya-Khahdal-f:ladhdha'-
t111 gui sh111g bc-rwee n them is b)' aid ing the r ight d r
· · 1· an rorsak m h
Its act of dis. g: AbO Qi.la.ha sa id : chc Messenger of God(~) sa id, "I was given th e 'Seven
111 ltS ru rngs and j udgements. g t e "Wrot1g Long Ones' in place of th e Torah ; I ,.vas given th e ' Oft-repeating Ones'
As for the int erpretation o f the Q!! r'a n's nam e "the Boo " in place of ch c Psalms; I was g ive n th e 'One Hundred s' in place of the
n (karabr · - i. it is
the Gospel: and I was favou red w ith the 'Oft- divided Ones."' Khalid said,
I · verba l noun of the expressio n " I wro te son ie th mg · k, kthen
t 1s ' e your sayin g " J rose (q11mt11 qiyiiman)" o r " I l l u llaOGn)." "Proplc mt·d to call the 'Oft -divided Ones' the 'Arabic Ones (~ rabiyy). '"
(basabt11 al-shay' bisiibm,)." Th e kitiib is the 11 an d w rmng
. ~a cu aced something
of th . . Khalid also ~aid . "S~1,!!c (o r one) of them said, ' Th ere arc no prostration s
separated
. . . letters by the wri tc r. jThc r.u , a· ti j is
. ca II e d .. t h eBoe JOtncd
k"L __ and in ·,he Ara\)lc O nes.
It IS ~vntten dow n (maktiib), as the poe t says in th e ve rse w b o uecausc Mulpnunad b. J:{umayd- 1:{akkam b. Salm- 'Amr b. Abi Qeys-
previously as evide nce: e ro ught fonb 'A~im- Musayyab-Ibn Mas' Gd said, "The 'Long Ones' arc like the
Torah; che 'One Hundreds' arc like the Gospel ; th e ' Oft-repeating Ones'
wa-_(i/i(I ki1ab1111 mitl1la 1110 fofiqa al-ghirii 'u are like chc Psalms; and the rest of the Q!!r'an is an addition to what was
Ycl in /my le tter] is a v..-rittcn ldivorcc j as bindi ng th b· d' in che [previ ously-revealed] Books. "
of glue. ' as e m mg Abii rubayd al-Wa~~abi Mul)ammad b. I:Jaf~- Jbnl:limyar -Fazart-
3

Lanh b. Abi Sulaym- Abii Burda-Abu'I-Malil,- Wathila-the

Th e poet luses_ki1ab) to mean ''w ritt en (maktiib)."
M~m-nger of God ($) said , "My Lord gave me the 'Seven Long Ones' in
As for the interpretation of the ~ ·- , ..
two mea nings arc possible O f I ur ~n s na~1~ the Rem i nder," then place of the Torah ; the 'Oft-repeating Ones' in place of the Gospel ; the
(Majestic is His remcmbra;1c/c o _t 1em 1s that It IS a remin d er from God 'One Hundreds' in pl ace of the Psalms; and m y Lord favoured me with
teach th em His laws obi · . ), wh1~h H e uses to rem.ind H is servants and che ·oft-divided Ones."'
ha s entru sted th em . Th igat~ons an ~I] the o th er rulings wi t h w hich He The "Seven Long Ones" are the sUras of The Cow (2), The Family of
(sharaff and pride f~r w~o:: er mea_nmg .is ~hat it is a source of renown lmran (3), Women (4), Th e Table Spread (5), Cattle (6), The Heights (7)
it, as He (Mail•s tic i H · ~vcr b~heves In It and is truthful to w hat is in and YU.nus (10), in the opinion of Sa' Id b. Jubayr. I was informed of this
, s 15 praise)said · Tnl · · d/ ·k fi dfi from Ya'gob b. Ibrahim [al-Daw raqI]- Hushaym-AbG Bishr-Sa' id b.
people (Q .43 :44). [God ) means b . . ' y ,r ,s a ,_" •r or you a11 or your
for you and fo r ) 'OU I }' t!us th at Ithe Q!! r an J is a sign of nobiliry Jubayr.
r peop e. There has also been a report narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas
Then there are names fo r th - f
Me sse nger of God (~) ca lled them:e mras O th e ~ r' an , by w hich the chat is consistent with this opinion of Sa(Id: Mui)amrnad b. Bashshar-
Mul,1am madb. Bashshar- Ab u oaw- .- . - _, C - •
and Mu bam mad b. Kh alaf al- 'As aJ- - ud al -Ta!a l1S1- Abu 1- Aw ':'alll , 1
The Mdi\'111on" bt1ween these siiras is che expre1sio n I,r the Na mr of God, thr H,·nefiw1t, tlrr
Bas hir; bo th Abu al-'Aw wJ a,~~- R awwa d b. al-Jarra lJ-Sa idb. Mmijul, which generally serves 10 indicate the beginning of a new s,ira. Alrhough there is
muchdebttover whne 1he siiras o f thi s category begin , there is agreement that this categor y
Wat hil, b. al -Asg,'- p ma n Sa ,d from ~ tada -Abu'J-MalJb- r~fm 10 the shorter siiras found ne:ir 1hc end of the ~r'iin codex . For m o re on the ,mifam1l
0 ( ' 1 rophet (s) sa id " I
Ile h , Lo
1~~s ~uwary' 1 in the place of the T · . • w~s g iven t e Se ven ng Ju rJs, le~ ~opK (,ia w') 18 of Suyllti's al- l1qii11Jr- 'ulii,11 al- Q}r'ii11. Acco rding co A~mad Shiik ir,
( 11 rn) in place of I p l o rah, I was g ive n the 'One H u ndreds th isbJrth 11foun d in the M1m1aJs ofTayilisi and Jbn l;lanb.11. as well as one of the collectio ns
11
(111athii,1i)' in place t/\ sa ms; I was gi ven th e 'Oft-repeating Ones ofT3b.i.rini; Tafiir al-Tabarf, 1:ioo.
0 t e Gos pe.J; and I was favo ured fover p revious 2 Thne Ut nurnn ous places th rougho ut 1he ~r 'an where 1he reciter is suppmed to offer pause
~d prostncc htfore reciting 1hc ne xt verse. Therefore, according to this murs.J I badith, o ne
'tgory of siiras was devoid o~ 1hcse prostratio ns. There arc several "verses of prostra tion" in
~e~iirJHhat arc gcncrall_y cormdcred 10 be the "Ofi-di \·ided O nes." altho ugh Khalid Williams

r
l
~1,Tabar!
~;,1 tx for Klul1d W1IILu111· 1uggcmon of"
ht~- wu rce of re nown" for che cr.insbrion o(
p n1thc n1t3111ng1of thc~ 11arnc\1m111('
J ;:~~:~:ng
1 rought to my mention that the M :iliki schoo l o f law does no t recognize any of the proscra-

the s~1as i~ th h fina l sectio n of the ~r':in.

g the Dar Hap r readi ng of this imiiJ; 1 :97.
diatcly fo!lowm g these repcrts.

78 79
 TABAR!
Taba ri's It1trod11aio11

Jbn Abi 'Adi, Ya l.1ya b. Sa' id [al-~nan J, Mu l.1 ammad b.Ja'far and Sahl b t the m simi litude s. repo rts and lessons; this is the opin-
YU suf- <Awf- Yazid al-Farisi- fbn 'Abbas sa id , · rtpOts rhrough~u Wi:. h:we bee n inform ed of that by Abu,_Kurayb-Ibn
I said to cUt hm an b. <Affan, "W hat brought you to p ut ion of 1611 Abbas. I -J- 'Abd Allah b. ' Uthman- Sa 1d b.Jubayr-
YJm jn-Sufyan [al-T iawn
SUrat al-Anfa l (Th e Spoil s. SJ. w hi ch is among the 'Oft-
repcating Ones.· and Surat al-Tawba !Re pentance, 9J, [bn Abbas. arcd that Sa' id b.Jubayr woul d say, "These are called the
which is among the 'One H undreds,' next to each other [1h.1 sb~c11 nar1~s• bec:1 usc t he obligations and laws ((mdiid) are repeated
as two dist inct siiras wit hout writ ing th e li ne In the N ame ·olt-r<-reaong ,Ot" We have bee n in fo rmed of tha.t from ~ul,i.anunad b.
of God, the Be11efice11t, 1/:e A1ercif11I? And w hy did you put throughou t thtm.nmad b Ja' far- Shu' ba- AbU 81shr- Sa ,db._Jubay.r.
them both among the 'Seven Lo ng Ones' ? What led you B~shsh.lr- Mubat , . b s arc too numerous to mention, said,
Another group , w hose m em. er,"
to do that ?'" <Uthmin repli ed, "Wheneve r the time came ri,, ·-11 is 'ofr-repcatmg. f I
to him, when long s1"iras we re being se nt down to him, "The entire ~r a 'd "Tl 'Oft-repeating' is the Opening o t 1e
and part of one came down to him, th e M esse nge r of An other grot'.~ sa1e~itati~~ is oft-repeated in every pra~e~.,, .
God (~) wou ld summ on some of che sc ribes and say to Book (1).1bccaus,. its rl ames of the advocates of this opmion, t~e1r
11
Wr will 111cnt1on t le . • • that over which they d1sa-
them, 'Put these verses in the st"ira in w hic h suc h-a nd-
areumen ts and the correct oprn1on conc;:~~n~erse We have given you seveu
such is menti oned .' Surat al-Anfal was among the first V h the commentary o ]
s1"ira s co come down in Medina, w hile SU rat al-Taw ba was crte when wc rcac I Id G d will that [we reach it .
;{,he ofi -repe11red(Q.15:87). s rnu . o h es of the [groups) of siiras
amo ng t he fin al parts of the ~r'an to co me down , and · · I , ti at menoons t e nam h .
thei r cont ent s 1 resembled each othe r, so I t hou g ht th at There is a so poerq 1 fi 1 the narration on the aut onty
f he ~r'Jn that have come to us ron .
!the Spoi lsJ was pan of /Repcncance J. Th e M essenge r :[ :he Messenger of God(~). One poet said,
of God returned to Hi s Maker prior co having cl arified
that it was pan of it, so on accoun t of t hat, I join ed them halaji11 bi'l-sab'i'llawOti !111v1~i.lat
togethe r, burl did not write between th em th e lin e In rite uia-bi-mi'ina ba'dalrii qad 111111 1yat
Na me of God, the Be11e.ficem, the Merciful; and l put them u,a-bi-mathiinin tlumniyat fa-k 11 rrirai
among the 'Seven Long Ones."' u,a-bi'l-1awiisi11i'llati qad tlmllirhat
u,,1. bi'l-hawiimimi'llawiiti mbbi'at
This report in fo rm s us that for ' Uthman (m ay God have mercy on h im ), it
rm-bi'l-m11faf fali'llawatifim ilat
had no t been clarified w het her the Spoil s (8) and th e Repe ntance (9? were
pan of the '"Seven Long Ones, '' and it is explicit th at Ibn 'Abbas did not Ian oathJ by t Ite Seven, which,. werehich
I swore
made long;
were made one
consi der /th ese two siirasj to be part of chem. 1 And by tl11: "O ne Hundred Ones, w
Th ese siiras arc ca lled the "Seven Long Ones" o nJ y because they are hundred [vcrses j; Ones," which were made oft-
longer th an all of th e other siiras of the OEr'an. And by the "Oft-repea ting
As for the "One Hundreds," these arc th e siiras of the ~r'an whose repeating and repetitive; . _, _ which were made threc; 1
And bythe ones beginning wi th. Ta 51~,• Mim w hich were made
1
verses numbe r on e hundred, plus or minus a few verses. _)
As for the "'Oft -repeating O nes," t hey are what follows (t/!~"'~a- And by the ones beginning with f:la •
th e "One Hu nd red s'' ; th e .. One Hundred s" com e first, whiJe the t Se\·en;l
repeating Ones.. follow them . It has been alleged that the "Ofi- r epeaun3
On es" arc call ed matliiini because God (Majestic is His remembran ce ,_ wliich is recited in cYcry unit of prayer.
Jfo otherwords, 1hu referstothr fir stsiiraof 1hc ~ran, · ( )· The Ants (27); and The
1
Thrrc ik1J1 begm with the Arabic letters Tii' Sin: The Poets 26 '
1 S1or; (18).
Lnr_n ll y. Htl1r uory or nnr.itn"' (qwa)of o ne rtsi:rnbles rhe story or n.arnrivc of rhc orher ont~:
2
Abu Ub1yJ;,, (111d rn.111)' rn bstque11r «-hol1rs) comidercd Stir.it 21-Anfll to be .among JS~,Jl ~D-46btgm with t!ic lmcrs ljii' Mim.
HSc\'t11 Long O nts": Mapi:: al-Q.jr "an , J :6.

80 81
 TABARI
Tabari's Jn1rod11c1io11

And by th e ''Oft-divided Ones," which were di vided finto short sa s b11rra or sha'ira or qa~aba w hen o ne wis!~es to refe r
siirasj. 1 irhol~cntiry. so one in y barley or reeds]. Th e s1tms of t he ~ ra n arc no t
io a lirtk bit o_f [_gra 1'· li ke th e co llec ti viry of w heat, ba rley a~d th e
These verses ind ica te the soundness of the interpre tation we provided
con cerning th ese names. collectirc c-x 1_sw1~ t u:J' each srlm has un iqu e [quali ties] in itsclf, Just as
umparts of a city; ' .1s~~ . , t fro m th e fcoll cctivityJ of rooms (glmm/) and
As for the "Oft -divided Ones," they arc ca ll ed thi s o n account of the emyroolll (~~111~) ~s 1s;;~11~1 the coll ecti vity j of speeches. Co~segu entl y,
numerous di visions (f,1 f1l~ between these s1tras by m ean s of In the Name oj eranpecch [1s d1st1~1Ct I th e sa me !bro ken pluralj paradi gm as that
God, the Beneficent , the M erciful. 1 ihe Plural .~orm ~( s11~a s 1a;,cs • . " .
Th en, each s1tra of the ~r'an is ca ll ed a "s,tra, " th e plural of which of Hrooms and speeches. I . of sttra is a "hi gh statio n is the
is suwar, acco rding to the paradigm of kh u_rba (speech , se rmon) and lits further evidence chat t 1c mea,~ng
plural/ kl1111ab; and gl111rfa (room, chamber) and li ts p lural] g huraf rme of al -N:ibigha of BanU D hubyan ,
Th e word s1tra without a hamza fo n the wa111J means "a high srructurr- a-liim t11r,1 ,w,w'lliilia a',iika sGratan
or station (ma11 z ila)." T he wall surro unding a ci ty was ca ilcd " the s,tr(ram- tarJ kufla malki11 dii,iahii ya1adliabdhab11 .
pan s) of th e city," beca use it was higher tha n fth c h o uses] it en circled. Do you nae see t hat Go d has given youb af;loft y. staoon;
,,
However, the word siira (wa ll), for that w h ich surro und s a ci ty, has never (So chac) you sec every king quivering e ore tt . . . I
been hea rd in th e plural fo rm "s11111ar," in comrast to the plural of a siira T l G d gave him a lofty, noble station, w h1c 1
of the ~r 'J.n, which is s11111ar. Thc~cmeans~y rhar: ru ~ad~. ' .
The poet al-'Aijaj mentioned the pl ura l of s1tra rega rd ing buildings: ihe mnons of kmgs ca nnot r I word siim (in oth er word s, si, m] rn
fa- mbba di,; s11riidiqi11 ma&j,tri Some people add a,!1amza ~o c:~e retation of which would be "a frag-
surt11 ilayhifl a'iili '/- s(iri ihe contcxt of th~ ~ra n, ~he m ~r'an over the rest of it, and w hi ch is
rr.enror piecr- which is left rn th e Q!! ' f , thing is the remnant
How manr an enclosure, forbiddin g, d ,.. ) ,, , Tl at is. beca use the
rm.me (i1V<f1yar . . • l
5 1' r o e, ery
methin has been taken away rrom
r:

Have I sca led, to its highest ramparrsP of som(thing which rcmams after so ' ·nf J w hen he drinks and then
ii Th.a1 is why the remainder of a man s dn 'd " , ,.
Th e plural [of sttraJ in thj s case fo ll ows the pa radigm of burra ("grain of l h . • · th e cup is caile su r. b
wh eat") and b11sra (" un ripe dace"), wh ich, in the plu ral. are bu" and busr. mts wmet ing remammg _m_ ' e of al-A'shJ. of BanU Tha' la a,
No one has been heard saying s1tr as a plural of the word s,tra in reference ~o Another example of thi s is the vers nant of love remain ed in hi s
who dtscribcs a woman fo r whom a rem
th e ~r'an , altho ugh were one to use this plura l fo rm , o n e w oul,d n ~t . : be:i.n afrer she separated from hi m,
inco rrect according to analogy, if one wished to refer to th e Q!!r an JO 1t
cntire ry. The o nly reason, in our opinio n, as co w hy this p lural form was fa -ba11at wa -qad as' arat fl' lf11 'a -
aba ndo ned is because the plural of every collective no un th at ~ses a ~!ngud di sad an 'ala 11a'yihii musta_ririi
lar expression, like b11rr ("wheat") or sha(ir ("ba rl ey") or qa1ab (' reeds ) Sht' departed, yet she le~t behind , ~n my h: a~~ttom.
th e like, fo llo ws ch e paradigm of a singular word, beca use it is so rare t _at Acrack, due 10 her leavmg, from us top t
th e word is int ended to mean just a single, isolated thing flike one gralf;
of wh ea rJ. Th erefore its plural form is the same as th~ si_n g ular forr;- : e
ot her things. Th us the singu lar form of words like this 1s like a part O c
1 .. ,_
1lb.u 1·nw: u found in Abu ' UbJrda, M1y11: al-_Q!.r ''.: ,;ft ,
0 1 . andstation"
I :20. I havt' fo llowed Ar berr(s
fo r his rende ring of_£rlflf
~1!.i11on of thu 1·ene, save for rny submmu o n of . a j >S ,dnm (New York ; C:imbri<lge
ll grm might";A.J. Arhl"rry,ArabicPoetry:A Pmnrr or 11

1 The-~ \"C-nc-) of poc-1ry :ire- fo und in Abo ' U!M yd:i , Mafaz al-Q_tr 'On, 1 ;7. l ts2 uthor 1s unk~~;:~ Uni:-rnni· Pms. 1965), H- T b • does not endeavour
2 Tabari doc-1 not gn·,: any opmions u 10 which 1Uras of the- ~r'an courn 2mong the:
H undred ~, .. tho: ~Ofr-ro:p,:-aung Ono:~" and the- "Oft-divided 0 110:s. "
1
~QhndollowcdCoop<:r's 1ranslation closc-ly he-re; Commet~at['
~rfu1c 1h11mrnprc-mion, which suggests tha,'. h~ fo~n P
:;~si~i/:
1
r at lo:ast acceptable.
1
J Thu vr-rM: 1s foun d in Abo ' Ubayda, Ma;Oz al-(e , 'a11, 1 :s. · Anb1, wo rd hero:, jlra,Jb, go:ner;illy mr-a ns w me.

83
 TAJJARI
Tabari's l,,trod11ctio11

In addition, al-Nsha says somet hing else simil ar to t I1 ar DISCUSS ION CONCERNIN G THE INTEllPRETATION OF THE
NAMES OF THE O PENING OF THE BOOK (Q.1)
ba:ia1 ,"'.a_-qad as'ara1 fi'f-nafii biijatahii '
bada t1faji11 wa-khaym 'f-w11ddi mii mifa'a Thr followi ng report on the auth ori ty of the Messenge r of the God (~)
is sound. and ha s been narrated to m e from: YOnus b. 'Abd al-A' la-
She departed, ye t lefr behind. in my heart a nee
lfln Wahb- Ibn Ahi Dh i'b- Sa' ld al-Maqburi- Abll Hurayra- the
Afrer/wcwcre]u ni tcd·and•
h·b I .' dforher,
t c est ovc as that which is hel fi I Messrnger of God(~) sa id, " It is the Mother of th e ~r'an, the Opening
As f?_r ~.he meaning of iiya ("ve rse o r si n '') . pu. fdie Book :i.nd the Seve n Oft-repeated."' These arc the names of the
~ran ' then two meanings arc "bt Ill t~ e expression '\iy of the 0
Arabs: poss, e, according to the speech of the Opcni11 g of th e Boo k.
Ii] It s called "rhc Openi ng of the Book" because the written copies of
1
f, j Jt is called a n iiya because it . . { - rhe ~r·an ope n wi th it, it is recited at the beginning of prayers, and
tion of all that comes bcfi . is a dst~n ( alama), by which the comp!,. hest' \Trsrs arc the open in gs of all the siiras of the ~r'an which follow
I . ore It an IC S origin . k I
t lat JS an ind icator of somethin d I . h . is nown, ikc the sign 1
it. wht'ther written or recited.
as th e poet says, g, an w uc JS used to be guided to it, I~] It is called "the Mother of the ~r'an" because it comes prior to all
ol thr other s1/ms of the ~r'an and everything other than it comes after
a~i~ni i~ayliJ 'amraka 'I/Jlm yJ fa1J it. wht'ther recited or w ritten. This meaning is similar to the meaning
h1-ayat1 mii jii 'a1ilaynJ talziidayJ
of .. the Opening of th e Book." This siira is called "the Mother of the
youth! May God prolon g Y·o ur J·(i
0me I e! Bring her a message from Book'' because the Arabs call every thing that brings together [disparate)
things or leads a series of things that follow it and brings them together,
A sign of what came upon us, swagge ring.' mch rhat it is a unit in g leader (imiimjOmt), a " mother." Thus they call
In o~hcr word s, [aya J me ans "a si n ( - " the skin that encompasses th e brain 1 " mother of the head." They also call
God s statement (M · . . . g ( ala ma ). Another case of chis is the flag of the army and its banner, under which the entire army gathers,
bl a1est1c is Hi s remen b )
a ta e spread with food from heai,e,i rl _1 ranee • 0 Lord! S e,id down far u1 i ··mother". Th is can be see n in the verse by DhU'l-Rumma, who says,
us a11dfor rhe last of i,s a d . ( ~ wt II may be a feas t far us,far the.first of describing a banner affixed to a lance, under which he and his companions
a "sig n" from You 'f ~o O S lgll aya)from You (Q.5: 114). In ocher w ords,
0 •regathered ,
us w hat we as ked . ur respo nse to o ur req ues t a nd Yo ur g ranting
wa-Mmara qaw111Jmi11 idhii 11iima $14bball
/21 The other meaning /of - ) . "
Ka b b. Z uha yr b N- - S I OJ~a is narrative o r story (qis1a ) ,. as the p oet klrafifi'l-rliiyiibi {J 1111viiri la/111 az rii
· ui u ma sai d · ' 'a/ii ra 'sihi ununun la11ii ,wqtadi bihii
a-la abligha
_
had/ia-'J-muarr1
, .da iiyatan
• Jima" 1muiri11 lJ 11u'iisi lahii amrii
a-yaqzana qiila'l-qawla idh qala am balam idhii nazalat qila'11 z ilil wa-idliii ghadat
Has he not brough t th . ghada1 dhiita birziqi11 takha/11 bihii fakhrii
Was he alcrc when he ~:i~l:~oncnt a message? Abrown spear, whil e my companion sleeps,
Th e word . ' I 'or was he dreaming? Holding up a light cloth , which covers not its back.
Tht· m .a}a iere mea ns "a messa c fr " " "
lowi11 caning of iiyiit in this case w!uld om or a report abo ut m e.
g a story, by way of divi . be narrative s," or "a story (ol-
s1ons an d connectors."

r ~:\ :nod ~h~b, td(· tn, fin dm po<-1 a S I

. ) u _1ar 111. die- )la\"c of Ba11U'l- l:f as/_
1i~; 7efsiraf-'Ja"'1ri,

85
 TABA R ! Tabari'5 Imrod11ctio11

At.its _rip is a banner (umm) to which we adhere, 1~;11/ in\'rstigatc thoroughly the divergent opinions of the Companions,
Brmg1~g .us ioget her in all our affai rs-never do we dis Succrssors, earl y Muslims and those of recent times on this topic1
in our
Whe'.1 it 1s brought down, ii is said "At case," and w o~y it! larger book concerning the Sacred Laws of Islam, if God wills.
off m 1he morning, hen It sets As for the Prophet's (~) description of the seven verses as "oft-repeat-
Avast train of four horsesj set out wit h it obu· . I ed {nhlrlrau)," thi s is on account of their frequent recitation in every
The oet sa ·s " · · • ' mmg gory. prarcr, whet her supererogatory or obligatory. This is also how al-}::lasan
P ) On JtS tip is our umm "meanin "Q
).13:i~ri interp reted this name [of "the Opening"J: Ya'qiib b. Ibrahim
!s a b;mner. under which they gather'. whether g 1· hn. the tip of the sprar
m combat wit h the enemy." a 1g ting or travelling, or /al-Dawraql/-lbn ' Ulayya-Abii Raja' said, "J asked al-1:Iasan [al-Bairl]
3

about the \'ersc l¥e have given yo11 sevet1 of the oft-repeated (verses) and the great
It has been alleged that Mecca is th " Q!r'in (Q.15:87) and he said, 'This is the Opening of the Book.' Then he
al-qr1ra)" because of its preced • . e Mother of the villages (umm
unites them all. Others all dc~ce _o~cr all other villages, and how it w:is asked about it and I heard him recite All praise belongs to God, Lord of
been spread our from it an~ge . t ~at it is ca!.led this because the earth bas the 11 0rld5 unt il he reached its conclusion, before saying, 'This is repeated
Similar to that is th so It ecame a mother (umm)" (above] it all in c,wy read ing"' (or he said "in every prayer"; the uncertainty regarding
. . e state ment of f:-Iumayd b. Thawr al.:.HiJali i .
what he said comes from Tabari).
,dhakii,rati'l-khanuiina ' This meaning that we have described is the intended meaning of
li-da' ·ka ·u· . ummaka lam yak1111
1 1 aan tanu11a _ 1abib11 AbU'I-Naj m al-cljli's statement:
Should you :main the age of fift al-bamdu li-1/iihi'l/adhi 'afani
Tl1ere is no physician, save deatlt years. then, for your ilJness,
rM-1-mlla khayri11 ba'dalm afiini
min al-Q!rii11i 111a-mit1 a/-mathiini
h Since the 11 umber fi,fty includ all ·
t e poet calls it "a moth ( es the numbers that are less than it
. 11
.
3 As for HS nam " h
er 11111111)" for h
t e one who has attained it.a
' All praise belongs to God, Who has forgiven me,

It C •
~ ~ S!S ts of seven verses
e t e Seven/oc . rt-repea ted] ," rhen it is because
And for all the good afterwards He has given me
From rbe QEr'an and from the Oft-repeated [versesJ.
~ran. .
remers and schol' accordmg t O t he unantmous . opinion of all 1
w hich /,\Or · ds / comprise thes ars. However, t hese scholars di sagreed over Likewise, consider the following verses of rajaz:
Mose of the Kufans . e.~even verses.
'.'i'c11hcr of these books Im survived and the larger legal book to which Tabari alludes
that h of God, ihe Beneficem
the Name said, ItI, beca me seven verses on accounr of In 1
w prob1bly never written; see Franz Rosenthal's introduction to Tabari, Thr Hi5tory
M as bren narrated on th , the ~ erciji,l /counting as a verse]." And 11
ef al-Ta~ri, Vol. 1, 85 and 113 - 17. According to Tab:iri's contemporary, Ahli Bakr b. al-
essrnger of GOd (1) and Sue e aut oray Of a group of Companions of th, Mundhir (d. 318/930), 'Ara' b. Abi Rabah, Zuhri, Jbn al-Mubarak. Shifi'i, lbn I:Ianbal, lbn
0 t I1ers said "R cessors. Rihaw.i~·h. Abu ' Uh.iyd and "many lra9_is" considered I,, 1he Namt of God, 1hr Btnr.fium,
Bene.ficem, the , . ather, it has seven v inr Mmifu_l to be d1t first vene of the Opening, while Mi lik and Awzi' i did not; Jbn
begins al Mercif11I is not am erses, but /11 the Name of coJ, the •~~oodlm. ,1-lshof ',la m,dhohib ,/- ',,J,m;', ,d. Abu 1;1,mmid S,ghir ,J-An1iri. ,o voh.
of ihe re;~tr] oftfho5e whom You ha;'? them. R ather, the seventh [verst ( ii al- Kli aym~: Maktahat Makka :il-Thaqafiyp, 2005}, 2:20-1. Ahli Ja'far al-Tab;iwi

We I ers o Medina and ti . ;a1J011red. "J This is the opinion of most (J. pi /933) rnd1cates tha1 these Iraqis included Ahli l:bnifa. AbO Yusuf, Mu):iammad
~~-Sh~ybini. ibn Abi Layla, Sufylll al-Thawri and al-}:lasan b. }:layy ; Tal)iwi. Mukhta$ar
our b iave clarified what . ie1r experts.
1 ~ 11 /Jf a/- 11 l,:m1a' (abd riged by Abti Bakr al-JaHi~). ed. 'Abd Allih A):imad, 5 vols. (Beirut:
· ·-a_i/k·am '5ha,a' in our estima. 10
ook al-LatiJJ, -< I _ tlon, ls. the correct opinion . ~'.:,::·D»hfo , 1-tsli miyy,, ,996). 1,m. Tabni's opinion is in , gmmonl wi,_h MaWs
iMahrn
H u"dSh ik1r idtnufi 'a- Islam in a succmct . manner and We J1/,;,i:• winch explains why hi, commonmy on ,h, /,,um,/, is in tho mcroducnon ofh,s
u11uyd "l-H1l.~li
2 ln oditr word
J fnothcr
.1.ti t Iu 1 \'tt~ a1
, ~f lafi;,11/-iaI,a . bdong111g to Ab ·
1• thcournbtr "· r:108. u Mul_mnmad al-Taymi ratherth
111
, Tl Ilea~ of 111 the commentary on S0ral al-Fiti):ia (1).
-,,;:,::•; "!" «fm co, mm, of pomy cha< has vory dilfmnt ,uks from ;_"
Tl · _abm regularl y distinguishes between 1he Arabic word for pceiry, dur, an ,-;~ ·
"r:;~'
0 .

~l/1 ._., ord1, ihtw-v jouabo\'tand

n. 1.im gr:ucful for ~~.. of iht o;~~ronr _of the numbers 1- 49. .. ;;;':;: 1 h,.., n»im , inod his distinction in my translation, ovon t~ough "~'.' i;' «cog-
1
ir~~t"~
WilliarnJ's lidp is ghay,i'l-mag/,¢iibi 'alayhim """J;'/- re of poetry. For more. see M. Ullman and W. Heinrichs, Radpz, EI·
.in r mg this passage .

86
 TA!JARI Tabari's llltmd11ctio11

t1ashad111l.:11111 bi-m1111zi/i'l-F11rqii11i ·TATION O f shaytii11

11111111i'l-l.:i1iibi'l-sab 'i min 111a,lui11i tNTE RPRE b I ,a,,
means "every jinn , or human, or beast
In thr sprc-ch of the Ar~ s, 5 ,~y.l (m 11tamarrid)." On account of that, our
d11m11i1M min iiyin mi11a 'l- Q!r'ii11i I . rise \\'ho is :-i re c dfi p I er an
11•a'l-sab'i sab 'i 'l-.wwali'l-dawii11i or Jnyc i1_ng .. H" raise) said, Tims l,ai,e Weappoi11te or e1,ery rop i
,is
Lord (r-.l.iJrs11c is ( P_ - ) of l11111w11ki11d a11d jiw1 (Q.6:u2). God has made
I beseech you by the O ne Who sends dow n th e Furq:in,
Th e Mod1er of the Book, the Seve n Oft-repcated-
Jl1rrwy--sat1111s 5 wy~~:;: as he has made them out of jinn. . .

Oft-repcated verses of the ~r':in

And the Scvcn~cvcn lofty jtrces, whose fruit s) are within easy
9ta115ou1ofhumansJ_ b (
Unw b. al- Kh ana
!
l l~r .0
G d's mercy be upon him) was ndmg a

ti at began to wa 111 a
stately gait and so he struck it [to go
) · So
wor.k iorsc . l • Id not in crease [its speed J except in a state y gan. ,
reac h.
fam.·r]. but it \, ou l e and said, "You have but mounted me upo~~
Ir is nor necessa ry to restri ct the name ''the Seve n Oft-repeated" to [the he got down from d_1e ,ors ct off of it until my soul had had enough.
ve rses ofJ "r he O pen in g of the Book" to th e exclusion of calling the rel-cl (_;/wy1ii11)! I did not gu s from YUnus b. 'Abd al-Nla-Ibn Wahb-
.i

Thisrt'port was n;urated co I. f I - ' Umar.

entire ~r'an "oft-repeated," or w he n one repeat s the sfiras known as
J-fohirn b. Satd-Zayd b. Aslam-:- ~Is a~s:e: rebel breaks away from his
" th e Hundred s," because eac h case has its own understood interpreta-
hery rebel is ca ll ed a "satat~ h cca h duce and actions of all of
tion (wajl, ) and meaning. O ne's act of ca lling some /parts of th e ~r'in]
normal conduct and actions, wine are t efcho_n d·scance from goodness.
"oft-repeated" docs not in va lid ate ca lling other parts of it by the same · and because o ts 1 h
name. the mt'mbcrs o f Ius genus, . d I - ] h s been derived from t e
h has been alleged [that the war ,~y~an a "my house is far from
We have already clarified th e sou ndne ss of ca lling the siiras known !Wtmem sliara11at diiri min diirika , w HC means f al-Nabigha of BanG
as th e "O ne Hundreds" as "the O ft-repeate d," a nd we w ill demon- your house." Along these lines is the statement o
strate the so undn ess of ca lli ng t he e ntire ~ r 'an "oft-repeated " when Dhubyan:
we rea ch the app ropriate place in SGrat al-Zum a r (The Th rongs, 39),
if God will s. tJa'at bi-S11 ada 'anl.:a nawa11 shafii1111
{a-lxinat wa'l-ji1'adr1 bihii rahimi
· ,_d ·at distance from you;
A distant face put Su a ar a grc mains her hostage.
D I SCUSSION ON THE INTEIU'R.ETATI ON OF THE STATEMENT
She departed, though your heart re ht "
.. I SEEK PROTECTI ON IN GOD FROM THE AC C URSED SATA N '"
- . " which she desired and s~u_g •
The mrani ng of nawa here IS the face ., A ding to this wcer-
I NTE RPR ETATI ON OF a'ttd/111 hI h f I - . "distant remote. ccor A her
11 i e t e meaning o s ia_t,u~~s . • form of the root sh-f-tl. not
pretation, sliaytiin is the fay al nommal . . the statement of
The isti'iidha is the act of seeking protecti on (istijiira) . The interpre tation of
pim of evide.nce in support of this interpretatton IS
one's sta tement "aciidlw bi'l/al, from che accursed Sa tan " is: I seek protec-
Uma~·ya b. Abi al-Salt:
tion in God-to th e exclus ion of all of Hi s creat ures -from the sa tan who
harms me on account of my religion or who obstru cts me from fulfilling ayyuma sha_ri11in 'a1iil111 'akiih11
an ob li gatory claim that I owe Ill }' Lord. 1hu111ma y11lqa fi'l-sij'11i wa'l-akbiili h.
Any rebel wbo disobeyed him fou 11d himself in tight c ams,
1
Thr Q!.lr'fo tc-.ad1n tlm one- sliou ld )cc-k refuge- m God pn or w ir ~ recitation (Q. 16:9S), 2 " d Thrn thrown into prison, fettered. / J- • then
Mmlun !Cliobrs han, undc-ntood d1h to 111c;1.11 ch;ic chr readC' r should sav "I seek prorecd_on I erb shata yas "·'1 1'
111
God from th r ;accursed S;i.c;i.n," Tliu) Tlbni di ~ ussc) the- mc;i.n ing of (hi s expression P'7°' If shanan were th e fa'la,1 nominal form from t 1e v · .,
to the opc:nmg word) of the- Q!_lr'an, lx•c;i usc lie 1s:munUng d i.it .anronc- reci ting the Q!!r
h to be unrc-vcnged ;
would f1ru \l)' 11. Tl1c-rc 2rc .iho haditlu indio tm g t/1 21 o 11 c should includc- l \-aria tion ofr hJS
I Thu l"~rhmc;m 1. l rnong o thc-r things, "to be burnt. to chicken, 10 pen~ ,
c-xpn-mon l l thr bc.-g1n11111g of cad1 prlyt' r; sec-. for ex.ample, Abo IJ:i wUd .al-Sijisdini, SutuJn
(K,tabal-saM1 · bab 122 : A1a111oJ Ual-1)1ifiiih bi-mbhamb). fl. 1·•.185

89
JY
TABA RI Tabari 's I,itrod11ctiot1

rhe _poer would have said sha'i! instead of shiirin. H COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
wh.1ch mc~n.s this word derives from the v~rb slz owcver, he said sha.ti" Jn rlie Na me of God, the Be11eficc11t, rite Mcrcif11/
active part1c1ple is shii_tin. a_tanalyash1unu and t~
Truh- God (Exalted is Hi s remembrance and sanctified are His Names)
INTERPRETAT ION Of rajim tJugiir His Prophet Mubamma~ (~) _the etiquette of invok_ing His most
he,nHiful Name s prior to all o flus acttons. He commanded him to describe
Th e word rajim is the /i ii nominal fon . .
mean ing of the passive parrici l ( \\:h1~h (m this caseJ has ib Him ,,·ith these Names prior to all of his important business; and He
kl,adib (", dyed hand") or lihya
("an accursed man'') . In all .of I ,rn
J.t tf"D, like the expressions
an anointed beard") or rajullaii
made , 11of this, wh ich He ha s taught him, [the Prophet's] practice (Su,111a)
1
and the path chat all of humanity shou ld adopt and follow. It is by these
intended meaning. t iese cases, rhe passive participle is th: words that they wi ll open their speeches, epistles, books and affairs, to the
point that an indicator is unnecessa ry to answer the question "What is the
The meaning of rajim is "ti 1

reviled by means ofb i e accursed, the reviled". Anyone wh . inte nded ellipsis in the statement Ju the Name of God?"
ase stareme ncs or verb I b . ou 1 1
Tin· reply to this question is that the bii in bi sn1i /liilz requires a verb
1

mcaningofthcwordrajmis " I a a use 1s,narjiim. Thcoriginal

pie of "hurling words" i I tor irow or hurl words or things". An exam- msr:rve as a causative factor, while no verb is actually present. It is unnec-
(may God ,s blessings be 'u " statement 0 f Ab I1 , essary to state expli citl y the [verbal] intention of the person who says fo
1
I. ra am s father to Abraham
at ))"" (Q.19: 6).' pan um), If l'0 " cease not, I shall hurl (vile imulu rlie Nawe of God because any other person who hears him say this knows
4 r:xactly what the speaker's intention is for having said this.This is the case
It may also be permissible to . for every person who articulates it whenever he is about to do some-
His praise) repelled him fro . H' ~all Satan rajim because God (Majestic is
shooting stars at him. m is eavens and hurled (rajamahu) the bright thing-regardless of whether he says it (simultaneously] with the action
or immediately prior to it without a break-his utterance of fo the Name
It has been narrated o I
Gabriel.camt down to the nPro
t Ie hauthority O f lb n 'Ab bas that the first timC" ~- God has bee n made for that specific purpose, which is obvious to any
protect~on in God from th e a: ct (d~) he taught him the statement "I seek person who hea rs him saying it and witnesses what he is doing . The lack
Abu Kurayb-' U h - cu rse Satan (isti'adha) ,, of need [of an ex plicit verb] for the person who bears him utter [/11 the
al-Dahh ak { t man b. Sacid-B·15 h ' . Name of GodJ is on account of the obvious nature of the ellipsis and is
· · · - Abd Allah b 'Abb- . r b. Umara-Abii Rawq-
to Muha,
seek ; n~a d, he said, 'O
· Muh
as said
a ' "TlJc fiirst tim e Gabriel came down
equivalent to a person who heard someone else reply "Food," to whom it
S P.. o,ewon in the All-h .. mmad, seek refuge [in God] . Say, "I was said "What did you ear?" Ir is totally unnecessary for the person who
atan. Then , " earmg, the All k . d \m asked this question to repeat the words "I ate" with the word "food"
by Redr . sa} ' fo the Name ef God h • nowmg from the accursc
hecau_se it is clear to anyone in his presence that "I ate" was the intended
iAbbas) e '~~t1'; Name ef your Lord WI , t e Beneficent, the Merciful, followed
sai , 'This is the r, _ "created (Q.96:i) ""' 'Abd Allah [Ibn ~eanmg of this sentence, which [was a response] to the question regard-
tongue of G b . trst sura God . ~ng what he ate, that came prior to it. Therefore it is clearly understood
ihe exclusi a r;el, and he command d ~~nt down to Mu}_tarnmad by che
°
on all His creatu res .., 3 e un ro seek protection in God to of
m the case of the person who says In the Name God, the Beneficent, the
Mercil,,/and
'J' · to recite a s1ira, on account o fh is act o fcro II owmg
tI1en begms ·
1( d,_, Name of God, the Be11efice111, the Merciful with Q!r'anic recitation, that
\ , l' !~tended meaning of him saying fo the Name of God, the Beueficeut, the
1
"1111.'fail nonuru]f, drrcif,,/
I wa s "I am recmng
· · [the~ran]iutheName0;Go,t1e
• .r d I Bene_,,cetit,
••
con1u1or u~oe. orn1c.nS(r,,'t~C'Uh .
l l-'1ck1h1ll,Arb.e C'r an an,w or a i i\' .. rie Merciful." Likewise when he says Ju the Name of God as he rises to
10 death_~ Tr}', A~d 1 nd Abdel Hl lC' p.li C' p.m1cipk depending upan tht stand uP or as IJC ms . or' with any of his acts, [his actions] commumcatc
.
J Alinud ~hik C'ni alt UHcrp . 11
11 ~Jor collcc,::~~~~~1fiC'1 th1i ltad;,h TC't ra;m Ill tl,h verse to mean " to sro '
1 r!no1hn
incom word s, 1hC' C'X prC'mon
. 1n tlie Namt of Cod, tht Brntfiu 11t, 1hr Mrrriful
. 1s,
. on ns
. own, an
• lafirr af.J"abari, r :1~1b.e1~g '"wC'1k~ and ind· . . ,
1· I or a fC'w ~anC'rC'd ICatC's tlm H is not fo und UJ an) p1C'te sentC'ncc, which is in need of ,m ellipsis in order for it to be correct gramm:itically.
r<"fetC'nccs, ~cc D:ir H ajar, 1: 111 ·

90
91
 T..-. BARI
Tabari's /11troduaio11

that hi s intend ed r~1ea1~!11g for say in g In rl,c Na m e of God was "] arn risin . in b , m y invocat io n of Him," 1 or "I ~m .~ising
in ti,~ Name of God' or I am sining i11 1/,e N ame of God," .and so on, for
possib le actions.
J dse.. or ··1 ;un rectt g ( G l and my remembrance of Hun. The
,h1n.g. g b\· my invocation o ot, J G di s not " I ri se with {the help) of
o1 11111n , O ( J1 rheNameo o h· I . dd
,., Jed meanin g . l [ I I I l of God." Were t .is t 1e mtcn c
This interpretation that we have articul ated is consis tent with the
~;(/,i"l/Jluf or "I rect tc ~v1t i . t _ic 1:v~uld have a greater claim to being
mean in g of the statem ent of Ibn 'Abbas th at was narrated to us from : tcrlocutor s op1111on
Abu Kurayb- cUrhm an b. Sa' id- Bishr b. ' Um.ara- Abu R awq- monmg. the m cnt In the Na me of God.
al -.Qabbak- 'Abd Alla h b. 'Abbas sa id, "The first time Gabriel cam e down correct ihan dw statcm is as ·ou have described it, then how can it b.e
to Mub ammad , he sa id, 'O Mul_1 ammad, say, " I seek p rotection in the OBJECTION : If the m:mc:ns :,iT;vocation" ) when you know that Name is
All-hearing, the All-knowing from th e acc ursed Satan." T hen say, "J,irhr ;.i1J fo1/ic i\ ·ame4God \111~·- . (tasmiya)" is a [Form IIJ verbal noun
(. ) while 111 voca non )"'
Name of God, the Ber1eficent, the M erciful.'"" Ibn cAbbas said, "Gabriel said Himple nou n ,sm. ,. You invoked or named (sammayta . .
to h im, 'Q Mubammad, say, '" In the Na me of God,'' which means "R ecite (,...i_,J;r) from tbr ,erb 11- d rbal nouns in an mean-
A b 1 ave :.\ways a ixc ve . ''I
wit h the in voca ti o n of your Lord" and " Ri se and sit with th e invocation RES PO NSE: Thr r: s_ i , of nominal forms, as in their ~xpress1on "
of yo ur Lord.''"' ii<rt'n t manner to a \an eq k t ,Ji,liinan kariimatan). The verb I
rro\·1dcd so-and-so hospitalit~ (a •ram I~ ield a verbal noun of ikriim, but
OBJ ECT ION : If someone we re to say ; If the interpretation of God's state- "ro1ided" is in [Form IV] , wh1~h wou '! . kariima. Likewise, consider
ment fo the Na me of God is as yo u h ave described-that the [unstated} I I ed in thts expression is )" "I
tbe rerbal noun en.~p oy . d -and-so (ahantu fuliirian ltawiinan or
causa ti ve ve rb prior to th e bii ' in fo the Name of God is as you ha,;e me.:; th~ir rxprrnions I despise s~ ,. [In both cases], the verbal noun
tio ned-then how can o ne say that In 1/,e Na me of God means 1 reet ipoke with him (kalla mwlw kalaman). .rc-11· d of the Form I verbal
i11 the Na me of G od'' or " I rise i11 the N ame of God" or " I sit in the N ame of iro:11 • [Form HJ\·crb should have been, taJ t mste\
noun ). An examp le of that is the poets statement,
1
God'' w hen yo u kn ow rh at rhe recit ation of eve r y reciter of t h e Bo:'~;;
God is d ue to God's ass istance and Hi s act of gra nting success (1a: 1f'iqil; 1 •
Likewise , the act s of an yone w ho ri ses o r sits are done with Go~,5
(bi'lliih). Therefore, if what we have said is true, one would say b, '
!;,~,~} a-bifr,w ba'da raddi'l-maw1i <
amii
U\J-b,i'da ara'ika'l-mi'ata 'l-ritd'ii
d •ou from death
th e Bene fi ce nt , the Mercifu l" instead of bi'sm i 'l/iihi, because th e ~e\~; Do you remain an ingrate, after I savice1 •- asturing camels?
is rea ll y sayi ng " I ri se or I sir o r I reci te with {the help of} G 'chis And afo. . r mv giving you a hu nd red } P ] b ) noun
Benefi ce nt , th e Merciful. " i This is clearer ro the person who h ears I .t . c _, mean the [Form IV ver a
[Tht poet] intends for the noun a.ta to
statem ent than fo the Na me of God beca use the statement "I stand o r ~1e 1(ika.
in th e Name of God '' co uld confuse th e li stener into thinking cb;r l~ke Another example is the statement ,
speaker is si tting or Standing by mean s of something other than Go r
Ji-in kima liadlui 'f- b11khlu mi11ka sajiyyatan
His Nam e).
RESPONSE : It wo uld be said to him (a nd success comes only
God):
ined.
Th e intended meanin g of thi s ex pressio n is not w hat yo.u ,?ave 1~ittting
fr~n: la-qid ku,uufl !Ci li raja 'aka asf,~ba

If this stinginess from you is

..
al dispos1uon,
to :o;a:~~ will remain desirous.
R at her. th e m ea ni_ng of his statement In the Na me efGod_1s I ~m 1: everr Then I. while increa sing my wamng Y bal noun]
/this act j by invok111g (tasmiya) God and rem emberin g Htm prior t ' ' poec] intends for the noun _t11l1
,Tnt - - to me an the [form JV ver
i:;,l11i.

. ,rinted reading of
1 Fo llow1ng 1he read ing of the D:ir HaJar edi tion ofTabui\ 1'afiir ; I : 11 3. ••. o,mnnitaf}'• 1 . • . . cad of thc earher I
2 Jo lin Coopc-r 1raiulate~b1'//ah with 1hc mo rc d oq uen1 cxprc\sio n .. ,hro ug h God • C ., . ,hat it ,ol:o-~1ng ~he D~r HaJ2r readi ng of bi-tasmryatilu 111st .Q!!!intJ, who
H My re,uon for u~mg die ~l1ghd y mo re cu 111 bcnonu:- "with /1hc hdp ofj God 1; inion .:;••:i1.:r, //Jh; 1: 113. ' Urnayr b. shuyaym al
refl ecu the 1dC";1 of die Ar.i.b1c expre~~1on bi-1awfiqi'l/ah. Abo ' Ub2rda is 2ho of rhc P · •"ll~d Shlkir identified the poet of this verse _as .
1h21 b1'mu 'llah me.u n b,'flah; ~ce A1a;J~of• Q.u ll11, r :16 btd dunngthc Unuyyad dytmty ; •1aftiral-Tabar1, 1.116.

92 93
 TABARf TalHiri's llltrod11ctio11

An o th er examp le is th e stateme nt , i f!ipemcmbrancc. I open my re~ita tion wit.h the \~wo~ation of God, by
HtsUl O)I bi:autifu\ Names an d His loft r Attnbu~es. This also clarifies the
a-4!.~1.layma i,ma mu~abakrm1 rajula11
i:Wi mor of the claim of the person who clauncd that the meaning of
ahda 1-saliima ta(iiyyatan ; 11/11111
~! ihis is rcJ.il)' ·•With [tl.1e h,~lp o~ J ~od , the Bc~efi cent, the Merciful,
0 ~ ulaym, your ae1 of strik ing a man ch~ Onr prior co every thmg, !Tins 1s to ~c .c~ns1dered] along with the
Who but gave you greetings, is opprcs,sion ! farnhai human s have bee n co mm:rnd cd to mm atc all of their affairs with
!The poc tJ int en ds for th e noun musab k th~inn)(ation of God, rather than with a statement about His greatness
noun J i$abataku111. . a um to mean the fForm IV verbal ,nJ !fo Auributt'S, as has been co mmanded in th e cases of the invocation
T he exa mples of th is point are le ion ;O,n11.1al sbugliter of animals and hunting and when at a place of eating
su ffi cient for th ose who have b g d
so what we have m entioned is ordnnkin~. and .111 ot her act ions. This is also what has been commanded
If the matter is as we have :en g~n ~e und er standing. rcgirJrng His in\'ocation at the opening of the recitation of God's revela-
a varie ty of noun s th at are not t~scr1 eb -;-t hat th e Arabs freq uently usr oon. and in the prefaces of all epistles and books.
ent wit h the employed v.erbs-r h;~ v:~ a nouns tl~at would be consist- Thm is no dis:i.grccmc nt among all th e scholars of the [Muslim] com-
these no un s in lieu of th ! e have esta bli shed that) the use of mumn· that if a person says, when ritually slaughtering one of his animals
th em. Th erefore it is cl e ehxpcclted verbal no un s is widely practised by orw;k, .. With God (bi'lliilii)" without saying "In the Name of God,"
• ea r tat w1ar we have ·d ·
mterprc tatio n of the stat I sai is correct regarding our 1hi.1 ht hJ.s contrave ned chat which has been designated as the correct
th e initiation of an ac tio eme nt 111 t ,e Name of God. When one says this at r:.trice (ma swma !aim) of slaughtering animals on account of his not
wi th the invocation of G ndo r s~aternenr , the meanin g is "I am beginning hmngsaid " In the Name of God." Thus it has been made obvious from
Likewise the mean in j pnor to my act io n o r prior to my statem ent." [t~.isrne) that "In the Name of God" is not what is meant by "with God."
the Mercifu l issued by go t le u.tteran ce Ir, the Name of God, the Beneficent, This is also the case regarding the person who claims that "the Name
reci tin g, first wi th thea .person.Ju st prior to reci tin g the QHr'an is "I am of God., in God's statemen t, I,, the Name of God, the Beneficetll, the Merciful,
1
th e invocati~n of God ~~v;~ation of God" or " I begin my reci tation with u·God." If what this person claims were true, it would have been obliga-
"invocation (tasmiya) .. '. le hwo rd Na me has been put in the pJace of tory for the person who is slaughtering an animal to say "With God"
an d caJii' was used in ' ti JUstI as t fe ·(word ka1- am was use d m . place o f /a ,c'-t,m
ii-~re h~ to be saying !the utterance] that has been designated as the cor-
Some th ing sim.ila ic pace~ 1 JO' [above in two earlier examples}. 1;' practice for the ritual slaughter of animals. However, the consensus
r to our mterpr · h b
report on the auth ority of (Abd AJJ- et~t,o n _ as een transmitted in_ a or ~\'~ryone on this topic-that whoever says this has abandoned that
b. Sacid- Bishr b. cUmar _ b- ah b. Abbas: Abu Kurayb--' Uthman which has been designa ted as the correct practice for the ritual slaughte:
'Abba s said, "The fi , . a u Rawq-al-J;>ahhak- 'Abd Allah b. of •nnnals, since he did not say fo the Name of God-is a clear proof (dalii
Mub ammad say .. ,rs, ~me Ga :iel came to Mubamm ad (~) he said , 'O kliir/i) of the gross error of the interpretation that the intended mean-
from th e ac~u rs:d S s;c r,r;;ectio n in the All-hearing, the All-knowing
the lvterciful. '"" Ibn 'Aab~•~· .d e.~ say, . " Ir, the Name of God, the Beneficent,
1

"Ir, the Name of God.. ha~slat ' Gabr1cl said to him , 'O Mu h ammad. say,
, w 1c 1 means "R · · · f
1

t ~;ob~blr ~-" .111lusio11 to Abii ' Ubayd:i Ma' mar b. al-Mu~~ann3 (d. ,:09
182
~-i!:
al-Q:,an, r:16. (In a footnot e rn his edition of MaJllZ a/-Q!ran, Fua ' lJbg d
s:~
God , you r Lo rd" and "R· d . . ecne w1th the invocation (dhikr) o
Th is interpretation fi1 se a~b s1,t w1t h the invocation of God.""'
01 th
~;. ub.irrad(d. 28:i/8(>9)criticizing this o pini o n , which he: asc ribed to bo ~bii S 'It~
,\I.ii ;~rnil~· S3lllrn and Abu ' Ubayda.) It is aho the opinion of the gr.unm~::::s Tabari
Jc:;ic l'
what we have said ;on~ 11 Abbas informs us o f the soundness of r.:e\,non :;~hfai.h al-Awsa1 (d. betwee n 2io/825 and 121/835), w hosc:~ !'Jnf (J/-Qyr'a,i,
t lat th e in tention (mu rad) o f th e person who
11
says It, the Name id AbJ / usl} w11h some regul arit y in hi s Tajsir; see al-Akhfash,1 S I lacc:r
QHr'a n recitat ion is " I ' t '.' Bet1ejice,u, the Mercifu l at the opening of his \~~hir
'll'griei
18
Ami~ al-Wud, 2 vols. (Beirut: 'Alam al -Kutub •. .9 5\ :•:i: :.::~ai;m in
reci te with the in voca tion (tasmiya) of God and th:inp;niion ~s.Tha Iii bi (d. 417/i.035) •. also a~~ocatcd the posinona;.i;a)"; see Tha'liibi,
:l.f;clj . , /, \\~s mperA uous or 1dcnucal to 1hc: named one (mu$ I (B •rut: Diir al-
' M.11Qmod Shi lm identified tlm poet .JI } .11!-l:Urid1 b - Kr:tub/ ;1~1 ara" fi tafiir al-Q.! r'd,r, ed . Sayyid Ki sraw i }:lasm. 6 vo s. ei
· Kh ~lid .11l-M.11klizO rni; ibid. l})'a,.zoo4), J:l2.

94
95
 TA BA Rf
Tabari's /n1rod11ctio11
ing of /11 ,/,, Nan,e of God is "With G0 d" d
ident ical an that " the N~uc... -- of God•· he proponents of this opinion sh~~ild be asked: ls it pcrmiss ibl,~ in the
. to
. "God ·"
rabK bnguagc for one to say th at I ate the name of the honey mean s
Tim is not the right place among d • II ,
J ll<' thr honey, " just as they say that "th e name of peace be upon you"
wh.erh~r .the na me of some th ing is id c nt:: many opp~rtUnitics to cl .
or is d1 st111ct fro m it o r is
.
·b al to the dung which . 'ri/y
an attn Ute (sifa) of . ' Th· . It nan,
nie,ans "peace l,c upon yo u?"
If th<' )" reply yes, thr n th ey have departed fro m rhe conventions of
unnecessaril
h I y lengthen th.is b k- However · 'J~ It.
h· • ts d1scussi on ,vould_ r'!
00 ,hr Arahir language and allowed so mething in the Arabic language chat
w et ier the Name that is an nexed to God 1· '1 is is the place to cl.1rifr
or a /Form II ] verbal noun. wit h th e mea ~::1~ 1;f~~rs~] is a [simplej nou~
,11 Arahir speakers hold to be in correct.
If rhcy reply no, then the y wo uld be as ked rhe difference beeween
OBJE CTI ON: H ow do , to rnvocatc(tasmiya)" thcsr woc,ises. Th ey would find themselves incapable of say ing one thing
Rabi a: )OU respon d to the followi ng verse by Labidb. 1
Jbout orll' of them without hav in g to apply [th e same lingui stic rulcJ to

ilii'l-(wuilitlmmma 'sm11'f-sa/· . ' I , - thl· othcr one ;i.s well.

Wac these fo lks ro say "How, then , do you interpret the meaning of
i1•,1-111a11 abk . h am, a O)'lmma
r I aw/a,, kiimilai,Ja-qad i'tadlwr chis \"CW' of pactry by Labid?" we wou ld reply: There are two possible

After a year- tl1en ism1,'f-salam . w. y,. both of whi ch are different from what he whom we have quoted said.
1
Wh oever weeps an enti re 'C' upon th~ r,vo o f you ;:
reprwch . } ar has paid hi s respect beyond OP IN ION: The word al-salam ("rhe Safe'T is one of the Names of God,
Jnd so it is possible tlut Labid intended for thu,,m1a'sm1/l-safami 'alaykwnii
An eminent ex Pen .m t Iie Arabic bn w mran "Then bot h of yo u ho ld fast to the Name of God and His remem-
•• 1 J 2
mean peace be upon the two of _ ' ,,guage ia s interpreted this verse to k.rnce afier tbt. forget abo ut me and stop crying over me. " (The
3
name of peace (ismr/l-safa,, )" . .~o u _and claims that the expression "tht grammarian s call] thi s interpretation ighrii ' ("instigation"). If the words
RESPONSE. Wi I IS I enr1eal to "peace. " ihat the speaker is tryi ng to instigate are inverted, the noun is put in the
. . ere what you 1·ust .d . . nominati\"e case. This is what the Arabs do when they invert the instiga-
tauon, then it would b . .sai penm ss16Je and a so und interpre•
and
H " I ate tI1e. name of ethepernu fi d" ss1ble r 0 say " ! saw the name of Zayd , non and the rhing which is to be instigated, although they also sometimes
?\~'ever, the fact that all (oho and "I drank th e name of the drink." pm it in the accusati ve case when it is inverted, as in the case of the poet's
..t hh
1s 1s _
it npernuss• ibl c sho ,0 h t e /expert 5 m· I Ara b.1c are in consensus th21 smrmrnt,
1 en 1sn111'l-saliimi upo " S t e gross error of interpreting Labid's verse,
upon rl ie two of you "a n t1
dicItwo
. of yo u, " ro mean " then al-sa/am (peace) yii ayyrihii'l-mti'ilm dalwi dii11aka
be twee · 11 us
_d 11 1·5"' and al-saliim /err
l oneousj claim th a t the idafa construct irmi ra'ayru'l-ntisa yabmadii11aka
are J entical. on)" works if rh e name and the .n amed thing 0 waterboy at the bottom of th e well, take my bucket
And I will 5ec to it that people will praise you!
T,'ic- pot'r uses diinaka, which is inverted, as the instigation. The implied
'' 0 '.d order is diinaka dalwi (" take my bucket") instead of dalwi diit1aka.
This is just like the verse of Labid [we have been discussing]-i/a'/-

1 ~f-i• 11 T~bni'i in terprcucion of the Di\•inc Name al-Salam; see below. the translation of his
;:i~t;t~ry on Q.59:23. Modern translators tend to render this Name as "Peace" (Pickthall)

'Ahh:~g~:;:~
t· (Ar~rr y).
conimed ; ~~one of th.e mm t fa m~us pre-!s.lamic p~cts. he lived ~o _sec the Pr~phet and
ton\incmg10than11 / .K cordmg to Muslm1 tra.d mon, w luch 1~iakes elm mtcrprctanon more
1
.: Forrnort on h _, v. o uld have been had l1c chcd as a polytheist.
Ig ra, 5ce Wright, 2:74- 6.

97
 TABAR1
7abari 's J111roductio11
bawli 1/u ,~n_ma's,mu 'l-saliimi alayk1m11i- becausc th . .
alayk1m111 ,m,a I-salami· , or "Hold cra st to t I1c re . c implied word ord • ABARi SA I D: I fea r th at it is an error on the part of the /,adith transmitter
,_ b
aoout me an d your love for me becaus c. n~em ranee of God r er I nd ch at rhe inte nded meaning of the letters bii', si,1 and mim was the man-
d d ' e arrcr a rull , ,org,,
. t _,
er by whi ch you ng children are taught the alphabet in th e kuttiib schools.
ecease man, one has paid his respec t b d year of WCcping fi
rh ,: two interpre tations eyon reproach.,, This . ot1 Instead of read in g this report with the det ached letters bii', sin and mim,
he /uiditl, cran smittc r] erred. connected th ese three Arabic letters, and said
OPI NIO N : Another possible readin f - • i'.1 ,; (" In che Name''). Th e meaning th ey derive is nonsensical if /,J the
cation of God upon ti JC two 0 1• yo gu Th Lab1d . . is "Th~ my invo,.
- . s verse .
. , lamr(11
God, 1/ie Bemf,ce11t , the Merciful is recited in the manner that recit-
r.mm lliihi (ala,,ka whicl .
I , i is use
d b)' some
. is. is smular
h to the n-n
-··rrcssiOll ers of hc Book of God rc;1d it. The meaning they relate is impossible and
Peases him and for whi ch he seeks refi o ne w o sees something du1 1
incomprehensible according to the conventions of all of the experts in the
,·erse would mea n ''M I N uge from any eviL Thercc ,
. ay t JC amc of God f r iore lnr Arabic la nguage. were its interpretation taken to be that.
lt1s likcly tharthefirst . . . p orect] you fromany evi!"
f opm10 n ts close h ·
I one were to say to th r to t e meaning Labid intended.
INT ER PRETATI ON OF Allah
me• ning "Then b e person who interpreted Labid'
. peace e upon bot h f " s verse as As fo r d1c intcrpret;1tion of God's statement (Exalted is He) Allah, it has
enh er of these two interpreta( o you : Do you consider both or the me:ining in accordance with that which was narrated to us from 'Abd
the re yet another possible . ions ,~re have offe red as permissible or ll

I
Al Lih b. Abb:is: "He is the One Whom everything serves (ya'lahu) and
If the y reply no, then 1~:;rpr~tat1o n? which c,·ery creature worships."
~f_ knowlcdge of the modaliti y w1 l_l ~1 ave revealed their [limited] dcgret Abo Kurayb-' Uthman b. Sa' td-Bishr b. cumara-AbU Rawq-
It is fruitless to continue th · ~s ta1arif1111~jlllz) of the Arabic language and al -Q.1l.1 l_i ak-'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas said, "Allah is the Possessor of divinity
If th("y repl y . h is c ate with them. ' (,i/,,hiyya) and the qualit y of being worshipped ('ub,Jdiyya), above all of
rectne f I . )es, t en we will sav · Wh ·
hav ss o t ie interpretation 'Ou h ' . . at is your proof for the cor·
lfo creJtion. "
' alceady mentioned th ) . /vc clar med [initially], beyond wharl QUESTION : Docs {the Name Allah] have a triliteral verbal root (fa'alal
However, t hcy have no way ' at fWl11h·ro rce
_ us to su b mit to yo ur argument?
I -~s for the report that w:ac ievmg this.
!r,a~~im h. al - Ala' b. al-Dah~~arrated ~o us from: Ismacil b. al-fa~l-
pfa/11) upon wh ich this proper Name is based?
RE SPONSE : There is no indication that chis [verb] has been heard 1
[usedJ
) )ash- lsrna ii b· yah ya-lb
_· .. ak, b·
who IS known as z·b - I -<-J b in th e Arabic lang uage, but by inference (istidla~ [it has oneJ.
and f 1 nq- sma 1 •
Mess;~m Mis ar b. Kidam- '; A I Mulayka-so meone--Ibn Mas'ud; QUE STION'. What indicates that ulii/1iyya is "worship," i/ah is "the one
to the g\oi God (i) said that J Py ya~Abu Sa' id al-Khudri s:ud, "Th, worshipped," and that [the Name Allah] has a triliteral verbal root?
to hin,sc,'~'. school (kuuab) toe~us t ,e Son of Mary's mother cook hilll RESPONSE : There is no disagreement2 among Arabic speakers over the
'" Jn rhe, N rite "In the Name (b .; taught an d one of the teachers said soundness of describing a person's intense worship and quest for that which
him: 'Th "1ne?'" The teacher _di sm) .._,, Je sus repli ed to him, 'Wh:ar is is wHh God (Majestic is His remembrance) with the words "So-and-so
e ett er ba' sai to lu ' Id d ta'a/laha." An exa mple of that is Ru'ba b. al-(A_iiaj 's statement,
refe rs to H· I refe rs to th . S l m, o not know!' J esus sai {O
(ma,,,1,katu; ) .'..',gh Rank (sm,a'u~i p e~dor (baha') of God; ,he Jetter0si,1
· ' an the mfm refers to His Kingd " li-llahi darm'l-ghaniyiiti'J-muddahi
sabbalma wa 'starja(,ia min ta' alluhi
r Note thlt in d
order in di<' I<' corrcnh Word ord The abundance of chaste bea uties comes from God
ftcqucntl flOtni. 11 •~ in tlic er· u,,r g in ti1 rJ
i AHor du: lil<'d 10 ind1cl tc a \~~~nunlt1vc Ql.c, jun : accul.l~n't' c.uc-, wbc-rcas in the pr«([ .
M~rd.iw~ ~i 10 ~ll)"ilJi, this l dlips.1s 1111cc ll indt T ~~rt explained. The :accu~ri'lt c:a5' Ii 5
1 Une pro\'idcs an entry for Form I of the- \'c-rb a/aha in his Ln:ico11, ;md transl:atc: it :as "Hr
~i- o~,. a1-.:,:1,t~·1i1 l1bi, l11d~ Jlso found i~2h:1 th..r1 w~~1c-_.1ction is affecting• p0011-
,, t .i9 Her tu
1 by lbn Adi Ab - die- ~ r :inic conunent:i.ries of Ji,t:r
c-rrur s tl1l1 mut1M u Nu'l yrn .il- l~bah.:ini :md I b o ~;
M
smv:d, worshipped, adorrd''. Lant' .. '-/-h •·
or 1 6
1 M~~mGd ~h ~lir givc-1 this ~loss o~ /a 1a,~am/ in a later p anag t'; sc-c- Taflral-1/Jbari, : l2 •
11
tXtrc-mc-l y wc-.ik."

99
 TABARl Tabari's Introd11ctio11

Who glorify Him and say To God wr belo,ig at1d to Him ive Ju,JJ I ve not come across any transmitted reports that [su~-
ret11rn on acco um o f my intense pi ety! RE SPONSE : We ,1ao use the ,vord alalaa in thi s situ atio n 1, but, o n the basts
e:r<.t it is necessar) t 11 .· eport on th e auth o rit y of the Messenger o f
By ra'a/111/ti, the poet means "my acts of worship an d my quest for ~f analogy of the fo ow:':!; ' to say "God (Majest ic is Hi s prais.~) is rh_e
God in my deeds.•· God {~). it would be ne~ ,d t The servant a/al,a (wo rships) Him. In tlm
Th ere is no doubt tha t ra'al/ult is the jFo rm VJ vcrba) noun frorn the l!od (i/,1/,) of the st·r~(1t a;~ lerivc from the word al-ilal, (deity) .
ve rb alahal ya'lalw an d th at the m ean ing of a/aha , were o ne to employ it, ~1se. tht· N:imc Alla' wou - ' _ b I cA\- '- Ism t il b. (Ayyash- Isma'il
would be .. to worship God". Th e surv iva l of th e verbal n oun [of alaha j hma il b. al-F:H_II- Ibral11m . a - a lb Mas' tid; and Miscar b.
is evidenct.· th at th e Arabs used to employ rhe [Form IJ verb of this root b Al - Mulayka- som con c---- n
Yal_iy:i-1_ n n ft- Abu Sa' id \al-KhudriJ said: th e Messenger .o
f
witho ut any add iti ona l prefixes or su ffixes.
i.: ,d:im- ~ll!?t al~ Aw ther took him to the scribal sch ool to tc~ch ~11111
Th at is what we have been informed o f by : Sufyan b . Wakt fb.
al-Jarral_i J- my fat her- Nafi< b. (Um ar-cAmr b. D in 3r -lbn <Abbas
recited [ Will yo,,
suffe r Moses a11d his people to make miscl,iefin the laud, ] andflout
God(}) s.1.1d, Jesus mo ·d

you lnow what Allah . 1·

i:
I irn 'Write Alliili.' Jesus said to him, Do
anJ one of the tcacl~crts! ~/1;~ th~ God of god s (iliilw'l-iiliha).'"
. . II I ch at what you have
you a11d iliil,araka? (Q. 7: 127), 1 and said, " Worshipping yo u ('ibadataka)." He . be possible I mgmsttca y ·1 -1
QUES TION: How can tt b h two expressions \al-1 a 1
says. "jPharoah] was worshi pped. but did not worship !any other beingJ." •1id ts correct. given the discrepa ncy etween t e
Sufy5n /b. Waki' j- lbn ' U yayna- 'Amr b. Oinir- M u):iammad b.
Amr b. al- Hasa n- lbn Abba s said, concern ing A,1dflout you and i/Qhataka? ~nd .-t/l.ili\? . . . . ll ] ·ust as the root of His stateme~.~
RESPONSE : It is possible {1111gmst1ca y ,J H . God my Lord.
(Q.7 : 127), ·'Pharaoh was o nl y worshipped and did not wo rship [anyone liihrma He is God, my Lord (Q.18:38) is " But I, e is .
clsc J. "
Likewi se . rhe poet said ,
Th at is how Ibn Abbas an d Mujih id read th is ve rse [as i/iihataka instead
of the o rth odox iilihataka l, w,1-rarmina11i bi'l-1a,:fi ay ,mra mudhuibm,
Al-~si m--al- Hu say n b. Dawud- H ajjaj - lbn Ju rayj-Mujahid u•a-iaqlinau i /iiki,ma iyyaka Iii aqli
sai d , co ncernin g Hi s stacemcnr A11d flo ut )'OIi and iliihataka, "An d [Bout} You smke me with a glance, [say ing} that you will wrong me
worshipping you." And hare me; but lknowj that you, you I hate not. l
There is no doubt ch at al-iliiha, as Ibn 'Abbas and M ujahid have . nd hemistich is "But I, you I ~at_e
c:.·xplai ncd it , is the ve rbal noun from th e statem ent "So-an d - so wor- Thr intended meanmg of the s~c~ ") is dro ped and the 11 ;;,1 of Iakm
shipped (ala /,a ilalaata11 ) God'' j ust as one says "So-and-so worshipped not.'' In both casrs che liamz a of ana ( 1 Pd I . sults in th e slwdda
_ f -(" I") an t 11s re ._
( abada ibadata,i) God," or "So-and-so interpreted (' abara 'ibaratan) rbe nut") is contracted with the /!IHI O ana ' I AIJ -J . 1·cs root is al-dali.
.
on the m/11 of liikm,w. L1'kew1se
· " ,It 11 [the Name l . h . a art
1.
of the tn. 1atera J
vision." Th e statem ent s of lbn (Abbas and Muj ahid make clear that rbe
After its initial ha 111za is d roppe d • t he lamf' wl cd fi ite article al- (w 1llC
·h
11 15 p,
ve rb alal,a means "to wo rship ('abada)" an d that al-i/al,a is its verbal noun .
root of iliili is contracted with the liim O t le e .ltl I liim with a slwdda
1

QUEST ION: ff it is possible co say alaha/111 (" H e wo rshipped Hi~") f~r onginally had a m kiin on it) and the result is a smg. e God's statement
someo ne who worsh ips God, according to the interpretation o f Ibn Abb~s •bo\·e it , just like, we have described above concernmg
and Mujihid, then what should o ne say if o ne wi shes co speak about God 5 fjki1111a He is God, my Lord.
respo nse (istijiib) to Hi s serva nt's worship?
l~TER PRETAT IO N OF the Bempcent, .< ti ,e Mercifid . I fi m derived
1 . . th e fia'liin nonuna or
Tht o rthodox rc;id111 g o( cli n vcuc- 1n clic ~r·:.n 1~ a!,}wi.ika, instead of Jbn 'Abbas' i/aluJta/cJJ, Ai fo r tlie Beneficetlt (a l-Rabmiin) , it is
1
Tht l gn1fica nct o f t!u) difference I) tlui d ie rcadmg 0 ( lbn 'Abb;is :md Muji hid is :a verbal
ri o un , "lmh
1111
pl,('s ih(' ('XL Sl (' IIC(' o( a V(' r b b;i.~('d o n th<' 1r il11 t·ral roo1 '-1-h. The or th odox c to Tabari. is abbn:via1cJ
1
rt;i.d1ng o( 111,hatak.i I~ no t a V('rbl noun , nd dun dO<'s not mpport l ".1mlri's u g umen1 rhat Thr ~r-~n rt,ds /iikimiii hu11oa 'lliih11 rabbi, w!iich. a~c~;~i~~'tj::.r 1 : 124··
th t N;i.mt All.iii 11 b,k'd o n tlie 1nbte r, l roo1 '-1-h. froni !.,~1" ~11,i h1111,a'l/ii/w rabbi; Tajsir al-Tabarr, 1 ; 12 5 '

100 IO I
 TA BAllf Tabn ri's In1rod1utio11

from the ve rb rabima, while the Mercifi,l (al-RaJ - . As for the pe rspective of transmi tted reports (al-atliar wa'l-klwbar),
_ verb. The Arabs fr..,quent Iy consrru.11m) [dIS the. /iii noltlin,J
.formI of this . chcrc is dis:1grcc111cnt among th e interpreters {over their exact differences
m tie [a{~,, form for verbs that are vocalized a'ila;c escrtptivcj noun11
(ghadba11) from the verb g/,adiba .. . fid yafalu, such as •an inJlll',ming]:
.. h· . , intoxicate (s k - )" c gry Ai-Sari b. Yal.1ya al-TamlmJ- cUthman b. Zufar- \Mu\Jammad b.
t irsty ( a_uliar1)" from 'atisha The N I a ran rrom sa/rin,• and 'Uba\·d AlLih\ al-Arza mi said, concerning tire Beneficent, tl1e Merciful, "He is
tern, because the verb fro;n wi1 . I . da ~ e t l ~ Beneficent fo l1ow, th.is' rlrcn: ,fire,rl to all creatures. while He is the Merciful only to the believers."
Ar ic 1 It en ves 1s v I' d i"t- 111
s ror ihe Mercifi,/ even thou h cl . oca ize rabinuJ/yarham lsn· ~ il b. al-FaQl- lbrJhim b. al-'Ala'- lsmt tl b. 'Ayyash- lsma'tl
has a luma under it •th•fi ,_ g . 1c ~11 dd le radi cal of [the vcrh] ; h· '· 1
b. Yahri-lbn Ahi Mulayka- someone- lbn Mas(Ud ; and Mis'ar b.
. . , 1 ... a •1 nomma 1 ror 111 j 111 . d. ,il lllli:I
n 1s the custom of the A b
· I fticates praise (mad' )·, and Kid:in;~'Atiyp al-'Awf'i- Abll Sa id !al-Khudrtj said: the Messenger of
1
. ra s to use the
wish to express praise or criticism nom1~a orm fa'il whenever the , God ($) said. "Jesus the Son of Mary said, 'Tlie Bet1eficent is beneficent in
the roo1 verb has either a k• do( somcth111g if the middle radical olf dw Hereafter and the temporal wo rld , while the Merciful is jonly j merciful
asra un er I t or fi I b
one can say 'alim or 'alim (from I ' a. at .ta a ove it. For example,
qtidir or qadir (from q d t 1e verb al,ma) to mean "knower"· d 1111hc Hcrc:i.ftc r."'
. a ara) to meai •• fi I , an These two reports show that there is a difference between calling God
t1vesJ al-Rabma11 al-Rahi power u. capable." These [adiec- (Majesck is His praise) by His Name tire Be11efice11t and calling Him by His
d d . m are not rorm I d . ;i
stan ar active participles (ba _, ( J-'/ ~1 ate m accordance with thrir NJmc rhr Merciful. Despite the discrepan cy between these two reports
the activ<" participle isfia'i/· I 'd" ha a -afa~, because the nominal form of rrgarding the difference between the meanings of these two words, one of
bee n empJoyed [instead of' Ral1mii11 " t eyorbeen so - , tJle word riibim would have chem indicates that this [difference between the Beneficent and tlie Mercifi,ij
QUESTION · If h · Ra/11111). is in che tt:'mporal world , while the other one indicates that this (differ-
" . t eB,11efium t/,eM if,/
word mercy (rahma)" wh '. em II are two nouns derived from rhr ence] is in the Hereafter.
them , at is the poi nt O f I1 1.
can express rhe meanin f h r e r repetition, since one of QUESTION : So which of these two interpretations do you hold to be
RESPONSE: The situati . go t c, other one? more correct?
I ju mque
own . I meaning and on is not asf yoh u t h.m k· Rather, each word has its l RESPONS E: We hold both of these interpretations to be correct and there
O O
r le ot her one. ne t em ca nnot express the meaning of is no point ro the question "Which one of them is more correct?" This
QUES TI ON: What, tben is due to the fac t that the meaning of calling God tlie Beneficent is other
der them non-mrerchangeabl
. , un iq ue mea nmgs
• are the . of each word that rcn- than the Imeaning of) calling Him the Mercifi,l, because in calling Him the
RES PON SE: From th e . e. Brneficenr He is desc ribed as having universal mercy for all of His creation,
ment amen J Arabic linguisti c . whereas in calling Him th e Merciful He is described as having a specific
onac gt ie experts in th e A b· I perspecuve, th ere is no disagree-
coun t of i be· ra 1c angu h mercy for some of His crea tion whether on some occasions or at all times.
ve rb, has a t '.ng a noun of this fi age~ t at the word al-Rab"'4n,
If tha1is how it is, then there i~ no doubt that it is not impossible for the
there is gdr~ater lnte-nsiry than h orm derived from the fa'ilalyafalu
no isag t e state, / meaning of the specification in His Name the Merciful to refer exclusively
formj, whose ro re~men{t among them r nenr_a -Rabim. Furrhermo~,
ioihe iemporal wo rl d or exclusively to the Hereafter, or to both of them.
the ob;,ct d . ot ,s afa ilalya"al, · egarding every noun [of chis
,
are derived escnbed
f ' , ' verI6' and has a greater intensity, t hat
b}' it. has addiri If what we have said concerning this is correct-that God (Majestic
. romfa l I ona mea .
cue /tl1e desc .b d u a yafu/1, verbs ·r I mn g to other fadj ectivesJ at
th is His praise) has specified [some of His mercy] for His believing ser-
I n e ob· I ' ' t iey a . .. i·anis in the immediate temporal world, with the success (taufiq) He has
ias over af-Rahi ~ect . This the d .. re serving to praise or cnu~
is nd
. mfrorn th e linguistic a d1t1onal mean ing that al-Ritb"'4" granted them, in the form of their obedience to and belief in Him a
rr pe rspecti ve. :ii Messengers, and in following His command and avoiding acts of diso-
0 A1ab1c, al! id
dience of Him, which is something that has been denied to those who
(~.,,fl uor J \·erb:~:·:1 l~t' !tcho1c1/l>· .. oou ..
, b} drfaul1, an n1 . Auy Aub1 c " .ord thl1 n. neither a partl·dc
0un (u'PI).
associate partners with Him, di sbelieve in Him, contravene His commands

JOJ
 TA I.IA RJ
Tabari 's lntrod1utio11
and com rmt ac ts of d1sobed1 ence , a,1d rh at GO d (Ma crs. ,tnd honours [rh r m ag ni tu ~c of J w h ich d esires cann ~ r eve n fa th o m .
prepareIdfi /wnh His me rry ) gardens o f pennanen UCstJcd li IS HIS p-~,dst
· ) As for another interpretati o n of th ese word s, th ere ts w hat h as been
tnump l or future cnJoy ment m th e Hereaft t e gh t and rnarufi iur raied to us from Abll Kurayb-cU thman b . Sacid- Bishr b. cumara-
Hnn has fau h m His M d er or anyone who be'• ~,
I essengcrs an ac ts sin ce I ucvesin Aof, Ra"·q- al-,;>, bl,ak- 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas said, "Tl,e Be11efice111 is the
tot Je exclusion of anyone \\ ho associates re y m obedience to H1 (J/Ju rn 111 al form fro m 'm cr~y· ; .th is is a fo rm o f cl~ e Arabs' s~ecch. " He
H1111-/1hen /" is elm th at God hassp t;;ne rs wtth and d1Sbe~"'"ll\ 110
· J d. ··r/u· Bcnrficc11t , tl1c Mercifid 1s th e O ne Wh o 1s compassionate and
believers rn the temporal world and rh; ~ ~; e ;ome ofj H1_s mercy fort~; 11
grntk (al-raqiq al-"ifiq) to w h o m ever H e wi shes t o be m erciful, and th e
brsrowmg His mercy m a universal a ter, w hile, s1multancousl Onr Who is di stant and h arsh w ith wh o m ever He wish es to be vio lent. "
tr mporal world. m the form of b man ner upon the d1sbeltevcrs m t~
bou nties mcl udc prov1dmg) ou m 1es and goods to ail of them (Th '
Thh applies wall of H is Nam es.
I d b genero us susr d . ,~ This interpretatio n fro m Ibn cAbbas indicates that the sa me people
c ou s, nngmg forth planrs from the r enance an sending rain-fillrd whom our Lord is benefi cent, H e is also m erciful , even thou gh h e
bod1es and mmds an d all th h g ound , [granrmg thernj health 10
has giwn distinct mean ing s co H is st atements al-Ral,ma,1 and al-Rabim.
be lievers and non~b I e o t er rn numerable bo unnes lil whi h bo h )
e levers partake Th ft c t He gin·s the fo rmer the m eaning o f " th e One Who is compassion ate to
pr~1sc) is benefi cent (rahmifo) to all f Here o re O ur Lo rd (M aJcsnc ts His wh~;11l·,·rr He acts com passio natel y" and he gives the latter the meaning
an th e Hereaft er , and mercifu l o_ ts crea no n In th e t emporal world of"thr O ne W ho is gen tle to w hom ever H e acts gentl y."
temporal world and ch H r (ral11m) exclu sively co the belicven h The interpretat ion we t ransm itted abo ve on rhe authority of the
A fJ e crea rter mt c
s or H is pomon of mere I Propbct (~) from cArzamTis very sim ilar ro the o pinion we have just trans-
~ora l world , this IS /H1sj benel t ia r is u niversa l to all p eople m the tem- mined on the authority of Ibn cAbbas. Given that these rwo opin ions are

person ca n calculate Ill tt

oum1 es to all th e exam les icence to th em and co nsists o f equivalent
we have J Ust m enr1 o ned , w h ich no Stngl,
said A11d 1if }'0 11 would roiimcir y:/ 5 G0d (M aJ esttc 1s His pruse) has
magreem ent chat the meanin g of al-Rabman is not [id entical co) al-Rabim
and thr interp retation o f al-Rahim is ocher than th e interpretation of
theent1ret
b al-Ralmuiu , then we h ave the foll o wing third opini o n:
16 fii8)
and A ormty <!I God ),0 11 comd
1
not reckon tt (Q. 14-34 lmrfo b. Bakkar al-Kala'i -Yal.1 ya b. Salil.1-Abu'l-Azhar Nair
I
to Is or th e Hereafte r, th,: univ . b. Amr al-Lakhmi, fro m th e people of Palestine, said , "I h eard <Ara'
r,:11 a ! ~un1anit yJ. T his consists e?~ -p om o n o f Hi s m e rcy is bcne6 ccnce al-Khurasani say, 'H e was the Beneficent , but when the Name the Beneficent
wr t e ni ranee) in His judgemen ob is absolu te fa irness (Maj estic is His was usurped (ikliwzila) fro m Him, His N am e became the Be11efice11l, tire
if son g a single one of them b)' t etwee n all o f them ; th at He will not .\1crrifi1l."'
o1nt'o11 e h fi even an ar ' .
fo rth a treme/ ~ per armed a good deed o ms :7e1g h t fof injustice] ; chat What (A!a· meant , G od w illing, by thi s report , is that the Beneficeut
for wh . I idou s reward; and th ' H e w 1II multipl y it an d bring wai one of God 's Names th at n o ne o f His creatures h ad adopted as their
Hereafr h· arned• This is rbe at ever)'
at H ias e s l •jj b
. ou W I. e g iven full measure own name un til rhe time w h en Mu saylima the Li ar called himself ["the
er, w ich 15 . /H meanmg Of H' b
As c I isJ be nefi ce,, ( I is u niversa] mercy in t e ~cnrficr m"], and th us usurped ir from Him (the meaning of ikhtiziil is
110 rt 1c p . ce ra 1 - ) · I
temporal w ld inion of His mere)' l . man in t le H ereafter _ iqrira), meani ng he usu r ped fo r himself this Name of G o d !from God 's
as He (M . 0 ~ . or the belie,·ers b It ~ar He speci fi ed in the immediate

aJrmc 1s Hi • yw uch H · . NamesJ .' Therefore God (Maj estic is His praise) announced that His JfullJ
rrs (Q.33 :43}-it is ,s,remembrance) has said e is mer_nful (rab;,n) to th~m, ~amr was the Be11e.fiw1t, the Merciful in o rder t o distin g uish His proper
ihem Ill tl1ei 1· . , hat we have jusr d '. Aud He ,s Mercif11/ to the bebev- Name fo r His servants fro m the n am es they had appropriat ed for cm-
th
people o( d \ .rel_1g1on, by whi ch H h escn bed , concerning His grace to
l)ue 1ef h e as d· · st'h,es . Nobody o th er t h an H e (Maj es t ic is His remembran ce) had eve r
specified for ti H w o have forsak H. istmguish ed t h em from all t he
lt'er~ enun A r
not ihe dhbe li . , ea ter, He is me ·r I . s ro r (rhe p o rtion] H e has
th e comforti (,n ers Th·15 consists ofrnruI excl usive
. I
y to rh e believers an
d 1Fj~ rnorr on Mu1ayli ma, whom Muslims consider a false prophet in e.;aScern ~.rabia, allcl
,a,,,, . ).
God J wiar we · 5
1as prepa red fi h Ju r described, concern ing ~II ltiorul mfornm ion and so urces in which Musaylima is called " the Beneficent,
st"
e Watt ,
1u 1~~1um.,H/;/1.
or t cm, to th t excl usion o f orh-

104 10 5
 TldV,RJ 'fcib(lri 's Iur rod1ut io11

bc<."n ca ll ed the Ber1cfice11t , the M erciful, so rhese rwo N ames were joined !.t not thi s gnl hit pubcrtyt l cvered her oath lof chastity \?
toge th er. Some of Hi s crea tures had ca ll ed th e m selves "merciful " a d H:: not the Beneficent. my ,on• s
ochers had ca lled th emselves ''beneficent,•· b u r nobo d y othe r t ha~ G~ 1- ab Jand a\ a\-Sa' di said,
had ever joined th e two names the Be,1ejicent, the M erciful (into a sin le Th~ pocl )a ;till .- a ·taw ,ua 'i1lark1mr
nam c j. no r wou ld jrhesc namesj eve r be joi ned for anyone other rh~n .ij1/rum a/iiyna _I I ) Y" qid wa- y1q/iqi
. ·.1sha '1'/-ra.un :111u
God. le is as if th e mea ning of (Ara"s statem e nt we re th e fo llowing : God
u'll-m.i) :i.inst us and we haste ned against you;
(Majestic is Hi s praise) ha s di st inguished Hi s Name fro m the names of His \'ou hJ~tenrd ag- nt wills Ieither} binds or sets free .
crea tures by repeating rl,e Merciful afte r rl,e Beneficent , rega rdl ess of whether Wh~t the Brneficr . k w ledge of the
the mean in gs of th e two words them sel ves differ o r a re id e n tical. crson w 1ch poor no
0
Th e opinio n of 'Ara' is not unso und and it is possi bl e th at God (Majestic RONEOUS O PI N I ON: ne p \ , h o has collected} fe w narra-
_\N ER ' . f thr interprete rs and w h claimed that the
is Hi s praise) specified for H im self thi s compou nd N am e in order to dis~ mtapreuuom _o _ f I earliest comme nt ato rs, as "whil e
( the opinions o tie f. .. 1 ossessor o f m ercy,
tingui sh it from Hi s creatures' [n ames J, an d for H is servants to know that
H e is th e intended {recipient j of their invoca tion of th ese two Names :::P~' " ;, 'figurot;vc e? re.'.sio~, ::1'.o ';;"n;erciful
.\tmifi•I
rl:r
(raMm)." ' Then ~e
is figurat iv~ or one m eanings of the two e xpre~s1ons o
toget her, jsi nce they J cann ot refe r to anyone othe r t ha n Him. A11 chis is
d· \The Arabs\ conside red th f the expansive me anmg they
poss ible, along ,vith d ie interpretatio n th at each of rh e t wo N a mes has a
uni9ue rnt:ani ng th at is not identical to th e oc her one.
::,;,from' si ugk expression bee_~~•,: ; the 11admon and 11ad;m ("boonf
crmttd chem. Likewise, th~y :on s1d he ci ted as evidence the verse o
A N ERRONEOUS OP I NION: Some (o r one) of the ig n ora nt p eople have ~ompanion") in the sa~~\ hg t , an
claimed that the jpre-Islamic j Arabs did nor k now th e m eaning of the 1!-BurJ b. Mushir al-Ta i :
Beneficerit and that al-Rabmiin was not pan of t hei r voca bul ar y , 1 which is
U\l-11adnufoi n yazidu'l- ka 'sa /iban
w hy th e polythei sts said co th e Proph et (~) Aud wliar is the Beneficent? Art' we
saq,1;·tu wa-qad 1aglrawwarari'l-m1jii11111 . s tastier!
to prostrate to 11,l,atcver you bid 11s?(Q.25 :60). !They cla im t hat t he polytheists . l lass of wme grow
sa id thi sJ du e to their unfamiliarity with chis Nam e !o f GodJ, assu ming \With\ a boon compamon, tic g I d se t
I J after the star s 1a .
jfalsely j th at it would have been imposs ible for the poly theists to d eny I poured [anoc I1er g ass h hat ,iadim
so methin g clwy knew co be tru e. Or, rather, it is as if th e [ad voca tes of -'
HBARi SA ID: \Abu Ubayda j cit
. ed e uivalent verses ~o s
q h 1 differentiated tn
o':'
this intcr-
chis position J have never recited God's statement from th e Book of God: . . I able th oug ie " or of mercy
and nadma11 are mterc iange, , f I Ral1111ar1 as possess ) " y the
Tl,ose to wl,om We gm,c tl,e Book recognize liim, meaning Mul; ammad, as th~y ·
recog11i:u tlieir own som (Q.2: 146). Despi te thei r knowledge, these people
prmtion between the meanin~s o ah -~
merciful (af-Raliim .b e een
Id/:ii ·1-ra I.1ma)" an d aI- R a.li im .as o if
ne w o 1
in the semanuc t
. d ·ffere nces etW
he identical
st ill rejected jMul.1anunad j and denied fch e veracit y of j his pro p h e thood . h.1. 1 reframed fro m correctly td en t Y g ressions th at share t . n for
Jc is clear from thi s passage chat they were rej ecting the rea lity of som e- . d che cwo exp ti M ercifu,1 ,
them, and then he JUxtapos~ " with th e [the Be11eficent, . '\ in order to
thi ng. the veraci ty of w hich was fi rmly established w ith th e m, and of
mcJning of "boon co1~1pamo n . e n two {distinct] m can~n g •even though
w hich their cogn iti on of it was un shakeable. which they have prev10_usly _g1v 1ave the id entic al m eaning,
The fo ll owi ng verses have been ascribed to pre- Islamic p oets: claim that these words likewise I
a-la dcm1ba11i/Jw'l-:fa1a111 haji,ia/,a thm expressions diffe r. Ab- ' Ub;tyda: Tajsr, ol-Tobari.
a-la qadaba 'l-ral.1111:rnu rabbi yaminalui tc of ihii opinion as u '(ionl l
1 ~h~mUd Sh~kir 1dcn11fics du: a~v~a ~r'iin , 1 : 2 1. hath(' relates an ad~i wing

r Tim may be a rtf('r('n r(' 10 ihc ph1lo log1~1 Al,mi;id b. Y;il,1y.i ;il-Tha' la~ (d. 29i/904) ;rc
.111-Mub.irud. both of whom ~qubi 1dt1111fi('s .:i,~ cbi n1111g du1 al-rahmii.11 1s Hcbr(' W, whi
1.132. Src ~110 AhU ' UbJ~~a, M':a:::: ~a ·a za /-Q! r'J// , 1 ::1 ~. No:~: ri .:i, l\udes in the f~\ 0
2Tiull'me1~found 111 Abu Uba}d;i,f d~s osition to wluch T
thr(t ve r~ ~ of poetr y in suppart O P
al-1alr1111 1~ An.bic; S('t ~qubi, al-Jii ,11[ li-<Jhk.im al-~r°Jn, 1 :74 . 1tn1cncc

106
 TABA R!
Talmri's bitrod11ctio11
There is no doubt rhar ''possessor of mere ," . ..
sio~ a:. mercy is firml y establis hed and is tru l) ts the one wb05c ,dopted , nsc. nor ,s a dcscr ip'._io n. We have cl arified prev iou,'.ly that A/Iii /,
11
while on, who is merciful (,J/,im)" descri b y o ne of his qualiti f>Oae,.( . •
(i t, j,•stif is His pr,ise) nseans the O ne Who ." wors lnpped and there is
ful m rhr future or who I b . cs someone who will be es 1ifah ,~·orshi pped thing oth er t h:rn H e (M aJes u c 1s Hi s praise). God (Maj estic
current I)· mcrcifiu' I Tl ~as ~en me rcifu l in som e past t ' rnerc:j. 00His pr. i~e) has made it unl awfu l fo r anyoHe to take Alla/, as his personal
is
• 1cre 1s no md · fi ime o h 1
is macifu!") as to whether " i~a~or rom the word riilzim ' .. r w o ii namr. e\'e!l if the intention of oHe w ho takes Allah as hi s name is like the
comrasttothei ndic . I nl1 crcy is currentl y o ne ofJ ·· ( onewho rhc person who is named "Sa' td " (" happy") w hen he actu all y is mi sc r-
, I at1on t 1at r 1c ''po f u s qua.lit'
ru and that thi s is one ofl ·
r 1· . ssesso r o m e rcy" is c ur
rnqua mes s I
J Jes, in
rent yrn .
ahlr. or the person who is named " f:-lasa n" (" beautiful ") w hen he actu all y
o tie I Beneficem, ihe Merciful- l . o iow ca n this novel int e~o- 1
is ugly.
derived from a su I I h t iat these two distin ct e . crprcrauon Han' ,·on not see n that God (M ajesti c is Hi s praise) has said in anoth -
. ig e root J ave a xpress1ons th
t Ii1s opinion has n fi r co mmon mea ning- ] Id
o irm rounda rion d . d r 10 true? Rath
.i1 art of
a verse His Dook ls there a11othcr god with God? (Q.27:60-4), and He
QUESTI ON. Wh . h an HS e rec ts are dear er, ,kcbrcd this to be a momentous Isin j to anyone w ho answers it in th e
N . )' IS t e proper N r . .1Rinnativc? He (Exalted is He) al so said the following verse for the pur-
R "'" ,1,, BC11ejire11t, and tire Be11ejice11:/;:~t] God, A l/iii, , p ut prior to His 110,e of restrict ing the Names of Allah and "the Beneficent" to Himself:
so~'. P~NSE : This is a custom o( the A /nor to Hi s N ame the Merciji,t, S.iy: Call our to Allah, or call out to the Beueficent, to whichever yo11 call lit is the
et mg or someo I ra s. W hen th ey . h _(.: mr].70 Him beloug the most bea utiful Narnes (Q.17 : 110). Then H e praised
his attributes and d IH.",_ t 1ey starr wi th his name and th w~s ll to explain
prec d . escnptors. This i . en co ow it with 1hat by means of Hi s Name the Beuefice,it by preventing any of His crea-
e e its descriptor a d . s a ma ndatory rule--th tures from adopting it as their name, even though there are some creatures
report to kn b 11 it s attribute in d f; e name must
If I _ow a out whom the report' / . dor e~ _or the listener of the who are justified in being called it in some ways. This is because it is
t 1at 1s how it is . ls cscnbmg J. permissible ro describe many creatures other than God with some of the
brancc) has Is I c . , and gsven that God ( . . . lttnbures of merc y, in contrast to the impermissibilit y of any of them
adopt fo h ertam name s that H I M aj es ti c IS H is remem~
other than God meritin g the description of any aspect of godliness. That
Benefi ce~/ c,dnselves, which he restri e ia s for bidd e n his creatures to
an the C cts to Hi ms I( h I is why the Be11efi.cet11 comes after His Name Allah {in this verse].
that He all , . rcator (al-Khat ) 1 e , sue as A 1ah, the
O\\s HJS er ,q, and f2j th h As for His Na me the Merciful (al-Rabirn), w e have already mentioned
generous and I eatures to adop t h at t ere arc names
which are r o~ H~r simila r names ti' su~ _as me rc iful, h earing, seeing, that it is permi ssible co describe beings other th an God by it. M ercy is
est n cted I ' ien IJt ts. I1ecessa r y ro c- among His Attri butes (M aj estic is His remembrance) which, if the matter
comc first i d to ·fon , to the r His N ames,
d' , n or er fo I I exc us1on of JI H ' is as W(' have described , ca n be employed as nomin al adjectives that [the
1recring his p . r t 1e isrener k a 1s crea tures, co
N raise and I c. ro now to j I k grammari ans callJ appositi ves (tawabi, to the preceding nouns/
ames br wh i I I g ori nca rion. d h w 10 m t 1e spea er is
All of this is the reaso n w hy the Nam e Allah precedes His Name the
after the add c 1 01 ier creatures Ill 'ba n t en to fo1lo w this wi th His
rrssre or th J· ')' e ca lled [Tl · Bmefimit, an d Hi s Na me rl,e Beneficent precedes His N ame the Merciful (in
are being addr ·d f istener kn · 11s ca n only happen)
essc ows wha d thebasmala].
Tli('rcfore G d (. _ t an to w h o m th ese words
Al-H asan al-Ba~r'i has said something similar to what we have said
wl11 ch is Al/a/ b o Majestic is H .
ih H ,. ecatist• odl' IS rernembr )b regarding "the Beneficent " being on e of God's N ames that every human
an in1 (MaJesti . g _ Iness (uliihi)')' ) . ance ega n with His N ame,
c IS Hi s . a IS not a 1· . ( h \\'a, prohibited from adopti ng for himse lf: Mui)ammad b. Bashshar-
i \\'Jule "die Cr<'.-.i 1 .. prai se-) in any possib/ qua .It)' o a nyone oc er Hammad b. Mascada-(Aw f--al-I:Iasan [al-Ba~rl] said, " 'The Beneficent'
11
011 10 ihe °1 nuglu ~P e ma nner-n eith er as an
8
;1~:; O\\ n ac:1~:~ tatili tl:o~~~a: a r.indom choice, it u
Jr1 11Herpreied _ art', b) t'~ t of hr1 da\· wh P U Ta bari sq uarely in oppasi· 1 I~ oth er words, ev('n though the linguistic meaning of one's proper name often h:is no
ti ip /f,,.,) to n1e~11\:t·1 like Q 6. 10:n;1.~n, ..,reato~; .. /no mmtcd rhar human beings crearc
ie I-Ole Cr<'a ior. ui no cr<'atur<'s, ~nda(' IS na God S<:I J'f ,;:ltrast, lll 05 t Su nni rheologianl
:~:::~•:.~ :;h'.~'
qu,J;,;o, of 111<' accu,1 pmon who bw,1ha1 '"""· "'" connoc """'
1
udmg humans, ran c;/" Creator of all things, so rvor· 'i'mom,on,d ml;", , djocdrn{;n ,h;, concoxc. m/ 1i1J;n A,,b;o "' d ,u;fi, d " noun> (asmd').
at(' anydij ng, beause God Is
or niore on appom ivcs, iee Wright, 2:1.72-fJ.

IOI\
 TABARf

is a forbidden nam(." (ism mam11ii}'' This position i £i

the consensus of the Muslim commu nity that all o; h ~tther su?pon,d
cd from namrng .
them selves "the Benc f,JCent " ' which manuyuprohibby
d n-
any urrhe r evidence in support of the soundness f rcn ~rs unnecessary
from al-f:{asan /al-Ba~rij or anyone else. r o our opinion, whetD(f THE OPENING
sO RAT AL-FATil:IA
(Q. 1:2- 7)

G
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
I1 :2 I All praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds.'
Thr mea ning of All praise belongs to God is: All gratitude belongs solely to
God, to the exclusion of everything that is worshipped other than He,
and ro the exclusion of all of the creatures He has created, on account of
1hr incalculable bounties, the number of which no individual can fully
grasp, He has bestowed upon His servants. [Gratitude belongs to God as
well I fo r His act of making sound the cools by which He can be obeyed;
for empowering the bodily limbs of accountable people (mukallaf,11), by
which they can perform the acts H e has made incumbent upon them; and
for the sustena nce He has spread out for them in the temporal world, by
which He nourishes them with plenty, even though it is not necessary
for Him to do this for them; and for what He warns them and to what
He summons them, among the means of conduct that will lead them to
thr e,·erlasti ng, eternal Abode of Permanence, in the abiding delights. On
accoun t of all of this, all praise, from first to last, (in every condition],
belongs to ou r Lord.
Our interpretation of God's statement (Majestic is His praise and
sann ified are His Names) All praise belongs to God is in accordance with a
report from Ibn cAbbas and others that has come (to us]:
MuQammad 6. al-'Ala'-' Uthman b. Sa' ld-Bishr b. ' Umara-Abii
Raw9-al-I;laQhak- lbn 'Abbas said, " Gabriel said to Mu~ammad (i), 'O

1 1: wil! become clc.u below, Tabari does not consider the opening clause, In the rv.amcof G,od,
~~~t'' r~e Mercijul. _to be part of the first 11ir<1 of the Q.!!r'an and interprc~s its mc~~ing
;u
,r 1,h, Q,t '°
h" lcog,hy uurodun;oo 1h, J,j,fr (rnmslmd , bov,). Mos< prm«d ,dmoas
,h" "'" wl::' conudor All pMiu b,fo.,gs" God, Lo,d ,J rh, W,dds 10 be th< second""' of
· ch n why I ha,•e numbered it ,u such.

Ho
"'
 TII BARI

is a forbidd en nam e (ism mmm1ii} ,. Th_· . .

the consensus of the Mu slim com.muni~s p~s1u~n is furt he r suppo
ed from naming them selves "the Benefi: t :,t a 1 ~f h umanity is pr:~~ ~y
any further evidence in support of th en~ • which ren ders unn ib1t.
G
from al-l;b san \al-Bairi] or anyone e~,:o,un ness of our o pinion, :~;:~;, THE OPENING
SORAT AL-FATll;IA
(Q. 1:2-7)

G
COMM ENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
I1 :2 J All prai.<e belo11gs to God, Lord of the Worlds.'
Tl:e meaning of Afl praise belongs to God is: All gratitude belongs solely to
GoJ, to che excl usion of everything that is worshipped other than He,
ind 10 che exclusion of all of the creatures He has created, on account of
rhr incalculable bounties, the number of whkh no individual can fully
gmp, He has bestowed upon His servants. {Gratitude belongs to God as
wdl] for His act of making sound the tools by which He can be obeyed;
for empowering the bodily limbs of accountable people (mukallafi,i), by
which 1hey can perform the acts He has made incumbent upon them; and
for che sustenance He has spread out for chem in the temporal world , by
which He nourishes them with plenty, even though it is not necessary
for Him co do 1his for ch em ; and for what He warns them and to what
He summons 1hem, among the means of conduct that will lead them to
theererlasting, eternal Abode of Permanence, in the abiding delights. On
.ccounr of all of this, all praise, from first to last, jin every conditionJ,
bdongs to our Lord.
Our interpretation of God's statement (Majestic is His praise and
unccified are Hi s Names) All praise belongs to God is in accordance with a
report from lbn 'Abbas and others that has come [to us}:
Mu~ammad b. al-'Ala' -' Uthm:in b. Sa' id-Bishr b. ' Umara- Abll
R~wq--al-Qal_1bak-Ibn 'Abbas said, " Gabriel said co Mul:iammad ($), 'O

I The pnnted text 1de1111fies die~

;i(t n tlu ~ H""lltenn· and tlm I \ lil,} :.::n~ofthccomine,u;i r .
ed m on ofT.ibari'~ Tafti, at altafor.corn"'hc-1e \"Cr~ 1 of ti}
Ta bJri doc§ 11 01 com1dn the- ba - 1\1 we du.II k be s,.,a begi ns in 1he o nline Ar.iibic
l ""'
1 10
be the- firu vc-:k
1 l~llbeconie dtar ~ low, Tahari docs not consider 1he opening clause,
111 fo the Na mrof Gad,
it ~ ' "1• l~t .'l-1nciful,_10 be pan of 1hc fir st Jiim of the ~ r'a n and interpret s iu mcJning
_
~ n Sur~, :i.1-Fatil;ia i, n.rncdlatd)' of1the~:! hu lei~gchy 111troduction 10 the Tafsir (translated above). Most printed editions
d:ui . hn consider All praiu btlongs 10 God, lard af tlit Worlds 10 be 1hc second vcnc of
l:~~;;::;>7ent:1ry on 1
0- :J, JM,J, w ich h why I have numbered it as such .

li o
Ill
 TA BAR[ Siirat a/-Fiitiba (r :2- 7)
. uld se rve as clear evidence
Mu~ammad, say, All praise belongs to God."' lbn 'Abbas said, "All prais,._ on chi s is so und , it wol f "gratitude" and chat
nicnt up ·d . che Pace o I
which is gratiiude--belongsto God; submi ssion is to God, and the •flinnatio :nrrll agr"rd .. raise" can be sat mf" . e ,. If chi s were not tie cas~,
of His bounties, His gu idance, His orig inating {things] and otherrhing,:'. .,' ·or P I I cc o prats · · chis
1h11 ihe \\.. be put in tie P a / / d11 /i'l/iihi s/111kra11, because, Ill .
Sa'Id b. ' Umar al-Sa kiinl- Bagiyya b. al-Walld-' fsa b. Ibrahim- ·£r:ititude can mi ssibl c to say a - .wm . of a verbal noun m eanmg
Musa b. Abl Hablb- al-l:Jaka m b. ' Uma yr (w ho was a Companion) said: ,;would not~';,,~, /i'llah takes on the 7e~;;i~ not have th e sa m_e mean-
th e Prophet (i) said, "Whenever yo u say All praise belongs to God, Lord of 11aiw1cnt.
• . thanks
J."
di~ rlllto God If the ,.vord s m uld be in co rrect lingu1st1cally,
b. sentence wo ..
the l¥orlds, you have thanked God , so may God increase your provision!": lgM J then thi s Ara JC 1 on thi s other mcan111g.
It has been alleged th at t he st atement All praise belongs to God is praist l!l£ ,h ham , i ould not have t akc1 definite article al- to
o f God for His most bea utiful Names and Attributes, whereas the state- i,,:,us< ,/./,am
,: . th e explanati on for affixing th: hamda11 /i'lliihi, Lord
ment "All gratitud e belongs to God (al-slmkr li'l/al,)" is praise of Him for QUESTIO N:_WWat i\d it not m ake more se nse to sa .
Hi s bo unti es and favo urs. 1
·d nsc? ou .
h, wo,_ P\ . l- conveys a mean mg
Ir has been narrated on the authority o f Ka' b al-Al;bar that he said : /rhl Jl tirlds . d. . of the definite article al b sc its addition
. Tl d !tlOJl d /' 'Ila I ecau
'"All praise belongs to God h an ac t of praising God. " However, in his nar- RESPONSE: ~c ,;db , the indefinite bam an. I "a11 • raiseworthy actions
ratio n, he did not cla rify whic h of the two m eanings of praise we just ih,t is not co1l\•C) I )t the meaning of bamd is d " I~ the definite article
G m enti o ned it conveys.
s:rm I~ announce ta t atitud e belong to Go . only the praise Q. 1:2
Q. 1 :2 Yiinu s b. 'Abd al-N ia al-Sadafi-Ibn Wa h b -' Umar b. Mu}:iammad- (f",;kiim1~ and abso tl1tc g;I e word bamd would clon~cy of all the [crea-
d 1,pcd t icn l the exc us10n 1·•11-1,· 0
G Suhayl b. Ahl Salil)-his father-Saliili- Ka' b lal-Ahbarj said, "Whoever oJ!. wm ro I ' 'd this utterance, to ru-h. or hamdun I a I
says All praise belo11gs to God-th at is an act of praising God." _ of th.' person ,~ ';a::~ the meaning of /,amda11f :/-~a:ndu i;'lliihi, Lo'.~°[
cAli b. al- l:l asan al-Kh arraz-Muslim b. 'Abd al-Ral_lman al-Jarnu- tur(s] pr:uses, _c d ,. The interpretation o . her of the Q!!r an
Mu~ a.rnm ad b. Mu{ ab al-~rgas:ini- Mubarak b. Fa<;lala-aJ-I;fasan is "I [alone] praise Go . .. the siira of the Mot viously-all
[al-Ba$rij - al-Aswad b. Sari' : th e Prop het ($) said , "Nothing is ~ore h• JI Orlds of the person recm~g. have described pr~ d His
r. . d". rather, it IS as we f His godliness an
deservin g of praise than God (Exalted is H e), w hich is why He praised u not ··1 praise ~o , Ion to God, on account o. eatures, which arc
H imse lf by saying All praise belot1gs to God. " J pr.icwonhy amens be ; He bestows upon Hts c~ . he immediate
Th ere is no d is:lgreemenr among th e ex perts in the Arabic Ianguag~s ~ wwal of the bounnes t ~t h mporal world, bot 111 t
unm·alled in the religion an t e tc . h e fol-
over th e correctn ess of the statement al-liamdu /i 'lliihi slwkra11. 4 If therr
?rmm and in the f~ture. d I I rs of the Muslim comn1umty I h du av{;'l/alri,
The ~r'an ~ewers an ,sc ~~d;n praise in the ~erse a - . :~ative case,
1 T l1h h th e commu;itio n of ;i h11dith th at T.1.b.1.ri bre;;ik) up into ma n y small frag mc:nu,arid 5 ! lowed this mean ing by on!) r . g ·nscead of 111 the ace d ,, If a
fint d ied I ll hi s ro rnm em~ r y or1 thee xp rn\1on ~I \eek refuge fro m thc: .icc:unc:d Saum • in his
Introduc tion, abow (Tafm 111-Tiiba, ;, I :11 3; D i r H.1.j;ir i : iii ). Sec ;;i/so Taftiral-Ta bari(t :135}, LC11Jojcl1e Worlds in the nominative cte ~1eaning of "I praisehGo . ning
w he re A l,unad Sh ak ir ro n firm s 1li ~1 !,;1.b..ri\ te.i.chcr, Abu Kur;1.yb, in the e;;i rlier fragmen rs, the !mer of which would convey te I cusative case, t e m~a f
i ) th e hmyii for Mul_ 1a1111nad b. al- Al.1. m 1h1~ im4d.
. . d aise Ill t ie ac Id b deservmg o
2
Accordm g to Su yU1i, tlm hadith u ;1.\~o foun d only 111 the Tarikh 'i,/a,M ' ah/ NaysJbiir bY,
~r in rerner were t~ rea P" . ation, and he wou e . his error
a l- H :ikim :il - N ap:ibUri and th<" M,m,ad 11l-fi ,d11,., by Da\'brnl· al-Drtrr a/-manthiir, :J!· would be nonsensi_cal, 111_my_eStll~id it intentionall y, knowmg
1 1 reprimand for tlus reading if he ]
Su );lifi ev.ilua tes in is,1ad ;u .. we.i.k" ;1. nd the D:h H.iJar d;tors <iesc ri be ic ;;is .,ve ry wea k ;
D ii r H aJ;1r, 1: 136.
• !of this verse ·
and hi~ corrupt inrerp retanon . b I ,os to Go d>• Is God
3 A ccord m g to SuyO{i. tl1 1s ltadi1h 1~_ fou11d on ] ), 111 T;1.b;1.ri') Tizftir; ll/- Dllrral- manthiir. :35. for
. f All praise e o,o
;;idd n wn:if cro,) r,· f,·rc n rc), set· Dar H~Ju, 1: 137 1 QUES TION: What is the mean mg O . .. isc
4 T ;;i b,:iri cx p l:uns below 1hat d u~ ph ra~ me.1111 ·• 1 gwe th.in ks God ." This gr.mim.itical
10
scruc turt• m ult·r dncuu1 0 111~ c.il lcd tb c ;1.b1olu1e obJen (mil[ iilm r,, / qr; sec Wrighr • .2 :54-,S , he ve rbal ellipsis I pra
11 1 The u1~ of h~mda~ m the Kcusativc case: wo ul d iu d icate d ea rly r . TaOOri's
N o rin.ill y. the abso lu1c ohJcCt IS ;I. no '.111rul for111 _of the 1der111c,1] \·crb to which it is c:0n-
n ce1,·d. b ut H c;.i n .i.lso l>t· u snl to ,,denl1fydword1 \\·uh ilureJ rn e.in111p, whicl1 is why Tabarl [Go.ii."
In oih~r
- . ·sio n of rh e nam es of thi s s1ira m .
word 1, Sllr.u .i.1-F~ nl,u: sc r th e d 1scu~
<' lll ploys if lic.-re i n l1is a rg u111 c111 t 1;1.1 .im 1Hean1 iJr,.1,, _ l
lr.1rodumon.

II ;?
II J

1A,
 TA BAIU S,irat al-Fiitiba (t:2-7)
(Majestic is His praise) praising Himself d I The inl'nded ca ning of the poet is "Their in.~ormants will,;cpl y-'The
same expression by which He has descri~n d t i~n teaching us to sa ' . 111
then what is the meaning of H' e Himself? If this. ) thu J<Ceisrd is Wazir,"' _but he omitted the word the deceased because the
I 1s statement (E I d . 1s cor
11o11 a one U'e u10rship; You alo11e we askfi I I xa te IS His rcmcmb ren, context su fti ciencly md1cated It.
is His remembrance) is the O o;.
iep (Q., :5) given that H (M"ncc) Likc \\'ise, the re is another ve rse:
this a statement from G b . i°e
wors upped and not a worsh · c tghry
1 u-u-ra'ayti zawjaki fl' /-11mgliii
It is invalid for that 10 b: :'s~a~:n~,~; ;:::,:~~~he Messenge:~f~~(!)~ ,,11,raqdl/idau sa>fiiu u•a-ruml1ii
RE SPONSE: Rather, all of tl1is is God' . You ~;r.w your husband in war,
However, He (Majestic is His re s speech (Majestic is His . Hanging upon him a sword ;ind [wielding] a spear. '
appropriate manner and th
recit ation of it incumb
m~m brance) praises Himself in thpnist).
en teac es tlm to Hi s serva nts a . d most i The listener knows that on e docs not have a spear "hanging upon him"
,nd that the only implied meaning is "wielding a spear (1,iimilan nm1ban)."
said to them: Say, All ;;:~uk,n th em, in order to test and~:• es Hth ,
Rather. whrn its meaning is obvious from its context, it is accept able
e o11gs to God Lord ~r I
alo11e we worsh. ,
}'; I ip; \ ou alone we ask for I I (Q cm. e
'-?.I t ie Worlds and say You noi ro say [" wield ing" ]. Likewise, people say to the traveller, when they
r:i ig'.:::
1
:~,;;~:::~:; , th them
menr All . be/
co
ey offer Him. and th. .
w;,'.,; ;;/Lf
~:;s,: •His statement
pply It m rlie
bid him fare well, " [G o ] in good company and good health (m11jiil,aba11
mr/.ij m)!'' witho ut sayi ng "Go" or "Leave" because the implied meaning G
Q.1:2 " pra ue ongs to God L d ' is IS connec ted to His Seate 11 known even if th ese words are omitted. Q. i:2
Say this and sai• that"• , or of the 1-Vorlds. Ir is as 1"f H e were saymg
. •
G Likewise, !"Say"] is omitted from God's statement (Exalted is His G
?BJECTIO N: Where is ti , mnembrance) All praise belongs to God, Lord of tire Worlds because it is clear
mtcrpretatio ie expression "S ". from His statement (Maj estic is His remembrance), You alone we worship
RES n needs in order to be v l'd;iay m thi s verse that your alleged
PON SE : We have alre . aI . (Q.1 :5), what He intended by His statement All praise belongs to God, Lord
Arabs, when the . k ady indicated that of1he m,,/ds. That this is His command to His servants is sufficiencly clear
un spoken words) onowforccnain that the Ii o ne o_f the customs of the from this context, such that there is no need to articulate the elided words.
words that an: s~ffi:i account of its obvious :tener I~ aware of one of the We have previously narrated a report on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas,
what is omitt d . ently clear from I . at ure, JS that th ey omit thC' a: the begi nning of our interpretation of God's statement All praise belongs
as th e poet sai~ 15 an expression or t~ ie.,r speech, rega rdless of w h ether
1 to God, Lord ofrhe Worlds, in which he said, "Gabriel said to Mui)ammad,
,,a- ' e lllterp rctation of an expression,
·o Mul_iammad, say, All praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds."' Since we
1 al,um,a11na11j 511 ,
idha sara'/ -akuuuratrlkl have already explained that Gabriel taught Mul)ammad (i) what he was
fiH/iila'/_ ~'.~~1'iiij11/a)'asiru ti commanded to teach him to say, chi s report affirms the soundness of our
1
Ja-qiila'/-:~:~~~ !-ltl ln h.i_fartum mterprt'tation of this [ve rse ].
rru11a/ahumw .
I know th;ir I \hall en a~iru
INTE RP RETAT ION OF rabb (Lord)
When die speed . c d up in~ hellc
The~• will ask: amr]~head off it d,_soi l-covered grave, !he clarification of the interpretation of the Name of God, which is
Tl1e1r infor111ar111 :i;·ho111 do yo~ diw11l not move. Allah," has already bee n m ad e in [our discussion] of In the Name of God,
Tl d replv_ .. W g ]this grave] '" so th ert' is no need fo r us to repeat it in this p lace .z
I 1e e Hon of die D· ' atir." ·
(d. 207/822- J) cno tr H
ts for the interpretation o f His statemen t rabb (Lord), truly rabb bears
mu tiple mean ings rhe speech of the Arabs. The master (sayyid) who
al ~Fa r ri",A tii a,iia/-~ire''. e
11
Dar a l-SurOr. 0 d I
,i ie::~:.~ i~
~.

in li h ciuuou of r:1;0.
ei, and
1
:~11,''eJr·1t ii fou nd in Lane, '"q-1-d." The fi rst hemi stich in Lane's version is ya !dyta ;:anjaki
1 gr.~ ~-
" Ser above, nnr the end of Tabari's leng th )' Introd uc tion.

115

as
 TABAR!
Siirat al-Fiitiba (1 :2- 7)
is obe yed b y h is c I .
Lahid b. Rabt •a ' P op c is called rabb, as ca n be seen i n t h e statcrncnt of The p<KI says 44~1 ilayka, 1_neanin g " tow.ard ' ~!10 111 my hope for rescora-
r.c'nhls rtarhcd. \J t is a.s 1f he were .saym g}, You have become the one
u•a 'al1/ak11a yawman raliba Ki11da1a
wa-rabba A1a'addi,1 bayna Klrnbti11
r
II:;_ ~:,~;i
'/ / b(l can soh-t my situanon and fi x tt , now ch at I have left the lordship
oiother kings. at whose mercy I '\Vas previously. They all led my cause
11

In battl e. • we destroyed th e ma ster of K . t~ ruin and abandon ed searchin g for ja solut ion to J it. They are masters
Along w ith the ma ster o f Ma' add b md:1 and h is so n , '/Jjf:ob):· tht" singul ar of which is rabb.
Wh 1 ' ctween Khabt and 'A c
\ Abo tht" owner (miilik) of anything is called its rabb. There arc eve n
e n t l e poet says "rabb of Kinda .. he " r ar.
example is th e sta tement by al-N~b - } mefans master of Kinda. '' Anoth n:c,rr mcJnings and applications of rabb than th at, although they all relate
, a ig 1a o Banil Oh b - er m.onll'manner to these three meanings: !master; fixer; ownerJ.
takl111bb11 ilii'I- N 11'mii11i lwttii frmiila/111 u yan , Therrfore Our Lo rd (Majestic is His praise) is the Master w ithout
fida ,1 /aka miri ralJbi tarifl wa-tiilidi ~ rn hlanreor similarity w ith regard to His dominion. He is the Restore r
11 1
You slipped away to Nu' m:in i to a . fi . fh m."Jtures· affairs. with what He showers of His bounties upon them,
0 11
a ran som fo r you, from a master o;:~1;~ ro 111 111111 , dthe 0wnt r. to whom all creation and command belong (Q.7 :54).
and an cient. th, both newl y acquired 1
Somrthing similar to our interpretation of His statement (Majestic is
G A m an w h o put s th in gs in o rder or fixes .
H11priise) Lord ojrl1e Worlds has come to us in a narration from Ibn 'Abbas :
also c all ed a rabb; an examp le of I . . som et hm g (al-m11$li(, al-shay1 is AbU Kurayb-<Utlunan b. Sactd-Bishr b. ' Um:ira-Abi'i R awq- Q.1:2
Q. 1 :2
C h a. lib, t us 15 th e st atem e nt of al-Farazdaq b. ~-Dibbak- lbn 'Abbas said, "Gabriel said to MuQammad, 'O MuQammad, G
G lly..~llpr<Jisebelongs to God, Lord of the Worlds.'" Ibn 'Abbas said, "[Gabriel]
k~~':' k_a-: a/i 'a1i11 hamqii'a idh ~wqa,1a1 S.)~- 'Say, All praise belongs to God to w hom all creation belongs-all of the
s1/a aha f, adimii, t hayri marbribi
hmens and all that is in them, and all of the earths along with all that
They are like ~tu id b hin themand between them, among the known and unknown things.'
thei r clarifi ed bu p . utter-chrifiers w h o collect
. tter Ill an unprepared, ill-fit skin. [Gabriel ) says, 'O Mui:iammad , know that nothing at all resembles this
T in s verse refers to an unpre ared sk. . . Lord of yours."'
ya rubl~u hi s workma nshi p at s!-and-sot· L,k~w1 se, on e says "So-and-so
ke ep it goi ng. An example of thi s is ti place w hen l~e tri es co fix it and l;\TER.PRETATI ON OF al- 'alami11 (worlds)
f a-k11u1a'mra'a11 af4a r ilayka ribiibali 1e stateme nt of Alqama b. cA bada, The word al- 'alamii11 is the plural o f 'a/am ("world"), and 'ii lam is a c~l-
u,a-qablaka rabbaw ifa-di Ill rnbiilm l~rn\"e noun that does not ex ist in the singular form, like the word anam
And
( mankind'·), mh/ ("kinsfolk") and jaysli ("army"), and other nouns that
gon::oouu:~~ ~~;;~n to wa rd s who m my hope for restoration has refn to a collective mu ltitude and do not have a singular form.
1 nd
Be fo re you o ili er masters lord ed over me. and Ill)' ca use was Iosc. 3 .. Th, a/am is a noun that encompasses many types of communities,tha
,.ch type 1s itself an (ii/ant. The people of each generation of each of :se
categorirs are also the 'a/am of that generation and time period. Humai~ity
th
11 •n alam; and the people of each time period are the <
I Lu c: r';l.ll y, .. unc: d .1.)'·K !:>mce d u: bltd t"s o afam of at nm,e
u .i u~l:ucd d 11s wrsc .a~ •·m b:.i l f prc- hb.,nK Ar.ibi.i wcrt' c.i llcd .. da s " I h .ive
2 Al - N u' m.:i n h . .il - H.:im h w~\t"~nc of 11 . Y' ?Criod. The jinn also are an < a/am, as are all the ren1.aining species of Gods
;i - N i l., .gh.i d cg1zcd : ~<'c Diu.Jnol- Nab' I t ~ r;c- lsl.1.mK kings o f the G h.1.s);in ids, w hotn "(' 110 "· Each species of them is th e 'a/am of its time period. On acct~'
C.1.iro : 0 .:ir .il- M.i Jnf, l'.J7?). u s-.ii rg ,a O - lrnbyam, ed . Mul_m nmad Abu .il-Fa~l fbrihin1
o that, the word 'ii/am has been put in the plural [in this verseJ , w uc l
J See vc r\C' .!2 n1po<'lll 119 of the M~fad
1~/rJ'~ - 11 al • . h · ub.r form, so

;.:"~b:, ~
t~: blnYo~.k :rctO c1xfou1onrd . wluch ;r::~~19...!~J)-~ ~mprlrd
M ,if~ddal,,-at: ,1ri A ,uhofogyof Ann;nr A m di <" Lpll 1r.111 sbtion· C lurles Lyall. Th~ th •ami111 , even though 'ii/am is a collective noun in t :. smg_ · vcr time
Uru n •nii y byal-Mufodd:l Stm of M u(um11~ad. ''. th e expression [Lord of the WorldsJ includes every a/all, in e y
l l\ a . • .779. N ote- that Ly;.ill fo ll ows the rc-.iding
m,wa111 Ill }' tru~t") umc;.id of ,iba&ui. ptnod of that 'a/am.

11 6 117
 TA BART
Sii rat a/-Fiitifia (1 :z- 7)

An example of this is the state ment of al-'Ajjaj :' c 18 ooo 'a/am s (or 14,000- h c was uncertain) of th e
fa-Kliindifim l,iima/11 hadlui'/- 'alami dsr is :nnong t~l rii T he eart h has fo ur corne rs and th ere are 3,500
~ngtls above tlit car .[God] created th em all for the purpose of wor-
Khindif is the hc;id of this generation . ~/~,ns in each ~orne r.

Th e poet puts them into an 'a/11111 of hi s tim e period. 1h1pping ~1'.m.

-Hasan-al-Musayn b. DawU.d- l:lajjlj- lbn Jura~~
Al-~sun b. al . L d if rl , Worlds "The jinn and humans.
This opinio n we have expressed is also the op inion oflbn 'Abbas, Sa'id ..1id.conrerning His statement or o ie ,
b. Ju bayr and the majorit y of co mmcmato rs:
Abu Kurayb- ' Uthman b. Sa' id- Bishr b. ' Umara-Abu. Rawq-
al- OalJl.1ak- Jbn 'Abbas said, co ncern in g All praise belongs to God, Lord of ,·y ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORD S:
C0MMEN TAl'
rlie Worlds, "All praise belongs to God to whom all creation belo ngs-all of [1 :3 } Tlie Bc11efue111, tl1e Mercif11/.
th e heavens an d eart hs, th eir inhabitants, and those w ho are in them and . 1 . retation of His statement the Beneficen t, the
between them. among th e knO\-.m and unknow n crea tu res." The cbrificanon oft ic mterp . . f fo the Name of God, th e
Mul.1ammad b. Si nan al-O!zz3.z- AbU. 'A~im-Shabib-<Ikrima- \ frrciful has been done in o ur mterpretau~nr o,.,s repetition in this place.
· :r. J ·tis unnecessary IO h
Ibn (Abbas said, concerning Lord of the l,Vorfds, "The jinn and humans. " Be,1rfim1t, rhe Mem.1 11 , so I ·f th e reason for the repetition [of t e
Ali b. al-l:{ asan- Mu slim b. 'Abd al- Ral}min -Mu}:ianunad b. We do not nc~d t~ cla~i \ cc beca use we did not consider In the G
Q. 1 :2 Mu s'ab-~s b. al-Rabf -'Ara' b. al-Sa'ib-Sa'ld b. Jubayr--Ibn Bwefimir, ,lie Mtrcif,dJ 111 tin s p a :r. I be one of the verses of the Q.ICJ
0 'Abbas said, concerning God's statement Lord of the Worlds , "Lord of the SJ11~roJ God, tire Be,, eficetJt, the ~erCI_JII. to locutor could challenge us G
jinn and humans." Opening of the Book. Otherwise, an mt~r ( "Ii) for the repetition
A~rnad b. Isl.1aq b. ' Isa al-Ahwazi-Abu. Ali.mad al-Zubayr i ~ wah the question: What is the e~planauo~ wa;God's self-description
[o f1lie Be11e.fiw1t , tie
'"I] in
I Mercl_JH · tlus place,Igiven
N ,fGod tlieBeueficent,
'Aia· b. al -Sa'ib--Sa'id b. Jubayr said, concern ing Hj s statement Lord ofthe
Worlds, ''Th e jinn and humans." (M.i.jestic is His praise) in His statement Int ie ~me overse; one of them
r~e J\fo(ijt1l and the close proximity between t ese •
Al.unad b. 'Abd al-Rabim al-Barqi- lbn Abi Maryam - Ibn Lahta- 1

cA;a' b. Dinar-Sa' id b. Ju ba.yr said, concerning His statemen t Lord of!ht so near to its cou nterpart? f h e error of the people who claim
O
Worlds, "Th e so n ls] of Ad am , the j inn and humans--every commumty Rather, this is fo r us a proof t . I. [the first] verse of the
of them is an 'a/am in its own individual way." . that Ju 1/ie Name of God, the Beneficent, rlie Mhercifi, /~
d were true}, there
Opening of the Book, because, if !what t ey c aime ·ng and expression
Muryanunad b. l:lumayd-Mihran-Sufyan [al-Thawrl] -Mujahid b · the same meam
said, conce rning All praise belo11gs to God, Lord of rite Worlds, "The jinn aad 11'?uld be a repetition of verses eann~ if this repetition} . There is no
hurnam." wahout a break in between the_m [co_JuS t
other case in the Book o f God 111 which t . .
Jo
verses with identical mean-
. bout there being a
A nearl y id entical report was narrated to us fr o m Abmad b. Isb 3q
ings and words arc found in such close proxmuty_ wit The only cases of
al-A hwazi- Abu Ahm ad al- Zubayri-Sufyan [al-Thawri]- a man-
Mujahid. brtak be twee n them, which interrupts th c meam_ng- those in which
complete verses being repeated w ithin 3 single Sllrahare d are other than
_Bishr b. Mu adh al-'Aqadi- Yazid b. Zu ray'-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Ariiba]-
~tad.~ sa,d, concern ing Lord ef rhe 'alamin , "Each rype [of creature] 15 an there are breaks that inte rrupt t I1e anow of the speec an
k b tween Gods • state-
a/a m. the repeated verses themselves ..:: There is no brea e
Al.u~ ad b. Hazim al- Ghifari- ' Ubayd All ah b. Miisa-AbUJa(far- ur'in is in the most eloquc_ntfo_r:1~:
lG11·en lmcl.iim in the Jntr~u~t ion that the°-!:! nee of faulty Ar.ibic or 1narnc seeias in.ir-
al-R_abi _b. ~nas-Abu al- 'Ali ya sa id , co ncerning His state ment Lo"! of Tib~ri 1~ \"Cry carefu l to dnmn.ite ~ny .i~pea:-3' es in dose proximity could be ,lit Mati.fiil
rlie alamr n, Huma ns arc an \ilam, the jinn arc an 'iilam , and eve ry t bmg 1
~r ~n. The pre\C"UCC' of two 11earl y 1den~ c_.11~
11
ruhte, which h wliy T.ib.iri argues the mma
\t;,:
//rt Na,n t of God, 1lu Btnefictnt,
.
1111
\'me- of Sllrat al-Fitil;i.i .
0! l . d d below in this transb.uon.
• Thu henumd1 i~ fou11J in Abo Ub.iyd.i, Majifr al-~, ',fo, I :22. 1
Agood e:1:.imple of this is Sor.it :il-Ral.un5.o, mdu e

l JX 119

:r,
 TA BAR.I
Siirat al-Fiitr)ia (1:2-7)
mem (Exalted is He) the Bc11 ~fice1u, the M erciful in In ti those people who den y that 111 the Na me ef God, the Be,1cfice11t, tlie M erciful
Beneficem,
- b ame of Cod'tie
the Merciful and His statcmc111 r/,e Beneficeflt ieth N M I
i! [the first] verse of the Ope nin g of th e Book.
sura cgi nning withj All praise belonas to God L d ,J h' e crcif,,l in /th
O . o , or. o t e Worlds . e
BJECTION. Trul y Ali praise belongs ro Cod L d
between [these two ve rses J. ' or. ef the Worlds is a break COMM ENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:

RESPO~SE: A group of interpreters has dcni . . [1 :4 ] King of rhe Doy ofj11dgeme11r.

case of mvcrsion , beca use the true m ea, i . ed thts, say ing: This is '
The Q!r.:in reciters d isagree ove r th e recitation of Ki,ig of the Day of
Bmefiw11, rlre Mmif,il, Lord ojr/,e l,V, Id
1;g ,s,JA /1 praise belongs to God, ,J,,
Ju~cmiml. Some of rhcm recite it as maliki yawmi'l-di11; o thers among chem
group invokes as evidence for 1l1c o, sd, mg of the Day ofjudgemenc. This
K ,J I sou n ncss o ti . I . n'd tcit as 11dliki yawmi'l-di11; and still others recite it as mii/ika yawmi'l-di11 ,
mg~ tie Day ofJ11dgemem, saying: Trul ' f 1eir c aim_ His statement \\ith a fa 1~111 on the kiif We have discussed the narration s related to these
teaclung Hi s servant to describe Him as ) , r_ tc statement is God 's act of
readings exhausti vely in o ur book Kitiib al-qira'at \The Book of ~r'an
read malik) or as an Own (' I a Kmg (according to those wh
er 1or t lOSC who r d -rk) ReadingsJ. ' where we have expressed which reading we prefer and the
ate an d similar description to b d . ,:ia
ea I • The most appropri-
O
JecisiH' reason why the reading we have chosen is correct. We dislike
0wner is Hi s statement l d e; ~ace nt to Hi s description as a King or
ownership of all typ f_or; oft ,e Worlds, w h ich is a decl a ratio n of His repeating chis discussion at this pl ace, because the objective we seek with
G
d . es o creatures Furci I this book is to clari fy the different interpretations of the ~ r•a n's verses Q. q
Q. "J an equivalent description to b d. . 1er~ore, t 1e most appropriau
\1ithout examining all of the facets of their readings.
G and god ly is an ex pression h e a p .cent to Hi s description as tremendous
There is no disagreement among the experts in the Arabic langu ages
G
ment 1/Je Be11eficet11 tl,e M tif,alt prai ses Him, which would be His sme-
th ero IIshould
. Th ese pe I I. I chat malik is derived from mulk (" dominion, kingship") and that miilik is
J,i,t t 1I,e BerieJ'cem,
.r:. '
the Mrrciful b op e c aim t 1at this is evidence
taken from ,11ifk (" property, ownership").
orlds even th ough it clea I , r II .e u.nderstood to precede Lord ojtlte
cases of·rnvers1on · are wid Ir ,) d·ffi ows It [rn th e text J. T hey said: Parallel
10 OP INION : Th e interpretation of the person who recites ma/iki yawmi'l-
and occur more often i el} . 1 used th rougho ut the speech of the Arabs dirr (" King of the Day of Judgemcnt"f is that God alone has dominion
of ti ll.s . t he statement of n tJ1e1r b c . t Ilan ca n be co unted. An examplt
_ speech on:r the Day of Judgement, to the exclusion of all of His creatures who
15
_ , anr . Apyya: previously. in the temporal world, were oppressive kings, contending with
tiifa 1-khay.'ilu Hnn for dom inion and opposing His exclusive claims to majesty, grandeur,
Ja '1ji"li-zau,ri~~IQb~ra11~1i,'.ka limiimii :rnchority and supreme mastery. Then, on the Day of Judgement, [these
1 -saam, saliimii
The ipccten circled, drawin . kmgs] will know for certain , during their meeting with God, that they are
Sare you?" g near [m the darkj, sayi ng, "Where lowly and abased, and rhat to God belongs the Dominion, Majesty, Might
?.Grepl ~, wn h "Greeting~" t0 ari<l Splend our, to th e exclusio n of them and all other creatures, just as
reetrngs" Ito you]. your visitors, like they say God said (Majestic is His remembrance and sanctified are His Names) in
~hr impl ied word His revelation: The day when they come forth, nothing ef
them being hidden
luniman wa sequence of the fi from Cod. Wh ose is the Domi11 io 11 th is day? It is God's, the One, the Vanquisher
rai s ) . ' . -ayna minka? Tl • . . .k lfH hem isti ch is tiifa'l-khayiilu
e in His 8 k us IS 1t e G d' . ,~ .
aP straiolu [ oo , All praise be/ o s stateme nt (Majestic is His
maimer/ H
{Q. 18: i- .2) h . to is servant
6
011
gs to God WI1 I
dI
k·
0 1as revealed the Boo "'
1 (~~::i~.~n~ to _llm al-Jazari, Tabari ,~•as chc fourth Mm lint schobr co compi~c a 111 1
' rlll ias 1101 f d lb !) dc:dicm·d 10 multiple ~r i 11ic readi ngs and he included 20-.25 rc:admgs •
, t e 1mp] · d
a,izala a/ii ( bd·J ., Jc Word scq u f Pace rhere;11 any crookeJnW '- A::~tzari. Muhr, 1 :3J. . . th
the word a .'" 1-kitiiba qay)' im ence o which is al-hamdu /i-lliihi'/lt1dhi d mg 10 the Andalusian exege te 'Abd al-l;laqq Ibn 'Atiyy:i (d. 54i/1146--7), this is e
h qa}'y1ma,1 II . an Wa-latn ,c / .t
c r ~r'in], is cvid ow111g iwajan]. Tl . ya; a !aim hvajan fin stea
d ( :;_•~i~g ~f Nifi' . lbn Kathir, l:{amza, AbU 'Amr and Jbn 'Amir; lbn 'Atiyya, ~l~Mubarrar
11 5• alo ng w ith similar cases [1n 1. ,?if,tafsir al-kitiibal- 'aziz, ed. 'Abd al-Salam Mul):unmad, 6 vols. (Beirut : Daral-~ucub
ence that ind· h
!Cates th e so undness of the opinion of :1i~ ;:1_na, 1007}. 1:68. He mcn1ions that AbU 'Amr actuall y rc:id malki, wil :i J11kim on
1

12 0 12 1
 TABARJ Siirat al- Fiiriba (1 :2-7)

"~ o nnot bcJ the- rc~ctitio1~ of Hi s ~tt ributc " M a~ter" ~f the Day of
. God (Exa
D 4o:. 16).
(Q. I lted is H e) m
· f.ormc d u s th at t H
on11mon, tot lC excl usion of a.II worldl k. o im alone w ill be I 1]uigcnient. because tlus Attnb ute has JU St been n~en~toned m c~osc pr~x-
end up as nothing but abase ment at ~. mgs, w hose do minio t ~e ·1mllY Hisstaterncnt Lor~ of the Wor~ds. ~ e re .rim _
1
[111tcrpretat1on valid J,
and whose worldl y Ii ·11 b 1d hu1111l1t y o n th e Day ofJ d ns will 10
would be :i case of rc-pet1t1on (ta krar) w ith d1ffcnng phrases ex pressing
vcs w i ccome a tota l J - u ge111ent
1ck
1 identical meaning. wh ich would be of absolut ely no benefit to th e
OP INION: As for the folks wh o r - .. oss In th e H e reafter. ,
Day of J udgement") , i there is the
to us from:
f~~!
"'.~l,kr yaavmi 'l-din (" Master of th
\\ mg report th at h as b e
himia. The Amibute that is no t includ ed am o ng Hi s Attributes (M aj est ic
Hisr~mewbrance) fou nd in th e verses leadin g up to !this o neJ is King of
Ab - ' een nar rated

~o,:'
11
rhe DJy{/udgnuellf, in which He describes Himse lf as the King.
u Kurayb- Uthman b S ,_d .
:1-0abbak-Ibn Abbas said, ~ B1shr_~- .' Umara-Aba Raw - his clear, tlH·reforc. th at the read in g th at is m o re likely to be correct
On th is d a)' nobod )· l ce rnm g mal,k, ef the Day ofjud q nJ the more appropriate in te rpretatio n o f th e Book is th e reading of
I·k ' owns an yt 1 in I rgeme111 1
:hose who recite maliki yawm i'l-diri , with the meaning of "To Him alon e
' e the authorit y he had en·o , d g, ove_r w 1ic h h e h as any authori ,
world." ''Then he said, th')'s;,c;;,,o;ver Im possessio ns in the tempo~j belongs the Dominion on the D ay of Judge ment, " to the exclusion of the
uding of those who recite miiliki yami'l-din , w ith the m eaning of "He
and wl,ospeaks right (Q.78 :38); and t he~sm11 11g J,_ ,,,, whom the Beneficellt allows 1
(Q.20 : 108); and then , a11d rl,ey . , and ,,o,ces are Jwshedf or cl,e Benefictm .lone possesses the ruling bet ween them and the decisive judgement, to
(Q.21 :28)." ca1111ot mtercedc except fo r him whom He accepts
e thnxclusion of all of H is creatures."
H\ ERRONEOUS O PI N ION: The person who supposes that His state-
Q.1'4 Th_e better interpretation of this
m y estimation , is the first inter )ret . verse a~1d ,_n o re co rrect reading, in mml All praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds only informs [che listeners]
e m ea ning o f "dominion," beca ~se t~~on , w h1c_h ls read ing malik with the of God"s ownership of th em in the temporal w orld, to the exclusion of
respect to the dominion . afEnna tto n th at H e is unique with the Hrn·afo.:r, and so consid ers it necessary for Him to follow this report
ownersh ip (milk) Fu ti necesmace s t hat H e is unique with respect to 1t.1ting that "Th e One W ho will o wn chem in the Hereafter in the same
is obvious th at tl~ ere ~s iernki ~re, a king is su perior to a m aster, because it w,y that He owned them in th e tempo ral world," [and sees this require-
but It. ts no mg save that I · I J J
. possible for a master mrnt being fulfi lled] by H is statement , Master ef the Day ofJ11dgeme1Jt, is
(owner) ie is a so. a master (or owner),
. And then: Trul y God (Ma ·estic .not ~o be a kmg. iruly heedless and has erred in hi s supposition.
Hts se rvants, in the verses lead~n u is Ht s _remem brance) has informed The reason why this su pposition is erroneous is the following: Were
of judgement , chat He is t he Ow n~r P co H is statem ent, King ef the Day it permissible fo r one co suppose that the statement Lord of the Worlds was
World s, and their Helper, W ho is • Ma~t cr a1~d R estorer o f all of che remined [in its meaning J to an ex pression of His lordship of merely the
world and the H ereafter b . H . Me rcifu l '\v1ch t hem in th e remp<>ral temporal world, to the exclu sion of the world of the Hereafter, in the
the A1erciful. If God (M '. ) . 1.s st atemenc, Lord ofrlre Wo rlds, the Beneficettt, absence of any indicator in support of this {restriction] from the appar-
th f p aJest1c IS His rememb )I I d r d tnt meaning of the Revelation (~r' an) , or a transmitted report from the
em o ""lis ow nership of them b , . ranee 1as a rea y inrorme
th e most appropriate of H · A . ) H 15 st atemenr Lord ojthe Worlds, t hen \lrnenger of God (~). o r any co nceivable proof in existence, it would
1
follow it, which is not . ~ d ttn~utcs (Majestic is Hi s reme mbrance) co Ix permissible for someone else to suppose that Lord of the Worlds was th
B{'//efice11t, ll,e Mt·rcifa,I . mlc lu cd 111 Hi s Sta.tem ent Lord of the Worlds the rrnrined to merely the ge neratio n in w hich His statement Lord of e
d H. ~• , m ,g lt of the clo . . ,
an IS tot all y pee rless Wisdom lw se pr~x1_m1~r of these (WO verses l~Or/Js came down, to the exclusion of all the generations following after
' ould be Ki ng J.
He nce [che mean- ~im. {Thi s argument assum es th at our previo us clarification of the mean-
th
i~g of 'a/am, namely that the 'a/am of each time period is distinct from e
• ~~~::~.";t,::~bn A11~1·a, tlm Ii the rc:iding of 'A 1111 . d -· •
/if. \UCh a\ Ab~h lie- !in\ an 1mprcrnvc- arr.iv ofC~ ilfl Ki\• i. among rhe seven canoruo.1 a/am of another o ne, is correct.)
11Tall d I _ u Bakr, Umar, Uilun.in 'A·]- l b o m p.m ioiu who also recite<l miilik with •n
pm:,:~nco a ~~~~ar r; 11/-.\ .f,,Juma, al-wa;;z. 1\ 8.\~~:s OJ, Ub.a y?' b. Ka' b. Mu'adh b. Jaba.l.
1he pupil 1 A the ~r ;in that arc- in acco d
o 11111
IS the readmg fou nd m m ost modern
r anco: w11h the rcadmg o f l:bfl b. Sub yrnJn,
' ::~h~ wocd,. T,b,,, comidw ,obb (" Locd") , ,,d malik ("M"«' ) ' b<
0
(~::::~:h~~~:'.
• 411 m4/,k C' KingK}. the lana of which i111roduccs a new dc~cripuon °

12 3
122
 TA BARI Siirat al-Fiiriba (1 :2-7)

. all of the creatu res w ho have disappeared in their prior

If ~n ign~ramus rcm a'.ns ig~ ora nr of the. so undness of wh at we _ll-nnging b~ck' bode in w hich H e has prepared for them w hatever
have sa id previousl y rcga rdmg tl11 s, then Pct hun considerJ God's state- i,od1!y fo rm s 111 an a d ti at these creat ures belong to the Worlds
ment (Majest ic is His praise): And ,,erily We gave tl,e Cl,i/dren of Israel tht HchJs [decided] to _prc~a~e, ~1:s rc~1cmbrancc) has already informed us
Book and rlze com mand a,1~_pro~hcthood, a11d pro'.1ided cl,em 1uith good thillgs 'whom God (Ma_i cs nc is f His sta tement Lord of the Worlds. !This
a11d fa r,oured them abo,,e al- ala111 111 (Q.45 : 16). Tl11s verse is a clear indicator l'• is their Lord, by means o . J
thl! He . bl to convi nce us of tl11 s.
that th e people ('iilam) of each tim e are dis tin ct from the people of the rcrson will br una e . f I f; lks who read ma/ika yami'l-
time that came before it and th e people of the time that w ill come after 1 . dcd meanm g o t 1osc o k . I
OPINION : T te rnten , fJud cment!"1 The word miili is put Ill t 1e
it, because God (Majestic is Hi s praise) favoured th e community of His , . "O t,.1.lscer of che Da) 0
g . f, of address or sup-
;11is . . 1 I intention of scrvmg as a orm /I
Proph et Mul.i amrn ad (~) overal l of the ea rli er communities (or nations), ic(uunw case, wit 1 ic . . H . ·se) said Yiimfu in the verse, 0 josep I.
as He informed chem o f thi s in Hi s statement , You are tl,e best comm u11 iry G d (MaJeStlC is is pra1 d II . ct
rl•c•tion. as o . ·2 ) T hi s is like what the allege pre- s am1c po
bro11glu forth from lmma,iity (Q.3: no). It is obvious from fthis second vcrst'] r~mdU'Jyjf()//J(l11S(Q.11. 9.
that, du rin g the time of our Prophet, the C hildren of Israel were not the from BanU Asad said,
most- favoured people, on account of their denial of [MuQ.ammad'sJ M i11 kimra a::na1111mi bilui kadltiban
prophethood. In stead , th e most-favoured p eople at ch at time and after- Ja:'uf.i-liiqayta mirlilaliii 'ajilii (it
G wa rds , until the Ri sing of th e Last Hour, arc th e believers who follow
I(you accuse me of lying ~bout ~er:hord !
Q.q
Q.1e4 [Mubammad's ] way, to the exclusion of all of the other denying com- G
0 JJz'. you will meet her hke vc Y Y .
munities who have gone astray from hi s way.
G )"k h
The pact means "O Jaz'." This is also I e ,.v at an
ocher poet said,
If the interpretation of the interpreter who exp lains His statement
Lord ef rl,e f,f/or/ds as saying that "God is rhe Lord of the calamin who kadl1Jbwm wa-bay1i'/lalii la ta11kibii11alta
we re co nt emporary with our Prophet Mu):i ammad (~). to the exclusion bmii 5/iiiba qamal1ii t~11m 1 wa-tablubii I r-
of all th e peop le of all other time periods" is clearly unsound, then 1 1· d•Neverwillyoumarry te
Bv the House of God, you iave IC · h dders of your Rock,
th e interp retation that th e meaning of Lord of the Worlds is restricted co () you sons of old shepherds, who tie up t e u
'" Lord of the temporal world, to rh e exclusion of the Hereafter" ao d
chenmilkthem!
th at [th e sta temenrj Mastcr ofrl,e Day ofjudgement muse be connected ro
th e pre viou s state ment for it to be known that God owns them in th e Th~ poet means "O yo u sons of old shepherds.'~ the kiif, with the
Herea fter and lords over them , ju st as He did in rhc temporal world , is The person who reads miilika, wi th afatl,1~ onlf •n hi/confusion
likew ise un so und. ·b d h tangled rnnse
me.1.ning I have just descn e , as ~n ] verse You alone we wors 11p m
I I . 1·
The advocate of this [erroneousj opinion should be asked: Does th e orer how co reconci le the [following h ·rive case of MaS t er
diff'erence between /yo ur interpretation] and a si milar proponent of th e which God is in the accusative case] wi. th t. e gemt malik in the acc~-
interpret ati on of His statement Lord ojtlie Worlds as meaning "Lord of rbe (m:iliki)ojthe Day of j11dgemet1t. His soluu~n l~~o P~ng Him. It is as if
14Ul"e case, so that Yo11 alone we worship ts a ress~f Judgement , You
people of th e tim e of Mul.1ammad (~). to th e exclusion of ail of the pec:j
pie of previous and subsequent generations" derive from a fundamen bY this reading he meant "O M as ter of the hel Dayi" If only t h.is Person
source or an indi cator? The y will not be able co say anything in defence •lone we worshi p and You alone ,ve ask for P· _
of o ne opini on with om simultaneously va lidating rhe other one. 'A -z lJ-A'niash, Abu
1 J· of ' Unur b . 'Abd al- -~1 ·1 ·68 This is aho
As for the person who claims that ch e imcrprecacion of His scacernen; •: " ord1ng to lbn A1i yp. 1his is 1he ~ea m\ami • a/-Mri/wrrar a/-wapz, Akhflsh indicates
Ma;fer of tlie Day ef) 11 dgemem is "God owns or oversees the realization
th
° l1l1h1I-SJmmiin and AbG 'Abd al- Malik al_-S a·a~a/-Q!r'tiu, 1:22- J• Al-
Nj
t~t prtferred rn d1ng of AbG ' Ubayd:1 : scc,~i~ ~r'an, 1: i6o. his verse is found
e Day of J udgement," die sa me 9uestion that we asked che previous , t::.11t111pemussible ulding; ~cc his Maam -. afsir(• :iss)indicale that 1
claimant applies to him . We demand th at he co nvince u s that God needs to •Theed1tor1<Jf1he Dir H ljar eduion ofTaban s f<:1'._ / Q!r'a 11 • 1: 100.

i
say th is, given that th e meaning of"realizing the Resurrect ion" is the act in Abu Ub~rd~'s commeutary on Q.J: 1o6: sc-e Ma;az a -

125

dA Li "1
 TABAR[
Siirat a/-Fiitil,a (1 :2- 7)

kn ew th e [corrcctj interpretatio n o f t he fi~st p a rt of this sUra and that the ni ht complaining to me, wee pin g;
All pra ise belorigs to God, Lord of the Worlds J S a comma nd frorn God to My ~oul spent g I d ' carried you seven-plus-seventy
p said to hcr: j I have :i rea ) •
Hi s se rvant s to say thi s (urteranccJ- w hi ch w e have men tioned pre~
viou sly in connect ion wi th the report fro m Ibn 'Abbas that Gabriel yc irs!
,
d
d· ssing his soul in the thir person , as I t w
·r ·t ere
said to th e Proph et (~) tha t God (Exa lted is His remem bra nce) said, "O The poet bega n b)~ ,'~cu address it in th e second person. This al so occu~s
Mubammad, say, 'All praise belongs to God, Lo rd o f the Worlds, the l~)ent. an d then slufo.: Ito I . 1 most trutl1ful speech and the most solid
Benefice nt , th e Merc iful , Master of th e Day o f Judgement'; and say, in the speec o
h f God , w uc i is c ic h . J fi . b eeze
. J hips and tliey sail with r em Wit I a arr r:
too, 0 Mubammad, You alon e we worship; You alone we ask for help. " And proof: till, wlic,i you arc m:~~:cssing them in th e second person, th~n ~e
if rthi s person I onl y knew, among th e co nventions of the Arabs, ch at (Q.10:21). God s_t;ted by . as if t hey were absen t, by [sayi ng they sat! w,tl,
w hen th ey cell a story or comma nd so mething that follows anochrr ,hifit_d to the rlur ~ers~;~~c sail ·w ith you".
statement, th ey can begin with the seco nd person an d t hen inform jin them mstcad of J saymg y d the Arabs' speech in support of
the third personj about o ne who is abse nt, or the y inform [the listenrrj Siner the evidence from pictr~ a:hat we have said is sufficient for
this is greater than can be rec one • d.
about someone w ho is absent !in t he third person] an d then return to
h 6 ranted its understan mg.
whoe\"er as _cc n g • - . .
h D
vmi'l-di11 ("O Master of t e ay o
f
the second person w hen, in the sto ry, there is a quotation related to
both th e absent perso n and t he addressee. For exam ple, they cou ld say The r~.a~rng o~ ~nabka Y~\ ermi ssibl e, on the basis of the conse_n- G
co a man, '' J sa id co yo ur brother, ' Had yo u ri se n, I would have risen,"' JuJgernent ) is prol11b1ted and Ill P,_ . rs and scholars of the Muslim Q.q
su.~f ~ll the evidence from rhe_~r an rec;~:cted
or the y could say " J said co your broth er, had h e ri sen, I wou ld haw
community, fwho agree] that lt JS to be r J . G
ri sen ." If jthe person who reads mii.lika ya wmi'l-dinJ knew all th is, it
would have bee n ea sy fo r him co free him self from the d ifficu lt situa-
l~TERPRETAT ION O F Day af din (}11dgemer1t) . I for one's
tion in which he found him self. by trying funn ccessarilyJ to avoid rh e
geni tive reading of maliki yawmi'l-din . ln thi1 cont ext, the wo rd di11 mean s "reckoning and requita
dteds, " as the poet Kacb b. Ju' ayl said,
An e9uivalent case to the ge nitive reading of King ojthe Dayofjudgem~nl
followed inunediatcly by the second-person add ress finthe accusanvr idha ma ramauma ramay11al111111
case J of You alone we worship, as we mentioned previously, is the foll ow- U'{)-Jin nalumw mith!a ma y11qrit/1i11ii
ing verse from th e poetry of Abu Kabir al-H udh ali: 1 . we launched a volley at them,
When they ceased their volley at us, jthe rojectilcsJ they
ya lahfa najs; kanaj idda111 Kl,a/idi11 And we repaid them in equal measure to P
wa- bdyat}11 wajhika li'l-111,ab; 'f-aJari had loaned us!

0 sorrow of my soul, the new you th of /deceased } Kh 5lid, This is like what another [poe t) said, 1
And the whit eness of your face, from the white, untouched earth.
uia- lam wa-ayqin a,ma mulkaka zii 'ilut1
The poet ret urn ed to th e second person with his statement "the whiten~; U'a - /a m bi-annaka mii 1adi1111 tudiimt
of your fa ce" aft er he had made a sta tement about Khalid, in th e th''.d k· dO mis vanishing;
Know and be certai n that your m g will reap [in equal
person, as if he were absent . Another example is the statement of Labi An d know that whatever you sow you
b. R.abi'a,
measure]. :
b.:irat tashakka ilana'l-najsu mujhishatan
wa-qad hamaltuki sab'an ba'da sab'ina
z . - . . ·nor oct ibn Nufayl (full name: Yazid
Abu Ub,yJ;i. c1 u 1 tlih vt'rse and ~scribes It to ihc 1111 ·- P / (er'Jn 1 :.23. hd

l Thi~verse IS found in Abu Ubard~. Ma1iiz 41-~r an, l :24 .

1 ~Ii.I? 1q All!r b. Khuwaylid b. ~ufa!'I al-K~libi\
.ii,1 1r,ni!,1c-1 1he uying ka-ma radmu wda,w a
~-j~~: ~halt treated as thou a s1
tu;i.tN"; H~v,, 224.

126
127
 TA BAR I Siirat al-Fiitiba (, :z-1)

Th e poct_mc:ms ''As you l,1ave puni sh ed (ta!.zi),_ y~u will be requited.'' !. affir min g to You , 0 Lord , Your Lordship," as we have
,uhmaoursc H'S,
Conside r _as well ~od ,~ sta te ments {M a1cs t1 c 1s :,!is p raise): Nay, but
you deuy rl1e dm, meaning th e lfuturcJ recompe nse ; Lo! there are aboi't ~cni11for:11rd_bC, uchman b. Sa' id- Bishr b. (Umara-Abo R awq~
you guardiam (Q .82:9- 10) who are keepin g acco unt of all your deeds. And ,i\bU Kura) b c - aid "Gabriel said to Mubammad (~), 0
rcrall H is statemrnt , l¥hy, tl1e11 , if you are 1101 m adin/11 (Q.56:8 6), meanin DahbJ.k- lbn Abhas s, . I . " ' !mea ning) "You alone we declare
.. .. d ) '011 ,ilo11c we wors up, I I y, "
'tr
Muhamm,1 . say. f. r O Lord, and no one ot 1cr tun ou. .
'·not bri ng compensa ted or held acco unrab lc for yo ur dceds ." 1
Th e word di11 has multipl e meaning s in th e speech of the Arabs, oth er
th an "reckon ing'' or "compensation," and we shall mention them in their
g
"" One. fe, r and
This stateme nt o
'~ !,bas is in agrccmene with what WC have
J~ the wo rd s "we humble, make lowly an~ su -
"'t
appro pri:ttc places, if God \vii ls [us to do so J. i!though wr haYC sclcc~c 1 . . tead of "we hope and fear, even
Th e fo ll owing reports from the earli es t comm entators are in agree- mit ourse!n-s" co cx pla111 t H S v~ rsc t.:~out lowliness, because , according
ment ·w ith our interpretat ion of His state ment Dar ef tire din, along wicb thou?h hopr and fear ca nnot ;~::;r:~nthood/worshipfulness ('ubiidiyya)"
th e supporting ev idence that veri fies th eir inte rpre tation: w.11lofd1e Arabs, th e root o d ti which has been Aatrened by feet
Abll Kurayb Mul.1anunad b. al-'Ala'- ' Uthman b. Sacid-Bishr b. I' lowliness. They call the !owe~~ P\ ::11/abbad, as can be seen by the fol-
i.nd be,1t<.'11 down by many trave I ~~sbd.
' Um ara- Abu Rawq-a l-Oa~l.1ak- lb11 'Abbas said , concerning Day of
!owing statemen t by Tarafa b. a - .
rise di11 , " Jr is the day of the creatures' reckoning , which is Resurrection
Q Day, when God com pensates them (yadi,111/111111) for their deeds. If they ~wbari i1iiq1111 nrijiyiitiu wa-atblat c •
Q. q arc good, they rece ive goodness ; an d if th ey arc ev il, [they receive) c,·il, u,azif,m 11•11:;ijmfawqa mawri11 m11abbad1 b k
G except for whomever H e forg ives, beca use t he command is His com- d he camels, shank on s an •
ShC' vies with the noble hot-pace f:ct have beaten.'
mand ." Then he recited , His 1Jerily is all creation and command (Q.7:54). _
Nunbly plying ove r a path many . ' bbad is "lower,
Mu sa b. H arun al -H amd J ni -cAmr b. Hammad al-~nnad-Asba! . " 1" and the meanmg of ,mm d
b. Na~r al- 1-Iamd ani- lsma il b. ~Abd al -R ahm an a l-SuddI-AbU Malik ; The meaning of mawr ts pat l el that has been beaten own
and fro m Abu S5. lil_1- lbn cAbba s; and fro.m Murra al-Hamd:ini-Ib;; m.mp!ed.·· Thi s is why one also calls a ca;n . lsocalled an ' abdbecause
Ma s Ud ; and from a group of Co mpanion s o f rhe Pro phet ($); t~ey ~. l,,,. bearing heavy loads a ,111/abbad, too. A s av~ tsd: s in support of ch.is
. . I. Since the 111 1cacor b
said, concernin g Ki11g ef tlie Dar of rlie din, " It is the Day of Reckoning. ofhis lowlmess before us maS t er. h of the Arabs are more that can e
Al- 1:-lasan b. Yal_1ya- cAbd al-Razzaq-Ma' mar- ~tada said, c~nh mr:rnmg from the poetry an~ speJ~s sufficient for those who have been
cc rnin g His statern enc Ki11g ef the Day of rlie di11 , "This is the day O?, whic counted, what we have mennone d . H ) ills.
God will req uit e (J'adi1111) His servant s on t he basis of their deeds. . gr•nted its understanding, if God (Exalte is e w
Al-~sim b. al -l:-l asa n- al -1:-l usay n b. Dawod- I:iajj:ij-Ibn_ Jura? 1
said, concerning Ki11g <?.f tl1e Day of the d;11 , "The day when humamty WI 1 11\TER PRETATI ON OF You alo1te we ask.for help I .. "O Lord, You
be req uit ed on the basis of tht· reckoning jof th ei r deedsJ." The mrniing of Hi s statement Yiou aIO11eweaskforhep1s. k for help to wors hip
,lone-a nd no one ot her than You- do wehas le who disbelieve
, and obev You in all our auairs.
\ou cc · While ·d t eI peop
hey worship • rns
· cead
'
COMMENTARY ON THE FOL LOW ING DIVINE WORDS: tn You seek help in their affa irs from e th 1 0
; t in all of our affairs,
11:5 J You alo11 e we worship; You alone 111e ask fo r help. of from You, we , by co ntras t, seek help f~om b oun informed by:
11ncerdy worshipping only You, " as w~ av~ c~ n5.ra- AbU Ra";',q-
Th e interpreta tion of H is statement You alone we worsl,ip is: "O God, t~
AbG Kmai,b--' Uthman b. Sa'id- Bishr · et we ask.for help, You
You alone--a nd no on e ot her than You- we humble, make lowly an 1 £fairs "
Yo11ao11
•I-I;hhhak- Ibn (Abbas said, concerning •

1 a/:ine ~; ask for help in obey in g You an cl in a11 our a ·

For Tab..ri\ complt'tc commcnury ou 1h1 1 \ "<.'r\l'. ~cc hdow. . c
l In m°?c,n Arabic. d,n frcqucmlr ,~ 1nnsla1cd a1 .. ,c1 1g ,o n." Fo r a n o tht•r 1m.· aniug of du•. SC 1 d . Tarafa's,m/ al/aqa.
Tab.iri~ comm<.'n tar y 011 Q .J :1ll . 11-a111ht<.'d hflow. .tJ.Arbm-y, The Sti't'u Odes. 83 . Thi s vcrsl" is foun '"

129
12~

1
 TABA R i
Siirat t1l- Fii1iba (1 :2- 1)
QUES.Tl ~N : Wh~t is the meaning ~f G od co1111nanding His servan ts to
ask Hun for help Ill o rd er to obey Hun ? If H e were to conun and the humans t he capacity to act prior to the. actj (tafwief)
worshi p Him. wou ld it be perm issible fo r Him not to help them ace:;~ God drlrg~te.s [to iblc fo r God to command any one of ~IS servant~ to
Jnd 1\1Jt it I~ unposs . 1 ose an obli gatory act upon him without. having
plish thi s? Is it ~vcn pos~ible for,,s0~1eo ne to say to his Lord, " You alone
""_a.,kfo, lirlp wuh obeyin g Yo u wit hout alread y having received IHisl
J0 ::1
wme thin? or t ~ tt c assistance and capa city' either to do It or .to
rr\·1ousl)' givr_n Ju., what th ese people claimed were true, th~ dcs1~e
assista nce by lus ve ry act of saying thi s? jG1vcn that saying Yo11 alone wea_ik
~tfuin from domg u . b . Him would be invalid. If [the1r post-
Jo, helpJ is an ace of obedience, wha t is the m ea ning of the servant asking 1(11 God's assistance wit_ 1 o cytln~ b lief regarding the existence of the
fo r somet hing God has alread y g iven him ? , ccord mg to t t Clr c b G d
iion/ were tru e, a d bl " ti on it would be incum ent upon o
RESPO NS E: Th e correct in terpretat io n is not in accordance with rhr command . prohib it i~n a'.1 u~ it~~~: sist; nce, regardless of whether ~is sc~-
understa ndi ng yo u have foll owed . Th e person among the believers who 10 gi\"C His scn ·ant :r 1:;~1; d refrained from asking for it, because, m_ t~e1~
is callin g o ut to his Lord fo r help. in o rd er to o bey Him, is seeking help for ,·.mt had requested . . f t ivin this assistance would be an ll1JUS
all of hi s obligations to God fo r th e rem ainder of his life, to t he exclusion ms. God's act of rcfram mg ~onic;rone~us] interpre tation, then You alone
of the good deeds he has alread y acco mpli shed in his life. The servant's tier. If we were to fo llow t1;,c1; I Id mean that the speaker [of these
u'i' ll'l'rsl'. ip; hw alone we ask.,or ie P ~vot
req ues t of his Lord fo r th is is cert ainl y poss ible, be ca use God 's gift of that
G [hclpj to H is servant, along w ith Hi s provision of capable limbs for the words] ,s asking God not tof b~ unJ:; .le of Islam-that it is correct for
O
G
purpose of mee tin g hi s o bligations to Him and performi ng the obJiga. The consensu s of all t te P Pf; y h Ip" and erroneous for
Q . 1,5
tory dut ies, is a bount y from Him (M ajestic is Hi s praise) that He bestows someone to say '' O God , truly we ask ..or . oc~:ar\vidence of the error Q. I :5
G upo n him and a grace by w hich H e graces him. Neither God 's [decision} him to say ··o God, do .n~t wro1:g ~;st--:;-~:cribed. Their interpretation G
to refrain fr om bestowing His fa vo ur upon and granting success to some oi ihe peop le whose positton I ha CJ c- h I . 0 God do not cut
•·o G O d trul y w e ask You ror e p, , v
of H is serva nts, w ho busy t hemselves w ith acts 0 ( di sobedience, and turn of this wrse as , • h uld be an injustice on lour
otf Your help, th e severing of wh1c wo
away from lovin g H im , nor Hi s di stributio n o f Hi s bounty to only some
of them, who strive hard to love Him and has ten to obey H im, are Baws behalf" /is cl ea rl y in correct]. I vorshippre-
d I . t tcment Yo11 a one we I
in [H is] management or inj ustice. It is po ssibl e for an ignoran t person to QUESTION: Why docs_the ec aratl~e ise :,,e ask far help, which follows it,
be ignorant of th e ex istence of God's comm and to His servant to requeSC cede 1hr request for assistance, You a or . . (i ship? It seems more
H is assistance with o beying H im. giren1har assistance is a necessary prer~qumte or ;~\o worship Him to
God 's comm and (Maj es tic is H is pra ise) to His servants to say ~011 ippropriate for the request for the assisra_nce_ ne~~ J
alone'"" ,,,,,,,J,;p; \'on alone ,,,, a,kjo, help, with tb e m eaning of "aski~g m;: be said prior ro [the declaration of worslnppmg. 1111 • f; a servant to
.s o b v1ous
·
for hel p in worshipping H im," is the strongest evidence for the mvah RESPONSE : Given that it 1 t Ita t there .1s .noH'
waypraise)
or . ts
that 1t ·
ity lfasad') of th e opinion of t hose amo ng the ~daris, 1 who believe th at n-onhip without assistance from God (MajeSCIC 1i5 I is nd tha~ this help
1 impossible fo r a servant to worship Him .wi thout 1; i:,:rship], then it is
Ti bni mak("s multipl(' r("fe r, 11C("s to the ~darh , 3 theolog 1~ / oricm ;ition from th~ ;.nf onh· comes to him when he is performmg I~cts . . elevant whether
("Jghth cemury of h l:un th11 promoted the id("a d m God helps hmn3nS perform go by rhe j fi t Likewise it IS Jrr d
but lmmuu ar(" iold r res1mrn1b](' fo r d 1eir bad de('ds. Thh position was adopted ·bl for 1rre e-v.i.m which statement comes trs · need and has been goo to yo:
Mu uni.a theolog1:i.mof 1he 1hird / 11i111li century. wlio arg ued tha1. we n." God responsi .~ in rou m- to a ma n wh o has fulfilled your d nd been good t
a penon Sni l deeds. He would~ UIIJUII and cont radict 1he nu m erous verses in the: °;Jr ~JO hr his ,.i.n of fu lfi lling it "You have fulfilled my nee "Jr is irrelevant
whi.ch lie dt mes wronging (or transgressing) Hirn.self against Hi) se rva n ts (3 :• 82 an 2 :~r'}':
fo r IIISl ance). Tabari ge11('rall y refr::1 111~ frorn using the term "M u' tazila·· in his conunenf rhr
~e·· or "You have been ~ood to me by fulfilling my need ·or whether you
0 rrmg i he 1erm M~dari, .. even though he W .ts a com cinpo raq· 0 ( rhe fo u ndei O drd
1pr~fe ' h h
\':net er you first me ntion t e act O f fiu !filling your
b nee
there is no pe rson
"' nlaJor Mu taz,IJ K hoo], of d i('ology : AbU 'l-~iim :.1.I- K.1' bi (d . 319/931), wh~ ou~bii firn men tion the goodn ess associated wi th it e~ates been good to you,
i he ~aghdad1
11 Khoo]; arid Ahu 'Ali al-Jubbi'i (d. 303 1 _ 6), who , alo ng with his s~ v:zn
915 1 who ful fils your need who is not also a person wd O a ot !alsoj fulfil your
l·Ui ~ ~ (d. 3i i/~33), founded 1h(' Bair-a n Kh ool. For more o n the ~ d;iris, see _Jo h islir
~• f, ~ da n n •a,0 El': and W. Mont gome ry Watt , Thr Po,mati1~ Pr, iod of Isfa,nlL
1 8 J
ihe:i°' : ~'~("-~~ ,•,ld. 1W [!9.7J I), 82 - 118 . Wh ile Su11 11h ulc in1.1t('l y rcjcci_cd Q!dari/ u
•:'zili •rid there is no person who is good to you who oes n

Dg). - } d ml nu ~h(a com 111ue 10 ernbn ce 111ud, of it to 1h r) da y. I/ ·r J-la"ar edition ofTab:.1.ri's Taftir: • :16z.
ol!ov. ing thc reading of w.1 '/-qudra in the D;i

IJ O 131
 TA BAR I Sriral al- Fa1i/111 (1 :z- 7)

n eed . Likewise, it is irrclcvanr w het her you say "O G od, tru ly y. I re cared wi th each verb it qu alifi es and o ne should
we wo rship , so help us worship You" o r " O God , hel p u s wors:pa ~: : i~tb,1henitsl10uldl:c w~rshi You , we ask Yo u fo r help, we praise You
so rh ::i t Yo u alon e we can wo rshi p." ll·•
·o(;od. nul, y "e p ..
" This rc pct1t1on ° f " You" (ka) is far m ore eloquentd
;•J \\'( ihank ).~u. " O God, tru ly we worship You , ask fo r h.clp ~n
AN ERRONEOU S OP I N ION: So me of the h eedl ess folk su p pose that this i:,:ic 1hJn S,l) mg . has been mentioned pri or to the verb . L1kew1 se,
ve rse is a case of in vers io n.just as hnru' al- ~s said ,
~:.:'<: \\'hen tbc obJCC~ra,bi c to repeat th e prono un " Yo u" for each verb
11"1-law a1111a m,i ma li-admi ma islwt i11 r,11far morc eloquent addresst•c precedes th e verb and is connected to
kaf2i11 i 1110-lam 111/111, qalf/1m mi11a 'l-miili vhn ihc sccond-prrsoi~ ' . d in which '' You" w as repeated and
. l k I e caSCJ USt 111cnt1one , · I . . .
If I d id n o t h ave to struggle fo r my da ily needs, ~J;,T!ns is 1 ·c t, . ffi . d to each ve rb, eve n thoug 1 it is penms-
l'.,: obect pronoun kii ~vas a
A lit tl e ,vca lt h woul d su ffice m e, and I wo u ld not seek . r from tlm repet mon . b
(mu ch of it j. <.~1~ to re um • S of the people w ho have not een
\~ [RRO NEOUS O PI N I ON. ome th at the repetition of iyyaka in th e
Th e poet's intended m ea nin g in the second hcmisti ch is k af.i: nI qalilun ~1:<d wnh understanding su? posedi atel following His statement You
111i11a' l- mii l rva-lam atlub karli iran. Thi s interpret ati o n- of in ve rsio n and its \'r1J afo_
"'_ we a_skfor help unn~c. fyb ·thout an affi xed suffix
all ege d si111ilarit y to the verse by lmru ' al-~•s-is hig hly implausible, k ti Irepet1t1011 o ayna w1
/:-:! ~-e ~wslnp is a rn to ,c b (Adib Zayd al-' Iba.di:
G beca u se a little wc::ilr h co uld suffice the poet an d , sim ultan eou sly , he could ;:,1~oun] in rhe followi ng statement y .
Q. 1,5 st ill seek g rea t w ealth . In other wo rd s, t he e xiste nce o f him being sa tisfied , M'll-J.ii/1'/-slum,simi~ratJ la kl,afii 'a bihi _
G w ith a li t tle wea lth docs not necessari ly preclude h im fro m seek in g great Np1i1'/-11ali.iri uu-bayna '1-layli q11d fa fala
w e alt h. T h is is to t:..ll y diffe rent from t he case of worship, w hose existence
imp li es t h e ex istence of ass istance ; and in turn , t he e xiste nce of assistance He makes the sun an unveiled .barrier . I have become separated.
Bmm·n1hcd:iytimc and the mght, whic 1
im p li es th e ex.iste nc(• !o f wo rshi p j. In th is case, one o f th e two elements
ind ica tes the oth er and thu s. w hi chever o f t hem co m es before the other, h11,1bo akm to the verse by al-A'sha (o f Banil] H am d 'an:
t h ey wi ll each be in th eir proper place and correct o rder. 1
Nrw'I-As!iajji wa-bay,u1 Q!.ysin badhiklum
QUE ST I ON: Wh at is th e j ust ificati on fo r the repetiti o n of iyyaka ("You Uh b.ikh li-11•iilidilii wa-li'l-mawliidi
alo n e") w ith we ask fo r help w hen it has been mentioned right be fore we
Thm b a great pride betwee n Ashajj a nd ~ s;
worsli ip? W o uld it not be be tter to say " You alone we worship and ask
for h e lp ," g ive n th at t he declarati on that H e is wor shipped inclu des the How ~ublime, his father and the son! w e have just
d e cla ra tio n ch at H e is asked fo r help? -ltus i1 ignorance
. on the part o f t h 1s
· speaker ' becau se,b as[" we worship.,
RE S PON SE : T he pro no un kiif("You") in the express ion iyyiik a is the ka/- L-xribtd, iyyilka is repeated on account of th e cwo ve: s he above verses
pro n o un ch at is affi xed to !transi tive} verbs, in chi s case His sta tem ent <:1J\rea~k for help"}. T his is not the case wi th ~ayti~ 10 t ded when it is
we 14 ,orsl, ip. Whe n it occ urs after a ve rb, it represent s th e second-person bx.u~. when both arc necessary, the repetition ts on y netthe two nouns
add ressee in t h e acc usative case on account of jbeing t he o bj ect of] t he
. 1ated · Ifonly
.''ilt:i tedand one of them cannot b e tso . done} o entence wou ld
ve rb . Th e w o rd iyya w ill be re pea ted many times at the begi n n ing of t h; \ii11~1ed ma case where a second one was req~,r~. • t ie s has separated
1 11
~llnpermissible [grammaticall y}. If o ne h ad sat~ T te ~ubecause his scn-
sent e n ce beca use noun s, if they arc on th eir ow n, ca nnot be rep resen te
b y a sin gle pro noun in 1hc speech of the Arabs. ktween the daytime " he would have erred in his speec ely the second
Whe n t h e kiif (" Yo u") in in•aka is in dicative of the second-person ;::ice l\ incomplete ~nd missing a required element , natn . ,,
addressee, w h ich wou ld have been a kaj-pronoun added as a suffix co a t.!f of the ''between" clause, fo r it to be correct. lon e we worslup.
In COnt ra~t to this if o ne had sa id "O God , Y~u .: obvious front clns
nwou!d ha\'c been a c~mplete se ntence. Th ere fore it 1
1 1 :un gntcful 10 Kh:,,lu.l W11l1:,,1m for liu .li~ IH~nc(' w uli tlu i p.iu..1.gc.

I ])

flli~
 TA BAR/ Siirat a/- Fiitiba (1:z- 7)

case, in whi ch we worslrip is in need of iyyiika parallel to iyyiika being in _ J- ka '//iihu mas'alati
/j d1ri111~1nr1 h'. 1~11a11 awdii hihi'I-Stlfaru
need of we ivors/11p, that the correct und_er standing is t hat iyyiika is needed
~'il-fj abmm, bi God grant you success!
111 each complete ~entencc, w hose pred icat e precedes its subject. It is also wn my request. m:1y
clear that thi s diffe rs syntactica ll y from the- case of bayna (" between"), in Dono! curn d~e one whom a journey takes away. " .
cont rast to the opinio n of rh e peop le w hose opinion we described abovr For I arn not h f I10d-ka 'llii/111 ("may God guide you )J IS
an d who attempted to march !these poet ic verses to this ~r'anic versej. .,..re moning in t 1us · \,rrse ss a
[o in fulfilling my nee d,,
. t·k · another
I ew1se,
"· ·ou succe
·rr.l)·G~ grant )
:>,'IC[ IJ \ S,

COMMENTARY ON THE FO LLOWING DIVINE WORDS, r ~u-/j r11Jila1111i Ju1diika_'l-mali~1~

[1 :6 j Gu ide us 011 the stra ig ht path. '.i-i,111J li-kulli maqiimm maqala '
.I' ' God rant yo u success. .
Th e meaning of Hi s state ment G uide us on the straight path in this context, Do nor rush nH:-n1a} hg . correct course of acnon .
. , situation t crc1sa K"
in ou r estimation, is: "Gram us success wit h es tablishing ourselves upon Verily. for c-\cr} f liadaka'l-maliku ("may the mg
.
it ," as has been na rrat ed on th e authorit y of Ibn 'Abbas: b ··out that the inte nded meanmg o . coming up with the right
1
Abu Kurayb- Uthman b. Sa' td-Bis hr b. ' Umara-Abii Rawq~
!t1)0 \ l .: . .. . God rant you success m G
G r~1Je you ) is n_ia) " . and
al- OalJb5.k-Ibn 'Abbas sa id , "Gabriel sa id to Mu!Jammad (~). ·o ;oum ofactio11111my affa1 r. I Id for God's statement (MtgQhcy_ 8}
Q. "6
Q. 1,6
Mu lJam m ad, say. Guide us 0 11 rl,e straigh t par/,."' He says, " Inspire us (to be This interpretation also 10 s totheoppressivepeople( .2.25 G
G o n J th e guiding path." H ) Goddoes11otguidelgrauts11ccess_ h t God docs not mean
.\!1jemrn e , . ;: It is obv10us t a d • these
God 's ace of inspiring him is Hi s act of granting success (ta,~fiq) t~ '"aunr n·rses of the revclauon. . for the oppressors to o 111
mate chi:
.
him , as we said in ou r interpretatio n of th is ver se. The meaning here is ~' H; did no1clarify what is obligatory Jing when God has
equivalent to the meaning of You alone we ask fo r l,e/p , because ch_e serv~:~ l':f1C5. Howcou ld that possibl y be tts m~~1 creatures, in a genera :ay.
is asking his Lord for His assistance in establishing hi s co nduct m 0 ~ dm to al! responsi~le .bei1~gs, a~o:!ear:: that He does not grant ;ai:~~
ence to God and to succeed in doing ·what H e commands and_avoif th~ R.:l:er, God (Majesnc is Hi s pra1~e) [receive] the truth and
w h at He forbid s for th e remaining tim e of hi s life, to the exclusion° h their hearts to - reta-
1":ms. and He does not open_ me of them claimed chat .~he mterp
deed s he has alread y performed (duri ng] the period of his life prior ;o ts:
AN ERRONEOUS OPINI~N . ~o" Jncrease us in guidance. . The
present. This is just like how His statem ent You alone we ask for he'!' [ con of His statement Gmde 115 is of two thrngs.
request fro m the servant to his Lord for help wit h fulfilling all the . n only mean one mmanded
obedience tha1 God has obligated hi m to do for the remainder of his hi ·
The meaning of these sentences is "O God, You alone we w~rs
in Your O nen ess, no partner have You; !we are ) sincerely wors~ptou,
i:~ REIPO ~SE: Th is interpretau o n ca I

dd' .
ro~1k hi1Lord _eithe r for a mona
the Prophet(~) was co H. assis-
.drornrof th is position has thought t 13 ~fi . or to increase ts
I clan ICan 0 0
for additional
on ly Yo u. to the exclusion of all deit ies and ido ls. So help us worship have t.nce and gra nt mg of success. ] was commanded to ask ense, because
grant us success to act in accorda nce with 1hose people whom Youb on !fheihought that [the Prophet _ I sand makes no~ . s upon
cl•ri~cation. then what he says is me~mng es one [ His obhgauor~ of [its
blessed, amo ng Your Prophe ts and the people who obey You, co e 0
ldieirJ paths and !in accorda nce with d1eir j wa)'." Goo (Majestic is His praise) cannot 1~11 P0 : . and provided proo
1111
l 1erranr umil after He has cl arified it to • . oud heniiuich_is
OBJ EC TION: How can you claim 1hat the word "g uid ance" (/,idaya) can
mea n "granting success" in the speech of th e Arabs? l,er . - - Hura •';i, ;altho ugh r_he
_:r.i1 Ytr,c a found in the Dm,au of alraf;i b\1-'AlxL see I. 167 (
cl~:;::tof the Dir H:ipr
bstitudng
RESPON SE: This is so freque111 and clear in their speech th at che nurn ,;cnb:dby1ome liierary experts to Ta . ; ; 62:!j: sU

o f supportin g proot for it is beyond coun c. For exa mple, the poet says, ,al,HonofT.1.bl ri\ Tafi'.r. . in Q.J:S 6 ; 9 :19; 9:I09, 61 7

•~~i~~~;:U~;r:I:~)~~: :~10:;~~ 0
/~\ 44; 28:50; 46:IO-

134 135
 T A BAR/ Siimt al-Fiitiba (1 .- 2- 7)
l wo rds, "p ut chem into Hellfire," ju~,t as
oblig:uory n aturcJ for him. Were th e mea n ing of th ese words a re
' H,11 (Q.3 7:23).' In ot 1~r o her hu sband, '' by w hich is mean t _she
fo r add it io nal cla rifi cati o n, chcn a person wo uld be commanded t~ua:~ r::I /,. "A \\'Oman w~~.w~1da r_ nc sa s "The gift was given (w_hda) to
his Lo rd to cl Jrify fo r him w hat H e ha s made obligator y for him. This is SJ)i d . with hi m. - L1kcw1sc. _ o / f, rward." T hi s is equi valent
h;sm"\·:. m··rhc foo t m oves (talulr) the cg o
m!c
a vi le, n o nsensica l requ es t , becau se God docs n ot make anything obli _
:i:tnJJfl or t b a\ - Abd said. l
to r y wi th o u t fir st clarify in g it to t h e perso n upon whom He has co \1 h.11Tara a . • .
it ob li gator y. Or, it would m ea n rh:a frh c Prophet) wa s commanded ro
/J1/..11 l,.i'Ji'/-rnyri/11 l,i/11
I
as k hi s Lord rn 111:ike someth ing obligator y tha t He had not in fact made u11-wJfi r,w•m1qi,1rilim1w1
oblig:i tor y. G ive n th e in va lid imc rpre t:n io n o f a person asking his Lord
lr'l~(Jr,l <1,flrmy,iislm bilii
fo r t his. it beco m es clea r tha t the meaning of Gu ide 115 on the straight patli
· I d" ii 1/111 qodam11li
can not be " C larify for us Your ob ligations and rulings (!mdt"idaka)."' hJ} tlm ta I rs '1' . I . b dc j after my departure,
1 1
If th e int erp reter thoug ht that frh e Prop h etJ ha s bee n command ed The torrents play~d w.tt l. [ ;h:o: h its fine herbage.
to ask hi s Lo rd ro in crease H is assistance and g ranting of success, th en And the ge11 1k ram m cklc g .
rh is requ est for in crease can on ly mean a request for in creased assista nce . b ' which he hvcs,
Thr rout b has intdhgence, s-
fo r w hat h e has alrea d y don e or for what h e will do in the future. Sinct• Whcrrwr his foet may take !us leg . " G
G t he servant is in no need of assistance for hi s past action s, it is clear that ··w\ '· r the roads may take h1m. h. . Q. 1:6
Q. 1' 6 the mea nin g of this int erpretation is a req uest for in c reased ass istance for lnotha words, icre,c .. H ' aise) You aloue we wors tp,
m PONSE : God 's stateme nt (Majcsnc JS ts fPrd is interpretation, along Q
G furnre actio ns. ff thi s is how it is, then th e unde rstood m ea ning results in 1
- I I s the error O
All f the
be in g th e same as th e o ne we ha ve alread y described a nd said concerning \:•;a/~11r we askfor hcp s1ows u ors w ho say it is wrong . . o ee-
char. namel y th at this is the se rvam 's reg uesr to h is Lord for assiScance ·~11h the authoritati ve commcnt:m anions and Successors arc 111 a~\hc
wi th fulfillin g all o f th e obl igator y ac tio ns for which h e has been made rommenrators fro m amon~,t helC( irii~" in this contex t is other tha that
respo nsibl e durin g ch e rem ai nder of his life. . . f c.~m tha1 the mea ning of pat l $ . ] opinion. They all agree d
Th e soun dness o f thi s inrcrpretation shows the inv ahd1ty of tdi e proposed m I / . h servant's request o f his Lor
- rIie [sec011 d erroneous
~daris' opinio n, wh o claim that th e aid [e nablin g o n e to actJ has alrea Y Hismtemem You alone we ask for iep is t / His statement Guide us can
bee n given to th e servant prior to ever )' command h e ha s been co~l- ;Or misunce in worshipping Him. ~he~c ore ordance with the Guidance
r bJ· hing lum m ace
manded fr o o bcyJ and ever y obligato ry ac t for w hich he has been m\ e onk be his request ro~ e5ra is . . ., ri and
responsibl e to fulfil , beca use this wou ld have eliminated any need for~ c /;..huJJ) for the remamder of h~s life. I tari and hadaywlw h 1-/ad ~irect
serva nt to ask hi s Lo rd for help. Thi s is becau se, were the situation as t ey The Arabs Sa)' liadayt11 fi dana,i a -. q co the path an d
have described it . God's statement (Maj es ti c is Hi s praise) You alone~
1
ship; }0 11 alone we ask far help . G uide 11s 0 11 the .straight pat!, wo uld be w:3
~;d 4

bi to it. All three poss1b1hues (v1. It

·de someone
bl.yrn/111 ila 'l-.tariq wh~n_c~~r yo ~. r1°;,adii) are found in the ~r an.
•- Go
d. discus~ion
/ beca use th ey would not need H is help in o rder to ac rJ . Concon~Jta;c . arc ruorc similar to the verse un er
w ith th e correc tn ess o f our interpretation , wh ich ..vc h ave clarified. is t e 1ft:Ar.1b1csp uax and ,·ocabula:y ~f
2
Q.~1a·
;rati'/-Jabim . . f the marriage contr:'C~
if..~the u1n1lanon md1catrs:/a hdulnmi . :c bciwecn the signing~ ,nonyin is cmplo)e
invali di t y of ch c ir o pini on.
l
0 11
br~ thm can bra sigmficant lapse '. ~ousc the verb adkliala or 1:: Ju:
m:arriagc has bee 11
dine bnde moving mto hl·r hu~ba'.td ht·r ln;sb;md'~home aud th . ihc
A N ERRO NE OU S OPINION: Som e o f them have claimed t 1iat t h e rnean-
tknJ) ·~1n.!irnc dm thr bndc has moved 11110 . found at
ing o f His state ment Guide /IS 0 11 rl1e straight path is .. Bring us a long (as 1 •
th e p:nh to the Garden in t he H ereafter," m ea ning "Face us in its directi~: 1
co~,~rrumrrd.
lhh.11UJ Sh~kir, in hh comnw11_
·s that till° first of the~~ ~;:r;~s ;;_'/<lb.iri. .'
1ary, not~cond o ne is at i1 s c_nd; immediate connn y
:~r::·
and bring us to it ," as God (M aj es tic is Hi s p raise) said, and lead them to -"'~rung of Taufa°s poem. w\11\c t!'.c sc~)endcn d )', for there is ' 0 rh liadii
,lr.ncforc I havr inmlatt·d rac h venc rnd I _ owing that 1hc vc·ect.
,~ ...,mnhrni. . . IO 1h c path ." Tab~r~ is ;!1r to ihc second obJ
I f·or die rrndcrmg of JmdUd ;u ••rulmg\. •• H·c Ill )' conuncrih .iho \'t' 0 11 Tabari's Introduction :-•tnrcormrnccs mcJn " I guided lum -. ositions /i- and 1/a pr
fO !tu l afi 11 11
C. 1le rwod1rrn ohjc.-c11 or 1ake the pn:p

1)7

rttc:nrrrf
 TABARI Siirat a/- Fii tiba (1:z-7)

(M ajestic is His p raise) said A d I Thr Commander of the Failhful is on the straight path,
,, .d d I . • " I " )' say All . b
" e us to t iis (lradiinii Ii-I -dJ -) ( ' pra15e elongs t G Od [\"en whrn thr roads become full o f curves .
guided him (hadii/, ·/·) ,a _,a Q .7: 43); and He said Ho , Wha /,a,
I 11 1 a to a straight pat/ (Q 6 • e chose h · Th< Po'' n,rans "on the path of truth ." C on sid er, too, the statement by
t ie straight pa1h (ilrdi11 -'l . - '/ ' . J : 121 }; and He .d on and
All f I . I a_ -$Ira/a -m11staqlm) . sa1 ' Guide us o
o t H S mean mg, ver bs takin b . ,1
,-Hudhali. Abu Dhu ayb.'
common th roughou t the ir s e 1 g orh direct and indirect b· !.1Nh11.i ardo1l11mr bi'/-klrayli bairii
exa mple, a poet sa P ec la nd found in the [Aras
b '] ~ o=h.~
~ects} h 0

;MJruihdo1daqq.1 111i111J l-$irJ.1i

We c through their land in th e morning with horses until
0111
a5~tf, r;'.'l!a~,~ dlumb11n lam, m11 li~iya l111 'Y/c left the ground broken up in fin er particles than those found
ra a - ,bad1 ilayl,i'l-ll'ajlw u•a 'I- 'ama/11
on a r a1h.
I seek forgive ness fro m God f. .
I can not count , o r sm s, th e number of which _1,no1her cxampk is fro m th e rajaz poet/
Lord of the servant s, to whom all . . JJ·S!ld~ 'an ,wlifi'l-~iriifi'l-qii$idi
[arc directed }. mte nno ns a nd actions
So thus hr was barred from following his chosen path.
0
G T he poet me ans as1aglifi m 'llal1 a 1·
praise) said, Seek forg i11e11css for
. .
1-dl~a11b111 , JU St as God (Majestic is His
Gi1tn that the indicators in support of this point are beyond count, what Q. 1:6
11t h:m mentioned is sufficient, and we can refrain from [relating} the
Q . JC6 t oo, t he verse by aJ-N- b· h fym n s~11s (li-dlumbika: Q.40:55). Consider 0
a ig a o Banu Dhubyan, i
G ,
other ones.
The Arabs use the word $irii! metaphorically and apply it to every
fa-ya~ id1 1,1a '/- ,1yra'l-11111dilla bi-b ,uJrili i
m.:ement or deed that is described as being "straight" or "crooked." They
qabla 1-wana wa 'l-,ul1 'aha 'l- 11abba(,a
d:s..1"ibe the straight \word or deed] with the word "straight (nmstaqim)"
jO~
v1orlcncc
ho rse J hunts down for us t\1,· ,v·J . !us
1 d donkey "With . intense or 1he crooked one with th e word "crooked (nu/u,ajJ)."
1.\BARi SAID : The best interpretation of this verse , in my estimation,
Th And the s~vift two-horn c d gaze ll e, prior rest in g.
10
=--~•ning Guide us on rhe straight patli, is that what is meant by it is "Grant
e poe t means fa- ya~id11 la -na and 1 . . rimccess in establishi ng ourselves in accordance with the statements and
and speech . W h at w h ' . t u s ts ve r y common in Arabic poetry
the Granter of succe:s. ave mcnuoned in th is ve in is sufficient and God is dttds that please You and those among Your servants whom You have
~med success by granting them favour." This is the straiglit path, because
wn~wr is granted success akin to the success He has besrowcd upon3
IN TERPRETAT ION
All of - OF the straigli1 path i!"d rophm, sincere bel ievers, martyrs (or witnesses) and the riglneous
the rn tcrpn.'" tc rs arc in ·o · 6 : km granted the true success of Islam, belief in the Messengers, firm
clear path th at is free from cn!o~:t ag reem ~n~ that the straight path is the
guage of all Arabi k d ness. T hi s 1s w h at it mea ns in the lan- tl:ierencc to the Book, and acts in accordance with what God has com-
Atiyya al-Kh aiafi ~-spea ers, au d can be seen in the stateme nt of Jarir b. :::-.1nded, shuns that w hich H e has told us co shun and follows the way of
nd
theProphet (~). and the way of AbU Bakr, ' Umar, ' Uthm:in a 'Ali (may
~;~i~u 'I-mu 'min ina 'ala 1iril_ti11
J a- wajja 'l-mawOrid11 11111.staqimi ·~:;••:•of ,h, D>< H,jac edi,ion 0 ( r,1,,,i', ·t,J,i, no<e ,1,,. ,bi, 1ven<b~ :~~;;~;:; ;:;,;
c'-Q: ·~ d th.it ~11ubi a..cribci it to another poet:
1 :171 (note t). ~) A di II mi,w'l-firJJi.
I ~Th
o':,~~~::'~h~o po<m•,.h<ln,
ihc editors of the D:ir 1-hJar
dnm, I cdrnon
. _ ofT,bm·•, .foJ,fr.dmvmd
" , no<>«o•ll)' ,TI.,:::~•0>s). ,h, ,·,='Pl~"',, ,,.,,.,,, ,,J, i,J bi'/-khoyli ,,ual•:"k,";"'"' '" '
z thc 1:~:r~: found III Abo ub.iyJ a:nA~;~ ~~~--an °'._al-N;ibigha: 1: 170 (no ic .2). _ followin of r41a.;:: is aho found in AbU ' Ubayda, Majiiz al~Cl:.!' an. :1 ~ :: the four groups of
1['Q l g th c 1c~dmg in the Dar Haj:i.r <.' dition (1 :1 71), which cc
P hom he 11 praimig I$ d U 'J ~ , au. : .24. Accord mg co M al.u nOd shik.ir,
1

7.2 4 43. Tafw a/."J"ob,m. 1 : i?O. note- ~c- maypd H 1h i 1n b . Abd al -M.1l ik . w ho ruled frolll
1
princnuoncdinQ. 4 :6<).

na
139
I JS
 TABARi Stmit a/-Fatiba (1 :2-7)
1 . :- i- Yah ,a b. (Awf--al-Fur:it b. al-Sa'ib~Mayrnlln
God be pleased with all o f th e m), alon g wit h all of the righteous servants 32
His statement G111dr 11s 0 11 the
of God. All of this is the straight patli. 5Jhlb . r,..tr1 sa :il•R
Abbas said, ·) .
concernmg
\\ihran- Ibn . .. _,_
Th e commentarors on the ~ r'a n h ave d isagreed over the rneaning or r·,·:·1r
. I rJ iii · ''That iis·d·Islam.
I Muhanm1a d b • R abT' a al-KilabT- lsma ii al-·d
tl1t~straight path. Our fo ll owing sel ectio n of th ei r inte rpretations will cover \1ah111Ud b. K 11 a~ l;- z:ir~ IMub amrnadj ibn al - J-:Ianafiy~a- sa1 •
all of the differing opinio ns of w hi ch we h ave bee n informed . • la path "It is the rcltg1on of
.tr•q--: Ahli . Um:ir a - az
cement Guide 115 o 11 t/ie stra1g • "
OPINION: Among the opi nio ns of /rhe st might parlzJ is one rhac has been roncmung Hts sta I in other than it from iHi sJ se rvants. -
narrated on the authorit y of Ali b. Abi Talib (r) from the Prophet(~). who GcJ: He will arcrpt not t gd_ i- <Amr b. Talba al-~nnad - ~ sbai-
sa id, w hil e memi oni ng the ~r'an, ·'Th is is the straight path." {This rcpon .\ lus:i b. Harli n al-H~ml~~l - AbG Malik; and from Ahli saltb-lbn
has been narrated to us fro m the fo ll owing two lines of transmission:j I J'i(ma rrporr he mcntto1 )d_ - lbn Ma s(Ud. and from a group of
u '" I Ham am- · 'd
Musa b. <Abd al-Rabn l3n al-MasrGqi- 1-:Iusayn al-Ju' fl"-}::lam za Ahbl1:.1nd fro m Murra ~t~t (.s), lall of whom I said , concerning Gm e 145
al-Zayyic- AbU 'l-Mukhr:i.ral-Ta'i- rhc nephewof al-l:f5:rith !al-A' warJ- C,1mpm1~ns of ch~ p~~~slam.·,.
al-ljarirh !al-A war j- 'Ali- the Proph et(~). ~ ~.rhtsifJlghr parh, It " h h "]
. f h . aid· le means t e pat . .
Anonymous-lsm5' TI b. Abi KarTm a -Mul~ammad b. Salama-Abo OPl'.\ION: [Some o t en~ -Husa n b. D:iwG:d-I:Iajj3.j-Ibn Ju~ayJ
Sinfo- Am r b. Murra- Abu 'l- Bakhtari- al-Harith !al-NwarJ- 'Ali- Al-Q!sim b. al• l:fasan al .. ~s statement Gllide 115 011 the straight
0 th c Proph et (s). 9id. ··Jbn Abbas said. co nccrnrng H
Q. 1:6
Q. IC6 AI_Hnad b. IsQaq al-AhwJ zT- AbG A!Jmad al-ZubayrT-I:lamz:i ,•r2:. 'The path .'.. . ts the Messenger of God (~). Abll Bakr
OP!~ION : [Others said: It mea l
G
0 al - Zayy:it-Abll 'I-Mukhtar al-Ta 'T-c he n ep hew of al-f:-Iarich al-Nwar-
al-f:13.rich al-A wa r- 'Ali said, "The straig ht patli is th e Book of God ,~j Umar.J - f 1-AmulT-Hashim b. al-Q!sim~
(Exalted is He)." Abd Allah b. KathTr Abu _Suday a -•1 'A-,, said concerning His
'A . Abu - uya • d()
Al.1mad b. lsl~5q al-A hw5zT-AbG Abmad al-Zu bayrT; and fro~n H;.:nza b. Abi'I-Mughira- . ~un- "This is the Messenger of Go
Mul_1ammad b. Humayd al-R 5zi- Mihr5n ; bo th Abu Ab mad and Mihran rnem~m Guide us o,i tlse straigh t patli, d 1. [ caliphs} AbU Bakr and
from Sufy5 n !al-Th aw riJ - Man ~Gr- Abu W a'il sa id, "'Abd Allah 16- •~.2 bis two Companions w ho follow~ u~ ~s san [al-Ba~rT], who said,
Mas udj said , ' Th e straight pat!, is th e Book o f God. '" Umar. '" !Asimj said, " I mentioned chis ~o a-,. a,,,
- . k hfi II)' and smccre y. b
OP I N ION: !Others said : It mea ns " Islam" or "th e religion ofGod."j _ 'Ahii'I-Aliya has spo en trut u b-'Abd al-Rabm:in ·
j.mDENDA] YU.nus b. A
' bd I A'I- - Ibn Wah "
I traight path, Islam._"
MaQmud b. Khid5 sh al-TalaqanT-Hum ayd b. 'Abd al-Ral_lma~ a - _a
al- R.u 'lsi-'Ali and al-H asa n b. Sali h togerhcr-'Abd Allah b. MuiJanun~ Zi1·db. Aslam said, concern ing G 111 ~e 115 0~1] t ie~b- salih-Mu' aw1ya ~-
b. Aqil - Jibir /b. Abd.Allah] s~ id. ~oncerning Guide us 01 1 the straight P~ :: . A!.Muthanna fb. Ibrahim al-Amu_h - the;-Na,~was b. Si~<an
•·1slam-it is wider th an the di sta nce between the heaven a nd che cart · ~ilih-Abd al•Ra~man b. Jubayr- hi_~ f~God has coined 'a straight
Abu Kurayb- ' Uthman b. Sa'Td- Bishr b. ' Umara-AbG Ra,~'\)- ~-An~iri-the Messenger of G~d (~) sai,,; _ b.
al-Oal~Q ak- Abd Allah b. cAbba s sa id , "Gabriel said co MuiJamma [ ?;th' as a similitude, and tl1e path IS Islam. d from al-Muchan~tlah~
'O Mul~anunad, say, C11ide 11s 011 the straigl1t pat/1. '" H e says, " In sp ire t u; . . I
Anearly 1dent1ca report was
lbh!mal.Amuli]- Adamal-<AsqalanT~a
narrate to us
f
,_ • b Sa
I L ch-Mu awiya · . 1. ,_
-al-Nawwas b. Sun at1
be onJ the gu iding path, which is tlit' religion of God that is free ron 1
any crookedness. " ~bd al-RaQm:in b. Ju bayr b. Nufay r- ht s at er
~-An~ari-che Prophet (~)- f Tinnidhi and

; ~ hadith are found .in the !~u=:~~1,mdhir an_

d ~b;
10 Suyll!i, longer versions of th ,_ . conune nt2T1eS of J •s5.bOri and B3)~k~11
i .
I T hc-~c .ire- the- lint four \:".1l1pln. who rn Sur1 rm \:"01u idcr "righ t! )' gu 1dl•d ." D .irillli :ind ' :-co'.1bg
l Ac<..ordmg 10 ~U)OJi, a longer ~·ernon of di n J,,,d11/i 1~ found 111 the S ,m,:ms of d 1,oaks 1
•: l.i i,1he .\lumaJ 0 ( Jbn H:inbal; the 'l!:!r an~:hani, a\.J:;Iikilll al_
· N?•fair," while 1
Ti rnndhi. t he- ~r"lm<.. <.. onn nc- nu n n of lbn Abi l;Bi11m ,rnd Jim M .i.rclawa~·h,., /1. ~iruiidhi \..rt!.:1.11·h: and boob by Abo'l-Sh:iy~h .i.l•l f TirnUdhi graded Ha
by lbn Ahl ~l,~)b.:i .ind lhyh.iqi: al-Dun al-m,m1hri,, 1:40- 1. He :iho 1101c) d · ~-Dsri4/.,,1,m1l1U, . 1:~o. He :ilso mennons th 31
dnhred i t 10 he "wnl ." gr,!tdu.11"Xlund."

i
 TABA R! Siirat al-Fiiti~ia (1 :z-7)

b God. (_Majestic is H is p rai se) h as d cscrib f,,·oured fro,n a,nong the angels, Prophets, s:,ncere believers , martyrs and
ecause It is correc t and free from error ~d the path as .. str . .,
ne.hieous, who obey You an~ -"~or~lup You. _ _ _ _ ,
th:it God ca lled it "'straight" b .-I Some ignoramuses ha la'.ght · AhnJJd \,. I~ azim al-G lufan - Ubayd All ah b. Musa-Abu Ja far-
G d Th eca u se It ead s Hi I . ve c :urned
ar en. is interpretation co ntrave nes . s pcop e st ra ight into ~-Rahi [b. Anas] said. concernin g The patli ef rliose wl,om You have favoured,
all of the commenta tors and the i th e interpretation adopt d tte ·The Prophets.··
evidence that it is erroneo us · r con se n su s on this topic is suf!ieC~t . }' Al-~~i111-a l-8usayn- tlajj:lj-Ibn Jurayj said: 1bn 'Abbas said,
conwning Ofr}u,se wl1om You hai 1efavoured, "The believers."
Al-~sim-al-1:{usayn said: Waki' said, co ncerning Ofthose whom You
COMMENTARY ON T H E FOLLOWING DIVIN h,;i,j;l'1'11red. "The Muslim s..,
IJ:? J Tl,e parl,ofr/,ose wl,011 1 v1011 I EWORDS : Yunus lb. Abd al- A'l,J- Ibn Wahb-'Abd al-Rahman b. Zayd said,
uweJa ,,oured ,f I concerni ng God"s statement The path of tlwse wliom Yo11 havefavo11red, "The
earn Your anger nor ef rl , I , not o t ,ose who
10
H is statement - iost w go astray. Prophet(~) :md whoever is wi th him ."
h . flie pa!h of those who11 Yi J In this verse there is a clear proof that obedience to God (Majestic is
~. e meamng of thn traiglu path G. I ~" iai,c fiwo ured is a clarification of
Hispraise) is only achieved by obedient folk by the favour of God upon
straight path s", were [the Pr~ h~:cn t lat ~II of_ the paths of the truth an" Q
them and His act of granting them success. Do they not hear Him say
e have been said to Mul)anunad ~'O i as~ed Which path is this?" it would
Tl:t p,ir/1of those whom You ha1,e favoured, in which He annexes all of their Q.1:1
Q.1e7 on th e straight path: The arl,' of u Ja mmad ($), say, ' O Lord, guide us
guidance, obedience, and worship to His act of granting them favours? Q
e them] obey You and wor:h. y, those whom You have.favoured by [helping
QUESTION : Where is the conclusion to this sentence? You know that the
the sincere believers, the Ill~~ ,rou, am o ng _Your angels, You r Prophets,
to 1mrmcnt "I bestowed upon you" requires a predicate that identifies what
Tl what .our Lord (M a_iemc
. . is Hi } s and. the nghteo
_ u s · "' ThJS
· 1s
. equiva
. l ent
iough if they did what they are ~,rraise) sa id e lsewh e re in H is revelation: exactly was bestowed upon you. Where is the predicate to the sentence
~nore s1rengtl1e11i11g; mu/ thr11 Wes;-\ ,orted to do it would be better far them, and Thepath of those whom ¥011 have favoured and what is this favour that has
0
';""'"'" ,,,,,o,d, and ,J,,,,JJ g ·J / "/d besro,,,
I st
"fO"
them from Our pmmet an bren brsrowed upon them?
1 ,e M eS5enger, they are wiih tt e iem to a raight path. Whoever obeys God and RESPONSE : We have already provided che clear explanation, earlier in
and the sincere l1elie11ers I I wse to whom God has shown favour. ef the Prophets our book, of how the Arabs employ in their speech some words to indi-
Mu~ammad (s) aa,~ It '.e martyrs a11d the righ teous (Q.4:6~). ~3te others that arc unspoken , when the spoken words can sufficiently
Lord Cor guidance
• n stlls .com
·to the h mu nu · y were commanded co ask their mdicatt' the unspoken ones. 1 Hi s statement The path ef
those whom You
GoI d (MaJcmc
· · IS. His praise)ra,g I dpath.' w hIC· h ts· g uidance
·
I
to the path th at hai-e fai-oured is one of these cases, because God's command (Majestic is
w 1011~ He has described in Hl ~s escnbed . This path is rhe path of chose His praise) to His servants to ask Him for assistance and to seek guidance
upon
l•h· u '"·I10 ". upright in his isb revclat
d· ·
ion. J-j h
e as promised the traveller 1~ th tstraigh1 parli precedes His statement, The patl1 of those whom You have3
is pathj will take him on oh e ie nce to God and th e Messen ger($), that pi't'lu~rd. which serves to clarify the meaning of che straight path and is
manTl c paths IO f t I1 e Prophets, sincere believers,
. I1teousJ. Andt God
yrs and ng subimution for it. Therefore it is o bvious Ifrom the context}, along with
t
!10 us( following reports from lbd~c~not al ter His promise., the proximity of the two ex pression s, chat the favour God has beS OWed th
11
' saymg something si . A bas and others have been narrated upon th ose whom He commanded to request guidance to the path [of e
Muh atnm d b nu 1ar to what h . I
angels. Prophets, etc. is the sound way and the straight path , the explana-
b. Umira- a_ · al-A l;' !Abu Kur we a~eJUst said concerning that:
par/, of I Abu Rawq-.1-0 11-k aybl - Uthman b. Sa'1d-B1Shr uon of which we have just clarified. Thi s is so clear from the preceding
I 1osr wlio'" y al la"Tl
l,ave Javo,,,;j - l b 11 'Abb-as sa id , con cerning Th t
014 verses that it is unnecessa ry to re state it.
' ,:•;•r.,.,"'"~ «ho,,, ' ie path of those whom You have
d}d ro~iht !>.J I Q 3.9and 13 ·31
HK t 1•ma htre ; iia;:/:~;;~d
I
1
rm1a 'l/aha la yukhlifa'/- mi'ad. T:abari

14)

i
r.p
 TA BAR.I
Siirar t1I-FarOia (1:2-7)
Th is poi nt ca.n b c see n in w hat al-N- b · I
k ' a ig l a of B - i:iJiotors for \specific\ people, like "Zayd," "<Amr" and the like. Rather,
a am111ka m i,i jimiili Bmi i u . a.nu Dhubyan . I ,JJii,1i is hke indefinite, un specified no uns, such as "man" or "camel"
yuqa'qa u klwlja riilayl, b. I qays!"" said, 1
~nJ ihr like. When alli1dl1ina is a descriptor and glrayr is th e first part of an
J , i- s iam11
,;jJiconstrurtion ann exed to un specified noun s, the y arc syntactically the
It is as if you lwcrc a ca m cl l
Uqaysh. fro m among the came Is of B ,1,ni~umpcciftcd , definite nouns, which makes it grammatically per-
Which , upon hearing a nea b . anU inissible for Ml 41/1osc who earn )'m,r m1ger to serve as an adjective of tliose
The poe t's int ended . . r y voice, makes a clatter with his fi ~•bn \irn /w l't'jai1011rcd. This is similar to the case of "I will only sit with
els of Banu U m eanin g is " It is as if o u w eet. thncholar who is not ignoran t ," which means "I will onl y sit with the
\ , qaysh , a rn mel wh· \ y ere, from amon h rerson who has knowledge. no t with the one who is ignorant." Were those
•.. c atte r w ith hi s fee t .'' Th, IC':,
upon h earing a n ea rb gt ccam- ut•mYo11 }w1•cfiwourcd a proper noun , it would not be permissible for not
( we re a ca mel") and . . e word camels" indicate l y v01cc, made
c;'1 ~.1~ wlio 1•ar11 Your anger to serve as its adjective, because it is an error in
Likewise, \consid: ~i1~:,:tna~~;::::1 to rcpc~t th: ~::1~.:~:~~ts ihe speech of the Arabs for a proper noun to be described by an indefi-
Ia ra a b- I q b. Ghabb said n:te noun or adjective. The indefinite adjective can only take the same
idJ1- r a~a, uuu m11 raqa llidil1ii ' u•r as the definite proper noun if the intention is repetition of the case
a $ad, a l-l1adid11 'a/a'l-kumiiti oi th~ described noun. h is grammatically incorrect to say "I passed by
Q
Yo u sec \th em\ w ith their 1· .i.bJ Allih. the non-scholar (glrayri 'I- (alim)" withghayrin the genitive case
Q. 1,7 swo rd s, m lc leash es and lth cirJ sheathed
ur.lm che intention is to repeat the preposition ba' which governs lthe
Q W hen \real m en's\ armour ru sts out f: o.~Jof" Abd All:ih". In this case, one would be saying "I passed by (Abd
Th e p oet's int end cl . i ram sweat j in fierce combat. .\l\i.h: I passed by the 11011-scholar." 1 This is one of the two explanations
d e mcanm · " l . ior reading gliayri in the ge nitive case in not of those who eam Your auger.
-t~_rc\pca.t " th eir (1111111)" b~;: ust 1~1~ ~hd
e ath cd swords", but he did not
. e1r Ht .c leashes (a rbaqa /11011) :, Tehtt ism icated by and understood from \~\ The secon d explanat ion is that alladl1it1a actually serves as a proper
noun and gliayr is in the genitive case in order to indicate the repetition
tiR11s type I 11 Ara b·1c poe try and· sp e Inumb . er O f su pporting indicators of
is statem ent Tl,c parh of tlaosc wl ec~ ts beyond count, and this is how of die word pa1/1, which puts alladliina in the genitive case. ~ It is as if one
l N T ER 10"' 0 " ha.,, favou red is to be interpreted . wmsaying " 1/1e patla of tl,ose whom You have favoured, (not] the path of those
PRETATl ON O F u·hocm1 )'our anger ."
Th e ~ r'an recit ers \,l1ot of those who ea m Yoa, r auger , Thm two intecpretatio ns of nor of rhose u,ho earn Your o•ger, tho~gh
geniti tney differ in their syntactic explanations, arc very close in meaning, given
Ii I Tlve case " ,.1th a kos,a
arc aunderin agreem
th. _, ent
" t h at g/rnyn. (,iot) is read in the t~n whome\·er God has favoured and guided to His true religion is secure
(a //adl:~1:vord glaayr is a descriptor ~faallaor1111 ~wo .reasons :3 !rem God's wrath and escapes from veering astray from His religion.
. . ) You ha ve fa voured] ,l . l . . dl a Im The path ef those whom When the listener hears Hi s statement Guide 11s 011 the straight path, the
~' ~'j," takes 1he sa me case :: ~ " in th e genitive case and, as an adjec-
'°~"::::• ';
1
1
a defi nit e noun and •,,;•;ai;' .This is_ permissible even though
P onoun , is not a prop! r ;oun m?cfmtte, because al!adhina, as a
l"ih ofrhose ,,,1,,.., You l,a,,efavoured it is impossible for him to doubt , after
hearing this from a reciter, that th~se whom God has favoured with g~id-
1 :mce to the st raight path are not those with whom God is angry, given
Th1 \ vcrk: , found ' like th e names that are used as
1 1 111 th : magnificem bless;ng He has bestowed upon them in their rehgion. th [It
,1 at Q 1:93 (1 :.47) mul u ple pbco in Abu Ub ·d , ·- lla\so impossible tha1 I these people are those who go astray after ctr
2 Abu Ub..) d;i. lllcniio m ihi ;i.) ;i.~ ,W,y<1.:- al- ~r 'iin; ii ~ earliest citation
lo rdh asgu idcd them to the truth , because it is impossible for rbeir innate
3 &1h of ihc,c cxphnauon~ vcnc m h1 ~ conu ncnt;i.n• o n 2
puu t hc111 h ,, ow n wo Uc found m al-Fan :i'\ •,\ -~- 0 :4 ; A_1ajiiz a/-Q!!r 'iin , 1:84.
111 HJ th
rud111g ghay, r ~. No1c 1hat ;i.l- h rr;i' I iaam a/- (~u an ( 1 :7). a ltho ugh T2~rl
~,m, <O I>< ,h, p«;,;;,:;~""'' "~• wh,d, T, b:,ta';' 0
,n e. pl.m,io n in d,f,n<~ of :~~lbic: mora m1 bi-:lbdi'llii lii ni:irJT!U bi-glMyri'I~ 'J/im . . I 0
dekm"'nt;
gu,nma,,:: :1::l~fa~\1 m In~ ,\iaani~~~:.:l~~,; ~~1<' fir st exphan2uon
" ' ", "

4 Fo, mo re on thtc 1 l a,Jec uvc (naf):· ~cc Wn gln•, i..: 1.8~ ; ;id pa,sim.
,,;'; :: p,,,I, n "" forn cl, onrn• of d>< ;J;J, , 00,..,u<1ion ,nd ,Ilod/oi"' " ' "'" "
d dcmcnt of an 1Jiif<1 j ~ ;i.Jw;i.ys in 1hc g"'n1tive c;i.~e.

145
 TABAR!
S i/rat 11/-hit1)ia (1:2-i)
~1at~r~s (fi!arihim) to combine God 's ,J ,),nd,he path of the Muslims, even if. were their recitation pcnnis-
md1v1dual and Jdivin eJ an . pleasure (Majestic is,_, .
I
t 1cm to combi ne "guidance"
gcr Stmulta neo I
d " us y. Likewise it i .
r
n .lS prais )
c with an
\r,,',h,y would have a case for being rnrrcct Jgwnmaticall yJ. .
ir l h an erro r" at th s imposs"bl · Ther:.:planation for rh e co rrect rcad mg o f gha_J'rt~~ the a~c~sa~1vc c~sc
re evant w ether th ese peo Jle-- I e same time. Th i c or] ,, ,,wrr1id« i< the descriptor' of the prnno un lrrm ( them ) Ill alayh,m
success and guidance and f: I . w ,om God described a ercfore it"
.;.,,•lr,mr \'all /rar,efar,011redJ upon them)- wlu ch refers back to alladlrrrra.
as .. not of those wh~ ea a~unng t h em with Hi s religions granting thclll
/:,, ,hough/rim is in the genit ive cas:, si nce it is affixed to the preposition
whether they are not ;n _obur anger, nor of those wh -arc described
d . esm cd by thcs I o go astray.. , . .. th, (!!lire expression is syntacn cally 111 the accusan ve case beca use
r°'rnption, by whi ch He has dcscrb d I e c au ses, because the ob . o, :His statemen t Yo11 Jim1efavo11red. The meaning of this passage, accord-
-· w those who read glrayr in rhe accusative case, is "The path of those
i H~!~;:snt~,,e~:;~1';::~~~dc"e tl,:n; b; ;~:: ;,~: tf~~:,::~:~s~~j'1 Y•':~:r: L)rn You han· guided. as a favo ur from You to them ; there is no ange r
11~-~ chmi.'' In ocher words, "there is no anger upon them, nor are th ey
basis of th e_repetiti on of par/rt,~ :i~ c~:n the genit'.ve case of glia~r on dte
11
and not t~ interpret not of those wlto ear, puts al/adl,ma Ill the geniti ve casr, i~ris.'' The accusative case here is like the accusative reading of ghayr
as a descnptor of the pa t/, of those ' Yo ur anger, nor of those who go astra , ~, ihnrntcncc "I passed by cAbd Allah , !who is] neither generous nor
made Jr/rose wlrom Yon /rai,e fai,011 ,;J;o:;[~" /,a i,cfai,011rcd. Rather, we lrov'. .pnih,:· Therefore you make "neither generous (ghayra al-karim)" a ha/
anger, nor of those wlro go astray ] l er than luo/ of ,hose who eam \~)1,1 die.~ of " Abd Allah" when "'Abd Allah" is a proper noun and gltayra'l- Q
G rwo groups of people have b • c;e n t 1ough there is no doubt that time bi~111 ind(finitc and unspecified. Q. c: 7
Q. q Were we to explai n th ee r~ .avou rcd by God with their religions.' Somr Basran granunaria ns3 claimed that the accusative reading of
t1or of tlrose wlro go astray e g~r~ltl~e case of not of those who earn )'<m r a11crr. ;IJp muo1~(rho!,f t11hoe11rn Yo11ra11gercan be explained as being an excep- Q
G the listener would b . as an a ~ecttvc of those whom You havefavor,red tiien noo(imi/1 na). Thus 1101 of those who eam Your anger is among th e meanings
111
clauses referJ beca e ~o need _o f an indicato r Jclarifying to whonithm :h1t deKfibe 1/iw whom \'011 have favo ured, as if they consider the mean-
It may b; per ~sc_~ c m cam ng is too clear to require one. 1: ~ of those who read [gliayraJ in the accusative case: "Guide us 011 the

I di sapprove of itnussi 1e to read gliayr in the accusative case, even though r.r::gh1 p,ith , 1/ie p<itl, of those whom You have favoured, excluding those who
. on account of
. it b em. g an unort h o d ox reading. w IiicI1 :4'U Your anger (illa'l-magli4r,ba (a/aykum}-those whom You have not
none o the major
f
,_
r
readings-those , h ' ; .'~rect ters ado pted. ~ The unorthodox ~r'3nic
ted clearly and v lcl, 1 .er from th e reading s th at have been cransntit-
b:,oured with religion and have not guided to the truth-so do not make
:1 ,:nong thcm. ·· 4
O verw 1e 1m11wl)' · • n s chat contravene che true h This 1s like:- what al-Nabigha of Banll Dhubyln said,
;m are deviation f l o -are op1mo
d s rom t lC path of God, th e path of che Messenger of
u\tj4tufihausaylalan 11sJ 'i/11l1ii
ayyatJawllbau wa-mii bi'l-rab'i mill al1adi
I T:1b.iri mochf1ei ~ligluly th, ·-
of gumtn1. which n .....~ .r 1{11C Ar.ibic of Q . 1:7 111 o rder for the p:i.H:i.gc ro fir tht sy rit.i:,;
1111 11 i!Ll auliriyya la 'yan ma ubayyi,wha
2
This I\ rn~ori 1 1ahov, ) 1 1:1,·c not pm tlm ~ r'in i<: c 11:1tion in ic:i.iin.
2 uil'l-riu'yu ka'l-bawdi bi'l-ma?liimati 'l-jaladi
J Anb1c: bat idhii1aalnoh
~r'••'•""': Di, H,,., ,;,','.;
"';'.;;'" " · =-m ka,,, •1-j,,,qa,. /a ,hakka '" " " ',man 'alayh••:' fi
ht i.tntenct tnd1 w h ad - 0 h·
i. I :1m not mrc w h at the idltii add 1 i n 1hi s sentcnct, since

d IJ
11
~,:"'. w,11 b«om, due ;~::,t;,-;;.:,hm _drnpped
ind Chmti:1iu upo Ybo I the two
i< . T h, p,ob_lem Tab,n ;, ,dd,e"''.;;
gro up~ (fa riqiin) 10 w hom he alludt S l
iJ,•~~~~;·~11 T~bni mtam by '"d{'scriptor (,ifa)" in this con1ex1 is :i hiil c\au1c, since 1his
~t6t~ll· r: l:~~:lm~ n. uung the o ld Kufa n term qa_t' in his Ma'dni a/-Q!r'Jn. 1:7; )CC :i\so
,~:,:•::• from Plmo,h ,,.d:h, ~~•of w;om God bnrnwed favo uC> . , ueh » ,he
to the mi~onC:111) from th()J.(,,.,hom ,,p:/u,
1 hu111 could be pcrc dvc:d as erroneous 1oeX rior
r:i::d: l¾:!ir ~- . ionm notes. Funhcrmore. sec C budc Gilliot, Ex(1:.ht, 188. Al-Akhfash
'i:tl-Ji.\;m ;Im ~.11 ~cond cxpl:1nation of thc rc:iding of ~hayra i~ th <: accusative case ;
• tbn A,,,;: 0:::::i::uhanm»d w f,,~,,mJ. """ God d,d m fac< favo uc ch<IT> P :rb1u h;r:ll;;~'"~- 1:166-7.
"."- Pnrof ::non
:~==~:~m:_
1 O~ 111/ad/iina ari 'amta 'alayliim.
lbn Knhh . w11h th, : :.,racia~uig,of ghc,y,a, w 11h afatha 0 11 the ,a· w the c:i.n o nical re:itk~ ~'?Pemto I>(
:
r~d by :il~Akhfa sh : sec his M a'.i11i al~Q!r'd11 , 1 : i66. It
1 Abupbn 1 t1.ori~ offe_

,/-M,1,,,,_',''.,::~'.: l~_'lleged <ohm ,cad .,hay~i. bke d.c ." """"'";;:;:. ~r:fuoui <,t \f Ub:1)dH pom1on, which h w l1y hi:- argues that /,i 111 u-'ll-15. 'l-dal/r,, i)
,1-llmt ,I~ ~lul,1 b. Ahm,d <nn,:m;.,t· tbn , 1-Jm,I n>e n< io<» d » <,h, ta,><ou• ~' "'" '~tl"ilbr~1:1~ha~t1i· Q!r'.i11, 1:25--6. •
nd ghayra 'l-fflllghdwl, 111 i hc a~llin rc:i.d m ~ from l bn K:1thi r and d1:il :i i- · c scconJ vtrn: is 1r:msbttd in Lane, •·b-y- u."
cus.:1t1\'C' U\C :1s :i h.ifcbuK; N ash r, 1 :43·

t 47
 TA BAR I
Siiral a/-Fiitiba (1 :z-7)
In the evening. I halted at [t he cnc:un)
Though it cou ld not repl y. Not a sin i'cm:nt / to ask it ~-rrJ; is coordinated with those wli o cam Your aflger. we know that gliayr
cnc:mipmcnt s. g o le o f thern was in their inthi, context must rake o n the m ea nin g of negation and ca nnot take
on tht· meaning of excep tion. Th e int erpretation of th ose who takeghayr
Except for the /cmpty j laces of
which, with difficult)· I pd · . . hconhncmc nt of the bca m<lirate c-:-:crpr ion is erro neous.
A d • 1srmg u1s cd. sts, 10
Thrsc arc the inte rpre tations of tl1 ose who eam Your auger, according
n the drainage trench was like a w,:u~ rin to thr d s wcc111ents over its sy nt ax. Ou r on ly reason for reviewing this
. Lmd w ht-rt' trough s should not bt• m ade. g trough , on barren 13
owi\i \"C discussion of the sy ntax of thi s verse, even though o ur primary
Ir IS obvious that the "places f m wuh this book is to uncover th e interpretation of the Ime an ings of
not included amon I o co nfin e m e nt of the beasts ( - . " 11
of them" in the g le people indicated in t h e phrase "N awa~•yy) are the] ,-crst·s of the G.!:Jr'an. is o ut of necessit y, beca use the differing inrcr-
. previous ve rse fi I ot a smgle preianons cannot be understood without a clarification of the differing
Likewise, these !Basran J mterpret
. ' rom w d10111 they are made an exception ~ne crnllctic readings. Therefore we have been forced to explain the differing
t~ be l"Xceptcd from those whom Yo e7 unfierstand those wlro earn Your a11;, ~ Jmg in order to ex plain the differing meanings to the seeke r of their
. " w,,t'_a~JOured, even thou gh (the eo le 1 5
w z~ earn Your m1gerJ are care m1rrp;eiacion, in accordance with the measure of their disagreement.
religion Iw ho have rece ived ~or~~a~y d1stmct from the fpeople ofj t~r The correct reading and interpretat ion of this verse , in our estima-
G Th e Kufan gra mmarians r: ./ avou~ J-_' non. is the firs t opin ion , in which ghayr is read in th e genitive case with G
Q. " 7 erroneous. i Th ey claimed th J c ted rh1 s interpretation and declared it 1 6sru undrr the ,a', and is understood to be a descriptor of those whom Q.q
G pretation, it would be at we-re o ne to follow this Basran's inter- }~u hai't' fa l'oiired and an adject ive of them, along the lines we previously 0
castra )•)_· bec:rnse th e word
erroneo
Iii is ausneto re_a d iva-1-•1
a - d. iii/in (nor those who go dmficd, if you wish; or, if yo u wish, as being governed by a repetition
. oo rdin ated with a negation jTI gar1o n , and a n egation can onl y be ot"p,11h [man i4iifa constru ction]. Each of these interpretations is correct
m_th e spel"c h of the Arabs . . 11~ Kufan sJ sa id : We kn ow of no case ind good.
wuh a · I 111 w nc h an · ( II
coordi pa~tl c e of negation (like /ii). w h exception i ii) is coordinated QrESTION : Who are these people w ho earn God's anger and about
an I natmg an except ion with a ar we d o find are cases of chem whom God (Majestic is His praise) command s us to ask Him to not put
or ier negation. jThe A b t
no bcr e xception or a negation with
u1 lmongst?
rose. except for )'Our b Ira sj say, co ncerning exception " The people
neg · rot 1er and f. • RESPONSE : These arc the people w hom God (Majestic is His praise) has
As;~~02, they say "Your brothcrc~tpr o r _your father. " 3 Conccrni:g
d_e 1mbed in His revelation: Shall I tell yo11 cf a wor:se (case) than their:sfar retribu-
broth !he people rose, exec r (ii - d nor n se, nor did your father. ,
er, we have neve r P la) for yo ur fa th e r and nor (/ii) your 11°'1wirli God? (Worse is the case cf him) whom God has wrsed, him on whom His
o f t I1e Ar abs. IThe Kufoncome u-raih has fallen and of whose sort God has turned some to apes aud siviue, and who
sJ .dac ross an exam pl e of this in t he speech
x'Tirs idok Szjclz are i,1 worse plight and further astray from the plain path (Q.5 :6o).
speec
f; n,,: ._Given ti iar t I11s
h fof th e Ara bs. that th.sa, · is · n o n-existe nt 1n
· t hr 1

orm O the Arabic lan gua e ~ran was revea led in the most eloquent God (Majestic is His remembrance) informed us, by His grace, of
gc , a <l rliar Hi s sta te m e nt nor those u,ho are
n \\hlt punishments He has made befall them on account of their acts of
disobedience of Him. Then He cells us, as a grace and kindness from Him
I The B~uan pouuon . -
an cxcr- pt10t1 da ui.t, ~-~bu1 1\ dcx-n bmg goc,) a • ,
to us, the path to escape th ese punishments, which these folks deserve.
1' r-xc:,:p1,:d I-or ic: h norn1ally ha l ga um d,c: conventional undcrs t.inding of
:hr-teai "I ha\'t :i;~\ 1
:~l;~1 hr- scuir-nc:c: .. ; 1;v;a;tlrr-_lat1onslup ro t he th ings fro m which it
QUESTION: What is th e evidence that these people are rhe ones whom
God described and anno unced in His revelation, in accordance with what
,1i::,d.t,pc of k lllt11c:, I\ f pc11, cxco:pt rad101'" do!:11d1of pcu, c:;cc:cpt cats" makes sen~,1
l Th, '"1<1 ofNibighl'i fa~rrn i111blc lcrnrdm, !o tlnoi . The BaHans a rc arg uing chat_th0 ; Jou (Tabari) have sa id ?
(onir-n1 of whi.t foll _noui odr- erid,ng 111 ~ -/ i,: rules of Arabic, and o n the basJS
!~::~•\. f'l""1 '/-lf'J"""" ,l[Jo.,:1 '. ' lugd)" found io : l~F~ .
le . 111lqa....,.,kli .. b~-~a::..:•1l ba&ika. rr.l, A111ifoial-Q!r dn, 1:8. i J;Uowrngthe D.ir HaJar cdiuon (1: 185), which has bi-nramrihiinstcad of th.imma in ihc Shlkir
1
r iuou For Mai)mud Sh:ik1r'~ju~tification of 1/wr1111n. src "/iJftlr a/-"J iJ/wri, : tSj .

149
 TA BAR!
Sii mt al-Fiiriba (1:2- 7)

RES PONSE : !The following reports support . thr Companions~~ the Prophet (~); th ey all said. "Not rhose who earn Your
Ahmad b. al-Walid al-Rarn li- 'Abd Allat: ' J~terpreration:J
~~v, arc the Jews.
b. Uyayna-lsrna ii b. Abi Khalid- Sha'bi---_)a '." al-Raqqi-Sufy,n ,1; Jbn Hum:iyd al -R:izi- Mihr:in- Sufyan !al-Thaw ril- Mujahid said.
Messe nger of God (i) said, "71w~e . w/10 eam }'Our Ad, b. l;latim said·, the conCt"rn 1~g nor 11,osc wlw c,1r11 Your mt~er, " The y are th e Jews."
Mui:1ammad b. al-Muthann:i.-Muhamrnad ba,!~' arc the ~CWs, '' 1 Alumd b. Hazi m al-G hif:iri- (Ubayd Allah- Abu Ja' far-al-Rabi'
b. Harb-Abbad b. Hu baysh- 'Ad- 6· H-. .J far-Shu ba-Sim;k !b. An.Ji] ~:iid. "J\'(11 ,l,ose who ean_,.:our auger arc ~he ~ews." , .
X
God ($) said to mr, 'T~u!v, those who t:ar,; a t1m said, "The Messenger of A}-~51m-al-Husoyn- Ha11aJ- ibn JurayJ said: lbn Abbas said,
Al~b. al-f:iasan-Mu;Lmb. (Abdal-Ral;~~~~! ',. are the Jews.'" " . \ 1 1/icise who cam Your anger arc the Jews."
11
~ :unmad b. Salama-Sim:i.k b. Harb--M . - M~l.1anunadb. Mu{ab- Yru,us [b. Abd al-A'laj- lbn Wahb- lbn Zayd said , "Not those who
1asked 1hc Prophcc (s) abou t God' um b. ~an-'Adi b. (:iatim said fJf'I )'(,11r anger :ire rh e Jews.•·
, ti h · s statement (Mighty d M •
110 IOJe 14' oeam Youra 11ger and he re . d 'Tl an ajestic is He) Yunus [b. Abd al-A' la J- lbn Wahb-Ibn Zayd jb. Aslamj- his
Humayd b M , d _ P1.le , 1cy are the Jews"' f~thrr SJJd, "Those 111ho earu ½mr a,iger are the J ews."
AU-I. . as a a a1-Sarni-Bishr b I M fa dd .
alb. Sha9i9 said, "A rnan ca me to th ;,;' - u a .. al- Jurayri- 'Abd There is disagreement over t he nature of God's anger (Majestic is His
was encircling Wad(l_n ,, - d k . e cssengcr of God (i) while he rcmembranrc) .
~ra an as ·ed WI I
G are enci rcl ing, 0 Messenger of God'' H
l~.a rc 1ese people whom you OPINION : So me of the m said: God's anger with the creatures who earn G
earn Your a11ga, the Jcws."'2 . e rep ied , These a re the folks who lfo anger is His act of all owing them to taste His punishment, either in
Q. " ' Q . J:7
G , Ya 9ub b. Ibrahim jal-Dawr.i _ , iht temporal world or in the H ereafter, as He (Majestic is His remem-
Urwa- Abd Alla! b SI . . . 'q,1- lbn Ulayya-Sa'id al-Jurayri- br.rnrt') Himsel f described in His Book: So, when they (Pharaoh's army)
G
1 · 1aq1q said a 1
and t hen repea ted so I . · . . llan came rn the Messenger of God M ~·~(l-1'fJ Us, Wl' prmished them and drowned them every one (Q.43 :55); and Shall
Al H met img .rnmlar co ti1 .
- . asan b. Yahy:i.- Abd I e previo us narration. ltell)\111 of a ll'orsc (case) tlia11 theirs for retrib11tio11 with God? (Worse is the case of
Abd Allah b. Shagig '-Razzaq-Ma'mar- Budaylal-' Uqayli- him) whom God has mrsed, him 011 whom His wrath has fallen and of whose sort

~~t•
m Wadi'l-~ra on h~omconc who hea rd t he Proph er (s) when he was
::o Mesm1ger of Go~
10
when a man from Bano' l-~n asked him.
Gl\1 has turned some to apes a11d swine (Q.5 :60).
OPINION: Some of them said: God's anger towards those among His
They are those who ear,: ~o are t!:;se people?" The M essenger replied,
srmnts who anger Hi m consists of censuring them and their acts, and
AI-Qisi m b. al-Has ii, a?er, and pointed roward the J ews.
IC\"Jlmg them verbally.
l:fad hdha'-'Abd Allah ba~ -a_ -H usayn- Kh alid al-Wasiri- Khalid al-
repeated- somet Iung . 11aq1
. si milar 9 said a I_n an as ke d t IJC Proph. e t M an d t hen
to the
OPINION: Some of them sa id: The anger from Him is understood in the
al- Abu_Kurayb-- Uchman b ecv1o~s na rration. normal senses of "anger" except that, eve n though this is the way of the
J Dahl.' .ak-Jbn Abbas said ,:,;' i1-B1shr b. ' Umara-Abii Rawq- :ffirmation /of God's AttriburcsJ,t it is different in some regards from
cws, wuh whom God is a , I ,,or t iose who earn }'our anger m ea ning rhe u;ian a_n ger-[ the latter of w hich J di sturbs people, makes chem agitated
Mu,; jb W - ngry. ' •n an xious an d afflicts t hem-because God's Essence (Majestic is His
in a re , · aru n al-H arndaniJ- rA -
Abb- pon "mcn1ioned Ii mr [b. Talhaj- Asbar-S udd1,
as; and from Murra al rHom Abu M:ilik ; ani fr~m Abo c[ jjh-Ihn 1~~mlly,p/ir al- 11/ibiz1, wh ich. as M:ihmiid Shakir nott'S, is the school of Sunni thcologi:ms.
r ALcordingt .
- amd · · b11
ani- J
" ·
Mas{Ud; and from some of (,..:: ::~n i~o;nmi to 1h_e Mu' t.azila." who arc accusrd o f mippin~. God ~.r.His Attribute~
1 )amordtr
C01Jntrd fO ~umtain His absolute tr.anscendcncc (tonzilt). An~er IS not gcn~~l~)-
ihc-_Soh1h or°1b~\~:~~h1111 the fir.,, h.alf of .ali,ut11h 1 1 Ab· A]· ng God s eternal Amibum hy Ash' ari Sunni tl1eolog1ans. The Mu uzib
b llu111a}d. Jbn al-M "d~lic- M1m1,JO of lbn I-I ~: ~ 11al10 fou nd 1n tlie Sut1ar1 o f Tirmidhi.
~~n1dhi gr1.dn u a ~; J! .and lbn Abi lli11r.a1: I and the ~r':i ruc co111mC'n r:1riC'sof 'Abd rh/Act ~r~~-Jeuhbi'i (~. J?J/9 15- 1,6) counts "angd' (g ho(ib.in) ~mong God's ~ n~bures _
Thowon "°'a/l-.,w¥1; 1r TaOlri quoic-1thc-'~;;,l~wnal-mm,rli1ir, 1:43_He .ilso norcs 1'12'.
~/./J/,j . . qu;iin ll wnh Gods di spleasure (Jakh.t) ; sec Abii 1-l;bsiln al-Ash an, Maqala
l 2
1 h.ilf of dm liadr1li in l1i1 conuncntir) (Bt-iru7[;;k;u-iklui/~f al-m115a/lin, ed. Mu~ammad Mul,yi al-Din_'~bd al-~amid, rv:~i
11 Wr1h ., ,,,.., / go ,m,ay.
1
•l-tahdJub, J 511 1<1 , lln(c- Abd Allih b SI - catq?onzr1 w.~~t .~1-A\ri yp, 1~), 2 :211. T he Sun ni exegete Abu ~bd ~ U.ah..al~~-i~l co
iaqiq l ~ l Su(L('Hor : ~l't' Jbn l;bJ.ir, ral,Jhib puniih~- gc-r .imong God s Auribmcs of the fascncc .and dcscnbes It as H
· ~t ~qubi. al-Jiimi" /i.al_ikiim 11l•Q!r 'ii11, 1 :105.

GA
l jO
151
 TABA R ! Siira t al-Fiiriba (1 :z-7)

praise) c~nnot be impaired by any in firmities • ,i ihc liicral wani ng. "~ c blames me for the .entertainment . I do 11ot
His A1mbuc es (sifn),j ust like "kn o wlcd c". . Instead, 'anger" is on hl<.T Hr also cites Gods .stateme nt (Exalted" IS He) What /1111ders you
an Amibute •. in the manner th at is u, dg is dan Attribute and "pow c..~f fo,•m f"'"""i,,t' (Q.7: 12). wl11 ch docs no t mean What l11nd crs youfron'.
1
of] Aflimnat1011, even though ti e crsroo
. by th e way of the (P " I11
·nflt proi trating. 1 It has been all eged th at the advocate of thi s posmo n-
erj are different from the mc:mi~ mcamngs of / His knowledge and top c wou!d in terpret the word glwyr co nnected with 1/iose who eam Your anger
arc housed in their hearts, and hu ~:,~• hum an r.cld s of knowledge, , ::~ JI hl\·ing tht' meaning of "other than (sii11a)",3 w hic h g ives chis passage
wnh rht person's ans and thrn rctur power, w luc~1 exists si multaneoush· thefo!l wing meaning: "G r1ide 11s on the stra igh t par/1 , the path of those whom
been completed. i ns to non-existence once they ha\"~ 0
1;,uhim•~m111rcd, those who are ot her than those ,,,J,o have eamed Your anger
J":di/,,1.c1: wlio11reas1ray.•·
INTERPRETAT ION 0 F nor of rltose who go asrra ' One Kufan ~rej ects this inter pre tation and cl aim s that if ghayr takes on
?ne of thr Basrans: claimed tha "
Ill orde r to complete the sem en'/
., .
tor J
ts p ~t w ith ,;those who go amar"
suppressed. He cites as evidence cf; g r~~un aricail y j. but that its meaning,is
:he e;1111 ng of siwii (" other than") in the phra seghayr those who ha11e eamed
111
1:~1r1211,w , thrn the coordina tion wirh la is a grammatical error because la
an only be coordinated with a prior negative particle. For example, it is
... - or r is the hem.i stich by aJ-cA· •:r
moncou s to s:1y " I am wit h [people] other than (sirva) your brother and
fi b1 rm la luirir, s,mi wa-mii slia"r WU,
not (iJ) your fat her," because siwii is not one of rhe particles of negation. G
G
Imo :i. pitch black well he went It 0 I . Ii rim usagr is erroneo us in the Arabic language , and rhe ~r'an is the Q. 1:7
/Abu Ubayda j . us deat hJ , unintentionally.
Q "'
we n_t, " o r, mothe
. llltetprets
11:osr doqucnt expression of the Arabic languages, th en it is obvious that G
G r words thi s verse. to 'llean " In a pitch black well lw
" He th cl.mn of gliayr mean in g siwa in glrayr those who have eamed Your at1ger
COllJU nction, whose mean.' . pcnshed in a wel l, " and the word Iii is a 1Htroneou s. bec:wse Iii wou ld have to be a repetition of a prior negative
st atement of Abo'l-Najm, mg IS suppressed. H e al so cit es as evidence rhe txprrnion [for this to be correctJ . In stead , [al-Farra'] claims that ghayr,
in this context , cakes on the meaning of negation, a usage char is correct
Ja-mii_ahi:1111 'f-flid,1 afla iasklwa
lmguistically and widel y diffused among Arabic speakers. An example of
lammaraa)'na 'l-slr '/
Id ama1a -qafa11darii 1~1' usage is the statement "Your brother is neither (glwyr) virtuous nor
o nm bl.une the li In k' fl.i) refined,"; which is understood ro mea n ''Your brother is la virtuous
When the y set' th . I g -s urned /g irlsj who scoff
on rny hcadj. t \Oary white /hairs j mi,(t'd wi th black (hairs :md/ri refined."
. This Kufan'' also rejects the interpretation that la can be elided when it
Th e poet means " I d ~11~ 1h~fim ~art of the sentence if it is not preceded by a negation. He says:
[in stead f I o not bla me ti1 1· I k ..
scolf" J O t 1c literal mcanin, of .. e ig ~t-s inned fgirJsJ who scoff, \\ae II possible to elid e th e la when it is the first part of a sentence, with-
· He al so cites the st g th e fa ir-skinned fgirl sJ who do 11ot
ou; an indicator of a preceding negation, then it would be correct ro say 'I
a1emem of al-AJ .
wa-)'<Jfl1aynau;fi•'1 . ,1wa~,
wa-1, 'l-l h . _' -lahw, dfa uhibbal
They bl
4 w, dam da 'rb ·
111 ghayru
Ill
ghajili
1s~::\t~;
ffO\tuun
mrJ •~miaaka .ini taJjuJ.i idl, anwrrnka. h h dc;ir i11 this context that ~od is atkin g
t~t\tnttd hun. from prostrating to Adam, not wh:u prcven ic-J hun from not

The
Tlioug:h:i.::::l':;c for du: l' lltertainrnl'nt I lik .

J)Ot't lllcans "T h

auunent ha persistent
ey bb1ne me h
t•
ca ller, relentless
.
;r~: :}:b
•l b
1

i!e~ibrs the
0 ~ 1-_
g lum, which ts what the tc-xt sap litcnll y.
: .~h:1yd:1~. . ' . . . . ,. _
Fn~ dcscnbcs _Abo Ubayda s pomion III his Maam al-Q!!' a11, .8.
,_ 1 .
1:.~
I °)iJ11n11 hco1ogui

to pqforni an ~1. in contr;i.1 110 till" M

or t e entertainment J Jike " [instead
L: he d
tnri.ni ir:
d\ OCJtt' of thi~ posmon as "1hr person who doc-snot know Arabic gr:uu rnar •
1l; ot rxplirn_ly n_:inu· Abu ' Ub:i.yda. Note chat AbU ' Ubayd:i_d~c-s not. say ,glrayr
11h ~l-Fl rr~~-JS pbc-r m Im Majiiz al-Q!r'iiu, :i.lthough lie may have' )a1,I H else.,,. here.
z ~ 1111 11 tlir opir ::i~'t'rt.c<ki dui ::.::::r 1
;::niiSlii' grncr.i.llr bdiC'\'C' th:it the capacity
/ct
d~·o:•:
:i . 11 11
' ~ri.b , akhiika die pr~v1ou s note- for the rC"fcrc ncc.
•1
110
10 found 111 ihh 1~11~ r Ala1,u al- ~, II , but lfl Hc-ad •~s.i m uh:meoUS with it: 1
gt of A·la_JD~ al- ~., : ,,: 5-<,_ The following vend o( p<>¢U'} 1 \'imrJ), i.l-F:1r~:t)''U mulmn wa-lii mujmil.

153
 TABA R I Siiml a/-Fiitiba (1 :2- 7)

wanted not to host your broth er ' means ' I w ,,tJhhshrd: and give n ,hal it is impermi ssible fori1ayr to take on the
Tll(·.cle.arest evidence, amo n th e ex . anted to host your bro ,., r,ioning f siw,i so long as la 1s coordinated with It by means of a wiiw
~:~:t~;:b~~i!:Juahgc, t~::r;hi: ,-,,n.
1
0
::at ,~~~;;~~,~~:~e""' it is i~npermi~~~tl: winch is ,hr way it i.s in thi s case .. then it is corr~c• and established
senrence w 1tho ur . w en It thlt he on ly possibl e mcanm g o f glM yr m the expression g/Myr those who
prcts la in rhc verse of poetr b ' a c ·--~ prior negation. [Al-Farra' ~curs 1
is that of nega tion . given that there is no reading of
(..:i-rcJ mcd )inir 1111gf'r
used as evidence as a t y )_ 1- AJ.JJJ we m entioned which h J Inter. sra1C1ncnt nor //,ose u,J,o 11 re rJstray other than in coo rdination with t1ot
h . rue negat1 011 m ea . " ' t e Basran !lii

not sd~\\' it self to him; th ere was n~ visi·b~~1:g H c(wehnt into a w ell that di; t. who h,11•e ea med )1011 r a11gcr.
sense It, nor knew f · / I .
Arabs' ) c
"
· · race
. .~ " w 11cl1 is wh y he fell in
xpression She grounded /it/ fi - -.
O
l t e w ell]
it] . ,Tiu • e
h
so neithrr
s comes from {the
18 Then-fo re if what we have said and brought forth as evidence is cor-
rK! . 1hr in terpre tati on o f this passage is "Guide 11s 011 the straight path, the
and there was no visibl / ( , a-ma al,arat shay 'an " wltich rd~[ 1lrN1' whom Yo11 lia11e fm 1011red, who l,ai,e not earned Yo11r a11ger, tJOr those
jT his Ku fa n c trace o her wo rkj ." J ' . means
.I f j also says, con ce rn i, h h ~-h~ 11,r asiray (la'/-magh~1lbi 'alayhim wa la'l-t_la/lin)."
me 1_o AbU' I-Naj 111- fa- 111J al,l ' 1~ t e or e r verses, like the hemi• Qt:ESTION : Who are these folk who are astray, whom God commanded
the li_ght-sk.i nncd lgirlsj w ho sc;;,!-b,{la an _la_taskltara ("l do not blame us 10 seek refuge in Him from travelling on their path and going astray
be elided beca use th ere is an oth }-t_hat tt ts permissible for the la to
G the same ~entencc, and th e SCCOI~; negative particle prior to it, earlier in
mthm mamH' r? Q
RESPONS E: These arc the folk whom God has described in His revela- Q. 1'7
Q. 1:7 fi rst one.J ust as another po pan of t he sentence is joined with tl1e
G et says,4 of
11on: Say: 0 Pt'opleef the Book! Overstep ,iot in your religion the bormds truth,
Q
mti kJna yarJii r,uii/11 '1/iiliiji !al rnl_(-1/lou, ,w1the vain desires offolk who erred ofold and led many astray, a11d erred
wa 'l-fan •ibifoi Abii /Jakrin •m-~:":~mam .fr,1maplain path (Q.5:77).
The Messe nger of God d h QUEST ION : What is your proof that these are the people to whom this
3 11
Abu Bak r and U t c Two Goo d O nes-
mar- wcn· not I . d b . rme refers?
T he /droppin f J- P t:ase )' their ac tions. RESP ONS E: [The follow ing reports have been narrated ro us in support of
ne~ tion has been go stated
a pri or to I' Umarj is . 'b
b . pernussi le in this case because the our opinionj :
b T his latt er opinion i:t tie cltning of th e se nte nce. Ahmad b. al-Wa lld al-Ramll-'Abd Allah b. Ja'far-Sufyan b.
. ecrn se there are kn ownmore . 1 ·el y to be correc t than the first one, Up yna-lsmf il b. Abi Khalid-Sha' bi-cAdi b. Hltim said: the
11 0
IS not a I
.bl " iegauve .
panic!< pre . cases Ill the sp
J· eec}1 o f t I,e Arabs in w hich ther< .\! menger of God (~) said , "Nor of those who go astray are ~he Christians." 1
st e or la to fo llow siu . cc mg a la t hat is elided, and it is impermis~ Mul)a mm ad b. al-Muthanna- MuQammad b. Ja<fat-Shu<ba-
The \ d I J(J or anv other ex . Simak-'Abba d b. J:iubaysh- 'Adi b. tf3tim said, "The Messenger of
Arabs· I vor g iayr can have rl;rec oss · press10~ o f exception.
rrror . ) exception ; 2) negati on · P) . ,~Je.~n eanmgs in the speech of the God{~) said to me, 'Trul y those who go astray are the Christians.'"
'rof suppress ing /ii wh . ' 3 Siwa ( ot her rhan "). 5 N ow that the Ali b. al- Hasan-Muslim b. 'Abd al-Ral)man-MuQammad b.
an d o coo d ·
tamed
en i t occ urs
Yo11 r lll ating /ii Wit h glia r in
h b
at t e egin ning fof a sentenct
j ~1us_ab-l:l.am.~1ad b. Salama-Simak b. l:'larb-,Murri b. ~r,ri-'Adi
'a 11ge,, when gJ,ay I Y l th e ex pression g!tayr those ,vho have · J:lmm said, I asked the Prophet(~) about Gods statement Nor of those
' ias t ie mea ning of exception have been ~·ho go astray and he replied 'The Christians are those who go astray.'"
I Ar.b1c. o,4d1u "" Id uk • f:l um ayd b. Mas'ada a1'.sami-Bishr b. al-Mufa44al-Jurayri-'Abd
~md:";:'"kliiil
if il1t ritg:~ tl \ 't
i Ar.a b1c u ,df, bi ,
ea Al- Fur.a"~ point 1~ that i hct•r l111guinic chaos would rt'sult Allah b. Shaqiq said, "A man came to the Messenger of God (~) while he
:~_;;~;:;L.
/,j could bt droppt·d b
O

J
~:i,, ~:;:,u
Li ya»IN'"" W'll -/d kh<Jy,a,r,
4l<lyhi
h-w,-, N(l·onn IV) • t ht origlrlat \ '<'?1<' l\fl l, ',, ~ra: ~ la liu fllrii arliru 'a malin, 11>A-h1111'11
1

• l hu \·trk' ai fourd I TI11i lmg u1mcuam J f, nla lm rm sardu,a- mitslia'ar.

11
'.I Fo r rnort rnforn 1 111 .i · b rrf , A1<1 d1u a/. c; ~. o ull(l:.iho m al- F.~r ri'. A1a'ani a/- ~r't111, , :S.
1.a11011 abou1 Jiu,a, ~<'t Wr1gh:. :~~::-10

155
15.;
 TABA R!
Siimt 11/- Fiit i~ia (1:2-7 )
~vas encircling Wadi'l-~ra and sai d '
wmus lb. Abd al- A'l, J- Ibn Wahb- 'Abd al-Rabman b. Zayd lb.
Th ese are those who go as1ray, th e ~ I ..are these folk ?'
A nearl y id enti cal re ort w iri st 1a n s. H e replird, ;,!llll]-lns fat her s:ii d, " Those who go ast ray arc the C hri stian s."
\al-D awraqij- lbn U la ,p a
Allah)-'Abd AU-I b Sh
~=
narrated to us from Ya< -
) y =-Sa ,d al-Juray ri- ' U ( qub b. Ibrah;m
· [\"en person who stra)'s off t he direction of the path , and every crav-
,:kr \\h~sc- way is not uprigh t. is ";ast ray" acco rding to the Arabs, on
Al al . aq19- thc M rwa meanin lb ( is:oonc of him being ast ray fro m th e path. Thi s is why Go d (Majesti c is
-1:lasa n b. Yahya-'Abd I essc nger of God () g n Abd
Abd All ah b. Sha i a - R.azzaq- Ma' mar- ! . Hrll,mcmbrancc) called th e C hri st ian s "the astray folk, " because of their
on his horse nearq;~:.~meone w ho hea rd the Prop:udaylal-' Uqayli- mor rcl!'~ rdmg che tru e path and way, and their adoption of aspects of
"O Messe nger of Goad' ":~ ra and a man from Banii~l~twhen he was ihmrcligiou tbac arc not fro m th e strai ght path.
astray, mea ning ti C h' . . o are these folk >, " say " Tl a n asked him Qt:ESTJON: Does not this descr iption also appl y to the J ew s?
Al ll;; . lC n st1 an s." • 1cse arc those wl"' gc
-~s1m--al- tf usayn- KI -1· nsro:-.sE : Yes. it docs.
~ ;~:11, h b. Shaqiq said that a n:: ,::s tWasiti- Khalid al-1:iadhdh;'- QCESTI ON: How. then, can God specify the Christians with this descrip-
"T/ rse, encircling Wadrl-~ ra " cd ch e Prophec (!), while he waso 1:on,rnd specify the Jews wi th tliose who have eamcd Your a,1ger?
iose who go astray " . , Who arc th ese folk'" dh n
Ibn l:l um ayd__.:.~'.;e~nmg ch e C hristians. . an e replied, RtSPOl\SE '. Bot h groups arc astray and have earned God's anger, except
a ,hose wIio J_o astray arc th' eiran-
Cl . Suf)•an
. Ia I-TluwriJ - Mui5hid said " "r th: God (Majestic is H is praise) described each group with the descrip- G
Q. q Abu Kura 1nst1a ns." nor t2:iby wlnch they are most co mmonly known by His servants, when He Q. "7
a
"J •

I D I yb- Uthman b S '·d mmuons chem or says so mething about them . He only calls each of these Q
a - . a ~b5.k - Jbn (Abb- . a i - Bishr b ' U - Ab-
mcansJ I as said, concernin . mara- u Rawg- roups hy the attrib ute th at refle cts its true n ature (l,aqiqatilii), even though
11 . io r th e path of the C h . . g Nor those who go aslray, ''[Th is 1Ilm JtC" many addi tional pejorative attributes He could apply to it.

\~11:1.
: e;c':tg them] to fabricate li es a~::1ans'.. "',? o m God has led astray /by 1
A~ ER RONEO US O PI N ION: Some of the ~dari ignoramuses sup-
witl Yo ur tru e relig io n to us I. H e said, "He says: (0 God. )
iout partn er,' so chat You • u c l is Th e re is no god but God One
;-oscJ that God 's description (Majestic is His praise) of the Christians as
-~tny·· in ~is statemen t Nor those who go astray is evidence in support
;~r'. angry wi1h chc Jews· a d'~ noc be angry wich us, in the wa~ Yo~
c. the posmon !of hu man free will}, which their ignorant colleagues
ti 1r1Sr,~ans astray, so t hat Y~u'~ 0 no t lead us as tray, as You have led ch e
" ;"- He says, " By Your k· do no c punish us the way You have punished ~pou~. because God annexes the quality of being astray (Qalii~ to [peo-
us ro rn this." 111 ness , Yo ur m ercy and Your power, protect p.e]m1t_ead of annexi ng the act of " making them go astray (iQla/ihim)" to
Hin~lt. God refrains fro m describing them as "those who have been led
" Th Al-~sim--a l-}:{ usay n- H . ·-·
go
: "' 110 as1'ay ace th e CI · aJpJ- lb n Jurayj said: Jbn 'Abbas said,
••:ray {111 udallaliin ),'' in contrast co Hi s description of che Jews as "chose
Usa b. Harun mman s." whoha\·c- earned You r anger" [in the passive voice}.
lsma'il al- Sudd- . aI- Hamdani- 'A1
Salih- b ' ,, Ill a report he m .
nr b -
. l:f anunad- Asbar b. Na~r- R_ESPrD NSE: Thi s is ignorance on their part of the meanings and mechan-
;0m·· ; ;• Abbas: and from M ennoi"ed fro m Abu Malik : and fromAbii ~1 Oi the Arabic language. Were th e matter che way chis ignoramus we
goa,:,: :,'e Com panions of d,~;;• -Hamdani- Jbn Mas' iid: and from t' described supposes, it would be necessarily impossible for every
Aly e th e C hri sti ans•· 0
phet (~) ; th ey all said. "Nor those u,/10 0 ~m tlllt is described by a verbal descriptor or second part of an Mafa
.1111ad b H - . · conitruction to be affected by any cause or agent other than the one men-
al- R abi' sa·d ·.. . az un al-Ghi fi ri- (Ub '.'.oned, nor could any cause affe ct it other chan che one mentioned. Were
y- 1 • No r those who ayd Allah b. MG sa- AbO Ja<far-
"N ~nus b. <Abd al-A la- 1~ astray are t he C hri stian s.•· :/;"' iha, an alfecced noun could onl y be joined wich its agent in an
or t iose who go astra y are th C nl '":'al~b-<Abd al- R al.un5n b. Zayd said, ~• conmun, then it would necessaril y be erroneous for someone co
" 1 n st1an s."

'~•Ut,, T,b.,, ,~, .. Q,d.cl .. ,o «fc< '° , h, wlk>1 Mu•h"' , d,oc>" ' of fr« will." wdl
..1, \u uz1li co111e111por:i.ries.

157
 TABA R) Sr'irat al-Fiitiba (~ :2- 7)

say .."The tree jbranches l move d" w he n . . i,,s c>p,city to do ii and his choice (ik htiyiir) to do it, and Ito be annexedj
or Th e earth shook" w h en an eanhquak the wind caused th em to ,oGod(Majcst i< is His praise), on accou11t of Hi s bringing (the action's!
so many similar cases to this rhat w . c ca u sed it to shake. Th nto\'e, e,itnce intO rxistc ncc and arrangi ng its produ ction.
would grow too long. ' ere we to enumerate them, thi;rc '"

I . Consider G o d 's statement (Ma·e . . . book

POSTSC RIPT , A Q!,!EST ION POSED BY TH E EXTREME
s ups a,id rliey sa il with them (Q.10:22/ ; ~1 c :.s P,~aise) when you are in th HERETICS W HO IMPUGN THE Q!,!R' AN
eve n thou gh the "sailing" is caus d
b ',e satlmg is annexed to the sh; ,t
Inamel y, th e winds !. This indi c \ some thing other th an the ,1r/'' 1! it were said to us: At rhc beginning of your book, you presented the
Je,crip1ion of "clear expositio n (al-bayiin)," [claiming that] the high-
whKh we have desc ribed , cone::~.' t lC error of their interpretati:;·
darn, that God (Majes ti c is H i . m g nor. those ,v/,o go astray and thci; e11 lc-vel and most noble station is the clearest speech in its own right,
,d1ich is not in need of further clarification, as well as the clearest in
direc tl y to th ose among the sc!ira_1se_} ascribe s the "act of going astray··
expmsing chc inte nded meaning of it s speaker and the easiest for the
who go.asm y". Thi s evidence sh~~;uans , _whom He has called "those
ltsrencr to comp rehend. Then, in light of all this, you said that the
(MaJest1 c IS H is prais ) I d recttfy their claim-namely God
to t Ile actions of Hi se erlas created · h cre nt causal rel a tionship (sabab)
b a n Ill · do.rest speech in accorda nce with these criteria is the Speech of God
ex istence-despite- G dc,atu res, w h ic h their actions arc brought into (~1,jcstic is His praise), because of its superiority over all other speech,
Q Hi s praise
. ) in numerou o s verses
s un amof
b1guousl m rmns of its elevated status as the pinnacle of clear exposition. If
. y c I~a r exp I anation (Majestic is tht mam r is as you have desc ribed , how do you explain the prolonged
Q.1:7 cau ses Isome fo lk! Hi s revc lauon that He is the One Who
1even-versc length of the Mother of che ~r'an, when all of its mean-
Q (M .ig h ty and Majestic H ) and H c g UJ.d cs Iot 11ers). For exampl e, He
to go. astray
inp are encapsu lated in just cwo verses? These !cwo verses] are His
his god, so God snid I ~s c sayS, Ha,,e )'OIi seen him who makes his desire
.'7
heart , a11d sets ,er I, ~ 1 aSrray P"rposely, and seals up his hearing at1d bis
sutement King of tlie Day of]Hdgement; You alone we worship, and Yo11 alone
coude,,med /rim0)?1 w'.:/'g
It a co ,,ering? Then who will lead him after God (has
ut askforliclp. The re is no doubt that whoever knows [that God isj the
King of the Day of Judge ment would know all of His beautiful Names
praise) announces ,•,,youhnot th e,i herd? (Q. 45 :23). God (Maicstic is His
re t at He I :, ,nd similar Attributes. Likewise, there is no doubt chat whoever obeys
astray and guides \peoplej . • to ti c excl u sion of anyone else, leads Him is on the path of those whom H e has favoured by [helping themJ
jDo notclarified
forgetj that Itheb ~r ,_an was revealed in the Arabic language. follow His religion, and ha s been steered away from the path of chose
as we have
wnh whom Ht is angry and who go astray. What additional wisdom
customs of th e A bat . t ie egmning of thi s book, and that among the
li these five remai nin g ve rses that is not contained in the two verses
bein g from whichr~ 5 15 ' ~n some occasions, to annex che action to rhr: 1
111

actual
and cause is othcnhan came !the cxistc1ice It h c seco n d a r y cause] , even _•Frs•
mto bci we have mentioned?
~ES PONSE: Trul y God (Exalted is His remembrance) brought together
it . , on other occasion s, to am ng who brought the action into being!,
diffmnt from th e f ,ex Ithe action I to its actual cause, even ,f °'
1 lfo Prophet Muhammad (!) and His community, in the Book He
15 !cm down to him, meanings that have never been brought rogecher in
much more this is tru a.ctolr rom whom the actio n ca m e into being. Ho\\' 1
respon"'b•J· Y,' while eGod 1e case of ' 0 Yother Book He bas se nt down co a previous Prophet or commu-
in 1 11
m t (Ma . ~n act fior w hich the servant acqu ·res
an:;::nce and product ion '' t::~c 15
l·fo
pra ise) brings it into e,ostcn';;
nuy. Thi s is because each Book that H e (Majestic is His remembrance)
has sem down to an earlier Prophet contains only a portion of e sum
th
d to th e person wl . er. this [acuonj is more fitnng co
10 acqu ,n.·s responsibilit y for ir on account o( of meanmgs that are contained in His Book that He sent down to our
P,ophet M h h · f dmonidons
. u . ammad ($). for example, the Tora consists o a . f
i ~Arabic ~kr.u,bwhu '/- bd hi •
K(jui , mon,ft wludi .dran . T.1.bui md 1c h ·nc o( ~~clear exposit ions; the Psalms consist of praises and glorifica7ns
v,11h1lic MututliO _ca111c.1.h.illmark ofSu n ;u,:-s C're l_1i~ ;:;r,pproval o ( che ,_icd
L GuJ« . "K»b" F;'." b. Ann (d " >00/s,";.""olog,-. rl,;, d =
<dn< ,c,u, !lyosg>~ _,J Th I, '" d the Gospel consists of admonitions and invocations 1° Goh·
Di; ;,
1
Fo llow111g d ie 5 • w-c Wan, Tiu· Fomiativt ~,1od, 19 - J• '" is no mi racle in any o f th ese previous Books that testifies to t e
1
.lj.ll rudmg of 'aynan w.i-11aslia'r,m; !>Cc I : 199 .

159
158
 TABARJ
Siirat al-Fiiti)w (1 :2- 7)
rrurhfulness of their recipien ts / i.e. th e Pro h e /God aho mentions in it j _H is descr iption of th os~ whom He has
se!H down to our Prop het Muhammad () P t_sJ. The Book th at\ ·
ot rh csc Books, and add s man ~d d " . contams the meanin s / as farnu rrd with knowledge of Hun and eleva ted by gr;-i ntmg them success
~r\"illl.!. Him, so that H is serva nts become aware that all o f the bounti es
_Books are defi cient. (We have :lrea ~r:on aJ rn ca ning_s, of which rt :rha!J
m ou r book .) ' ) prese nted d11 s information earli:; ·n100ihr;r r;hgion and worl dl y affa irs arc from Him. which lea ds them to
jirrct their dt'sircs and needs cowards Him. inst ead o f tow;-ird s the gods
Am ong tl1 t most noble of these m .
superior to all previous Bo k . . ean mg s, by which our Book . md idols d1,u are ot her than Him.
' I { o s, is irs wo ndro u s st is /God also mentions in it passages! for fright ening Hi s servants from
ogct ier o imcrlocking pa rts= and un rec . ructure , rare joining ronunimng sins. by rem inding them of the exemplary punishments He
oraror 11:1.s been capable of re rodu ci
shortest siira . Th e masters of rl~c r . tg
p . edc_nred . c~mposition. No
s~m e rhrng s1m1lar to even rh c
to join rogerher J the form of ·us o n e i~ve ee n worn out in rheir dforrs
~.is prtTared fo r :wyo ne who disobeys Him and contravenes His com-
m..nd. and for the m to shun all that which leads co His displeasure, in
diKh He treats them to pun ishment and vengeance, as He treated those
left bedazzled by its co rn !.
ta p~rtion of it, a nd the poets have been 1
1ho prrdously acted in this manner and have perished.
m th eir unsu cccss fi l f:Ti pos1t1o_n. _T i e peopl e wi th rhe sharpest mind5 1
I u c Orts ro 111urare it I 6 ' This b the reason why the Mother of the O!!r'an is as long as it is, and
r iey are on ly able to submir or affi , iav~ eco me p erp lexed, and the sJmr reason app lies to all of the oth er siiras of the Furqan [~r'an].
G One. th e Vanquisher Th · . rm th ar thi s fBookJ came from tl1e
Thi, is the utmost degree of wisdom and the perfect proof.
Q. i :7 mea nings thar in spi . I is JS on acco unt of its co ntents, consisriug of
)Some final narrations concerning Surat al-Fatil:ia: J
G argume nts and p , ;~ 10 pc au d dread: co mmands and rebukes; srories.
· hav(" ne\'er been ~r,t'
firo111 the heaven s to
e;:
311d o rher simjJar meanings, rhe likes of whid1
roug H toget her in a s · J B k J d
Abu Kurayb-Mul;aribi-Mul:iammad b. Is}:iaq-al-<AJa' b. 'Abd al-
Ro]Jmin b. Y;-i qUb-Abu'l-Sa' ib , maw/a of Zuhra-Abii Hurayra said:
tli c carrh mg e oo · t 1ar was sen t ow11 1hc Messenger of God (~) said, "When the servant says All praise belo11gs to
What eve r there is of u 1 · G,,d.Lordefrlte Wo rlds, God says 'M y servant has praised Me.' When he
of the ~r'an" is on accou~ ; 1:ccssary lc~g rh in the case of th e M other s•)·srhe Beneficem, rl1e Merciful, God says ' My servant has honoured Me. '
H JS remembrance) . d d f what I JUS t described. God (M aj estic is Whrn he says Ki11gef the Day efj11dgemerit, God says 'My servant has glo-
H is Book J as evid lllte n f e I ro brin g toget I1er t I1c crollowing q ualities (in
O
nhrd h·te, and this is for Me.' When he says You alone we worship and You1
(~): it s wondrou · l ence t IC prophcrhoo d of o ur Prophet Muhammad :IM1e 1H•ask fo r l,elp (co the end of this s1lra), God says 'This is for him. "'
the poets, th e r:i ?o~r, unique st ru cture, and avoi d ance of che ~etrcs of Abu Kurayb-'Abda- Ibn Jsl)ag-al-'Ala' b. 'Abd al-Ral)man-
and t"pisdes of th ) nt
prose ~f the sooth sayers, sp eeches of rhe orarors Abu'l-Sa',b-Abo Hurayra sa id, "When th e servant says All praise ~elongs
of imitating. e e oquent wnrers, (a!J these J no human has bee n capable
1~ God," and then Ahli Hurayra said a nearly identical report without
_!God also brings together . ,_ ~h.iting it to th e Prophet(~).
nfymg God. reminding huma 1'.1 :he ~ran passages} praising ~nd gl~- Another nearl y ide ntica l report was narrated to us from Abii Kurayb-=
powe r and the grand f . lllt ) of Hi s grea rn ess, Hi s dominion, His Abu Usama-al-Walid b. Kathir-al-<Ala' b. <Abd al-Ral.imin, maw/a
H im for 1-f is bour . ,eu r O . H is Kingdom, so that th ey might remernber •1·Huraq,-Abu'l-Sa'ib-Abu Hurayra-thc Messenger of God (1).
deservin g of an • 1ic s,_ praise Hirn for His favours an d ac t in a manner
1
S.ilil_i b. Mjsm5.r al-MarwazJ-Zayd b. al-I:Iubab-'Anbasa b. Sa'Jd~
mcr<'a smg and generou s reward
Muprrifb. Tarif- Sa'd b. !shag b. Ka'b b. ' Ujra- Jabir b. 'Abd Allah:"'~;
' l lh:iti duc u11e1 d11 1 ou ' .
~~ud<'d/00\'C Ill d111 1r~I:~1:t
1
;<;:' of di<' fin , \·olurne of die Dfr /-1 ;;,.j:ir t·di don of his Tajsir, <ht Messenger of God (1) said, "God (Mighty and Majestic is He) said,
2

Jnd
O
4
uk"d
10
trln,h, <'i ihii
!~ 1
jlln1· ~sJ1~:>.:f " .(' Qyr'.in TJh:irJ dncn/~1 Ji •.
'-'hJCh lttn.iliy rii e.i ni 'Joi, ~re ",1 t;;,.re Joining toget her of interlockJI$~
1111
li~nbc l~c- J011uug iogcdwr of~ togcth<'t 111 tC'gul:ir o rd e r i1.~ scve,-i:l J"'1° r
ii r ,horJ .
th( s.:/ng to Supifi, \'Jri:i tiom of this lraditlr q,1ds, arc ~uu
f,
-,::;J
J · £he M 1w,a!.fa' of M.:ilik:
Ti rnlldhi, 1bn M.Jj;;,.h,
1 N~'i:i. 1h1 o~ i\.1uilun .,, 11 J Jbn }:fibb.:in: the S,ma11s of Abu ~~ bu c'ubayd. lbn AbiShayba
j / ,-1-f
o llow1ng tli('po 1: !,('. ;tl Ill tx 1r;;,.ord111,11r forrn,1r~e Ill con ~.1ruc11on; L:a n c , coore l!JJ B.i rid ~ ~uq u1ni: the Murnadof Jbn l:far1~al: a11d_boob .b_} also fo und ;;,. t th<' <'lld of rhe
,ag
In o1 hr r '-'ord1 '> ii 11 ..Jlr l<'ld111g of lflll<'ld of oht•rcn n· ; Cv,mm•11t,1ry , Bo. co 1h:i.q1: al-!Jurr al-m,mtluir, t :25. A sim1br badi1lr.,1,ud~, i s' _ i/ b 511 /ay,nii,,, 1:37.
• r.11 ll-1-lul).i uuif111 die- c.irlr,·r cdnions; r :.iOO•
rnmenury on Siint al-F.:itil,ia in Mug;it il's Tajsir; ~c<' Iajs,r /y[Hqat ·

1f"i o
,6,

,a .- 1
 TABAR!

have dividc-d each praye r be twee n M d M

he will have what he rcn, ues t s. ' Whe en
and oJ an t h c serv
Y se rvant into two haI\'es
to G ' Lord oft!ie Worlds, God says ' My servant h ant says All praisd,lon;
says ,l,e Be,1e.fice111' th(' Mercif,
• 11I G d 'M as praised Mc.• Wh h~
WI I • o says y servant I h en c
1en 1e says Masur of the Da)' ofjudoe G d 1as onoured Me ' THECOW
g
lorified M ' d I o ment, o sav-<: 'M
'· an 11,n He said 'Th · jh lf j - f, ,. Y servant h
·
is for him."' 1 , is a is or Me, and the remaind: SOR.AT AL-BAQARA
(Q. 2:255)
Conclusio11 ~f the commemary on the siira o,fthc O pen mg
. of th, Book
$
COM MENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
[u~sj Gad (Allah)! There is uo god save Him, the Livitig, the Sustainer.
Seirher drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs all that is in the
e hw•eus a11d all that is 011 the earth. Who is he that intercedes with Him save
Q, " 7 by His leave? He knows that which is before them and that which is behind
e rhett1 , w/1ile they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His
J.:1wwledge (k11rsi) 1 embraces the heavens and the earth, aud He is not over-
whelmed by preservirig chem both. He is the Lofty, the Tremendous.

TABARi SA ID: We have alread y indicated previously the interpretation

of His statement Allah.=
As for the interpretation of There is 110 god save Him, its meaning is the
prohi_bition of anything being worshipped other than God, the Living, the
Srmamer, Whose description is as He described Himself (Exalted is His
rtmembrance) in this verse. He says: God, to Whom is owed the worship
of ~II creation, the Li11ing, the Sustainer; there is no god other than Him
.i. ocl nothi ng is to be worshipped other than Him. In other words: Do not
worship anything other than the Living, the Sustafoer, Whom neitherdrowsi-
,,,h~ nM sleep overtakes, Whose description is as He described (Himself) in
1 1s versc.
b,itc::is verse_ is a clarification from God (Majestic is His praise) for the
. rs m Hun and Hi s Messenger of the !content of the) clar1fymg
iigm that havt been brought to the people who disagreed over their mean-
mgs after th e Messengers [brought rhem]-Messengers, as God (Exalted

1
~ : f~Talnri's mterpretation o f rhe word ku rsi. which generally h transl:i.tcd ;n "lbrone" or
Ac.cordmg 10S
i

11/-"'°"thw,, 1·2:yG!f. 1hu !i.iJ;,Ji ll ~] M) found in th 2f T

C\"en though litenll y it means "foo tstool."
t' conuucnury 0 ( lbn Abi J:-lll:r im: al-D~" ~; \i; •b.iri's commentary on .. Allah." see his discussion of the bas,nala (In tht Na,n t of God,
1
nefi<tnl, Ult Mtrcifi,~ in the l111roducrio n to his Tafiir. above.

16.2. 163
 TA BAR) s,,rat al-Baqara (2:255)
t of a lifr , which
is His remembrance) has informed us, some of whom He favoured ovl'r ·d. R ather, H e is livin g on accoun
, . Ochcrssa1 ·
ot hers. ' \The people\ disagreed over \what had been brought to them \' or1N JON · • of H is. 1 b
and fougl11 over it, so me of them out of disbelief in it and some out of t- in Annhutr (f!fa) hi s is a Nam e among the ~amcs _Y
belief in it-so all praise belongs to God, who has guided us to have faith . Others said: No, rather t I y it out of submission to His
OP!N !ON. II d Him self. We mere y sa
in Him and granted us success in affirmi ng Him fas our Lord]. i1h1,h God has c-:1 r .I'
((Jlllllll!l
d jfor us to say ,t .
INTER PRETAT ION OF 1/,, Living
Truly what He means !concerning al-[:Jayy] is the One Who has eternal J'lHRP RETAT ION OF r/1:_s/ustait'.er I form. It originally was fiqayw11,,~:
life and pe rmanence, for w hi ch there is no defined beginning and no fin a! Th. word q,1yyiim is. t ll cfiay". nomma - that comes imme ia
d. tcly a ter a ya
_, . h
endpoint. As fo r eve r ything ot her than H im, if it is living, th en its life has b ; when the second rad ical tS a wm~ tters arc contracted into a ya wit d
a defined beginning and a final endpoi nt. It e nd s when its t erm is reac hed ,:,,has' sukiiu on it, then the t::~, ~o with each ,viiw that is the s~con
and completes its o ut er limit. . ·/1 u,l,l.i on it. This is what th~ A fi II a ya' wit h a s11k1l,1 on it. _,.
1
The fo llowing group of int erpreters said what we have just said con- :)d. I in a word ch at inuned1ately o/ ~s -mis "the Provider (al-qa ,m
cernmg that !meaning] . An accou nt of those who said chat: .~ l~hr meaning of Hi s statemc~lt a - at~~"and its preservation," as the
G !AnonymousJ-(Amm:ir b. al-tfasan- Ibn AbI Ja'far-his fothc r- ti-) of the sustenance for all H_e as ere,
lb• Abl'I-Salt] Q. 2:Zll
Q. u 55 al-R.abi [b. Anasj said, conce rnin g His statement al-Hayy, "Alive, who port Uma)..~a · said,
G docs not die.'' 0
lam 111kl1foqi'l-s111nii'u wa'/-111,jii,'~111
A nearl y identical report was narrated to me from al-Muthann:i- u'J'l-sliamsu ml ahii qamanm ya 1mm
h~iq- lbn Abi Ja far- his fother-al-Rahi{.
q~JJarah11'/- M11lwymi1111'/-Q!yyiim11
However, the people of rational iii quiry (ah! al-babtl,)-i disagreed over
the imerprctation of this. wa'/-liasltm wa 'l-jcw11at11 wa'l-jabimll
rl/J /i- 'amrin sha'uuh ri ca;imu
OP I N ION : Some of them said: God (Might y and Majestic is He} only
The heavens and stars and sun- along with
named H imself "Li ving" beca use He directs the affairs to where th e;: Thi:- moon, which follows the course
belong and grants things their prope r apportionments, so He is "living
on <IC.cou nt of Hi s management [of the u ni verse }, rather than on account r.irv Ab(fl-f:las:tn :.l-As~1' a~i
of Hun having "a li fe." } T b fs younge r contempa , wl".r and a hfc 1\
Thu op1mo n !\ _a~~ociated ~'ith 1' aari 3s:aces "The proof chat G~- h~s :e':::s that c-xp\idtl)'
,d j: ;1936) lo J.:11tJb al-luma. As l •led I"." before citing two G.!:!r am~·knowing by Himself.
U.ctht proof th~t God hJ\ ~.kn~\\ ~a nal argument 1hat werc_G_o d . ibk; sel". llichar~J.
1 1 1
t
:/ ~0;n ~nu~ion to Q.l :lSJ . I 3ni following "hlimud Shakir \ c larificatio n of this scnttria :
"1"' -Tab.i,i. s.386(nott J).
~1 1hn God Im kn owlc-dgc- .in a,;a~ e ,. which. in his vil".w, IS _imposs ) _ (Enghsh
18 19
Ht li1msdf would have- to~ kno;,., _c- Jd~ul : lmprimcrk Cathohqu c-: '. 9/r~r~l the ~r':i11i_c
McCmhy. Th, Tlrt•ofog~ oJ_ al-Aslr a~1 ( r ,ument on reason and _a~alog} ro:tr h in Olli". of Im
' .'/"~"1" ,I ~"""d" d,e obJm "'""""" '"' , 0 ,&, b.ck '° God °' Cfo Meueng~f, 1
~,~~y;,: ~: ;: ~r;r.i~J~~~~ ih, '"a 1n di, prc-v~o u~ ~t rnc-ncc- : am rn i aa, bihi'l-mulcht;~:::
1
Coni"ltlira,,es Vol 1. 0 " ,Ji n; Sil)ad R._1n•1.i~d Fulil nl Ma yc-r (edi). An A11tlwl~ytf ~%()08),
t~n,lmon). While- Ash ar1 bai~s Im a iabari adopts the lingu1mc ap: kuowic-dgc for 1hc
cltdmnon thlt God ha~ kn o\, lc-dg~,hin which i~ knowing 1!1USI 11:c-nsc if somtihing h~s
1 1
1heolog c~l nc- 1hes. ~tm ng .1ha.1 ~ll): •ise g" living" wo uld o nly :11a~e al-Shibi {Riyadh : D_ar
Tlni ~~~i,;c II foun~ ~:ru,roj rhr Dwmr_( N..-w York : Oxford Un~~c-~~it~ Press,
1 ·146 H~tcrnem to have- an~•.m~a n'.ng}i~e /-d~u c-d. ' Ali b. ' Abd al~ Az_1,z_~ ,. among thc: enc1111JI
4 1
J htnihoughT - · S 7 of the Dar Hlpr edn1on of T .iban s Jajsir . od J li~e: ~c Tab1ri. al-Iabw fi matJlim a docs.no! l".xpliritl y me1mon h t
a ~n cnc-ionl r_ 0 •1~ ir11crprc1cr . al- R..ibi' b. A11 ;,i , in tl1 h p;assage he intr uc .]. A1un1. 1996): 129- 30. {Note- that he- i1h th!.' }:lanbalh), who
5

i7 ;:~:u: Att11hu1c-~ 1n dm pa~\_agc-.) . aditli scholars (oftl".ll cqu~tc-d w is .ibo die- opinion _of
4 • -·
conunemar y: '/4.fii,d/-1()1,,,m s· 8 T.i _ of the unum;,i] phr3~C- aM tJl-bd~th 1
G~J'!
deb;itc Q\·er the na• urc- of I;tnb~nappcar1 rtm.i,bbly ncutn.1 tow~rd s [hc co 11
i 1h11 opinion ~ assocmc-d wnh the 1:1 f God as nnich as pos_ s1blc-. 11 AhlllaJ S]mns a\-Dm,
el<'.hc~·cd.ipcculat1on into the .~atu~7 _:ni/tJI wo'/-J/m\( wo'/-m/1tJI, ed. ·
1
,
S Tl111 ~p1111on II aiwx,aicd wiih ~ Utti in 111\ co1111nr11 t.uy 011 tlus ,·rmrc verse-. of ihc- theZ1lnr11; ~cc lbn H n m. a/-I1salfi . , ), 1; 412 - 21. fa'ania/-~rdn. 1:394.
J 1·ok (Btirut : Dir al-Kmub al-. ll1m}Y;• \ 007is found in a\-Akhfash, /,.
111011 0
Mur111. and 1-0mt of the 2.-.i ·dh~ · f _1!1c Mu u~1li .ind Kh.i nJi di l".ologi:111s, man~ -}·
} • Wcc Abu 1- Ha~o JI-Alh ari, Ma.,alar al- Isiamiyyin, 1 -~ 44 l AWI)· \11mlu lmgubtic c-xplananon of 1 Y'/1 11

tl
 TABARi Slirat a/- Baqara (2:255)
Apporti oned by d1t· Guardi an I S . .
And the Gat herin g and the G • lC us t;uner- IHr) says rhewherc.
Were not created, save fo r a ~; r en and the Blazing Fire, b.ikJrarltJ '/-a,~ hr,ib11ft si11ati'l-1111w-
The fi II . . ost tremend o us affair.
rmJJ-t,~iri khil,ila slwu•ki'/-sayali
. o owmg interpreters said som I . .
said M
con cerni ng th at An a f ct 1111g simi Tht dnnking bowls were fi ll ed by her !swec cn ess ] in the ea rl y
h . ccou nt o th h lar to what we have .
u. ammad b. (An r 1 a-, . - o se w O said that: JUU rnornmg. at Iher awake ning from] drowsy
1
Maymunj- Ibn Ahl N, ;1,_..".. - ':'h j- Abii 'Ai im [al-Nabil _ , _ Slrrp, wh 1Ch flows jlike wine ] be tween the thorn s of the Mimosa
al-~yy,1111 , "The Prese I . t"Ja lud said , co ncerning God.J Isa lb. trC't·.
AI-Mur han na- ~ver o eve ryt hfo g ." s statement Thf pcC't mean s ··at her awakeni ng fro m sleep, w hen the 1vasar1 ('l angu o r')
" Tl Isl.i aq-lbn Ab· J ' £ .
It' Qryy,lm is the Mana er r l a ~r- lus farher--al-Rabt 'd of kcp is in her eye.'· One says "So-and-so wasi,ial yawsa,111/wasanan and
1
susicn~n~c for it and prote:rs i,°" every thin g. H e keeps it safe, pro:i~,; lie is wama11,'' ' if t hat is how it is.
.<:~;1.i11;
The fo llowing in terpreters said som ethin g similar t o what w e have
Na ~a b._ Harlin /al-HamdaniJ- c 1us1sJid rnnccrning that. A.n account of those who said that:
irj Sudd,said, "The ~y _ . h Amr [b. H ammad)-Asbat lb
Al-Mu ch an n3.- 1s1 - ybum is t c Sustain er . ., . . . Al- Mutlianna-'Abd Allah b. Salil)- Mu'awiya b. Salil)-'AII b. Abl
G " The Ha • '/
. YJ" - }'yiim
.iaq- A ii Zu hayr-J b·
is the Eternal Suscai ner~.":"ay ir-al-:Oabbak said,
Tali)a-lbn (Abbis said, concerning His statem ent sitia does not seize Him , G
Q. 2:2 jj "SrnJ is drowsiness and nawm is sleep." Q. 2'2J5
Mul.1 anunad b. Sacd jb. Mul) ammad a1-cAwfi] - my father- my
G
G INTERPRETATI ON - .
Wl
m is meant by H· O J· Neither d,0111>sme.ss
• l overtakes H im
'10r seep uncl, lal-Husayn b. al-l:lasanJ - my father- his father ['A!iyya b. Sa'd
naw, ] k is sta tement (M . . al-Awfi]- Ibn cAbbas sai d, concernin g sina does r,ot overtake Him, " Sina is
H ~• o,,,,,, es H im : "Drowsin ( ~~emc is His praise) Neith<r sina [nar
T~ econ,cs drowsy, nor d ;ss "''
as) does not overtake Him, such that drowsmrss. ··
Al-}:lasan b. Ya~ya-<Abd al-Razzaq- M a' m ar-O!t:ida and
e ~ord 11,asa11 (from whi ot s ee~, such that H e fa ll s into a deep sleep.,.
al-1:Jm n /al-Ba~rij said, concerning His statement Neither sitla overtakes
poet Adib. al- Ri<fi' sa}'s, c 1 sma ,s derived) is th e languor of sleep, as the
Him. ··oozing."
uus,1a11u aq1adal, '/ ,_ Al-Muthan na-'Amr b. 'Awn- Hushaym-Juwaybir- al-Qal)l)ak
J; aynihi si, I u -11uas11Ja-ra,maqat md. concerning His stateme nt Neither sina nor nawrn overtakes Him, "Sina
L Ill mi wa-laysa bi-,iti'imi
iislerpiness , and it is less than 11awm , w hich means deep sleep.".!
Danguorous was hc, struck b . Al-Mmhanna-Isl)aq- Abii Zuh ayr- Juwaybir-al-Qal)l)ak said,
ro\\'lines.s dinunl"d his e ·c y sleepmess;
concerning Neither si,1a nor 11awm overtakes Him, " Sina is drowsiness and
~~ong the indicat . } • yet he was not asleep. '
is m a Person,s c:ye is orsal-Nsh·
u1 support nJu,,n is deep sleep."
M of _o ur say mg
. that the languor of sleep Thr same report was narrated to us fro m Yal)y5 b. Abi falib--Yazid-
a arnmn b r. .... •
tu dri'l-daJi'a idh · · ~ s verse, Juwaybir-al-Dahhak
bu'ayd. 'I .. a aqba/01 Musa b. H5rii~ -[al~Hamd anlJ- 'Amr b. Hammad- Asha\ [b. Nair] -
Sh . a -tu1 a.s, uu 'qabla 'f-u!QjQ,, :
s/ indulg(.'s her bcdfdlo
aft er drowsiness ~~dwh~n
igln! r she accepts fhi s kissesj,
Suddi said, concerning Neither sina 11or sleep ~vertakes Him, "As for sina, it
'""' air Of sIcepmess
· w hich overtakes the fa ce an d m a kes t he person
drowsr."
1 Thu \·n ~ , f. prior to sleep.
1
An An,,...,_ ound u1 Abo U~ ·da
' '"· "78:" ;, <<>n,l,i,d ;nHvn" «· ,J..
i Th '"""KY cf~, ',i., 11' Com > • MajJz al-Qf ..
..,~'.~:"';or_,h, DI, H,,,:::"""• "'7l-
q/.TaNri , j.:'•MIQsan. ,t :jJO. / ,::: : r;~ftr
the reading: lu'ati'l-da "' 'Jh -' .
OWtd Mal)lniid Sli:ikir'~;;aad~n: ;~:
1,4 / i,,/•r-'t-
verse ; 1t1Jsir
 TABAR i Siirat a/-/Jaqara (z:255)

/An~ nymous /- Amm;ir- 1611 Ab- < • ,dllk the !gLns bottles ! were in his hand s, o ne in each hand. H e began
concc-rnmg Neid1er si11a nor sire~ o11cr1akt:~1Ja_for.~_h,s forhcr-al-R.a ,,( to nod tf. 1hr11 be alert. then nod off, then be alert, until the drowsiness
sleeping and being awa ke." 1 . H,,,,, s,,,ais drowsiness~' said, 0
Kornr cornplctt·. and he stru ck one bottle against the other, breaking
Abbas b. Abi T:i:li b-M .. _ ' rwcrn l,oih of d1t•TJ1."' Ma mar said. "This is o nl y a similitud e that God (Exalted
Yah ·a b R -r, . ·. rnpb b. al-H a rirl, - 'AJ- b
. ) . a J sa id, conce rning Neitl . I • Mushir-Ismt-J i, !!is remembrance) coin ed ; likewise, the heavens and eart h arc in Hi s
Yllnus /b. Abd al-A 1- J b icr s111a ,w crtakcs 1-lim "D . 1-
statem N ·t ., a - I n Wahb- Ibn Za d .d ' rOWstncss." 111ti hands."
. cm e,r ier s111a nor sleep o11errake ( H . •· y sa.1 ' concernin Hi lsl.iig b. Abi lsra'i l- Hi sham b. Yusuf- Umayya b. Shibl- al-I:{akam
mes from sle-cp wi thout k .· ,· ""• The wasniin is a per g h s ..~b}n- lkrima- Abll Hurayra said, "I heard the M esse nger of God($)
n . I ll O \\•lll g w 1at he is d . son w o
ng H c_ven rah up a sword and arrack hi s fami~u~.g, to the poinr that lie rilk abou! Moses(~) fro m the pulpit, say ing, 'A question arose in Moscs's
s ul: Dol's God sleep? God sent an angel to him, who kept him awake
TA~AR I SA ID: God (Majesti c is Hi s J . y. 0
Neul,rr siua 110 , sleep om•rrakes Him. lnfi I ra_1s~) ~nly means by His statcmem for dm·r night s, then gave him two glass bottles, one in each hand, and
eases~o not ravage H im. Thi s is b.eca irm1t1es o not weaken Him and dis- comrnJndcd hi m to kcL'P chem intac t.' H e said, '[Moses] began to sleep
meanmgs : J) th ey both rob rl I .~se the ,vord s sina and 11awm have two inJ his hands nearly came together, then he awoke and he kept one hand
$ both chan ge the preceding ,ed ·
con m o n of rhe
t'.n
person o f hi s lu cid ity; and 2) thr)·
J
2p.m from rhc ot her. T hen he fell asleep soundly, causing his hands to
come 1ogc1hcr and the glass bottles shattered.' He said, 'God coined a
The interpretation of I . pe r so n w mm they afBict.
rnnilirudc fo r him-were God to sleep, neither the heavens nor earth Q. 2:255
Q i .255 described It , Is Codi Tl t lis passage, if the meaning IS as we ha\r
G rl S
"
iere u no god sai,t• H 1111 I L
IIS/ame,of all dia, JS beneath Hrm b ' ',e /'""g,
who does not drc, would be beld [in place].'"
1

s7anage
1 n1ent and tran sfo rm ation from m ea n s o sustenance, protecuon. !\TERPR.ETAT I ON OF To Him be/otJgs all that is ill ,lie l,ea,,ensand all that
eep Ol'ertakes Hun - that \\ l11ch alt Cate to sta re Neither drowsmess nor
~1•1: i/Jc t'arth . Who is he that intercedes u,itli Him saa,e by His leave?
aher Hun, nor docs u t ers ever yone o ther than H im does not
re gardmg t I1e transfo rmcrm a matef rhat wind1 H e d ocs not wish to ternunace. God (Majestic is His praise) means by His statement To Him belongs all that
da
I ys / <o (iollow one anoth 'non
er) oRad; states an d /H
IS act of) causin g nights and
u in cl1e hM11e,1s and all that is 011 the ea rth; Truly He is the owner of all of
tie S11sta111er of all er er, He Is perpetually m this condition , th.at. without a partn er or peer. He creates all of them, co the exclusion
and defea ted, becau:t~t ul res Were H e to sleep, He would be overpowered ot C\'t'ry deity and worshipped thing. His only intention for saying this
W, s ecp overpo I l
ere He to beco me drows , th · l wers t 1 e s ecper and 1s his conqueror 11 that it 1s inapprop riate to worship anything other than Him because

would crumbl e beca us ?•

f c ieaven s and ea rth and all char ts m chem .mythmg that is owned is onl y obedient to its owner and docs not serve
1
power Sleep <liven s the a O n is uphe ld by Hi s management and ffo anyone else except by its jow ne r'sJ command. He says: All that is in the
prevent s th e one who r manager from l11s m anage ment and drowsiness hr.1,·t'ns and on eart h are M y possessions and My creation, so it is inap-
ness • as we I1ave been appom (i ons
d fro m apportion mg because ' ofh1s sJeep1- p'.oprim· for any on e of M y creatures to be worshipped instead of Me,
Al -Hasan b
11
l orn1e by
given that I am it s Owne r, because it is inappropriate for a slave to serve
Ab· Yah ya-'Abd I o,h,r than his O\\-'ner, and he does not obey anyone other than his master.
'I ';'- lkruna, die mm,,/a f lb , a -Razzaq- Ma'mar-al-Hakam b
m ier drowmiess nor sl O 11 Abbas, sa id, concerning His scacemen f As for His statemen t (Maj esti c is His praise) Who is he that irttercedes
1
God sleep'' G d erp o1ttrtakt's Him " M J 'D i,·irh Him 5arie by His leave, H e means by that: Who is he that intercedes on
ro kce I O revca h•d fth e fo llow ' oses as ked th e ange s, oes
P Moses/ awa ke (i I rng j to the angels and orde re d chelll b~half of Hi s slaves if H e w ishes to punish them, exce pt that He allows
1
thIiey d,d d or
' an then to gi I t irce / n1glI t s \\ it 1our Ie mng lwn sleep, w h JC I
) I him and grants him pe rmission to intercede for them.
t ey left htrn and warnel~ 11111 two gla ss bot tl es , w lu ch h e hdd. • Theo
i f-ol um not to break ch em M oses became drowsy
tn 1:~; 1;,g ihc D~r 11.iJ.i r rc;iJ1n
n.i,iuw:nph .iriJ t' f!t offa-,muakahu ma I . . d
;irlicr rd111o,u of T I _, r:if. icr rhJnfa-amsakMm. w hich u aflCSCC'
;i ,u, 1afi 11 ; D .'i r 1-1:ija r. 4 :533 (n o t e 3).
 TA BA Rf Srimt al-Baqam (z:255)

.. God (Majestic is His praise) on ly sa id ti b ~ .cr from whom 11orhing is concealed, encompassing it altogether and
We onl y worship th .d I iat ecausc the I h 0011
~aspingit all to the exclusion of everyone other than Him. Trul y nobody
God .db k esc ' o s so that they may b . po yt eistssaid
sa1 ac to them, "To Me belon s nng us closer to God ~: ~iha rhan He knows any thin g excep t insofar as He wishes and wills to
h('avc-ns and on eart h, along with the 1 g owne rship of all that is i h mforni him of it. so [rhis person ] apprehends it. The only intended mean-
anything other than Mc is not a ieave ns a nd the earth , so wars\~ t e inglof ihisclauscj is that worship of someon e who is ignorant of things is
whkh you claim bring you n,;,~; ~pr~;e- i,o
do not worship the :i~f in;ppropriatc. so how can some idol, which und erstands absolutely noth-
lwnh respect] to Me and the y arc of n: c, or they do not benefit yo: ing. be worshipped? He says: So restri ct (fa 'aklrli$ii) your worship to the
\~'ith Mc on anyone's behalf exec t b ' ~ se to you. No one will intercede ~e Whose [knowledgc J encompasses all things. He knows it all, and
s1ond on whose behalf he mrcrce
. des
p amo) y leave
M to him and the intcrcc1- neither a small nor big th in g is concealed from Him.
an the people who obey Mc." • ng y Messengers, My Friends: The following interpreters said something similar to what we have
JUI! a d concerning chat. An account of those who said that:
11
INTE RPRETATION OF H k 111hicli
Mus,b. Harun J,1-Ha md aniJ - 'Amrb. l:lammad-Asbat Jb. Na1r]-
is bel,ind them e nows il,at is before tl,em and that uilrich
SudJi ~aid, concerning while they c,uompass notliitig of His knowledge, "They
God (Majestic is ffts praise)
. means by rh · b lnownothing of His knowledge sm,e what He wills to inform chem."
passes all that has been a d II I is t at His knowledge en com- Q
G concealed from Him . n a t iat will be ; and absolutely none of it is l~TERPRETATI ON OF His K11owledge (kursi) embraces th e heavrns and Q.2'255
Q.n55
. The followi ng interpreters said . 1~.twtl1 Q
G JU st said concerning that. An ac somethm g similar to what we luw He imerpreters disagreed over the meaning of the kursi, which God
Ibn Humayd-J _ co unt of those who said rhar:
is be' i anr-the Mansiir-H
Jore I 1em jrefers toj tem. · aka m sa.1·d , " H e k•nou,s tnat I I
'- w1ic1
mformed min chis verse embrace$ the heavens and the ea rth.
OPINION: Some of rh em said: It is God's Knowledge .
[refers toj the Hereafter." poral world; and that which is behi11d them
An account of those who said that:
. ~.1-Muthanna- Abii Hudha ' - . - . ·- . .\bu Kurayb and Salm b. Junada-lbn !dris-Mu\arrif-Ja' far b.
said, Hek..ouo fl,a, . .· b )fa Sl11bl-lbn Ab, Na,ih-MuJah,d
I
tie temporal world. d1I
1
w11c11s efore 1Iiem [ref,ers co j rhar which, rook
.
place in Abi'l-Mughira-Sa1 id b. Jubayr-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning His kursi
Al-Q!sim-al H • a,i t ,at which is behind them Imeans! in the Hereafter.'' cdr.uts, "His kursi is His Knowledge."
- . usayn - Ha.. -· b
statemen_t He k110111j that wliicli ij. b~a_J-I ..J
n ura)j said, concerni~g His
. , Ya qub b. Ibrahim [al-Dawraqij-Hushay m- Muprrif-Ja' far
of them Ill the te I e;orethem, That which happened tn front 0· Abi'I-Mughira-Sa'id b. Jubayr- Ibn 'Abbas said the same thing as
,J· h . mpora world·a d I J- . . I
v. uc will take place after th em. _11 I1lat"' ucl, 1s behind them, meaning t 1a.:
reported in the previous narration, and he added, "Do you not consider
Musa b. Hin:i [ I Ill t le temporal world and the Hereafter. Hii statement, and He jj uot o1,erwhelmed by preserving them both?"
Na1r j-S uddi said '.'. H..-HamdaniJ-'Amr Jb. [:lanunadj-Asbai [b.
1
OPINION: Others said: The kursf is the Footstool.
poral world; and rh~t ; . z~l,S
that which is before them {refers co] che tem -
An accou nt of those who said that:
11' lie 15 behit1J iliem / refers to j the Hereafter."
Ali b. Muslim al-Tiisi-'Abd al-Samad b. 'Abd al-Warith-my
INTERPRETATION
what He u,jf/ OF
.
whde th ey encompass notl1i,1g of His knowledge sailt'
b.
~,he,~~ul_,ammad b.J~hada-Salama Kuhayl-' Umara b. ' Umayr- th
. bu Musa [al-Ash<ariJ sa id , "The kursi is the Footstool ; 1t creaks hke e
God (Exalted is H· creak of a new camel saddle."
15 remembran c ) . h
, Th,.,.,"'" h e mea ns by thi s that He truly ts t e S Musab. Harun Jal-Hamdanl]- 'Amr b. l:lammad-Asba\ [b. ~~ir]-;-
t
2 Cod\ MFr1enS~ (~;,o:~ ·39.J
uddi said, concerning His k1mi embraces the heavens and the ear li, Tru Y
Q 10 .(ll - J)
"°'
(l/iw) wl.o fea, ::) ~" Je"K"nbcJ m die fo l
' 11 do tlrry gritw, ilrw w•lro 0(/ lowrng vene~: Lol truly the Friendr'!/o,J .
rr
'"ll't 4 ,id art 4mong rlrr Cod-conJGous (,nullAll'm, •li:er.ll}, "die pbce for die two fee t"; D:ir Hajar, 4:5 37.

170 17 1

:n \
 TA BAR!
Srirat al- Baqara (2:255)
th e heavens and ea rth arr in di e holl ow mrenor
. . of tl F wornan c to che Prophet ($) and sa id , ' Suppli cate to God chat H e
Foomool is in front of die Throne Tl F 1~ oorstool, and h 0111
two fret " . 1c oorsrool 1s the pla , t ' : pb(r me in cl~c Garde n! ' So he exa lted th e Lord (Might y and Majestic
· ma~ 1 111
Hr).uid then said, Trul_y H is k11rsi en1braccs th_e heavens and_earrh, and
Al-~uthanna-Isl_1:iq-Abii Z uhayr- Juwa bi 11
iihrn Hr sics on it. there 1s no ex tra space fo r Hun save lrhe di st ance ofJ
co ncermng Hi s statement H' k - b y r-al-Oahhak s 'd
k1mi, whi ch is put bcncatl H '.s T·11,rs1 em races the lu:a11em and the ~~rth ' aH, .' ;~ ur fingt·rs. (Then he spoke, putting hi s fo ur fin ge rs together.) Trul y
l is 1rone upo n wl . l k· ' l.i 1
tht [Footstool] creaks like th e crea kin g of a new saddle when it is ridden,
Abnud b. !sl_ 1aq- Abu Ahmad j_z b _11c i m~s put their fen" 1
Ammar al-Du hni- Musli b . I B _a _u ayn-Sufyan [al-Thawrij- fr,1111 Hi s \\Tighc."'
111 • a - ,rm said "Tl k -· h Nrarlr ident ical repo rts to thi s were narrated to us from:
1Anonymous/- (Anun:ir-Ibn .Abi ja<( te ~,~rs, is t e Footstool.'' Abd Allah b. Abi Ziyad- Yal.iya b. Abi Bukayr- Isra'il-Abu
said , concern ing His kursi embraces ti I ar-h1s father-al-Rabt
lmrsi embraces ihe lieai,ens mid the I le 1ead11em and the earth, "When His lshlq-Abd Allah b. Kh alifa- ' Umar- thc Prophet {1);
Prophet (s) said 'O M eafrt I came ow n , th e C ompanion s of thr Ahmad b. lshaq-Ab,, AJ.,mad-lsra'il-Abii IsJ.,aq-'Abd Allah b.
· • cssenger o God I · F ~halifa said. ;,A woman ca me (to the end)."
ens and the ea rrh- 111 I f I , r us oorstool em braces the hca\'•
en w 1at o t 1e T l ?' I As for [the opinion] that is supported by the apparent meaning of
sc-111downA11drlie1•es1 Gd 1ro n e. T1en God (Exa lrcdisHr)
eemnot O as H I I . 1 b 1he ~r'an. i1 is chat of lbn 'Abbas (according to what Ja' far b. Ahi'l-
0 statcmc-nr Glorified is H d H· e ,as t ,e ng It to e esteemed until His
(to Him ) (Q.Jg: )_ .. e an igh Exalted fro m all that they ascribe as parwer Mughira narrated from Sa(id b. Jubayr from him), who said, "[His kurstj Q
Q.u55 67 1• His Knowledge.'' The correctness of this opinion is supported by His Q.2:255
0 Yu nus lb. 'Abd al-A laj- Jb w . 1:i1emem (Exalted is His remembrance) He is not overwhelmed by preserving
statem c-nt His kursi embrace n ahb-Ibn Za yd sa id, concerning His Q
Aslam/ informed Ille I hs the heai,ens a11d the earth, " My father fZayd b. rhcMboth. God info rmed us that He is not overu,l,elmed by preservbig what He
t ,ar t e Messeng O f G d ( ) ' lnows. whic h encompasses all char is in the heavens and earth,just as He
c-m are in the Footsro I ·f I er o said , The seven heav-
I
?
tossed on to a sl •·Id .. I as t ie y we re nothing more than seven dirhams mfonm·d Hi s angels that they should say in their supplications, 0 Lord,
of God say "Tim F · -le sa_id , "Abu Dharr sa id , ' J heard the M essenger )Ou cmbrauall things i,1 mercy and knowledge (Q.40:7). ~ So God (Exalted is
in th e mids't of ,cd ootSrool is to rhc Thron e bur like an iron ring tossed Ht} remrmbrance) informs us that His Knowledge embraces everything,
a csen plai n.'"" ' so. likewise His statement, His kursf embraces the heavens and the earth.
OPINION: Othe rs sai d · , The original meanin g of kursi is "Knowledge. "J An example of chis is
. The kursi is th e Thro ne itself
An accou nt of h I · mat one says k11rrl1sa for a leaf or page upon which knowledge is written.
Al M I t ose w io sa id chac·
- u t 1an113-Jsha _ _ · likrnise , consider the verse of rajaz describing a hunter (qt111if ):
lal-Ba,ri) woul d sa, "fl 9 k A.6u Zuha yr- Juwaybir said,' "Al-1:lasan
Each of these>~ . ~e u rs, is the Throne.'"
exc I pinions ca n b, d . I 1 b •U!i only mrnnons the narration of this badit/1 from ' Um ar and siatc-s chi t ii is found in
wh ept c iat the interpretation of c supporte m one way or a.not ier, th r H~,M collw 1om o( Bazzir, Abii Yi 'l:i al-Maw}ili and Tahar5ni, as we-II .u th(' Ol!r':i_nic
bt icli has come to us from th t~lC verse wh ich ha s preceden ce is that t~rnment~ric1 o( Abd b. f:iumayd .and lbn Mardawayh and a fc-w additional non•canomcal
rn narra1ed to ,. r
01 ~ rmm:
c Me ssenger of God (s) which is w hat has 10u_rctt:al-D1irrdl-111a111luir, 1 :580. 'Abd All:ih b. Khalifo al-Hamdani is a Kufan Successor who
b ., r:irr mrr thr Prophet, which makes this a mimal 1,adirh; lbn l:fajar, 1/l hdhib al-t/Jhdhib, 3:459.
Alla!~~ ~1'.ah Ib. al- Haka111 / b Ab-1 . - ' d 55
!
1 01
·\; e th31 the vc rb u-asi"'a is prt"dicated of God in this verse as it is in th~· pisugc of Q.:z :i.
· usa- Jsra'il- Al,n _ · ~ tya d a l-~pwa ni- Uba_y 1
l ~.; ~:: 1:us~ion: rabbanii wasi 1a kulla shay'in r11~m1atan wa~ ;i/1111111 (Q-~o :7~: , , ., sa •s
lsl.,aq jal-Sa b, ij- 'Abd Allah b. Khalila said, lu Sbk1 r. who is surprised by Ti bari's interpn·tauon of ku m as Kno,,ledg<:,
1 }
1 th e origmal
me.aning of kan r.i.th~r than k1mi is "knowledge"; Taj,ir a/-1/lbari, 5:4o:z.
I : ,cord1ng 1o~u) C1Ji, .-\bu , tthe Mu mili tl1rologian al-~~i 'Abd .al-JabbJ~ (d. 415 / J025) considers "knowledge" 311
brd,.,,.,-ar h. 1nd booki b Dh1rr /1aJr1h i i found d ( Im
l Follow 111 ~ ilit' Dlr ) .-\bfi'I-Sh,oykh .al- lib.ah;ii _~t'whert'" onl >: 111 rhc conunent~ O. ~ - : ~10'. interpretation o( hmi; see his "J im::ili al-Q!r'd,i 'a11 a/-ma1a'i11 (Beirut : D:ir al-_Nah~at
1
th
folluwmg Juv.1 hir 11 lJ 4 t tdiuon, which d 11 .and B.iyh.aq1: al- Diirr al-manthur, I '.j pi/ ,;111:!th a, II~ date). 5~- How('ver, Abf1 lsi):iq ~1-Zajj:ij (d: 3,,1 ,1923). e r.a::: ~~i7~'.,a~~
~0!;
v.lnch do 11
011
1
~J~n~tr e,orl1er pt1ntrd e:: ~: li,wr d1r 11.arnc- al-Qa l_11_1i k in rhl'" IS~ir
I) )l,.ik , ~e Dir 1-1.aJ,or, :0 1 _.and l4 1"r rn.1mbcnp1~ of fa birr's Tofi '
4.'·Qi,'~m}_of Tabm, also c-ndonc:s thl'" mcanmg of k11m i s kno~, ledg( · , i ·a
. ) ~nu1i-1t<ibulm,ed. Al_imad 'Abd a]-R 3 hm:in, 4 vols. (Beirut: D,oral-Kurnb al- Um Y) '
4 539 ·ll07, 1 265-6. "

17-2
173
 Sriral a/-Baqara (2:255)

nii') : , ,.,,;,1,,,,; ,,,J,,, or iyada11."' One also can say ma iidaka fa-lrnwa1
1
/i.J'rJrm. meaning "That which overburdened you also overburdens me."
Th( follo wing int erpret ers said something similar to what we have
iusl s.iid concerning that. An accou nt of those who said that:
Ai-Mutli,nna b. Ibrahlm- 'Abd Allah b. Sali\>-Mu',wiya b. Ab,
5~ Q-Ali b. Ahi Tall,a- lbn 'Abbas said, concerning Iii ya'iid11l111 pmerv-
1
in~thm1 &irli. " h docs not overburden Him."
· Muhammad b. Sa'd \b. Mubammad al-'Awfi\-my father-my
und, \al-Husayn b. al-1:!asan]- my fath«-his father \'A1iyya b. Sa'd
i.l-Awfi]- lbn 'Abbas said, concerning la ya'iiduhu preserving them both,
"Th( pmrrvation of them both does not overburden Him."
Bishrb. Mu'adh-Yazid \b. Zuray']-Sa'id \b. Abi 'Aruba]~tada
la ya'iiduh11 preserving them both, "The pres-
s,;id. concm1ing His statement
emnon of them bot h neither overburdens Him nor exhausts Him."
Al-Hasan b. Ya\>ya- 'Abd al-Razzaq-Ma' mar-al-1:!asan [al-Bairi\ Q
1nd ~cada said. concerning His statement la ya'iid11h11 preserving them both, Q.2:255

·Nothing overburdens Him." Q

Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah b. Bazi'-Yusuf b. Khalid al-Samti-
~ifi b. Malik-'lkrima-lbn 'Abbas said, concerning His statement la
)\1'1idr1hu preserving them both , "The preservation of them both does not
o,·~rburden Him."
Abu Kurayb--Ibn Abi Za'ida; and Yal)ya b. Abi µlib-Yazid; both
of them from Juwaybir--al-I;ia\:il:iak said, concerning Iii ya'ud11l111 preserv-
mgrhemboth, "It does not overburden Him."
A nearly ide ntical report was narrated to us from lbn I:{umayd-
Y,h)·a b. Wadih-' Ubayd-al-I;ial:ibak.
Yun us [b. 'Abd al-A'la]-Ibn Wahb said, "I heard him (meaning Khallad)
0
r, ·1 hmd Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Madini say, concerning this verse Iii
!'J°udulm preservii1g them both, "it does not become onerous for Him.'~"
Muhammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahili]-Abu 'Aiim [al-Nabil]-' Isa [b.
\\'.ymun\-lbn A.bi Najil)-Mujahid said, concerning God's statement Iii
1" udulm preserving them both, "It does not intensify to the point of becom-

ng oppressive for Him."3

T,b.,;" ,dmnfying Ii>< conjugation and verb,! noun, of the verbaMya'ad, ("t0 o,erwhdm")
11l th11~mgc-. .•
Th,a _<wo mm ple, of the usage of ,he vab ada ,re found in Abu ' Ubayd,. M•J"
,/.~, Jn.1 :78 . h th . .
~"" gm,ful fo, M,hmud Shaki,'s explanation of the verb ,.,.,;,ty,k>"'
" in " rep<>"•
~fiiral-Tal,a,;, s: 405.·

175
 TAAA R.J Siimt al-Baqara (2:255)

Mllsii b. Ha. run Ja l-HamdJnij- 'A .-ro iion. on account of Hi s elevated place above lalll the places in His
Na~ r] - Sudd! sa id. con cc rnin Iii ,_ m r [b. Hanunad)-A b-
not over burden Him." g ya 11d,d111 preserving tl,em both ~. a~ jb. CTeadon. bl·cau~e He (Exalted is His rem embrance) is abovc. ifawq) all of
A , It d0e, Hii ,remon. His creation is ben eat h (d,111) Him, :i.s He desc ribed Himself1
I nonymous j- Amm5r- Ibn AbT J (( . ;d,c-mg upon th e Throne. o n acco unt of w hi ch He is high above thcm.
c.o ncc rning Hi s statement Iii ya '1"id11/m a a~-111s fathcr-a.1-Rabf .
non of them both do b preJen,mg them both "Th said, Likewise . th ey disagreed over th e meaning of His statement the
Y0nu s jb. 'Abd al~~'.~;t over urdcn Him. " • c prcserva-
Trm1n1J,,us.
statem 1- ,_ J- Ibn Wa hb- Ibn Za d .d OPI SIO N: Some of th em said: The meaning of tire Treme11do11s in this
d em a ya 11d11J111 presen,i11g them both, " Th y . sa1 _• concerning His
o,:-sTh
no t O\·erwhelm H,·m . ,. e preservation of th cm bot II rhcc i~ '"!he One Who is exa lted (a l-,111/ a?+am)," reading the nwfa«al nom-
uul form asfa ii, like the case of one who says kl,amr (atiq for ''aged wine
c suffi x pronoun l111mii (them bor/1) . .
both refers bac k to the hea11e115 and the eartl ~ 1 ~I s statement preserving them (~l-klt11mr 11l-mr/11tt11qa)," as th e poet lal-N shaJ said,
th e semcnce is: His Knowled (k . i. hcrcfo rc, the interpretation of
the preservati o n of the he ~e •11 r~) embraces rlze liea11ens and the earth· and w.i-ka 'auna'f-k/10mra ' f- •a1iqa mi11a'l-isjin_ti
avens an du." ea rth does not overburden Him. 1111w1::iija1a11 bi-111/J 'i11 ::11/iili
[The m tc of her mouth} is like the most sublime aged wine
G IN TERPRETATI ON O F H .
As for ti . e is the Lofty, th e Tremendous Mixed with the purest. refreshing water.
Q. u ii . 1e mte rpretation of Hi Q. 2:255
15 tl,_e Lofty." Th e wo rd al-'Ali ,sjt :~tem~nt wa ~lwwa'l- 'Aliyy", it is "God Th(' meming of ~tiq in thi s verse of poetry can only be ,,u/ attaqa. They
G md: The meaning of His statement the Tremendous is the Exalted Whom
0
ya ~ul uli'.:muan , when someor;: e fa ,I nommal form of th e verb 'ala/
al1 yy11n. The meaning of / 'A,~es _lughe r, and one says "He is ~Jin or His creation exalts, reveres and fears. They continued: There are only two
exalted rank above H · a_- 'YY is: " H e Who possesses loftiness and possible meanings of the se ntence "He is (a+im. " One of them is "He is
Likewise /th IS c~canon, by means o f His power.,. m hed," as we have described, while the other one is "He is enormous
e meamng ofj H is t
.is: " H e Who ,possesses g d s ate m e nt aI-:.-4 ' ,?"im (the Tremendous) l'1 itrms of length and weight." They said: Therefore, given that it is
h inferior. Nothing i reatness ( Jui '/- 'a+ama), to whom e ver y thing el se tnralid to say that the meaning !in this context} is "He is enormous in
Al - Muthann:i-'Abds greate . 11 • " as I I1ave b een informed by:
All -rhthb an _Hi, tmns of length and weight," the opinion we have previously described
Tall;a-Ibn 'Abbas said "Tl a , ·_Salil)- Mu ' awiya b. Salil)-'All b. Abi must be sound.
perfect ed." ' If A.+mi is t he One Whose greatness h2s been OPINION : Others said: Rather, the interpretation of the Tremendous is
ti1e Lofty.
The people of rational in ui , d .
~hat he has "greatness ('a+ama)," which is an Attribute of His. They said:
9 q 1sagreed over the meaning of He is \V(' Jo not desc ribe th e modality of His greatness, but we do annex this
co Him for the purpose of affirming l,His Attributes} and we deny that it
~PIN I ON: Some of them said · T .
., g peers or jrivals wl J .· he mean mg of that is : He is above hav- ~ar\ any resembla nce to the well-known [concept} of hugeness among
1
He is in a loft y pl ac ~ ~e sm~ilar, an d they de nied rhat its meaning is numans, because that would be making a comparison between Him and
fro m any place and i~ -- lcy _said: Ir is impossible for Him to be absent His creation, and that is no t proper." These folks rejected what the people
place. beca use th at des~s_m~amnglcss to describe Him as being in a loft y
110 11 of another one.1 nption wo uld have Him in o n e place to rhe excl u- ':" ' .:,'rp,calSmm; ,nu·,p,mnon of God'spl,cc ,bow H;, Th,on,. wh;,~~:i:::::~ ;1';
cf ~ :in :i r~d Hadr1l1 ; 1ee the tr:rnsb ted commctHlr)' belo w o n Q.57.J_ for\: t God descci;d~
OP!NiON ; O thers sai d : \:.~,h
to 1th~ -: : .b m \'1gorously dcf~ nds 1hc literal m~:inin_g o~ tl'.c so_und J;iad,ilr im lit"S ,h:it
Th e llleanin
g Of I
is : He 15 the
1-r
Lofty above ,s
God 1 ei, he:i\·cn (al-wma al-d1myii) l'ach night in Im fabw (i42.-?), . p .
1 Thu
11 41
' YPICII M t l at
'" N,\~rn,llylocmd lof,y pl,«.
m, Abu a,k, b. Khuuyn" (d. 3n/.:::~• ln:;,n;;;;:;;:];;i·
louuon Fo, the u i.i:uli de1<ri pt1on of God" l tlut G pur, co!lce1ed a largr numbr r of Q!;!r'~nic vcnrs :ind lrad1th s t Ill J!'rris (Bt"irUI : Dir
•ind Mf,rea tnn~ ( a~:: ,a~ Mu talila .ind Khl ri / ;1-.inK rndcncc ;md frel·dom from ..2 pl~y,;ica
5.. a!.Ki.u: 11 111 the hel\"t"n s; SCl" his Ki,ab al-1a111brd. ed. Mui):umn:id Kha
· k'e A1h .iri H • J t"m.il of die divine Attributes of lofnJ1 et
1 al- /s/J111,yyi11 . 2 :256-,,
', aqaa/ b:il- llrmyp . 1978 [1¢81), 110-1 1.

176 177
 TABAR. I

of th~ other pos ition we have mc nci d .

mean mg of lal- ~,?im/ been "the Ex one claimed, by sayin .
necessitated th at God aired (al-Mu<a+zarn) " . g. liad the
G
c -
was nor azttn prio H . ' It would h
~e rse and that the meanin of ! <·.,.- J r to is act of crcatin av~
"annihilated lat the end . "1~"" would be invalid wh JI
the uni-
Him duting those times . o tnnc ' beca use there would be n:none creation THECOW
to exalt
SURAT AL-BA~RA
OPJ~ ION: Oth ers sa id : Rather . (Q. 2:284-286)
descnpcion !of God ) that H . ' H.1 s statement the Trem~ndo .
than Him among His creati c IS enormo us. They said : Ever ~ : a s<if-
smallncss rel ative t H '
0
on has the m eaning of " small" yd
IS greatness.
g other
uc to th,:ir
G
COMMENTARY ON T HE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
ICo11cl11sion of tI1e commemary on i,erse 255 o{s-urat aI-Baqara J
[u84] To God belongs all tliat is in the hea1,ens and all that is 011 earth;
1
1d1r1her )'OU make k,wum what is in your lzearts or hide it, God will call you
e t11r1ao1m 1for it. He u,illforgi11e whom He will and punish whom He will.
Q. 2:255
God (Majestic is His praise) means by His statement To God belongs all
e 1h,u is in rhe l1ea 11ens and all that is on ea rth : God has dominion over every-
thing, small or large, few or great in number/ that is in the heavens and
on earth. He manages all of it and, by His hand , everything changes or
h invmed. Nothing is concealed from Him because He is its manager,
owner and mover.
God (Maj estic is His praise) only intended for this statement to be
chri:at from Him to w irnesses l w ho conceal their testimony, saying,
kO witnesses , do not conceal your testimony. Whoever conceals it, his
hean is corrupt. This ac t of concealment will never be hidden from
Mc, because I know every thing and in My hand rests the control and
ownership of everything in rhe h eavens and earth. 1 know what is hid-
den there an d what is manifest, so fear My punishment in store for you
on account of your act of co ncealing your testimony." This is a threat
from God to whoeve r conceals !his test imonyJ and a way of frightening
ibem fo r doing thi s.
1 Lltm!lr, k~o uls (a,if111).'' While I generall y mmsb.te ,iafs a5 •·soul ," I use "heart., in the
conimtrnary on this vc r5e became the heart is more 1ypically ~een as the locus of secrets
:~: '; '~' w,I; I "" , ho followi,g ,l,o ,~"'ls<ion> of A<bmy wd ;;, kd<>!I. who"'~';
hearts m tlus \'CrK. (Muhammad Asad cr.mslates an/us as· mrnds, while A e
HJlrtm ha1 ~thoughts.")
2 The clm1.e "ft w or great m number" is absent from m ost manuscrip1s of Tabari's Tajsfr ; see
5 JZS of tht Dl r Haja r cdiuon .
3 ~h~ f'.r~1•1ou1 two ve rses (Q.z: z8z- J) lay out som e of 1hc rulings concerni ng wimeues, so
J n ii lmking this \'erse 10 the pn•cedi ng ones.

178 179

ll
 TABA R!

of the ot her posi tion we ha

meaning of /al-~+imJ been .~e mentioned claimed, b .
necessitated that G d the Exalted (al-Mu' y saying: Had th
verse and that ti o was not 'azim prior to Hi ap:am)," it would h .'
. 1e meaning of ( ( _ ) s act of crca . a,e

H im during those ti;n o tun e), because there wo ul~

OP INIO . cs.
t
Is annihilated fat the d f . . a?m1 would be invaJ·d h ttng the Uni.
en all cre.iion
enooneto cxalt
THECOW
sORAT AL-BA~RA
d . N. Others said: Rath er . (Q. 2:284-286)
escnption fof God/ th . ' Hts statement the Trem ,u/, .
than Him among Hi at ~e IS enormou s. They sa·d · E e ous is ~ sdf.
II s crea tt on h I t . verything h
sma ncss relative t H · as t le meaning of" IJ" duc to octheir
er
0 1s greatness. sma

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:

jC01ul11sio11 of tlie commenta
ry on verse 255 of St/rat al-BaqaraJ Ji:.284] To Cod belongs all that is i11 the heavem and all that is on earth;
uht1hrr yi111 make known what is ill your hearts or hide it, Cod will call you
1

tciiao,mrfor if. He willforgfre whom He will and pu,iish whom He will.

God (Majestic is His praise) mea ns by His statement To God belotigs all
is on earth: God has dominion over every-
rbr is in 1hr hea11ens a11d all that
thing, small or large, few or great in number, 1 that is in the heaven s and
on mth. He manages all of it and , by His hand, everything changes or
11 inrmed. Nothing is concealed from Him because He is its manager,

owner and mover.

God (Majest ic is His praise) only intended for this statement to be
rhrw from Him to wi tnesses 3 who conceal their testimony, saying,
"O witnesses, do not concea l your testimony. Whoever conceals it, his
hem is corru pt. T his act of concealment will never be hidden from
Me. because I know every thin g and in My hand rests the control and
ownership of everyth ing in the heavens and earch. I know what is hid-
den ihrre and what is manifest, so fear My punishment in store for you
~nKcount of your act of concealing your testimony." This is a threat
irom God to whoever concea ls [his testimony] and a way of frightening
th em for doi ng this.
th
1L:mUy, "wuh (a,ifiH).~ While I gener:ill )' o;msl:ite naft as "soul," I use "he:irt~ in c
:~:';;"r °" ,h,, _,,,,. bmu><" ,I« hm< i• mo" ,ypically "'",nd ;,Ckd
..,1, " "' "'"I; I "" , ho fo llowing ,h, mmla<ioo,, of
" . '"','~;",:~: ::,~;;
Ach<,'l' 3 ' .. "wluk Abdd
ll hems in rhis ve rse. (Mulmnm:id As:id 1r.mslates 1Jnfiu ~ mmds,
i I
l~r;;:'}l.l-"1hough11. ") . 0 f ab:lri's Tafifr; sec
l n, of ~ fr-- o, i"" in nomb<i' i, ,b,<n< from mo" m,nu,cnp" T
l The rt:he Du H;i,pr edition. . cernin witnci;scs, so
1,~;;" i',"'<wo "'"' (Q.2:28, - J) by ou< ,omc of ,he ,ulmg• coo g
nking tlm \'t rsc 10 the preceding ones.

179
 TA DAR[
Siimt al- Baqara (2:184 - 286)

Then God informed th lhn 8,1Shshar- Abii Ai)mad- Sufya n !al-Thawri] - Suddi- Sha(bi
them and their peers who re:~;v:~ w hat He will do in the H
openl y committed evil r 1· . secre tl y to di sobey a d ereaftcr \\•i rh ·J concrrning His statement whether you make know11 what i5 i11 your hearts
accountab le for /th ci 1' _evca mg It to th em selves·
I r sm as H e sa .d I I . c w, ) hold/ I
rH
n ·1c1onccaleditor :.:•h:J.-
1
,1. G<'I ,,,;//,all)~" to accoimt for It. "' [ThisJ concerns testi mony. "

your ieartJ or hide it. He sa ~. . • ' , w zet ier you make k t ienij \'Jqllh /al-DawraqiJ- Hushay m- Yazid b. Abi Z iyad- Miq sam-
have /indicatin g your / re: . _W het her you make visible what,, i,,h;1ow'.1 Jbn Ahh:is said. concerning th e ve rse whc1her you make kt1011m what is iri your
owncr1 or hide that d k~ cc1?11 and denial of the cl . f CVIdence you h iL•i•r liidr it, Cod will call yo11 to aao1mt for ii, "T hi s ca me down regarding
d d an ·ccp H c . aim o the
ee s, God will mil ,1 t
accounrab le for hi
H II
r
sc ee s-punish .
o y~ ursc lves, along with
I I
propcn y-
do acco11t1 / for If . l 11 o th e r wo rd H yo ~r other evil
s, e wi ll hold I
tht concr:il mcnt and deliver y of testimony.•·
Y.1byi b. Abi Talib- Ya zid- Juwaybir- ' Ikrima said, concerning
His wrinr nt whether ym1 make knoum what is in yoltf heart5 or hide it , God
e wi s, o n acco unt of f I . ) mg w 1ic tcvcr sinn ers fro . . iim
5
sinners among ' H . t mr w icked deed , and fc .. m among you ~- 1/ all yrr1 to aa o11111 for it, "Th e concea lment of testimony or delivering
Tl I . } OU c wis hes /t o forg ive ) org1 v 111g whichewr 11
ien tie lllterpretcrs di s . is.
~;~c:o,~rv;,~a:!'::
II•~ H

:;::::,:'j:;,make k11 011m u,/,a, i;,,~:ct:;ody

, H~
w,1s1sta
CtJd1remrnt
you to
OP INION'. Others s:i id:R ather, this verse came down from God (Majestic
uHi1praise) to inform Hi s servants that they will be taken to task for what
their hands have earned and w hat they had planned on doing but refrained
(;) OP I NION . Some of th
cla use r e f;tr s to Witnesses
em wsaho
id w
c hat we
I hI ave JU st sa id , namely that t!m
Q 2 284
0 : o~,•~t all their peers w ho co nce:~;;• It ie,r tcmmony and, by ,·xten-
u IC An account of those I rd1c1r act o f d1sobcd1ence or made
fro m (atrring Ollt. I
Then rhe people who interpret the verse this way disagreed. Some of
them s:i.id: Then God abrogated chat with His statement God obligates no
Abu Za'1da Zakan - w 10 sa 1 char .1o.•:ilb.Jtllldit55Copc;for it is what it has earned, a11d against it is rvhat ii ha5 accmed
)"" m~r:
Ab, z
"
-d yya b Yahya b Ab- z-· d
k- MuJal11d-Ib11 'Abbas said c~ a ' a-Ibn Fudayl-Yazid b
"' what
110 11
your I • j nccrmng Hi s statement u,htdU'r
(Q.u86). An account of those who said that:
Abu Kuray b-Isl_1 aq b. Sulayman- Mu~' ab b. Thabir-al-'Ala' b.
15 111
,t, He mean s, regardm g test /Carts?,' udc 11, God 11111/ call you to acco,mrfar :\bd al-Rai)man b. Va' qUb- his father-AbU Hurayra said, "When To
God belongs all that i5 i11 the heavens and earth ; whether yo11 make k11owt1 11,/1at i.s
Ibn Bashshar-Ab - Al imon y
Ziyad - M qsam- Ibn cuAbb-,mad- d Suf),-an )a I-ThawriJ-Yazid b Abi : )\JUT heam or hide it, God will call you 10 account far it came down [to usJ ,
1 11
make k,,011111 what you J as sai ' co ncernmg Hi s statement whether )'OIi 11
caused the people to suffer. They said, 'O Messenger of God, we are
15 111
Muh anun ad b al-Mr 'trrs ~r lude 11, " /Th1 sJ con ce rn s resnmony" bring raken to task for what we [merely] say to ourselves !but do not do]!
abo _J
ut H sta tement ,/ierlu:- ur ianna- 'Abd a l- A'J-a sa, d , .. Dawud - - was asked Wt are doomed!' Then God (Mighty and Majestic is He) sent down rhe
15
GuaI , w,llJcall ) 1011 to aao,mr farru)'OU andmake
h k,1011111 11' /iat ,s 111 your 11earts
, or h,J.e If , -mt. God obligate5 110 soul beyond its scope through O Lord, take 115 not to t~sk
or mark
11
1

15 }Our tes timony, whenev.

he Al; Much annai- Muh an:1: /o u hide <H "

, e mfori,ncd u s that ' Jknma said, 'This
t
~"'Jotget, ,,,;s, the (Q.2:286)." My father said: Abu Hurayra said:
Messenger of God(!) said, "'God said yes. !Then God sent downJ, nd
o,J, lay not 0 11 115 such a b11rdefl a5 You did lay on those before 115 uunl the e
0
3rd lknrna say, concen
111 your lrearr5 or / de u G
tcs111nony."
11
111
J g/
at b J a fa r- Shu ' ba- cAmr AbU Sa' id
l e verse whether you makt· known u,hat t5
, o Wt call you to accomu for II , ''[ThIS] concern s
of rhc \·rrse (Q.2:286)." M y father said: Abfi Hurayr.i. said: the Messenger
of God (i) said, "'God said, yes."' _
Abu Kmayb and Sufyan b. Waki'-Waki' lb- al-JarrabJ-S~fyan
1 T3 b.i ri1 i rdC"rmigl,Jc k [al-ThawriJ- Adam b. Sulayman , the ma,v/a of Khalid b. Khalid-Sa Id b.
Hu-olv1ng propC'rt ii to th C" f>TC"\'lou i \'t'HC' 111 wh , ,
'" lumJ(Jh<1// 1,uffiu) ,1~:lnt"d -.1nful : If ycuarto,r a u:h :a Wl!nc ,s co11cc:alm c nr of restifJIOn}
ilu,, u4iuh IJ t nl,u d Ii if ont of }\!" t'llruJU ( ;oum qa11d cmmo1Ji ,ida saibt, 1hen11p/ttfg t
,.,,,J
1,,,, 11,dr "°' ::,,:,,' w'lf)
171 (« co,dmg /() ,ht co,~""';'/,:,~ / (I m,<11/,e, IC'I l,im is /flJJl d Je/;1,er up ; ~1tm lli·• "Wh~, 1hdr souh s:aid co them but the y did no t Jo." . /Humad of
do(Q l .l8J) y Ht u1h,:, h,dt1, rt , ,,m rhu h 4-'t(II 1hem) a11d Irr,,,,,, bt(OtlJfflJuscfccd lb;rn,dmg ,o Soyu11. mi,.ion, of Abu Ho"y<>'• boJilh '" ,ho
11
foooJ •~ ;;:,in• ,,.d Jbn
l Fo llo"' mg d1C" u n~ m !ht' O:ir H y tart 1J smf11/, ,wdG(N},s ,iu,arC'ef u,l,111yt'I' I H~rib~I, tht Sahih o( Muslnn and 1hc ~r'l nic con1111cnur :~ of Jbn Ab ·
lJJr c<lumnofT:ab:ari'~ ·1'afair ; .5 : 1.z9. • .,\l uridlm; al- Dim al-maruluir, 1 :66J.

180 18 1
 TA BAR! Siiriir al-Baqara (2:284-286)

1ubay r- Ibn Abbas said, " When this verse ,\oJ\\"llG(J ol1l(~a1rs "" soul l,ryond ifs srnpc; for it is wliat it
m your hearts or hide it God I ·11 II • whether you make kn h..is e,mitd, 1111d 11gai11st i1 is u,/,at if lias accrued. IBy doin g
II d I , v, ca you to affotmtfior ·1 1-l own wha1 is
w, l"knn p1mis i whom He will • came down Ito t I1e, 'J. e willfornive 6 whomHe ihis] . God abrogat<'d the jretribution fo r evil] whi spers
un I r anyth ing else entered t heir hearts Th Mn 'son1 ething [troubli ) [of die soul\ and established laccoun tabili1 y solcly J fo r
""'.nL'Say, "We bear, we obey, and w~ acce ~~.senger of God (i) "'id";. si atcm<'nt s an d ac1s. "
MaJeSllc is He) cast fa ith into their heart ep; . Then God (Mighty a~d '"'"' fb. Abd al-A'l; J- Ibn Wahb-Yunus b. Yazid- Ibn Shihab
beliellCS ill that which has been sent dowu t I . s an se.nt do wn , The Messeugrr [i.1 -Zuhri ]-S:i id b. Marj;ina reported th at while he was sitting with 'Abd
s,1ra)." Abu Kurayb said ' "[Tl p oh11 mf ro11'. lm Lord (to the end of th Allih b. Umar, he rcci rcd this verse, To God belot1gs all tliat is in tlie hea vcns
task .if, 4,efiorger, or m155
. the'mark ' ,eand rop
jG dJ .d ' , O Lor;d, ta ke us not to'
et] remed ,:,JJl/lha11~q11J car1l1 ; wlredrer you make k11011111 what is i11 your liearts or laide it
he recited j, 0 Lord, lay nor o11 .1u such: sa1 ' I have done this.'i !Thrn (io the rnd). and said, ''By God! Were God to take us to task in accord-
us and [God [ said 'I I d I. burden as You did lay on thost ' -'o 1m with th is n·rsc, we truly would peri sh! " Then Ibn ' Umar wept to
, Jave o ne r 1Is , /Tl h ""J''r
115 PI Ol beyond what 11,e have the t I . b Jen c reci ted) , 0 Lord, burden hpo1nt that his sobbing became audibl e. Ibn Marj3.na said, "So I got up
this.' [Then he recited) P, d s rettgt '
p , a,
o1111s,Jorg11,e 11S d I
M a,
ear and [God) said, ' J have don,
1
iolem and came ro Ibn 1Abbas, to whom I mentioned what Ibn ' Umar
rotector, so aid 11S against the d· b t ,ave mercy o,i us: Yo11 are our -em~ and what he did when he recited it." 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas said ,
,s,;~e;ers
I
Abo' l-Raddad al-Misri a~d [G~d J said, 'I have done th.is.'"! "\\,; God forgive Abu 'Abd al-Ra~man flbn ' Umar]! By my life, the G
G H'
Wahb Allah b R.a I .d Al lah b. Abd al-Salam-Abu Zur', .\fo1lims felt Ifea r] from this verse when it came down,just like what 'Abd Q . n 84
Q. 2'284 Shihab fal-ZuhriJ~~ '~d · aywa .~. ShuraylJ-Yazid b. Abi I:Iabib-I bn A!lihb. 1 Umar felt. Then God sent down God obliga tes ,10 soul beyond its G
G a1 6- Marp na said
!-..;t'(to thC" end of the siira) after it. " Ibn cAbbas said, " lThe avoidance] of
I ca me to cAbd Allah b i ' .
wl,etlier , m k · Umar, who recit ed th e verse, ibc [eril] whispers was beyond the strength of the Muslims, so the mat-
will II> 011 0 e knowt1 wl,at is i11 }'011r hearts or hide ii , God 1:r became such that God decreed that fo r each soul is what it has earned
pu11~: y;"
toaccoumfa, it. He willfarg/1,e u,hom He ,viii and i..·.,hgainst it is what is accrued jonlyJ among jits] statements and deeds."
to takt::so:11 Hek11~ill. Then lbn ' Umar said, " Were God Al-l:lasan b. Yahya-'Abd al-Razzaq- Ma(mar- al-ZuhrT said, con-
o tas Ill acco rda .h I.
would peri sh I" lbn ' U n~e wit t us verse, \:e crul y ~emi11g His statement whether you make kt101Vt1 what is ir-i your l1earts or hide it,
hi s tears we · J . mar t en wept to t he pom t chat _lb~ Umar recited it th en cried, saying ' We are going to be taken to task
(Abd Allah ~e ~us u_ng. T hen I /Sacid b. Ma rj 3naJ came to tor w~a1 we say to ourselves Iyet do not act upon}!' He cried to the point
. Abbas and said to lum "O Ab - 'I 'Abb
tru Iv l came tolb ' U , u - as, ;naihis sobbing became audible. A man who was [seated} with him rose to
you ;nake Jmown ;;iat ,.;;ar, who recited th is verse, whether 1~ai tand came to Ibn 'Abbas, to whom he mentioned all this. {Ibn 'Abbas]
11
th en said. 'Were God t "your hearts or hide it (ro the end), 'lld. 'May God have mercy on Ibn ' Umar! The [early] Muslims felt the
1his verse , I O iake us to cask in acco rdance wi th \lme way as he felt, until Ithe verse] God obligates 110 soul beyoi1d its scope;for
poim iha; h:e iru Y would perish!' T hen he wept to th e 11 uu·h..ir i1 has earned, and agairist it is what it has accrued came down."'
is te.irs were gu l . " lb i bb
God forgive Abd All ah s( nng. n A as said, "May . AI:Muchanna-Ishaq-'Abd al-Razzaq- Ja'far b. Sulayman-I:Iumayd
th e Messenger of God b. Uma~. The Compani ons of
just as Jb U h) were fri ghtened by chis verse, i-Ar']-Mujabid said,
11
mar was frightened by it , so then God se nt I was with Ibn ' Umar, who said wlietlier yo11 make known
d
what is i11 your hearts or hide it (to the end of the verse) all
: ~~rrr 11 a ilighi \'Uiauon mwordm III 1 1
_I.Jr subJrch of thr1C' vn b b g dir narrat ion from ibn Wakf: ~cc D:ir Hajar, s: J · rhen cried. Then I entered Ithe company of) Ibn 'Abbas
J f•t• '"'' m H from du, «pon, w hkh mmly «ad.fa-'1"''' ,nd and mentioned this to him. Ibn 'Abbas laughed and
1-1:~~l •;t/ 0 5
~)-U!i, \'mmom of lbn A
al N ~b &ilr ,J, of Muslim the- S
,
bbls htklitlr ;ire al~o found in 1hc M,m,114 o( I
bn said, ''May God have mercy on Ibn (Umar! Does he not
know why this [ve rse j came dow n and what it conce~ns?
10
,~,.a:,_~ ;,\;'1r ~r ·inic ;onmic-~~: : , ~fTmmdlii and N ;u{i. f/ic Musradrako( ai-Ji~i'.;~
11
Truly. when thi s verse came down, the Companions
-ma,.,Jrii,, L.66 1
) lbn al-Mundlur. and Ba)'h;iqr's a/-A.5""1
1

18.z t8J

cmr
 TA BARi snral al-Baqara (2:284 - 286)

of th e Messenger of God (~) were affl icted by a most "

di s;i ·s, ' I h:we done thi s."' 1 H e said, "This commu.nit y \:a s
severe affl iction, saying , 'O Messe nger of God, we arc HnJ1d. \Go ) f s- at al-Baqara w hi ch no communit y pnor
~11·(11 tht closi ng ve~scs ~· : ur, • • '
doomed!' The Messe nger of God (~) said , 'Say, "We
hear and we obey."' Thi s verse was abrogated by [the . \iJdt,W brrn given. , I ,- . 11 Sh cb-J "d n
wu - 'urar b- J:i.bi r b. Nlli,l- lsm;i 1 - Am1r a - a I sa1 , co -
fo llowing passage J: Tlie Mcsse11gcr bclie1,es in that which has Ahu K l I ' ,0 III ake kuowri 11 ,/,at is ill your hearts or hide it, God ivill call
11
hem sem doum to l,im fro m his Lord , as do rl,c belie11ers. Each wn in11:>.wit/ {t•r" it.) uHe will forg ive whom He will a11 d pimis/J w /iom J-1e w1·11, "The
one believes in God, Hisa11gels, His books n11d His Messengers; r~1r,1aH,iu111. ( r 1'1 ,· g.th is one ab rogated it, which is God obligates no soul
we 111t1ke 110 division brrwcc11 n11y of His Messc",_f!ers through 1«ornlJ,·rrsrio O\\lll
ll..i1 I · / J"
r, • · J t ·r has earned and against it is w int II 1as accrue .
Jrf(({(lpc ·; orll 1swia r , . I I
His statem ent a11d agai,ist it is what it has accrued (Q.2:28s- ·•/ Jbn · ' I- Janr
' ·Humay£
_ - - M u ghtra-Shacbi said , conccrnmg. ,v ,et 1er you
6). Th ey became absolved from accountability for what , . . fi
~·h· bh1wu wlzat is in yo11r hearts or hide II , God wdl call you to ac~outll or
th ey say to themselves, and arc taken to ta sk lo nlyJ for
th eir deeds. " 1
i·~"Thc [second ! verse fo llowing it, God obligates no soil! beyond Its scope,
·~ d ·c His statement 1111,eiher you make known {to the end], means
Al-Muthan n:i-lsbaq- Yaiid b. H arll n-Sufyan b. l:lusayn- :~:~:~\:.;ii call vou to ac~ount for the secrets you made known or.k:,pt
Zuhri- S:ili m lb. (Abd All ah b. ' Umar] said that his father recited wlietlicr r:1JJen. and this [~1eaning} was abrogated by the vcr:e_th~t f~!lows It. he
rou make kno wn wlia1 is i11 yo11r hearts or hide ir, God will call you to acco1m1 for Ya qub Jal-Dawraql)- Hushaym- Sayyar-Sha b, said, When t Q
i1 and then tears flowed from his eyes. Hi s action reached Ibn 'Abbas, wbo ,we. wlie1/rrr you make knou111 what is in your hearts or hide it, God wi~J call you Q. 2:284
said, " May God have me rcy on Abu 'Abd al -RalJman [Ibn <u mar) ! He did L·au,1unrfo r i1 ; He willforgi11e 1vhom He will and p1111isli whom He will, came
what the Companion s of th e Messenger of God(~) did when (this verse] Q
bwn. it aroused great anxie ty, until the following verse came down: For
~amc down . The following verse abrogated it : God obligates 110 soul beyond u,i: u-h.:cit has ea rned, at'.d ~riust it is what it has accmed. This verse abrogated
irsuope (Q.2:286)."
ir.e onr that preceded 1t. c . " le men-
Mul.1ammad b. Bashshar- Abll Ahmad-Su fyan [al-Thawri]- Ya qub jal-DawraqI!- Ibn ' Ulayya-Jbn Awn said, Peo_p .
A~a• b. al-S:i'ib-Sai id b. Jubayr said , "G~d obligates ,io soul beyond its scopr ttoned from whether you make knowu what is in your hearts or Jude II unul for
(Q.i :286) abrogattd the verse wlictlier you make Jmoum what is i,i your hearts ui; u·l1a1 it lws earned, a11 d agai115t it is what it lws accrued in the prescnc~ of
or l1ide ir. " i
Sha bi. wbosai d 'This is wh at becam e the final position, and the learher]
ial-Thawrl] - Adam b.
1
lbn Bash,har- Abu Abmad-S ufya n }'Q!t of the verse has been modified by the end of the verse."' .
Sulay~n.:i.n-Saiid b. Jubayr sa id, " When the ve rse wh ether you make known
Yihva b. Ahi T:ilib-Yazld- Juwaybir- al-l)al)IJak said, concenung
wliat is m your l,earts or liide it came down , lth e Mu slims] said , 'Will we be
HJS lll;~mcnt wlie~l,rr you make knoum what is in your hearts or hide it, "Ibn
taken to task for whatever we say to ourse lves but which our limbs do
.\bi lid said, '[This was the nature of) accountability before for it is what
not ext·cute?' Then this verse came down: God obli~ates no so11l btyot1J its ,,,riascarne,
' · 11· ,s· wI1at 1t· I,as accrueJ .came d O wn • When
d a11 d agamst rhe latter
. ,,,
Sfo[e;for it is what it 1,as earned, cmd a_eai,1s1 it is wltnt has accmed. 0 LorJ,
01 1 \crse came down it abroga ted the verse which preceded It. 3
e us " , ~ task if wt forget, or miss 1/ie mark!" He said , "[God] said , 'I have Anear Iy identica
. ' . o f lb n Mas' ud was ,nar-
th l report on the aut honty _dh
one is. O Lord, lay 1101 on 11srncl1 a compact as Vou did lay on those before i1s!
rated to us from [Ano ny mou sJ- al-l:lu say n lb. al-Faraj]-Abll Mu a

1 According to SuyU!i, H n .t11om f . - . . wd of Jbn

1:hnb;J and the ~r':imc coinmco Mupl11d hadrth ;i,rc found ;i,lso m rhe ;\,fus'. , al-Dun I N~r th.1 rht P~\s~gc u~ rting wnh O Lord , lay rro1 o,1 1/J surh a compMI u'.1til !'.ere docs no t
~l-m,rn1~ii,. i ·66i ntuin of J\bd :.1 1-R azz~q and Jbn ;1]-Mundh.ir . :~.i tmmo1 t manuscripts or primed editions o f T:.1bari's Tafiir; Diir ~aJU, ~·:!Jb. Jubay r
,ro~o"'ingthc rt'admg in the Diir H ajar edi1io n; 5:134 . This /,adith q1'.ds1 from a l
iTh, Dlr Hap,rou1on add\ "/\ ritarl d 8 shshJr-
Abo Ahrnad-~ur)iu- AJain b } 1 t' tHILal rtpon \l.l ~ n:.1rr.nt'd lO us fro m Jim a,. 11 1
134 . ~-rlvl~~g both a Companion and the Prophet in irs chain of ti:.3~~:~ ~ e~: ~wcen 101.17 20 and
The rditon noit ,hat 1111 ~ co1robo~a~'.; }ini 11 , d1, ,nau la of Khl hd - S:.1' Td b Jul»y~ ':mird
1S rqx111 ll abw: nt from 1110 1 man uscnpu l ll P i'f,, Ji uil un Kholm geneu lly agreed that al-r;>aQl.1i k b. M~~;i, · wh~ ·died m p/6p.-J; lbn
cJiuon1 of 1 ahan 1 / efm 1 J,j _ ~J did ~01 rncet any Companions, much less lb n M as ud,
•,i.r, falidlubal-tahdhih, 3:170-1.
 TABA R J S1i rat al-Baqara (2 :284- 286)

lal-F,dl b. Khalid al-~arwazij- ' Ubayd b. Sulayman-al-Da _ r~, J/ IS ui/ial it has ea rned, and agai11st it is what _it, lias accrued.
·[lhn Zayd\ said, IGodj restri cted accountab1ln y to .deeds
d Ibn. 1:l umayd-
.. Janr- Bayan- Sha' bi said "F - . I : hhak .
, orl/1s w1atrrha 5 and relimiuishcd it from whatever occurs [onl y j Ill the
~" agamst If IS w/rar it l,as aa med abrogated 11 ,hetlier u make tarntd,
m you r hearts or hide it." yo kt1o w11 u1hat is hcJrrs. '
[Sufylnj ibn Waki'-my fa th er- Musa b ' Ub d Al-Mud1Jnna-l:J ajjaj- Hushay!n~Sa~yar AbG'l-~ak an~- Sha(bi-
b K, 'b· d f jib w k~ . ay a-Muhammad -~~ii Ub.iyda b. cAhd Allah b . .Mas ud - said, co~ce.rnmg Ht~ statement
. ' . rom n a i - m y fa therJ-Sufyan [al-Th.awri]-
Jabir= Muph1~:. an d fro m IIbn Waki'- my father)-Ibraltim ~J.Jrlier )\111 make km,11111 wha r is III your hearts or Jude 1t God 1_v1~l call ~u to
Muh,Jir- Mup lud: they both said, "This verse God obligates I 1,, bd ;ai~a~rjirir ... Thr vcrsc fo llowing this 0 1,1e abrogated 1t: For It IS what 1t has
its scopr abrogated th e ve rse whether yo11 make
hide it ."
k,,:.,,,,
what is i tJosou,_ }'OU
nyourrieart5or
i;mi.'ll, dnd agiii,1.(/ it is wliat ir has a:c~ued.
1

_ _

Musi jb. Harem al-H amdam]- 1Amr {b. l:lammadj- Asba\ lb,
A nea r~~~ idc~ti~l ~cport was n: rrated to u s from Ibn Wakf-111 . s,:rj-Suddi said, concerning His statement whether ~011,:nake known wh~t
l' in )\1 r hearts or hide it, God will call yo11 to accoimt for 1t, On the day this
father-lsra ,1- ~abir- lkrima and 'Antir lal-Sha' bi) . l 14

. AI-Muth anna-1:lajjaj-1:lammad- l:lumayd~l-l:!asan jal-Basnl
said: c~nccrnmg Hjs statement whether yo11 make known what is;,, your he~rt.5
G or lude 11 ~o. th e end of the verse, "[The verse J God obligates no soul beyo11d its
scope;fi!r it is what it !~as earned, aud agai,ut it is what it has accrued abrogated it."
~ ish, _lb;_ Mu ad hj- Yazid [b. Zuray' )- Sa'id fb. Ahl 'Arub,J-
~tada said, Th is verse, meanin g Hi s statement God obligates no soul beyond
us scope, abrogated . . ti l e precc d·mg verse III Itether you make knoum w /iat t5
· w·
yo 11 r hea rts or lude If , God will rail }'OIi to aaowu for it."
~ l-}-:lasa n b. Yal.1y3.- (Abd al- R azzaq-M a' mar--Q!t:ida said, con-
~c: rnmg ~ is st atement whether )'Oil make known what is in your hearts or hide
'.'' God will ml/ )'Oil toauoumfor it , " Hi s statem ent God obli"gates no soul bqond
HS scope abroga ted it. n
Yiinus lb. 'Abd al-A'laj- lbn Wahb-Jbn Zayd said:
When thh verse wh ti k k h . .
hearts or l1ide it , ier )'O Ii ma e 11011111 u, at is "' yo1,r
h . , Godw1ll callyo11toacco1mtfo rit, came down,
t .~ ~~ sh ms grew di 5trcssed and severel y anxious. They
sai ' O Messenger of God. were something jwickcdJ
t\occur in our hearts which we did not do, would God
ta e us to task for this?" !The Prophet ] said "Perhaps
;°u lare_saying something Jjke what the c hildren of
srae u1d, namely Wi h
repli ed "R. h
of cod,.,
d J· "
e earat1 we LSObty(Q.2:93)! They
alt er, we hear and we o bey, O Messenger
· Tie n a part of I n .. · h gihc reading of the Dir Hajar cdition ofTabu1 s Tafm. 5. i3S. , _
relieved th . Th t l C ~r Jn came down c at
down emh: fit Messenger belie1,es in tl,at which has betn
Jffl f
lo miromlt " L d d
befieiits itt God, His an,s ,t or , _as o the bdie~rs. Each one
th rough H" 'gt s, Hu books and H,s Messmgers
15
Slatemcm God obligates 110 semi beyo,1d its scope;
rrr~nmcdown. the [Muslimsl would have been taken to task for what-
rm[e\ilamJ their hearts whispered , but which they had not done. They
comp!omrd about this to the Prophet(~). saying, 'If one of us !conside~s G
Co:ng something wicked) , will he be taken to task for it even if he did
~,Mdo n? By God! We have no control over the {wicked] whispers [in
o~r hems]!' So God abrogated this verse with His statement that comes
,far it : God obligates no soul beyond its scope. The {wicked] thoughts in the
3
bn mamong the things over which they lack strength {to restrain}."
IAnnonymous]-'Ammar-'Abd Allah b. Ahl Ja' far-his father-
~tidBaid that C.A.'isha, Mother of the Believers, said, "{This verse} was
1~ogot('d by His stateme nt For it is what it has earned, a"d against it is what
~bacm1ed."
0P! ~ION: •Otherssaid, from among those {interpreters] who said [some-
t~ng in this regard 1, ''The meaning of that is an announcement from God
.\\Jjtstic is His praise) to His servants that they will be taken to cask for
th
v.hutrer their ha nds earn and their limbs do, as well as whatever ey
1•i· to themselves yet refrain from doing." This verse is a dear sign th at
th
llooiabrogated. 5 God will hold His creatures accountable for what ey
in.:irqx,n nbckinga Companion in its ch;i.in of transmi11cn, which makes it 111 "™~· Styil~
:.~ t
er.~ 1 ulitcd hadirh to lbn Zayd's hadi1h which p:mes through AbU Hurayra ;i.n~ is O 11
.Hwsnad of 1h11 i:{anb..il, the $abrb ~f Muslim, and 1hc ~r'anic commentaries
:follo:~:hirind lb~ Abi ~Ut im ; al-Durr al-rmmthUr, I:~'.· _. . Oihcr editions ha\'C
A6,j
:lbii r~;·d;i an ~bd All:ih b . Mas' Ud instead of bi11 'Abd A1_lah b. :~;c~d~akes it mursal.
,rtuiu: 1 11
_1;i,d,mg a Companion from its chain of transmi_mn. and OPINION above .
'i b u;i,ll)_thealternativeopinion of the advoca1esofwhattSlhesec Q .7 which is
3
!...~: __rmeining of "clear ~ign (,riuhkarna)" see Tahari's commentary on · · •
..;i~tdbt,iow. · '

186 187
 TABAR J S1/mt al- IJaqara (2:284- z86)

h:we .dont and for w h at they resolve, in te nd and wish t
rcframcJ from doing . He will fo rgive ti . b 1· r o do secretly• but
k h i e e ievers ror th d
tas · t e people of di sbe li ef and hypocri sy fo r th at. at an take to
An account of those who sa id th at:
AI-Muthanna-'Abd Alla h b. Salil)- Mu' awiya b. S
Talha- Jbn Abbas said, alih-'Ali b. Ab;
H is_s ta_tement u,l1erl1er yo11 make k 11ow,i what is in your hearts
o, l11de 1t , God will c_afl you toaao,mtjor it was n o t abrogated.
ln~tcad. God (Might y and Majestic is He), when He
b:ngs together Hi s crcaru rcs o n Resurrect ion Day
~vi ii say, " J shall in form yo u of w hat you have hidde~
'~ your s~ ul s. amon g the thin gs th at M y angels did not
d iscover. As for the bel ievers, jGod/ w ill inform them
and forgive them of what ever fwicked plan sJ they said
G to th emsel ves; an d thi s is the meaning of His statement
Godwillcallyo 11 toauo1111tfor it; He willforgi11ewhom He will~
~ e says: He will in form you !of your secret unfulfilled
sn~sJ: As for th e people of do ubt and un certainty, God
or
wil l inform them their rejecti o n [o f Godj , which they
c~nceal~d. and th is is the mea ning of H is statement, He
wdl fo rgwe whom He will and pun ish whom H e will and His
Slatement , Ratlirr, I-le takes you to task for whate11er doubt
and hypocr isy your hearts l1a1,e earned (Q.2:225) .1
derd. God divul ges it and informs him of it on a day wht•11
sccrrr.' JJTl' lm1d1· lmoum (Q.86:9). If he did not do thi s deed,
God will not take him to task for it, unless he docs it ;
Jnd if hr did it, God will overlook it. as He said, Those
arr iheyjr,m1 uilwm M'e affept the best of wlwt 1/icy do, and
(lrrtlt~'k rhrirn,il deeds . (Q.46:16).
Yahr3 b. Abi Talib-Yazid- Ju waybir- alM ~)a j~~ak said, concerning
Hismtemrlll U'herher yo11 make known whar is ill your hearts or hide it, God will
1
./p11 ,oam11m1for ir to rhc end of the verse : Ibn 'Abbas said, "Truly God
(B!,i1td ~nd Exalted is He) wi ll say o n Resurrection Day, ' My [angelic]
,._ "~t' h.m· not written an y deeds, except those that took place. As for
~.JP"OU bm: kept secre1 in your hearts, today I shall call you to account
11
r~r 11. forgi\"ing whomever I wi ll {to forgive J and punishing whomever
f111il [to punish].'";
YJhy~ b. Abi T:ilib-cAli b. C.. \~im-Bayan-Bishr-Qeys b. Abi G
HUim s.i.id, '"When Resurrection Day comes, God (Blessed and Exalted
1, He)w11l make the creatu res hear Him say, 'My scribes only wrote your
il"l'dsthat cook place. As for what you kept secret, they did not write this
to: did they know of it. I am God, Who knows all of this, even better
:u.ll do you. I fo rgive whomeve r l will and punish whomever I will."'
[AnonymousJ-al-f:lusayn b. al-Faraj-Abu Mu'adh [al-Fa<)! b.
Hilid •l-Marwazi]-' Ubayd b. Sulayman-al-Oal~l)ak said, concern ing
H~sr•tmienc wliedicr yo 11 make k 11 ow,i what is i1I your hearts or hide it, God
·-- u:.llyo1110aao11u rfar ir: Ibn (Abba s would say, "When humanity is sum-
1

uncleMuh,mmad
lai- Hu b· Sad
· [b · M u IJam ma d a I- 'AwriJ-my
c £at her-~}.
:-.onedfor n:·ckoning, God will inform them of what they have concealed
I A r-J · sayn b. al-J:fasa n] - my fat her- his fat her ['Atiyya b. Sa d
a - ;" 1 - Ibn Abbas sa id, conce rnin g whether you make k110.wrt what is i,i :·t 1ei~ heans yet refrained from doing, saying, 'Not hing can elude ~e.

your tearrs or l,ide it, God will call you to acco,mt for it , .,,illmform you or the evil you have kept secret, which My recording
,'..;eh(bfa?arryi, who watch over you, were unable to access. This is the
T~lose are your secret and visible deeds, for which God •:counting.'"
Mil c,a/1
God J you to. auomu. T lle re IS· no belie ving se rvant fo f
,, _.\near!yidenrical report was narrated to us from al-Q!sim-a1-J-:Iusayn-
I who wills secre tl y to him self co do a good deed _,,, Tum,yla-'Ubayd b. Sul ayman-al-Qahl!;k-Ibn 'Abbas. _, _
dex~ept ~hat I ten good deeds are record ed if he does th e

fo
r~ an one good deed is wrirten if he is not granted
t ier capaci
God .ty co
I do it · Th 15
. is
. d ue to him bei ng a believer,
Al-M u1hann3- IsQaq- Jbn Abi Jacfar-his fat her-al-Rabi said,
'~J~;r~ing His statement whether you make known what is in your ~,ea r~
t:.e u, God will call yo11 to accoimt for it , "This is a clear sign, which is
of th b ;~ P eased wich the secret an d visible /deedsJ

J
e e ievers. If a person confides to himself an evi1
L11c:ral1 )·, M,n 1hc:1r ~uh M
:~J rh:u ~l-l)lhl;iik nen·r met Jbn 'Abb:is, m chi s is au i111crrup1ed ch.Un of u a nsmin~~s-
• •,,~~~g 10 SurCrti . dus lzadith qudsi is fou nd onl y in Tabari's Tafair; af-Dilfr a/-rnanr ur,
l Accord111g to Suyu11, , h,s hadith wdsi . of Jbn r 11 ~1t::):ophe11s rnhsing from its ch:iin of transntictc~s. _ _ nrroitsarrdrcf()rdi,ig,
al-Mu11dlur and lbn Abi 1-1~11111'. al n found dsc-whc:rc: o nl y in die- conuuc-nraneS he! is
m1u 111g fr om u 1 chain of tnn~rn,;ttr: Dwr, ul-rrnmrhiir. r :662- 3. N o lt" 1ha1 1hc Prop ··~ ~,w(,J ii, sc:e the passage. Lo! thtrt au tJl101't' ya11_guard1a1H _(bllji~1 ), gtslation.
11

,, Utar yoi, do. (Q .8 2::10-12), which is not mdudcd Ill t!us iran

1.SS
 TABA RI Siimt al-Baqa ra (2:284- 286)

not abrog~tcd by any thi n~. ~ c says, C?od 14, jf/ call you to account for it.
Res urrection Day, God will mform lmn , [saying) 'Truly you On
. . . . ' concealed
tins and chat m your chest! H e will not take him to task [for this]."
Al-Muthanna- lsl.1aq- lbn AbiJa(far-his fathcr-(Antrb. cUba 'd-
al-B asan !al-Ba~riJ said, " It is a clear sign t hat was not abrogated. " )
Ya qub ia_l-OawraqiJ - ibn ' Ulayya-lbn Abi Najili-Mujahid said,
concerning Hi s statement wl1etl1cr you make known what is in your hearts or lzide
i1, God will call you roacco11t1tfar it. "The doubt and certainty lin your hcan sJ."
Muhammad b. 'Amr ial-Bahili]- Abil 'Aiim [al-Nabil]-'lsa \b.
Maymfm ]- lbn Abi NaJi~- Mujahid said, concern ing God's statl"ment
(Might y and Majestic is H e) ,vherlrer you make knowr, wl,at is in your li fartsor
hide it, God will call yo11 to affo1111t for it , "The certa inty and doubt [in your
heart s!."
A nearl y identical rcporc was narrated to us from al-Muthanni-Abll
G l:fudhayfa- Shibl-lbn Abi Najih-Mujahid .
Q.2:28-4 TABAR! SAID: Th e interpretatio n of this verse, according to what Ibn
G 'Abbas has said in the narration from <Ali b. Abi Tall:ia, is: "Whtther }'llu
make k,101v11 what is in your hearrs, from among the wicked deeds you made
visible, by meam of your bodies and limbs, or hide it , by keeping it secret in
your heart s and not divulging it co anyone among My creatures, I jGod]
will ca ll you to account for it. I shall fo rgive all of that for the people of
fai th in Mc, and I shall punish the people of doubt and hypocrisy in My
religion."
As fo r the narration on th e authorit y of Ibn 'Abbas from al-Oabbik,
1
which Ubayd b. Sulaymin transmits, an d the opi ni on of al-Rahf h. Anas,
it s interpretation is as fo ll ows: Whether yo u make vis ible what is in your
hearts by performing acts of disobedience or concea l your desire to do
th is in your hea rts and keep it hidden , God wi ll inform you of th is on
Resurrect ion Day. He will forgive whomeve r He will, and punish whom-
eve r Hewill . 1
_As fo r th e opini on of Mujihid , it is similar in meaning to what 'Ali b.
Ab1 Talba has narrated from lbn (Abbas.
OPINION" Ot!,
I . ·
h I
ers-among t e interpreters J w ho said, us .. l
"Tl . verse is a
c ear ~1gn th.u is not abrogated" and agreed with those who said, Tie
mea nm g of this is th b H' sen>ants
0
f h . at, Y mea ns of this verse, God informs is d
w at He will do with them on account of th e deeds they have ma e
1
Nmc that m dm ~ond . absolvtd
of tht1r v.ickcd unfulfi1):~r,nhuon from 1h11 'Abbi~. Mu)luns arc no1 promised. to
ought), 111 COntr.ist to t he lin1 narr.ition from hun.
kc hiddc,t"-said: The meaning of this verse is: God will call
I
lnoirnor Pd . I 11 of His creatures for all th e evil deeds they have
. uutan pums I a l .
t~ J;:tnown and all of th e ones they have kept secre t,. except t 1at ~ts
m• :hruent of them for what they concealed yet refram ed from ~omg
fJ~\s of the calami ti es, tragic eve nts and pain that befell them Ill the
.~niti I rnrld \duri ng their lifc..·timcsj.
rr:npc'Ta '
AnlCCOU lll of those who said that: _ .
Yihra b. Abi T:ilib- Yazid- Juwaybir- al~~al)bak said, con~en~-
i:·· His ~tamncnt wlictlier yol4 make k,iown what 1s rn yo11r hea rts or l~1de It,
1
G~u,i/lc.i/1 }'OIi 1o affmWt fo r it: cA'ish a used to say, "W~1oever desires. to
~oin tvil deed yc1 does not do it , God send s a hardship or sorrow like
:hen! one he drsirrd to do, yet refrained from doing, which [serves J
.!itscxptation ...
\.lnonymous!-al-1:fusayn !b. al-FaraJ]-Abil Mu' a~h [al-Fad! b
Q
Khilid ,1-Marwazi]- ' Ubayd lb. Sulayman]-al-Dahhak md, con-
ctmmg His stat emen t wlurher yo11 make k,wum wliat is in yo1tr hearts or Q.2:284
U1 it, God 11 ,j[/ call you 10 acco1111t for it: <A'i sha used to say, "God calls Q
101ccoum in the temporal world eve ry servant who intends an act of
C.mbcdience or suggests one to himself lby making him 1afraid, sad or
IJXIOUS.
Al-~sim-al-Husayn- Abil Tumayla-'Ubayd-al-I;>ai)i)ak said:
A'lllusaid , concerning this, "God calls to account in the temporal world
t1u) scrYant who desires to do an evil deed or act of disobedience and
r.:ggms chis to himself [by making him J afraid, sad or severely ~orri~d.
fothit [which he fears and worries about] will not come to pass.Ju st hke
b d~ircd to do an evil deed , but did not do anything." c _
Al-Rabi' b. Sulayman-Asad b. Musa-Hammad b. Salama-Ah b.
Ziyd-Umayya lbint 'Abd Allah] asked 'A'isha about the verses ,vhether
f• mJkekuown rvhar is in your hearts or hide it God will call you to acco.!mr for
-,:id Heu•lio does wrong will l1ai,e rhe recompe;ue rl,ereof(Q.4: 12 3). rA'isha~
id, "Nobody has asked me abou t this since I asked the Messe~gcr
G,d (s), who said 'O 'A'isha thi s is God's follow-up (11 111 taba'a)- to H~
"'•nt !for his si~s ] by mea~s of the bad things that befall him, _su~-1
\1'icrer, a misfortu ne a sti ng even some wares [which] he puts m . s
!.tn·f, then loses, gives' u p tryi~g to find and finally finds in his armpit.
: ~·D<hhilnn·n tnl' t 'A'ishi, so chis is an interrupted irniid. <• /,d rrepro3Ch,
1
~n .of rhis report SuyllJi includes in al-D11rr a/-ma,uhUr ~ia\~::';ntcxt; al-Durr
1~ ~
/ ... n.d l 1n~ttad of mu1iiba'a; both words seem to make scme Ul
~,rhM,. 1:(16 _
3

ll)O
191
 TA BAili
~hi ~ is how a belic-vc r is rid of hi s sin s.just as th e re d ore
/it s 1mpuritics J in t he bellows.'" 1 gets away fro in
!ABA R! .SA I D : The best o pinion, among t h ose w e have m e .
rntcr~)recrng thi s ve rse is th e o pi nion of th ose w h o sa id : It isntion cd, _
that IS not abrogated. Th e reason for t h is is th t 1· a cl ear sign
b db I / a a ru tng ca n o nl b
a rogate )' anot 1er rulingJ that negates it co mpl c tcl · 11 .
and the ve rse God ohl~~ares 110 soul beyond its scope ·fo r it i · y /n ~.,m facets.
and agai11St it is what it has arcrued doc s no t n ega te, ti d rv ,a_t it
. (. H. b 1e ecrec m w uch God
111 o rm s 1s sc~vants y H is statem e nt , Iwhether you make known what • .
ro11r l1earts j or l11dc it. God will ca ll )'OIi to arco,m t for it' b ecau se th e act of
mg to account docs no t necessi tate pu ni sh me nt o r t aki ng to ta sk anyone
on acco u nt of hi s sins .
God (Majesti c is Hi s pra ise) has decla re d , conce rning th e w ron gdo-
ers. that when th e [h eavc nl y j book s record in g t h e ir d eed s a re di splayed
Q befor e th em O il Rt'"surrection Day, t h ey w ill say, i¥oe to us ! W ltar kind
"// book is this that leaves 11eirl1er a small thi11g nor a g reat thing but has c.01mred
at. (Q.i S:49). H e decla red t hat th e ir boo k s wi ll e nume rate all of thei r
minor sin s and major sin s among t h ei r deed s, but the fex.i stence of j
~h ese boo ks doc s not neces sitate ch at a ll of th e p eopl e who h ave faith
111 God and H is Messe nger and art'" o bed ien t t o Him mu st be punished
for _th e _sins that arc recorded in the m , eve n t h o u g h th ey record all of
th e 1r 1_m nor and m ajor sins, beca use God (Might y a nd M ajestic is H e) h:is
pro,m s~d t~ pardon th eir m ino r sins in exc h a nge fo r th e ir avoidanct· of
th e_major s111s. In Hi s revelati o n , God sa id , If you avoid the maj or (th ing5)
u,l"cl, aref orbidde,,, We will rem it from )'Oil your evil deeds and make 1'0 11 enter
at a 11 oble gate (Q .4:3 1). Likcw ist'", God's ca llin g acco unt of Hi sser~'-
to
ant s who are believe rs, co nce rni ng the matters tl1 ey h ave co ncealed Ill
th ei_r heart s. does not necessit ate Hi s punis h me nt o f th e m . Rar h er,_ His
call mg th em to acco unt , God willing, for t hese /co n cea le d bad deStrt:sj
se rves to make t hem aware of the tre mendou s favo ur tha t He be st0 wed
~po n th em , whi ch is pardon in g th eir Jmi nor sin s !, ju st as w e have been
mforrned o n th e auth orit y of the Messe ng e r o f Go d (~) by: .
f; hAl.un,d b· al-M iq
' d-am- Mu , tam1r
. b. Su layma- n /a IT
- ayn
uj-!11)f
~t der- ~t i da- Safwan b. Muhri z- I bn ' U ma r- th e Pro ph et_ o
0
(J) said, "Go d (Mighty an d M ~j csti c is H e) dra,..,s n ear t o His bc!Jev-
1 Accord1 11 g to Su yUii v.u i:it1 r J..: ,
lbn I lanbal, tl1, Sun,;., or T 1ro 1u o - l)ha haduh :i r, found ll1 the /11ummls o dhi r a11d 1bo
Abi Ilium, and D.i.)•ha I'~ Sh: 1: 1dhi ,_ih~ ~ r·l,uc commt·num.·s of llm al-M un
q b al- mi,rn ; al- Dun al- 111<1111/11i r, 1 :663.
19 2
S1/ml al- Baqara (2:284 - 286)
1
.. ff icr \ Jnt
0 11
Resurrection Day u1: t il H e pu ts ,Hi s veil (ka11aj} over him,
~~:n Hr j;trks conrinnation of his sms, sayin g. Do y~u kH ow lof thi s sin
:~;n.:iu diJj?' "Yes.· replies [the bclicvcrJ . [';'odJ says, I concealed it in th e
for ·,m~rJI world. and I sh:111 fo rg ive it today ! T hen H e shows him his good
~~ -. Jnd [the belk\·cr] s:i?. ··~ake, read.my book (Q .69: 19)!' o r whatever J;,~
i.l\.lir,iosay. As for the d1sbel1cvcr, he 1s summo ned forth , fo r all to sec. •
y r-
c: Ihn BJshsh:ir- lbn Abi <Adi- Saci d jb. Abi <Aruba] and Hi sbam ; and
earned,, a~ YiQiJb b. Jbrihim [a l-Dawraql j- Ibn <u layya-Hi sham ; bo th of t hem
::i.,m~t;idJ- Safwan b. Mu l.1riz sa.id :
::1;'~ Whrn we were circu mambulati ng the Ka<ba w ith 'Abd
1\l lih b. Umar, who ·was also ci rcumambul ating it , a
· man prrsented hi mse lf to him and said. "O Ibn <umar,
hJ\'e you nm heard w hat t he Messenger of God(~) said
concerning rhe inti mate conversati o n Iwith God in the
Hereafrerj?'' He said, " I heard the Messenge r of God(~) Q
S-J \ ' 'The believer will be d rawn close to His Lord until Q . 2 :284
H~·pms His veil over him and he w ill be asked t o co nfirm tl)
his sin s. God says. "Do you kn ow of this [sin] ?" and he
replies, "O Lord, forg ive [itJ! " tw ice. until , w hen God
has gone as fa r as He wishes to go, H e says, " I concea led
this for you in the temporal world, and I forg ive you of
n today." Then he is g iven his pages (o r book) of g9 od
deeds in his righ t hand. As for the di sbeli evers and the
hypocrites. thev are sum m o ned fo rth fo r all t o sec by
[the words j; Tii esr are rhry wh o lied concerning their Lord.
.\'ou, tlie turse of God is 11po11 wrongdoers (Q.11: 18).'"
1
' 1:JvGod (Majestic is Hi s pra ise) does [the foll owing] with His believing
le.Tant : He informs him of his evil d eeds in o rder to make him aware of
t: tremendous favou r He bestowed up~n him by pardoning him. This
~wh 2t Hr (Exalted is H is remembran ce) does by calling him to account
nd
=~:11.·h~t hr has made known and w hat h e h as concealed in his heart; a
:.::n Hr forgives him of each si n afte r H e h as m ade him aware of rite tre-
:-.:~dous fa,·ou r and hono ur H e has bestowed upon h im . Then H e covers
7':..: •ord k.:i if •• . - " I •· Jb al~Mubirak's gloss or the
~t.l:·n-J
.
l!
~a means wmg, side, Rank . I am ol ov.mg 11 . f I /.1,ari bi-shar&
m, (" veil"), .is recorded by lbn l;b j ar al_.'Asqal~ni ; 5' \1 1us;·; '\ s:« ?·
140
rt:~H.iri, D:/:b~
e~. -~bd :ii- Aziz b. Baz, 14 vols. (Bc_ir~t: ,~ ,:m's ·badith ;m:.~ls.o
1:_.1UJ g to S~yu11 s rommcn1 ary on Q . 11 :18, van anons b Abi Shayb;i., the ~r :rn},'
1 11
. ( f:i)'alisi ,od ~'.-:, - the $.Jh,~\ of Bukh ~ri and M uslim, th, fv! 11 ! <11Hl<lj or d;i.wa ,h and B;i.yh;i.qi
;. ,"'llt.~t•nr1 or lbn al-Mu ndhi r, Ibn Abi l:;-lamn and ibu M:i r } '
~'l'..i ijt'l-sifjr; <1/-D11rr a/-m,wtluir, 3 :.588.
193
 TA BARi Sii rn r a/- Baqara (z:284- 286)

it , and that is the fo rgiveness God h as promised His belicvin sc r )('rlllissibl c \by H imj. but then He (Majcsti~ is His praise)
H e sa id , Hr will forgive w/10 ,n He will. g rvants, a~ Jc1 ccdbwfolo \ \" t ded tol re fr ai n from domg some acts
. '.t,.,dc thelll: or this p~rson dm en\ ich originallir one could refrain from
QUESTION: \D oes no tj His statem en t (Might y and Majestic is Hc)Jo, . 10 , dcd bun to o, w l J h
!bl.God (Otnlll~n God made them obligatory for Hi s creation Ito ~o . e
is 111l1a1 ii has wme,l , and againsl it is wl,at it l1as accrued (Q.2:286) declare th:: i1\1wlly. hut thl n . I . \ o a b eliever and docs no t fulfil his desue,
all creatures are only taken to t ask for the sins th ey have accrued, and will \10 de-tires tins w 10 1s a s . d
rcr1cin w J d 10 himself is not punished, JUSt as we narrate
be rewarded onl y for the good deeds they h ave earned? \1h1,h ht keeps c:1;c~; ~od (~) sa id, •"W hoever desires a good deed that
R ESPONSE: That is h ow it is. Th e se rva nt will not be taken to task for :hlt tht Mrs_srng lo a sin le good deed is recorded on his behalf; and
any thin g, except fo r doing an act that h as been made forbidden or refrain- doc< not ll\ fac t < • ·tgd d that he docs not do, nothing is recorded
i1hoen·rdesircs to d~ an cl' '. ' l cc l , e described pertains to the believing
ing from doing an an th at h as been comma nded \by God]. . .. 1 All tins w 11c 1 we 1av • d
.gaimt un.h , I d and Exalted is He) will call to account an
QUESTION: If th:n is th e case, th en what is th e m ean ing of God's threat ,:rnnts whom God (B csse
(Might y and Majestic is H e) to us conce rnin g what our hearts concr:il :~rn refrain from punishing. . h· d b rding
l I d in his heart ts ou t rega
in H is statem ent H r will p1m isl1 whom H e will give n that for it is what it lia5 A.s for the person w 10 co~cea . f the Prophets he will perish
ea rn ed, a11d a,'!ai11s1 ii is wlMt it l,as accru ed \d oes not apply to] what we h:,xr G~J Jnd incredulity regarding t 1e m1ss1~ o G d (Majest/c is His praise)
G concealed in our h eart s (quliib) and hidde n in our h ea rcs---such as dcsiri1_1~ m:n,.lly in Hellfire and is the pe~son w ~mHi~statcment, He will pimish Q.2:284
sin and acts of disobedience--beca u se our limbs did not actually accruc n.
RE SPONSE: Truly God (Maj estic is Hi s praise) h as promised to pardon the
believe rs for something much greate r than th eir individ ual desire f~r at
l.,1 promised a most painful pumshment m
,:."! He will. .
Therefore. the mterpretation
.
t °
f hi s verse is: 0 humanity, whether you
. ·f; tor hide it concealing
•
io-..:b: knou111 what is in your hearts and make tt ":1am eds . r- ;he believers
of di sobedience they did not do. This is what we mentioned previous), od ·11 II uut for ,t Go mrorms
nrnvourhcarts.G w, ca youtoacco {; . dHisforgiveness,
conce rning His promise to forgive the m.in o r si n s. so long as .th e?' s~:· 1
llllo~g \ "OU of His favou r of pardoning them or t 1.1s an 11g you for the
clear o f th e major sins. The threat from God (Majestic is His praise) in " • . .h h hypocrites amo .
1 Heforgi\·es them for n. He pums es t e d" l 0 neness of their
statement Ht• will p1m isl1 w /1 0,n He will o nl y refer s tot l1ose people among
d k t 1e. Coubt thev have concealed in their h earts regar mg t 1e
hypocritcs, w l10l1ave concealed. in th eir hearts, t h cir · dbtsans
ou h heptt-
od Crrnor a,~d the prophe t hood of His Prophets.
cism about God and Hi s o nen ess or \th eir doubtsj abou t the prop etko dj
o f H is Prop l1et \ Muhammad\(~) and w h at he h as b. rou~
ht [to man m
e Hereafter] .
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
[m th said, along
fro,.n ~~d. or conce rning the R eturn and R es urrcct1~n _
T~H• 1s 111 accordance with w h at lbn 'Abbas and ~uJahid ha~s statement, {2 :284 ] God is poweiful over everything ardon
wnh everyone who holds a similar o pinion, who rntcrprets H ·IJ II Yo" to . . G d has the power to p
\ wlierher you ma ke l,mown wl1ar is it1 your laearr.s \ or liide it, God
aaounr fo r ir, to m ean "doubt and certaint y," e xce pt that we say. hr \son
ul , theWI.; God(1'.hjestic is His praise) means by th1s.des7re to sin, and to punish the
i:: bdiever who conceals in his ~ ea r~ th e t re arding God's oneness a~d
\ H ·Jlist epe ~:1bd1ever for doubt he conceals m hi s hear he g owcr to overlook the 51 ~s
person t u eate~1ed_by H is statement He w ill punish wliom 1411 od and who 1
hprophcthood of the Prophets, as well as t P . I other matters.
who conceals m his heart hi s doubt and skep ticis m. regardmg G . Hitn•' of either of these [categories of} people, along wit 1 any .
ho\d ~a doubt conce rnin g God which amounts to disbelief (kuft) 111 He 11 ,i//
.' , . transmincrs for this badit:, ;:-~::~,~'.;
\Fu~thennore\, the person promised fo rgiveness by H'.s SCate7::~esire co ·-"-llOugh TlNri docs ~ot provide a : h ainno•fco!lcctions: )cc, for cx.i~1le~ tsbmic Tcxts
forg n>t whom He will is someone who concealed to lumsclf
1 l,ceil '?-~mc111 wnh it) mc~mng arc found Ill ma ) I Davks (Camh g
do some ach that G od has forbiddcn and , which initiaUy, may have ;.r/ ~.l,rh. 1r.a.n1. Ezzc<linc \brah1111 and Denys Jo mson- ic l]IC:lning here of

1 for c,x::i.mpl'". if i.orncon'" bd1cvc\ 111 God but d o uho 1ha1 h cavc11 and Hel l arc: real. hi ~ douht
l:t,\.
tl- !I\
im). 116 (h~d1th n~1m~r 37). ur':inic word qadir_uk'"s :'rtul."
!rlu1l,2uon is T~b,2r\ s pomt th:i.t .'.he: ~ho has pawer o r n pow
wou\J ::i.111oum 10 d1 )bch("f, acco rd mg 10 m o~t M m hm 1h("olog1:i.l\). .t kt11"r p,2rucipl,; qiidi,, w h ich means one "'

195
194
 TABA RI Siiml al- Baqara (2:284-286)

COMMENTA RY ON TH E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDs-
[2 :285 j The Messenger belir11cs in tliar wli ich has been t d 111
his Lord, as do the belie11ers. Each one belie,,es in d'~ ~~.
5
to lum from
His books and His
Messengers. We make 110 ;,.1 :isi::i a,igels,
be1wa11 all)' of His Mes.~e,1gers .
God (M:-.jesti c is Hi s praise) mean s b y thi s : The Messenger, meaning the
I
Messenger of God Mul,iammad J (~). believes in :-.nd affirms that wlzicli ha ,
been se,1t dow11 to him-the Book that h as been inspired to him from hi~
Lo rd, and all that it conta ins, co ncerning w hat is lawful and unlawful the
Promise and the Threat. com m ands :rnd prohibitions, and all the o,tha
concepts (ma Qui) it co ntain s.
It has bee n all e-ged that , w hen thi s verse came down to him, the
Me ssenger of God(~) sa id, "This is Hi s due."
Bish, Jb. Mu adhj- Yazld [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'ld Jb. Abl 'AriibaJ-
G ~ t:i.da said, co nce rnin g Hi s st.:ueme nt T IU' Messrnger believes in that wlifrli
Q.u85 has been sem do11111 to him from his Lord, '' It h as bee n mentioned to us th ac,
G whe n this ve rse came down, the Proph et of God(~) said , 'It is His due that
!the MessengerJ believe Jiu HimJ. "''
It has been said t hat thi s verse came dow n after Hi s statement, To God
belongs all 1ha1 is ;,, the hea11t·11s a11d earth ; whether you make known what is in }'(Jiff
, ur'an reciters disagreed over the reading ~f_ His books. Most_ ~f
.· Thl .~ I r of the Iraqi reciters read k11t11b1!11, the plural of k1tab
;~I
:t: ,\ trJmal~a.In tl somc•tti·,ta· As do rlic belie1,ers. Each ot1c belie11cs in God, His
. ~k") \\'11 1 t 1r rn " o· .
ind a!~of His broks, which H e h as sent down to His Prophets and
_\!(,icngm. f K 1· It reciters read wa-kitiibihi, rn e:ming: Asdotlie believers.
~group o u a ,_ .
[l,.n.rrifN'lici'fS iu God, His a,~efs and the ~ran, wluch He se nt down to
lh Propht·t Mu\.iammad ($). - c -
· h hls been narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas that he read
,;-liriibihi and would say, "\The wor~,I, 'the B.ook' ~ppe:rs. more fre-
~umtlr! in thr Q_lr'anj than 'th e books.,. _It is a.s 1~Ibn Abbas mterpreted
:~k.: to mtan "the catego ry of books 111 a simtlar manner to iI swear]
_111 ,:1! Truly nwn is at a loss (Q. 103 :1-2), in which case he understood mau
:,,fo); 10 mean its genus, ·'mankind." Likewise, one says ."H~w _many
·
1
;&;'II Jnd dimir so-and -so has!" when the intended meanmg 1s dirl1ams
c:li•1Js Ji n the pluralj. . _. _. Q.n85
Eren though this is one of the well-known [ lmgmsnc] positions (madli-
0
,)), tht reading that is most pleasing to me is that ["book"] be read in the
1 ~!1:r.l. because the word preceding it is in the plural, as is the s~~~~qu:n.~
~-:ie :Hisangels, Hisbotiksand His Messe11gers. Connecting the pl~ra . 00 s
:,i .noiher plural noun is more pleasing to me than making It a sm_gular

hear!sor l,ide it , God will call you toacco1111tfar it. He willforgll,e whom He will m_11I r.cun and switching between the plural and singular forms and meanmgs.
ptm 15h whom He will; God is powerful 01,er r11erytliing becau se the believers 1'.1
the Messenger of God(~). among his Compan ion s, were distressed by God s
COMMEN TARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
ilueat to call them to accoum fo r what t hey h ad concea led in their hearts.
T~iey complained to the Prophet(~) about t his and rhe Messenger of God(~) [1:285 j We make 110 division between auy of His Messwgers
th
said to them, " Perhaps you will say, We hea rattd we disobey (Q.2 :93),j 0st as e 'uoo·' ('I . d t I1e be 1·tevers, bY means of this verse,
1• aJtstic is His praise) informe k
Children of lsr.iel spoke." JThe Companious] said, "No, we say, 'We hear ·'·" 11 theyshould say this. There is an e J·d d
I e wor 111
d' · the reading
'
We lma •eI
a1J d we obey!' " Then God se nt down on account of this exchange berweell r.! !:'.'Uio,1 between a11y of His Messengers , which is in the first-pers~:1 Pura'
thc Prophet M and his Companions •the verse The Messenger believes in rl,ar •~dii sufficientl y indicated by the context, which is "They say/. b' 1. rs
ll'hich has hem sent doum Io lrimf,om h~ Lord as d: the believers. Each one belie1lf-' Th· • 1t· · ·Asdo11e eieve ·
e interpretation of this passage, m t IS case, 15 • h ay
in Cod' H"15 a,ige/s, H.15 books a,1d His Messengers.
' H e says : T he be lievers also.. [i:Ji oiie belie11es iu God, His migels, His books and His Messengers; t ey s
belkve ' al01ig \\1·t J1 t J1e1r· pro pher (upon him peace), in Go d, H.15 ano-
,,,,,fs H"
d, 1
r.~ . - ' ' . 'Amir AhU 'Amr, l:laf~ and
books and His Mesmigers (and all that is in these two verses). We have alrea } ~ . Au) yi
1
1
•1tnk s thi~ r(ading co ]bn Kathir, Nafi , A~im, ibn '
,/ '1-:al-.\fu/umara/-u•,ifiz, 1:391. I .. ... 1·391.
mentioned previously th e people who hold t hi s opinion. ;:~ -~n!·yuscrilx-~ thi s reading to Uamz:i :ind Kis:i'i ; a/-Mr1harmr a -wap~, .
;~'.:il y,"hurni n" or "J)(rson." .. -. ins1c:id of the lat(r sc:ind:ird
i According to SurUti 1d ' . he Q!!r'ariic th.i i T3hlri um th(' word matnik ("dropped ) for chsson,
comm('n tnin of Abd ·b. ~~ as_mu r)ll / hadi1h_ h _foun~ 01~] ~, here and 111 ,crsioll of rh1s
1 1
hiu/11~ that hu an ln!C'rru t~d clu) d and lbn Ab1 Hu 1111: Suyu11 c1tt·s :m o ther ,~of a\-J:liki111 ;~~:;~0111r..ihdhuj -. . . . ,. . sub·ect in ihe verse_ (ron1 th(' third-
al-N.iyiibii ri and lh ·Ii~ pi\ Shlum of_t~ mm1 n('n and 1s found in tlic .M,madn.ik ~>Jn11 11ord1, Tabm IS Jumfyrng the abrupt S\\JtCh 11~1 (rv, ,nokt 11 0 divis1011 ).
} q 11 11 b 11 l-un1m ; a/. /)urr al-111a111l11ir, J :664. ngubr {f:iuh 011 r /,;,/in't's} to the firs t-p<"rson plu

197
 TA BAR.I Siimr al-13aqara (z:284-286)

d's statement :ind H is command .t~ us , regarding that

(yat l!1i11)_: We make 11odi11isio11 bctwe~11 a'.1y cf His M essengers. The clause "th . ·ut hcJr our Lor d d to do :ind Hi s prohib1t1on from all that He
say 1s e_hded becau se the contex t rnd1 ca ccs it,just like "they say" ise\id:1 h Jkb Jscon11m n c us ,, I I "W bey
11hir · . d us from doing, and we obey. In ot 1er wore s,. eo
from Hi s sta tement, Tire ansels enter upon them from every gate; Peace be u
h,1 proh1bit.r ardi n all of the obli gatory acts He has m.ade mcumbe1~t
youfo r u1'wt yo11 liavee11d11red patiemly (Q. 13 :23-4). Its meaning is: They : .11 cur Lord . reg g f ship by which we obey Hun, and submtt
~"On us, and the acts o wor
·'
A group of earl y Mu slims read thi s verb with a ya' in the third person: t; H11n." . f His statcmentgl111Jrii11aka (0 Lord} is: They say, Gr~111
Th ey make 110 di1 1isio11 bet111ee11 a11y of
His M essengers. 1 The meaning in thh Thr m~anmg o Lord with the meaning of, "Forgive us, 0 Lord, with
case is: A.s do the believers. Each 0 11e bclie1,es i11 Cod, His angels, His books and Hi, ~; )'011rfi1rgwrness,?. l:k bJ. ka means "We glorify You with Your
Yo:ir forgiven ess, JllSt ' ·c s11 .iana
Messengers; each o ne of them makes no division between any of His Me.s.sengers,
jsuch as J believing in som e, w hil e rejecting others. Instead, they belirn.' ;lorifi~Jt~:·::i'arifi<'d in an earlier place that ghufriin and ,naghfira ("forgi~c-

~:t
13
in all of them and affirm that w hatever they brought came from God. ~ '. • Mi ht I and Ma·estic is He) of covering over the sms
They summoned people to God and to obeying Him. [The believersJ n~I ·hl JS G~d s Lrgrvc/ and prc~enting the divulgence of the _sinshHe
differ in thi s regard from t he Jews , w ho affirm Moses yet reject Jesus; the o! 11 omr, er d h H ft and pardonmg im
~mrd up in the temporal world an t e erea er,
Christians, w ho affi rm Moses and J esus yet reject Mubammad Mand deny
!Tom punishment. ; . I - . G d (Maiestic G
hi s prophethood; and ot h er communities like them, who rejected some r I . of His statement to You 15 tie ma$1r. o
G As ior t 1e meaning .. L d
..,
You is our place Q.2:2 85
of God's Messe ngers and affirmed o th ers, as w e have been informed by:
Q.u8 5 i1His praise) means that [the believe~s] say, 0 . or,,' to
Yunu s jb. 'Abd al-A' laj - Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, "I# make'" G
G of rt'lUTTI and meeting place, so forgive us our sms. . ;,
division be1wee11 a,1y ef His Atfessengers, in co ntrast to what a group of p:o-
QUESTION: Why is glwfriinaka (Yo11r forgivrness) in the accusauve case.
ple-meani ng the C h ildren of Israel-did. They said, 'So-and-so is a
. bal noun (masdar), which
prophet; so-and-so is not a prop h er. We believe in one person, and we RESPONSE :-i Its role in the se ntence is as a ver .h . b 1
disbelieve in another."' w:rm a~ an imperat ive verb. This is what the Arabs do w~t ver nou~s
. h the role of an unperauve ver •
[nufaffiquJ with a ml,i-
The onl y reading we consider permissible is [othrr] nouns when t I1ey assign t em .
1..11d h sa "O so-and-
We make 110 di11isio11 be1weet1 any of His Messengers-because it has he~n whkh thry indicate by means of the accusauve case. T. ey fY':Th k God
e51 ablished be)'ond all doubt, by overwhelmingly widespread transnm- Ik ., - " d "I d I h ,,, ·,h the meamng o an
\0,! 1ur.i.n/i I/aid an .iatn an a II •• w1 f 'l-salata'l-salata is "Pray!"
sion , whi ch renders impossible th e learning of something [erroneous] m md prai~r Him!" Likewise, the meanmg O wa · b l· such as l
a group setting , conspiracy, negligence o r error. This reading impl!~s jr~e l
The Arabs also do this with nouns that are not ver a n~un.s ' case it
ellipsisJ "They say, We make 110 di11isio11 be1ween any of His Messengm, as \\C ·o ptople, Allah,, Allaha!" If this was re7,d in th ~d ntnt~a~;,:ted ~s a
1
have explained. A ~r'anic reading that the authoritative [reciters] have would mean '' He is God" or "This is God. It cou e ~ e . case} to
~a rrat ed to us and bestowed upon us ca nnot be o pposed by means of an cleclm.tive statement or it is even permissible [in th e nonunauve
irregular ~r'anic reading. be interpreted as a command, as rhe poet said,

in rll:I qawmauminltum 'Umayrun wa-ashbii-

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE woRDS: hu 'U»r.1yri11 wa-miflh1111111 1/-Saffiil111 ,_
fi: iS5 ] They say, We hear a,id we obey. G rant us Your forgiveness, ! . ound in al-Akhfash's Ma'aui c1/.Q!r1~:;
:l-,t v.·ording of dm st'ntrncr is ':cry close .to what ~s~r01Mkc1, like sub!10nakc1. is a _nou~Your
0 Lord, and to Yo11 is rlre frna l destination h.l?J. The po1n1 Tabari is mak.mg herr" is that g II ur for jveness instrad of JU St
M

12.:1 1mrhed ,·rrb, such that it means Grant us Yo

Cod (M st 15 . b 1· ers said, g
•Je ic Hi s praise) mean s by this: Each of the e iev
i~pi·ene~'.-~ . · this transblion). • 1.Farri',
<T~b.risconunenury on Q.i:58 (not mcludrd 111 f t is found 111 a
1
I lbn At1 n7, ki h' ' b •u,nar b. MOit of fli e following section, including the 1wo vrrscs O pac ry,
Jarir ;ilrld v/:n . I is rrading to Sa id b.Jubayr, Yal.1yi b. Ya' mar, Abll Zur 2 . .',J;~,i~l-~, 'a,1, 1:188.
q b,al-Mwharia,a/.w,ajiz, l : _
392

199
 TABAR.i S1irat a/-Baqara (2: 284- 286)

la-jadir(ma bi'l-wafa'i idlsii qii- from the rxprrssion . "This niatter has enc~mpassed m ~ \was(ani l,adlta'l-
la dl.:lui 'I-Najdati '/- silii~m 'f-si/iilm .,.. ) .. JUq like rhe mc:ming of the words ;rilid and w11;d m th e sentences

: :'i~foii this :nter·· and ''u,ajadw fro m it ." I have been informed of this by:
Verily :i group of people. among them ' Unrn d 111
Umayr, :ind among them Saffah , yr an others like ' Ai-Mutliann,- 'Abd Allah b. Salih- Mu' ,wiya b. Salih-'Ali lb.
Arc completel y tru e to their wo·r'd w heneve r ab h .\hi Tall_ia]-lbn Abbas said, conce rning His statement God obligates 110
Says, " Bring yo ur \\"(•apons! Bring your wea~on:~.~ er of Najda _,,,lr,(}\lltd ir~~(lpl'. "Thes~ arc the bclic:crs.' f~r \':'hom_ God !ias broadened
,~Jorcnrdup thei r religio n. God (Majestic 1s His praise) said, jHcl lias 11ot
I~ a ~r ·a nic reading had co me to us with th . I . ~rl i•['-' 1)\111 i,1rcligio11 a11y hardship (Q.22 :78); and He said, God desires for you
ttve case, asgl111J,ii ,mka rabl,a11ii (" fi . ) '. s c ause tn the nomina.
io11r org111e11ess It would h rJ:c; Htdcsfre5110/ liardshipfo r yo11 (Q.2:185); and He said, So be God-co11scio11s
Igram mati cal] error ; rather. it wou ld have
what we have described. ,
be , . not ave been a
e n correct m accordance with ~rmrhasyoucan (Q.64:16)."
AI-Qlsim-al-Husayn- l:lajjaj- lbn Jurayj- Zuhri-'Abd Allah b.
It has bee n alleged that th is verse came d Ah~irnid. "When [the previous verses) came down, the believers raised a
God h) as a message of . f . own to the Messenger of
cl.moor and said. ' O Messenger of God (~). we can repent from the deeds
!The Angell Gabriel (s) p~11se l~m and his community from God.
Majestic is He) has lavisl sad,
,
w
I u · ammad] , "Truly God (Mighty and
le praise upon yo u and .
oi our hands. feet and tongues, but how can we repent from the {evill
l\hHpm (in our hearts]? How can we prevent them {from occurring)?' G
0 Your Lo rd [for anyrhingJ." · your community, so ask Thtn Gabriel (upon him peace) brought this verse, God obligates 110 soul Q. 2:286
Q. 2:286 lbn Humayd-Jarlr- B - k- ~}l'r:l irssa1pe. Truly you will not be able to prevent [evil\ whispers [from
0 Messenger belie11es i11 iliat wliicliarn; J:la · 1m b. Jabi: said, "When The 1
G
rl,e belietiers- eacl b I. . ias cen se,u doum lo hrm from his Lord, as do murring in your hearrsJ."
We make ,,: di111_0~1e ; 1e1,es rn God, His angels, His books and His Mtsst11gers. llusi b. Harun jal-Hamdani]-'Amc [b. l:lammadJ-Asbar jb.
~mj-Suddi said, conce rning God obligates no soul beyond its u111/ , "Its
ll'eobey. Grant eiwe~" 011 )' of His Messengers; they say,•~ htarand
was se nt dow 11s ,011rf . hefi na Idest1nat1on
h org11,ei,ess ' OL or,d, a11 d to vJOU 1st .. ' ~11J isitscapacity. The irefrainingJ of saying [evil thoughtsl to oneselfis

said , 'Trul y God n to(Bl

t e Messenger
d of GO d (! ), Gabrie I (upon him peace ) .mong the things they lacked the capacity to do."
you and ) 'OU es~e a!l d Exa lt ed is H e) h as lavished praise upon
r co mmumty so ask H.
Proph et] asked f. [ h ·
d I '
tm an yo u wil be given it! So, t e
h I
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
end of the ,,· (Q o r t e verse]: God obligates 110 soul beyond its scone to the
I ra .2:286)."1 r [n86]For it is wliat it has earned, and against it is what it has accrued.
God_(Majest ic is His praise) means by this: For it, meaning, for the soul, [i_n
COMMENTARY 0 N THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
itlmon toJ wh ich He informed jus] that He docs not obligate beyond ,ts
r~~- He says,Jor each soul is the good it has accomplished and done; at1d
i2:286 J Cod ob/'igmes 11 0 soul beyo11d its scope; rd
G . 'JJi~irii, meaning, against each soul, is wliat it has accmed. In other wo s,
. o~ (Majestic is His praise) me . ihteril it has done, as we have been informed by:
mg It with rcspon 'bl b ans by th,s: Cod obligates no soul [by] charg·
51
seve rely towa d . 1 1t y. eyond what H e enables it to do. He neither acts
. Bishrb. Mu'adh- Yazid jb. Zucay']-Sa'id lb- Abi 'Aruba]-~tad~ 111
W, r s It no r di stresses it ~~id,~oncerning His statement God obligates 110 soul beyond its sc~p~;for _s
e already have clar ified r ,- . I , , . d
P C\ 10us Y" that wus (scope) is a noun denve ;bi it lias earned, '' In other words, good [deeds]. Arid against tt ,s wliat it
'"'"' 111d-in other words, evil (or he said) bad jdeeds]."'
I :-1.:cordmg 10 ~uyU\i, 1h1s mursa/ ~dd· . '
:,::•ci,og '° S,yOti. thi, j,Ji1/r h found only hm ,nd in th< Q!r'ini, ,onun< " '1 of \bn
11
l h ~:(irr and tht ~r'fo1c comm('m~; 11 fou nd cl1cwhcrc onl y in the A1u1a111UJJ o( Sa rd b. 1

2
~t('~;:
I ('porri tl1~1 l·hhn b j"b Y of lbn Abi H:ium; al-Durr al-manthiir, 1 :66$· Jbn
1r:~_11 h1, 1iihdh1b1J/.11J~J;;t:1:;~rum"ori hy Ku f~ n Succcnor who was known for
tornrnent~ry on Q .2 :233 (1101 .i
in~r~::~ir; al- D11rral-ma111lriir, 1:665 . _
o: ., nccmmty on the pan of the trammittcrs of tins report
whtrhcr Q!iiida said sharr

uclud('d HJ tlu ~translation). ~: boib word~ h~ve ~imilar meanings.

A_ 200 .!Ol
 TA BAR.T Srirat a/-B11qam (z:284-286)

I . \Mu slimj community."'1

fi
Mosa. b. H 3rGn jal- H amd :i nij - cAmr fb. 1:Iammad]-Asba [b h" io dKmsclvcs or t us d- -J- cAmr [b. Hammadj- Asbat [b.
Na~rj -Suddi said, conce rn in g/or it is what it has earned, "The good fr h~ ~rvn. . . !al-Ham am . d k
Miisl h. Ha~un , at w h en this verse came down- O Lor. ' ta,; us
done. A,id against it is what it has accrued- aga inst it is the evil it has done." , ,,<[-Suddi cla, med th , I k-Gabrid (1) said to [the Prophet]. I-le
A nearl y identical repo rt was narrated ro us from [anonymousj- . 1,wkifu't'{orgc1,ormust 1c 11'.~.r
Amm:ir-Ibn Abi Jarfa r- hi s fat hcr-Qe,rada. r..~ • · I · 0 Muhammad . · . k
/:l1donr t iat , . . . . e for God (Majestic is His praise) to ta _e to
Al-Q!si m-al-f:lusayn- f:l ajj:ij-Ibn Jura)'.j-Zuhrl-'Abd Allah b. Is it pcnrn ss1bl I I forgotten or done unintcnt1on-
QUESTION:
Abbas said, concc rnin gfar it is what it has earned, and against it is ivhar it /,as (, vhatcver t icy iavc k fi
i~k His sC'rn.nts or , d k Him not to take them to tas or
accrued, "The ac ts of the hand , foot and tongue." olly. such d1:1t they would nee to as
TABARI SA ID: Th erefore, the interpreta tion of the verse is: God obliga11•s
110 S<ml beyo11d what H e has enabled it to do. H e n either distresses it nor treats
1~1? " . 1 (nis a,1)" has two possible senses.
mro r-:sE: The word forgettt1 ;, . _Y l" on the part of the servant
it seve rel y w it h religious matters, taking it to task for a !wicked] desire, nor
Fmtk. it can mean ·'missing [an o irhuo~ pacity of the person who
fo r an lunco nrrollabl c cvil J whispe r, if it prese nts itself to him. nor for a . "S dlv it can mean t e mca b dd l
or uncglect . econ , '1 I , has been obligated to remem er a?, e-
spontaneous th ought that ari ses in his h eart. Rather, He takes (the soul] to
wrl!m to remembe r w 1at ic f I. . d to bear [this burden].
task fo r all the good and evil it has don e intentionally and purposely. 1 ~1~cd todo·· or "the weakness o us ~n . h servant who misses or
G
G As fo r the se nse of " \forgetting), a_s lll _t '~h- failure to do an act
Q. 2:286
G
V

Q . 2:286 1· . J hen the meanmg is ts f h.

neglem \an ob igatton , t " and that is for what, on account o . '.s
G COM MENTARY ON T H E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
:~n hr was comma nded to do, ill refrain from punishing him, Th_1s ts
l2:286 J O Lord, takr us not to task ifu,efarget, or miss the ,nark! t111w, thC' servant hope s God w . h d Ad m (may the b]essmgs
thnamC' ••forgetting" for which God punts e f G rden as He said
This is an inst ru ction from God to Hi s beli ev ing servants concerning I ) I H cast him out o c e a • b h
how to suppli cate ro Him and w hat th ey should say in their supplica- of God bt' upon 1im w 1~n e de a covenant of old with Adam, _,a _e
~onmning that: And verily We ma srauc in him (Q. 2 o:ns)- Likewise, _1t
tio ns to Hi m. Its meaning is: Say: O Lord, rake us not to task ifwefarg_et
any deed You have made incumbent upon us th at we did not do
th e mark by doing so methi ng You have for bidden us from doing,
ort'~ i·''&vt /fa -11a~iya ), and ~: found ,10 con . e~ic is His praise) mentioned ll1
i1the same •'forgetting that God (Maj them even as they forgot the meecwg
1he rersej, So this day We have forgotten , tterance of His statement, 0
we have done wi th o ut inte ndin g to di sobe y Yo u , but rather out of Jg
ef,h.darof 1/ieirs (Q.7,51). The servan·ts/u k out of hope that God
ran ee or in error on our pan, as I h ave been informed by: . His k if r,
L.,,J, take 11 to 1as' we Jorge~,
11s 01 1
or 11115s t 1e mar ,
ive him) for his forgemng
. do
to
YGnus lb. Abd al- N laJ- Ib n Wa h b-lbn Zayd said, conce~~~!ke us
1

~tighcy and Majestic is He) !will forg d to do [by God], in the_ man-
statement O Lord, take 11s not to task if we fo rget or ,niss the mark, [
1

1:>meching chat he ha s been commande l the ob1iganon he

riot to task J if we forget somet hing that you hav: m ade incumbent upon°,! 5
r.er Wt' have just described , [is permissible] so ong a act 0 f disbelief in
or miss tli r mark and do somethin g th at you have made unlawful for us-
failed to do our of unintentional neglect was not a:f disbelief in God,
Al- 1-:{ as:m b. Yal_iyi-cAbd al-Razziq- M acmar- ~tada said, co~.- God. If 1he obligation he mi ssed con st itutes an act f
. g Hi-s state ment O Lord, take us ,rot to task if UJe forget, or miss
cern rn · themar1<,
d d • i mentions th.:u the ccxt ou
" It has reac hed me that th e Prophet (~) sa id, 'Trul y God (Blesse a~e . _ . .
i.lJihough 1h1snarrmon is mur-sal, smec ~ca
· dais a Successor, Suyut
niC':il collections of Bu
kh:iri, Muslim. A~
rks of sufy;i.n
Exa lted is He) wi ll ove rloo k the act s of fo rgetfu lness and what peop 1 0 13
'~1~Jirh from Abu Hu~yra h found_~n ';:;: :ich ihe ~r'inic ~om'.;;_
D,wud, T1rnudh1, Na~a i and lbn Map, 1 dtr• a/- Di,rraf-111,mtluir, 1 · ., Taftir, instc3d ~f
, tl-ThNri, Abd. b. ~ umayd and ib1'. al~Mun ar' Ha·ar edicion of T~b~r1; is ,,rnr¢1 badith 1s
•:olJo.o11ng the rc::i.ding o r Ja'ala dlralik~ _m cl~e A~cording co Suyu! 1:,: 1narnlion h::i.s the
6
~k pnntcd fa-q 11/ dhalika in other ed111ons, ~ ':,.;,ianthiir, 1 :666- Suyul'
14
l Tl1c cd1tnr~ or die Di.r H1J.1r cd 1u o11 note th::i.t d1h last SC'JHcnC(' is :ibst·nt from niost •tJnd only m T~b::i.ri\ co,imnenury} al•dfalika ya Mri(rawnad.
nunu l,(."np1,o(T1\};lrf, T,1fi ir ; 5: _ u~gd Gabriel sJyin!; imw 1/ii/w qadfaa fa
154

203

l
202

.-cd&J.llitf
 TABARf Sii rat al-Baqara (2: 284- 2S6)

then th ~ p.e rson's hope that God .wi l! n~t p~nish hirn for this failure i.1 1-nJ,u •,1/1111Wf/ll '/-,mrfrrl idha ~UH/I ll

impernms1blc, because God (~a_,cs t1c 1s His praise) has inform ed His ~-/1Jl1 ·,,·LdU"<iba u•11-la yril,imu l-m11rsfwd11
se rvants chat He does not forgive anyo ne who associates partners With I· ht· con1111;rndcr whe n they
1 Pwpk· rcvi l t I I rightl y guided leader is no t to be
Hi m. Th ere.fore, rhc fnegligent J se rva nt 's petition for God to do soinl'- tbr mark. d1 oug 1 t J C
i',11 11

thing He has informed /all peop le} H e will n eve r do is an error (klta_
ta'). bJ.,m,d. I JF
The on ly facccptablcj petit ion to God for forgiveness is for cases like , l khati'ii in thi s verse ha s the same meaning ~.st ie orm
rhc sen·a nr who forger s pan of th e ~r'an after he has memorized it, rn~ [Form I] \Cf) . f I . nsc of"missing the mark , the servant
accou nt of him being preoccupied with o ther things instead of reciti ng
011 JV)mbi1klira '1i. ln thccasco \11 ssr f I is sin unless it constitutes an
cln hop!.' for His Lord to abso ve um o l ,
it, or likr someone missing an fob ligaro ryJ prayer or {day ofJ fasting,
on account of him being preoccupied with so mething else, to the point irt of disbdicf. " . in the mark" is doing so out of ignorance
that he simply missed th em. Thc _o1hcr se ns~ of _mlSs ~ethin within his right, such as someone
orthinkmg that he is domg ~on I g I f Ramadan, while thinking
As for the jsecondj se nse, in wh ich rhc serva m is nor punished because . I du mg c 1e mont 1o • h
of th e incapacity of hi s nature to remember {God's obligation] and the i, ~o rns [late I at mg tt r . d i [Another example] is someone w o
limited capacit y of hi s mind ro bear what he has been entrusted to obsene. ,~,r daybrca_k has nor yet arn:~ .da ' waiting for the time of that spe-
MStponcs )us prayer on a do y d . hich he can pray that Q
Q /our respon se isJ that rhi s is neith er an act of disobedience on his parr. nor ,·. b . d l the ttme urmg w
rihc pr..rer to egm, an t ien b gun This is among Q.2:286
Q.u86 is it sinfu l. l Therefore, rhe re is no way fo r the servant to petition His ' I •1 h ·11 h·nks it has not yet e · d
pr.1ycr passes, w u e em c ' the art of the servant, for Go Q
Q Lord to forgive him, beca use he wou ld be asking fGodJ co forgi ve him
,h, J,mm,diatelyJ removed errors onl h .P] f m them [immediately],
for something that was not a sin. This is like rhe case of something which
%ghtrandMajestic is He) removes r e_s~n ~- Lord not to take him
elud es a person, eve n though he desires co remember or retain it, like a !Other~is no way for the servant to pet1t1on is d from him].
man who desires to memorize rhe ~r'an and so reci tes it assiduously, all cl . 1 I ady been
rntask for rhis [sin because it 1as a re h remove t' petition for God
then forger s it with o ut being preoccupied w ith something else. lnStead, A group of people have cIa,me
. d char t , c servan s Jwhen he has]
his nature is in capable of retaini ng it and hi s mind is unable to rcmem~er c h h has rorgotten or
oot to rake him to tas k ror w at e
what he has put in it. Ir is impermissib le for someone to petition God to; fit!·
mi1sed the mark is {merely] hi s act of ful i mg w 11 a
r His Lord (Blessed
ded him to do)
fo rgiveness fo r this type of forgetti ng, beca use rhe servant has not accru e . do (or recommen
onJExalted is He) comman ded hnn to ht [the servant} is
a sin fo r which he can bt forgiven. .. H.1111 The sense t a
o:n of submission and hUJm 1tt y to . • ossible, according to thet~-
Likewise, ;, n~ssing_ rhe mark" (kha_ra ') can have rwo se~scs~ rharlias miki~g this petition for a pardo_n is n~t ~ufficienrly these folks' post-
One ~f them 1s Jdomgj something inrenrio nall y and w11Ifu Y f W~ w11l come to a passage that will clanfy I d "th its [correct]
bee n forbidden to /His/ servant s. In chis case, t he error is on accou~t 0d iion , God willing, for whomever has been b esse wi
th
th
!
e servamJ and he will be punished for it. One says ''So-and-so miss~ undtrnanding.
e mark (klia_ti'a or akli_ra 'a)" in his action and "sinned (atlzima)" when
commits a sinful act. For examp le, [considerJ th e statement of the poet,

1 Tb.,· lk 1 · · nofGoJ')
,....:,h r~,:k tNmo t d;u~1ca l JUmt ~. c-qua1c~ th~- word l.:ujr (""disbclkf in_or r~JC"Ct~~ have- \'Cr )'.

arc-'a l!;;r~~;
( auona.ung pmnc-rs wub God ) even t!iough. sw 1ant1call y. th )' I Q , :48 1
. rior to sunrise- th:it is dark .
1
~;1~e;~::~rneamng1. Tlit" \Ws('s ro wlud1 hr 1s :illudmg m this srim:nce are probJb )' · Thr f.u of R~ma9an bcgim at daybreak e.ach :~~ _i~:~~~.t1::a~se they : a::
In otlirr Y.ords 1f !filling rdigioUS
I!u1l1m1~re encour:igrd to eat a_meal pnor t
h
eI
iven the d:ukness 3t da! de~ribing.
l
bl · ~ mc-onr 11 phy.11callr or mem:allr incapa.ble of fu f; sin h<' lthrensunscr and d:iybrcak durmg t_he monr hlnt'S~ mistake is wh:it Tal»n 1~ he \engch of
~1d1~:1i':::;1:::11.1 11ur gu ilty of mi and the-re-fort" crnnot a~k God for fo rgiwncs.1 or a l ~ 11)1 e;11 ~her the fo t Im begun. Tlus sore of were determined rr.aditi~nally: : tcloud cover.
lnenm~1for the midday and afmnoon pray~rs , uld work on a day with h~ ~udday one.
J M;i.l_ir iUd ~hlk Id / ·s vericHi t11on11hadowor ~und1al. nei1her of wlncl~r~i:'C before one had prayed t e
bod I) H c-m ilies dus J)()(' f Ubanl b. al-Abr.i t al-Audi and /ocaa•s t 11
1 II iu\ln a11d tht Ho1,iJ54 of Bul11;i.ri; 1afiu al-T<1bari, 6 : r34 . 1-,ui. the llme for 1hr a.ftcrnoon prayer could

205
20.J
 TA l3ARI Sii rat al- Baqaw {2:2S4- z86)

H .. -· -lbn Jurayj said, concerning His

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORos, m-im- a\-Busay n- . a1pJI . "A compact we can not fulfil
I·'-2.5
I 011 115 sue I au W, \ J d
12 :286 I O Lord, fa y 110t 011 11s s11cli a compact I as You did lay on thost beforeus! . nt O /,(ml. ay 1101 y d'd lay 011 1/iose before us: t 1c ews an
,u1cm; inrJpabk of doing. as ~11 r You destroyed them."
God (Majestic is Hi s praise) means by th at: 0 Lord, lay not on us such au isr
;nd Jr_ s who did not uphold it, so b . - al-Dahhak said," 4r means
meaning '·compact Caluf)," as H e (Majestic is His praise) said, Ht said: D, (hn~nan , - Til"b- Yaz'id- Juway ,r . ..
you agree, a,id will you take 11p M)' compact (Q.3 :81)?~The sole meaning of His
Yahy:i b. Ab1 . a I
statement fay not on us s11clr a11 i$r is: " Lay not upon us a compact, which we '{t'l\·crJ.~nts.... - <Abd All ah b. Abi Ja' far- his fathcr-
lack the capacity to uphold, and w hi ch we are incapable of doing." \Then A\-Mutll ann3- lsbaq- s in the verse and will you take i,p My
il-Rahi said. "An ifr is a c?mp::;,~1 act."' .
He continues with] as You did lay on those before us, meaning on the Jew~
and Christians, who we re obligated to do certain deeds. The compacts and ·(Q r81). which means My
L'II Y
J\b-lbn Zayd said, concerning Hts
~nus \b . (Abd al-N \a\- lbn __ a' . :81), "My compact." 1
covenants rhat they were supposed to uphold were made, but they failed to
iamucnt and will )'()If take up My 1$r~ (Q 3 d aVAwfi]-my father-my
uphold rhem and were hastened to punishment. God (Mighty and Majestic
' ~\u\.ummad b. Sa' d \b. ~u. a~,:~~er-his father ['Aiiyya b. Sacd
is He) taught the community of Muhammad(~) to seek Him by petitioning
unck jal-Husayn b. al- Hasan) my 'and will yo11 take up My iiri (Q.3:81),
Him not to lay upon them \ob ligatory] deeds in His compacts and CO\·t· ,1 -.~wfij-lbn 'Abbas sai d, concern mg G
nants like th e ones He imposed on their predecessors, which, if they neglea,
G mjss or forget, God will prepare for th em [a punishment), on account of "M;·compacr." . f h . . Lay not on us rnch faults Q. 2:286
Q. 2:286 ·d Th n eanmg o t at ts. d. y, •
their erring an d negligence, similar to [th e punishment) He prepared for OPINION : Ochers sa1 : ct nities that came before us, lea mg ou ..._...
G their predecessors !among the Jews and C hristians}. md1insa.( Yoi1didlayonthecommu . as You previously transformed
to transform us into monkeys and _p1ghs, .
The following interpreters said something similar to what we hare
f h e who said t at. b
just said concernin g that. An acco unt of rhosc who said that: them.= An account o t os 1-d 'Ali b HarUn-1 n
_ B · b al-Wa 1 - · h
Al-Hasan b. Yabya-'Abd al -Razzaq-Ma' mar-~tada said, con- Sa id b. Amr al-Sak~nt~ aq1yya -~ Hisstatementlaynoto1111ss11c
cerning His statement lay not 0 ,1 us such an isr "Lay not upon us a compact 1~ravJ-<Ata' b. Abt Rabab said , concerm g form us into monkeys
( alul) or cove nant (mitliiiq) as Yo1, did lay ot1 th~s~ before us." He says, "As was ·•~ i;,
as )0;1did fay on il,ose before us, "Do not trans
made ex tremel y difficult fo r our predecessors." ~ - •~d pigs.'' Za d said, concerning His
jSufylnj ib n Waki' jb. al-Jarriih ]- his father-Musa b. / ' Yunus [b. 'Abd al-A'la]- Ibn Wah~J~n o,i~hose before 115, "Lay not
al-1-:{ aQramJ- Mujahid said , concerning.His statem ent lay not on ussuc 1"" 1t;,temcm lay not 011 us smli an i$r as You I ay e nor expiation."
i$r, "A compact.'' _ _ _ cy [b.
. I1 rhere ts
upon us a sin, for w h1c . neither repentanc k der its al1if.1s
Mub anunad b. 'Amr [al-Bahi1i)- Abu 'AsiJn [al-Nab,!] 53 • r OPIN IO N: Others said: The meaning of i$r with a asra un
~ aymGn] - Ibn Ahi Najih- Mujahjd said, conc~rning His stacemen t if' "burden (rlziqD."'
A compact." _ . - 'Ali [b. An account of those who said that: b Abi Ja'far-his fath~r-
AI-Mu,hannl- 'Abd All; h b. Salih-Mu'awiya [b. Sahl,]
Abi T lh j lb • b - · · "A comp•"·
" ,
1AnonymousI-Ammar - b • aI- Hasan-I
• nd l noc us sucn, at1 "· '
011
a,
•a_-~ - n A bas said , concerning Hi s srarement J$r, b-t [b. al-Rabi said, concerning His statement O Lor ' ay
Musa b. lfoun [al-Hamdani j- 'Amr [ b. f:lanunad]-As ;,· Jid
1
Na~r ]- Suddi said, conce rning O Lord, lay not 011 11s such an i$~ as 01bent . nissing from most
0
fay " rhose before us, "The i$r consists of the compacts that were incum d e that this report is I bn Za ·d has a
1 The tduo r1 of the Dar Haj~r edition ;i.ckno~le·I~ir• 5·15ir{>o, Note th_at 1 iion: among
upon th e Jews who came before us." rrunu~np11 ind carlirr pubhcatiom of Tabar~ s ; . 'ssi~n. which T:i.ban men
~dmni rnterpmation for i$r in this verse un er iscu he Book into
Th, word I s and "IOlr ,th( 1dl'ornc1 of 1ht ~ccond opinio_n. uns cified group of People of 1
, n tr.inslai,d u burdrn" h) P1ckd1all. A~ad and Abdel Ha\ccnld, ·"th 1111 nr
l
by A\)( • Q.s:6o for Gods tr.msformauon of an pc .
which ~·co,:;:~/~t~~r:1t~sot~:1;\·~.r.~ ~;
r rry. A, ...,r,hall ~, Tb . ' Id awo r \\1
; ~annigs, .in1ong 11 .'. m·:in a i • r.ionhv, •nd pigs as pu nishment for 1hcir iransgrcSSI~~- .
1 84
l 11 ~nttnct 11 found in Jl-l=arri', Ma D,ii a/- ~ , 'd11, •1 : 18$9 .. JTh1 0~1mon
1 is fou nd in Abu ' Ubayda, Majilz a/-~r an, · .

207
206
 TABAR.I
S rlrat a/-Baqara (2:284-286)
) (mdid lay 011 rhose before 11s, "fThi s.. isj th e hardship You have irnposcd on l 11d u,/,at we l,ai,c the strength to bear, "[This
the People of the Book befor e u s. 0 L()rd, b11rdm us 11ot ,cyo
1utcmcn1 J
YUnu s lb. 'Abd al-A' laj- l bn Wahb sa id , "I asked him"-meaning 11] lust."' d- n1\ - (Amr b. I:I ammad- Asb:i.{ ib, Na~r -
Malik jb. An as /- "abo ut rh c m ea n ing of Hi s statement lay not on iu su<h Mtl~:i b. H:iriin [al-H;m a ,wt beyond ,1,/,at we have the strength to bear,
a11 ifr and he sa id , 'The ifr is a wcigh ry matre r. " ' s,J li s,1id. "O L,ml, b11r _c11 1151 ·re pikcl severe hardships and fetters
1.1~1olni; the prohibited thm gs t iat we
As fo r the reading of afr. w ith a jatba a bove the a/if, it is that which
con nects a man ro o ther peopl e by th e womb or blood relations. On e says for d1t·m." I I c interpretation of this istatcmcnt,l
aJarami rnhimi bayt1i 111a-bay,iajidii11 'a laylri, mea ning .. fA womb) attaches T.~BARi SA ID: We on ly say t 1a\ td~cds that we lack the ability to do,
me to him." Lik ewise, mii ya 'finmi 'alayhi means "Nothing attaches me i~ - "Do not obligate us to perforn ·d concerning that, because it follows
to him. " And baynf wa-bay11al111 iifirat11 rabim ta 'finmf 'alayhi Q$ra11 means cordance with what we have sadt take them to task for what
in Jc . f their Lor not to h m
" bonds of kin ship attach me to him . " 1 th~ bcht·n·rs· pctiuo n o . d for Him not to lay a compact on t c
the\" h,we fo rgotten or missed , an I b fore them. So, [the intcrpreta-
hk; [1he compact} he had laid on .t 1ose d\omplementing their previous
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS, non of] rhis \'crse as supp~c'.nennn~ al1upon the believers] is superior to
rr~uem of making the rcltg1on ~as1erh.
Q /2:286 J O Lord, burden us not beyond what we hat1e the srretJgth to bear! . lI at goes agarnst t ts.
any other meam ng t I d what they Q.1.:286
Q. 2:286 . ·bl fi r God to obligate t 1em to o h
God (Majes ti c is Hi s praise) means by thi s: Say, too , "O Lord, do not QUESTION'. ' Is it pernuss1 c o Id k Him not to obligate t em G
G obligate us to do deeds we lack the stre ngth to bring forth, on account of hck the abili ty to do, such that they wou as
the heavine ss o f th ei r burd en upon us!'' J An
Thi s is how a gro up of int erpreters has interpreted !this verse· todo1hat? bl· . chat one is incapable
RESPONS E: Truly the imposition of an tganon
acco unt of th ose who sa id that: -d
Bishr b. Mu'adh- Yazid fb. Zu ray' J-Sa' Id [b. AbI 'Aruba]~: ' of doing=can be understood in two ways. c h bligated person to
. h . . ossible ior t c o ·bl "
said, concerning O Lord, burden us 11 01 beyond avltat we have the strength_ to ar. One of them is that w I11c is unp I . hat is impermisst e ~r
1
"An inte nse hard ship that Yo u have imposed upon us, like the mtensc- · Ph Y51·cal nature
do, on account o f I11s .
T attotsdo.
him w
An examp l e O f that ts
hardships_ You it~1 pos~d on those before u_s ." _ . concerning th~ Lord of that servant to obligate . aralyzed person to rUI1 .
YaQya b. Ab, Tahb-Yazid- Juwaybir- al-PalJ.i)ak said, "Burden o~ligating a blind person to see or obligannfea !nexed to God (Mig~t?'
. · ·
This category o f o bl1gat1on ts what cannot
,] .. on to change or re duce 1t ts
Hi s sta tement b11rde11 us 1101 beyond 111 /,ar we har,e rite strength to bear,
a,s not with deeds that we ca nn ot do." . His and Majestic is He), and [the servant} pettt;:e servant to His Lord, were
imp~rmissiblc, because that petition, ram
Yunus [b. 'Abd al-A'laj- Ibn Wahb- lbn Zayd said, concermng"Do
statement O Lord, b1lfden 11s nor beyond what we have the strength to bear, ti ro nost manuscripts and print cdi•
1
ONSE arc :ibscnt from . . . cc s-163.
no t impose upon us religious obligatio ns beyond what we have the Slllflg 1 1Th11 QUE5TION Jnd it~ lengthy RESP d. I Dir Hajar cd1uo 11 , 1 I · God c;i. n impose
bear, such th at we are incapable of fu lfilJing th em. " . burden
1
uomof Tabari"s Tajsrr, but they_arc fouii .:: \ ~ave long dc?atcd wh eel ,::,ion of G~ obli~

115
Al-~sim-al-}:fu say n- Hajjaj- Ibn Jura )j sai d, co nccrnmg ation inobligmon upon hum:ins chat thC} .
11

bl of doing v,olat . ient that Go

1
i Anbic: taklif ,nJ /ii }'llf.:iq11 . Muslun tl:::~~:ot do. For the Mu t~ztla::1:hcir cort' princ1~.lr 0

not beyo,id what 1w lrave tire strength to bear, " /Thi s isj the transform g.t1~g lfo )t'rvams co do wha: they ,:~:r;nr: :i':rts\hat they a~! are ,/'~i:~:~~~iimiyyi11, 1.;~c;;
[of peopleJ into mo nkeys and pigs (Q.5:60)." -khi- Co.:! sJU it Ke , and the 1h~olog1an As ·rvartt ~at he cannot d~ '. ~\.t t cannot be done ·iHot
Sallam b. Sa li m al- Khu z:ici- Abu H afs ' Umar b. Sa' id al-Tan~ His Clnnoi impose an obligation upon roves th at God can enJom\ish section). C~aud~ ~; . of
101
Ash ~ri humdf clmm th;i. t Q . 1~:. ,. P lo ofal-APr 'Mf, 81. (Eng roof of the mvahd Jone
Mul_Ja mmad b. Sh u' ayb b. Shabor- Sall·a. 111 ·6. S5:bflr ~said, concerning
b Ku.ib1Jl-l1Jma III McCa~:hy_, l he_IJrc:h ;; Q.i:? is "the dcarc~t !ion clilt cannot be
ihows dui Tabari, in his Jafsir. clai~u abilit , to impose :i~i ob~=bari. :l61..
1
A umil~r discumon of ilJT 10 tlm 1~ found 111 Abo U bardl, A1ajJz a/-~r:an~ _' :~~~ .
1
tht porn1on of tile dcmrrs of [God ~J. }_ .
212
and Tajsrr,,l- 1
l Followrn g hr tt'lJ1ng of tlu s 1.mJd 1111he Dir Hajlr edition o f Tab:i ri s 7aft,r, j . 2 111ihou1God's issistancc"; sec l1 h Exrgrsc , J.

209
20S

L
 TABA R! SiiriH al- Haqara (2:284 -286)

he to ask Him , wou ld be for sometl . r ilu! tlwy arc askin g Him to li ght en th e obligations He has imposed
wouldI not do to him . img !God] had informed 1,·unt ha1 H
1_J"On ihtlll. by rnrans of His statement burden 11s 1101 bcyotid wlrat we /rave
T IC second way is that which is oss·bJ f; e ~~, .-iroigtli 11, btar. because the y fo llo"~ this clause by saying, Pardo,1 11~.
to do. accord ing to hi s physical natureP except I e or the obligated P
th t . erson ITiiii ii] a !'tdcion. from th em , to theJT Lo rd. to _pardon th~m for their
wou Id in vo Ive severe hard s! . d, a Its accomplish
I bl 11p, tremcn ous troubl d tnent ,l,,•tcot11ings. with respect co some of the obligatory things He has
rte o igated perso n that h e wou ld . e an great fear fro ,onim,indrd them to do. H e absolves them of this and docs not punish
t . I I Id mi ss or neglect ·r d m
n a tc wou undergo fulfi1I1·1 . A I ' ue to the sever :l:cnt, even though He has lightened the obligations He has imposed
.I I ,g It. n cxampl f 1,· '
wa l s icar s th e part of fa ga rm entJ tl o t is is removing
pra)'in g fifty [obliga tory j prayers ever ia~awas unn_ated ,upon,1 or like "l''n thrir bodks. . . . .
The foll owing in tcrprt·tcrs said somethmg sumlar to what we have
deeds th at, even th o ugh bodi es Id d y h y and night; or equivalent ,;; id concer ning that. An account of those who said that:
111
mi ss in g them o r coming up l co u Th~ c_ em, most people would fear · Yunus lb. Abd al-A'l, j- lbn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, concerning His
ing their Lo rd no t co 1 s IOr. J S I S what the believers are ask-
i:.irmit'nt Hmlo11 us. "Pa rdon 115 if we come up short regarding some of the
and easy with ch em T~Y ~p~n t 1em, and hoping that He will be mild
:lunci You have commanded us to do."
His remembran ce) to. c ar is edcause these things, were God (Exalted is
o mman Hi ss b L1kNisrfor His state111cntforgive11s, which means: Conceal our faults,
G would be just Cad~, comin from H~rvants too ey an~ o~serve them: make thrm, rdated to w hat is between us and You. Do not unveil G
Q.u86
(potenti al obli gatio , j . J ,m. Therefore, His lightening ot
is IS a ravour He be t h d
~-11·~

t~.emand do not scandalize us by making them public. Q. 2e286

rom Him to the , Tl b .
1
sows upon t em an a mercy
G add to Hi s f: n . die c 1,evers h o pe that their Lord will continue to
Wr ha,·c already indicated the meaning of "forgiveness" previously, G
avour an mercy up h h L1J .s I haw been informed by:
iof obligations j wou ld b . on t cm, even t ough a different level Yunus [b. 'Abd al-A'la]- Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, "Forgive,,, if we
is a favo ur fo r ti d c JU SC, because th e lightening [of obligationsj
1iolm anything You have prohibited us from doing."
seve rit y jof obl~cm.' an Hi s juSrice towards them /would include] rl1c
dest ru ctio n.i igat1onsJ c'1ac would lead to their inevitable [physical!

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,

[2:286] And have mercy on 115.
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS , ~od (Majrscic is His praise) means by that: " Cover us with Your mercy,
h· . i2:i86 I Pardon 115,fargiw 115 t1rn-hich You save us from Your punishment. Truly no one is saved from
T is is also anot her case of . . . 1:~urpunishmem, except by Your mercy, and not by his deeds. Our deeds
the believers to .. God (Mighty and Majestic is He) mforming
petition Him with these words. This is a clear indica- r,n:ioi sarf' us if You do not have mercy upon us, even if we have acted
i:uc~rdance with what pleases You," as I was informed by: . .
15
I ,~:~~:h,r word1. God. in ill<'ff\' a
H1 1
Ace pie !Imes itmead o( physic;i.ll .-r~i llo~s
.
pcnon to wash hu urinated-upan g;irm
cur Yunus b. 'Abd al-A'la-Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, concermng H
l .l
'.tat~memaud have mercy on 115, " We have not achieved anything You have
G 0rd mg to most accounu of > nO\ mg thl' ~pot and patching iL .
od irut1;1.ll y unposed fift , bl t 1i r Prophet Mub:11111nad's Night Journey and Ascension, ~::;mand ed us, nor have we refrained from doing anything You have
;o
;~;:~r fiv, . Ta1».ri\
>h
;i~it :!~~~:\;s~;·er~upon the Mudim 5, b~t ulcim_acely reduc~~arii~
t!
pon humanity and would 1. gc h 1ar God has everv n ght co nnpast fifi) ·
roh'b' d
: , ' 11' us,exceptby [the grace of] Your mercy.
,, IIbII zayd] sai'd ' "No

could pray rim many tin:~!\~ cormdcred j ust if He, did, beciuse most hurn:~1;
c"Napes !the punishmen t} except by Your mercy."
Th O five. a day. Howevrr in His mcrcY God reduced
3 •~u ihe,nd of di, H , • ' ' •
Tafiir . I hav,:, h d age that h mmin fi fT l,Jri )
Englidi ; di 10 transbce 1h,:,final dau g rom mo~'. manuscripts and editions O a c ju
Dir H e Arabic reads u.uf, ad/ h ;i. /utl,:, less lrm·all y in order fo r ii co make sens ,
lJU, 5 :163 , i J alayl11rn al-tashdidu'lludJ,; Iii yu'ma11u nw'ah11 hafdkuhum.
~ 1,b.rfscornmcntary on Q.z:58 (not included in this translation) .

210 211
 TABAR.I Sri ral al-Baqara (2:284 - 286)

COMMENTARY ON THE FO LLOW ING DIVINE WORDs, . d Par,/o,r us, God (Mighty and Majestic
When h~drc.~;t~ave pardoned you all." When he recited
12:286} You are our Protector, so aid 11s against the disbelie,,ers.
Ii H_e) sa1 , d (~i ht y :md Majestic is He) said, "l have

God (Majestic is Hi s praise) mean s by You are our rnawlii: You arc our f'~e111( us, ?o II "~hen he recited and l,m,e mercy on us,
1
Prot ector, Who protects us by Your aid , to the exclusion of those who torg1,T1~ \~t~' :n·d Majestic is He) said, " l h_ave sho~ercd
oppose You an d di sbelieve in You, because we believe in You and obcr God (M g . ·au all .. When he recited so aid us agarnst tlic
what You have conunanded and forbidden us. You are the Protector ·r "'.c:-rc~· upo1G,) d (M;icstic is His praise) said , "I have aided
0
JL1hrl1e1m, o :.i

whoever obeys You and the enem y of whoever disbelieves in You and ,ou all agamst them .. , - d "Gabnel came
disobeys You . So aid 115, because we are Your partisans, against tliedisbdic1ns y ·d Juwaybtr-al-Dahhak sa1 ,
who den y Your oneness and wo rsh ip deities and partners inferior to You. \,h-, b Abi Tihb- •~•(-)and ;a,d, 'O Muhammad, say, 0 Lord, take
They obey Satan's cail to disobey Yo u. w1he Mrnengcr of Go s I k, he said It Then Gabncl (upon
,. if r, et or nuss tic mar , so d I
The word maw/a in this co ntext is the nominal form of mafal from
:cr'rr,1 w ~1 U'!'Jorg' d l
J ' Thnhesa1dtolum,'Say,OLor,t1y
himpme) said 'He has ~ne d1~ lay onethose before us.' (The Prophet] said
the expression "So-and-so is in charge of the affair of so-and-so. He is in
r. i'rJ us <uch a compact as ~u has done {ttl 'Then he said, 'Say, 0 Lord,
charge of it; he is it s wa/i and its maw/ii. " 2 The yii' in ,valf became an alij.
,bmd then Gabnel said, He I b , [The Prophet] said this G
G due to the Jarba on th e lam pr ior to it, w hich is the second radical of thc:-
b&, usuotbeyon w1t11we
1 d I Jw 1,e tire strengt I to ear
, l h
fi
d 'Say Pardonus, orgive Q,l:lB6
original noun. \() d e · 'H hasdone j1t] Tien esai, , I ,
Q . 2:286 .:- J G,bnc s sa1 , d IIS aoamst tlie d1Sbe 1evers. $
It has been alleged th at w hen God (M ajestic is His praise) sent down 115 y0 11 are our Protector, so at o ] ,,, , w
.i ..1d l1ai•e mercy on 'He has done {1t . -
a this verse to the Messenger of God (1), he recited it and God fulfilled [th,
d l
[Tb, P1ophet\ said tlus and Gabnel sa1 tbo Hum, ·d-Asbat [b Nasr]-
d· ·] 'Amr amma
1 am am- d ke11snottota5kifwefarget,or1111ss
Musib Harlin [a-H
suppli cations in this verse J completely. .
An account of the report s that have reached us, concerning tlus: S4ddi said that when the verse O Lor ' ta "O Muhanunad, God did
- AI-Mut I1anna. b. lbralnm
. . and Mu.ham ma d b • Kl1aIa f al-'Asqalani-
-lbn ~.un.:rk came down, Gabnel said to hun (s), " d,d Jay 011 tl1ose
Adam al-Asqalani- Warqa'-'A1a' b. al-Sa'ib-Sa' id b. Jubayr 5 1I mpact as 1011
l"lt [When] O Lord, lay not on " siu a '~ I t ngth to bear Pardon
Abbas said, ~frn.s O Lord, burde,i us not beyond what we ave ties re o md 115 agamst the
When the verse The Messenger believes in that which • ~•,gwe us ,md lia11e mercy on us ¥011 are our Protector, 5 all of tlllS, "O
lias been sent down to him from his Lord came down, th_e
L-kl1Mrs \came downj, Gabnel said to him, concerning
Messenger of God (s) recited it. When he reached Hts 1 .\\u\,mmad, God did that:" ' ., -Waki'-Sufyan [al-Tha'7ri]-::-
state1m·m Cram us );our forgi,,eness, O Lord, God sai~, "I . Abu Kurayb and Sufyan jb. Waki_]. '·db Jubayr-lbn Abbas
have forgiven you all. " When lrhe Messe nger] recited .\dam b. Sulayman, the maw/a of Khalid-Sa i · d n Tlie Messet1ger
0 I.o,d, rake 115 not to task if we forget, or miss the mark, God
d d M . . is He) sent ow
. "When God (Might y an aJestic h. L d through His state·
(Might y and Maj estic is He) said, " I shall not take you ~.::/:!l'rs iu thar 111hicl1 has been sent down to him from .15 Ior k [the Prophet]
all to task. " When he recited lay not 0 ,1 115 sruh a compact, men1 0 Lord, take 11s not to task if we forget, or 111155 t _ie ";°r 11:ark and [God]
God (Majestic is Hi s prai se) sa id , " I shall not lay lcbis rtcitcd O Lord, take us not to task if we forget, or "1155 tie
co mpact j upon you all ." W hen he recited b11rde11 " 5
1 . d in any other collectiom or ~01;~~e;~~;!::
11 01
btyo,id 1/1l1at we have 1l1e stre11gth to bear, God (Mighr!: .~b.id Shlkir nom th~t this ~11di1h IS not_foun absent from 11 /-D11rr a/-manl~"'j collections ;
and Maj estic is He) said, ''I shall not burden you all. n.up:fo_rhm; Tafiir 11/-Ti1b11ri, 6:-~4i-3. It 1~also' locate it in a few non-ca~om~,h in the oar
dih: D1r H1iu edition of Tahan s commencar)com \etc narration of ch_is ~and rcviously
let S11,6, note i. I havr followed the far m~re cou:d in many manuscripts 3 P
I The word 11 • • "friend, 1,clo\'rd · tlipr (d1uon imtead of 1hc truncated version 1'
~~!;
11 1 $
"' ~ wry n ch K"nunucall y ind can mean, among otfll'r clu ng '
Fc~bhcd edmom of Tabari's T11fiir.
i ,~1,mr~, ~nefmor, ;i,nJ gu;i.rdm1" ; H~va, 895. . _,ruJw/Ohu; mr :Tt.1i~-4li1hqud1i 1snw:sa1.
HaJu~~~;,':.fula mm am,i1Julimf,1-h1;u'lt pilih, wa/OyatQI/ 11 -a-hu11,11 H1;J/1yy11hu wa
l'll:i~..:.lirh qudJi 1s mursa/.

21 3
2 12
 TABA R.I
Siirar al- Baqa ra (2:284- 2S6)
said, ' I have do.ne \th at ].' !W h en h e reci tedl O Lord, lay ,, , su 1
0 _ \"OU all, and 1ha\'C aided you all agai nst the dis~e\ieving f~\~_"'
compact as You d,d lay 0 11 rliose before 11s, H e said, ' I have done {th ] ' I di a
011115

he recited ] 0 Lord, burden us uot beyomJ 1v lia1 we ha,,e rlie stre,i

said, ·1 have done that.' [And w hen he said] Pardon 115 fio,/,·v
ti: ~
beWhen
ad,,/H ,
U:°' \·hls hccn narr.ttcd on th e autho rity of al-Pal)l.iak b . ~u~alpr_n th~t
1
. ·ii mctH (Blessed
Gc.d"s tulh .
and Exalted is He) of this sup plication m tlns
,
. . , 6 e us an /at't' k applies to the Proph et (~) -
mercy 011 us. You a.~: our Protector, so a,d 1,s aga11w the disbelievers, He said 'I ial1~1~;npnousl- al -\:l usayn b. al-Faraj- Abo. ~u(ad~ [al-Fa<;ll _b.
have done (that]. 1
'
l I M . zi}-(Ubayd b. Sulayman- al-Q al)l~ak sa1d, concerning
Abu Kurayh-Ishaq b. Sulayman- Mui' ab b. Thabit-'Ala' b Khlh, .i - i mO\aLord rake 115 nor to task if weforget, or miss the mark, "Gabriel
H:s mtt'mc1H h f
'Abd al-Ra~man b. Yacqub- his father- Ahli Huray ra said: When God ,
u 11 \um p{'acc) taught this to the Pr~phct_of Go~(~). The Prop ~to
(Blessed and Exalted is He) se nt down O Lord, rake 11s not to task if wefo rge,, (i) askrd His Lord (Majestic is H is praise) f?,~It, and H e gave tt to
or miss the mark; my fat h cr said : Abu Huray ra said: the Messenger of
2
'"" This \farnur] was solel y for the Pr,ophet (i). · _ _ _
God (~) sa id, "God said yes.'' IW h en j O Lord, lay not on 11s s1u li a <ompa<r AI-Mmhanna b. Jbr,him- Abu Nu aym-Sufyan [al-Thawn]-Abu
as Yo11 did lay 011 tlwse before us t o t h e end o f the ve rse [came downj, my ll~iqs•id, "Mu adh would say 'Amen (ami~)' ~hen~;er h e completed the
fa ther said: Abu H urayra sa id: t h e M essenge r of God(~) said , "God \rn words of this silra , so aid us against the d1sbel1evers.
(Mighty and Majestic is He) said yes." 3
G Ibn Bashshar- Abii Ahmad- Sufyan [al-ThawrlJ-Adam b. [Conclusion of 1/1c commetltary 0 ,1 verses 284-286 of Siirat al-Baqara1 G
Q . n86 Sulaymin-Sa(id b. J ubayr said , "T h is ver se cam e down: God obligates 111.1 Q. 2c286
G soul beyond its scope;for it is u,liat it has earn ed, and against it is what it hasacm1rd . G
0 Lord, take m 1101 to lask if we fo rget, or miss th e mark. [God] says, 'l haw
done !that ].' 0 Lord, lay not 0 11 m 511 cl, a compact as You did lay Otl those hcjoft"
"' · \God\ says, 'I have done \th at].' T his [Muslim] community has been
given the closin g verses of Surat al- Baqa ra, th e likes of which no previous
community (or nation) has ever been g iven !"
'Ali b. Harb al- Mawsili- Ibn Fu\layl -'Ata' b. al-Sa'ib--Sa'id b.
Jubayr- Ibn 'Abbas said, co ncern ing God's statement (Mighty and
Maje st ic is He) Tl,e Me55e11ger believes in that wh ich has been sent down to /u m
firorn I115· Lord un ul· H is statement Gra ,u us Your fo rgiveness, 0 Lor:d• "[God\I
said, 'I have forgiven you all.' \After se ndi ng ·down J God obligates 110 '°"
berond its scope unt il H is statem ent O Lord rake ,u not to task if weforget, ['•
miss th e mark, God said,' ] will not rake y~u all t o t ask (for these t bings ·
IAfter send·mg down J 0 Lord lay not on us such a compact as vu 10 did lay J
011

tliase be'ore
J' us, Hc sat·d, 'I w1•11no' t lay this u pon you . , [A fit er se n ding downd
Pa rd0" iu,forgive us and have mercy ou 11 s. You are our Protector until tbe en .
of the verse, \GodJ said, 'J have pardoned, forgi ven and showered mere)

I Addu,onal wurr,, for th had h T1 sec above for :addition:al

11
1 111 oih, r wordi Abd al is
1
~ arc r~cnuou,d rarlic r in thh sccciou. ' -..:Ill! i v~ri~tion of 1h{' fir st \bu 'Abba~ ~adrrh in this section:
3 Addn1ona\ iou:((1 fo r :1~:bm~n b. Ya qiib, th, father of 'Alf.
long,r narration of h h lwd,rh arc mcnuon('<l earlier in this sectio n. I
,·c fo l\owcd the
• • i6i·
i.i.:::t·ing to Suytiti, this ,mmal /iadirli onl y appears m. Tabm-• 111rfisir; al-Durr a/-rna11rhur,
5
111,,,
- ~ hfound m 1hc Di r 1-hjare<lmon of T:ibari') JiJjsir, 5·
11 11
t

2 14
21 5
 Siirat Al tl111rii11 (J:7)
1

_•r·~.< rdtlir /l()(lk, incaning they arc the foundation of the Book, in which
1,-cfN1~J the pillars of rhc reli gion. the obligations, the laws (iwda,w and
:1~r hing clsc 1hat humans are in need (of knowing} regarding their
11
;i'.:~ion. [Thry contain J all of the obligations for which humans arc
THE_FAMILY OF ' IMRAN :i-~mihk. in 1hl' immediate present and remote future.-'
' \k only called these verses the Motlier of tli e Book because they form
SURAT AL ' IMRAN
·'~ ftc,ittt part of the Book and arc a sanctuary for His people in need of
(Q. 3:7) H.:n. Thii is d1l: practice of the Arabs, who label something that brings

e 1
~~:,hl'T 1hc mljority of that thing "a mother" to it. The battle standard
/woplr undcr which che army unites is called "their mother," and the
c:.~ \1 ho arranges most of rhe affairs of a village or region is called "its
CO MMENTARY ON TH E FOLLOWIN ::Nha.·· \Ve havr already explained this topic sufficiently, such that its
IJ :71He ir " Wh o has se t d G DIVINE WORDS: :crmiion is unnecessary.~
I " 0111 11 to youdtiI e Boo,k rvI,erei,i are clear sig11s-
r II'}' are th e Mother of the Book- ,Thwprcssion "the Mother of the Book" is always put in the singular
God (Majestic is H : 011 others (wlriclr are) ambiguo11s. ..:; nmr made plural. One does not say "They are Mothers of the Book." 0
d is praise) means b , H . T~nh1rJ-prrson fem inine plural pronoun lmmia is used here because He Q.J:7
. own to you the Book: Trul G d ,f ) JS stat ement, He it is Who has st/I/
:itf~dedfor the collect ivity of the dear signs to be the Motlier of the Book and G
is concea led, is He WI /y o , rom whom nothing on earth or in hean·n
e have alrcad)' '°P iasse111downro
:~: tor each sign to be \individually] the Motlier of the Book. If the meaning
··d d I . Y0 " tiI e B00 k', meaning, rhe ~ur'an.
Qi!ur W
·-an is_called "a Book" rov, e c anfi · "-" ~: :ha_i ireforcncc\ was that each sign is "the Mother of the Book," then
suflicientl ' ,canon as.'° the reason why the ~ere 15 n~. doubt that it would have been said, "They are the Mothers of
sary at rim place . 1 ) • such that its repetltlon is un neccs•
:.:.:,Boo_k. Aparallel case to our interpretation of God's statement (Mighty
~"IJ,~1a:1mic is Hr), tliey are the Mother of the Book, in which "Mother" is put
INTERPRETATION ~t-neim~ula~ while being the predicate of "they (/umna)," is His statement
As for H' OF wherein are dear sigm
. is stat ement wherei,i ar I . . u~ud 1s His remembrance), A,zd We made the Son of Mary and his motlier a
g s, mea ning vcrs. : f I e c ea r sig,is, It means: In the Book an·
51 71 ii(Q.2no). He did not say "two signs" because the intended meaning
(mulrkamiir), thes · cs O tie ~r'Jn. As for the meaning of dear [s1gllS]
~:.-We made both of chem together a s~gn." !This is so] if the intended
t I c1.r cIarit y and cd are.dverses
. that
• have been made flawless (11h kimt1a) in .
1
Iy established uc1 n and \\,}iose proofs and indicators .have been tmg was that they were both made a single lesson for humanity. Had
fimn . auo d'
• d·icate, from amo, m accor I I ·anc e wit· I1 w I1at Ithe clear signs] were made to ~d:::;ntion of the expression been that each one of them was made indi-
111 ½ f) alesson for humanity, it would have been said, "And We made the
Threat, 1 reward s an~ tie ~wful and fo rbidden [acts], the Promise and chc
1 ..nob Mari•andh·is mot I1er two signs " because eac I1 one o f t I1cm wou Id
tudcs, cxhortation;1 I pun ishments, command s, rebukes, reports, sintlli-
' csso ns and the like thereof. l....-h
e eena
h lcsson ror
, them. This could' have been said because Mary gave
~, wa out a man an d herson spoke from the cradle as a baby, so ·m eac h
c,rofih,m
INTE RPRETATI ON OF the' t1ierc was a sign for humanity.
Then He (M . . . ) are the Mother of the Baok
a1est1c 1s His praise)
. described these clear sig,is as they are ilic
l_i.J.f.ni' ~
1$,: ½,_.e, ; ;::;r~~ them as th_(' a#; sec his Ma'il,ri a/-~r 'ii,r, 1 :1~- _ .. v .,
11
11\«1,,,,,1 of ,h, ' ' hmodoruon.' foe ch, joscifirnion foe «,ml,ung !wM " I"'~""'
: Xt :abovt, Tab:.in's lntro<l
Ill r,;i:f".ind Dar l·bJ,lr cdiuon add a few addiuonal words to 1h1s sentence
00 d
Nott th~1 ihc Ar.ib
l Ar~b1c- u'<Jd
uruon , or Tafa;, al T ba -
ic wo rd for hotb "s ,, - a n. I :99. ~;,'';;"Y
1,,,·., "'"'"'"''P"·
of cl" ;nduding cl" pdncip,1 ooc, ,h,c I h""' ' ioclod,
of Hclifire . uu-wa id; g('11cr.ill r undtrsl1!J:c'.:i ;;1~ "v('nl·s" n llyJt . th ~ 21
C'fN to th(' promise of hc:avcn :and chc 1~1.ho-.r.inT?r..s: 189 (no1ci).
b~n lntrod union .

2 16 217
 TABAR! Sii rat A l ci,,mh1 (J:i)

are t~n e o f th e Basra n g ramma ri an s1 sa id. i.:,e' he brings forth as evidence. with out a doubt, arc exact ci tations of
_e "!other of the Book instead of "th . The only reason it is s . .,k qu ting thingsjust as they have heard them, and just as someone else
ih,i It is repe ating exactl y th e w d ey a re the Mothers of th aid '!'r 1
~,[r
0
chem: and it i~obvious that God (Majest ic is His praise) is not quot-
a man says " I do not h ave a n • h e~ r o~; has just heard. For c:,~ook ii ;.£ Hii st.m•mcnt the Mother of the Book fro m anyone, which would allow
(a11a amiimka) ,, Or ) pers, yo u can say "I nplc, if .;" [.'(' ~.1id th;'lt He is phrasi ng it :is a quote of w hat someone else said like
say " We are .o , on~-~a n say " I do n o t h ave a cer,, am your helpers ili,i.A>[or His w1tcmcnt 11kham (others), it is the plural of uklm'i ("another").
for two d,i ~- "' ,Peer: . This is also like th e [solcc·, t~ which you can
I f; II , . cs (da 111111111 tan,ra ta11). -' Mor • tsm] I have no nccd Then the experts in the Arabic language di sagreed over the reason
t ie o owmg ve rses : eo, er, a man from Faq' as~rC"ciud }.\· the word 11kl1ar is not decl in ed wit h tar11,,i11:
1

0r1:,;:1 0 N'. Some of them sa id: Ukhar is not declined because it is an

ta,arradat Ii bi-makll ,ii balli
,.;_ rrtm·. 1bc singular of whic h is uklm'i, just as one does not decline juml
taam,da 'l- mulirati fi'/- tiwalli
.1"ru ol defects .. ) an d kuta' ("vile''), because th ey are adjectives.
taarr11dcm lam ta ' /11 'a11 .qarlm1 lijsic ]
op1:,;:10 N: Orbers said: Ukh ar is no t declined because of the ya' in its
She
L'k refu
I sed 11 ie at apace I ·w here I :di gln cd ,:.;uhr form and tk1r the !rules governing this] plural form are condi-
At re/ ic t efu sa l of a fi ll y Itet hered to J hi s rope tt1nrJby it~singular. They said: One does not decline ukhrii just like one Q
c usa no less than her !saying j, "Kill m e! "

•
Q :,-.e•nol decl ine l111mrii' (" red") an d bayt;la ' ("white") in both rhe indefinite Q .J:7
Q.n IAI-Akh fash sa id :! Th e word a . . . . ~~Cdcfinitc forms. due to the alif(ziyadat al-madda) and !the substitution
qu otm g w h at j hi s I h d tlmi I, ts 111 the accusanve because he is
Q one says '" IC ove r] a said ro him in ch c accu sative case. LikcwisC". the] hmnia with a waw.: H oweve r, th e plurals of bamra' and i,k/irii dif-
o mc)" to
called o ut (n iidiy lbJ prayer
· ' Icome to ) prayer (al-$alata al-µi/Ora )' was :i;.Smu~e the plural of uklira follows the paradigmji/a/ and is ukhar, and,
to ] praye r lcot a eca uSe] he is q u o ting th e person w ho said6 "!Come Un~e singular, is not d('clined; but th e plurals of bamra ' and bayt;la', in
it should be au c lto J P'bayer. " i IA I-Ak h fas h said:] One of chem said that
11 rnmmt 10 their singulars, are declinable land follow the paradigm fi/n.
. stc ad of a pa qat. Ianl1br, ut the poet u se d an 'ay11 [making it a prep0smon
tn .. ni~dy lmmr and bi4. Thus, the difference between their plural forms
bl O:f:.i.ms why one is declined and the other is not. Neither one is declined
. e.' The wordr lC lqatlJ isecau
in st~, 111
. h JS· d"'.a Icct, an and ra11 are intcrchang'3·
1 e

1111pcrati vc a c accu san ve case, with rhe meaning of thC' rn t~esmgular, because rh ey sha re the same nomin al paradigm.
, syou can sa)' da b 1·
TABARi SA I D . .
d .. z
· ran ,_ ay ( Strike Zayd! ).
" .• , Asfor His statemen t ambig,wus (mutashabihat), 3 its meaning is: [These
· This opinion is utte r no nsense, beca u se all of the poetic <t")_] re~emble othe r verses in their recitation, yet differ in their mean-
:~·.!"" " God (Majestic is His praise) said, and (fmit) is givm to them
, '~;-~;·•,~w,'. Kl»hd w,n~""' r::•;~,:~.:i•Akhfa,h, M,';.,; ,J.q,,,an, , ,394 . 1,m g,,.,fol fm
I Tiu: co111ent of t\11 ~ pa~sa e fo t)
.{. ~l!Jbiha11 (Q.2 :25), meaning " jche fruits in rhe temporal world and
. 1 a)h ) text ha) the dial uablc ;usmancc wit h rhh pau2ge. li lfo dierl rese mble each oth er in appearance, but differ in taste."
1 1
,iaJiruka I ,uihuw " <!Jiruka )"; Ma'!~e t1" P .~ as .. I h :wc- n o hcl p<- r. We a rc- )'our he] pt>r (mJ /, I ;""· when God informed us of what the Children of Israel said
j ~,It:::.:::
and p
Anb1c would he dan i :n~~:n~ • :39 ~.
.. ' iutc:m:,m . as~umc-d t o be
11 1

~tay u, Ill thc gc n i1ivc-. buf the exact guor;auo n

of ~,~n Mom comma nded chem to sacrifi ce a cow], Tmly cows resemble
Tl pu~, <wo '"" ,n ,h, nomm . ,,,J, "m'"''" c·1hm , wo d, « , "), ,.;ob« • S""'"'" •~r~b.:iha )o11 eanotlier in our eyes (Q.z:?o), they mean t "They resemble one
4 lC c 11 0n of th e O h 11 au \(" u~c-. i...o,her to us in their desc ription, even though their types differ."
\~nh, d , 1-F,q'u; ,1 -Asad/J;:,;"'on of T,6.,;-, "foj, ;, ;dc,rnfv ,1,; , po« ,. M•••"' b.
j I C" cor rcn Arabic would have . '
no 11:m;~1vc c.:&~ , were tlu ~ not ad:: nfui1y.il1 I al-kll.it u ('"The- ra ·e r \.\.';IS c:Jicd") in 1he :~~r '>lo!Ji , l-l"hy LS it ukharu instead o f uk/111, un, gi\"cn 1!1Jt 1he word is indefinite?
0
J)r.l} CL ) Ill tlie ;iccu»uvc c~ qu ote of )0111("0 . >,_ / liita ccon1e (O f"°' o1': •of_,h, Di, H,J" , d;,;on of T,oo,f,
1'fti, cxpb;n ,h>< du, ;,, «fmn" < ,h, d"'l
a -!d ara a -,a
:•:t'b .,,1,,1,,1,."
6 Accordmg to the cdno r of ai- Ak l . ne !>2.}"lllg "'• d<li " " 'wh"h bernm<> """''"""• w;,h ,h, h,mz, becom;ng• ""'"' "' S" '' (,w«'I•
Abmad ; 1 ·393.
7 Acconlmg to Ar.i \>1( g r.mim:i r
,fu h s Ma ii11 ; a/. ,_
~ , ,m. tl m
. . . .
n the- op111 1on of K
h,J.il b
•· i,,,,'.';, 1 " It (, dung. or ,n ,tfo r) ••'.:or b'.:''"'••~;}:::';
I d::'.::i:
11 · ;..J, ~0 ddi m:-s th<." 11111tashJbihii1 verses in 1he ~ r ;an as ve r~ s q
li ke 'c1n . l,m 11 l Ould follo w th~ pa ~1~;;~1:~~1 r :tl CUl..li uvr U!>e o n llC\'<.'f fo llow 2 prepasifiOP• igwi111i, 1 <. swKrp11blr of differtnl intrrprttations"; Lane,··sh-b-h ."

2 1~ 2 19
 TA BART Siirar Al 'Im rii11 (J:7)

Therrf~ rc, the int erpreta tion o f thi s sc ntcnc . . ;,.~/ \l\-Jlusayn b. al-Hasanl - m?' fath_c r- hi s fa ther r~!iyya b. Sa{d
IVlwm no1hmg o,1 earth or in heaven is co11cealed (Q .e I~. Tr11ly the One from ·,_ :\iifi]-lhn Abbis s:iid. concern mg H 1s statement He 1/ is Who l1as senI
!""• 7ul)am111ad, the Qt,r'an, whercir, arc clea;~;;) lS He Who sem dow,,r, ~~ ~ , / e B(•t'k through to a11d orl,ers (111/iicli arc) a~nbig11ous, "The clear
are t 1e ou nd at io n of the Book. upo n w hich restn;~n cx ~~sition-rhc~r 11 1 11 11 11
i,r.-tl. h rh arc rht Motlier of tlic Bm.ik, arc those wluch abrogate a ruling
you and your co mmunit y, an d towa rd w h ic h lie , c religious pillars of 11 1
i:J •re acted upon. ,,-hilc the ambiguous ones arc those which arc abro-
sanctu ary, regarding th e laws of ]slam that I i I )OUT ~a~ctu ary and their
· ·tJ lnd m not fo\\owrd .'"
yo~ a,~d them-and oth er signs, w hi ch res la~~ ma e mcumbcnt upon ~• ~\C,:i b. H:irlln lal-l-·fa mdaniJ - 'Amr \b. l:{amm:idl- Asb:i~ \b.
rernat1 on_, but differ in th eir m ea n in gs. e m c other verses in thrn s,,,j-' uddi - Abu Malik and Ab,1 Salil)- lbn 'Abbas; and from
T_hc mccrprctcrs disagreed over t he inte r ret :aio . \\Jru al-Hamd:ini-lbn Mas(lld ; and fr om a group of Companions of
wlie~em are dea r sig 11s-they are the Mother ef the ~oO i._ n of His statement ::: Propht't ($), who all said , concerning He it is Who has sent doum to you
ambiguous askin g "Whicl f I and others (wliicli arc.') -'·· H.,,k w/ierci11 are dear sig ns- tl,cy are the Mother of the Book through to
are ambi ~uous?" l ve rses o t 1e Boo k arc clear and which of thC'm
H•11tittlllt'nl rite whole isfrom 011r Lord, "As for the clear signs, these are the
OP I NION: Some of them s:iid · The / . ,~ro~l:mg n·rst'S upon whi ch one acts. The ambiguous [verses] arc those
~r'an arr th ose wJ1·1cl1 . .d c car signs among the verses of thC'
are ac te u pon I h h whh are abrogated."
Q Jearli er ones] or tho I. I bJ· 'nam e Y t e verses t at abrogate 8"h1 lb. Mu adhj-Yazid Jb. Zuray' )-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Aruba]- 0
it s ve rses arc th s~ ~v(c 1 csta ish rulings. The ambiguous ones among ~id. concerning He it is Wh o has sent doum to you the Book whereitl Q.J:7
Q. J:7 ose w i1c 1 arc no lo nge r acted upo n and [are] abrogated.~
.~, Jr;, sigus- 1hey are tlie Motlier of tire Book. "The clear signs are the abro- 0
Q An account of those wh o said th at ·
1 f<:1~g verses. which are acted upon , and what God has made lawful in
Ya qub b. Ibrahim lal-D -. , ,
mous- lbn 'Abb- .d a,, raq iJ - Hu shaym- Awwlim-anony- •:_ Bookj and made unlawful in it. As for the ambig11011s verses, these are
as sa1 . co ncerni H. / . .
"Th ese arc three verses be i . 11 ~ IS statem e nt w 1ere1t1 are clear s1g11s. ,::1a1ed, not acted upon, and are believed."
111l1icl your Lord lias Jorbidd;,, nn mg with , Say: Come, I will recite unto yo11 rhar Al-1:lmn b. Yal1ya- 'Abd al-RazzJq-Ma' mar-~t:ida said, con-
1
Bani Isra'il, be innin wit! to you (Q.6:151-3) and the passage in [Surat]1 (trmn.? H11 statement clear signs, "The clear verse is chat which is acted
Him (Q . g ) ,. g 1 • Your Lord has decreed that you worship none sa1e
o;xm.
.!7. 2 3- 39.
Al-Muthanni- lsl, aq-Ibn Abt Ja' far-his father-al-Rah( said,
Al-Muthanna-Ab
Ali b. Ab· T II · a 1 ! I'Abd Allah b. Sali~ 1-Mu' awiya b. Salih-
u- s-I·J c;r.cernmg Heir is Wlio has sent doum to you tl1e Book wherein are clear signs-
lias serit d 1 · a ~a- lbn Abbas said, conce rnin g Hi s statement He it is Who :: areihe MotlrC'r of the Book- and others (which are) ambiguous, "The clear
Book "Th ow11 Ito you. the Book 141I,erem . are cIear sigm-they are the Mother o,j fI~e
•,!-! ile the abrogating verses, which are acted upon, while the ambiguous
I are the verses o f t I1e Book w hich abrogate or tn
cate ,what e,·scIear cstg11s . d1- O'.'.tiir~ rhe abrogated verses, w hich are not acted upon and are believed."
and oblig t' aw,u ( .and"or b'dd I en or specify th e fixed penalties (or Iaws) , Al-Muihannl-'Amr-Hushaym- Juwaybir-al-I;>al)~ak said, con-
acted upona ions
" i Tl I tances )1ares,) or state what is to be be 1·1eved an d
or mheri
'.tmg.His statement clea r sigm-they are the Motlier of the Book, "The
"Th t: arnbig. ien ie recited, and others (whicli are) ambiguous, and said, '.~og:iing \verses]." Then he said, concerning and others (tvhicli are) ambig-
uou s d arc th osc w I11c
verses . I1 are abrogated , have inverted word 1
orde r are parabl -..i. Thai which has been abrogated and is no longer recited."
,
Mul~amrnad ' d hs' ar1d are to bc b e Iieved but not acted u Po" ·"
esban S oat
,_JStyln) ibn Waki' lb.
al-Jarral)]- his father-Salama b. Nubay\-
· a lb. Mu l_1ammad al-'Awfl)- my father-in)' ·\ a.~ak b. Muz5.him said "The clear verse is that which has not been
'-'og,1 d . ' d"
Yae .: while_ the ambiguous verse is that which has be~n abrogate. ·
: oclm wordi, God. h)a b. Ab, T:i\ib-Yazid- Juwaybir-al-I;>a~Qak said, concermng
co:nt of th <: \"( rm 111 Ill> l r.lMIJtl • th'
11-.i ~11u_of the foll owing lm of dtk·::1 of t.lm H·11tcncc i~ in the Arabic ccxc, which °?<:Tuh~ ;·.~:og.ic-d\·c . nofthe~r':in,
l·h- wd..dwhu u'IJ-farii 'rJwhw ll'IJ-mJ ~Jton . al-11111/rkamiit: ,iifoklmhu wa-halaluhu wa-bonl."'Dir ,·:i.-.i-.:ghruh:k" 11 gcner.il\y a vcm· that continues to be recited ;u ~:ed ~r':in but :ire
JU, 1· 193 yu 171 '11111 brh, 1111:1-yu,nalu bilri; Taf ir a/-70bari. 6:l 75• '·,\on, 111t g 11 no longer ctfcctivc Verses 1hat were part of the rco
~r ouocl in II ari:: very rare, ~uch. as the so-called " Satanic v1:r5r s."

22 1
 TA BAR)
H is sratem cnt d,•ar sigm- tl1ey are rlie Mother ef the Book "Th
[verses /.'" Then he sa id, co ncerning and others (wlzicli ar;) amb; abrog.~ting
:ibroga red [VC"rses J." rguous, Thc-
/Ano nymous J-al-1:lusayn b. al-Faraj- Abu Mu'-dh /
Khalid al-Marwaz,J- ' U bayd b. Sulayman - al-Dahh-k a 'd al-Fa\ll b.
H. / . . .. a sa1 ' concern1n
1s statemcnr w 1er~m are clear_signs , ''Abrogating Jverses) that are :icte~
upon, a.11d oth~rs (wlurh are) ambig uous, meaning those which arc abro ated
and believed m, but arc no t acted upon." g iihKh m repeated si milarl y in multiple siiras, sometimes told with identi-
" Al_1~1ad b. f-:i iz im- Abu NuC.1y m-Salama-ai-Oabbak said
W~1erem are c~ear s1g::s-th ~t "';',hich h as not been abrogated-and orhr~
(wl11cl1 are) amb1g11om. H e said , That which bas been abrogated."
OPI N ION: Othe rs said : The dear sig ns among the verses of the Book arc
those which God has made perfectl y clear, in order to explain what is law-
ful and unlawfu l, while th e ambig u o us verses arc those which resemble
G others se manti cal ly, t ho ugh th ey differ in wording.
Q.J:7 An accou nt of t hose w ho said that :
G M~ha nunad b. 'Amr /al-Bahili/ - Abii 'ii1im /al-Nabil]- 'isa /b
Mayn_m n] - Jbn Abi Najil_i-Muj i hid said , concerning Hi s statement
wl,erem are dear sigt1J, "Th at w hi ch is in it concerning what is lawful and
unlawful ; everythi ng else is amb,g11011s. Som e of it affirms o ther parts of ir.
Examp les of this are H is stat em ent and He misleads rhereby only the ungodly
(Q: 2 =2 6); and like Hi s statement , Tims God lays ignominy uPon those ll'lio
be~ieve not (Q.6: 125); and like His statement, While as for th~ who will~
anght, Headds_to 1l1eir guidance, andgi1,es them their god-fearing piety (Q.47: r7)._
A nearl y ident ical report was narrated to us from al-Murhanna-Abu
l:fudliayfa-Shibl- Ibn Abi Najil.1 -Mujahid.
O PI NION: 01hers sa id : The clear sigm among the verses of the Book
are r_hose whi ch cannot be inter preted in more than one way, while rbe
ambiguous ones are chose w hi ch ca n be interpreted in multiple w:iys.
An accou m of chose who said that:
b / bn l:lum,yd-S,lama-Mul)a mmad b. !shag-Muhammad b.Ja'far
_- :i -Zubayr said, "He it is Wh o has sem doivn to )'Ou the Book wherein ared~ar
srgns, among which are the proof of th e Lo rd protec tion of the worship~
pers and the • ' • chat
I 'b re utat ion of adve rsaries and fal sehood. The meanings d
iave een bestowed I up« ·
A d /' h upon t 1esc verses ca nnot be c hanged or corr
n mt e Book th er J , d" heirtrU(
meaniug /T l . ' care otners(whichare) ambig uous regar m g t d -t~1bal-1ahdhib 5·5 16
God test. H 1e1r mean ings] can be changed, corrupted and interpret~ ;
s is serva nt s by means of these jambig uousJ verses.just .;is
222
Srirat Af 'Jmrii11 (J:7)
!tit-ihrlll by rhe lawful and unlawful thin gs. ld cmandi~~~] that they not
t,ech ,rngcd w false hood, nor corrupt ed fro m the truth.
OPJl-lO N'. Others said: Thl' meanin g of "clear verses (mubkam)" i_s that
rhri an.' du.· Qir·anic verses Go d has made flawl ess and the stones of
Ulr.!mlirr] communi ties and th eir Messcn?~rs, who were sent to thc~-
GoJ rxplamrd thi s through a clear cxpos1tton to Mubammad and hi s
c,:irnmunny. Thr "ambiguo us verses" arc the expressions in their stories,
<11 11 ords but diftCrrnt lll('anings, or told with differing words conveying
rhes.imr meanings.
An account of chose who said that:
Yunu s /b. Abd al-A' laJ - Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd recited, A/if Lam
RJ '. (This is)a Book the sig11s whereof are made.flawless and thet1 expour1ded. (It
t,,.,:r!),fn1111Our Wise, Aware(Q. 11: 1) and said, "The events concerning the
M~ssrngrr of God(~) are mentioned in twenty-four verses of this [siira],
Q
md!hf' en~ntsof Noah are mentioned in twenty-four verses of this [siira]." Q. 3:7
Thro /Jbn Za)'d/ said, "This isofthetidi11gsofthe U11seeu (Q.n :49)." Then he Q
'.Wtedaudro A"d(Q .11 :50) until he reached ar,d seek forgive11essfrom your Lord
1Q 11:S9). /Throughout thi s passage,] He mentioned [the Prophets] Salih,
.\buham. Lot. Shu ayb and then finished !telling their storiesJ.~ This is the
tlucid3tion indicated in the verse, (This is) a Book the sigm whereof are made
_i~u'l~ss and thm expo1mded. Jbn Zayd said, "The ambiguous verses are the
ttuhiple places where Moses is mentioned in similar ways with the identi-
o! mf'aning. For example, [in Q.23 : 27, God says to Noah] and place ;,, it
[wh,le in Q.11 :40, He says / a11 d pllt i11 it. [In Q.28 :32, God says to Moses]
;.'4 t}'Ot1r lra11d [while in Q.27: 12, He saysJ enter your hat1d; and [in Q.20:20,
God sal'S / a slithering s11ake (l,ayya), /while in Q.7:107, He says/ a mat1ijeSI
JnJh(rl111bll11). Th en Go d mentioned Prophet HO.din ten verses of [SO.ra
~Ij. Prophet Salib in ei ght verses, Prophet Shu' ayb in thirteen verses, and
-loits in fou r ve rses. All of these verses are devoted to these Prophets
t~dthei r people in thi s siira, filling one hundred verses of SO.rat Hild (rr).
Then /God] said, That is (so111ethi11g) of the tidings oft/,e townships (which were
Ig~11'.11;nof~ long tt'port fro m Mulp mmad b-_J:i'far b. :i.1-Zubayr; see Alfr~du Ga~:.~~;~:
fut
Ji of.,\fo~mmnad(Kauchi : O xford U111vermy Press, 2001 I19551), 270 }·the~om
~-Zu~ ~l-Zubyr w~s a well-respected scholar in MeJma and a gr:iu so;d
anion
see Jl,n pl:fajar,
•
t- i, b. al-Aww~m. He pro babl y dit·d between 110/728 and 12o 737•
)t
.
:.~r "-bhmiid Sha,k1~'s v~luable notes which make sense of this passage th at is confusc-d tn
·..r ongirul Arlbic: T,J/sir al-Ta bari, 6; 178.
2 23

TABA R.I
destrn }'ed ~( old) . 1¥ e ,-efarc ir to you (Mubmnmad). Some of them ar: . our con1111t:ntar) on . ie
st 11 1
some (already) reaped (Q.11 c100) · \lbn Zayd] sa1•d . concerning
. the' amb·
• d 11g and
" •
verses. Who1n cve r God ,vill s to be t ested or ·n ' tguous
1 error says What i I1h
reason for\ thi s one not being like th at'· Why 1·, t\,·ts one not ' t·k s '
t e that?"'
OPl~_l ON: Others said : R at h er, th e clear signs among the verses of thr
~ r an arc th_ose for ~vhich th e sch o lars kn ow th e interp retat io n , meanin
a~1d ex plana~1on, wh ile th e ambig u o u s ve r ses are those [bearing inform;,,~
tton\ to w\n ch n o \human1 h as access, among those things which God
h as rese rved knowledge for Him self, to the exclusion of His creatures.
Exanlpl ~s of this lJaner type\ are the exact tirne when J esus the Son of
Mary ,vi\\ com e forth, or w hen the sun will rise in the West or the Lm
H our w ill ari se and the world will b e annihilated, and si;tilar things.
Abso\u.~cl y '.1obod ?: knows th is information. They said: God has also
call ed ambiguous th ose verses of the ~ r' 5.n con sisting o f the discon-
G ne_cted l~tter: at the opening of seve ral silras, su ch as Alif Lam Mim or Alif
Q. 3 07 Lam /vfn n $ad or A/if Lam Mim Rii ' or A/if Liim Ra' and similar verses,
b eca use they resemble (1111uasl1iibil1iit) words and a re consistent ,,.,ith the
G mg from the West. The [only} knowledge of which God's servants ~re
letter s of the alphabet. A group of J ews at th e time of the Messenger of
God (~) desired to grasp the duration of Islam and the M uslims on the
basis ~f these letters, in order to know th e ending time of Mubanun ad
and hi s C0ITimunit y • God rejected their plan and informed them th at
the kn ov,:\cdgc they were seeking on the basis of the se ambig uous letters
could not be grasped by \adding up their numerical values} , nor by any
ot h er m eans. This \informat ion\ '>vas kno,vn onl y to God. 1
. ,_T\~is is an opinion that has been ascribed to J5.bir b. 'Abd Allah_ b.
~1 ab ; namel y that th is verse was sent down concern ing !the fifth op 1~-
1on \ ; and we have- mentio ned it s narrations from him and from ochers to
th
1 /\\-F2r~' 2\w rt·U m;:o th e I-Cope: of the 2mbiguou) vo: n cs to the d isco nnected letters 2t '
hcgn nnng of M:, v,:r:r.\ siir<J) :ind mention\ ilm \\Ory of the .11\c •cd Mcdhun Jews' effort to
c2\cul..1 c the du r:r. u on o~ t~1c Musl 11H conmiunn y Oil th<· b 211~ of th ,: numcriol ,-alucs ~f
0 !M~- 1: 1tot)~ 11 111 Guillaume , 256-7.
1he~ lettt"n; ~<' h1 \ M aa111 al-(e,, au, 1 : 190. Mu 9 i ii l b . Sub ·min :i\so re rts this stor}' in
hn comm <" ntuy Oil 1h o p 2))2g(' ; )Cc T<1f Jt , o\·lu 'lii r, / b. s.. /.i ,} ., 1 . 26 Po
2 Th<" Comp2m on Jlib1r b . 1\\><l A.\l )h b . R i'ib \\7,~ one of~hc fin;
1
\i:· M edi n,1ns to entbnCC
hl :u n 21 the ln nJ o f 1l1e I t oph e t M ub2 rn1112d . who w 2 ~ )t,H ln •m , 111 Mccc.1 . A cco rdiri g tO
lbn l·b pr, th <" few haduh)ofl m 1\121 h2vclx-c11 pu,-.crvcd 2 re al\ tr.i n~m ined b , we.1k narr.i1ors
2nd noneof1h c11, 1) 111 tl'. c \ l.lli u nomcalcollenio,n.i.cc- lhn Haa r al- _b.:ifl i~,r1 jz t1l- $ii~l,<J ,
l~
4 \'Oh. lDcHut : D i r 2\- hkr . 1978). 1·1 11- .11 . I-le \l1ould 110; /;ed with~ 3bir b. 'Ab<I
0 11
A.11:ih b . A mr .11- An\:i. ri. w h o wa, a p rohhc n .irntor of hadirli~ m th e canonic.11 collecd o ni.
22 4
Siirat Al clm rii,i (;:7)
. t\ verses A/if Liim Miur. Tliis 1 is the Book in wl,icl, there
J,,,,,(Q.i e1 -i).· · d· I I
l' "·•' ' . . f J:ibir b (Abd Allah th at we m entto ne 1s t 1c c osest
The oprn1on rom , · . ,_ .
ihc lcorrcct\ int er pretation of thi s ver se . beca use all of the ~ r ante
::rienh.n God (Mighty and Majesti c is ~~) sent d_own to ~h e Messcn~er
ofGod ($) wae ~c nt down as a clc:,r cxpos1 t1on to hm1 an~ his comm~n~ty,
r,h) guidancc to the wo rld s lof men andjinnl . It is neither perm1ss1blc
1
th.it th~rr be supcrAuous \pa ssages] in it, nor th at there be passages for
,,hich the\· would need assistance {to und er stand then:i}~ and then _for
thereto hr. no way fo r them to acquire knowledge of their mterpret_auo~.
So if this is how it is, then mankind is in need of evcrythmg m
\the ~r·anl, even though the m eanings of some of itsyas.sa~es may be
unnmsmy to some of them / as God (Mighty and :'1-aJCS.tlC ts :1e) says,
On rhc day ll'lrm some of tlie signs from your Lord come, ,ts belief a1,a,ls naught
.li':1/ 11"hicl1 rhrretofore believed ,wt, uor in its belief earned good (Q.6:i58) .. T~e G
Prophrt (~} info rmed hi s community of this sign, whi ch God (~aJeSc_ic Q.n
1! H1spraisc) has an noun ced to His se rva nts , that when it comes, Its bel~ef G
;ids na11gli1a soul wl1id1 tlieretofore it believed not- this sign is the sun n s-
mneed is the knowledge of the time when repentance will be benefi~ia~,
mher than th e spec ific numbers of years, months or days [before lt ts
100 htrj. God has clarified this to them by the indicators of the Book
<'.Id clariftrd it [fu rther} for them by the tongue of His Messenger(~)-
Tile knowledge they do not need is the exact period of time betwe~n
111
:l:.t re1·dation of this verse and th e occurrence of this sign'-they are
to need of this knowledge , neither for religious nor worldly r~asons .
Thu [period of time] is knowledge that God (M ajestic is His prats~) h~s
r~scr\'rd for Himself to the exclusion of His creatures, concealing tt
fromihrm . That ltin~e when the sun will rise from the WeS t ) and similar
nd
1:,~~icom111cn1ary on Q .i: , T abari argues th2t dliiilikti here has the mt"a ning of Th is. a
2
:;: ;bi; 1cc U'tr1mtu1a ry, <JO- I : Tafiir al-T~~ri, 1, : 22 5-8. _ ·' ab sec below in Ap pendix
T~edm1l1of this nory, nansmittcd by Jab1r b. Abd Allah b. Ri •
11
. . I . co nune nt ar y, explains why
~-nud Sluk1 r put 1 1hc following clause 111 brackets and, Ill ~-s I . Id I many rncanings.
1
1mnl1 u 11 a scribal addi tion: Meven though the n,:cd. w ~cI1 Y'f ,h: D ir H2jar edition
: ~ ~-~rd1h1p upon him"; see Tafsirtil-Tabarf, 6: iSo. :"he ct\:r;nothcir edition: 5:200.
1
n~ :r11 fafii, d~ not comment up~n 1h_is clause and 11::1: .i:h th,: meaning of ··~r·ini~
_ 1 bK word a1·a appears twice m thn sent<"llCC. fir . . , in the West, as T2b2 n
__ rit and secondly 21 °\ ign." The ··sign" re fers to the SUn r,img
11
-
<t!loncdabo\'c.
225
p
TA BARJ S1im1 Al 'Im rii11 (J:7)

thin~s arc [con sis~c nt w ith/ th e knowledge the Jews so ·\\other of Towns,. is Mecca: the "Mo ther of Khurasan" is Merv ; th e
ccrn mg the duratton of Muh amm ad ( ) d I . ught to gain c
[the numcrir:11 va lues of th~ disconn c~c,ac1d1 I 11 S con_imuni ty,
- _ etters] in Hi
by me;n~:r -~oihrr of 1hr ir:wcllcrs., is th e person in whose hands they entrust their
,:!Jlr. nJ 1;ikrs c:irc of th em on their journey. Th :it is their " mo ther. "
L 11111 M11n, A/if Lam Mim $ad Alif Lam R _, A/if - s statements A/if 3
Yunu\ [b. Abd al-A'la]- Ibn Wahb-lbn Zayd said, concerning Hi s
similar disconnected letters . i 'God inc a d, h' Lam Mim Ra' and tht
. . rormc t cm that the i:ltrmrnt Thq• are 1/ie Mother of tl1c !Joo~. "They are that which brings
g_rasp It s correc t mterprctation this way and th at non k ~ould not 1

t1011 s,we Cod (Q.J : ). e nows its mterpma- w~tther chr essent ial part s of the Book.
7 O;I\ION: Others said: Rather, what is m eant by that arc the opening
Therc fore, if the am biguou s / verses ] are as we have . [Ji5Connenrdj lette rs of the siiras, from which the ~r'an is drawn forth .
all of the other verses are "clear" b " I ,. descnbcd , th en
. , ecausc a c ca r verse can b . h
verse fbc.-aring a sin gle meaning , which can n ot 6 e int
. erpreted man
. e en An account of those w ho said th at:
, erh a lmrin b. Ml1sa-'Abd al-Wi rith b. Sa(id- Isl_iaq b. Suwayd-Abu
wa~; lreefrom any need of clarification w he n it is heard · or ave} ~t er
b,·e IdC ear CV ·r. I I. I ' TS( can Fikhu~ said, concerni ng the verse whereill are clear sigm-they are the Mother
en ' . H la s mu tip e meanings or interpretations which /1~t B1i.1 k. ''Tlie Mother of the Book are th e opening {disconnected} letters
)IC _ma,? ,~1eanrngs. IJn the latte r case J, the indicator of its i~tcn de-d 1
~! ih~ .1 Ur.is. fro m which the ~r'an comes forth. Siirat al-Baqara is drawn
meaning IS either a clear .
branct') or a clear
. . f
. _cxpos1t1on . ram God (Exalted is His remem- iorih from Alif Liim Mim-this is tlie Book, and Surat Al'Imr:in is drawn
0 Th e kn owled c ;xp.os1t1on_fro~ Hi s _M essenger(~) to his communi1 y. io:thfrom Alif Liim Mim. God- there is r1ogod b11t Him."
0
Q. n f h· g O tlus !elucid anon] will neve r depart from the scholars Q.n
0 t is !Muslim ] commun it y, for reasons we h ave already clarified. 0
0
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
INTERPRETATION O F they are tlie Mother oft/re Book
In] But those i11 whose hearts is doubt pursue that which is ambiguous of it,
We'd have .alreacli· exp Iamc
· d t he interpretation
· of chi s, along with tI1r
seeki11g (to cause) dissemion by secki11g its i11terpretatio11.
cvi e~1ee 111 support of th e so undness of o ur position; but here we sh311
mermen
r d th .e di. sag reement o f t I1e mterprctcrs
• over it , because they d'1sa- God (.\hjc-stic is His praise) means by that: BIil those in whose hearts is an
g ee ove r It s mt erpretation. indma1io11 away fro m the truth, and a deviation from it. One says "So-and-
so :Jgha from the truth, and he yazigh11 from it zaygha11 or zayaghii11a11 or
., INION: Some of th em sai'd : Tl1e mcaningofHissratementtheyarr tit
OPI I
Moller =~)'ghiighalt or :wyiigliari."z One can say "God set him astray (azaghalwl
. ( ofr/,e
. Bock is.· "Th ey are th e verses in v..•hich there are legal obl',ga-
y:i:igh,i/111),'' like in His statement (Majestic is His praise), 0 Lord, la tuzigh
t~ons ~r _mheritan ce laws), laws (or criminal penalties) and ru lings,"; like
tie opm1o n we said previou sly. cr.rhtarts-do not incli ne them away from the truth-after You have guided
•;(Q.3:8).
An a~cou nt of those who sa id that:
T~t fo llowing inte rpreters said something similar to w hat we have
s hnran
d b· M-usa- aI-~zzaz-
"" 1
Abd al-W5rith b. Sacid-ls.aq h- b·
said concerning that. An account of chose who said that:
JU!t
uway - Yah ya b y i
ilie A1 h ,J · · a mar sai"d, co nce rning th e verse dear verses-tI,ey are lbn l:fumayd- Salama-Jbn Jshaq-Muhanunad b. Ja' far b. al-
or ero tie1 Bock "Tlie y arc Jthe versesJ in w hich there are Iegal Obli-f
ations ( . I . '
g ~ub,yr said, "Biu those i11 whose hearts ;; zaygh, m~aning an inclination away
o r Ill 1entance la , ) I ( d h 1·Uars h,
o
the rehg· " H ,, s • aws o r criminal pe nalti es) an t e P f.omthe guidance . '' J
ion . e gave examples of this !type of expression}, saying t (

11 i:n reading thu word as jumma' which Lmc defines as "Anything of which snoeral comPonrtrl f."~1
• In ~hon, accordmg to tht rt
added up iht nurntncal valu!:"~ tr.uu lat('d Ill Appendix A, ~O tnl" Medi nan Jew_s 2O
JI rJh·
r~ ;]tr Sl~~\;:;
:~:~:~· brought.' ga1hrrrd or d;aw11, rogtrhtr, ., Une, "j~m- '." ~ r~ .
114 111 1
~~r";~~ n 1~0~;
aKc- mm the durauon of h M O dit dnconnee1cd Arabic lctcen in rhc ~r ao ltl ftht rili~'i :¢!~ t¼timal, part of a thing." The word is vocahz:d as J'.' _ ~. 1'iiftiralTabJri. 6: 182 .
I
alphabc-1 h.ai an au i nc-J C' uilim conu11u1111 y. (in Ar-lbir. like Hebrew, e2ch Ieuer o : T.~ Tafairand unvocalized in the Shikir edition; stt Dar HaJaT, 5.UJ :ft renl \'erbal nouns.
2 Arabic: h,m'kl 'l-ayi.j; lr,11::;;7<l~~.valu~1-huJudu
w;i
.) -
111<1
,
l-abkiim: Dir 1-fajar, s:201.
; Th 11 ihowmg th.it 1he verb zilglzd (" 10 deviate") Im at lcaSl four di e
~111 Put of~ long report found in Guill au1m: , 273.

226 227
 I
TABART
Siir,11 Al ' Inmi11(l :7)
M~l.w nm ad b. _'An~~ jal-Ba~~il~]- ~bo C.4i ~im [al-Nabil]-(Isa b ·\ · \ th ey srrav and in which they perish , seeking its
May munl - Ihn Abt NaJ il_1- MuJa l11d sa id, concerning God's I· t!\ the ¥.11c. fro~_n " llC 1 ,-
i11 ll'liose liearts is .::aygli , "Doubt." natemcn t in:erprelJ!10ll.'d . ·,ng ;ii\ that, what I have been informed ofby:
A nearl y idcnri cal re port was narrated to us from al-Muthann:i-Abu
Ochers sa1 • rnno.: rn , - - lb
~j,:i,j b. H:irlin [al- Ha.md :int J- <Amr jb. l:"l ammadj- Asbai _ :
Hudhayfa-Shibl- ibn Abi Najih- Mujahid. i\
1
- Suddi s;iid. concerning His statement l1/1eyl p1,rme tliat 111l11cl1 1s
AI-Muthanna- lAbu $a \il,, I 'Abd Allah b. Salih- Mu' awiyab. Salih- 1
,,:I _(' •·Tlirypursur the abroga.ted and the abrogating {verses }, say-
Ali b. Abi Tal l_1a- lbn 'Abbas said, " B11r those i11 whose hearts is zaygh, am~ng ;i~'i.c:iiulii,~ rt. I d 1 'ith this verse? It is acted upon in such-and-such a
the doubt ers." t"C ·w ia t1 S tlC ca\\ . b b
~;~tirT in placl' of this [othcr J verse? Why has tl~1s fir st verse ecn a ~n-
Musa b. 1-lar(in la l-Hamdanil- 'Amr Ib. l:lammad]-Asbat lb. JoncJ. while this other one is heeded? Was not tlm verse ac:ed upon pn~r
Na$rj- Suddi, in a rt'port he mentioned from Abo Malik and from Abo w rhr arnnl of [the versc j whi ch abrogated the first one. And what 1s
S:i.lil.1- lbn Abbas; and from Murra al-H amd5 ni- Ibn Mas' Od----some [Go.fs] J('a\-1-k promises to punish wh_ocver performs a deed that He
Companion s of th e Prophe t (~) said, co nce rning but those in whost hetJrts is r·Jmshrsbr [putting him in ] Hellfire and, m another place, when someo;:
:aygh, "As for zaygh, it is doubt. " f(tfon m tiiis deed. He docs not make inevitable i~1is entry into] Hellfire.
Al-~sim-al-Husayn- 1:hjj:ij- Ibn Jurayj-Mujahid said, "Zaygl, Th{" in terpre ters di sagreed over to whom tlns verse referred.
a is do ubt." Ibn Jura)j said," Those in whose hearts is zaygh are the hypocrites."
OPIN ION: Some of them said: This verse referred to the Christian del- G
Q.J:7 Ctmon fro m Najr:in, which ca me to the Messenger of God (~) t,?;ebate Q. 3:7
/tliry j pursue rltar wh ich is ambiguous ef ic
a INTERPR.ETATION OF
praise) means by Hi s statement [they) pursue that
;i:h huu over what they debated and argue with him, saying, 0 you 0
God (Maj estic is H is r:01clam1th:11Jesus is the Spirit of God and His Word?" 1They interpreted
wl,ic/1 is ambiguous ~( it: Th ose passages w hose ex pressions are ambiguous ithe-$t words! in a mann er consistent with their statements of disbelief.
and whose meanings are changed, in accordance with [diffe ring] ways ~f
An account of those who said that:
int erpretat ion . !Th ese people pursue chis] in order ro demonstrate their
AI-Mu1ha11na- lsha9- Ibn Abi Ja'far- his father-al-Rahl': "They
erro rs and deviation s from the path of t ruth as true , through their false
v.m molute--mcaning the C hristian delegation from Najr3.n that came
int erpret ati ve claims of !t hese vcrscsj, in an effort to confuse people whose
tc th, Messenger of God (1)-and ,hey argued with the Prophet_ (1), say-
knowledge of th e ways of int erpretation and semanti c shifts is weak, as 1
have been informed by: ::ig. ·oo \'OU not claim that !Jesus} is the Word of God and a Spmt from
H·~:' IThe Prophet] replied, 'But, of course!' They said, 'This is suffi-
AI-Mmhanna- lAba $,Iii.,] 'Abd Allah b. Salil)-Mu'awiya jb.
~rnt for us!' Then God (Mighty and Majestic is He) sent down, Bill rli~se
Salibl- 'Ali lb. Abi Tall.ial- Ibn 'Abbas said , conce rning jthey]punu,tl.ar
;~ ~h05!liearts i5 doubt pursue that wl1icl1 is ambiguo11s of it, seeking (to cau~e) ~u-
u,hicli is ambiguous of it , "They take the clear verse to be ambiguous, and
th !(,,Jiou. Then God (Majestic is His praise) se nt down the verse lbegmnmg
e ambiguo us one to be clear, and rh ev co nfu se [people]-maY God
confu se them! " wit hi rI mly rlie like11rn of ]ems with respect to Go d is· as t/te /'keuess
1 of Adam
11 H Q.3:59),"'
• un,a)d -Salama- lbn Isha9-Mu hammad b. Ja ar b· . h
Zubav I 1uc
I ; r said ' "IT/iey ] pursue11arw . 111s. amb1g11011s0
. · thatwhtcd
,f'It , meaning OPI NION: Others sai d: Rather thi s verse was sent down on account
t iey alter and change , to verify all that th ey have innovated and inventcb,
o'' ·lb·u y lsir b. Akhtab and his brother,
' b Akh1·•b ' andd the .groupf
l:layy ·
so that it ntight b ,1d
fi e e, c d
ence ror what th ey say, an I of] dou '
a source
•ho debate d with the · Messenger of Go d () \ regar d'ng
1 I dd' °
the urauon
I or those_ ~ ho disagree wub th em]. " .lluh, d d . . I d know this by a rng
i • on- . rnma an Ins comm umty. T 1ey wante to .. /' L - Mim
Al- ~mn---,\.f:Iusayn- Hajj aj- Ibn Jurayj- Mujahid satd, ch' -Prhenumerical valu esl of Hi s st atements Alif Lam Mull, A if am
ce rnm g Hi s natclll ent jThey(p11rrne that u,/1icl1 is ambiguous of it, "[T is
:~iuin dcKnhcd li His Wo,d and a Spirit from Him in Q.4:i7i. I · in the ~r·auic
1 lbtd ;:oidingto SuyU\i, th11 murs.JI lradirh from al-Rabi' i~ found ehcwhere on)
'•lll"1t;i.ry of lbn Abi i:f:itim ; al-D1irr al-m,w tlriir, 2: io.

229
 TABARl Siirat Al ' lmran (J:i)

,Sad, A/if Lam Mim Ra' and A/if Lam Ra '. God (Majestic is His . . • iwho witnessed the Oath of Divine P~casurc
1~udayb1p ,csse n er of God(~). there is a declaration for
said, conce rning them , Bur those in whose heaw is doubt meaning th prajtsc)
• · ese cws with ih~ seek ~t, and a lesson for those who seek a
whose hearts inclined away from the guida nce and truth, pursut that which
ihw " \ whoevrr thinks and reflects (or secs). T~uly
is ambiguous ef it, meaning changing the m eanings of these disconnected lesson. fo l d time when many Compantons
letters b)' different ways of interpre tation, seeking (to cause) di.ssmsio1t. 1hr Kli:irijis rcvo tc ;i~ d (~) were living in Medina,
We have already mentioned the narrations of this in an earlier section of the Mcsscnge~dohis : ives were still alive. By God!
at th e beginning of the siira in which the cow is mentioned. 1 • Syria a~1d Iraq. :m ,anionJ, male or female, revolted as a
Not a single IC l l ·ased with their \positions\,
OP INION : Othe rs said: R ath er, God (Mighty and Majestic is He) intend~ KhJ.riji. and they ~vcrclnot p; d \the Companions\
ed for that to refer to every innovator (or heretic; mubtadij in His religion , J· I they assist t 1em. nscca ' h
nor i, er of God's(~) criticism oft em,
who bri ngs forth an innovation that contravenes that which He sent with

:~le~
nmatrd the Mcsscng \ h ted them with
His Messenger. Mub am mad (~). by means of an jinvidious) interpretation d his description of them. T 1ey a d
of some of those ~r':i. nic verses that can bear multiple interpretations, :~cir hearts, opposed chem with, thei~ to:~~:•
b. God intensified their violence· agamst h
even though God has provided a flawless elucidation of it, either through
H is Book or through the to ngue of His Messenger. i~c-r m;t them \on the battlefield 1, By my life! W~~~:v: G
G si1 ion of the Kh:i.rijls true guidance, they wou h
An acco unt of those who said that: {XI . d. asanerrorandsotey Q.J:7
Q. n come together, but mstea 1t ~v . . . t from God,
AJ-l-:fasan b. Yahy:i.-'Abd al-Razzaq-Ma' mar---Q!tada said, con- G
G split. This is how any matter ts: if tt ts n~ Th have
cerning Hi s statement B11t those in 111/iose hearts is doubt p1,rsue that which is
\'OU will find many disagreements over •~- e\ have
ambig1101u ofir, seeking (to ca11se) dissemio11: When Qetada recited this versc---- ~ndeavoured in this affair for a very long tm\1e, ye G dl
But those i,1 whose hearts is doubt-he said, fi d ucceeded' 0 Gory to o .
they prospered or a ay or_ s es~ eo le not derive
If these arc not che Kh:i.rijis (bar(iriyya): or the Saba'is3 How can the latest gencrauon of th p p dh b n
th en I do not know who j they are J! By my life! . fthem'Ha t ey ee
lessom from the first g~n_eranon_ nee God would have
Among the Emig rant and Helper veterans of Badr~ and m accordan ce with ldwme\ gm a h
d •d d them·
made \their position j prevail, triump • an_ hat / h d,
. dance wit ra1se oo '
buc instead they were m a~cor futed. They are as
which God proved to be a he and re

' . 0111 Mecca, Oil the edge ~f the sancc~;::s

· i-l~J.isb1p w1s a un.i.11 townone days Journey. fr m ic-d , mra to Mecc;i. Ill 1hc ye:u hct
11
1
r .ttr1\00eof }:ludaybip. rc-fers to _the Prop~et s ~:;ete!r nc-goiiaiions between ~he :~~{n b.
Thu pm~~t 11 1rand.utd below, m App<'ndix A. Ii h 'Alib. J,bi ~1tli •pproximatc-l y 1,400 Compamom. Dun~g t lated that the Mudim envoy.' Ut under 2

t t:
2 1
~ bKhinJu Wtrt one of the rirl1r11 ~cu m hbm who revoltc-d ag:ii!~ut _thc Cad ~hey accustd •n~.th( Mm.in polytheist~. a fahe rumour emu kc as cdal oath of allegiance_ 11s ihc
1
1 11
• aher he igreed to arbnr.1.11 0 11 w1d1 the Syri:iin governor, Mu aWl)'2, an •od with -:n-n, had ~en killed_, which ~ed the ~rophet ~o in Q.~S:i8 and became k~o\::change
: ~ of dn~litf There w~rt numrrous KhjriJi rc-volt s during 1he Umayya: ~~arij,iS, sc-c- ~(t wnh h1\ ~ompamons: Tim oath is rcferrc ·ations led to a peace tr~:iity i~is c- isode
idi Q!tad.3, who ln~d m 8am, would haw: bec-n familia r. For more on t e O~thof D1\111c Pbsurc.' Ultimately, the~e negou . Tabari describes I PI.d
W. Momgomtq• Wau , Tlit /.Drma11w Pniod of blami, Though t, ~37. (, undc-r fot lht Prophe1 dclaymg his '11mra until t~C fo\low~.;~~;r·v~,: VIII: Tht Vic1°'Y/~ ;;.·,
l 0Tiu~
11
_a rc~ncnc<' to a form of r.1d1cal Shi'nm. For 1 dcuiled study o( the :iillegti"':nd ,Jrr ti dcii1! 1n hi\ HUrory; sc-e Tabari, The- History of al · ) --9 ; w. Montgom f')
67 1
~md:itcd by MJChael Fishbein {Albany: SUNY Press, 1997 '
1
e Siba h , lhn ~a~·. and 1hr Uman,,.d-<ra Sab:ii'h, sec S<::ii n Anthony, Tht 0,' . reverse
0
• ~~,~~~~:;n~113nll, 201 1). . • st the MecC:lln l ~.-liudaybiy:i,," E/1. ton ues and hands par.a\\~t}ch.ingr ii
l h dr w1is the- firu llUJOr \'lClory Ill 2/ 62• o( the Musluns ag:un. Thi HistOfJ' Li.(nJJy, .. their hands." Thh sequence o( h~ans,c-ts s~mcthing wrong, _k \cart, for that is
1
~,,[~11: ; : · i;~t,fe;n~s 1h h ~aulc 111 great dcuil Ill hi s History; sec- T:1~; and M- V.
: ikr) he famom liadilh. "Whoever an:iong. )OU sue; and if he cannot, Ills 1
11 11
McDonald. (Al~n .. lit l-owrufoi,o,i of the- Commwriity, tran~!:lltcd by W. ~ - dr,.1 £/1. , bh ~nd: and 1f he cannot, then wnh hts ton\
1 11
(baJith number 34).
Y· SUNY Prrn. 1987), 26-85: W. Montgomery Wat 1, 82 ' r~ o h1t of fanh": ~c- A,i-Na1oowi '1 Forry Hmlrr ' 110

2]0 231
 TABAR. /
Srira t Al 'lmrii11 (J:i)
you set· them . Every rim e
of them revolt s God d a ~roup (o r generation. ) rou sec people disput ing (or debating) it s content s, [kn ow J that they arc
I . • ' un crmmcs th e· , qarn
claim. and spills rhcir blood. If Ir proof and rejects
t ic1r _ rht proplc w whom Go~ is r~tcr;.ing, and b_e on_guard with them.'" Marar
hereti cal posit ion/ it b · they conceal fth . [~. Tahmlnj sa id: Ay yub said. Do not sit wit h chem. fo r they arc che
and a cover ove r ;hem~c,~nt1ts a wou_nd in their hear::~ topk to whom God rcforn·d, and be on your guard wit h chem."
th eir blood. By God! Tl . 1ey n~arnfest it, God spill [\early identical reports were narrated to us from Ibn Bashshar-
. iat is a w1ck ·d s
sIrnn it! B)' God! T l J d . . c recompense s AbJ ,J-Wahhab- Ayyrib- Ibn Abi Mulayka- 'A'isha- rhe Prophet (i):
trul y Chri stia ni1 y is :~ i~11 a1 ~111 is an innovation, rnd JI-Hasan b. Yal.1ya- cAbd al-Razzaq-Macmar- Ayyub-Ibn Abi
innova ti on. and Sab~•. va t_1o n. Truly Kharijism is an Mub,-ka- A'isha- 1hc Propher (!)-
· ism 1s an mnova ·
sent down in suppon of h I . • t1on. No Book was Yunus-Ibn Wahb-al-1,larirh- Ayyiib-lbn Abi Mulayka- 'A'isha,
Prophe1 establi shed th en: cs~_/ 1t-reti~a l groups j, and no ,he w1fr of the Prophet ($), said, "The Messenger of God ($) recited thi s
Bishr /b ,_ . as 11s practice.' rcr)l' in its entirety. He it is Who has seut dorvu to you the Book wherein are clear
. · Mu adh /- Yazid /b z ,
~ 1ada said, conce rning B11r rhos ." uray 1-Sacid jb. Abi 'ArUba)- .11g1u-d1q are the Mother ef the Boof..- -and others (which are) ambiguous, and
u ambiguous ef it , seeki11g (ro ra 11se e;'.1wh~se hearu is doubt p11rsut that wl1iclr then ~id. 'When you sec those who pursue that which is ambiguous ef it and
gro_up of people so ughr the i ) 1SSe~rno11 b}' seeking its interprttatiot1 "A tho:>C" who dispute its contents, [know j that they are the people to whom
G their interp reta ti on and c-1us:~e~~rctat'.on !of these ver ses ). They err:d in God 1s rdCrring and [about] whom God speaks, so do not sit with them.'" Q
Q.n o11s ef it and they peris hed fi _1sscns1on. fo ll owing that which is ambigii- ISufy,nJ ibn Waki' - Abu Usama-Yazid b. lbrahim-Ibn Abi Q.n
G lwho fo ught at] Badr dron_1 If. By m y life! There were Companions .\1ulayka-al-~sim b. Mubammad-<.~ 'isha said, "The Prophet (~) Q
min wanessed
1-f. uday b1.ya"-d1cn it coan • J·k I tic I o at Il of Divine Pleasure at ncitrd this verse, He it is f,V/,o has sent down to you the Book wherein are clear
al-Ra zzaq- Ma<mar. ue s I c t JC previous report narrated by (Abd fi,ts-1/iey are the Mother of the Book to the end of these verses, and then
hr said, 'When yo u see the people who purme that which is ambiguous of it,
Mul,,ammad b Kl 1· J·d 1 b
[),wraqi/ - lsm a'il .b ,~ ! · Khidash and Ya' gub b. Ibrahim /al- [11.now]
1 dm these are the people whom God has identified lin thi s pas-
A'isha said, "The M . ayya-Ayy ub-'Abd Allah b. Abi Mulayka- iagr/. and be on your guard with chem."'
dow" lo yo,1rhe Book essenger
I h of G O d { ) rcCJted
. from He it is Who has sent Ali b. Sahl - Walid b. Muslim-Hammad b. Salama-'Abd
rea IIY I1eed, and di en rI noug
.d . to His stateme nt b111 only me11 ef ,mderstattding .al-Rabman b. al-~sim [b. Mul)anunad]-his father-\.\'isha said, "The
~lrnr~gr r of God (~) quoted the clause [they ] pursue that which is ambig11-
Iknow J t hat dwy are "th esaipeop
guard wit h th em.'" i
' When
I )'ou see peop Ie disputing its contents,
c to whom God is referring, and be on your ous ef 11_and said, 'God has warned you, so when you see them, you will
rccogmze them."'
IMul,,ammadl ibn 'Abd ,- Ali /b . Sahl)-Walid-Nafi' b. 'Umar-Ibn Abi Mulayka-'A'isha
~ulay man- Ay)' fib-<Abd _ al-A la (al-San(aniJ- al-Mu(tamir b.
1 rop h" of God (s) r . d Allah b. Ab, Mulayka-'A'isha said, "The i.1~d. 'The Messenger of God ($) said, 'When you see them, be on guard
Book to b"' only me,· ofecn . e He it· 1s· Who has sent doivn to you rl,e
,mderst vers
e the ;i 1h them.' The n he brought forth !the clause], But those in whose hearts is
allJmg real/}' h,·ed, and then he said (i), 'When ~Jjb/ pursue d,at which is ambiguous of it; and [h e said], 'They do not act in
1

I Th1\ rcpon I\ ~]
accofdance with its clear verses."' 1
n.d), ; ~ 7;_'
<1/-R.J.i-- · d Ml prc~n·cd 111 thc l bl I
/~~l)mUd t,,\ul.i~rnrn!; ,~~t"d l'dtt1on of 'Abd al-Razz:iq's Taftir; Teflir 'AbJ Sh,:l,,mad ,~· 'Abd al-Rahman b. Wahb-my uncle [}~.~ Wa~~]-
tmiinuucd
2 Acrnrd1r1g ,:~~i
1 l .,. ui ',, 1ourrc for dii ub, 3 \·ok (Beirut : D:ir al-Kuc ub 21-'JlmiY)~-
-~ f h11 ?OfJ., 10 !um~ report I) ;i m1dc 111 of 'Abd al-R.azzlq. who p robabl)'
'>:i. id b. Man fir ) _'1• A nh:i.\ hadith II r,
b b. Sa ,d-Rawh b_ al-~sim-Ibn Abi Muiayka-A isha- The
tessengcr of God(!) ,~as asked about the verse, B1111hose i11 whose heorrs is
01 '.b t pursue that which is ambiguous of it, seckiflg (ro cause) dissemion by seeking
11
/J.J/(l ',/ al-nwLw:~~unni.Abu Olwod. ~ ilic l~~~Jir/1 co!ln."t.lolJS o( Bukh~rf. Mui li~~·5
11 115 mterpreta1io11; 11011e kno11,s its i11terpretation save God a,id those well-grouttdeJ in
b Huru:i.yd, lbn :i.l h •~ :i.l~ fou nd III tlir ~~ , ~ N~~.i 1, lbn Miija, lbn f;libban and Day~aqi
c1gl11 "'U.:1.11011) of-,~t1dlur ~11d lllll Abi I lirn :i.111 c corumc m :i. ric) of 'Abd a/-R:azzlq, 1~t,d
) h4'1rrh 111 d ui, . · u, al-Dm, ilf-,rw11tluir, .z:8-9. Tab:i.ri pro, dc}
tuio,1 of Im Taft;,. . I ::le"~ Di r ll~Jar, 5:210- 11 .

232 23.l
 TABA R I S,/r,it Al clmrii11 (3:7)

Jmowledgc, and he said. 'Wh en you see t he people who dispute itscontcnh I . lshaq- n
- lb Abi J a' far- hi s fa ther- al- R abi' said,
I 1 . "
[knowJ that these arc t,',~e people to w ho m God has referred, and be ~ A].1\tut ia nn: - 10.C1mse)ji wa, " Meaning po yt ic1sm.
your g uard with them. 0 [cc111crrn1ngl seckmg ( I ·ng of that is seekiug (to ca use) doubts.
•10 N: Oc hers s:\ id : Tic m eant
Mub ammad b. 'Abd Allah b. 'Abd al-1:! aka m-Khalid b. Nizar-
OP IN i f I who said that: c - jb
Nafi r- lbn Abi Mu layka- \.\' isha sa id, co ncerning the verse He it is Who An accou nt o c iosc I s-1·1-J- Abft 'A~im [al-Nabtlj- Isa .
Mulpmrn,1 b. 'Amr·· \ j,-
d
has se,i/ down ro yo11 rhr Book. "Th e verb ' he pursues it' means 'he recite~ • M '"
·-1 ' 'd said concerni ng seek'mg (to ca11se)
it. ' Th en !the ProphcrJ said, 'Whe n yo u sec the people w ho dispute its ,\ brmim]-ibn Abl Na.JI _1- UJ a l~ c~isl~. "
conten 1s, be on your guard wi th th em, for they arc the people to whom , ,' ··ooubts. which ca used th en~ t Mp - - b Mas<odj- Shibl- Ibn Abi
God has referred. " ' I"·'· Ab - Hudhayra I usa . )f,
. A].M ud1:rnna~ u . . . Hi s statem ent seeking (to cause wa,
jSufyanj ibn Waki - Yazid b. H arfm- H ammad b. Salama-lbn Abi ~JJih- Mujahid s~1Cl, conce rnu~nt of them ."
Mulayka- al-~sim- 'A'isha-" Th e Prophet (!) said, con cerning th, "Doubts. They pcmhed o n acco .. ___ Ibn Jurayj- Mujahid said, con-
verse He it is l Vho has sem dor,,11 to you the Book when.'it1 are clear signs-rhq
1 Al•Q!si m- al -l~u sayn- 1-:la.uaJ " H dd d "Doubts are what
mning sft'king (to cm1S:) fitt1a, "Doubts. c a e '
are r/re A1other of the Book to its co nclusion, 'T hese are the people whom
God has idemified, so w hen you see th em, be on g uard with them."' msed dmn to perish. b I I - -Muhammad b. Ja<far b. al-
lbn I:Iumayd- Sa lama-l n S)aq . c~nfusion."1 G
G TABARi SA ID: Th e appa rent mean in g of thi s verse indicates that it came Zub.m said. "Seeking (to ca 11se)Jitna, mean mg 1·k I be correct from Q.J:7
Q. n dow n concerning th ose w ho di sputed w ith th e M esse nger of God($) by . . h . h is most I c y to • 'd
r_a.B:\Ri SAID '. The meamng w IC . h .. 1 ofhc who sa1 : G
G using th e amb iguou s verses of t he Boo k of God that were sent down t? · ·
i.mong thesc two opinions, regar .
ding this 1s t e opmtoi
b'
c
d confusion." There1orc ,
him , eithe r con cerning th e issue ofJ es u s or the duration of [MuQ.~mm ad_s "d . . (to cause) dou ts an d . .
hs mranin_g is csmng h . I sc hearts is eviatton
prophcthoodJ and his comm unit y. The more likel y m ea ning is rba~ n h f h· ageis·Asfort osemw10 fthe
1 meanmg o t 1s ~a~s _ · d it they pursue the verses o
refers to the people who disputed w ith the Messe nger of God ($) by usmg
from the truth and JOJUsttce towar s ' d to change their mean-
the amb iguou s verses, concerning th e durat ion o f him and his coi~m u~ Book whose words are ambiguous, a n <l en ea.vbol~r f multiple meanings
nit y, because Hi s statement, none k110 11 Js its interpretatfo,i save God, iodicare; .
rngs. bv ways of incerpretatton, w h e n che poss1 .t 1ty
O
g themselves an d
that this refers to the duration char th ey w ish ed to know by means 0 I ·, I h d h ] d . . to cause confusion amon
exists ·. T ey o t _is _esirmg h ods to which their hearts i~c me,
I'
the ambiguous verses. w hi ch only God knows. A s fo r th e matter ofJ e~~s 01hm, 111 order to JUst1fy the false O ·d d d 1ade clear m the
and his modalities, God informed Hi s Proph et MuQ.ammad (~) an~ 15 which is other than the truth God has cluci ate an n
communit . y o f these things, and H e clarified them fort I1cm. I t 1·s obvi ·ddous
th dur vrrses (mubkamiit) of H is Book. f h polytheists2
at !God) only intend ed by !the ambiguou s verses ) chat which is hi en d on account o t e
from individuals. Even 1hough thi s ve rse came own cs every innova-
h d . .
11· om we mentione , m m~en e
d d meaning encompass
.
I . I I ·s
in God's religion, to w t~C l ll
tor (or hrretic) who makes u.movan ons_ ns of some of the an~b1guous
INTERPRETATION OF seeki11g (to ca 11se) dissension
hem inclines, by means of mtcrpreta~io ses them to argue wit~ chem
Th e int erpret ers d isagreed over the interpretation o f that. itrses of the ~r'an. Then [each hereu c] u_ f th e de ar indicators
OP I N IO N: Some of them said: Th e m ea ning of that is "seeki,ig •nd debate the people of the truth, swervm_g_ rom confuse the people
polythei sm." 1 •mong the clear verses iof th e OEr' an}, d csmng to
A,'. •~coun, of those who said that: r]-
Mu sa h. Harlin jal-Hamdanij - 'Amr b H ammad- Asbat jb. N~,1 1ITik;,
Tiu111pm of ;i. ]ong report found in Guillaume, 273 .
1 the "po\y1hdsts" (a/r/ a~s/iir~:I~
hkC' most sdiol;i.n of cbssical hbm, co~nu J~ws:; ;r:fcrs involves the SI01~;r:p;~c1ic
Suddi sa id, concerning seeking (to ca11se )f1t11~, ."Desiring polytheism. O
,,.,wlhnk,i11). R.ro.11 tf 111 the:- occ1sion of revcla;~; : /\ c dur:1tions of Mul,1 :~:1.~di~ onnccic-d
group of Mcduu nJcw~ who 11mnptc:d to C2 , ,·, of 1 the-
11
numcric1l v.iluc-so
1 11
n 11on :md the Mu\lun commuui1y on the ba
l Or, lllore prC'mdy. "kcl111g to au-0c1;i.1e pu tnC'n wuli God (shirk)."' ltucn" ~t the brgmning of scvcr.i.l J1i,as.

23 4 235

FA
 SiiratAI 'lm rii11 (3:7)
TA llARf

oun t 0 f those who sa id t hat:

of tru_rh among t he believers and seeking to use the knowled . .ln-"' I , Ahd Alla h b Salih- Mu' aw iya [b. Salih[- 'Ali lb.
prctillJ on of th e ambiguo us verses /to his adva nragcJ, w hoev!e of inter- 1 11
.A.1-t-.utl,Hl•- " .. .· . · ..
A' . T,lhi ]- lbn Ahb~ s said, As fo r Hi s statement, 11om· k110 111s J/s mterprr-
WhKhcver cla ss of he rcrics to w hi ch one belong _ I h r th cy .i.re. 1
I Cl · · J s w tet cr o ne is an 1~~:,,1_'11;~antng [t he time of \ R es urrec ti o n Day, save God. "
ti e rn st1:i.ns, ews. Magians, Saba'is. Kh:irijis, ~daris or Jahmis' l~n_g
as frh e Prophctj (~) said. "When yo u sec those wh d· . -His OPl~ lON: Others sai d : R at her. the meaning of that is "what will come
/k nowj that these arc the people to who m God _o ~pu_rc Its contents, i!°tcr the ~r·an ... They said: They_ 01~ly. wa'.1tcd _to kno.w when that
your guard with them," as I have been informed ~ s _re ernng, and be on iduch abroiatcs the rulings God (M:\jc st1 c ts Hts prai se) lcg1slatcd for th e
YUnus-Sufyan / b. cUyayna}- Macmar- lbn \awus-h· f h r:-orlcof 1sT3 m will come._ bcfor~ its arrival, becau se jHc/itl will abrogate
lbn -~ ~b?i s said, wl_ien the Kh :irijites and th eir str~ng attrac:tonattoe:k ,dill He had legislated pnor to 1t.
~ran _ were mrn n o ncd in hi s prese n ce, '' They believe in its clear verses, An KCOU nt of those w ho said that:
) et pc~is~ on account of it s ambig u ou s ones!'' Jbn 'Abbas recited , None !lusl [b. Haru n al-H amdaniJ - 'Amr lb. l:lanunadJ-Asba\ lb.
knows its m1erpre1ario11 Sa/Je God, to its conclusion. ~m]-S uddi said. By seeki11g its interpretation they wanted to know the
h

We onl y say t hat rhi s in terpre tation we have m entioned is th e bemr inmpretation of the ~r'an , which is wh at will come after it. God said,
of ihe two interpretations of seeking (tocause)fima because t hose people, on \ tmc k11011 15 irs i11tcrpretorio11 , meaning 'what will come after it, ' save God.
[Only He knowsJ whe n that which abrogates it will come from Him to G
G wh~se occasion the verse came down, we re pol y theists, whose sol e morive
Q.J:7
Q.n for m_terprering w hat they interpre ted was to cause confusi on 2mong rhe ;.brogate 1hat which is to be abrogated.''
Mu slnns and to use /th eir interpretationsj as evidence against them. in OP!~JON: Orbers said: Rather, the m eaning of that is by seeki11g the ititer- G
G 0rd cr t~ ~bst~,uct them from bein g upon che truth they were followi ng. :•et.Jri('n of the ambiguous verses of the ~r'an. They interpret it, if, in
I e opm,on th e)· did rlm,
Th · · po Jyr J1eism, " is nonsensica I becausc
· d esmng mmterpretarions. it is [susceptible to] multiple meanings and shifts, in
t icy were po lyth eists !already }. 1.ccordanre with the doubt th at is in their hearts and the error they follow.
An arcounr of those who said that:
I NT ~RPR ETATION OF b}' seeki11g its interpretation lbn \:lumayd-Salama-lbn Jsi)aq-Mul)ammad b. Ja' far b. al-
The. llHe. rpreters
(M . . di sagreed over t I1c m eaning of .. th e inter pretation · " G°d Zub~~·r 1aid , concerning By seeking its imerpretation, " This is about the error
aJemc 15 H is praise) intended in H js state m e nt , hy seeki"g its interpretation. ther follow. regard in g their statements [in favour of the Trinity, when
O 1
; .N I ON: Some of them said: Th e meaning of rha t is the duration God saysj 'We created' and 'We dccreed."' J
\mie, which th c IMedi nan / J ews des ired to know until the affair of T,\ BARi SAID : Ibn <Abbas' opinion , that the people's seekiug [the] imer-
I u .iamm a_d (~) a1Jcl hi s communit y wo uld end by n;eans of calculating pa.iiion of the ambiguous verses is their quest to know the end of the
ti e numencal valu e f I d · ' if - Mi1111 du ration [of Isla m] and th e exact time of the arrival of the LaS t Ho.ur,
A/if Liim Mim s-d s_ 0 _t ic ;sconnected le tters, such as Ali Lam •
rel ated t 1·• . a , A/if Lam Ra • A/ifLam l\1fm Rii', as well as similar verses ~ong with Suddi's opinion that we m e ntion ed-that they are seekmg
o li c-spa.n s. l
knowledge of a [spec ific j tim e prior to its arrival-arc the interpreta-
1 uons that are most likely to be correc t. (This is th e case] even though
Acco rd111 g lo W. Mont Olll<'n .. . rhcrc
nl'\'C'r was any body of ~lC'll wiioW,m , JalunJ \l a~ a purdy vi tuperati ve tl"rm and .. ~uch ,~ Suddi was care less w ith rega rd s to its meaning , in th at he changed.its
R.ath¢'r, Jahmi w,u UK"d IC",: n f.ic t Wl'tc- followt·n of J.ihm or professed to. ~cd ,h.ir
III rnt,ning by rest ric ti ng it t o a group of people who were only seckrng
d11" ~r in wa1 C"rl'atl"d (un[:J ~~ca l tn:t~ Ill rc-fl'H' ll Ce to Musli ms ,_ vho belie-excrerne
<le1trrmnm 1; IC'C' Watt, T~ r F ererna/) and, m l:i.tcr /1crc~iog raph1es, w~re fidcnt
u:,:::~111't' 1 1
i:at an ant1-U111ayyad rrbd Pn iod.oJ. !Jlamic TJwughr. 14 3- 8. Waif• ~ co;g/746, ~
1
report ipp<-an to be out of place here, a~ it does not ~uppart di<' firSt opinio~ •. . the
1 11 h II
ibt~ itatn d1a1 "1101 rnucli nn be u ~~l11 :1 b. ~a lwl n ex1stt"d and w:is executed ID ·'msdf~ : or er v.-ord1, they sought co know wh;i.t will rcplac<' the G.!:!r'an ;UJcl succec in
·· 1• J. " 1di cr rtm1t y ;ihou1 rlw views of Jahrn hl 11

::t:~:
. ; 1~~:h~l~en C~\ cuscom of abrogati ng carlkr Books. ishj that Tabari quotes in
; ~C' MalJiniid Shlbr\ irnponarn J 1 1 1
f_)j in h ud Sha~ar no1C's, this j ~ part of a longer .report fron_ lb:~so -G~illaum<'. i?J •
C' l>flow. Appendix A, for a coru
11 of d m d auiiC'; ·1afrir al-1/Jbari, 6 :199· 11 di~umon of Q.ri; see J'1fiira/-Ta&m, 6:151- 3. See

I K'U~\ 10 11 of dm ep1~odt·.

2.36 137
 TA BAR! SiiratAl (l mfl111(3:7)

1
knowledg~ of th e arr iva l time of th at w hi ch will ab lnO\\kdgr f \thd r inter pretat io n] is known by non e save God."'
0
dccrct>d prior rn that. rogate what had bcrn
oPtN !ON: Some ofrhcm said : The meaning of th at is: No ne knows the
We on ly say that the best in terpre tation of H · ~,,,rrcl!Jlionof c\ut s,wt· God, Si ngular is H e, the o nl y o ne w ith th e knowl-
i,_1rerprelatio11. is that if any gro up of pe~plc seeks ~sns;:~ment, by Sttki11giu 1rJ~e
1
f this. As for those wcll-gro,mdrd in knowlet{~e, th ey a.re the subject of
0
time of something prior to it s comin g, the time of w h · he~ge of the arrival ;rw sentence. chc predicate of w hich is: {They J say, "We believe -in the
1
thcn~_and o thers, by m ea ns of [intcrprctin J the a I~ i s concealed from imbiguous and clea r verses, :md that all of th at is from God."
Q,r an, [they wil l fa ilj This is as . d ·g d mb1guous verses of the
An account of those who said that:
(Majestic is H is praise) i~form s us ct: 1;1- ,~ate previously, because God Mubainmad b. Abd Allah b. 'Abd al-f:'lakam- Khalid b. Nizar-
anyone save Him . T here is no d b1a It 11S lmt erpretation is not known by N~fi-Jbn Abi Mulayka- \A.'i sha said, concerning His statement And
ment " We decreed" is " W, d ·d'?.u t t 1ar t 1e [t~ue] m eaning of His state-
. . e I ' many of the ignorant 1 h . k rh,j( wrfl-gro1mded in k11 owledge say, We believe in it , "Part of their ground-
n s interpretati on, wi th out any need of the ~o yt eists new ing in knowledge is that they believe in th e clear and ambiguous verses,
well-grounded in know I d h people of fatth or the J>('oplr
e ge among t em !to explai n itV but they do not know their interpretation."
Al•l:bs:m b. Yab ya-(Abd al-Razzaq-Macmar-Ibn Tawlls-his
fathrr said : lbn 1Abbas would say, "None knows its i11terpretatio11 save God.
2 G
0 . COM MENTAllY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS : Thr5t wrfl-grouuded \in ktiowledge] say, We believe in it."
Q.n [3 .7 ] N;11e~,1;1115 its interpreta tion sa,,e God. A nd those ive/1-grounded in Yunus lb. 'Abd al -A' la]- Ibn Wahb-Ibn Abi'I-Zinad-Hisham b. Q.n
Urwa [b. aJ.Zubayr J said, " My father would say, concerning the verse G
0 11 0111 e 'gf.' say, Hie believe in ir; the whole is from our Lord.
.\,me hwu-s its interpretation save God. And those 1vell-gro1mded in knowledge,
Bm ot1fy me11 of 1wderstandi,ig really heed.
'Truly those well-grou nded in know ledge do not know its interpretation.
God (Majestic
arrival of tl Lis HisH praise ) mean s b Y thi.s: None knows the time of thC' Instead, chty say, We believe in it; the whole isfrom our Lord. "'
ie ast our or w h
community will end ,
I.d . f d d h.
e_n t 1e uratton o Mu l.i amma an 1s lbn Humayd-YaQya b. WagiQ-' Ubayd Allah-Abu Nahik al-Asadi
exclusion of II\ ' or "hat will occ ur in the future, save God, to the ilid, concerning His statement None knows its interpretation save God. And
mathematics a 1umans I who .ho pe to grasp k now Iedge of this by means of if.:'lt well-grounded iii k,1owledge, " You coordinate this sentence when it
edge they . · a;r~ o_gy or divination . As for those we/I-grounded it1 k11owf- ihould be separated into two sen tences: None knows its interpretatiou save
[wl:ac we s,?· _e eliew i,i. it ; the whole is from our Lord. They do not know
ave Just
have over other co menu
lei onedj ; rat her, the addi tion al knowledge t hey 1 nm •mbiguuy 1~ due to the fae1 that the particle wiiu> can mean, :among other things. "ind"
[future t:ve m J p P s the knowledge th at God is the Knower of these 01•11_cln md1n1e d1r begmnmg of a new sentence . )n the fo rmer case, it isc.11lled wdrv 'aif("the
s • 10 t11e cxcl u · f II f ;.~ of coordin;i.uon .. ) and. in the laucr, waw j51i'naf("1he wii 1v that initiatcs a new sentence").
The im erpreters disa s1on o a o Hi s crea tures.
whethe r {th d 'greed ove r t he inte rpre tation of that, as to h( imerp~etltlon of tl1c_wa u, in wa'/-,iisikhii,1 ji'I-';Im de1ermines whethcr hum2n beings
~n:::f~~cll -gr~unded 111 knowle_dgc" have access to 1he interprc~ation of the l tnbigu~us
i/m) is in co e ~~·or _sJ those well-grounded in knowledge (al-rOsikhUnfi'l-
io$uy\lti ,~~ran, or \.\:heiher tlm knowledge is restricted cxdus~,·cl?' 10 God. Accor~tng
knowledge :; : ai_ion wil h th t· noun "God ," affir ming that thc:y have ., · ' tr") few Su nni scholars h ave re:i.d tl1is :i.s a u,ii1v of coordmanon :md mo behcvc
st

they are part lfe mt erp reta1ion of it s am biguous verses; o r whether
O a new se
knowledgc say 'W b . nr ence, mean ing "Those well-gro un e th in
' e eli eve in th e am biguous ver ses and affi rm ar
:~~~~~:'t/1.,e,~u_ndtd i,1 h1011;J1dge do not have access 10 the intcrprcl:a~ion of t~c ~nibiguous
dd· ihr Mu m}?u~i , _a/- hqiinfi 11/iim a/-Q!r'an, 11 aw' 43 ({i '/-,nubka111 u,a. l-n1111~$htJb1h). A~:~:~
(d '~Qi Abd al-Jabb5.r accept s both interpretations as vahd, while Zamak . .
;1
,/.~ 81.." 3 pocfm th, ,,,ding of ,"""' of ,oo,din>tion: '" Q!<H 'Abd ,1-J,bb:•• Jm:h
d.1,;;:;n an al-mata'i11, 58; ;i.nd MalµnUd b. ' Umar a\- Zam2kh5hari, tJI-KllmJhJj a,'1 . hiUJll 8 rq

,h;,~: ~
1
lb • td. Mu11;i.f5. A}Jmad, 4 vols. {Beirut: Di r 21-Kiti b al• 'Arabi, 1986 [ ¢61), ·B · .

I Tihui 11 refu11n g the d

1
m"'fm th, mb J''/M,;n. which fo llow•. r/,o,, «~11-g"''"d,d in 1
b: d x rcldmg of th t' ~r :in to yaqlilu inu11cd12tcl)' pnor to '.liOSI
;:':::11,: '
g .
1:
u1en11on
even 114
md.11rnou
Jclui/<.iq } Ht 1101 opinionh here b , argurng tlw tl1<.· cxprcuion qa4ayna• (an dj b)'
M )

10 non-Mu\linn. ind ihui ~,: c~.11ui;1:::guou~ vc-nl·s,·• bec ause their mea nings are c car
o~u: 4 ~;/o 1h.i1 itr~;iJ~.
11'a-ytJtJiilrt'/-~asikhii11tJ Ji '/- 'i/,n. The only conce1v.1blc mterp~t:a11011
1 gubr rcadmg u 1hit the u"1w initiates a new \'erb.111 s('ntence.
Q .3 :7 canno t be in reference to thcm.

23X 2)9

-
pr
TABARJ
Siirm Al 'Jmriin 0 :7)
God; an d , Those wcll-grow~de~ ;11 kno,JJ!cdgc say, We believe in it· th b· ffecrivc [i ts] case clea r; falsehood is driven away
from 0 11, L~rd. Th e o uter Imm of their knowledge is the sta:c e uiliole u 1t1] argumrnt t co_mcs r . , •• 1
have said /m this verse/. " menr they 1 . d lisbclicf 1s dcmo lt shcd.
1
1
b; / t~r\ llOSC who :1doptcd th e first o pinion, who sa id th at thos~ wcll-
_AI -Mutlu nn a- /al-Fad/J ibn Dukayn-'Amr b. ' Utlun.an b 'A
•ro~n:ll·d 111 kr10wkd gc do not know the intcrprcta~ion _of [the am~1guous
All ah 6. Mawhab- Umar b. Abd al- 'Azlz sa id . · bd
II ld - k IJ " . ' concermng and ihose c,J md dut God mc-rdy informed !usj of their fa.1th and belief that
we -g m11111r> 111 . •,iow eagc, Thf.' o uter limit of the knowledge of those icn ' I . Com God rhcy put those 111ell-gro1wded i11 k11owledge
~vell-g ro und cd 1'.1 knm\'. lcd~e,_regarding the interpretation of the ~r'an. (chc,r n·nt: ' . t_~rnc r n acco.unt of it being the subject fof a nominal
1s th at they say, M1e be!U'IN' m 11; the whole isJmm our Lord. "' n the nomm,1 t1, e case o . . . I I .
~nrencc]. the predi cat e of which is, ltheyj say, We believe 111 It; th~ u: we 1s
. Yunu s /b. Abd al-A laj- Ashhab- Malik /6. AnasJ said, concern ing ~c>"l t'llf /,ord. (This is the opinion of the Basrans.) As fo_r the opm10~ ~f
Hi s statement None lmows its i11terpreratio11 sa11e God, ''Then there begins a ·,c,mr of tlic Kufa ns, they sa id that [those we/I-grounded m knou;~~~ge IS m
'.iew sr nt t' nce: 7:1tose well-gro,mded i11 k11owledge say, 'We believe in it; the wliolr ihenomina ii,·e case j because ,asikliii11 is th e backward refe~e~t ( ,a •d'J from
15 from our Lord. They do not know its interpretation. " ,hw mrn rion [as rhe subj ect of the verb] Ithey] say (yaqulrm). - Another
OPINION: Oth ers said : Ratl1cr, the meaning of that is: And nonesa11eGod Kufan said chat [,asikhiiu] is in the nominative case because of che sentence
1h.n 1s prrdicared of them , namely ltheyJ say. J
and those well-grmmded i11 knowledge know ch e interpretation of that, md .
0 that frh esc- peopl c- j, with thei r knowledge of this and grounding in it, say, As for those who adopted the second opinion and claimed that t~ose G
Q.n We belie11e i,1it; 1he lllhole isfrom°'" Lord. 1
1tll-grounded fin knowledge] know the interpretation [of the amb1gu- Q.n
0 An acco unt of those who said rlur: ou~\"mes/. they coord inate between tlwse well-grormded [in kn~wledgeJ G
,nJ Coil; this coordi nat ion then explains why lthose well-grotmded m knowl-
Muh anunad b. 'Amr Jal- BahiliJ - Abii 'Aiim Jal-Nabil)-' fsa Jb.
May rnllnj- lbn Abi Najil_1- Mujahid-Ibn <Abbas said, ''I am among t~?]1s in the nominative case. 4
thosC' who kn ow its int ('rprctati o n." V,BA Ri SAID: The correct opinion, in our estimation, is that [those
Muh ammad b. 'Amr Jal-Bahilij-A bii 'Aiim /al-NabllJ-' fsa Jb. ~~ll-grormded i11 k11owledge ] is in che nominative case on account of chem
Maymlln J- Ibn Abi Najii.1 - ML~:ihid said , " Those we/I-grounded in knowl- ib~mg the fi rst part j of a sentence, the predicate of which is [they] say,
edge kn ow its interpretation and sa y, We believe in it. " _ onthe basis of what we have clarified previously. They do not kno,~ c~e
Mighty and MaJesttc
__Al-Muthann a-Abu l:Judhayfa JMii sa b. Mas' udj-Shibl-lbn Ab, 1~1erpretation of the ambiguous verses t hat Go d ( h
Na!il_i- Muj:i hid sa id. "Those well-grounded i,i knowledge know its interpre- is He) mentioned in this verse. [This is further substantiated] by w /a/t
h•1rcachcd me concerning th e lirregu . I) d· fUbayy·Thosewe-
tati on and sar , 1,v;, belie,,e i11 it ."
Or
ar rea mg O · . d
IAnnonymousJ- cA111m:ir b. aI- Hasan- Ibn AbiJacfar-his farber- grou1Jdt1d in k11ou•ledge say [yaqfllu in stead of yaqiilii,i J. as we have men ti
d ~bow on the authority of Ibn (Abbas, who recited it this way too. A so.
al-R.abi said," Those 111ell-gro1111ded in knowledge know its interpretation ao
say, We belie,,e inir."
lbn l:lumayd-Salama- lbn Jshaq- Muhanunad b. Ja'far b. al-
\TI.1111p,i. tt of l long report that 1s fo und in Guillaume, 273 · . Cl "the ," of chevcrb y.:1qii/U11
Zubayr said . ' "Noue k11 ows llS . mterpretation
. · , w I1ic· 11 IGodj wren
· ds-Wh"
•; oihcr words, sincr rtisikh ,i n is the blck\~•ard rcfer~n.t 0 ~ t~cs~~Jr:forc in\hc nomin;i.tivc c.isc.
dors He unend" -
w b /" . . · save God and tI1ose ivell-gro1111ded in kno1vreage , , [who). say, J Ind 1ub1cm of ve~b_s arc in 1hc nominanvc casl•, r,:1;,klirm ts :ninativc sentence, the pred1ca'.c
e e.,eve Ill It ; the whole is from our Lord. Then th ey harmonize the wrcr- othrr word_~- r,mkluin is rhe first part (m11b111d.i J of a no rl of l norninafr.:e scn1cnee 111
preratton of the amb · r hich there \r:a~Jr) of which 1s [1/iq j say. Tl1e defau lt ~a~c of the first Ra who S:l)'l that ,Jsikh1l11 is in t~ie
. I ig uo us verses with the clear verses, 1or w od) n •bic ii thc nomi n:u iw: . Tim is al so dw opmmn of al-'.a_r~ Nanie A//Jh, which precedes II ,
~ -on y a single interpretatio n, whi ch rhey know. The Book [of G ~~1ln~ 111·e ci.se becatm· of yaq1l/ii11, not .~ecausc the Divmc .
c.: co mes settled by th ei r int erpretation, parts o( it ve rifying orher pare s.
11
thr nonunat1w rasc; Madni al-Qyrau, I : 191. ,. . he senicncc, N.:1ut kuoU'S rf.1
' !:cr' "God" is one of the subjcets of_ 1hc verb ? \:;hi:
11 0 11
, ::oordinaced with rhc.wo;:
I AtJb1c · a/l"d~,"'"da '" aa , ·J 11
lafs1111/-"l~bar,, 6 lOJ . a a JJvc- (ollowcd MJl.1mUd Shakir's ducid:ition°( h"
t
1i phn st.: ·cC:t~rio,1
1 1
S<11·r God. it is in the nonunauvc .c:asc , an;min;i.~ive case- :as wdl. accordmg
·h br i con1unrnon wou ld necessaril y be Ill the- 11
c ru!rs gol"nnmg conjunetions in Arabic.

.:q o
 TA BAR! Siiral Al 'I,, min (1:7 )

/consider] th< !irreg ula r/ reading of 'Abd Allah /b. Mas' ud]. "I . ,1/J ,imi,,hii k,ilUII 1,11ni/,i r, ~mbliihii
. o . TlI05l' weII-g,01111 ded in knowledge say."•· tsmrerp,era -
1.s on Iy WIC· I1 Gd
1
1,mlil1ro1 rib ,yri'/-siqiihi.fa-,1~~1aflii

:o~
troll

As t~:e mean ir~g of r<wi~. (::intcrpretat,i,on ") in the speech of the :\sfor the ctfrct~ of her love, [they ate]
ikr thr young came l's fo ndness of his mother, [which growsJ
Arabs. u 1s ~.~plana t1 011 (rafi'. r), re turning, and "going back to th e 1
enca mpme nt. - Some t ran sm it te rs jo f po ctry J have cited th b
c- , through to :iduhhood.

J\'TERPllETATION 0 1: and those well-grouf/ded in k11owledge say, We believe

ala o,maha kiinar 1a 'a11111111lu b11bbiliii
rib'iyyi'/-5iqiihi fa -a1lwba
M 'aJ1111111la i~ JI
Tht" mt"auingof "riisikhii11 in knowledge" is the scholarsi who have perfcct-
The expla nation and source of his lo ve of her grew co its
Ndim knowledge. stored it and safeguarded it through memorization.
present stare,
Thcr allow nc-ithcr do ubt nor confusion to infiltrate their understanding
Like the young ca mel contin ues g ro wing as large as his mother.
wdknowledge of what they know. The origin of this expression comes
attaining ad ulthood. 1
from ,he phr:isr ''to msiikh something in something," which means "~o
Th e origin of lta 111ilJ com es fro m "ala som e thing to something else, " tirm m it and to enter it." One says, "Faith became firm (rasakha) m
1

G when someone goes back to it and return s co it. One says ya 'Ulu aw/an. Tlie
Q.J:7 expression awwaltri/111 a11ii means " I rook ir ba ck to where it came from .''
It has been alleged that the mea ning of Hi s statement and the best ta 'wil
G
(Q .4:59; 17 :35) is "t he bes! recompense (jazii'),'' since the word "recom-
pense" is tha1 to which t be affair of th e people will return (Ola) and go back.
T he meaning of ta aw11ml11 b11bbihOfin aJ-A(sha's poem] is "the expl~-
1
nalion and source of his love of her." Th e poet intends by this chat _Im
love of her was [in itiall yJ small in his heart , then it wen t from bei_ng
small to bein g large, and contin ued g rowing until it attained its fu ll ~,~e
and became old, like a young ca mel, w hi ch continues to develop unt1I tt
reaches matu rit y, becomi ng large like its mothe r. 4
This verse ha s also been recited in th e following manner:
3 G
rhr hmr of so-and -so," and jconjugates it asJ yarsakh11/raskha11/rusiikha11,
Q.n
A descri ption of {these peopleJ has been narrated in a report on the
fl)
1uthomr of the Proph et (~). and it is what has been narrated to us from:
Musa 6. Sahl al-Ramli-Mul.,ammad b. 'Abd Allah-Fayyac) b.
l:uhammad al-Raqqi- 'Abd Allah b. Yazid b. Adam-Abii'I-Darda' and
ASU Um.ima said, '' Th e Messenger of God (~) was asked, 'Who is the
wdl-grounded person in knowledge (al-riisikhfi'l-Wm)?' He replied, 'He
whosr right hand is virtuou s, whose tongu e is veracious, whose hea~t
<cts nghtrnusly in accordan ce with [his knowledgeJ, and whose belly IS
4
chm-dm is the well-grounded person in knowledge."'
Al-Murhanna and Ahmad b. al-}::lasan al-TirmidhI-Nuraym b.
H,mmad-Fayyad al-Raqqi- 'Abd Allah b. Yazid al-Awdi, who saw (or
comcmpora ry w ith) som e of the Companions of the Messenger of
1115

1 11
-~~~nilid Sh~kir m in thJt he dol's not kn ~w what 1au 1~bi'".tmbJ:ilul _c~il~ ~ -~~: .a ;t~~ft:;:
~.l;;ni 1_1 a~ nJzo:i '1 rrnucl\ longing for d1eir hom~l.:111d ); Tofi ,,al-l:tall' diffCrent opening

Arabic: r,11a 'w,iluhu ilia ind Allah; u111'/-nis1kl11lnoj,'I- 'ilm yaqlil,in. N o tice chat in this ir~u.~;
k r D~r HaJued111on of Tabari's 'l"afiir provide, the footnoic, 3 t
111 Y 10. I priuic<l
I r:-::,tichfor th1~ wrsc as it 1s fo und in Li.siin af- 'Ara b; see riii - J- However, tic
11 the Divine N.tmc- .-1 /Wh 110
1111xm1blc th<' r<'ading of die u,Ow a~ coordinating bet'\~
·~:t
; : ~ ~· II i11 dil· gl'n lfl\•e cue-, w hile nJJikh1l11 is in cbe ~~a:~d th
h ' !th renden foun d
l ~;~, rr ~l,o ha\·e tau-abi' lrr'. bbiha. , , "
,... aU~}da also ~lm~es r~s1khri11 J;f~ ilm a~ ~cho_l_m ( r,/om,~1 _ _
, _ ,. and indicates rhat the \·rrb
' ="': -g_r"" td lmou,k~~- Tlie 1rregulu reJdmgs of Ubay)' and lbn Mas u
1

nd
JM,~:-'•ir applied to fan h bc:connng firm; M~;a z a/-Q!r 1111_1~ :iir86u.1ndn d dictionaries .1s
111 :lf<'
111, 1. Furi,MaJni11/- ~, ·a11,1 : 191.
1
"•
ud SliJkir no1es rh.1c die verbal noun raskh 1s not found
llm ddinmon of f<l 'w;J d II r, b- •ubayda, Ma~
~:;;~ible nominal fo rm of Ta!ir al-Tah:7-;~i::·mmcntary Jhn
2
al-Q_i, 'an, i :86-,. an K' ollo...,, n~ v~.-r~ of poetry ,1rc found in A u the \'crb raJakho; of Abi
;ng 111 1
1 ScrMI "d h· k · · (, und Hi:1t11 g to Sup1!i, d1is lradith il fo und onl y hert', 111 ~he~ Al mad Shlkir notes that ~omc
Abo ~:1.~ a '.r ' glon (,10fiit al-I isbari, 6:.io5), and ~nc, ,. '-w-1." Thb vcrsc..1~ J1is
own offsp~in~ ;:a~::
~~:~
1
11
.i:,
:86""7, Tiu: fin al \'rrb, a1haM, could :i lso a mclll cl.i . ;md !fl acol1em o11 of Tabar.ini ; al-Dr1rr a/- ma'.ithur: 2, 11 : )f ransntincrs to be a forger
rf crmcs considrr 'Abd Allah b. Yazid Ill rlus cb:im
O 1

th; \'er~
11
• lafii, d/-Jtlba,i,6:io6.
1
• Th11 u mr expbn~uon of 11 founJ in Abo Ubayda, MtJjiiz J/- Q!r 'ii,r, I :87,

243
 TABA R!
God (s)-Anas b. Malik, Abu Umama, and Abu'l-Dard-' .
Messenger of God (~) ,v:,s asked about the well- d d a said that the
and he replied, " H e w hose right hand i . . gro,m le people ;,, kt1011.1/edgr
. I I s virtuous, w lose ton .
cio us, w lOse 1eart acts righteou sly in accorda nce with jh· guc is vera.
and whose be ll y and gen itals are chas te -ti . I II IS knowledgrj
in kn owledge."1 . l at ts t 1e we -groundedpersor;
A group of inrc.~prc-te rs ha s sa id: God (Mighty and Ma 'estic .
called these pe-oplc we ll-g ro und ed in knowled " I ts Hr)
ti · " ge on Y on account of
1etr stat ement, 14'r belic11e i11 it ; the whole is from our Lord. "
An account of tho se w ho sa id char:
- . ISufya nJ ibn Waki' Jb. al-JarrahJ - my father-Sufyan [al-Tha ' ·J-
Jab1r-
k IdMuJ·ahid - Jbn 'Alb- . , conce rning and those rvtll-grormdcd
' as s::lld
11 ~111 e .~e s~y, 1.-M·. bcliei,e in it. "Th e well-gro1111ded jpeopleJ are those who
Sa). IVe be!ic1Je m ,t ; rl1e whole is from our Lord. "
1
a Musa [b. Harun al-H amdani] - 'Amr [b. Hammad]-Asbat [b.
Q.n Na~r J-S uddi sai d , "A11d those 11 elf-gro1111ded in knou;ledoe
1 are the beli;vcrs.
The
6
,_ y say '. Web,fteve"' · 1t-
· mean mg · t I1e abrogating and abrogated vcrscs-
G tne whole 15 from 0 11 , Lord.,.
AU-t~~si:n--al-!Jusayn-Hajjaj-lbn Jura yj-Ibn 'Abbas said: 'Abd
a 1_ · Sa.lam said. ''As for Tlwse well-gro1mded in knowledge, their knowl-
edge is the~r Statement.·· lbn J ura)j sa id, "Those we/I-grounded in knowledge
7y, We belm~ iri i1, and the y arc th e on es w ho say, ' O Lord, cau~ no/ oiir
~ea rts 1_0 Slra y (Q.3:8) and th e ve rse, ' O Lord! Lo! it is You Who gadim
um;i:t~ togetlie: 0" a Day about wl1id1 there is 110 doubt ' (Q.J :9). "
I or th c mter prctation of ftheyJ say, We believe in it, it means thac
t iose who arc well-grounded in know ledge say: We affirm che ambiguous
~'erscs of th e Book, that they arc true even though we do not know cbcir
interpretat ion. I ha~c been in fo rm ed •of thi s by: - didr the intended noun chat was annexed to kull in chis place because
'd A?mad b_. l:lazun - Abo. Nu<ay m- Salama b. Nubayr--al~Pabl.i~k
~.~ ; c~ ncernmg And tlwse well-gro1111ded in knowledge sa}', We he/ietlt' in ,r,
1cc C"a r and amb iguous lve rses j."
I NTERPRETATION
. OF il,e wl,ole isfro m our Lord
Hi s stateme nt (Ma·cs ti . . d 01 eans:
All of ti I c is His praise), the whole is from our Lor. , . 1
Hi s rev ~e ear an~ ambi guo us verses of the Boo k are from our Lord. It is
narrate~ atot1on :ndmspiration to Hi s Prophet Muhammad($), as has been
u s ,ro 111 : •
I rl u\ haduh n a Vll nJtion of d1<" prcv1ou~ on<" .
Siir.it Al lmrii11 (3:7)
JSufrsnJ ,bn Wakl Jb. al-JarrahJ - my fa thcr~ Sufyan [,1-Thaw ri] -
phr-i\\ uj:i hid- lbn Abba s said, ~oncc rnm g Hi s statement The whole is
·1i •m(' /, iird. 'This mean s that w hich has been abrogated and that which
111
·hii not [,ccn abrogated ."
B,shr Jh. Mu adhJ - Yazid [b. Zuray' J- Sa'id [b. Abi 'ArubaJ-
~i~da ~.iid. co1Kt'rni ng Hi s statement No m: knows its i,Jterpretation save
G,.J. "And 1/,(lse well-groi111dcd i11 knowledge said, cl,c whole is from our Lord.
Thq tx'lit·,·c in its :11nbiguous verses and act in accordance with its clear
rme:>.
/Anonymous]- 'Anunar b. al-tfasan-Ibn AbT Ja' far-his fathcr-
,1-Rabi said, conct·rni ng His stat ement the whole is from 011r Lord, "They
s.11·. 'The clear and amb iguous verses arc from God.'"
\HI
i,,
.\1ul_ummad b. Sa(d jb. Mul:iammad al-'AwfT]-my father-my
uncle [al-i:iusayn b. al-}:l asa nj-my father-his father l'Ariyya b. Sacd
~-Awfi]-Ibn Abbas said. concerning Aud those well-grouuded in kno1vledge G
JJ)', l! t believe in it; rhe whole is from 011r Lord, "[They say,] 'We believe in Q.J:7
the cbr \'erscs and practise what they teach (uadi,111 bihi), and we believe G
m1he ambiguous verses, w ithout practising what they teach. All of them
•re fro m God."'
YaQ)'J b. Abi T:ilib-Yazid-Juwaybir-al-Oabl)ak said, concerning
His statement A11d those well-grounded in kuowledge, "They act in accordance
\\i1h lt, saying, 'We act in accordance with the clear verses and believe
in them; an d we believe in the ambiguous verses, but we do not act in
.rcordance with them. The whole is from our Lord."'
The experts in the Arabic language disagreed over the usage of the
110 rd ku/1 (the whole) when Ian annexed noun] is suppressed with it.
1
1
OPINION: One of the Basran grammarians said: It is permissible co
!~~//] is a nou n. j ust as jGod] said , J,Ji> are all (together) in it (imia_ k~~u~!
• 1'.J ; Q.4o:48), meani ng: "Ve rily, all of us are in it (i,wa kullunath~).
The :\·ord krill is not actually annexed to a suppressed noun whe~ it is a
descriptor. One ca nnot say, " I passed by che people, all." l There is only
h
aiuppressed !noun] attached to it when you use (kull] as a noun. If [r e
rd 2
~hcgr;inmi.mul m ut 'faba ri is addn·ssing is 1he unders1andi11g of the wo ku!l ( }1. ~t~;
t.ct hole") when 111s ~ot o,·erd y Jllnt"xed to anothtr noun and insiead appors )' usc- '
. ;;_;;r
1
::~ 111dm ve rse. For more on kr,/~. ~cc ,~~ight, 2 :~04~ -
ilnorhrr e_op1mo11 of al-A kh fash ; see Im Maam a/-Q!r all, i .J9\) in this cJsc, because It~//
\1Jff; orJ1, on_e ne<"ds to add an annexed no un (or prono~;<" all of ihem (ku//ihim).·
11 1101 CJc:nr on rts own . One niu~, say, .. I passed by the: peoJ •
245
 TABAR!

verse werej im,a ~u_ll anfil,a, wit h_ ku/1 as a d cscr.iptor, that would not be
possible, beca use it 1s weak Ito clai m thatl there 1s a suppressed noun; it h
not possible for thi s in every co ntext.

OPINION: One of the Kufan gra mmarian s co nsiders it permissible to

THE FAMILY OF 'IMRAN
suppress the antecede nt of ku/1, w h et her it is a noun or a descriptor,
because it is imperm issi ble for !the noun th atl foUows kull to be elided sO RAT AL ' IMRAN
un less it is suffi cientl y indicated by th e suppressed word to which it is (Q. 3:18)
ann exed. It is impermissible fo r it to be sufficientl y indicated in on e case,
but insuffi cientl y indica ted in ano th er one. The usage of kull ("all/each") 0
and ba4 ("some'") rega rding how they indica te Jthe word thatj follows
them by th emselves and suffici entl y is th e same in every co ntext, whether
COMMEN TARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
they arc descriptors or nou ns.
[J:i8j God testifies that there is 110 god save Him,_ as do the angels. and the
TABAR! SA ID : This second opinion is the better one on th e basis or met, of k11011 ,/edge, upholding justice. There ,s ,10 god save Him,
G analog y, beca use if k11ll is sufficient on its own to indicate the elli psis in the Mighty, the Wise.
Q.n one case, then th e ru le mu st be that it is suffi cientl y capable of indicati ng
it wherever it indi cate s an elid ed word fo llowing it. God (Majestic is His praise) means by this: God testifies that there is no god
G sat't' Him and r/ie angels a11d the me11 of kuowledge testify [too]. The augels arc
coordinated with rhe name of God. The word a,rnahu (that) has afatba on
I NTERPRETATI ON OF but o,J/y men ofimdersta11ding really heed
;,s ,!if. beca use lit follows] the verb shahida (testifies). .
God {Majest ic is His praise) means by this: No one pays heed, takes One of the Basrans1 would interpret His statement God testifies to
admonit ion or refrains from say in g som ething of which he has no mean ··cod dec rees " and then put the angels in the nominative case, mean-
1

kn ow ledge, conce rning th e ambigu o us ver ses of the Book of God, except
the possessors of understanding and di scernm ent , as has bee n narrated ro
us by :
lbn Hu mayd- Salama- Ib n Ishaq-M uh ammad b. J a<fa r b. al-
Zubayr said, concerning but 0 11 /y "'~" of unde~sta11di11g really heed'.
0 1
"N;
~ ereall_y l,eeds in thi s way-meaning, in referring the int~rprctan:~:n
t e ambiguous verses ba ck to wha t is kn own among the in terpret
of th e clear verses, so that thei r meaning becomes consistcnr--cxcept
for men of 1111dersta ndi 11g." 1
ing "the angel s and men of knowl edge are witnesses Ito that].''.
All of th e ~r'a n reciters, among the people of Islam, recite~ ~,ma-
1114 (rlim), wirh a far ba above the alif, and I have mentioned tha,~ this IS ~he
rnost app ropriate voca lization, following the verb Jhahida_( to te stify,
wimess"), and they recited [th e initial word of the followmg ve~se] as
inua, with a kasra under it / except for one of the later ~xperts m th e
Arabic language. !This cxpenj read a11t1a, with afatba, 111 botl~ case s,
w11 h the meani ng : ''God testifie s chat there is no god save Hm~
that obed ience and humilit y according to God is submission to Him.

[Concl 11 sio11 of the conmu'11tary 011 11erse 7 of Silrat Al tlmra'nJ 1

This is theopinio n of Ahli ' Ubayda; Majilz al-Q!r'a11. I :89 . T~e wo~ds ..
m t lic published edition of Majilz al- ~r 'iin. Near the end of tlm secuon, ·
;a~~;;•:;::!
g
0
~; ~
2
th
a Hltcrpremion i l e111 ircl y basdcs~. •t ,o,din to
! ~lir nrxt \"~rs_e bc:gim. inna 'l-di11a 'inda "I/Jhi'/-is/Jm (T~ 111Y ;,bt-ditl~t:::..: ;
1
~ , ' ! ub1111.1J101r [to Him]). For t he interpretation of dm as obcdie
11
~~:;;il%y
(al-~ii'a

1 ~-~1 dlt~J_la)" IMte.ld of "religion:· sc~ Tafii; al-Tabari:_6: 2.~3- 5. K.isi°i is considered one of the
l -~rau. 1 •200· .
rr.. idtn u fics this 1Cholu as KiU i; Maii,ri a_ did not tJ.kc hold uniil
~•"t"n <"ll10niral ~r·an n-citers." ah hough the s1gn1ficancc of clus siatus
i.ficr T;ib;iri's lifctunc-.

247
 TABAR!

ve rse were/ i11nii kullanfiha, with ku/1 as a dcscript h

'bl b . . or, t at would not 6,
poss1 e, ecau se It 1s weak {to claim that] there is a su d
not poss ibl e for this in ever y context. ppresse nou n; it is

OPINION: One o f th e Kufan granunarians consid ers it permissible 10 THE FAMILY OF ' J~R.AN
suppress the antecedent of ku/1, whether it is a noun or a descriptor sORAT AL ' JMRAN
beca us~ i~ is impermi ssible for fth e noun thacJ follows ku/1 to be elided (Q. 3:18)
unl ess It 1s sufficientl y indicated by the suppressed word co which it is
ann ~xcd . Jr is impermiss ibl e for it to be sufficiently indicated in one case,
but m suffici entl y indi cated in another one. The usage o f k11/I ("all/each")
$
and ba'd ("some") regarding how they indicate [the wo rd th at] follo\11
th em by th em selves and sufficiently is the same in every context, whctl1er COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
. d the angels and the
they are descripto rs or noun s. jpS] God testifies that there is uo go d save H WI, as o .
TABARi SAID: This second opinion is the be.tter one on the basis of . meu of k,iowledge, upholdirigjustice. Tl'.ere is 110 god save H1111,

analog y, beca use if kull is suffici ent on its own to indicate the ellipsis in
Q . G d t ti.fies that there is no gad
Q.J:7
o ne case, th en th e rule mu st be that it is sufficiently capabJe of indicating
Q
it \vhereve r it indicates an elid ed word fo11owing it.
IN T ERPRETATI O N OF bur only men ef,mderstanding really heed
God (Maj es tic is His praise) m eans by this: No one pays heed, rakes
ad monitio n o r refrains from saying something of w hich he has no
kn ow ledge, conce rning th e ambiguou s verses of the Book of God, except
the possessors of und erstanding and di scernment, as has been narrated to
us by:
lbn f:lumayd- Salama-lbn l shaq-Muhammad b. Ja' far b. al•
z u bayr said · , conce rnin g but only men
· ef understanding
· really /,eed'. "No{
o ne rea ll y l,eeds in thi s way-meaning, in referring the interprecatJO~
0 mnu. with a kasra under it / except for one of the later experts 10 the
th e ambig uous verses back to whar is known among the interprecauon
of th e clea r ve rses, so that their meaning becomes consistenr--excepr
for men of 11uderstanding ." 1
the Mighty, the Wtse.
God (Mairsric is His praise) means bY t h is: 0 es
I
h I
' ,fk Id t'f [too] T e ange s are
s.ii't' Him and 1l1t' angels a11d the men o tio,v e ige ces 1 Y · fi I
coordinated wit h the name of God. The word am1alw (that) has a at _,a on
its a/if bmuse /it follows] the verb shahida (testifies). iJi
One of the Basrans 1 would interpret His statement God test, es co
mean "God decrees," and then put the angels in the nominative c.~sc, mean-
ing "die angels and men of knowledge are witnesses [to that] ..
All of the OEr' an reciters, among the people of Islam, reclte~ ~nn~-
lw(tlwr), with afatha above the a/if, and I have mentioned tha,~ this IS~ e
most appropriate ~ocalizacion, following the verb shahida . ( to teSnfy,
w1mess"), and rh ey recited [the initial word of the followmg ve~se] as
Arabic language . [This expertj read am1a, with afat/za, in bod~ cases,
With the mraning: "God testifies that there is no go~ ~ave Hm~
that obedience and humility according to God is submission to Him.

IConclusion of tlu: commentary on verse 7 ef Siirat Al 'J,,,riinJ I Thll 11 the op111ion of Abu ' Ubayda: MtJjilz al-Q!r'an, I :89. The wo~ds "'to tha~" ar::; ~l~a~
inthe published edition of Maj ilz al-Q!r'an . Near the end of this secuon. Taban arg
1ninprc1auo n is em ircl y baseless.
ih ii
0
i Tb~ ~~x t 1·mc be-gins inna 'f- dina 'inda 'lfal,i 'l-islam (Triily obcdinr_u and humility, °:' o,di,ig_'.
Cof, u n,binim o,1 Ito 1-li;nl).
Fo r the inierpretation of J;,, as "'obed1ccnce and humilit y (al-1a a
wJ /.J!: illaf inm:~d of"reli gio n," set Tafa ira/.'f4bari, 6:273- 5. f I
O 11
l Al -r~rrf 1dt:"nt1fies this scholar " K.isi'i; Ma'ani a/-~r 'a11, 1 :200. _Kis:i'i is considered one ;
·l<'vcn r~nonical ~r'in reciters," .ii though the significance of tlm sutus did not take hold unu
1 ~t:' Gu 1lbmnc,,i. J .
7 ~ficr T~hi.ri's lifenme.

247

,;i.
 TA BAR.I Srlml Af 'I111riill (J:18)

!his sc ho lar coordi nated " rhat o bedi ence and I .. " ~, ,w(,·ls w Thm· is nogod sa11c Him , the !vfighty, the Wise, "Truly God,
that /there is no god j " and ti I ]·d · mmility with ti r '.~ 1Jnt), ,md dw scho lar~:i mo ng m ankind testify that (anna)obedieucea11d
.. d'') I . I , 1c n lC' c t cd the - f ie nrs1
( an . w llC 1 is imp li ed by the sc ntc H . waw o conjunni o i:::rli;y. ,i,!!'di11g ro God, ,s sr1bm1~cyion (to Him)."
lb 'Abl - , n ee. c cited .d n
. n . las recitatio n of God testifies that (i1111al ) as ~v1 cnce for dli s · Tim 111 rcrprc-t:ni on ind icate s that "the testimon y" governs the sec-
Ill d11 s ve rse , and then read a,ma b J· w there is no god saiy Hi r~J p.ir11ck aml.1 in th e clause, amw obedie11cc mid humility, accordi11g to
· I . . • • o c 1ence and /11m ·tr [ "'
,s s11 ,m1ss1011 (to Him )J with a '·as
r, I , • ra un der t I,ea/if. "t y accordi,io ro God
f I f, • '
c.J.i.i 511 bmi.(sio11 (ro Him). O n the ba sis of thi s interpretation, it is per-
1
a; at .w above rh c a/if of the seco nd I . f , o t JC trst particle and "1l)'t~l t· for th e- fi rst ;i.rr icle to be understood in two ldiffcrentj ways:
"He rcstifi cs." 1 He consi der d I o1f,1e , w_Hc I was governed by thr verb I:] Ont way is th at the first p:irticlc, read amia , is in the accusative case,
I e t 1e 1rst 11111a to herald
P ira sc. not ~overncd by the verb shaltida. ; a parenthet ical _-~ arcount of ;i. cause o r re:ison (slum) ,1 with the meaning "God testifies,
lbn Mas iid read God tesrific I I . ['('c u c(bi-am111) He is One," and with the verb "testifies" governing rhe
11
on the alif of a1111a and I s: wt t ierc is no god .sa,,c Him with afa1lrn ,:(ond pJrt iclc a,ma, as if you were to say "God testifies char the obedi-
lwmili1y, ·according ; G ;r:.p ut
1
i,'.a.s:a Ull<ler the a/if of i,ma obediericea;1J :~ce ind humility, accord ing to God, is submission (to Him), because
shaliida govern s the fi o , is Sil m,rnon (to Him), meaning chat the wrh
0
H~1s Onc." The clause "because He is One" has been moved to an ear-
irst a1111a and that the sec d . b
sr: m cncc. Thi s schol /K . _,_]' I . on m,ia egins a new hr plm in th e sentence, and the a1ma receives a fatba, according to this
e, ti cles w ith a r. I ar 11sa l c a11ned that Ibn Mas ciid read both plr- ~1:erprc'IJtion. [The initia l] a1111a has afatba because it is in the genitive 0
of Jbn 'Abb- , Jat .w. hover t 1cm /as · a,ma /, an d I1c corn b·med the readin o me, mording to the understanding of some experts in the Arabic lan- Q.3c18
Q. 3: 18 as Wit th e readin g of Jb 11 M {-d H
f I. ti
unan imou s d' as u . e went against the g~•ge, while orhers say that it is in rhe accusative case, according to their G
$' th e M . r~,, ~~g 1 O t ll S verse, whi ch I have just described, by all of
1 ~r a~ reciters of o ld and contemporary times, with his unJmcand ing.
claime~si:::~ !:]Tht second way is for the first particle to be read itina, with a kasra
H I . d rlpretat ion that he ascr ibed to Jbn cAbb:is and Jbn Ma/0d . u~de;theafif, as the subject of a new sentence, because it is a parenthetical
e c anne
ascrib d t iat Ith
. ese t wome n J rec n. ecI so mething that has never bt'e.n f~. r~se, while the verb "testifies" governs the second particle amw. In this
1iem Ill any so und (o r eve n derec
suffi cie to t'd r tive) narration, an d t I11s
. 1s
Cllt' . rhe mt:aning of the sentence is, "God testifies-truly (fa-imialm) there
of di eMnr t·v,' enc~ rbat hi s reading is erron eo us and outside the realm linJ grd sat 1e Him-alon g with the a11gels, that (am,a) obedience and humil-
c us11111 reC1ters.
:.J. J@rding to God, is s11bmissio11 (to Him)." This is like the statement, "I
If th et' matter
the recit f Iis_ as\ \ ,C Iiave d escnbed
. it, the correct opinion regar d'mg lt1tify- and verily I am certain (fa-i,,ni n111biqq1111}--that you (annaka) are
and th a li on° t ns passage is that rhea/ifof rhc first particle receives afadia ~,~ocem of what you have been accused of doing." The initial inna has
at t 1e second k . . . bed" ·
A . .
• - •
and lmmility, Offordir, 011roe reccl~'CS a ~sr~, w1th the meanmg that mnao wnct
God, is.subm1ssw11(t0Him) initiatesanewsencencc.
:t!rJ becau se it is a parenthetical phrase, so the verb "testify" governs
n op11uo11 ha s be • . . . necond a,ma .
p retatio n of thi s assa en narra ted fron1 Suddi, concerning rhe inter th
corrcctn f I p . gc, th at se rves as an indicator in support of e I\JERPR.ETATION O F 11pho/dingj11srice
css O t 1c rec1tatio 11 0 f h holll
we mention d J I I t c expert in the Arabic language w d Tmlv· i11m eanmg · 1·s t I1at He is the One Who dispenses (yat·)I Jusnce
· · among
Juoniliiy ,ace c/ w 10 rcadj a fiuba on th e particle i,wa obedieucc au
H
-~1 c.rrar.ures . The word qi.s.t means "justice," from [the Arabs) who say,
rated to, ofir mg to God, is 511 bmission (ro Him)]. This is what has been nar·
me rom : , e1.5 fair (muqsi!)" and " He has been fair (qad aqsa,a)" when a person has
~~II JUS!.
Musa b. Harun /al- H d- - ' b- /b.
Nair/- SudJ- . .d am an1/- Amr /b. HanunadJ-As ,r
1
sa, ' co ncerning God testifies tha1 the~e is 110 god save Him as

'!t" ~~~i1' rc.:idrng 11.:ilso otcdb , .:i! F . ,

,in, 1:200.
. . ,.J,fi, Jrt i
> · n r.1. wh o coruidcn H a good (j11yyuf) rcad111g,
1 \!ouof the
,
111
_l0o conrcn t of both o( 1hc~c cxplan.:itiom is found
.
Ill
-• <- • r'd11
al-Farr;i. , M,rnm al-Q! •

:/",onJi
Th, td1lo~ f al- Farri''s Ma'dni al-Q!r'dn explain in a foomocc th.:it
Ih
c wor
d 5/ I
; :n~: J;;tcful fo r the help of tl il· rcv1cwr 0 iar.
1 1
v. ord 1, 1< ,ii'i r. Kli.:il1d W1ll1.:inn, wi th rliis sc-ntence. !ion ) tnc;i.ns "causr or reason (al- 'j/fo wa'/-s11b11b)" in this context; = 99·

249
 TA BAR!
Sllrat Al <1m rih1 (J: 18)

. ·b t God and which they take as lords. God

The word 11pholdi11g (qa'imm,) is in the accusative case becau se it is h ,oh-theists ascn e o , f h' I ti
Jl_or t t' I ,' Him self char H e is t he C reator o eve ry t 1~g ot_ 1er 1an
conditiona l clau se . 1 a
rnlorrncd du:m at Hr is the Lord over eve ry thing that each d1 sbcl1 ever an~
. On_c of the Basran g r~m~1 ari ans ~claimed that it is a conditional dauu: Huu~rl~. and th.ken as a lord o ther th an Him. !He informs th em J chat this
m rclanon to the word H1111111 the preceding clause , there is no god save Him.
1
O ne of the Kufan grammarian s- claimed that it is a conditional clause
~ly1hr1st h~s ;~11 He te stifies to , alo ng wi th His angels and the pco~le
i1Jmong the t g H " ation H e (Maiestic is His praise) began wi th
in rel at ion to the n o un God in Hi s st ateme nt God testifies. In chis case, the fk I dgc among ts ere. . :..i I h
0
·no; · c I .• H is self and declaring it pure from all that the po yt e-
meaning wou ld be, "God, th e Upholder of justice, testifies that thcrC' H1m'\. cxa .~';~we menr;oncd , have ascribed to it, just as He has made
i~;- ~;:1
~1:
is no god save Him." It has also bee n all eged that Ibo Mas' Ud 's !irregu-
\;·o ;~sto;n fo r Hi s servants to begin their affairs by. me_ntioning
lar] reading wa s "and tlie men of knowledgc---- H c is the upholder of justice
prlor to the mention of anything el se, as a way of culttvatmg good
(al-qa 'imu bi'l-qisJ)," and then th e definitive article al- was elided from
"che upholder," w hich made " upholder" indefinite. " Upholder'' was then mJnnrrs in His creat ion. . f h
Thr intention of thi s passage is to report the tesumony o t e cre~-
pm in the accusati ve case beca use any ind efi nite word which describrs a
mrrs wuh whom God is pleased, who have sanctified Him, a~o:g H~
definite thin g Im ust be in the accusa ti ve case J.
1,ngds and che people of knowledge 1 among His servants. God m orm~

G
TABARI SA I D: The opin ion t h at is most likely to be correct, in my esti-
mation, is the one that makes it a co nditional clause, because it describrs
Q.3,i8 God (Majestic is Hi s praise), sin ce rl,e angels and the me,i of knowledge are
G coordinated with Him . Therefore, it is so und for His statemenc qii'imau
to be a condi tional clause rega rding God.
I NTERPRETATI ON OF There is rio god save Him, the Mighty, the Wist'
This sentence negates the ex isten ce of so mething deserving of worship
0th er th an the O ne Who has no partners in Hi s dominion. What is ~1eant
by rl,e Migluy is that there is nothing that can pre vent Him from doing ~s
He wills, nor is there anyone who can see k revenge or retribution for His
punishment. He is rlie Wise in His manage ment fof the universe] , for no
defect can penetrate it.
God(M aJcst1c
· · 1·s H·1s praise) intended for thi s verse to nega rewhartli<
hd
Chri st ian s (of Najrin), who came to debate the M essenge r of God($),' ha
added beyond tht:" prophet hood of J esus, and Ito negate] rhe partners r at
1 Mal:unud Sh:ikir ..-x b. . . n al•qal', wh1d1
Tab.in u~s h,nc P un~m lus notes that the un m ual gra mmatical cxprcssio h expression
them dllt Hi s angels , whom so many of the polytheist worshippers ex\t, e
mJ 1he people of knowledge among [His creatures], all reject what {t e Q.J:1 8
polv1ht'ists and disbelievers} uphold regarding their opinion of JeSUS and
;h/ opinion of those who take a lord other than God from among any-
e
thing in creation. jGodJ said, " The angels and the people of knowledge
temfy ,hat there is no god save Him, and that everyone who takes a !~rd
oiher than God is a liar," as evide nce to support His Prophet (upon him
pme) against what the delegation [of Christians] from Najran was argu-
ing against him concerning Jesus. . .
Tbere is a pare nthetical phrase, mentioning God and His dcs~rtptI~n,
i.s I ha\'e da ri fied, j ust as [there is one when] He (Majestic is His praise)
!aid, Awl k110111 tlim , whate1,er you take as spoils ef war, to God belong~ a Jifi!i
1hmef(Q.8:41). ~ Like'\vise , H e o pens the testimony (in Q.3:18J wi~h ~is
Nanir and self-praise, as we h ave just described, to negate th~ ascnpuon
or divinity to anyone other than Him and to deny (the clauns] of th e
polythrists regard ing Him. .
3
As 'ror tJ1e opini on we de scribed at t h e begmmng
· · Of this secuon
. . I-
ih,u thr verb "to testify" means "to dccrec"-this is unknown m e1t 1er

:/:t'
al-'iar 11 found 1~ ~e;ns -~- condit1011al (ha~ clause "; 'JIJftir al-TiJbari, 6:270. T c :he lan guage of the Arabs or the non-Arabs (or Persians; ~jam), because
Th1 1 11 ihe opnnon s M a,foi al-~r'iiu, 1 :ioo.
tr st imony" has one meaning, and "decree" has another one.
l

3 This I\ du: opmion of a] ~J~:h!,ash; see /u s M<1'0ni al-Q!r an, 1 :401. . Jbn Mas'ild: 1rc
h11 Ma,i 11 ; al-~r'.in, :i oo;,i, r., • who also memio n) 1hC' irreg ular rC'admg of .
1
~ r -~hobrs," lhhough I think that this is too narrow a 1ransbtion of 'ii/amJ ' in. th is co;;e~I;
1
4 For more on the dd 11 · . . YCJPC'fl (which

1lus event brief! ~rn11

11
toda) 11 •n 1-0ut h c:~ ; of 1•xtrChru11am fro rn Najr-:in, :i nr y m no rthern ·di rncndo11l
115 Arab,:.i.), ee Guillaum e, 270--6. Tabari, quoting w q_;..,,; H iJtM]" cf
1 1 5
1 1
ft~~ :~ the poi 111 !abari b ,~aking is that parenthetical phr.nes oc:a,~~: ;;7,;c4~,,uis
1
l

al-Tabo,r, Vol . 1{ .~.~ lfotm y under th e- e-ve1m of the year 10/63 1- .2; sec la (A]b.Juf ~•:~nthe-7ntence~ 111 _the ~r jn. In the case of Q.8:41, what::: :fi.:'ih rhmof
3UNy l'ress. l9<XI), LaJt Ytari of tl,c: Jlroplm, 1ran~la1ed hy 1~111ail K. Poonawa 1ih 11 . 1 ic:.i.l phr.ase m the comm;i.nd And kr101/J that to God btf g '.!' .
98 \\~ ihe opinio n of Abu ' Ubayda th:it Tahari ci1ed earlier in this section.

250 25 1
 TA BAR!

Somet hing similar to o ur opinion concc . h

rated from some of th e ea rl y authorities : rnmg t at (also) has been nar-
Ibn ~un~.ayd-Salama- Ibn ls~:iq-M u~ammad b c
Zubayr said, God testifies that there is ,w god save H· J. Ja far b. ai-
r/re me,1 of knowledge, against what th ey ·d •~n, as o the angth arid
Ch ristian delegation from Na1·ran said-sail -ld~1ea1_11ng, against what the REPENTANCE
· · "P 10 mgqzst, meaning•· • ,..,
Al -Mut hanna-AbuHud hayfa [Mu,-b M , _d]. JUSllcc. SURAT AL-TAWBA
lbn Abi Na-h M ·-h·d ·d a . as u -Slubl fb. 'UbadJ- (Q. 9:38- 40)
. . " ~1. - UJa I sa1 , concerning uplioldi,io qist "U I Id·
JUStice. o -, p 10 mg

/Co11clmio11 of rl,e commentary 011 verse 18 of Siirat A N mriiti J

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
19:38] 0 yor1 who belie,,e, what ails you that wlie,1 it is said to you, Go forth in
r/ir w.zy of God, you sink down heavily to the grour,d? Take you pleasure in
G the l[{t· of the tempora l world rather than it1 the Hereafter? The comfort of
Q . ]'18
the present life is but little in the Hereafter.
G This\·erse is God 's encouragement (Majestic is His praise) of chose believ-
min Him, among the Companions of His Messenger, to campaign against
1
Byzantium, which was the Messenger of God's(~) Tabuk campaign.
God (Majestic is Hi s praise) says: O you who have faith in God and
~is Messenger, 111hat ails you , meaning "What is your situation?" that when
rtis.~id 10 you, Gofartl1 i,1 the way of God [yo11 do not gofortli )? He says: When
My Messenger, Mubammad, says to you, Go forth, meaning "Get out of
f'Ollr houses to your campaign!" ;
The original meaning of the word ,1afr is "to forsake a place for anoth-
tr place on accou nt of something which has arisen that necessitates it." An
namplt" of th.is is the fleeing of a beast. However, one says, concerning
!omg.fon~ to campaig n, "nafara so-and-so to the frontier, ya,ifim nafra,i
r uafira11• I thin k that this is a distinction [the Arabs} make between
th t different doers of the action although the nature of the action itself
remains the same in each case. 3 '

1
: h~ Tlbuk uid iook place in the summer of 9/631 after the Vic1ory of MC"cca. The Muslii~s
;;~t mually cng1 gt"d thC" Byzant ines on this raid; src Guillaume, 6o?--9; and Tabari. T e
°'refal-Tabari, l'al. IX, .p-61.
1 1
~t~iul~i C"xplana1ion of i,,.firri i~ fo und in Abo ' Ubayda. MaJJ.z a/-~,'a,i, :z~- h
1
no~ in~df. Sh~kir c-xplains in hh commentary that Tabari appears to argui~g '..~ate,\~
1
ihou ~1 orrn nufiir h not used in conjunction with the .word ghazw ( um;;;~:t;s that
J Tim is pm of a Ion
g rcpon found in Guillaume, 27J .
lour;;~
ont 1 cb rnc.il books on thr Arabic la~gu~ge pcrm1~ d1i~. Rather. Tab
le thC" verbal nouns 11 afr or ,raflr; Tafmal-Taban, 14 ..z.51.

252
253

l
 TA BAllI
T.h~n:f~re, che n~eani n g of this passage is: 0 believers, what 1'I
'.~hw
1
11 1s ~md to you, Go out to the campaign in the way of God ~ syou .ha1
1 ii ho obrvNI Him, is but ltttle, or mv1al. He says to them: 0 believers,
Ill th e nulit ary struggle Uihiid'f against the enemies of God .. ' ~caning
liea11ily tothegro1md?He says : You sink h eavil y to stayin 0 ~ ::smkdou,,,
sitting in your h o uses. g Y r land and
l.t ha s been a~l,e~ed th at the, word iiththiiqaltum results from thC' con-
tr~c.uon of th e ta mt~ th e thii !of the Form VI verb tathiiqalaJ, so an
alif IS put b~fore them 1,n ord er to enun ciate rhc word, because the ta' is
contr~cted mto the r.hii !~Y
mean~ of a shaddaJ ..: Were the a/if dropped,
the \\ Ord would begrn lw1th a thii with a shadda on it], which would be
unpro n~un ceablc. The alifis added in order for the word to begin with a
vowel jmstcad of a mk,1 ,1J, just as God {Majestic is His praise) said in tlie
~lau se rill, whe,1 they hai,e all been made to fallow one another there (batta id/1a
addarakri f ihii jam i'an ; Q.7:38). J Likewi se , a poet said,
e tiili'l-4aji a idhii mii 'stiifahii kha#ra,1
Q . 9,38 adhba'l-madhaqi id/iii ma auaba'a'l-q11balu
e She draws near her bedmate, w henever he smel.ls her cool,
Refr<"shing mo uth, wheneve r her ki sses follow in sweet
succession.
[The root of atl11hiiqaltum J is the verb thaqula, with the intended meaning
of the !Form VlllJ paradigm ifca'a/111111, from the [Form VI] verbal noun
lat/raq11/.4
INTERPRETAT IO N OF Take yo11 pleas11re i11 the life of the tempera/ worfJ
rather tha11 ,n the Hereafter? Thecomfort ofthepresent life is hut little in the Hereafter
God (Majestic is his praise) says, Take yo11 pleas,,re in [your] allotted shar<
o f th e life of the temporal world and !your j comfort in it in exchange for ~he
pleasures of the Hereafter and all chat is with God for the God-fearing
peop le in Hi s ga rdens ? The comfort of the present life is but little in the Herraftrrk ·
He
I says·· Th at m
· w In·c II t he pleas ure-see ke rs in che cempora] wo rid
p easure-it s life: and delicacies-compared to the pleasures and honour
t Wh1lc1hrAnb1c word 'h<idh . . learl)•intrndtd
m 1hii rnmrxt. JI a~ many shade~ of meaning, the marual onC' JS C
l A s1m1la1 rxplanauon I f, d.
1 Thi~ ~t';imc vmc a,:d : ,~; ll1 al-Akh fash, Ma'iini af- Q!r'ii11, 2:554: al-farr.i'
h1~MoJ,ii ol- ~,dn, :oS. fo llowing lmc of poetry are also menuoned by ..
1 is sumn1oned you co fight, God will punish you immediately wit
• MJ1mud Shllir h _ ,. ri......-da, M~
al-Q_,,3,i, J·26o. u '""''O rk.mg of tlm sentence on wlu t is found in Abu u.,.,
254
S,irat al-Tawl,a (g:38- 40)
of the Hcrcafrrr that God. has prep~r~d for His Friends and the ~eople
<erkthr ;1rasurcs oi the H cn:a ft cr and the nobility of the honour which
1
~omes from God for Hi s Friends, on account of their obedience to Him
i.n<l thrir hasteni ng to folfil Hi s command to go forth in a martial struggle
i.cJinst Hiscncmi rs.
· ThC' follow ing interpreters said something similar to what we have
JUII SJld concern ing that. An account of those who said that:
Muhammad b. 'Amr ial-Bahili]-Abu 'Aiim [al-Nabil]-'lsa lb.
M.1pnUnj-Ilm Abi Najil)-Mujahid said, concerning what ails you that
dm 11 is _q],id 10 you, Go fo rth in the way of God, you sink down heavily to the
gr,11md. "They were commanded to join the Tabuk campaign after the
conquest !of MeccaJ and after the !battles of] Ta'if and l:lunayn. They
wm ordered to go forth during the summer, when the date palms had
ri~ned, the fruits were sweet and they desired shade. Campaigning was e
raydifiicult for them [at this time]." Q,9,39
Al-~sim- al-l:lusayn-l:lajjaj-lbn Jurayj-Mujahid said, con- G
cerning His statement O you who believe, what ails you that when it is said to
p~, Go forth in rl,e way of God, you sink doum heavily to the ground to the end
of thC' \'erse, "This was when they were commanded to join the Tabuk
ampaign, after the conquest !of Mecca] and the [battles of] l:lunayn and
Td. !The Messe nger] ordered them to go forth [to battle] in the sum-
mer. when the date palms h ad ripened, the fruits were sweet and they
d~sirC'd shade. Campaigning was very difficult for them [at this time)."
[Muj:ihid] said, "Tb ey said, 'Among us are those who are burdened, needy,
dmraned and busy; and !those] whose state of affairs is unsettled in all
of these ways.' Then God sent down, Go forth, light a11d heavy (Q,9:4,)."
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
l9 :39J if you go uot forth He will afflict yo11 with a pai11fi1l ptmishment,
ta''
and u,il/ choose instead of yo" a people other tha11 you. You cat1t1ol
harm Him at all; God is powerful over e11erythi11g.
God (Ex alted is Hi s remembrance) says co the believers in him from
-niong the Companions of His Messenger, threatening them for ~ailing
to ram, I h I · 1 - O believers,
on to fight] against their enemy, 8 yzanuun · d
'f i·ou d
h'
h h M senger of Go
0 not go forth [to fight] those w om t e es .h
a
255
 TA BAR}
Siirat d-Tawba (9:38- 40)
grievo us ptnalty in the te mpora l wo rld for failing to go forth a ai al- Basri sai d, "IGodJ said , if you go uot forth He will a.ffli~t you with
rhtm a11d will rlioosc i11 stead of you a people other than you. He says: Go~ ;;,i i.1 -H_l~:;\nisli;nffl/ and He said, It is 11ot for th e rowmfolk of Medina and for
choose i11 sread of yo11 a people other than you to [serve] His Pro h Tl I .ifa!fi P I ( ti e JJcdoui,u to stay behi11d the Messenger of God and prefer
11 1 1 hc summ o n s t I1em to d o so, and they will P c,. 10 r 1irc m o ' d I I b ,J
w1 co me ort 1 w 1en respond rt: aNl1'l
/nr5/0 his f((e. until Hi s statement so that Go may repay t 1em tie est o
whenever th? are su mmon ed, obey in g God and His M essenger. You 1
:hJ' the, used !Cl d(' (Q. 9 : JlO- l ). Tliese verses were abrogated ~y t~e verse
camwr harm H,m at all . H e says: Yo11 ca,mot harm God at all by your failure :hJifoi/ows it: Aud the belie1,ers slro1dd ,~1ot all go out tofig/11 unul Hts state-
to co me fonh jto fight J and you r disobedience of Him because God is 1 so rhai rliry may beware (Q.9: 122).
in no 111.."td of you; rather, yo u are in need of Him. He is self-sufficient mt\hcre is repon. concerning what (Ikrima and al-1:lasan [al-Ba~ri}
110
without you , while yo u arc th e o nes in need ! 1 God is powerful overtwry- ,llmdlr s.1id regarding the abrogation of these verses, that must be accept~d
tliing. He (Majestic is Hi s praise) says: God is powerJ11! over your destruction. l•s ;uth~mic]. and there is no definitive evidence as to the sound~ess of it.
ove r substituti ng a peo ple o th er than you in your place, and over doing number of Companions and Successors, whom we shall m en~10~ later,
everythin g He \vill s. ;iewed this ruling to be effective [and not abrogated]. It is pernuss1ble for
It ha s been alleged t hat the painful p1misl11nenr in this context is the art His s1a1ement, Ifym1go ,wt forth He will afflict yo" with a pai,ifi,l pmrishment, to_ be
of with holding rain from th em . An account o f those who said that: rmrined to a specific group of people, in which case the intended meanmg
G Abn Kurayb- Zayd b. al-l:lubab- 'Abd al-Mu' min b. Kh alid would be: "Whomever rhe Messenger of God{$) summoned to go forth {in
Q.9,39 al-l:Ian afi- Najda al-Khuri si nI said. " I he ard Ibn <Abbas being asked ~r.l,[ and did not go fo rth, then [they will be punished) ," in the manner
abo ut Hi s statement, if )'011 go not forth He will afflict you with a pai,iful d001brd prc\·iously in the narrations from Ibn cAbbas.
G p1wishment. H e said, 'Truly the Messe nge r of God (~) summoned one If this is how it is then His statement , A,1d the believers slroi,/d not all
of the Arab tribe s to go fort h in battl e, an d th ey sank down heavil y to g.,out rofight (Q.9:12;), is a prohibition from God for the believers to
th e gro und (or stalled), so rain was w ithheld from chem. This was their b.re any of the lands of Islam void of a believer staying behind and an
puni shment . This is !the mean in g of J Hi s statement , If you go nor forrl, amounrcmem fro m Him to th em concerning the obligation for some
He wiff afflict yo11 with a pai1if11l p1mislm1e11t. "'.! of them, hut not all of them, to go forth in battle. This applies to those
A nearl y identical report was narrated to us from Ibn l;lumayd--:: i:nong them who were summoned to go forth, but not to those who were
Yabya b. Wa\lib- Abd al-Mu'mi n-Najda said, "I asked Ibn 'Abbas [.. .J noi 1ummoncd. If this is how it is, neither of these verses would abrogate
[a nd th enJ (th e report), except that he sa id, " Their punishment was th at •~t ocher and the ruling of each one of them would remain effective
rain was withheld from them." regarJing the meaning it conveys .
Bishr [b. Mu' adh [- Yazid [b. Z uray' )-Sa' id [b. Abi 'Arub[
~t i da sa id , concerni ng if you go not forth He will afflict you with a panifi1
1
punishment, "God summoned the believe rs to go forth {to fight) in r~e COMMENTARY ON THE FO LLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
scorching heat in the Tabuk ca mpaign in the direc tion of Syria, despne
[940 [ If you l, elp him 1101, God has helped him already whe11 those_u,ho disbe-
what God knew of the hardship this entai led." A Iiri·eJrovt> him fo rth, the second of tivo; whet1 the two of them were 111 th e cave,
11
Some lint crpret ersJ have claimed that this verse was abrogated.
and lie said to his companion, Grieve not. Lo! God is with i,s.
account of those- who said t hat : d
~- . O f~
lbn l:Iumayd- Yal.1 yi b. Wi Qib- al-tfusay n- Yazid-clkriDla an \ a is an an no uncement , from God to the Comp~mons •.
, \e11t11 ger ($), th at only H e is the One Who is responsible for aiding
l Thi~11 pmphme of Ii . Ced u,h,1t ei.J ffo Me . . .. de10 rhisovercom-
Jl,~~;;r!>(', 0 !;um,:mity, )'OU<1rr 1hr 11u dy
o 1ht &lf-iuffint11i, ,h( i,i }'<>Ur rclat1on to ' .
ssengrr aga inst the en emie s of His re 11g1on an
1ng1h en,, regardless of whether they help him
[ .
. or dO not help him. It ts)
f t/ :t •I10[,
l According to ~u ·G• h (Q .3~. s). - d ,he ~ r'in1'
comm(man('\ 0 11
td h I \ aho fo und in the Summ o( AbU DawO/t • of al-H.i ki111 •d f [ 'd' the Messenger
h rem111 crfromHimtothemofHisacto a.1 mg ldH
11
al -Nay,ibO.ri,anJbook~b ~At·dlm and lbn Mardawayh, the Mustadra 11U1t1lhiir,J:, ;o. en he had very fe w supporters and many enemies-so how cou c
> u 1-Sh;aykh al-i}bahani and Bayh;acii; al- Dim al-

256
257
 TABA R.I Srirat a/-Tawba (9:38- 40)

not help him .wh_en_ hi s supporters are numerous and his en .
God (M:tjesttc 1s Hi s praise) says: 0 believers if ~~ics few?
Messe ,1_ger when h~ su~11111on ~ you to go forth to he1p ~m
God \\ ill help and aid hnn against his enemies d .11
11
nor My r
[ n battle\,
r an w1 suffice hi O f
nerd ror yo u or your assis tance or your aid . just as H 'd d h· m any
111/io disbelit·ve in God among th e flura ysh dro,,e h. r, cha~ e un whtn thOS!
• 11nJort uom his hom l nd
and house, 1l1e second ef rwo. H e says : They drove him f; h d h e a
of two men, meaning ·'o ne of th e two mcn. "1 . ort . ,an cwasone
This is ~vha t th e Arabs say: "He is the second of two," meanin "one
of th~ two. !hey also say " third of three" and "fourth of four" wfth the
meanmg~ of ~ne ,?f the three" and "one of the four." This is different
from their saying H e is a brother of six " or "a servant/boy of se,·e,1 ··
bec.~use :·br2t h_e r" and "se rvant/boy" are other than the "six" or the "se ~' -
en, while t~m~ ~f ch~ tlu~e" is one of the three [things).
God (Majest ic rs H rs prarse) solely inte nded the Messenger of God (1)
an~ Abu Bakr (r) in H is stat ement tlie second of two because they both we;e
dnven forth in a state of Right from the ~raysh , when they desired to kill
th e Messenger of God M, and the two o f them were hidden in the ca,·e.
;~TERP~ETATl0N OF when the two cf them were in rlie caVf, and hesaid 10
115 compamori, Grieve 1101
He says: Wiren the Messenger of God (i) and Abu Bakr [al-Siddiq] (r) '""'
111
h.1hecave-ag/iar- (" cave ") 15· an enormous hole in a mountain--andh esas·J 10
. ucompallion. He says: W hen the M essenger of God (s) said to his compan-
ion, Abii Bakr, "Grier,e 1101 ." [He said ) chat because Abii Bakr feared th "
' he people searching for t hem wou ld know where the rwo of them were
. ecame tern·r,1cd by this thought. Therefore, the Messenger
1Ocated and he b
fG '
0
I ohd (!) said to him, "Grier,e 1101, for God is with us and will aid us. The
po yrGod
ersrs will
. ·,net!
. 1. 1er .know w here we are, nor shall they reac_h us. " .
1· _(MaJestrc IS H IS praise) says : God had already aided him ,garnsr
usenem1es when h
ers S h
. h. £". ore~
e was 10 t is condition of fear and having rew supp d
h .. o ow could He leave him to fail or go awr)' with you, when Go
as mcreased his hd d Yunus [b. 'Abd al-A' la)-Jbn Wahb--'Amr b. al-J:larirh-his father
Th ,-; II . pers an the numbers of hi s soldiers?
just sai~ o owu~g interpreters said so met hi ng similar to what we have
concernmg th t A h 1
Muhamm d b ( a· 11 account of th ose who said t at: <f - [b
. ' · Amr [al-Bahili) - Abii 'Aiim [al-Nabil]- sa .
• ~h,) v,,!,(' refer~lot ht farnou) st . . from _MccCJ
0 Mtdtna w1 1h Abu Bakr · ory of tht c.i w durmg the Prophet's Emigrauon
,!,('cGu1llaumc,n, - S.
Mlimlm]- lbn Abi Najil_1- _Muj:ihid said , conc~rni_ng if you help him
r.,,r." "!GO(\] mentions how thm gs were at t!1e bcg1~nmg, ~he~ H~ sent
(Muhammad\ on his mission. God says: I will do th1s.~nd aid h1m,JUSt as
!'(l·iously aided him. when he was the second of two.
1
r f\]-~sim-;,il- l:lusayn- 1:lajj_aj-lbn Jurayj- Mu~ahid said;, con-
mninl! His starcnwnt if yot, help J11m uot, God has helped Jmn already, {God}
mcnii~ncd how things were at the beginning, when {the Messenger} was
!tnton his mi ssion. God will do with him this, namely aiding him,just
lS !fr aided him back whe n jhe was} tl1e second of two, when the two of them
~,t• i11tl1rcm•e."
B11hr lb. Mu'adh J- Yazid [b. Zuray' )-Sa' id [b. Abi 'Atiiba]-
If
~ t:ida said. concerning His statement beginning with you help him not,
G:.Jlws /11'iped him already, "His companion was Abu Bakr. As for the cave,
11wa1 \in] a mountain near Mecca called Thawr."
Abd al-Warirh b. 'Abd al-Samad-my father-A ban al-'Agat-
Q
Hi,ham b. Urwa-' Urwa said, "When the Prophet(!) and Abii Bakr (r)
wcnrour [from Mecca), Abii Bakr had a milking sheep that he had loaned Q.9:40
h1s fami!y and he sent (Amir b. Fuhayra with it to {Mount} Thawr. <Amir Q
b. Fuhayra brought chis sheep co the Prophet (i) in the cave in [Mount]
1
Thlwr. which is the cave God indicated in the Q!!r'an."
Ya'qub b. Ibrahim b. Jubayr al-Wasii1-'Affan and J:labban-
Hmunlm-Thabit-Anas [b. Malik] said: Abii Bakr {t) informed [a
group of men], "When I was with the Messenger of God(~) in the cave,
md the feet of the polythei sts were above our heads, I said, 'O Messenger
~fGod. if one of us merely raised his foot he would see us!' He replied,
OAbu Bakr, what think you of two, for whom God is their third?"'i
[S_ufyanJ ibn Waki' [b. al-Jma~]-my father-Sharik-Jbrahlm b.
.lluh,Jrr-Mujahid said, "Abii Bakr spent three [days] in the cave with
rh, Prophet (i)."
Muhammad b. 'Abd al-A'la [al-San'anl]- Mu~ammad b. Thawt-
.\h'mar-Zuh ri said "When tl,e two ojthem were i,1 the cave, in the mountain
::'I:.~ Thawr. The Messenger of God (i) and Abii Bakr spent three nights
oid: Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (r) said, while he was delivering a sermon, "Who
~Gu1lbu ,-
b
. Accordin me. u4~ ~mir b. _Fuhayn w;u ,a client of A il Ba. r.
k
. of Bukhari and
1
Mudim, ~ to Suyu11, ~·ari~uom of Anas hadirh arc f~und 10 the Sab ;;11 J of Ibn l:lanbal,
tfit Taki·1 c Suuau ofTmmdhi, the Muµmnaf of lbn Ab1 Shayba .•:h~ Mu nurics of lbn
,l..'.!undh~~ of lbn Sa' d, 1hc $11hi~ of lbn J:libbin , and the OJ:!r :mic c~=t~:o rnrntion its
rrtlfncr in and Mardawayh: 11/-Du" al-manthUr, 3:434. (He neg
Tab.;,ri s conuncntary.)

258 259
 TABA R! Siimt a/-Tawba (9:38- 4o)

TION OF God is M(glay, Wise .

amon.~ yo~ h~s :~ad Surat al-Tawba?'' A man said, "I ldid) ." {Abu Bakr] t~ TERPRETA . _ G d . Migliry in His vengeance agamst
~-a id .. Rcclt.~ 1t! _ W hen !the m an) _rca.~hed when he said to his compa,iiofl, . . G dis Migl1ty, Wise . o ,s . . r-
Gne11c not, Abu Bakr wept and sai d , By God! I am his companion." !k llltJns h~ Cl . f · H ' Noconquerorcanconquerl-:l1m,nope_
thtpcopk of disbehe i,,~ils ,rcvail over Him; and no helper can aid
in who gem• r,\lly pre, . I ![A d H is] Wise in His management of
INTER. PR ETATl <?N ?F 1he11 God ca used His tranquility to de.scetid upo,i !l I He punts l CS, n C . ·n
liim a11d mpported l11m w,rh hosts yo11 caw,or see, and made the word of those wlio ihc person w iom_ . d. t" g them in accordance with His w1 •
\focrration . and m 1--h s irec 111
disbelieved tl1c lou,est; and God's Word is the uppermost. God is Mighty, Wise
God (Exalted is hi s remembrance) says: Then God caused His tranquility [Cm1c/11sio11 of tl1e commentary on verses J s-40 o,JS,,rat al-Tawba]
and ca irn rodescerid upon His Messenger (and, according to some, Abu Bakr)
and mpported him with hosts you can not see. He says: He strengthened him
with H is angelic hosts, which you cannot see, and made the ivord of those who
disbelie1,cd, which is the wo rd of pol ytheism (sliirk), 1 the lowest because it has
been defeated and abased. God (Exa lted is He) invalidated it and annihi-
lated its adherent s. Every lperson who is] defeated and dominated is lowl'r
G th an the one who is victori o us, w hile the victorious one is the highest. G
And IGod 's j 1¥ord- hc says: God's religion , His oneness and the scateme~t Q.9,40
Q .9040
"There is no god but God." w hi ch is His Word-is the uppmnost.i It is
G victoriou s, above polytheism and pol y theists, as I have been informed by:
G
Al-Mmhanna- Abu Salil! ['Abd Allah b. Salil.i ]-Mu'awiya [b.
Salil~j- (Ali [b. AbT Tall;a ]- lbn 'Abbas said , concerning His stat~m~nt
\God\ made tlie 1110rd cf those who disbdie,,ed tlte /ou,est, "This is t~e _as~ociat~o::
of a partner with God. And God's Word is rlie uppermost-this ts Ther
no god but God."'
His statement and God's Wo rd is the uppermost is an independent sen·
1
tence and does not relate back to the sentence [ God) made the word ef r/ioSr
who disbelie1ied the lowest, because had it been coordinated with the firSC
"word," th e second "word" wou ld have been in the accusative case [rarber
than in the nomin ative case j. 4
1
Literally, ~die anoctmo n of a parrner with God'"- thh is abo rhe opinion of a].farri', Ma'iJi,i
<1/-Q!r 'ii,r, 1:418_ '
2
AI-F.trn' glcx~ God', IVi,,J with the phra~ "There is no god but God"; Ma'arii aJ.Q!r'an, 1 : 43~
!~~:ra\1~~ ";! et
1

1
1
_a re a preJ,c_atc and a ~ubject";Dar 1-bjar, 11 :467. e either as l
conJ:'cuo~ 0~ a~ ,~ makmg h that the particle u'<liv (arid) in this _verse ~o ul_d se:mcnt.ary on
Q -3"? Al-Fa _, the1ndica1o rof a newse111cncc, u wt· saw previously m ~us co · ·sapassibk
J ·
:~: :::dal;:,~~l;lhi: e/presl.("~ <l1sl_1ke of 1t; A1a'a u; al-~r'iin, 1 :438 .
1
AJ.Akhf::;~::;s
rra men tio n~ that the reading 111,i.kali'"ata 'I/ah in chc accusatwc c:ue 1. . ch~t

Jaalii; iee hu M iiOni iii he :~numt1ve ca1; b_ccau~c it is indcpcndent of the! majorit}' ol
\"er~

1 11
~r';in rccnn~ rud lt~~a "; i_:554. lbn A11 yya re po rt s that the overwhelu isguldW ust bt
111
~n indicator of a new -.cmclu llah lrl the 1101111nat_ivc caic, which rnc:ms t~~at t~ ,. Jbn 'Ali}')"~
1dcn1 1fie 1 al- Hasan al- B _nee, rat\it'~ than a conJunction wit h till' vt,rb _111 3 c. and quott"S
Ubayy\ irregular read 111~\n and Y~ qub ;a ~_read1 r1 g lwlimata in the ;accus3t1ve c:uc:. • : .
K of M'1l-J<1a/a ltal,ma1al hira '/. 'wl,-a : .il-Mubar,ar a/.,wp~, 3 36
111

2(,0 261
 Siimt 11/-Tawba (9: 128- 129)

A nearly identica l report was narrated to us from al-Muth anna-

bh,i - Abd al-R azzaq- Ibn (Uyay na- J acfar b. Mul}ammad .
i.shr lb- Mu ; dhj - Yazld lb. Z uray' ]- Sa'ld lb. Ahl 'Ariibaj-
REPENTANCE ~1ada said , concerning Hi s statement No w there has come to you a Messenger
SOR.AT AL-TAWBA j .,m mmmg rorme/11Cs; grie11011s to him is lw,v you suffer, "God made him la
(Q. 9:128-129) p pbrt] fro m among themselves, so they w ere not envious of what God
10
hadgi\'cn him in terms of prophethood and honour. "
0 The interpreters disagreed over the interpretation of grievous to him is
t,wJVJI rnjfer.
OPIN l,? N: Some of ch em said chat its meaning is: "How you have gone
CO MMENTARY ON T HE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS ·
. there has come to you a M essengerJ,ro,n among yoursel. .
!9 : I 28 J Now An account of chose w ho said that:
grievous to him is how you su,ffier, anx ,·0,1s 1s. he over you · "''• Abu Kurayb-Talg b. Ghannam-l:lakam b. Zuhayr-Suddl-ibn
grn rle to the belie1,ers,f11/I of mercy. ' A~b~s said , conce rning His statement Grievous to him is how 'at1ittum,
God (Exalted is His remembra nce) I ''How you h:ive gone astray." G
has come toyo11 the M says to t 1e Arabs: 0 people. now therr Q. 9:128
OPI NION'. Others said: Rath er, th e meaning of that is: "Grievous to him
he is not from P lessehngerhof God from among yourselves. You know him;
eop e 0 1 ert an you
selves by blaming him for t he _
f . j .
' so ~ou are ~ctmg agamst your own
is the suffering of your believers." Q
j5 how you suffer, mcanin o smcere ~dv1 ce h ~ bn_ngs you. ~ rievo1,s rohim An account of those who said that:

t
of di stress ad,,_ . dg Y ur Suffering , which 1s that their experience Bishr lb. Mu'adhj-Yazld [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Aruba]-
' . . rm y an pai · · 1,· . ~ i3da_said, concerning grievo11s to him is how 'anittum, "Grievous to him is
says: Anxious is he to uide ,s grievous to mi. A,rx,ous is lie o1,er yo11. He
repent ance and g_ t iosc among you who are astray and for their the suffering of the believers. "
other words p rernlrn fll ~ lo the truth , gentle to the believers, f,1 /1 of mercy. In TA BAR! SAID: The opinion that is most likely to be correct is that of
Th fi 11' l~ is gen t e,/111/ of mercy. lbn Abbas, because God (Mighty and Majestic is He) has made general
. saide cone
JUSt o owmg . interpreters sat"d somedung . snnilar
. to w hat we have rh'. s~ate~e nt that w hatever causes the Prophet of God's people to suffer
t 1lat A
[Sufyan] ern ib mg Wk-(· n account o f t hose who said that: re\:s him, and He did not restrict it to the believers in Him. As God has
1
lal-SadiqJ - his ~at h a - !Sufyan j b. ' U yayna-Ja' far b. Mui)anunad escnbcd, the suffering of all of chem was grievous to him (~)-
ment Nowih er [Mul_ i;unmad al- Baq ir) said, concerning His stare-
.I ere I1ascometo1•0II a M essmgerJ,rom a,nongyourse/ves;gritvaUJto h.rm
tS io w }'0 11 suffer, "No as
QUbESTJ ON: How is it permissible for [the Prophet] (i) to be described
from the ti me of . . pect of polytheism ever touched [the Messenger! u ei ~g in grief on account of the suffering of all [che Arabs] w hen he
AI-H 1m 6trth !onwards]." ih"". killin g th e1·r d·1sbe1·revers, ens Iavmg
· t h e1r
· progeny an d con fi1scatmg
·
. asan b Yah - c b b property?
Mubammad s .d· · ya- A d al-Razziig-Jbn ' Uyayna-Ja'fa r · t'lT
1 11
Memngerfrom: 'concerni ng Hi s statement Now there has come to i'° 13a ~E~P~NS E: Truly their conversion to Isl am, h ad they converted, would
mong your,e/v "N I . • - b·
ever touched hi m fi I . es, O negative] asp ect of pre-J s)a[ll.lCil--'" a~e . en preferable to [the Pro phet j than for them to remain disbelievers
f
[into the worl dj roml us birth !onwards ]. The Prophet (1) said, 'f c;tll1' .in reject him , to the point chat warranted God [authorizing} this treat-
an °fJ fo rn icatio~~.~11 a lawfu lj marriage ; I di d no t come into it from !an ment lof themj. God (Maj estic is His praise) only described [the Prophetj
:;revous to him is how yo11 mjfer because jthe ArabsJ brought [upon the~-

,.a._____ ',;~'"'''•'"
a.1-r:;,·1
I Acco1d1ng t0Su ·U .
the SM"'111 of Bl \1, vm.111 0 111 of I h
Slurll.. a/. o,? aqi, tht ~ r'inic; 11 5 aditli ltt fo und in 1he Muµinnaf of 'A~
esJ what caused them to suffer which is their going astray; hence 1t
r,
~, .... <'<'n Mui 111·1f!a111h11,, : _ 0; ;n<'IHarr of Jbn Abi f:f i tim , and a co!lecuon ° A 1·on
wa\ necessary
kille t I1at t h ey be affli cted
' with sunering
<r firom G o d , b Y bem
· g
w:t
1 524
)ammad al-Blqir (or Ii~~ ~r~ith is m11rsal became it ii lacking a Corn?J" d and enslaved .

263
 TA BART Siirat al-Tawba (9:128- 129)

:he _word mii in Hi s state me nt mii (anittrm, ("how ou " ihan Hmi is under His aut hori t y and dominion and subservient to Hi s
nom1'.1at1vc case on account of Hi s sta teme nt grievo"'[to hs_uffer ) is in th(.' ruhnc: and J·fo decree. i - . ' - - . ,_ • - •
1
meanmg of the express ion is w hat I mcmio d. G . "' • becaus(' tliC" Ai-Muih,nna-AbO Sahh JAbd Allah b. Sahl) J- Mu aw1ya [b. Salil) J-
su ffering ( aziz1111 'alayhi 'anarulmm). r ne · rievous 10 him is your Ali p,. Abi T,ill_
1 aJ - lbn 1
Abb:is said , concern ing Hi s statement So if they
. We ~a~e already cl arifi ed the m ea ning of anxious is he o /k nl ui,•.ir, sar God s'!ffires me, "He m eans th e di sbelie vers, who turne~

1s the op1111on of the interpreters. ver you, and it ~w.n· from the Me ssenger of God~~). Thi s [v~r se ] co1!cerns the bel!evers.
An accou nt of those w ho sa id th at: ·JsufranJ ibn WakI'- lbn Uyay na- Amr- Ubayd b. Umayr
Bish , Jb. Mu'ad h] - Yazld Jb. Zu ray' ]-S ,_d [b _, _ wd. "Umar (may God have mercy on him) would not accept a verse
-J ·J
r, , .
~ta a sat , concerning bari$tm is he 0 1,er you "A
a'· • .I A6h' ArubaI- for mclu~ion in the codex of the ~ r' an until two men testified [to its
guide those amo ng them w ho are astray." . , n.nous ,s ie t at God will i.urhrntirity]. A ma n from the Helpers bro ught these tw o verses to him,
( Mul.1ammad b. (Abd al-A'la [al-San c3ni]- Muhanun d b [~~finning ~,·it_h:] Now there !1as come}° you a M_esse:1ger from among yo11rselves;
Ma mar- n ., -d ·d . · · a • Thawr- trimms 1(1 /um 1s how yo11 s1'..9er; and Umar said, I will never ask you for
" . . '-<.!.ta a sa1 , conce rnmg His statement hari$ut1 is he over o1
Anxl:1011~. ,s he that he w ho has not /yet) co nverted ~o Islam wilJ bec:i111c, my [rorroborating j evidence for these two !verses), for this is how the
M US llll. Mmrnge r of God(~) was."' 1
G Al-Mudianna- Isl)aq-Al)mad b. 'Abd Allah b. Yunus-Zuhayr- Q
Q .9: 129
,1-A mash-Ab u Salih al-J:lanafI said: the Messenger of God (i) said, Q. 9:129
~Truly God is mercifu l and He loves the merciful [person).l He puts His
G COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS :
mercy on every merciful perso n." The ICompanions J said, "O Messenger
Q
I HJ.So ifI ihey """ owoi•' saY·. Gd
J9:129 0 su1fi ces me, t I,ere ts
. no goa
., save H,m.
.
11 1111 1 of God. shall we be mercifu l to ourselves and our possessions (and I chink
,ai,e put my trust, and He is lord of the Tremendous Throne.
[Abii $Jli~J said, 'and our wives')? " He said, "le is not like this. Rather,
God (Exalted is H·is remem branee) says : 0 Muhammad, ifthese folks from the")' were like what God said: Now there has come to you a M esse11ger from
your people, to whom you have brought the ~ruth from your Lord, tum amo,~ yo11rsefoes; grie11011s to him is how you s11jfer1 a11xious is he 011er yo11; gentle
au,ay, turn their back d d o not accept the sincere advice you wihe believm,full of mercy. So if they t1m1 away, say: God suffices me, there is
I b s to yo u an
liave rougIH th em regarding God or the Hght an d guidance to which you
iave summoned rhcm sa God 1fi d " Lo d .
sufficient for me"· t ' . y: S Ii ces me. In other wor s, My . r 1s I litmll!·, "H11 ruli11g aud Hh decree Row over them {iilrin 'alaylrim lmkmulw 1 i'll'qa4a'uli)";
I I • here is no god save Him-nothing is to be worshipped Dir 1-l•JJr, n:100.
otJ('r tian Him InH · I I .d
Hi s help and
I
hav
,m ,ai,eput my~rnsl: I have trusted Him, relic .upo~
iThu nuy be- a rl'ferC'11Ct to Khu zayma b. T hibit, wh o, according to mult iple repom, was th e
onl:,-_Companion to have- prC"sen·C"d ihcse two verse's that were included in die codex of t~ C'
Helpe e sought support 111 Him an d Hi s aid. Truly He 1s m }
from r, ,t;
1 0
ne Who aids me aga in st aU w ho oppose me and turn away
me, irom among [A b ] J ,Jtl1e
~r in. ThC" rtport med htrc is fo und onl y in the ~r'inkcommentarks of Ibn _al-~uuJhi_r
;~d the book of Abt1'l-Shaykh, although 2 far more deu.ill'd description of this ep~s~e
th
15

Tremendo 11 Th you ra s and o ther people. And He is Lor. 0 ~u nd in a r~pon on the aut horit y of Z ayd b. Th:ibit pme nt in the $11 bi~1}f Bukhari, ·~
n.:ini of T1rnudhi and Nasa'i. :md sC"veral ot her books, includi ng Taban s commentat).'
of th(' kii s ro,ie'. w ho rules {or owns) ever y thing other than Him; all gf.Dur, 4 /-,namhU ,. J:p8 . The ~radirh to w hich this report alludes is found in Abii Di wUJs
God (1gs ~re chattel and slaves. 1 111111
t..:n (Krrahal-aqdiya: hab 20: idha 'alima'l-hiikim sidq al-shiihid af-11>abid yajiiz lt1hu t1 11 Y"~ ki
Majestic 1s His pra· ) I . d If. d · fon
1 as )~~i}; in Jt the Prophet considered Kliuzayn~a's 1esti111ony tqu:i.l to 1he res'. imony of.~w~ t'~;:
Lord 0/1/ie Tremendous Thro ise . on y rnte n ed by His se - ~scrip ev
:;t
10
are His slav d ne to mform all who are beneath Him chat rb , ih/i~omniercial transactio n . Sec also Talidhib al-ralidliib, 2 :3_12 . A! 1T1C'n~ }~e::~::~:~d ~hat
1
, es un er His d 1111•1110
. 1i Jo/15
n,one ca n O 1I b °
n and au tho rity, because the remetl
thr to tl1(.' translation of Tabari's ln1roduc1ion, lbn f;bpr al-Asqa_la;; : za m:i :md 1101

t; 1
Possessor of \ c ong to kings. God described Himself as being rbe
Kh ixr who brought forth the last rwo verses of SUra ? was Abu 1 )'
i Fol~U'.m:i. b. Thi bit; sr:e Jbn l;bjar, h 1~1al-biiri, 10:18.
th
I most man uscripis
1
that He h a tie rc:1nt'lldous Thron e, to th e excl usion of alJ His creatures; ind:;;;1g !ht D.ir H_ajar edi1io n of Tabari's Taftir (12:10~!• e.ve,:. ;:;r . mtrciful ptnon."
rem end ous king to th eir excl usio n . a nd thar anyone other Thr D~ ons h:i.\·t rulubb,j kHlla ,aliim, w hich wo uld m ~a n: He: lo e~ sJvuii citei from Jb11
) d r H:i.J lr text of d1h hadirh qudsi h consis1cnt w1th the nur.iuoll ,
J T\111 txplana11011 11 found 111 ~1- F.irri', ' • in Im D~rr al-mamhu ,.·(See" the next foornott.)
Ma iinial- Q!, 'a 11 , 1:4 s 6.

_aa........___ 265

__ la
 TABAR.I

god but I-Jim . fo Him I ha,,e put my tmst, and He is Lord of tht 1i
110
Thro11r." (I chink he recited rboc b] verses.) 1 rtPntndo11s
Mul.iammad b. al-Muth anna- 'Abd al-Samad-Shu<ba-<AI-
I
Zayd- Yiisuf- lbn 'Abbas-Ubayy b. Ka'b said "The fi I
,_ ' na verses of the
GEr an to com e d.own wcr~: ~0111 there has come to you a Messenger from
amo11g yo11rsefoes; griei,ous to 111111 ,s how yo11 suffer. anxious is he 0
. J, 11,J " . '
totI1e beIsevers, 11 _o mercy . (unttl the end of the [following) verse).
ver you;g,mlr
Al-Mu channa- Muslnn b. Ibrahtm-Shucba-'Ali b. za·d-
Yii suf-lbn cAbbas- Ubayy b. Ka' b said, "The final verses to come
to rh e Prophet M were, No111 rhere has come to you a Messenger from amon
yormeliies" (until rh e end).
[Sufyan] ibn Wakr [b. al-Jarra l1]- my father-Shu'ba-'Ali b.
Zayd- Yusufb. Mihran-Ubayy b. Ka'b said, "The most recent pan of
the ~r'an [to comeJ from God arc these two verses: Now therehas cometo
G you a Messengerfrom among yo11rscfoes; gric11011s to him is how you suffer" (until
Q . 9:129 the end of the second verse).
G Abii Kurayb-YD.nus b. Muhammad-Aban b. Yazid aVAnar-
~cada-Ubayy b. Ka' b sa id , "The most recen t part of the Q.!!r'i~1 jto
come] from God are rhese two verses: Nou, there has come to you a Messenger
from among you rselves'' (until the en d of th e siira).
/Cond11sion of the commentary 011 verses 128-129 ef Siirat al-Tau,ba)
1
Acco,dmg 10 Suyll\i ,. 11
of lbn M1 r~v,-ayh 1 ·d a~u •0111 of dm 1tum<Jf badith ue fo und Ill rhe Q!!r aruc comm part
Its pmc-ncr in T1 b.i ~. e 111 bciq<it of lbn Sa'd ; af- Durral- manthiir, 3 :5z9. (He dOd n~re~ys
1
b.
THE CAVE
SURAT AL-KAHF
(Q. 18:60- 82)
Jown
COMMEN TARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
[i8:6o ] Aud whrn Moses said to his servant, I will not give 11p u,itil I reacli
rhe poi11 t wliere rlie crvo seas meet I though I march o,i for ages.
God (Mighty is His remembrance) says to His Pr~phe~ Mul)amm~d (i):
Q Muhammad remembe r whc,i Moses, the son of Imran, sa,d to h,s serv-
a~1: Jo;h ua (YG~hac), the son of Nun, J will not give up. He says: I will not
m~ travelling 1mtil I reach the poitlt where the two seas meet. (Joshua was
cil!td "Moses' servant" because of his close bond to him, and his lineage
11 Joshua b. Nun b. Jfraylm b. Joseph b. Jacob.) ' This has been reported
tome from:
Yunus [b. 'Abd al-A'la]-Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, concerning His
1r.1iemt'ru faabra~m, " (Meaning] I will not cease."
It has been alleged that what is meant by His statement where the two
lfJs mm is the place where the Persian and Byzantine sea\com~ t~ge,~h-
n.: The word majma' is a verbal noun from the verb Jania alyapna 11 ( to
come together").
An account of those who said that:
Bishr ]b. Mu'adh]-Yazld [b. Zuray']-Sa'id [b. Ahl 'Ariiba]-
~tida said, concerning His statement uutil I reach the point where the two
lc',1j mm, "The two seas are the Byza ntine sea and the Persian sea. !he
Byzantine sea is contiguou s to the West, while the Persian sea is conngu-
oui to rhc East."
Al- Hasan b. Yahya-'Abd al-Razzaq-Ma'mar~tada said,dcohn-
cerning
B. · where the two seas meet, "Th e Persian sea an c e
H·is statement
, . encar)' )zancincsra."

11 I Thu )Cn1 . • • ( Tabar-i's Taftir, yec included

al-Ha,uf'i 11,-;i\ an u r1:.'~ : ;~:~~tary.) It is lllu rstJ / bea UR ' Abii ,Salil:i 'Abd al ~ ~ lbn 1,, thr D~~ncc_is ~bs_cnt from most manuscriprs and editions 0
1 11
: Jir. T"hJhib"/-i"~dh;b, :,i S. ucce h or who nc-ver lllt't 1l1c Propher Mu ' Th H1Ju rd11ion; 15:308 .
4 111111
• so thc opinion of al-Farra', Ma'ani al-Q!r 'a 11 , 2 : 1H·

266
 TABARi
s,,rat al- Kalif(1 8:60- 82)
Al-~sim- al-Husayn- Hajjaj- Ibn .
.i\n 3ccou nt of those who said th at:
ccrnmg 111/iere the two seas meet " Tl B
One of them is towa rds th e Eas't
Mu l_1ammad b. Sa(d
JurayJ-Mujahid
11-~ rzanrin c sea and the ;a1.d
.' con.
1b Mw ;1 ct le o ther one is toward e~s1an sc;a_
Al-~sin - al-}:lusay n- f:l ajj;ij- lbn Jurayj- Mujihid said, con-
1
ranrnf! Jw11gh I 11uird1011 for /,11q11ba11, "Sevent y years. "
1
uncl e [al-Husayn b al H . UJammad al-{Awfi]-my f:sthe Wc-st." A (.'arlv identiol report "\Vas narrated to us from Mu~ammad b.
al-'Awf'i]-
· ·
lbn
· - asa nJ - my f: h
'Abbas sa_.d
h· at cr-
. at er - IS father rAri. yya b. Sac nird ,\m; J,I -U,i1iliJ- Abu 'Aiim [al-Nab1IJ- 'lsa {b. Maymun] ; and from
11

lb I , concc rnmg where 1/ ~-Hirith Jb. Abl Usa1naJ- al-Hasan Jb. al-AshyabJ- Warqa' {b. ' Umar{;
n 1-:f umayd- Yahya b al D Je two seas meet: [lacu I '
Ka b said . · · - · urays-Abu Ma\ har- na · !,oth Isaand Warqa'- ibn Abi Najil,- Mujihid.
. concern rn g Hi s state m e nt I 'II . Mu~ammad b
OPINION: Others said something similar to what we said concerning that.
u,liere tl~e two seas men• "Tangiers . ., w1 not g we "P umil I reach tl,r poin;

. Hi s stat ement ,w, am</iya lmq11ba11 mea n ." An accou nt of those w ho said that:
'Ali Jb. D,w,,d al-Tamlml]- Abii Salil1 J'Abd Allah b. Sali~J-
time or age." The word h11q1~b is . 1 s._ Or I will travel for a long
an~oum s, is ahqiib. T he A~abs mi ~1tn;au a~} It s plu~al, in great or small Muiwiya Jb. S,lil!J- 'All {b. Abl Tall1a]- Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning
H11 statement 1/io11gh I march on for lwq11bati , "A period of time."
(luqba) of tim e," the plural for } h yh, . I :'as ':""h him for a period
S f I m O w IC 1s luqab - Al-Hasan b. Vabya-'Abd al-Razzaq-Ma' mar-~tada said, con-
" ome o t lC experts in Arabic J it . . .
as I will not cease,., and th e ' cit ed lter~reted His statement la abra/m cerning His statement b11q11bat1 , "A fwqub is a [period of) time." G
G poetry by al-Farazdaq: ) as evidence the following verse of Yunus Jb. 'Abd al-A'la{-Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, concerning His Q. 18:61
Q. 18,0o l!lt(mtm 1horigh I mard1 011 for ~rnq11ban, "A buqub is a period of time."
G
0 fa-md bari/111 bana taltadat ,iis-' I
bi-ba1/,a'i DI,; Q!rin 'iyiiba'l-~:;;'.;;:;i
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
They
A I continu ed on unflI t Iicir
.· women received presents
118:61] And w/ie,z tl1ey reached the point where the two met, they forgot their
t t ie torrem of Oho n:;
bearing camels. ~r.
Jf;rom j saddlebags of
,
perfume- fish, audit took its way into the waters , burrowing.
God (Exalted is His remembrance) says: At1d when Moses and his servant
One of the
"a year" in ex
ti pt'"rts
d· in
I the speec h of th e Arabs mentioned that buqub means mulied rhe point where the ttvo seas meet, as I have been informed by:
1e 1a ec t of na" , A c
over it s meaning. '-<.::J s. s ror t h e interpreters,
. ·
they disagree d
Muhammad b. 'Amr {al-Bahill]-Abu 'A1im {al-Nabtlj-'l,a [b.
Maymun[; and from al-Harith {b. Abl Usama]-al-l:lasan {b. al-Ashyab]-
A N: Some of th em sa id..
OP INIO It is
. e1g
. h ty yea rs Waiqa' Jb. 'UmarJ; both 'lsa and Warqa'-Ibn Abl Najl~-Mujahid, w~,o
[; account of those who said that· . ~id, concerning His statement majmd bayuihimii, "Between the two seas.
AU-1 bn~nymousJ - Hushaym- Abu ·B,li- 'A b. Maymun-'Abd A nearl y identical report was narrated to us from al-~sim-
al . Amr said "A / :., mr al-Husayn-Hajjaj-Ibn Jurayj- Mujahid.
OP I N I . , .mqub is eighty yea rs."
ON. Others said -· I t 1s
. sevent y years.
INTE RPRETAT ION OF 1hey forgot 1heir fish
r1'.~clacuria
cdnor of the I-lab.bi cd111011 0 f
wnh lbn Ab!»,
_, . 1 . fill>
Taban s rafar,. ci1i ng Su yOf(s a/-Du" o/-mo11 hur,
By His statement, they forgot, He means: "Both of them left [it} behind,"
~••·, p., I; <>plM«on ,1,., majma' afrhn"~ ,,a,"'""' "1h< m«<ing pl>«
~f ,h, <wo J.s I have been informed by: ,- _
""""o'"""'h" lb,\1,;r_'"· <p7< . Tl« ed«o<> ofd,c n,, H,j,, ,d;<ion in«rp«< "" M M~ryammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahili]-Abii 'A1im [al-Nabil]- Isa [b.
•5·309 (note )
4
m wa~ mcrd y stating what Muj:ihid ~:tid in the previous rep0r1. - t'unJ- Ibn Abl Naj1l1-Mujahid said, concerning 1/ieyforgoI Il,eirfish ,
; ~l:11:::l;~ccxplan~uon •~fo und m Abu ' [ odJ caused both of them to lose [it] ." '
m h1~M ao u.p1111011 ~f al-Farrf ~nd al- Ubayda, M lljii:t ,11- Q!r'ifo, 1:409._ . , ,: Ja11cr
• '" ,1.,,,;: ,1-Q,,, , , . .,6,o. Fo, ,1-F~;~f~,h. ,,,_d dm v, m of /'o'" l' ""."d ~->1 d~•S•· ' ~0 : 1 't'"g <1« mdh,g of adalloh"'""" ,h, o, 1 H•i" ,dido, ofT,b•ri'< r,j,i" ,,,,u. Th<
5 • Ma ani al-~,'cin, : _ op111 1on . ~c(· hi s A1,, dtii a/-Q!r an, - - 53 1 edition Im
2 15 4 l ,1, adalliilrn for all 1hrcc rcp<>TU-

.?68
 TABA Ri S,, ,at a/- Kaiif( 1B:61r82)
d" ed over th e meanin g of the description of
. Al- Harith lb: Ab~ Usa ma_)_----:a I-1:lasa n [b. al~Ashyab]-Warqa' lb
Thrn chc s~holars . 15;~~:~vacers as sa raban.
Umarl-lbn Ab, Naph- MuJalnd said, concerning they forgo, ,h,;, fi h
" Both of them lost it." 5 , the fi,h taking it s way m ·d. T l ath by which [th e fish J travelled
. S me of them sa t . 1e P
Al-~sim-al-Husay n- 1:{ajjaj - lbn Jurayj-Mujahid said, "IGodJ OPJN! ON. o
caused both of them to lose lit). " w,shkeahole.1 who said that: ' - .
One of t he ex perts in th e Arabic langu age 1 said: The fish was with Anaccoll ntoft hose H ··-· - lbn Jurayj said: Ibn Abbas said,
Joshu a, who was th e one who fo rgo t it, although the act of forgetting was Al-Q!~im-al-1:{usayn-. :lJJ~\ts trail is like a hole ."
nceming His statement sa raban , h d b Ishaq-Zuhri-cUbayd
annexed to both of them,just as we find in the verse Therecomtsfortlifrom
bot/, !seas ! the pearl a11d coral-S1011e (Q.55 :22), even though (pearl and coral- co Jbn l~umayd-Salama-~u. am bma b K.a' b s~id: the Messenger of
-J lb 'Abbas-U ayy · d ·
stonej only come forth from th e salt water and not from freshwater {seasj. Altih b. Abd A11 :i 1- n h· "Water has not parte smcc
In my estim at ion, it is permissibl e to u se the dual form of the verb
God (s) said, when he mentionet t is;to:;~rse the fish travelled, for the
huma~ity [was created] , other .t an t e c b ck to it so he could see its
" to forget" because they we re provisioning the fish for their journey ·. "k rture unul Moses came a • ) ,, 1
toget her. Even if only one of them was carry ing [the fish], it is fine to 'f
w:itcr spl1t h ·e an ape ·d. 1 , is chat which we have been seeking (Q. 18 :c_4
6 .
use a verb suggesting that both of th em were carrying it, as one can say, p11h. Then \Moses) sa1 . ."' ' b Th-bit-his father-Sa ,d b. flt
AbU Kurayb- Ibn cApyya- Amr . . a t at1d it took its way into
e "The peop le \VCnt out from thi s place, carrying with chem such-and-such
Jubm-lbn cAbbas said, concerning His statemh en ces of its two fins in Q. i8 :61
Q. 18:61 provision s," eve n if onl y o ne of th em was actually carrying these provi- · ba "I d (Moses) saw t e tra k. ,.,_
r~• U'a tm, ~ara n, t came an " h lb 'Abbas said And it too ,ts Tr¥
e sions. Given that the entire gro up decided to bring these provisions , the
act of carrying can be ann exed to all of them. If the individual who was
.. h • ' JI ·
tht clay w en tt re . mto t
hewater Ten n
· d
'
. I ·th his fingers.
llll)' ifl lO 1/Je waters, burrowing, and he ma e a circ e wt f ater
carryin g thesc provisions forgot (or lost) them somewhere. one could
OPINION : Others said : Rather, its path in the sea became rozen w .
say "The people forgot (or lost) their provisions," annexing the act ~f
the individual's forgetting to th e enti re collectivity. Thus the speech is An account of/ hose who _said that: ' }-Sa' Id [b. AbI cAriiba]-
in the plural, while t he actio n is the work of an individual. This is th e Bishr \b ... Mu adhj-Yaz1d [b. Zura; until it reached the sea, the~
same as His statement, they forgot th eir fish, b ecause God (Mighty ao d Qe.1ida said, h burrowed from th e shore I·d wherever it went.
Maje 5t ic is He) addressed the Arabs in their language and the speech th ar lxgan to travel such that the water became frozen so 1 k
th ey all recognized amongst themse lves. ] OPIN ION: Others said: Rather, its path in the sea became roe ·
As for lal-Farra''s J opinion concerning There comes forth from boil, [~aJ
An account of those who said that: 'A f:]-my father-my
the pea rl and coral-sto,1e (Q.55:22), our opinio n opposes it and we shall c ar-
Muhammad b. Sa' d (b. Muhammad ~his ~a:her ('Atiyya b. Sa'd
ify its correct int erpretation when we reach it , if God wills.z
uncle lal-Ij usayn b. al-1:lasan ]-my fa ther bed in the sea became
,J. Awfi]-lbn 'Abbas said, "Anything the 6 '.~ muc
INTERPRETAT ION OF and it took its way into the waters, bt1"owing . dried out, to the point that it became stone. h·J land until
Thc- mea ning of this statement is chat th e fi sh took the path, b_y which it 1
OP INION: Others said: Rather, it took its way Saraban w eon
travelled i_n _the sea, by bu rrowin g, as has been narrated ~o ~s by: con- it reached the water but not in the sea.
Al-Q!sim-.1- Husayn- Hajjaj-Ibn Jurayj-MuJahtd said, j" ' . . hhadluijar("srnnc")
ccrn1ng a11.d it took its way itrto the waters, b11rro1viug, " The fish took fits ,va~·;'J 1 . . . . f T 3h3.ri\ Taft1r, whic . . . uld 3ppc;ir
lhe Dilr l·bjar cdi1ion corrcca 1hc earlier cdmons ~c m nuscript, bafar 3nd 1uhr \\ 0
What is mea nt by al-sarab is "a path or way by which one cravelsorgoe in1tc-ldofJ11hr: 15:313 . No1c 1hac in a dodcss A~b 3 ~r'anic
.il.
1 iden-~ic. . . • . h which is found o~ly i.n ~c
Su)u11 cnc-1 iii similar v3 ri;i1ion of Ubayys badit 'h· al-Drma/-nuinthur, 4· 42 "~:r.vity": ~c
coinmc-nt~nes of llm Ahi _i-;li1im and l~n ~arda: 3
l E~rlier edmons of T3bari s Tafiir h3dJarr, lnSICa
;f '.
J 11
dd, which would mc.1n

the D1r l·h j~r c-dition, 15:3 14 (note 6).

2 70 27 1

lt
 TABARi s,1,a1 al-Kahf(1S:60-Sz )
A~1 account of th ose w ho said chat: coMMEN TARY ON TH E FOLLOWING DIVIN E WORDS,
_Yunus /b. _Abd al-A' la/- lbn Wahb- lbn , . [i!'6J[ Hr said, Did)'"" see, 11>/ie11 "'' took ref,1ge 011 tlic rock, a11d I forgot tlie
~tat cmcnt and ,r took its way into the ware
~:d
b Za~.d said, concernin .
1
ti~-.wd ,wne b111 S11/a// ca used nre toforget to mc11tio11 it- and he took its
m a torrent (ba,tbii ') afrer its death, wh:s~ a11, . The fish was gat~e:~ 11'11 }' into rlie waters as a marvel?
pa th :ram it, burrowing, until it reac hed the re~1ved it. Then it took a
sara b IS di e path it took until it reached th ew s~a ..[Ibn_ZaydJ said, "The GNl (Ex:ilt(."d is His re membran ce) says : Moses' servant said to Moses,
torr~nt on land, after all that had been e atcr, s~nce It was a dried-out idicn lt-.-tosc~] said to him "Bring us our breakfast so we can eat," Did
contmucd, '' It wa s hi s pr . . h aten fromitforalongrim "H i·cu.w, when we rook rcf, 1gc 011 rlie rock, ar,d !forgot thefish there-and none b1a
"Ab - SI ( ov1s1o n, r en God rev· d . " c-. r 5:wi <J11Sfd me toforger? In other words , he says, "None other than Satan
u rnj a in fo rm ed me that he . . ive It. Ibo Zayd said
of fi h . I . saw Jt , saymg 'I , aust"d me to fo rget to mention th e fish. "
a is wn i a smgle eye , and another I lf . ' came across it- half
TABA Ri SA ID . Th . 1a wah nothing in ir."'1 The particle- an is in the accusative case, in reference to thefoh, because
M. . . . e correct opinion is that h I rht m<",lll ing of the passage is "None but Satan caused me to forget to men-
( aJes t1c is His praise) has sa id· Th fi h . one s ou d say what God non 1hr fish." Given that tliejisli , {which is the subject of the sentence],
It is possible that thi s path wa~ e JS took tis way into the watus, saraban.
possible that it led to ' b . a watery hole through the ground; it is rrmdes the w rb [to me11tio11 J, the [pronoun it] refers back to the foh in His
v.atcr emg froz en s0 I'd 1 d . 1ww1cnt an adhkrlfahu (to nrention it). Q
G was transformed into stone. ; an It is possible that it
It has been alleged that this passage was read in the following man-
Q. 18,63
Q. 18:62 The cleares t opini on concernin th . n~r in the codex of (Abd Allah [b. Mas\·1d}: mil ausiinlhu ati adhkuralm
G jabove j on th e au thor· f I g at is the report we have narratc-d
il/J'l-shayril/1 .: This reading was transmitted to me from Bishr [b.
Q
" Yo t ,e Messe nger of God (i), from Ubayy.
Mu'idh J- Yazid /b. Zuray' ]-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Aruba]-Qe.tada.
Al-'Abbas b. al-Walid-Mu~ammad b. Ma'qil-his father said, "The
1
COMMENTARY ON rock wh<"re Moses took refuge is the rock that is near the Zib River,
/1 8·6i / A d I THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS ,
they. hadgo,ef, Jong the road."
. " w irn v,
breakfast I 1 ,m I,er, Ize said to his servant, Bring us our
God (Ex I :J•. . . en)' we /a 1Jejo u,1 dfiat1gue . inthis, our journey.
1
l~TER PR ETATI ON OF a,id he took its way into the waters as a marvel
a ted IS His remembran )
gone/11rther, past rl . I ce says: When Moses and his servant had Hnays: Moses rook the fish's path into the waters as a marvel, and he mar-
ie pomt 1v ,ere the 1 5
Joshua , Bri11&n IIS 0 1If breakfast H e 'wo. Beas. meet, Moses said to his servant. relied lt it, as I have been informed by:
us. He said , Bring b · Sa) s. nng us our breakfast and give it co Mu Dammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahili]-Abu 'i\.iim [al-Nabil]-' lsa
or "I brought it " ~:-"~ r:akjaSr•j ust as one can say "The breakfast came" /b. Mapn un] ; and from al-l:liirith /b. Abi Usama]-al-l:lasan /b.
· is ts like th e expressio ns "It went" or "I made it go. ": ,l-Ashyab /- Wa rqa' /b. ' Umar]; both 'Isa and Warqa'-lbn Abi
INTERPRETATION O F v, '/ N~.1 1b-Mujahid sa id , concerning His statement iuto the waters as a mar-
[Moses ] says· v, . err Y ive ha1Jefa,mdfatigue i11 this, ourjouniq sti
l'e/, "Moses marvelled at the path the fish took to the sea and the ll
.
;oumey. Moses. all we have. fi0 " 11 d Iiardship and exhaustion in this, our
en 1y di
nlenti oned in Q.ege. )'j bsaid th is· a fiter I1e had passed beyond the roek
I 18 6
caus<'d him to rem · ecausc he became struck with hunger which
em er the fi sh and re rurn ro the place he requ:sted it. 1
1: ~o;ding Tablri, the subject of the \'C"rb ittakliadlia is MosC"S, For Pickth 31l, ArbC"rry ~'. ?.
10 11

;nm:d~~l~-~: 1...,iliC" rnbjt.'rt of this verb is the foh. which is why 1hcy USC' the" pronoun
I :1~vcfollowcd 1hcD1r }l:t 4r
longer venion J cduion. wlud 1 1 I · wirh 1
; He me~nmg f 1· . d d . he only diffcrC"l!CC' is
i A nc r] y idcmi ound 111 Suyuii's al- Durr upp l"lnl"IIIS 1hc report in 1ht" m4nuscnpu 111...,ordordc ro 111S 1rrC'gular reading is idC"nuc;il to the s1;1n lr one. t
4
appl"aJ\ ro rrup ~] c:xpla11a11on I) found ;i1-irumtl1Ur ; 15:3 15. ..
1 ieu'). I ;i,m gl'lieful for ~~i:li~tklif.:uh, ,~1a'a11.i al-Q!rOn. 2:620 (the" C"<f,non 5
lThr n~rne of ; his river is unclear; ~e the" Dir Hajar edition, 15 :3i7 (note ).
W1lhanH cl:mfication of this pasU~·

272 27)
 TABARl s,,,ar al-Kal,{(18:60- 82)
pla ce into whic. h it disappeared , w I1I.C Il IS
. where h f;
lo\tnlm ]: and fro m al-1:Hrit\t_lb . Abi Usa~~1aJ-al-J:f_asan__ lb. al-~~ht
A near I}' identi cal report was na d e ound Khadir " 1 1. :__W,rqa' lb, Umar l; bot h Isa and Warga - lbn Abt NaJ1h- MuJ ah1d
IH H rratc to us fi . .
a - . usayn- . ajj:ij-Ibn Jurayj-Mujihid. rorn al-~sirn- : iJ.concernrng
1 Hi s statement This is that which we have be~n seeking, "Moses
Al-H asan b. Yal.1ya-'Abd al-Razza - Ma' n )ltd. 'This is where I was in fo rm ed 1 would find KhaQ1r, where the fish
cernmg Hi s statement he took its Illa)' into 19/ 1ar~t:ida said con-
. · I ie waters as a I .. ' hoJleft ml'."' _.
Its way mto tie waters as a man,e/. He marvelled h "":~ • Moses took A nC'arly identical report was narrated to us from al-~s1m-
Yiinus lb. 'Abd al-A'la)-Ibn Wahb--Jbn a;: fish s path (sa,-b)." ,!-H usl\·n- l1ajjaj-lb11 Jurayj-Muj ahid, except that [MujahidJ said,
star_c1~1ent he took its way imo the waters as a man,e/ }I said, co~cc~ning His
•where, the fish had abandoned me.•·
Tlrn is amazing! fThi s was ) a fi h h ' MosesJ s:ud, By GoJ!
Wh . s t at was to have been . d .
at IS more am az ing than a fi h h eaten ID ue time. 1:-;-TERP RETAT ION OF So they retraced their steps again
e I b s t at at one moment wa h b
aren, t ien it ecamc alive, so that it cou ld be re . . s to ave ecn Ht m-s: So they turned around on the path they had been traversing, in
Mul.1ammad b Sacd fb M h united with the sea!'''
uncl e !al- Husayn b
ai-H . u. amm ad al-'AwfIJ-my father-m y tht oPpositc direction, retracing their steps by which they had travelled. '
Tht' following interpreters said something similar to what we have
al-Awfl)__:_Ibn 'Abb~s said a'.~;/-;;~y father-his father l'A!iyya b. Sa'd
)Ulf said concerning that. An account of those who said chat:
a except that it would dr , o~
of God {s) !Moses) b )
lei s l ~o uld n o t tou ch anything in the- 5e3
t, tot ic pomt of becoming rock. The Prophet !luhammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahili]-Abii 'Aiim lal-Nabil]-'lsa [b. Q
Q. 18,64 A _· cgan to marvel at thi s." Ma)·munl : and from al-Harith [b. Abi Usama]-1-J:lasan lb, al-Ashy-
bu Kurayb-al-1:Jasan b. 'A . ' _ c
a - . .
Sa'id b. Jubayr- lbn 'Abbas said : •yia _Amr b. Thab1t---:h1s father-
abl-Warqa' lb. ' Umari; both ' Isa and Warga'-Ibn Abi Naji\i-Mujahid
as a marvel "M k I • o ncernm g he took its way into tire u,11tm 1aid. concerning His statement qa$a$an, "Moses and his servant followed
1
, oses too tie way of the fish as a marvel . ., the path of the fish, partin g the sea as they were returning."
Al-~sim-al-Husayn-1:lajjaj- lbn Jurayj-Mujahid said, con-
c~ming His statement So they retraced their steps again, "Moses and his
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS, ~rnm followed the path of the fish, by the parting of the sea, and Moses
So I i B,64J Hesaid' Tl115 · is· t Iiat w I1ich u,e ha,,e been seeking. ,nd his servant returned. Moses marvelled at the path of the fish in the
1

r
t 1ey retraced their Sleps again. 18 :65 J Then they found o,ie of Our ieaand the st ill places into which he disappeared."
servams, to whom We had g i11en mercy from Us, and had Bishr lb. Mu'adh)- Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'id lb. Abi 'Ariiba)-
God (Ex I d . t~ught him k110 11,/edge from Our presence. ~tada said, "The two of rhem returned to where they had started, So
a te I S His reme, b ) " li.eyretraced their steps again."
forgetting of ti fi I . I 11 ranee says: Moses said to his servant, Your
we have be ieki s 115 t ,ar ivhich 11,e have been 11abohi "He says " That which lbn Humayd-Salama-Mul)ammad b. ls\iaq-Zuhri-' Ubayd
en sec in " b . 6
• J All;h h. 'Abd Allah-lbn 'Abbas-Ubayy b. Ka' b said: the Messenger
your teacher whom g 'O ecau se It had been said to Moses, "fYou will find th
informed by: ) u seek where you forget the fish ," as I have been of God(~} said, concerning This is that which 1ve have been seeking. So ey
th
mr,J(td their steps again , " In other words, they retraced their steps until ey
1
b. 'Amr ial-BahiliJ - Abii 'Asim lal-Nabil]-'lsa 16·
Mul.1anunad encl,d up at the place whe re the fish had entered [the sea]."

l 1~::~~: /or Kh1~r) 11 i n C'X lr;;iordmi r , . . un .

l\it11l J m·ecirculiud. Accordm t ) rnan_in thc- l.sbmic tradition, about whom n Qi:
Tahdh;~1; ~and_~mo'.'K ui now, aj l!~i~ i-wiw,. most ~cholan and i ll Sufis believe chat Khl\\i.
Dir il 1 a~m,i ""' 1-lughiir, cd AJ- >,Kholars behc\'C that ht· was a prophet;~ Niv,~ .
'. ;h;i1111mibr to Abii ' Ubavdi's explanation in Majiiz a/-Q!r'arr, 1 :409. Ih

n, ch~d:~ Fo/
11 • 2 00s). 1: <,i - J. ·
2 ,';:u aww:iQ i n~ 'Adil 'Abd al-Mawjild, .1 vol~.~;;;
· iu~ owing du.- Dir Hij~r ('dition of Tabui's Tajsir which hu Moscs and his sen>2nl as c

Wernm, k ef lsrac-/, tr.in 1. William _re on KhaQ1r. ~cc- Tiu· HUtory of al-Tabdn, · J- JTl.~1:1;h:f tl1c vcrb .s'1aqqa; 15:320. . , . , undclscwhcrc-only
15
dic rc-pori1 l~l-KhiJ1r." 1:./1. lfo nau!r~:ncr (Albi ny: SUNY Prcu, 1991), '. - 18; ~pd :,·in in th~n ., ~com! half of the Uba)')' ~adith mentioned preV1ously 1hai fo u,ral~ma,rrhUr, -4:
1h11 ~c110 cq uc111l y occun wi thou t 1hc ddinuc irtidc: t!6 (S'<.!!~ ~nic conuncntincs of lbn Abi l:litim and Ibn Mardiwiyh; al~D
11
uyu1i doci not nmnion its presence in Tibi rfs commcntary.)

..crL_
2 74 275
 TABARI
S1lrat a/-K,il,f (1S:60-Sz )
I NTE RPRETATION OF The11 they fo tmd one ef Our sen,a 11 ts, to wlioin li t' ord sayi ng, ·•o Lord, which of "."~ur
had gii,e11 mercy from Us, a11d had taught him knowledge from Our pr~nce ;-.loses a~kcd hi s L d . . to you'" God1 replied, H e

He says: Moses and his s.crvant found one of 011r scn,a,us at the rock (Q. ,s: J) srr\·;in ts is most en ee:~:;~o rge ts Mc not." Moses said,:
6 who remembers M 1 th e best judgement?
when they returned to I t. It has been all eged that [this servant) is KhaJir, I f Yo ur serva nts us .I I
1 1
I
to whom l fle had gi1,r11 mercy from Us . God j says : We bestowed upon hitu ·' \t,lhic i ,. ,fr who J·ud ges in accordance w1_t l ~.1e
mercy f mm Us. and had taught him k11owledge from Our presence. He says: AnJ
God crphrd. ' . I · " Moses said, 0
truth and follows not pm p~ss:~::; knowledgeable?"
We also M11gh1him k110111/edg(' from U s {mi,i tindi,1a Wma11)_Z as has been nar- Lord, which of Your servant s IS dd] humanit 's
rated to us from: d 1. I "He who endeavours It o a ~ll
Go rep ie< , I . wn {knowledge j.i Perhaps he wt
Bishr /b. Mu' ad h] - Yazid /b. Z uray' /-Sa' id [b. Abi 'Ariiba] - knowledge to l\S O \ ·u uide him to ltrue}
~tida said , "From ladmmii kriowledgc, meaning 'knowledge from Us."' come across a ph rase t .1at fwt g. " Moses said, "O
Th e reason fo r the journey of Moses and his servant, and their encoun- ·n repel hnn rom rum .
guidan ce, or w1 on earth [more knowledgeable}
ter wit h chi s reacher ('ii/im), 1 whom God mentioned in this place [in the Lord , is '!,1ere any~ne " s " Moses said. "O Lord, so
~r 'J n], accordin g to w hat has been alleged, is that Moses was asked , "Is 1han me? God said, Ye · . d 3 "Where might
I . . , .. "Khadir " God rephe .
G
there anyone more knowledgeable than you on earth?" {Moses] replied w io is '.t. ,.. d
Moses God said, "At the coast,
no. Or, [Moses' ] soul asked him thi s question and it disquieted him. I find lusn. aske · . " So Moses set G
Q. 18,65 Therefore, God w ished to inform him that th ere w as someone among His bv the rock where the fish will escape. . d lin
Q. 18:65
o~!, seeking 1Kha4irj, until what Go~ :entt~ne k
G servants more know ledgeabl e than !Moses J and chat it was not right for G
this passage took place 1, and Moses arrtve at t ro~ .
him to make a fi rm pronouncement about something, regarding which he
80th he \and Kha4ir} exchanged greetings, an k; ;:
had no kn owledge. Rather, it would have been more appropriate for him
Moses said to him , "Truly I would like you to hta h
to en tru st thi s to a person w ho had knowl edge [of the matter). . " Kh d. id "You do not ave t e
as ,·ourcompamon. a. tr sa ' [ d ]" t·ed
Ot hers said: Rather, the rea son for this !episode] is that Moses asked
m~ngth to be my companion." ''Bur yes, I O ' .rep ~sk
God (Maj estic is Hi s praise) to g uide him co a teacher whose knowledge
Moses. Khac,lir said, "If you become b\compa_moif it to
he could add to hi s own knowledge.
mr 1101 concerning anythi,ig till I myself.ma e me","0 " ,:ere j,i
An account of those w ho said ch ar: 4 ·d you [Q. 18:70J." So they both set out till, when t ,ey d
lbn l:lumayd- Ya' qllb--Harun b. ½ntara-his father :S-Jbn 'Abbas sai ' rite ship, lie made a hole therein. {MoSes Jsaid, Have you m_ale
r. Jk • '? You have certa111 Y
1
a livle 1/1erein to drown the 1° u~n it '.d I not tell you that
~<':l:~,:~:g thr D:ir H~ar td1 11on ofTabari') Tafirr (is:p i); earlier editions lack , hrsr two 1
do11e a thing most dre~dfuf. H~ said,, D[ oses] said, Take me
2 11 1 1 1
you (oufd not bear patiently with me· M . ·r/
T~hnl ~ d cating tlut tli<' ~r'~ mc <"x pre))IOn mi11 ladumui is eq uivalent to th~ c:~p~es~:~ not Io task tliat I forgot, and exhaust me ,wt iti my affair 1; 1d1
;~d:~a~ ~ib_of ~ -h1rl1 rrn:an ~w11l_1 U)" m chis context . :.his cx_prcssion ins~~:tK~
: :1
diffu11lty. So 1/1ry both journeyed on till, when th ey met a a '
1 111111
S d ifi pt"ml }1X of d1rm, d1vm<' know ledge. called /dm11 knowledge •oo6) g,-S.
1L::;~I ~.~.k'.~::trirann C>II t~r.Q!, 011
in Cl,miciJI Islam (N<"w York: _Rou_t!edg\:~a;th<"
. .I . in th<' intercsl of
mystm~us KhaQ.uo~~nowcr. ~\·cnl of the repom Tabari cites he~c •~cna_fy ~: In his 7ariJ:h. 1
_t,;mher "God" nor "Mom" is mentiom:d explicitl\: ~ ~:~:!~:c:~•~ha4ir" is not always
Taha.ri optnl , nlls \111 nK.~iQrJ,_w~o was first rncmioncd a little e.1rhcr m_dn: su ~er." ,e.id:ibilny, I hav, included i\1eir names wnhout brack ·
4 The folJo.•.,,~gstnion c Kha9u , wlnlc m liil Tafiir lie generally calls 1nm th\bcc: the: enrirt
, ;~nuoned in th<' dialogue between him and Moses. d transbtc:s this line as "The::~
siory of M d outams sevt"raf long r<'pons that su mmar ize .-.i.nd c:luo , ·c \Ync-s 50
rntd 1n thc~:;n "~h:~ir tlm ls fou nd 1n tli<" ~r'an. Given that all.of t~C ' ; ; ' : : : will pt • 1:mnn tah s r/111 al-11,is to be th e subject of the ~·crb, anihat it might anain a word tha\ c:fc:r
0

1 b.; hose knowledge the pc-op\<' s knowledge ~sr,'.r~~• s~istor of al-Tab<i ri, Ve/ . IIl, _1~; ~f the
CO\"ettd 111 11111 t:isl~uo~cst oli_nwis<' noted , arc from thi s J>2))agc m this \he: initial long
rcpon fr 0 111 lbn Humayd ' ha\c 11 01 1drnt1li<"d thei r specific numbers aficr i{
to •~one togu1dancC" or turn one: away from evil '. 1ht ause emphasizc:s the hu~il atzation
· ld 1l111al-11as as ih<' ohj<"ct of tht" verb yab1agh 1, bee d , This is alw 1hc: ,oc
1 Acro1d111g io lbu I fafu . Ania ' uccessor, who rno1t lu rncd person, who is open to learning from anybo ) ·
nuu1cd fron, lbn Alb·
1
' ra b. Abd al-Ralunin was a reli able Kuf:111 S
l i; ~ t" .,.iihdhibal-1alid/ub." s: 150. . ~Ur1d in the D:ir Hajar edition of Tabari's Tafiir; 15?21.ht" final scn1cnce of this rc:p0rt.
l Ok thlt th(" narne "Kha4ir.. only appears here and mt

277
 TABAR!
lie slew him. /~oses J said, f,fl/iat_f Have you slain an innount
soul '.vl,o lia_s slam t1 0 man? Verily you have done a thi,,g most
l1omd; u ntil ro11 co11ld l1a11e taken payment far it IQ.i8:
wali'"' ·
J
!Jbn <Abbas J sa id : Moses' statement about the
for him self, in order to seek from it some worldly ~s
Moses' stateme nt s concernin g the ship and the lad~:
fo r God 's sake. jKha4ir J sa id, This is the porting ~ tween
}'O". a11d me! I 11,i/l a,1110,mce to yo11 the imerpretatio 11 of that
wl11d1 you could r,ot bear u,ith patience fQ.18:78). Then he
informed jMoses J of [th e meaning) of what God said:
Asfa,1/ie ship ; A sfa,il,e /ad; an d Asfo,il,e ,val/. jlbn 'Abbas)
sa id: IMoses / travelled with [Kh ac;l irJ along the sea until
th ey reached the mee r-ing place of the seas. (There is no
place on eanh that has more water than here.) fKhaQ.irJ
said, "Your Lord has sen t a swallow," and the swallow
G began drinking from jche sea j wit h its beak. He said
Q. 18,65
to Moses, "How mu ch of thi s water do you chink this
G swallow can ingest?" Moses replied, " How little can it
take in !" Kha~ir said, "Q Moses, in comparison with
God's know ledge, my knowledge and your knowledge
is less than tb e amount of wate r thi s swall ow can take in
Iii, beak[ ." [l bn 'Abbas said), Mose s had said to himself,
or to others, th at there was no o ne more knowledgeable
than him, and on accoun t of thi s, he was commanded
10 go to Kha~ir. 1
Al ~}:lasan b. Yal.i yi - 1Abd al-R azzaq-Ma' mar-AbU ls~aq-Sa'id
b. Ju,bayr- Ibn 'Abba s said, "Moses add ressed rhe Children of is,ael, say;
mg, No one is more knowledgeable of God and His Command than me,
an d then he was ord ered to meet this man. " 2
Al-}:l~sa n- <Abd al-Razz:iq-Ma' mar~rada said, " le was said ~ol
IMoses[
h f, '
The · h I . h
sign l at yo u 1avc reached fche teacher] 1st at yo
u w1I
b knowledgeabl e?" and he replied "Me." God was upset
orgotten so me of your provision s.' So he and his scrvant, Joshua ·
~n , se t om, bringing wi th them a salted fish to ear and travelled to cb_e
poin t where God ·11 d • . g ,1
t I wi e to return co the fish its life spirit (riib), causm J
o trave to th e sea Tl fi I k. . . it A,1
when tliey had one. ie is l too it s way to th e sea, burrow ing mco Vmly
"" h fi d g fur th er, he said ro his sen,ant Bri,1g us our breakfast ·
aw oun fatigue i,i this, our jo1m1ey: umil 1:e took its way into the u,a1mas
l Tab.;ari includo tl11 1 trmrc . .
11
i In othc-r wor<b , thc- ic;1dic;~:,r~ :u Im lm1ory; Tli( HiJto,yof al-Tabari, VoJ . ll~•r
1 l, 6:598""9,
J~n;,.gc, who 11 gcncr;,.ll y idcm ifi~d ;11 Kh;,..;i ·
s,,mt al-Kahf(18:61r82)
l [rhe fi sh's j path to tire waters as a mawel, as he m arvelled
•f11Jn~-1. Moses 1'1'
1 ' ,.
ath t:ikrn by th e fish.
"I" '1;rH,san [b. Yal)ya[- 'Abd al-Razzag-M a mar-
< - -
Abu Isl)aq-Sa ,d
,_
~.Jub.i n- Hm Abhls said ,
· When Moses fo ll owed th e path of the fi sh, he arrived
at a man who was sleeping , shrouded by his garment.
Moses gree ted him , and th e man unveiled his face and
rcrurnrd his greetings, saying "Who are you?" "Moses,"
he replied. "A rc you a member of the Children of
Israel?"' he asked. " Yes," replied Moses. {The man} said,
"Arr you not occupied !with the affairs] of the Children
of lsr.1.el?" " But of course," replied Moses. "However, I
have been comman ded to come to you and become your
com panion." "You will not be able to bear patiently with me,"
said j1he man J,just as God has described fin this passage
of the Q!r'anJ until he reached: when they were in the
G
Q. 18,65
ship, lie, meaning Moses' companion, made a hole therein.
[Mosesj sa id, Have you made a hole therefo to drown the folk G
it? You hai,e certainly dotte a thing most dreadful. [Later
11po11
on, Moses J says a thi11g most imr, meaning "horrid."
jMoses j said, Take me not to task that !forgot, attd exhaust me
1101 i11 my affair with difficulty. So they both journeyed 011 till,
wlie11 they met a lad, he slew him. fMoses] said, What! Have
you slain an im1ocem sor1l who has slain 110 mat1? 1
AbuKurayb-Yal.1ya b. Adam-Sufyan b. ' Uyayna-'Amr b. Dinar-
Said b. Jubayr said, " J said to Ibn (Abbas, 'Nawf-daims that KhaQir is not
Mo~~· companion.'" Jbn (Abbas said, "The enemy of God has lied! Ubayy
b. K~b has informed us that the Prophet (~) said,
Moses stood up among the Children oflsrael, addressing
jthem], when it was said, "Which person is most
with Moses for not referring the knowledge of this
to [God [. He said, "Rather, [the most knowledgeable
prrsonj is one of My servants, living where the two
'.
·•if:1~~ ~lwf b. Fai;lala :al- Bik.ili (d. before 1°.°/728) of_ Syri:a. ::oh ;:s:::;;:. ~n. ;s:
repon i pptus to be- :a fragment of :a longer report since it just ends here, wirbouc con17c~t.
itor ll e famo us Jewish convert to lsl:am K:a b al-A~b;1r. Altli . g I H J· I, collections.
-13 · lbn ; ie lnd none of his nurations :are found in the six_c:anomca · a ~a ar. Tahdhib
: •. ~~d: .~ln rncludh him in hi s book of reli:able 1nnsmmers: see Jbn · 1
1
279
 TA BART
seas meet." fM oscs j said, "O Lo rd, how do J find hi ;,"
God repli ed, "Take a fi sh and put it in a basket mad:~f
palm leaves. W herever you lose it , you will be there. .,
So be took a fis h an d put it in the basket made of palm
leaves. T hen Moses sa id to hi s serva nt , "When you lose
thi s fis h, let me kn ow.'' So, they se t o ff walking along
the seashore, until they reached a rock. Wh en Moses lay
down to sleep. th e fis h Rail ed in the basket, escaped, and
went int o th e sea. God held back the water flow, w hich
became like a va ult and a tunnel for the fish, which was
a marvel fo r both Moses and his servant. Then they sec
off. When it became tim e for breakfast, Moses sa.i d to
hi s servant, " Bri11g us our breakfast. Verily we havefau11d
fatigue i11 rl1is, our journey.'' Moses did not feel fa tigue
until he crossed the place w here God had commanded
G him !to go /. He said, Did you see, when we took refu~ on
Q. 18,65 the rock, mid Iforgot tl,e.fisls-a11d none btJt Satan caused mt
to forger tc, memio11 it- l,e took its way into the waters as a
G Q
marvel? He said, This is that which we have been seeking. So
tl1ry retraced their steps again. /The Prophet sajd:J Both of
chem rNraced the ir steps, back to the rock, where they
fo und a man sleeping, shrouded in his garments. Moses
greeted him , to which he replied, "How can you greet
us in our land ?" 1 He said , "I am M oses." The man said,
"Moses, of th e Children of Israel?" "Yes," he replied. "O
Moses," he said, '' J have knowledge that comes directly
fro m God . God taught it to me, and you do not know it.
And yo u have knowledge, w hi ch God taught you, that I
know not." Moses said, " I shall follow you, to tire end that
Y011 1111~.J,1 teach me rig ht conduct cf that which you have bt_en
laugh,• Hesaid, Well, ifyougo 111ith me, ask me 110I co11cunmg
011
)•thi11g iii/ I myselfmake memion efit to you. So they both set
0111 along the seashore, aud Khac;lir was recognized fby
the captain of the ship /. and brought on board wirhou c
3
fare. Th en a sparrow came and bega n pecking with its
beak at the seashore or in the sea Khadir sai d to M oseS,
"My kn ow ledge and yo ur kn owJ~dge t.ook fromi God 's
r In Ofher word~ ~Wr 5ho Id be . r counff}'· M
tu
l t urr;;illy, ~di m:m)h~ or ~u , greeung you: ~1nce you .uc a st~ngc~ JU i 1,11t1~ Wr,,llk;J 114;11
,/,,,,'1/,j~r : Dlr I-fa U J ~Wra~ from God~ kuowledgc (mii yan t,Ji/lf ll . ,,,,, is cheoJog1e2llr
problr111a11e, which~i:.,/.'325, 1 lie ide:.i of God'~ kuowlt·dgc .1~cre2singf "di111inishin!(•
) I rendered du) p:a 1 ~:age ;u '"took from mstead 0
i 8o
5,,rar al-Ka lif(18:60-S2)
kncndrd~e only lthc equiva lent ~ .~J the_ amount o~ t_hc
ie,1 iliis spa rrow has in its beak . Wl~1lc on the sl~1p.
/Kh.idir/ s::iw that Moses was not sur~nse~ by anyclu~g
excrpt when he began to drive a stake l~nrn,:ts hull] or.rip
out a plank. Thi s led Moses to say to hnn, VJ_e a~e bcm_g
mricd wi ,h orn [payingj a fare, yet you ~re smkmg t~m
ship 10 dr(ml/l 1/ie folk 11po11 it? You /rave certmnly dmie a tlmig
mMtdrrmlf11l... [Kh a~ir j sa id: Did I ,wt tell yo11 that youco11fd
r1N bw pariendy u,itli me? (Moses Jsa id, Take me not to ~ask
rhar /fi)rgot. /Tbe Prophetj said: This was the ~rst t,m.e
Moses fo rgot. Then they continued on walkmg unul
the\' camr across a boy playing with other boys. (KhaQir]
took clie boy by his head and killed him. Moses said to
him. "What! Have yo11 slait1 an innocmt soul wlro lras slain
no man? Verily yo11 hai,e do11e a thifig most horrid. (KhaQirJ
said, Did I 11ot tell you that you could 1101 bear patiently u,ith G
111r? /Moses j said, If 1 ask you after this concerning anything, Q. 18,65
kffp nol company with me. You /rave received (s,iflicient Jexrnse
.fr,Jmme." He said: So tlu:y both journeyed 0,1 till, when they
came upon the folk of a certain township, they asked its folk far
food, bu t they did not find anyone who would feed them
or give them drink. And they found therei11 a wall upon the
poim offalli11g i1110 rnin, and he repaired it with his hand.
He said: He touched it with his hand, and Moses said
to him, ;'They gave us neither hospitality nor shelter; if
)'OIi had wished, yo11 could have take11 paymemfor it. !Kha4ir]
said: This is theparting between you and me! The Messenger
of God (s) said, I would have preferred that [Moses] had
been patien t until jGodJ told us their story. ~
lbn Humayd-Salama-lbn Js~iiq-al-1:lasan b. ' Umiira-1:lakam b.
UtJyba-Sa'id b. Jubayr said,
1
Tht tr•nsmmer of Tabari's Tafiir indicates here that Tabari was unsure wh; th ~~ t~e. 7.~~
~7:•r(d wuh the sP:urow in this sentence was ,iaqara ("to pluck") or naqtqa ( t Iurui: 1
~o:~;
~ ~);
11
: \\'as writtrn naqara in his book. ~rinner's translation,
, l dge ind )'OU ti are not le~s than God s knowledge, except for [h
which/~t,~:~c:~att;his bird
:Ti~or picb :111~ the sea"; Tht History of al-Tabari, Vol. III. 1· . •ht Histo ofal-Tabari,
Ji,' ;n'ludn thu ~adith from Jbn 'Abba~/Ubayy in ~is His'.o,y~seeef:und in
11 le
Sabibs of
!.H.ir;,~-8 Acc_ord 1ng to Suyi"i\i, _va~ati~ns of th~~-.badul, ur':inic commeniarirs of Jbn
~.o.~ Llr.dh d Mu~hm: the Su,wrrs ofT1rnudh1 and Nasa 1, the~ l-As,,ui ' wa'i-,ifii1; al-Durr
~•,-.:r.:ku/r, !bn Abi f:f;i1im and Ibn ~ arda~•ayh; and ~ayh:f\~1: final senccnce is Nscd on
•L.e r.,rrati~Htr-18. My insertion of God as the subject
nm Sururi's commenta ry.
 TABAR!
I was sining wi ch Ibn 'Abbas in th e presence of a
~f Peo~!c ,of th e Book, so me of whom said tog:up
0 Abu I- Abbas. Nawf, the so n of Ka' b's wife cl . rn,
o n che autho rity of Ka' b jal-AJ:ibar) , that M~se:1~:
Propl~e.~,r so ughc the teacher, is Moses the son of
Mansa. Sa id [b. Jubayr] said, lbn 'Abbas said "Did
Nawf reall y say thi s?" Sa' id said, "I said to him '·ves I
heard Nawf ~ay that.,., Ibn 'Abbas said , "O Sa' id, did y~u
re~ll y hea r him say thi s /wit h your own earsJ?" "y. " I
sa id. ''Nawf l.ied. ,. lbn 'Abbas replied. es,
Then Ibn 'Abbas sa id: Ubayy b. Ka' b inform ed
m~ th a_ t th e Messe nger o f God(~) said: The Moses (in
rlus episode j is th e Prophet of the Children of Israel
who as ked hi s Lord, saying, "O Lord, if there is anyon~
e amo ng _yo ur se rva nts w ho is m o re knowledgeable than
me, guid e me to him ." jGodJ sa id, "Yes, among my
Q. 18:65
serv~~ cs th ere is so meo ne more knowledgeable than
e yo u, and then He described th e place w here [this
serva ntj was loca ted and granted fM oses ) permission to
lll ee r wit h him . So Moses set o ut with his servant and
a salt ed fish . Ir had been sa id to him , "When you come
to th e ~lace where thi s fish comes back to life, your
c,::ta;~o?, will be there, ~nd you will have achieved
} g I. So Moses and lu s ser va nt se t out with both
of th em ca rrying che fis h. They travell ed •until their
trave!ling wore them out and they arrived at rhe rock .
At tlu s rock, th ere was ,a pool of) water, and chat water
~vas th e Water of Life-whoever drank from it lived
oreve~ :mcl any deceased thing brought into its vicinity
~a~tc ack to li fe. When th e two of th em alighted, rhe
is k ~ouched thi s water and came back to life, and it
too ,tsdivay into the waters, burrowing. So they both set
out , an whe11 they I d fi I ' ou t a chisel in hi s possession and a hammer, took aim
Mo ses said to hi ,a gone 11rt 1er th an a da y sjourney,
haw fo und fari :/;rva"!• Bring us ot4r breakfast, Verily wt
<em b . 'g 11 rlus, 011r journey . The servant said,
em enng Did It
and I fo rgot thefi, sl,_!__0 " see, tvhen we took refuge on the roe ,
a,id 11011e b1u Sata 11 caused me toforge/
I ,~ '1'~:cr,quo1 lllgTh~'b bi,1dtn11fil' . . Jt b.1<k
H1Jt won~~p of God ... two hun~ d1U ~osc~ :u mc~seuger. w ho called bell peo~~; 1"'
';t
"?o/ al- Jab4,i , Vol. JU. (note }t~n Ix-fore 1hc birtli 0 ( Moses fb. lmrin
13 8
282
5 11ml al-Kahf(1 8:61r82 )
rf.l mcillion it- he took its way into tlic waters as a marvel?
lbn Abb:i ssaid: W hen the cwoofthcm returned to
chr rock. Moses cl imbed o n top of it. where he found a
m.in wr.ippcd in hi s cloak. Moses greeted him, and chc
tr.irhe r rernrncd hi s greetings. Then he said, "Who are
\'ou?'" " I am Moses, the son o f ' Imr:in," he said. !The
;cacher] said. "From the C hildren of Israel?" "Yes,"
rcplic-d !Moses]. Then he sa id to him, "What brings
you here ? Arc you not occupied with your people?"
Moses said, " I have come to you to the end that you might
rwli me riglzr co11d11ct of that which yo11 have been taught."
Hesaid, Lo! yo11 ca11not bear patiently with me. !Ibn 'Abbas
saidj: Tbis was a man who acted in accordance with
thr Unseen, which he had been caught. 1 Moses said,
'"But no , /I wi ll bear patientlyj." [The man said) , Ho1v
can yo11 bear patiently with that whereof you have not been e
Q. 18:65
i11formed? In oth er words, "you recognize justice on the
,·isible plane, but you cannot grasp knowledge of the e
Unseen, which I know. " [Moses] said, "God willing, yo11
sliall find me patient arid I shaff tiot disobey you i,1 anything,
even if I see something which contravenes [my sense
of j ustice] ." He said, "Weff, if you go with me, ask me not
co11cemi11g anything, even if you reject it, till I myself
make mentio11 of it to you." (In other words, "I inform
you of it.") So they set off, walking along the seashore,
among people, inquiring for someone to transport
them, when a well-built new ship passed chem by. No
superior, more beautiful, or better-built ship had passed
them by prior to thi s one. [Moses and his reacher] asked
them to ca rry th em on board, and the ship took them.
Once they had set tl ed in it comfortably, and they were
given shelter wi th its passengers, !Moses' teacherj rook
at a part of the ship , and struck it with his chisel uncil
he pierced lits hull]. Then he seized a board and put it
on top of the hole , sat upon it, and patched it. MoseS,
who consi dered this act appalling, said to him, "Have
you made a hole therein to drown the folk upan ii? Yoti /,ave
: vllowing the reading of 1he Dir 1-lajar edition of Tabari's Tajsir; i5 :p. 7-_Th~~ :~e
1
I d~:i;;~
ortiig rnfic.int ti:xrn al emendations in 1his rerort 1ha1 differ from the earlier · a t
283
 TABAR!
cerrai,dr do,'.e a thing most drmdf,,l. I They are carr in u
on t heir ship. and th ere is no ship in ti I·ky . g s
I ie sea I c lt so
w 1y_are you pierci ng it to drown thefolk i1pon it? You ,;a,,e
ce~romly dmie a tl1i11g most dreadful f" fTh e teacher) replied
Did l 1101 te!I you that you co 14 /d 1101 bear patiently w irl, me;
!.Moses J said, Take me not to task that I forgot-meanin.
the pa_rt of your ag rccmcm I ncglccted"-and exhau!
me 110 1 m my affair with difficulty. Then the two of th em
lefc _rhe shi_p. un til they reached the people of a town,
behind which so me yo uth s were playing. Among rhem
wa s a yout h w ho was more beautiful, precious and
fa irer than all th e ot hers. [M oses' tea cherj cook him
by the hand, grabbed a sronc and struck him with it on
:he l~ead u_ntil his brains sp ill ed forth, killing him. [I bn
AbbasJ said: Moses considered this act as horrend ous
G and cou ld not bea r it patientl y-he killed a little boy
Q.18'65
wl~o ha~ commi tted no si n ! H e said, What! Ha ve you
G slam au umocem, mea ning young , soul who has slain no
~ ? V:rily you lia11edo11ca thing most horrid. (His teacher]
111 11
sa,d, D,d l 110 1 iell you that you co 11 /d ,iot bea r patiently 1vith
me? IMoses J said, If I ask you after this concerni,ig anything,
keep 11ot compa11y with me. }'o11 ha,,e receii,ed [s,!fficientJ
exwscf rom me. In ot her words , "You have been excused
from my behaviour." So they both Journeyed 0 11 t;/1, when
th ey came 11po11 rlz efolk cf a certai11 toa,,mhip, they asked its
fo lk fo rfood, bm they refused to make them guests . At1d they
fo und therein a wall upon the point of fa /li,ig into min. So
he knocked it down an d th e n set about rebuilding it.
Moses was disgu sted by th e to il he saw him doing, to
th
e P~int he co uld nor bear it patiently, sayi ng, If you
had wisl,ed, you <oi,/d have raker, payme,it for it. In other
w.o rd s, "We asked ch em for food, and they did not feed
~\ we. sought hospitali ty from th em, but th ey were
1 1
~n ~spHab le; and then you se t abo ut rebuilding this,
av mg had no favour (from chem). H ad you wished,
you kc~uld have been give n compensation for your
;vor_ · He said, This is tl1e parti,ig between you and me!
11
wi amiout1<e 10 you the interpretation of that which you
J The rcm,under of t h1~ quote 1:1 ab
~e D~r l·l~ar, is :JlS (note J). w- m from nio~t 111mmcripts and edi tions ofT2
s ,,,a, al-Kalif(18:60-82)
nwld nil/ bear 111irli patic11u. As for the ship, it belonged to
!'(w pc<lplc uw ki,1g 0,1 ~lie river, a11d '. wisl:ed to dama~e it ,
p r iliac w,u a ki11f bch~nd them 111!10 rs ~akmg every s/11~ by
brutalfiircc. [Ibn Abbas J: Or, accordm g to the reading
0
f Ubar,· b. Ka' b. "Iwho is takir,g J c11ery ship that is in
(
0 1111
d ~~nditio n (iii!O,a)." [Th e tcacherJ sa id , "I made
dir ship dcfr ctivc in order to preve nt !this kingJ from
caki ng ii. and rh cn I repaired it once he had seen the
dl.fect I bad made. And as for the lad, his parents were
belicr,ers and wefeared he would oppress them by rebellion and
Jisbrli1,f,· so we intended that their Lord should change him for
1hm1/or o111• better in purity and nearer to mercy. A11d as for
die wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, a,id there
rms bt'neath it a treasure belonging to them, and their father
had been rigl,teous, and your Lord ime,ided that they sho11ld
come 10 their f ull strength and should bring f orth their treasure G
as a mercy fro m your Lord; and I did it not upon my own Q. 18:65
command." In ot her words, " I did not do this on my own G
,·olition." [Th en he said ,] Such is the interpretation of that
uihicli }'Oil could not bear patie11tly. Ibn 'Abbas would say:
Th e onl r 1reas11re [underneath the wall] was [religious]
knowledge. 1
lbn Humayd-Salama-lbn Is~aq-al-I::Iasan b. ' Umara-his
f.ather- clkrima said , " It was said to Ibn 'Abbas, 'We have not heard of
M_0st s' servant in this story, even though h e was with him."'.: Ibn 'Abbas
uid10 him, con cern ing the servant in this story, "The servant drank from
!~e water /of life] and became immortal. The teach er took him, fastened
~mi t.o a ship and senc him ou t into th e sea. The ship will continue carry-
ing hun across the waves until Resurrection Day. This was done because
/th t" sen·a m] was not supposed to have drunk from the [Water of Life J•
but he did so anyway."1
1
l~ o/
7r~. ~ith
15 a v:amtion of the previous one and h found in Tab:ari's Hi.story; Tht f!~to,y
;~ IO/•. llJ, 13-_16. Brinner's u :inslatio11 makes it appear that KhaQir's nai;~~;~ ~~::
,;ohch~· . ,;~:: ;:.~a: .~~;l:;1 .gh
'
1 11
u 1~:st:~~:~:d;).>.:ar in it , and he does not 1r.msl:ite Ibn
~~~:<'
t
·r~i: ~:ltt
]O!.hu~ · 11
5
addrcnes the <]Uestion of where ~ oscs' servant wen~ ~fter ,·er~ 1
; nestmgl~··
0
1 1
;:.~n:~
the ea rl y tajsir of Muqanl b. Sulaymin _txphculy_~;asTefsir MuqOtil b.
~~!.,)11>~: ::;: dunng all tbc 1rials Moses ex perienced wuh KhaJir ·
barfs f.sfti1 :
1
ilia rtpo n is 3]~0 found in Tht History of nl-Tabari, Vol. Ill. 16·
285
_ l11
 TABA R! s,1,ar a/-Kal,f(18c60-82)
Mul_,ammad b. Sa'd [b M h Prophet of God (upon him peace). g rew lo ng and he
un ~lc [al-l:lusay n b. al-l:lasa;, ]- ~. ammad al-'Awfi)-m fa h
al-Awfi[ - lbn 'Abbas said ,y father-his father
to l,is servam I will not . • co nce~ning His statement And h;1rya b. Si'd
t er-rny ['I . bco nw exhausted. he asked hi s serva nt for the fish.
Hi s servan t. wh o was his slave, said to him, Did yo11 see,
I I gwe 11P 1mt,I I rea J h w tn MOSe wlu·, wr took refi1,ge 0 11 tl1e rock, at1d I forgot the fish-and
1
r ,ougl, I march o11 for aoes
o • c ' r e point where the t WOsea.s meet
s54id ,i(lur hu1 Saran ca11sed me toforget to mention it? The servant
sai d. "I saw th e fi sh when it took its way it1to tl1e waters,
When Moses an d hi s peopl e ·1 ,
people se ttled in Egy pt. wf:~v:~ ed over Egypt, his bum1uii,1g. •· Moses was am azed by thi s and returned to
th ere , God se nt dow n to M ey became settled rhc rock. where he found the fish , and the fish began
them of t/,c Days of God (Q o_s\s [the words), lwnind mo\'i ng through the sea. Moses followed (the fish's}
to his peo ple remin d" ;4
• •5 . So, Moses preached path. wit h hi s staff in front of him, which parted the
favou rs God had
g· m: t 1cm of all the good and sea so he could follow the fish. Everything the fish
touched dried out and became rock. The Prophet of
chem from Pharao;~en t em, and how God had saved
h . 1 s men and of che d God \Moses J marvelled at this, until the fish brought
c eir enemies, and how G~d had estruction of
him to an island among the islands of the sea, where he
of th e land. H e said co them .. made them trustees
Prophet direct! , h • God has spoken to your encou ntered KhaQir. {Moses] greeted him , and KhaQir
G Hi s Irevel . 1·
c osen me for Himself and sent down rrplicd, "And upon you peace, though how can you
grre t us in our land? Who are you?" "I am Moses,"
Q. 18:65
Q. 18,65 given ou a;:~:~ t o m~ o ut o f His love for m e . i He has
Prop! y . I erythmg you have asked of Him. Your he replied. Kh aQir said , "Are you one of the Children e
G , ;let is_t 1e most excellent person on earth while of Israel?" "Yes," he replied. (KhaQir] welcomed him,
}O U a recite the To rah .. M d I'd ' saying, "What brings you here?" (MosesJ said, "I came
bo unty th at God had b · oses not neglect a single
to you to the end that yo11 migl,t teach me right conduct of that
each one and rnak ' es c~wed upon them, m entioning
all. Then a m an a mg hi s peo~ le cognizant of them which you have been ta11ght." !Kha~ir] said, "Lo! yo11 ca,mot
him , "O Pro hec rn o ng the C hildren of Israel said co bearpariemly with ,ne. You will not be capable of bearing
ac kn ow l d p o f God , th ey are like thls, and we this." Moses said , God willi,ig, you shall jit1d ,ne patienl
. I e ge all tha t yo u have said. 0 Prophet of God, and I shall not disobey yo11 it1 at1ythit1g. So, [Kha4irJ set off
ISht lere anrone on earth who is more knowledgeable with him, sayi ng to him, "Ask me 11ot concemi,1g anythit1g
t an you ;1' " N that I do, until I clarify it fo r you." (This is the meaning
Angel J Gabrie~•" M oses replied. Then God sent (the
of His statement till I myself make mentiot1 of it to yo11.)
sayin "G d to Moses {peace upon them both),
I ~• 0 says, 'How do yo u know where I have The two of them rode on the ship, seeking land, when
P act M y k nowledge? Trul y th ere is a man on the Kha~ ir stood up and pierced the ship, causing Moses
:~~sb~ore ~,•ho is m ore knowledgeabl e than you.'" Ibn to say to him, Have you made a hole tl1erein to drowt1 the
folk upon ir? Yo11 lia ve certait1ly dot1e a thing most dreadful.'
showash"said J· ·This is Kl ia.d Ir.
" M oses as ked His Lord co
t h im t m perso n, and so God revealed co him "Go Bishr lb. Mu'adh]-Yazid [b. Zuray' J-Sa'Id [b. Ahl 'ArubaJ-
o t eitsea,
Take andfor iv . you w i·11 fim d a fiHh on the seashore.
there , ~ tada said, conce rning His statement And when they reached the pci"t where
seas hore. W l~en e , It to your se rva nt. Then follow the 1
eiwo met, they forgot their fish,
you, then o u ,~~u forge t th e fish and it escapes from It has been menti oned to us that when the Prophet of
yo u are se:kin ,, I fi nd the ri ~hceo us servant whom God, Moses($), crossed the sea and God saved him from
g. Wh en the JOUrney o f Moses, the Pharaoh's men , he gathered together the Children of

l ~1re~bk : i.~-an7,ula 'aluyyamalu1bba1a,i mi ' . . rcs1 ortl 1

Tha report foun d :1\ \0 in Tlir Himry of tJI-Tabari, Vol. 111,
cllipm of revelati on" · ,. nhi.. I ag ree with Brinncr s tr2nslaoon, whlc:h 11 ~ 11.
'!>CC-, J ht Hi,,oryof a/-'faba , i, Vol. /II. 1o.

286
 TA BAR!
Israel and add ressed them, saying , " You arc the best
peo ple on ea rth , and th e most knowledgeable amon
them. God ha s d estroyed your enemy, parted the se~
fo_r yo u ~nd .~cnt d ow n t~ e Torah to you." It was
sa id to l11111 , Truly there 1s a m an in this land who
is_ more kn owledgea ble th an yo u." So, JMoses] and
hi s se rvan t, J os hu a, the so n of Nun, set off to find
him. T hey provis io ned th em selves with a salted fi I
whic h jth ey putJ in o ne of th eir baskets. It was said\~
th.c m, "W hen yot~ bot h forget what you have brought
~virh you. yo u w ill meet a knowledgea ble man, who
1s known as Kha~ir." When the two of them reached
~hat place, God returned the life-spirit to the fis h, and
It travelled fro m th e embankment, and went om into
the sea. T hen it travell ed and its path through the water
G became frozen wate r. Moses and his servant went on
Q. 18,65 as God (Mi ght y and Majestic is He) says, A11d whe,i 1he;
G liadgonefi1rther, he said to his ser11a,1 t, Bring us oi,r breakfast.
Veril)' we hm,e Jo1111d fa tigue i,1 this, our Journey. He said,
Did )'O Ii see, when we rook refuge 0 11 the rock, and !forgot
rh 1·.fish? T hen l~tada j recited until His statement and
had ta11gl,1 him k110111lcdge from Our presence. Both of them
met a kn ow ledgea ble man , known as Khac;iir. It has
bee n menti oned to us th at the Prophet of God(~)• said,
"K ha~ir is call ed Khadir beca use he sat on a white dry
spot of ground ~ and it. gli stened green from him." 1
Al-'Abbas b. al-Wa lid Jb. Mazyad al-' Udhri)-my father-Awza'i-
th
Zuhri- Ubayd Alla h b. 'Abd Allah b. ' Utba b. Mas' ud [rep 0 ne d] "
lbn Abbas and f:fu rr b. ~ 'S b. Hi ~n al-Faz:iri4 argued over che idennry
1 In otht'r words. Multi mmad .
i Followmg tht' defirmi on of jarrt'/l sugges tt•d in thl· D:i r Hajar edition of T.ib.ari s
3 ~:~~:!:o;:
-r13 i (no1t· 3).
1
' fo un~
111 "/ 'hr H,,10,y '?_{ul-'/ll~ri, Vol . JI/ '. 17. ~ccording to Suy~~~ Companion!
rsal had,1h concc rmng chc na nung o f KhaQ 1r w inch pass through
; :~,,'!u~?;~:
1
:i rid 11111 Abbas :i.r:_f~und in
the Sabib o f Bukl~iri: r_he Su~~:~~'.s
Drm,JJh !Hi ~11 1~~11 bal, ihc ~r ante comment ar y of Jbn Ab1 l:faum and
) of Dama~cm/; al- D sm al- manthiir, 4 :4-24.
10 1
H bq
-t co~:-~tt~~·~ w~} the roungt'H member of a small delegatio n from t:ecff::!1m chr n&1.1l
raid /( 5
/ am and plt'dgcd allegiance to rhc Prophet aficr l_ 1c _ret ur badirhs; s~ Jbn
111
d, Kua/al~ta1q~~
9 1 0
:;:;;:;i;_"t;:rl.tohave had a role in rransn uumg many
2NS
S,,rat a/-Kal,f(18:60-8z)
r-" rhc teacher of Moses. Jbn 'Abba~ said, " H e is Kha<;l.ir. " Ubayy b. Kacb
,:,snl \. ,he t\\'O of them , an d Ibn A~bas s~1mmoned hi!n• saying, "I and
6
~ . ,orn·p,inion arc argu in g ove r the 1dent1ty_of Moses teacher, whom
;··1 icsl asked /God] for direc ti o ns to meet h1111. Did you hear anything
l_-\lo I ' k sscngcr of God concerning hi s affair?" jUbayyj said, "Yes,
1rorn 11r1,
hwd the Messenger of God (~) say, ' _Wh~n Moses was with a coun-
1
1 of lsr,telitcs. a man came to 1nm, saymg Do you know where there
: ;mronc more knowledgeable than you?" "No," replied Moses. Then
God~cn·alrd to Moses, "'B ut yes-O ur servant Kha<;l.ir." Moses asked for
directions 10 meet him, and God made the fish a sign for him. It was said
mhnn. ··when you lose th e fish, turn back and you will find him." Moses
followt"d che trail of the fi sh in the sea. Moses' servant said to Moses, Did
y.-~ .((r, wlrm 111e rook refi,ge 011 the rock, and I forgot the fish? Moses said, This
~1b1 u•liicl1 we have beeti seeking. So they retraced their steps again. Then they
found Our servant, Kha~ir, and their affair is in accordance with what
God rdatt"s in His Book."' 1 Q. 18,66-7
)\u~ammad b. Marz uq-al-J:lajjaj b. al-Minhal-'Abd Allah b. ' Umar
. 1 -Nunuyri-YUnus b. Yazid said, "I heard Zuhri relate from ' Ubayd
Q
A!llh b. 'Abd Allah b. ' Utba b. Mas' ud that Ibn 'Abbas and J:lurr b. ~ s
b. l:ii!n al-Faz:iri argued over the teacher of Moses." Then he narrated a
nmlyidentical report to the previous on e from 'Abbas-his father.~
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
118:66 ] Moses said to him, May I follow you, to the end that you might teach
me righ t conduct of that ivhich you have bee,1 taught?
/i8:67 j He said, Lo! you ca,mot bear patiently with me.
God (halted · ff1s remem b ranee) says: Moses said to the teacher, .. May
lj,/f · is
0
~ ~' you, 10 the e11d that you might teach me some of the knowledge that
_ .; ih . ;ishcaught yo u, concerning that which guides one to the truth, and
r4-.,: · oiq(Et e Wa)•.to gui·d ance., ., I"le
God Lr sa,·J, Lo! you cannot bear patient
· /y wit· II me.
• \-aria1ionsof
. 'di i 1h~
11111
Xtted is His remembrance) says : The teacher said, "Truly you
incen~_the tpablc of bea ring patiently with me , because I act in accord-
~rikh orih· ;u r c conc:ealed knowledge which God has taught me, while you
' now the visible knowledge of m atters. You wi11 not be able co bear
f n.1r'll "·h0
I .nui t..,J1rh II ~ho fo u11 d .
- . .
lbn , _ Ill J lrt Hmory of al-Tabari, Vol. III, 9. Ir appears to be an abndged
·tt11 on o( the
l lb, n.rr:iuon ii al:b:a~5 /U~ 3 )')' baditli ci ted prt"viously in thi s section.
und HI Tlir J-/i:;10,y of af-Tabari, Vol. Ill, 9-
 TABAR! S,iral al- Kahf( 18:6'>-8z)

pati e_ntl y the actions you w ill see. " This is like the re ort Hu~JYII b. :d-I:fas;rnj- my father- his f.~thc~ rA{iyya b. Sa'd al -'~wfiJ_-
previousl y, 0 11 th e authority of Ibn 'Abbas
. • w h·IC h [saysp that]we1h·
mentioned
• [.1I-· : • j ;.Ask me ,iot co11cemi11e a11ytli111g ttll I myse!f make memwn oj,t to
I
w1oactsmaccordancew iththeUnseen wl· hh h d ISJsaman 1~11 Ab6as s~H • ~nything I do. un tif I clarify to you its tru e nature."
' uc e a been taugh t. ,_,~.conccrn111g,

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS: COMMENTA RY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
I18 :68 J H ow can you bear patiemly with that whereofyo h , fiS :il J Sr rhey both set out till, ivlien they ivere .;,, the ship, lie made a ho/~,
• ,r, rmed'. I18 :69 I He said,
U!JO ' G.od wil/i,ig, you shall.find me patient
u ""'"""''"
at1d I shall ;~;rem. (.\fosrs) said, H,we you made a hole therern to drow,1 thefolk upon 11.
11 01 duobey you in anything. Yo1< have certainly do11e a thing most dreadful.

God {Exalted is His remembrance) says, informing {us] of the reacher's
statemen t to M oses: 0 M oses, how can you bear patiently the actions you
will see me do , of w hi ch you have no knowledge of the ways in which
they are correct ? Yo u judge what is correct or erroneous on the basis of che
full extent of the knowledge you possess of the visible world. My actions
G occ ur w itho ut a visible indicator by which your eye can see that they arc
Q. 18:68-70 correct, because they are initiated for reasons chat will occur in the distant
G future, rather th an che nea r prese nt. You have no access to this knowledge,
because it is part of the Un seen, and you ca nnot grasp knowledge of
the Unsee n. (He says: Khubra11 means "knowledge.") [Moses] said, God
God {Exalted is Hi s remembrance) says: Moses and the teacher set off,
iurelling. in search of a ship for them to ride, until they came upon a ship
andbo.uded it. While they were riding it, the teacher bore a hole in it and
\loS('s said to him, "Have you made a hole therein after we have entered the
mim s~a todrow11 thefolk upon it? You have certainly done a thing most dreadji,I."
G
Ht up. "You have done something most grave ('a+im) and something
Q. 18:71
\\Tong.'· as we have been informed by:
Bi,hr Jb. Mu'adh ]- Yazid [b. Zuray']-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Ariibaj- G
~t.i.da ~id, concerning His statement {Moses said,] You have certainly dot1e
Hb11gimr,111, meaning "bi zarre," {Moses said,] "A group of people have
1

willing, you shall fi11d me patient. He says: Moses said to the teacher: God emm·d the main sea on their ship and now it has a hole bored in it, as
11 1f this were the thing of which rhey were most in need! "~ [Qe_tada said,]
willi11g, )'OIi shall.fi11d me patient con cerning what I will sec you do, eve _ if
it contrave nes what I think is correct , and I shall not disobey you in a,rythmg. "H01m·cr. /the ceacherj knew of that which the Prophet of God, Moses,
rud not know, from knowledge God had given him. He had said to the
H e says: I sha ll fulfil what you have ordered me co do, even if it does not
Prophet of God, Moses (upon him peace), Well, if you go ivith me, ask me
agree with m y personal feeli ngs.
r~11 rnncer11i11g a11y1lii11g till I myself make me,itio,i of it to you."
. ~I-Hasan b. Ya~ ya-cAbd al-Razz:iq-Macmar-~tada said, con-
COMMENTARY ON TH E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
cr,nmg [Moses said, J You have certainly done a thing imra11, "Horrid."
\\ M'.hammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahilij- Abii 'ii.iim [al-Nabil]-'Isa [b.
j 18 :70] H e said, Well, if you go with me, ask me not concernit1g ar1yrl,ing bJ•) munj; and from al-Hari th [b. Ahl Usama]-al-Hasan [b. al-Ashy-
till! myself make mention ef it to you. ~d-Waiqfjb. ' Umar]; both ' Isa and Warqa'-Jbn Abi NajiQ-Mujahid
·d Moses, •· u,,/1,
God (Exalted is Hi s remembrance) says: The teacher sai co •ect as " ' .c~nWcernmg His statement [Moses said,] You have certainly done a thinrg
• I dO hat you r<J ,an. rong."
if you go with me now, ask me 1101 co,1ceming anytI1mg . t
the Unseen ' ro
w rong, for I have informed you that I act acco~dxng ~o u.,, f-le says, A noaily ide . I
,I.Busavn- . --~ tica report was narrated to us from al-~sim-
w hich you have n o access, till I myself make me,ttton ef 11 to -yo do which
7:£/to
. l:laJJai-lbn Jurayj-Mujahid.
" Until J inform yo u about the actions yo u wilJ have seen you
1
0
you w ill rega rd as wro ng. I shall mention them co Y ~: c I have b(e-11 ~
1
Di.r H•jar rdnion of
.( litlibi tduio I
•' .
kh T:abar'. s _Tafs 11 Im the verb kh-r-q in thc passive (khruiqat), while
th eir nature, and ini tiate yo u to th e sto r y behi nd them, as i~u°ir H~•r, ~ :.S ar<Jqtah43 , m which case M oses' te:acher is the subject of 1he verb;
15 3
informed by: rny unck o"'1ngrht rt•dm,of 43 . . . - .
h g Y h mun m the D:ar Hapr edition of Tabari's Tafsir; 15 :J 36.
Mul.1anu11ad b. Sa'd jb. Mu~ammad al-'AwtlJ-mY fac er-

190 29 1
 TABA R! S,irat a/-Ka l,f(18:60---Sz)

_ !he.. word imr in t he sp~-~c h of the Arabs means .. rea . COMMENTA RY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
(dal11ya ). 1
For examp le, th e rapz poet says, g t calain 1ty ·J Did f ntil tell you rl,at you co11/d not bear patiently with me?
I1,..,J Hr'•" ,
qad laqiya 'f-dqrii1111 mi11ka n11krii ~.,~J (H ) 5aid
1
Tal..'C me not to task that I forgo t, aud e:r:lurnst me 11ot in
diihiyarm, dahyii l1 iddmi imrii fiS.~.' ,igs ' my affa ir with diffiwlty.

Future generations have rece ived from you vileness,
Great ca lam it y, mi sfortune and dreadful wrong.
~ ne of t~1e c~ p;,rts in tl~ e speech of the Arabs l said: The or[ inal
meaning [of 11~,rj 1s every tlun g that is difficult and a multitude. "~nr
can say,_ rc~a rd1_n g a group of people, amirii , if they increased in numbtr
~nd their s1~uat1on became ve ry diffi cult . The verbal noun [of this verb)
1s a11wr, whil e th e no un is imr.
The ~r'an recite rs di sag reed ove r th e reading of His statement to
drowt1 thefolk upon it. Most of t h e Medi na n a nd Basran, and some of th t
K~ fan reciters, read li-tugliriqa al,/ahii with a tii' in the verb li-tughriqa and
Q . 18:71 with the word ah/ in the accusative case. 3 Th e meaning in this case is '" So
that yo u, 0 you man, wi ll drown the p eople a board this ship, by means of
G the hole yo u have bored in it. " Most of the Kufon reciters read li-yaghraqa
with a yii' and w ith al,/ in th e n ominati ve case, with the meaning char tire
folk are the people who are drowning .''
TABAR) SA I D: The correc t opinion, in my estimation, is chat they are
both_well-attested reading s, overwhelmingl y found in the garrison ci~ies,
Go.J (Mighty is Hi s rcmc1~~ br~11 cc) says : The teacher said to Moses, after
~t ~aid what he Just said, Did I 11ot tell. you that_ you would be un able to
i,,. , I"1 mrly with me concerni ng my ac~1ons, wl!:ch yo u sa:", bec~usc you
4 11
m srting that whereof y,n1 l11we 110! been 11,Jormed? Moses said to hun , Tah·
Jfi,rgot.
,ri(rJNli';a!I ·1lw1
The interpreters disag reed over th e meaning of that.
OPIN ION: Some of them said : This statement came from Moses (upon
him ptm·) w rhc reacher as a euphemism, and not because h~ ~o~got
hisJgrrcmc- nt and every thing else th at had taken place when he 1mt1ally
kwm his co mpanion, with his state me nt, Well, if you go with me, ask me G
r.vt(0tw·mi11g anything till I myself make meution of it to you (18 :70). Q. ,s: 72 _3
An account of those w ho said that: G
/Anonymous j-Yahya b. Ziyad [al-Farra']-Yahya b. al-Muhallab-
man-al-M inhJ I-Sa<id b. Jubayr-Ubayy b. Katb al-An$1iri said,
conct"rning His state ment Take me not to task that I forgot, "He did not for-
1
gtt; urhrr, [this sent cnce j is a e uph emi sm. "
Ofl!NION : Others sa id: Rather, the meaning of that is "Do not take

~nd 111 agreement w ith each other semantically, even though they differ me 10 task for aban doning yo ur agreement." He interpreted the word
1m}j,1 as meaning "to neglect."
m wordin g. The reciter will be co rrect reading either one.
. We say that both readings are in agreement semantically becau se it An accou nt of those w ho said that :
~s obvious that Moses' repudiat io n of th e teacher's act of boring a hole !bn l:fumayd- Salama-Ibn Isl) aq-al-f:lasan b. ' Umara-f:lakam-
th ld b. Jubayr-Jbn <Abbas said, "Take me not to task that Iforgot, meaning
In th e _
ship was due to hi s assumptio n th at this act would lead to e
dr~wnmg of the people on board it , were he to do what he was d~ing. !or ihe part of your ag reement I neglected. "'
th
~~I s mea ning is obvious to ever yone, w h e ther !this verbJ is read wi_ :i r BARi SAID : T he co rrect op ini o n is th at one says : Truly Moses asked
t~ wic h aid in the accusative case or wi th a yii' with ah! in th e nofl1-l!la-
1
~ reacher ibat he not take him to tas k for the part of hi s agreement
uve case. 1
[ ~ he ~orgot, namely that he was not to ask him anything regarding hi s
_iurhersl actions or the reaso ns for them. [He did not say this] regard-
iul! rh, speci fi1c quemo
ing · teac h er ], w h'I
· n abo ut which he as ked [111s I e he
I ~:':~ ~tfinnmn and tht fo llowin g vt ne of ,aja:z :ire fo und in Abll ' Uba)'da. MafazaJ-Q!1 'Jn. reniembered the agreement h e had m ade. Thi s is indicated by th e
0
; ~~~ ,~lrl!; to ~rtubi, di h is al-Akhfash; .sec QB riubi al-Jami' /i--ahkam a/-Q!!r'On,~i,~;:111:
a/.Af,.I,~:~:: ~~nbts tlu~ rtad111 g to Jbn Kat!1ir, N :i(;' , Abll 'Amr. Jbn 'Amir an
4lbn Aun';l :K~::·tt :31. .. 3
. r. .AJ-f1rrl'
idduhitYib)'l b Wall rC"admg 10 l~anua aud Ki~a'i: al-Mulsarmra/-uu{~z: ·~,4n,.z :li$-
. n hlbaud al-Hai;an al-Datri aho read ic this ,v.iy; !vfaanial-

29 2
293
 TABARI S11rar al-Kalif(18:60-82)

sound report from t he Messenger of God s . .,hr [b. Mu'ad hJ - Yazid [b. Z uray' J- Sa'id lb. _Abi 'Aru~;J-
(.), which stares that t h·is n.
what is mea nt here, as was narrat ed to us f rom· 6 ·d concer ning He said, 14'ltat ! Hai,e you slam a z ak1ya soul? The
·J
Q!_t,1JS:tl • ••
Abu Kurayb---Yalqa b. Adam-lb ' U . . ;k;•,i is a penitent jsou lJ .
b. Jubayr- lbn 'Abbas -Ubayy b. K ' bn- yhayna-'Amr b. Dina,-s '·d ·• ~I- Hasan b. Yal.1y:i- cAbd al-Razzaq- Ma' mar said, concern in g
. k a t e Messeng f ai
con ce rnin g Ta c me 11ot to task that I forgot "Tl fi [ . er o God (~) said irli,r' J~al'l' yo11 slain a ziikiya soul? "Al-tf asan [al-Ba~riJ sa id, 'A penite nt
of Moses' forge tfuln ess. "1 le irst tune} was on accoun;
•
1,cull.... . . . . . - .
(Bishr and al- }:-lasa n rcCJ tcd 1t this way _m the1~ repo<~ts: zak1ya.)
INTERPRETATI ON OF and exhaust me not in m affi. . [Anony mousJ- al -1:lusay n lb. al-Far".J]-Abu Mu adh [al-Fa\11 b.
He says : Do not overwhelm me in my effair with fiffi a;' wuh diffirnlry Khilid al-Marwazi]-' Ubayd [b. Sulayman J~l-l;Jahhak said, con-
make m y affa ir w ith yo u a nd m y companion sh·1 I ~,hty. He says: Do nor arning His state ment A ziikiya soul, " M eaning 'a penitent !soul]."'
you 1 to bear. P Wit you too severe for
OPlr-"iON'. An acco unt of those who said, "Its meaning is a faultless

[mu!] 1ha1 is free of sin. "

Al-~ 1i111-al-Husayn-J:lajjaj-lbn Jurayj-Ya'la b. Muslim-
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WOR DS ,
s, id b. Jubayr said. "Kha\lir found some boys playing, took one of G
t S:7)4 J ~o they both Journeyed or1 till, u,hen they met a /ad he sfe 11, fiim them by the cuff, laid him down and slaughtered him with a knife." I
G ( oscs sa ,d, W hat! Hai,e you slain an innocent soul u,ho ha~ slain no ma;,) ins in for med by Wahb b. Sulayman-Shu' ayb al-Jaba'i said, "The name
Q.1874 Verily you have done a thing most horrid. · of the boy whom Kha<;lir killed was Jaysfi.r. " 1 [Moses] said, What! Have
G God meta
(Exalted 111u .Jaiu a ::iikiya soul, free from any fault? Ibn (Abbas recited zakiyya, like
lad isIHis reme m b ran c_e ) says : Sothey boc11ourneyedonrilf,
I . 111
the }1C11
! _ , t 1e teach e r slew h,m. Mos es said to him, Whal! Have )'OU ;·ou would say zakiyyii.
3
sIam a,i 11mocenr soul? OPI NION : One of ch e Kufan experts in the speech of the Arabs said:
. The Q!ir'a n reciters disagreed over the reading of Haw yo11 s/ai11 a11 Zakin·a and zakiya share the same m eaning, just as qasiya and qasiyya
umoce11t
_k . soul'· M ost 0 f t h e H IJ.. JZI. an d Bas ran re citers read a-qata/la naJW'
., lboih mean "'hard" J. He says: The meaning of both words is " [the soul]
z_a ,yatat1 , w ith t he m ean in g of "pure soul ,3 absolutely free from any that has not co mmi tted any cri me."
sm, _on acco unt of it s yo uth." Most of the Kufan reciters read
11
afsau TABARi SA ID: Thar iscorrect, in my estimation, because I have not found
4
z akiyyatan, mean ing "a penitent so ul , forgiven for its sins. " my [semamic] diffe rence between them in the speech of th e Arabs.
OP INION : An accou nt of th ose w ho said that: .s ~f tha t is how it is, th en th e reciter will be correct reciting either
Mul)ammad b. Sa'd [b . Muh ammad al- 'AwfiJ-my fath er-ml' ru dmg'. because they are overwhelmingly found in the garrison cities
" n~le lal-Husayn b. al-Hasan J- 1~y father-his father ['AfiyYa b. sa'd "nd th t'lr meanings arc id entical.
' 1-AwfiJ-
~ 1'" lbn _'Abb-as sa1·d , conce rning What J Have yousla1n
· -aki)'i'' °..
11 · The za kiyya is a penitent [so ul). " INTERPRETATION OF u,ho has slain 110 man
H,1ay1·
·h· h · w·It hout bemg
· m· reta liation for a slain so ul , the killing of
, I I:s be .
~s:~;:
I Ulnn\
Follo...,·mlradirlr _ e n ducus~d previously in this sect io n . .
111 0 rh,r 11
2
C'd11ionl; a 111 th C' D:ir I-I.ajar cd.ition of T.abari's Tajsir, instead of 'afi,yya ic would make a reta liatory killing allowable.

J Arabic : fllWfillrlra,a· 1h " . I d fi l Q! n10- an

4 Jbn 'Ati yp. Ua!C's·tl ~; ; 1 1 1<' . <' miti~ n offered by AbU ' Ub.iyda. MajU a -wo 'rcadi~gs- !--fr
0 i rht
Thmagrrlt
D~r H . unc~ · , O\C"r
d' _n amt) . the spelling
. of 1hu. name. The primary
. manuscrip1 used for
aKri~ the first one1 ( _h~rc •~ no d ~fft· rencc in m e.aning bcrween rh,ese r th niJorJI )' (
rccnm (j 1nlru) H za~•ya) to Jbn Abbls, 21-A' raj. AbU J a'fa r, N ;ifi and e_ ,1 , jni and JJ •i.i {not~a:/ mon of Tabari's 1afair Im Kh.aysUr, although the editors prefer JaysUr ; sec
11
JJ!Jdari;al- Mw~ ,,a;a~::ts d_iC' ~econd reading (zakiyya) to al-f:-la~n aJ-Bairi, lln orhrrword .
J Tl:ll l ~. wnhout an a/if afte r the ziiy
j In other word~. d1ose J h , J -~32 , . afz4ki)'il is J 11
ptr111e111 ~u l~ 0 uid 1ha1 thC" corrcct mrcr prt·cati on of zalt1yY • Jrgel>· a rC"wording of al-Farri', A1a'~ni al-Q!rd11 , 2: 155.

295
2 94
 TABARJ s,,mt al-Ka hf( 18:60-82)

INTERPRETATION OF Verily 1•011 /,ai,e d J· .. . d suffix ro no un yii' j. Th erefore, they put a shadda on it b~ca usc
one a t ung most ho 'd ( 1hcltflXC P.. a shon vowe l to the Ifinal 111/11 of lad,m\ , JU St as
~-le says_: Verily you lia1Jc done something wrong, and d rr, nrikr) . d'd1kc annc:ong . (
1s no t n ght. one an act which 1hc~ 1
• I I J posit io nsJ min and an. If the y annex a fir st-person
1hr) do wu it ic p~t"cm th ey in se rt a shadda, and say mi1111i ("from me")
. T~e foll owin g in terpreters said something similar to wh 5utfo.:·j'ro noun to I.~ ' .
JU st sa id conce rn ing that. An acco unt of th I . at we ha\·~ ri("' :1.bout me ) .
.I (_ osc w 10 said that . or am fi ' I citcrs who d o no t add a shadda rto the 111111 ], th ey con-
~" "_ /b. Mu adh/ - Yazid [b. Z ura y' /- Sa' id [b. Abi ·,A,- As o~t iosc re sufli x-pro noun to be in the genitive case with just
~tada s;ud, conce rnin g Ver ily yo11 ha,,c done a 11,;110 most I 'd "Tl ubJj- iJt·r the /mt-pe rson . I Id .
s ., J ti r 111, 11 so th ey con struct it with lad,m as t 1ey wou m
1111 r (" mos t horn·d") is more se vere than rhe wo d ·
k ("wm, 1<wod
6
r 1hcra a1rn not l • . . ,
see above, Q.18:71). '' r ""' most dread ful"; ~11 the oilier c:1.scs. according to rhe1r pnnctples.
B BARI SAID: T he correct opinion, in my estimation,,~s that_ they are
both eloquent readi ngs, which schol~rs a1,11ong the Q.Hr an reciters have
CO MMENTARY ON TH E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS : md. The reciter will be correct readmg either one, although the prcfe~-
1b]r onr, in my opinion, is with afatba on the lam , a 4amma on the dal,
/ 18 :75 / He said, Did I 110 1 rel/ yo11 that you could 1101 bear patiently with me?
1nd 3 sh11dda on rhe 111/11 for two reasons:
G [18:7 6 ] (A1oscs)_said, If I ask you ajiL'f this co11cerni11g anything, keep 110r [i]It is rhr more widespread reading (or usage; lu~h:)- _
Q. : _ compa ny tl'l th me. You ha ve rcccii,ed (s11fficie11t) excuse from me. Ii] We were informed by MulJammad b. , Nafi al-Ba!n-U:~ayya
18 75 6
G God (Exa lt ed is Hi s remem brance) says: The reacher said to Moses, "Did b. Khalid-Abii'I-Jariya al-'Abdi-[Shu'ba]·-Abii Ishaq-Sa 1d b.
I 11 ~1 tell you rhat you wou ld be unable to bear patiemly with me through my Jubm-Ibn 'Abbas-Ubayy b. Ka'b said, "The Prophet (l) recited ¥011
1
actions w hi ch you sec 111/iereef yo11 ha ve not been informed?" Moses replied ·~~11.:recrfred (mfficie11t ) exwse (/ad,mni) with a shadda [on the mt11) ."
to_him, ,:•IfI ask you after this rim e co,1ceming anythirig, keep not company Anrarly ident ical report was narrated to us from 'Abd Allah b. AbT
wuh me._ H e says, "Forsa ke m e, for yo u will no longer be my inrimare Zhid-Hajjaj b. Mubammad- J:lamza al-Zayyat-Abii Isi)aq-Sa'ld
co mpani ~n. You hai,e received (s11Jficienr) excuse from me." He says, "You b. Jubayr- Ibn 'Abbas-Ubay y b. Ka'b-the Prophet (i)-
have receive~ [sufficic mJ excu se regarding my situation." lt has been all eged that che Messenger of God(~) recited this verse ,
The ~ran rec it ers disagreed over the reading of this passage. MoS[ thtn said , ;'Moses, t he Prophet of God, was ashamed."
of th e Medinan reci ters read mi,1 ladun/ 'udhran w ith a fatba on the /am, a Muhammad b. al-Muthanna-Badal b. al-Muhabbar-'Abbad b.
{iamma on the diil, and withom a slwdda on the min.' Most of the Kufans Rishid-Dawud sa id, conce rning God's statement If I ask you after this
and Bas ran s read it wit h a fa rba on the lam , a t/amma on the Jal, and a r~ncerning a11ytlii11g, keep not company with me. You have received (s1ifficiet1t)
sliadda on the min [i. e., lad1m11ij.J Some of the Kufans read it wi th a fla- ixrn st from me, "The Messenger of God (~) said, 'The Prophet of God,
vou r 0
'. the u- sound 3 on th e diil, and no shadda on the mtn." Mosts, was ashamed when this happened."'
.h 1.5 as if th e reci ters who p ut a shadda on the nU11 are seeking _to AbdAllah b. Abi Ziyad- l:lajjiij b. Muhammad-l:lamza al-Zayyat-
ma111ta111 the 111- 111 · Id f I b auseddus
. . c "' a rm ree from raking a short vowe , ec 1h 01h ~r words, 1hey n·fusc 10 add a kasra under the mi,1 of miri or '11 11 when the sufftx-
origin a1 iormha s as,k 1- . f h d·d tputa sha a
011 it , th(" Jo . . _J 111 on as 111/11. I t e reciters 1 no /due ro r:onoun iis luach~d, in order to pr<-sc rvc the integrit y of the vowel-free mi,i in the original
nginal 111111 J would be required to take a short vowd formof rnin and 'au. lmtt•ad, they :idd a second mi ll with a kasra to the original mill thal lacks
,;; Ilion vowel, which h what happens when one puts a $/iadd,1 on the mi,i .
· co:r:~~:~nof the D~r_Haja~ edition inserted Shu'ba '.nto'.h: is~,a~ on chc basis o f other s~um:}
lib.iri\ g t~u s narr.it1on, smct" he docs not appear m this w1ad 111 ;m y of 1hr manuscripts 0
) .~1rord1:~1r, 15: ~4! (n~tc 1). - - - . . -
Q,: ,_ g 10 SuyuJL, dm l1aditl1 is found in the S,maus of Abu Dawud and T1rnudhi, the
/~l~:~ ;cru1~ic.s
1
;/ -: :~ 1 of Jbn al-Mundhir and Jbn Mardawayh, :1.nd 1hc J:ladith collcnions
. aba r.m,; al-D11rral-ma111/iUr, 4 :429.

297

lb&••JoW 1A.__
 TABAR !
Stimt a/-Kal!f(18:6u-82)
Abu Isl)aq-Sa'id b.Jubayr-lbn 'Abbas -Ub b K, N. One of rh c Basra ns1 said: Th e mean.~n g of yt1t1qii~~ is,," it co1~1es
J p J () . ayy · absaid "Wh
r 1.e rop 1et mentioned anyo n c and prayed for him h • enc\·<."r O~JNI.~ f~undation and splits," ju st as they say the tooth sp lit , m ca nrn ~
with Ja prayer for) himself. One day, he said, 'May God •ha:cwould begin
7ercy upon
ott of II k ff fi ·ts root O ne says, "A split like a broken tooth,
us and upon M oses ! Had h e remained with his teacher, he wo 1 r1 liiand bro ·ro ro1111 . . . . "
~ir~urn g " He docs not join w it h l11 s famil y. .
marvels; instead, h e sa id,
.
If [.ask you a,Jier tl,is concernmg
. u d have seen
anythina k
com_Pany 11!/lh me. You have received (sriflicient) excuse from me." [Th:• p;ep 1101 NJON" One of ch e Kufans1 sa id: lnqiyii$ is a fi s~ure for th e enttre
recacd ladmmiJ w ith a shadda f011 th e ml" J. 1 ophrr ~:~:h oft.hr wall. in the casing of _a well. or in a man s tooth. One says,
.. His moth inqii,,ar" if the split runs its enure length. .
h has been sugges ted chat th e town from which Moses andJIns teacher
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS, (i d bill they refi tSed to make them g11ests, was Ubulla.
ffqucstc d oo , :/'
f18:77 j So they both journeyed 011 till, ,vhen they came 11pon thefolk of acer- An account of those w ho said that: ., < _ , .
tain township, they asked its fo lk for food, hut they refused to make AI-Hu say n b. Mubammad al-Dhan - Imran b. al-Mu cam1r, _t~e
them g uests. And they fo und therein a rva/1 upon tire poim offalli11g mercha~c of cotton clorh- I:Jammad Abil 5alil)-Mul)ammad b. Sum
s..id ... They went back many times to Ubulla, yet how few people go th ere
into ruin , a,id he repaired it. (Moses) said, If you had wished,
0 you could have ta keu payment for it.
ind murn from it satiated. It is the land which refi,sed t~. make them guests, G
..nd it is the fu rthest place on God's earth f~om th~ sky. _ < _ Q.18,77
Q. 18,77 God (Exa lted is Hi s re m embrance) says: Moses and the teach er jour- Bish, /b. Mu'ad hj-Yazid [b. Zuray )-Sa 1d jb. Ab, Aruba)-
ne yed o n till, when they came upon the folk efa certain township, they asked its ~tada recited from His statement So they both journeyed 011 till, wheri they
0
0
folk for food, but they were not fed. They sought hospitality from rh em. llf<l" tliefolk of a certaiPl township until His statei:nent you could lr~ve taken
(jlmf

b,u they refused to make th em guests. And th ey found rhereir, a wall upo11 rhr pJ711m1Jor it and said, "Wicked are the towns which do ,not ~ro~1de hos-
point offalling into rni11 . H e says: In th e rown , they found a wall on the pitllity for their guests, and recognize not the wayfarers claim.
verge of falling a nd comi n g d o wn. One says "inqa</t/at rhc house" if i.~
coll apses on irself and fa ll s. 1 Likewise, one says " ch c iuqit/atJ of the surs_ INTERPRETATION OF a wall upon the poirit offa/li,ig into ruin
w hen they set or jappear to] fa ll from their places. An example of th1 s The experts in the speech of the Arabs disagreed ov~r the m_ea~ng o~G;d's
is th e verse of DhG ' I-Rumm a: mtemenr (Mighty and Majestic is He), upott the poml offalling mto rum.
fa 'nqa44a ka'l-kawkabi'l-durriyyi lllflfl!alirii OPINION: One of rhe Bas rans5 said: Neither the wall, nor any inanimate
He fell , like the blazing star, q uickly.
1Tim11 tkopmion of Abu 'UOOyda; MoJO::: al-Q!r'ii11, 1 :41 1. Sezgin 'sedition of ~ ajli::: al-Q!r 0~1•
It has been narrated fro m YaiJ y3 b . Ya<mar 3 that he read yurid11 au Uc the eulicr ednions of Tabari's Tafiir, Im i,rqtigefa instead of imJ~"· The editors of the Dar
H,p r ed1t1on provide a thorough justification for reading this a5 i11qtiµI _in their n~tcs _(1_s: J4 6).
ya , qii1a [instead of yanqat}r/a J.
1 4
he meaning
i Tln111 the opinion of al-Farrf: Ma'iini al-Q!, On, 2 : 15 6. N o1e dm the editors of this edit1~11 also
Th e expe rts in the speec h of the Arabs di sagreed over t hr,-eir#J.i imtr.id of inq~ in this pan:ige. However, Ibn 'Ati )Y-1 quotes this sentence~ witl1o ut
of this readin g. idcnuf)ing ~!-hrri' 25 irs aut hor, JS i,iqa$0 imtead of the i11q&!efa: see al-M11bam1,al-wt1pz, J:534.
l Fo!low1ng 1he D;,ir Hajar edition, is:3-p . Earlie r editio ns ofTabarI's Tafiiridcntified the c_it )'
1
¢."0rd111g to SuyU1i, variations of 1h is fiadith are fo und in the S,mans_;haf AbU~. mwud.
and 1he 11
Ayll lbn Ariyy-a rnppom th t: rt'ading of Ubulla; al-M11barra, al-ulllji:::, 3 :.533. U~ul_la I S a
mi:i-id hi ~nd Nufi, 1he Mws1adrak of l;likim, the Mu1anriaf of lbn Abi 'I pon on the coast of souchcrn Iraq, to the: east of Basra on the righc bank of 1he T1gr1s; see
~r i mc commcnury of lbn M.udawayh : al-Durr al-rna11tliiir, 4:43o. J H. Kr:inim, kal-U bu lla." El'.
4Ar.ibic: yurldu an yanqa#a; literall y, ·· [a w:ill] wan ting to fall into ruin . ., T he problem Tabari
; ~:;)~ dc:n~:?n h found i~1 Abo ' U~)•da, Majiizal- Q.1r'a11. _1 :4 11 · . crv and elsewhere : ~
Kh · mar al-lhtn w:u a Succcnor w ho 1crved as Judge Ill M f. ou~ (or I 1 i.11ddremng is the presence of an inanimate object, in this case a \vall, serving as the subjt·ct
I ur:h.i n after th c Umayyad governor al- H ajj:ij bani sh ed him then·. H e wa 5 ai:1,.;iblf di rd of ihewrbar.ida, which means "to want" or "to desire," si nce inanimate objects lack volition.
:r:~~n~:,; no~·lc:dgc: of gnuunar and rcl;:ibibt )' as a haditli 1n 11smiHC'r, H e pr SThu explinltion and 1he verse of poetry wliich fo llows arc fo und in Ahli ' Ubayda, Majii:::
, Followm
g
~! 0:e
1
8
lbn f:hJar. 101,d~ib al-tahdhib, 7 :12 8--9.
I h Jn ed11 1on of r:iba ri's Tafsi,; ~cc 1.5 :3 46.
al-Q;., ~".1:,ro.

299
 TABAR!
S,irat al-Kah{(18:60--82)

obj ect, has ''a will or desire"; rat her, if something is in this cond· abmtin u,a-1abmn~111mi
i,•,1-slr11hi ilayra bi- <
account of it s Lo rd (o r owner, rabbi/ii), then it is called ... . ltion on
1 Wuh foffqua rtcrs fro m the spea r-fa ll twi st ing ;iway, .
Thi s is like th e statement of th e Arabs, and others: Its wi I or desire." 1
!MY hnrscJ complained ro me through tears and snortmg.
y11ridu 'f-rmnbu ~adra Abi Barii 'i,1 ~l.firr:i° sai d: J An orhcr example is God 's statement (Exalted is His
wa-yarglwlm <a11 dimii 'i Bat1 i ~-'iqili /, et;it1rancr). W/U'II Mose/ a11gcr ad::1cd do11111 (Q.7:154), even thoug_h
The spear is ready ro {lit. , " wants to") pierce the chest of Abu B:u·f :~n~r docs not acruall y "calm down. Rath.er;, only the pcr~~n. wh~ ~s
And turns away from the bloods of B:mfi 'Agil. 1 rn!rr cairns down. The meaning of the verse 1s settled d_own . L1kcw1sc,
Hi~i~,nemcnt When tlicaffair became reso~11te (Q.47:21), whic!~ really means,
?P I N I ON: Another o ne of chem said: JGodJ only spoke co the people "\rhcn chr people involved in this affair became resolute.
111 a way rh cy would all grasp. There.fore, when the ruin or collapse of T.'.BARi SA ID: Another one of them s~id: This is a~~ng_ th~ el~quent
something is near at hand , it is permissible to say, "It wants to collapse.'' ;xpressions 0 f Arabic speech . The "will of t~e wall is 1ts,tclmat1on, as
A simil ar caS(' to thi s is the verse , The hea 11ens nearly split open (Q. 42:5) or the Propher (~) said, "You two will not see their two fires. The exp~es-
th e Arabs' ex pression , " I nearl y flew with joy," even though you did not iion "cwofircs" mean s that each individual will be so close to the other ma
come close to actuall y fl yin g, nor did you desire to do so. Rather, [you
G sa id thi s in o rder to express] th e magnitude of the matter for you.
smgl.:- place that were o ne person co st~nd the~e he wo~ld see the othe_r one e
next 10 him, in close proximity. This 1s also like Gods statcr~ent (Mighty Q.18,77
Q. ,8,77
On e of th e Kufans ~ sa id : According to their speech, the Arabs SJ}" and Majestic is He) regarding the idols, and you see them starmg at you, but
G "The wa ll wants to fall," w hi ch is like the Arabs' statement, expressed 11:q do not percei 1,e (Q .7: 198). The Arabs say, "My house looks upon th.e
e
by rhe poet, house of so-and -so," with the meaning that it is near to it. People of this
position also cite th e verse in which Dhu'I-Rumma describes an efface~
iww dalira11 yal11J f11 shamli bi-j11mli11
wJtrring trough or encampment:
la-zamihum ra/11111111111 bi 'l-i(,sii11i
A time w hi ch brin gs all m y di sparate affairs all together qad bada aw qad liamma bi'l-b11y1idi3
Is truly a time w hich wishes to be kind. J It perished, or it drew near to, total perdition.
And , in anot her verse, The poet says "ir intended" (l,amma), with the meaning of "it changed
yasl1kii ilayya jamali f1ila 'l-surJ through being worn away.''
sabra11 jamila11 fa- kila11a mubrala TABA Ri SA ID: This is our opinion on this topic: By His grace, God
My camel complains abo ut the length of our journey ~Exalted is His remembrance) placed language among humans as a mercy
" Be steadfast ," I say to him, "for we both arc suffering!" rrom Him for rhem, in order for some of them to express clearly to others
th eir innermost thoughts, w hich the eyes cannot sense. The Arabs grasped
[Al - Farra-' sa1·d :) The ca m el canno t actually compJam
· [verballrJ;
I th r meaning of the verse:
instead, th e poet indi cates that if hi s camel co uld complain, rbat is w iat
it would say. This is like the verse by <Antara: 1
Thn ii .\lJChiel &l!s' tunslatio n of this verse from 'AntarJ's fomom ode (,,w'allaqa); Michael
wa-azwa na min waq 'i 'l-qm1a bi-labiinihi , ~ lh, Duur T,,umgs (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press. 1989). 55·
• • ha iiJdith is found m Abu O:iwGd's S 1mau (Kitdb al-jihad : bab 105: al-nahy 'an qatl man
ir~l.l>no bi'/.s,ymf), T1rrnidhi's S1ma11 (Kitab al-siyar: bab 4-2: mJjd'ji karJhiyat al-,naqiim bayrw
I Thu ,·r1·k' 11 tramb.ted tn Lane ,-u -d' : the ven1on 1111:-re has ya'dilu inscc.ad of_yar~~~~·. ~i -~r~l-rnwJhnki,r), :ind N:ua'i's Su11a11 (Kitdb al-qasJma: bdb 26: al-qa111ad bi-ghay~ ~adida). The

l :h1i rnt1re pa1~ge, unul Tab:m ia) "A uo d1tr o ne o f them s;iid. ·• is found in a ; ;;::: : °_ f th is h4 dirh is that the Prophet crit icized Muslims who w~re livi~g m SUCh close
44 141 11
- ~•<111,2 : 156
1fu)lo\\in} to JlO~}·thr1m that one could not distinguish betwe~~ th~1r e~kmg ~~es: .
"
I
J ain grJteful 1
° Khalid Williarm fo r lu ~aH htancc w11 l1 d1b wrsc of pocirY- g th t DJr Hlpr reading of bilda imtead of the eJrlitr cdmons rcJding of kaJa, ,5 .349 .

JOO 30 1
 TA BAR!
fl-11wlm1ahi11 qaliqat bihi l,iimiitllhii
qalaqa 'l-jat'ilsi idl,ii aradna ttllftl la
h~a wastel and . w hose owls arc agitated,
L1ke,.thc agitatio n of rh c axes, when the
for ) th e swo rd blades. Y come nc.1r (lit. "wish
jThe Arabs J understood that axes ca nnot b d .
human emotion s are described as havin -~I estnbed in the way that
knew what the spea ker of th e •f~ll . g a w1 or o~ging. Likewise, thrr
owmg statement intended . 1
ka-mitl,/i lwyli'l-naqii Jiifa 'l-mushiit11 bilri
ya 11 hii/11 bi1iat1 wa-ymilriilw 'l-tharii binii
Like a ~ense, co ll apsing sa nd dune, circled by men on foot·
Somemn
fi b. es . Ji rs sa ndj pours f,ort Ii. :in d sometimes the moist 'canh
or ids n jfrom pourin g forthJ.
G :he i~tenti~n is not th at the m o ist earth speaks; rather, the poet means
Q.1 8: 77 . afit t e sa n Y ~round beco m es compacted with moisture, which stops
Q 11 h"rom
T collapsmg · Th ts IS
. )"k · t h e " CJOT b'dd'
I mg ,, to which the poet refers.
is is I c the expressio n, upon the poirll offalling into ruin. [The Arabsj
rras~ed_t~ at its meaning was that it was on the verge of falling down. God
MaJeSU~ is His praise) on ly addressed th e ~r'an to the people co whom
~ e sent It down in their lang uage, 1 and they grasped what He me.ant by
s,,m, al-Kal,[ (18:6<>--82 )
,irii~h1." Jbn Jur:-i_)j sa id, " He_ in fo rmed me_ tha.t,~~(id b. Jubayr said, 'He
roochrd it with \us hand a.nd It became straight.
BARi SA ID: The correct op inion regarding that is to say: Truly God
\~i htr and Majestic is He) informed lus] that Moses' teacher and Moses
;:,:m~ih~rcin a wall 11pa11 1he point effalling into ruill and Moses' teacher repaired
• _ moning '"he evened out its inclination to the point that it became
]r\'d ." It is possible that he mad e thi s repair after he demolished [the wall],
11
nd it is possible that he rai sed the wall with his hands and made it level
h mtans of God"s power, and that its inclination ceased to exist by the
' c~rr of God. There is no indication in the Book of God or report [from
;hr Prophet] chat is a decisive proof [concerning this matterJ , so one may
1
w rpn:c chis passage either way.
INTERPRETATI ON Of (Moses)said, If yo11 had wished, yot1 could have taken
p,l)111t'Ulfa ril
Q.18:77
Hr says : Moses said to his teacher: 1j you had wished, you could have
refuinrd from raising these people's wall until they had given you pay- 0
mmt for raising it.
OPINION: Some of chem said: What Moses meant by "paymertt (ajr)" in
the ~ntence, If you had wished, you could have taken paymeutfor it , was "hos-
pi1.1 licy." In other words, [he meant) "until they gave us hospitality, for
1hq·have !alreadyj refused co give us hospitahty."
1

n , ev~n t_hough the stupid and blind foJk may not have been c.apable of
OPINION : Others said: Rather, what {Moses] meant by that was finan-
graspmg Its ltrue J meaning, and the ignoramuses and simp1econs may have
cial compensation fo r his act of repairing the inclined wall.
gone astray.
The ~r'an reciters di sagreed over the reading of this passage. Mo st
INTER.P R ETATI ON OF ar1d he repa ired it of th e Medinan and Kufan reciters read , If you had wished, lattakhadhta
f Jyme'.u for it on the understanding that this is the (Form VIII] verbal
~P INION: It has been alleged that Ibn 'Abbas said, "[The ,eacherl form!fta'ala of the ve rb akhadha. J Some of the Basrans-l read this passage
escroyed lthe waII J and th en rebuilt it. " ~1 if rou had u1ished, latakhidhta without a shadda on the tii' and with a

We were info rmed of chis by: kma under rhe kha', and understood it to mean the same thing , except
' Uialbn l:lu•~~yd- Salama- lbn lsl:,aq-al-J;fasan b. ' Umara-l;Jakam b.
yba- Sa ,db. Jubayr-lbn 'Abbas. '. lm ~ nttnet is absrm from most manuscripts o( Tabari's Taftir: see Dar Hajar, 15 :35 1.
1
: Th1 11 1hr opir11on of al- Farra" : Ma'iini al-Q!r 'a11, 2.:156.
OPIN ION: O th ers said, conce rnin g chat, what has been narrated to us fro: ; i n;t:: ~h:~:phic isme ~:ibari is addrrssing is chat in classical Arabic , one would have
Al-~sim-al H , b v- ,,-Sa ,d It:"' d 11khadh111, with a hamza under an fllif. instead o( /a1taklwdhta, in which the
bJ b . - . usayn- Hajjaj- lbn Jurayj-Amr • in 11.
h ·nt ojfa 111g
. u ayr said co r .
imo nu·, "!Ti Kern mg And they.found therein a UJall upcn I eP'" _ b ame tton
Th taJn thralif are rlided.
' _, :: 0 and the following verse o f Poetr y are fo und in Abii ' UOO.yda, Mfljiiz al-Q!r'iiu,
'• le teache r] raised up the wall with his hand and H ec 1
JI-BJ;ti::t11n_-a ascribes this reading 10 lbn Kathir, Abii 'Amr, !bn Mas' iid, al-l;lal:tn
10 in the ~ i 3 da. Evr ryone d se seems to have adopted the first reading, which h found
I L1ttr.1l1 y, " He {Ma"rm c h. ·- l 1hr pcor lc printr l;faf~trcemion of 1hc ~r'an; a/-M11barrar a/-wajiz. 3 :5 34 .
whorn 1he rrvdm~n had~:} pralle)onl y addres~d. by m ea ns o( rhr _Q!!r a_,·50
n u:nt down In 1heir language"; Dir H :ip r, t5-J

JO]
302
 TABAR! 5,;ra1 al-Kahf(18:60-82)

th at th ey c~nsid er t~1 c tii ' to be part of the verbal root, be vs· "As for my action regarding th e sh.ip, it was b~cause
undc~sta ndmg o f d11 s verb is rh at one conjugates it as takh; cause t!icir [The trJcher] sa. r~u) of poor peo ple, working 0,1 the rrver, and I wished to
so th1 slyatkhadl111h11/ takhdhm1. 1 This is reportedly a dialect dha so~and. i t ('('long.rd to .g
3 1 I I . it that I bored," as I have been informed by:
as a poet said, o( Hu dli ayl, b · I onng 1 ,o c 111
nc ,- I I b-IJ ,-1 sa- [b .
J~1•1J_~,· rr. } > b 'Amr lal-Bahili]- Abii A~im a -Na t -
1110-qad rakhidluu rij"fi laday jm1bi gharz ihii Mulp rmnad · _ N ._1- Muj ahid said , concerning God's statement
- ,J- lbn Ab, 'JI·' d · "I b h I · it "
uasifa11 l.ui-1if/.11lfi'l-qa.tiiti'l-m11_1arriqi ~\.1r111u_1 d Ma 'csti c is H e) A ud I im'shed to amage ,t, ore _a. o cm • -
:~hghl) :rn . ~. I . orts were narrated co us from al-1:lanth [b. Ab1
My leg seizes the side o f /my camcl'sJ stirrup,
Norly ,dcnuca[t~;-A,h abj - Warqa' [b. ' Umarj-Ibn Ab1Najlh-
Firml y in place , like the sa nd grousc's hollowing our a place to
lay her eggs. Usl_n11,Jd- al-dl:l;'.~,si;~- al-~usayn-l:iaii•j-Ibnjurayj-Mujahid.
,\ l up l! ,an a ~

TA BARI SA ID: The correct o pini o n, in m y estimation, is that they are . TAT ION O F for there was a king in Jronl ef them who is taking
J;HERP RE J'
both wcll-kno~v n languages_ amo~g the languages of the Arabs, be.aring
nrrr sliip by brutal force
rhe same mean rn g, so th e reciter will be correct reading either one, except . 1• 0 front of them " 1 as we have been informed by:
that I prefer th e rC"ading w ith a shadda on the ta ' [in Form VJIIJ 0 ( the H(' s.i.ys:"T1ercwasa
I k mg ' ( -J •d
Al-H asa n b. Yal.iya- (Abd al-Razzaq-Ma mar-Qe.ta a sa1 • con-
verb /akliadha) beca use it is the more eloquent, better attested and most
rrming {or rliere was a king wara'al11m1, "In front of them. ~ouf not se; G
frequen tl y used among the Arabic languages.
th•1 [G~] says. mill warii'ihim Gehenna (Q.45:10), when It ts m rent o Q. 18:79

,h,m?" ' d [b Ab-1 'A -b J G

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS: Bishr [b. Mu'ad hj- Yazld [b. Zuray' ]-Sa i - ru. a--:-
~tJda said , "T here was [an irregular] reading of for there w.~s a kmg 10
l1B:78 J He said, This is the parting bet1veen you and me! I will announce to
from of [am.i'ma/111111 ] them who is takirig every ship by brutalJ:rce. c-d b
you the i11terpretatio11 of that which you could not bear 1virh patience. It has been all eged from [Sufyan] ibn ' Uyayna-Amr-Sa 1 ·
~od_(Exalced is Hi s remembrance) says: Moses ' teacher said to M_om , Jubayr that Jbn <Abbas read thi s verse as, "There was a king in front of them
Thi s State ment yo u have said," m ea ning His statement If you had w~heJ, (am.1malrnm)." , _, the
)'0 cou/~ l,a 11e taken paymem for it , "is the parting between you and me. He
11
One of the ex perts in the speech of the Arabs- placed wara among
says: It ls the division be tween me and you , meaning that which separares dmof words that mea n two opposite things (al-a<Jdad), as he claimed t~at
~ne from you . I u,il/ mmounce to you- he says: I shall inform you ofrlie it can signify some thing that is in front of something else, or somethmg
'.nterpretation ~( that which you could not bear with patience. He says: [I ~hall !har is behind it . He cited the following verse in support of the soundness
mfor m you) of that w hi ch will expJain to you the purpose of my acnons of that position:
rliat I did, about which yo u could not patiently refrain from asking me
or reproaching me. a-tarjii Bami A1arwii11a sam ci wa-!ii'ati
U'<l-qaumii Tamim1m wa'l-fa liitu warii'iyii

Does Bam1 Marw;in l desire my total obedience,

COMMENTARY ON T H E FOLLOWING DIVINE woR.IJS:
When my people are BanG Tantlm, and the desert lies in front of me?
18
dJ :79 J A,'o,1/
Jl ,e sh'1P, ,r· beIo,1ged to poor peop Ie work'mg ort theriver, .
a11 I wished to damage it , fa r there was a king in front ;! ef rlzem who is rakmg 1
Ar~~_i•: am<imahumwa-q,jddtimahu. The i~sue Tabari is addressing h ere is th:i.t the Arabic \\'?,~d
every ship by brutal force. ;::~/11~~111 vrrse typiclll y nu~l m ··behind,:, bm _in this case he believes rhat it means m
1 ln o1her words
101 u.11] harnza, .i:id ::;;1,:::;~
111 .
1; wrb akll(Jdha ("10 take"). rhes,· Basr.lm sub5urutt' a
,a'for1hc
..
•Th · Hlvl , 861. {Sec below for more discus~ion.) .
i 11 11 ihtopimon of Abu ' Ub:i.yda. The following verse o f poetry and iu interpret anon are
l The fotlov.,ng !oe-Ct1on indic.111 . -a as "in (ronf "r. 11:u~11;:):.: Ma1Jz al- Q.i,a11, I :41 2 .
in11ud of 111 con inion lllC':inm th~t T:ih.1~. pr.t·fers tht' m1crpret.:itiou of uuNI re it as "behind. rds, the brlnch of [h{' Umayyad caliph s who ruled from 684-"JS0 CE.
g of bdur1d. P1ck1hall, Arbc.·~ · and A~ d tr.11 15 a

304 305
 TABAR!
Siiml al-Kalif(18:60-82)

JThe poc rJ mea ns " in fronr of me" [when he says warii'i] ·d sfar rl1cre was a king in front of them who is taki11g
looked the correc t [ understanding] of this b I of ibn Mas u wa "
. . , ecause t I1e onl
· Yer he has over.
'" ' ,ng I '(,aii/w) ship by bruralfarce.
descnbe somct hm g t h at is in front of you b . .. . Y way one can nnj' irawort I) , S I - lbn Ish:iq- al-}:.lasan b. Din5r-}:.lakam b.
f b · Y saying Tlus is .,, _,,,
lbn t{umayd- ba :un a lb 'Abb._as said "The reading of Ubayy is/or
acc_o un_t you emg behind it (min warii'ihi). lln such a cas:]ra I is on S ·d I, Ju ayr- " , '
fac mg it m th e same way that it is facing you Th f; . • )'ou are LJi~yba-k _a 1. {, t efthcm who is raking every seaworthy ship by br11tt1lforce.
it is behind yo u an d you a re in front of it. . ere ore, It becomes as if ,~1rf11\llll ·1;~~~,d~o/1;
onl y damaged it to repel the king from [s~izing] it."
One of the Kufan experts in th e Arabic Ian ua e• d !The iracb~ I , - Haii;ii- lbnJurayj said, conccrnmgforthere
one to say " He is u,arii'i" when a person is in fr!nr g f oes_ not allow
A\-~snn- a -}:lusa) n . :i • b /fi "Wh I
k' . fron t of them avho is takitlg e,,ery sl11p by mta orce, en t 1ey
ca nnor say
. I .
"H · " ·
c 1s amiimi w hen he is behind you He d
•fi .
0 you,Just as 011c:-
.11 ..
oes .u ow this m
f1
u•Jj~/ ' "~·ng] thev repaired lrhe hole] with a pitch and enjoyed the use
~ases mvo vmg spec1 IC tim es of the day or tim e periods, such as "Tliere ris•rl 1'," 1'·· ib.n JL;ravJ· said "I was informed by Wahb b. Sulaym5n-
of [r 1r s11p. 1· ' k' h. b
1s a severe c~ld ahead of yo u (,,,a,aa"ka)" or "in front {or _ahead) of you is Shu arb al-J aba'i that the name of the man who was ta mg every s ip y
1
se~•ere heat, . b~·ca use you are behind it. Th e refore, it is permissible to sav i,uia{{o,cr was Hudad b. Budad."
~Im .bccausc _tt . IS something about to come, and, when you encounter i;,
'.t w i!J ~e .as _1f it were cantin g from behind you and, when you reach it. it
G IS as 1f It IS 111 front of yo u. For this reason, it is permissible for [warJ' ro
COMM ENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS, G
mean both ''behi nd " and ''in front of" in temporal casesJ. [iS:So j .-ind as for the /ad, his paretlts were believers and ave/eared he .avoi,ld Q. 18:80
Q.18,79
G
opprl'SJ ilicm by rebellion and disbelief; {18 :81] So rve i,ite11ded that their Lord G
INTERPRE TATION OF who is raking every ship br bniralfarce should change him far them far one better it1 purity and nearer to mercy.
QUES TION: What is the justifi ca tion for this teacher boring a hole in chis God {Exalted is His remembrance} says: And as for the lad, he was a disbe-
ship he was ridin g with fe ll ow passengers, if, despite his aim of boring a limr. and his parellfs were believers. We knew that he would oppress them by
hole in it, [th e kingJ is taking every ship , both the damaged ones as well rebel/io11. He says : He would cover them with rebellion, which is arrogance
~s th e sound ones? How can he justify hi s ac t of ruining the ship by bor- toward God, and disbelief in Him.
111~ a hole in it because ftli ere u,asJ a king in front ef them rvho is taking eiiery It has been alleged chat one of the (irregular] readings is "And as for
sli ,p by brutal fa rce? rhdad, he was a disbelieve r (Ja-ka11a kafiran)."
nd An account of those who sa id that and who said something similar to
R~SPONSE: The meaning of chis is char rrhe kingJ is taking every sou
wha1we have just said concerning its interpretation:
slup by brntalforce, w hile refraini ng from raking the damaged ones, ao d not Al-l:fasan b. Yal)y5-'Abd al-Razzaq-Ma' mar-~cada said, "A nd
that he is taking both the sound a nd the un so und ships. .isfo,1/ir/ad, he was a disbeliever," is the reading of Ubayy, "and/whil e.:.
QUESTION: What is the ind icator that chis is the way it is? hrs parents were believers; so we ime,ided that their Lord should change him for them
fJronebet1er in purity and nearer to mercy."
RESPONSE ·- H ISstatemcnra11d
" c b h"15 [che ceacher/
. ror
J wished todamage11, yt 111. Bi,hr Jb. Mu' adhj - Yazld [b. Zuray ' ]-Sa' Id [b. Abl 'ArubaJ -
clarified th at the on ly reaso n he damaged it was because the damaged s ~s
~~ida /said] "A nd as fo r 1he lad, his paretlts ivere believers while h e was
~vould not be pre sented to /the king). This is so sufficiently dea~ rliat If
a di sbeliever," accordin g to one reading. As for His statement, aud
Is not neccss
d ary to say, fior there was a king in front o,j tI,em UJhO is takingd.
til(f}'
gs 10 •·efea,ed, 'Abd Allah lb. Mas' ud's] Qt!r ' an codex ha s "and Your Lord
sou_n ship by bnualfarce, even rh o ugh th e re are some (irreguiarJ rea
saying something to thi s effect. 1
I ·d "Th, ~t ~llcged ru me of this king is not mentioned in the account of Kha~ir in Tabari's History.
A -1:lasan b. Ya~ yi- 'Abd al- Ra zzaq-M a' mar--Q!tida sa1 ' unJ';;~.\ ~~bymi_n_gives the king's name as Mubdila b. Jalnadi al-Azdi (vocalizatio n
l Jhll irr ' ut" Muqar1I b. S11laym~11, 1:598. .
• Thu 11 di, opu11on of .al- F.arrl' ;md thu p.aH.age is found in )ij s Ma'Jnia/-Q!Jfiin, 1:1,S7· cg r ru Jing has .a u,Ju,m\teaJ of a/ii' here; Dar Hapr, 1,s:357.

30() 307
 TA BAR.I
Srimt al-Kal,f(18:6<>- Sz)
fca r~d (fa -kl:afa rablmka ) li e 1110 11/d oppress th em by rebellion and J· . ,, ·u/,dilillw ml1 wit hout a shadda o n the dal. Some of the cxpc~ts
1

Am r 6. Ali- Abu Q,tayba- 'Abd al-Jabbar 6 'Abb- rsbcl,rf. . , 1lrt111 as > I read it thi s way sa id: The verb abdalalyubd,/11
Abu Isl_,aq- Sa' id b.Jubayr- Ibn 'Abbas-Ubayy 6·_ Ka'i:_•~Hamdlni- . hr •\nhic language w 10 • .
in t · ·, I biddi/11 have the sa me m canmg.
of God (i) said , "The lad whom Kh ac)ir killed was b d d [tf, e Mcssengc, J·!JNJ,.i,i1 Y" ' ' . · · · I b I d
day hr was bran ded a di sbeli ever. "' ran c Ofcleathjthe ' _S AID. T he correct opi nio n, 111 my cs t11nat1on, 1st 1at ot 1 rca -
pBA RI n•rY ciosc in mea ning , and each one wa s recited by a group of
Th e Arabs ~mploy. the verb "to fear" (khashyah, khawf) to meau "ro in~' are . · I ci rcr will be co rrec t reading either one.
su~pose (?mm), a_nd ,. m th ese readings, to mean "to know somediirt nur·:in renters. so t ic re h '
'-' . d. ·emcnt over whether God exchanged t e parents
!will ..happcn ), w hi ch ts grasp ed by means other than the senses and ch! ITlwrc 1s 1sagn:
eyes. We hav~ alrea dy ~x plained this l u sage J with supporting evidcncl.' in . k d son for a girl or anoth er boy.]
another place rn a suffic1cnt m a nn e r, so it is unnecessary to repeat it here.: ""' • I s been alleged that God (Mighty and Majestic is He)
1
ortNJONd' · 1 ' 'da ,J1om Moses' teacher killed for a girl for the lad 's parents.
C? ne of th e Basran expe rt s in th e Ara bic Ja nguagc 3 said: The mean ing rxchwgr tic 1a ''
of H is statement we fea red in chis context is "We disliked ," because God An ;1ccomit of those who said that: _ <-
docs not fear !anything ]. In som e /irregular] readings, we find "and Your Ya qi1b lal-Dawraqi]- Hashim b. al-~sim-Mubarak b. Sa ,d-
Lord feared." He sa id: Thi s is like the expression, "I feared that tlie two Amr b. ~ rs said, concerning His statement So we i11te11ded that th~!' Lord
0 men wo ul d say,"~ for this person d oes not fa ctuall y ] fear this more than ;f,(,;i{J fliange him for them for one better in P'."it,f and nearer to mercy, It has e
Q . 18:81 he dislikes it happening to them. reachc:d me thar [the ir new child] was a gtrl. . _ Q. 18:8,
Al-~ sim-al-J:lusayn- 1:lajjaj-lbn JuraYJ-Sulayman b. Umayya
0 0
INTERPRETATI ON OF So we i11tended that their Lord should change liim s.;.id that he hea rd Va(qUb b. (A~im say, "The parents received a girl 10
for1/,cm p!•ce of thei r son." Ibn Jurayj said , " 'Abd Allah b. ' Uthman b. Khuthay.m
Th e ~r 'a n reciters disagreed over che reading of this verse. Most of rhc informed me that he heard Sac'id b. Jubayr say, 'The parents received a gul
Mecca n, Medinan and Basran reciters read So we intended that their Lord mrhe place of their son.'"
sl,ould clumge him for them as yubaddilalwmti [in stead of yuhdilahumii}.S Son'.c: OPINION: Others said: Rather, their Lord put a pious boy.: in his place.
of rhese reci ters cite as eviden ce fo r th e soundness of this opinion rbm An account of those who sa id that:
fi nd ing that most of the occ urrences of the verb b-d-l in the QEr'an ban· Al-~sim-al- Husayn- f:l ajj;ij- Ibn Jurayj said, conce:ning. So we
1°
a sl,adda 11 the dalj, such as God 's statement (Mighty and Maje sti c is He). i,ue11Jed 1ha1 rlieir Lord should change him for them far one better HI punt[ ar1d
Tl1e1i theevildoerss11bsrit11ted ja sa)'ing j (Q.2 :59) and His statement, Andwhm r.wertomercy, "The lad's mother w as pregnant at the time (he was killed]
We 511 b5ritute 0 11e 1,erse in th e place ef anoth er ve~e (Q. 16: 101). Therefore, rbcy wnh a pious boy."
read lr 11 baddilc1!1111niij according to the same paradigm. . Al-~sim- al- Husayn-Abu Sufyan-Ma'mar-~tada said, after
MoS t of the Ku fa ns read So we intended that their Lord should change um
1
mennoning the lad whom KhaQir killed, "His parents were joyful when
he was born and sad w hen he was killed; yet had he lived, he would h~ve
bten the cause of rh eir perdition. Let a person be pleased and acc~p~mg
~f 1he Decree of God . Trul y God's decree of something a believer dislikes
11
1tiperior to His decree o f some thing he likes."

~t
110 1
·Ju~ri rcpons 1ha1 N.ifi ' Abo Ja' fa r ;md Abo 'Amr read y11baddilahmna wir h a sl,ad/UJ,
~r:r;'.~
1 ~11 mad
~hcoihtr recn:,n it as a ·Form IV verb: Naslir, 2 :236. ,. member
of ihe i, 'u ; ;nuslmi hoy, . in the sc rnc of "a boy who submits to God, rather than a
1 11
n cornmu rmy fo unded by the Prophet Mub:unmad.

308 309
 TABAR) S1,mt ,r/-Kalif( ,s:60--82 )

INTERPRETATION O F one be1ter in p11rity (zakatan) ,111-/Jm 1a'aw1mj r11b11w man tacm,,w,ifii
He says:_ [He or she will be] better than the lad whom [ • [WJr\ docs not make crooked family bonds of the one who veers
killed w1t l~ res pect to righteousness and pier (or ob . Moses . teacher] from it. '
1\\"Jy
have been mformed by: y edience ; dm), as W(.'
n sAR i SA ID: 11 is impossibl e for rnl1m to refer to a familial bond in_ this
Al-~sim-al-Hu sayn- J:Iajjaj-lbn Jurayj said c . · ur'juirj context. beca use the slain lad, whom God exchanged with a
I . fi' onccrnmg l·fo
sta tement So 111e i11te11ded that their Lord should cha Ill!' h·Jd I rhe same blood relation to [the new child's] parents, and
in p11rity, "Submission to God." nge llm orthemfar 011ebe11cr nc\\' C I . ias . I
the pln·nts share the identical famili al bo~d to _both cl11ldren. The on _Y
rnoniul!; of thi s p:issage is chat !the new child] will be closer than the slam
INTERPRETAT ION OF mid nearer to mercy nnc-to t;rating bis parents mercifully and with kindness, ~~~e_what ~tada
The int erpreters disagreed over its interpretation. hJSS.iid. As for he who interpreted these words to mean 1t ts more likely
2

OPINION :_ Som e of them sa id: The meaning of that is: And nearer in that ihc-rwo of them will receive mercy from him," !the problem] is that
iherc- arc- not any interpreters who interpreted it in this manner. If there
mercy to his parents and kinder to them than was the slain lad.
ii one- who has had this opinion, then the correct opinion is what we
An account of th ose who said chat: 110
ha\·e said , on the basis of what we clarified.
~1-tfasan b. Yai)ya- <Abd al-Razzaq-Macmar-Q!tada said, con-
G cerning and nearer to mercy, " Kinder to his parents."
Q. 18 ,82
Q . 18:81
Bishr [b. Mu'ad h]-Ya zid [b. Zuray' j-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Arub,J- 0
COM MENTA RY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
G ~tada said, conce rning and nearer to mercy, "Closer in goodness.''
[18:82) A11d as far the wall, it be/011ged to two orphan boys in the city, and there
OPIN~ON: Others sa id : Rather, the meaning of that is: It is more likely u•J.J brm·.Jtli it a treasure belo11gi11g to them, aud their father had been righteo11s,
that Ins parents w ill have more mercy towards him than they did towards
a,:d yo11r Lord intended that they should come to their full strength and should
the slain lad. ltringfortlz rheir treasure as a mercy from your Lord; and I did it not upon my ow,1
An account of those who said chat: command. Such is tl,e interpretatio11 of that which you could not bear patiently.
Al-Q!sim-al-Husay n- f:lajjaj- Jbn Jurayj said, concerning and
God (Exalted is His remembrance) says, informing [us] of the statement
,iearer to mercy, "They wiU have more mercy for him than for rhe onr
of the ttacher of Moses: As for the wall, which I repaired, it befo,1ged to
whom Khac,lir killed."
1u10 orplia11 boys i11 the city, and there was beneath it a treasure belonging to them.
?.'.
rn ~ne t~e exper~s in th e Arabic language I interprete~ chis passage:
The interpreters disagreed over th e nature of chis treasure.
eamng u 15 more likely char the rwo of chem will receive mercy fro
h OPINION: Some of rhem said: It was buried sheets, upon which know-
him."i Rubm is th e verbal noun of the verb rahima . One says, ,abimru u
rabmatan or rubman ("J treated him mercifully"). ") l~dge [was written }.
One of th e Basran sl said : IRuhm J co mes from the word rabim ("womb An accounr of those who said that:
and blood relations (qariiba). H e ~aid: One says rulun or ra~m, jusr as ~nd, Muhammad b. Sa'd [b. Mu~ammad al-'Awfi]-my father-my
says 'umr O c ("h d · . ") He cite '.i"'.1' [al-Husayn b. al-J:Iasan]-my father-his father ['A\iyya b. Sa' d
as . r am, ar ship"), and hulk or /zalk ("destrucuon ·
evidence rhe verse by al- 'Ajjij: bel A\~i]-lbn 'Abbas said, concerning and there rvas beneath it a treasure
ongmg 10 tliem, " There tvas be11eath it a treasure of knowledge."
Ya'qub [al-Dawraqi]- Hushaym-J:Iu1ayn-Sa'id b. Jubayr said,
1 Thh 11 iii( opuuon of al-F -•. . ,_ _ , . .
l Following cht" rc:i.d in of arr:i., ~C' hu A1aam al-Q.!r ii,i, 2: 157. . . . 11 o(fab,;lri's Jaf'r'
i;:; --:;!;
(1) :361) and in ~1-Fa!l''i
0 0
07-an y~rt1a~a bihi in th e- Dar Hapr edu10 ;. '~tth~Dir M
l lltc;iJ] fu lJJr c-dnio11 of T~bari's Taftir, 15:361 (note 8).
J Tlu1 11 the op1111on o( Ab Q,tr a,r, .z . 157. . of r'1}4Z; M;r- 1 1 th11
al-~rO,r, U Ub:i.yd.a, w ho alw includ t..-s thl· following vcrs<' w~i al-F~rra'\ opi nion, mcntioncd above-.

)II
] 10
 TA UAR I 5;;,,,r al-Ka hf(18:60---S2)

_; Ho\\' aswnis hing is he w ho is fa1~1iliar w ith th e temporal world

concerning and there 111ns be11eath it n treasure belong ing to th "K
Muhammad b. al-Mmh anna-AbU D awud !al T ' ":.1 •. _) nowlcdgc."
- . ,_ . - .aya m-Sh u'b -
Abu Hu ~ay n- Sa 1d b. Jubay r said, co ncerning and th b a
treasure bdo11gi11g to them, " Kn owledge." ere was eneatli it a
ibn Bas '.,shar- '~bd al-_R al.u n an [b. Mahdl]-Sufyan fal-Thaw,; -
ibn Abi NaJilJ- MUJa h1d said , co ncermng a11d there was hen th - ) knowkdgc.··
bdo11ging to r/,cm , "Knowledge. " 1 ea '' a treasure
M~l)ammad b. 'Amr _l '. 1- Bahi li ]- Abii 'ii~im fal-Nab,l)-'fsa lb.
MaymunJ; _~ nd ~ram al-1:Iantl,1_ fb. Abt Usama]-al-l:fasan fb. al-Ashr-
ab !- Warqa _lb. Umar j; both Isa and Warqa '-Ibn AblNajil)-Mujahid
said, c_? nce rnmg H is ~tatemenr and there was beneatlt it a treasure belonging to
the'."· Sl~~ets bdongrng to th e t,vo boys, upon which knowledge /was
wntrenJ.
AJ-~sim-a l- f:-lu sayn- l:-lajj aj-Ibn Jurayj-Mujahid said, "Shc.-ets
of kn owledge."
G non. then mives hard ! How astonishing is he who is certain of death, th en
Al_11nad b. f:-1 :izim al-G hifa ri- H annad a binr Malik al-Sha}'binirp
Q. 18 :82
said: I li ea rd my husba nd J:-lam m :id b. al-Walid al-Thaqa!l say: I heard
G Ja far b. Muhammad /al-Sadiq] say, concc rnfog God 's statement (Mighty
and Maj es tic is He) and there was beneath it a treasure belong ing to them, "Tl1rn."
were two and a half lines, an d the third line was not finished, /which
read]. 'I marvelled at the person w ho is certain of hi s sustenance-how
~an he _wear him self out jwork ingj ? And I m arvelled at the person who
15 cenam of The R eckoning-how can he be heedless? And I marvelled
at_ th e person who is ce rtain of dea th- how can he be happy?' fGodj has
said, and even if ir be the weight ef a m1tstard seed, JM., shall bring it forth ; " nd H'i-
th
mlfice as reckoners (Q.2 1:47)." fH an nadaJ said: Ir has been alieged rbat r
110
two boys were protected by rhc right eo usness of rhcir forefather, as
virtue has been mentioned in associa tio n w ith them. Seven fa t bers had
pasScd b,·tween jthcse boys J an d th eir fvirruousJ forefather, by whoni
they were, _ p rotecrcd, an d I1c wa s a ,veave r. b ma e awfu l fo r those who preceded us, and made unlawful for us. Spoils
hJPI':_" \"ict'-sirudcs, wh ich :-iffcct its inhabnants -how ca n he be at pe~~e
J::J it ·. I but God· Muh amm ad is th e Messenger of God.
in it'. Thcrt·
15 1
'.; g~\ J-una- Ibn Ishiiq- al-Ha san 6. ' Umara- l:-faka111-
Jbn HunblJ} - ,bn' (Abbas said '"The · treasure was no thing but
5Jid b. Ju .1yr- . ,
b 'U H d
Al-J-lasan b. Ya l.1y:i- cAbd al-Raz zaq- I n yayna- ·. um ay -
.\\ujihid said. conce rning His statcmen.~ and there was beneatl, tt a treasure
H,,;irinc 10 ,hem, ''Shee ts of kn owledge. , ( ,
y,;,us lb. 'Abd al-A'la)- ibn Wahb-Abd Allah b. Ayyash_- Um~r,
rhr maw/ii 0 f Ghufra. said. "The treas ure that God mentioned 111 the sura
m which chc.- cave is menti oned, and 1/,ere was beneath it a treas11Ye belonging
tc" d:mr, was a solid slate of gold, upon which was written, 'In the name
of God, the Beneficen t, the Merciful. How astonishing is he who knows
dwh. 1hen laughs! How astoni shing is he w ho is certain of predestina- G
Q. 18:82
{t'dViecure! I test ify that there is no god but God and that Mubammad is G
His}('r\"ant and Messenger. "
OPl~!ON : Others said: R ather, it was buried pro perty.
An accou nt of those w ho said that:
YaqUb [al-Dawragi]- Hushaym- 1:lu~ayn-' Ikrima said, concerning
arid there ll'as beneath it a treasure belonging to them, "A treasure of property."
Nwly identical reports were narrated to us from Ibn Bashshar-'Abd
•-~alnnan [b. Mahdi)-Sufyan [al-Thawri]-Abii 1:Juiayn-' Ikrima; and
lbn _,I-Mud1anna-Abu Dawiid fal-Tayalisi]-Shu' ba-Abii 1:Juiayn-
lknma. Shu'ba said, "He did not hear it di reccly from [Abii 1:Juiayn] ."
~!-Hasan b. Yal.1ya- 'Abd al-Razzaq- M a' mar-Qe_tada said, con-
cerning and there 111as beneath it a treasure belonging to them , " [This was ]
pror~tr bdongi ng to both of th em ." Qe_tada said, "Treasure (kanz) was
1

Ya qub lal-Dawraql]-al-H asan b. H abib b. Nadaba-Maslan"_ ·

Muhammad- N I< • • h h0 sat w1 ch 1
~~!~·; cornmcrn that km1z. wh ich I h;wc translated as "treasure," has been made forbidd en
al- ~ asan lal- ay,~1 a -A nbari, w ho wa s am o ng t _ose w_ 3 teinent
Ba~ nj sa id : I heard al-Hasa n say, concenung His SC
an d tIiere w,15 be11e I . .
I .
Iden s att, l~e ,lmi
1
Cornp{ n'.: ,;;~~es
t~x I
brief ex ~lanation. T he legal definiti on o f ka:.1.z, ascribed to ~he
mu ~nd occasionall y co the Prophet Mubammad, is wealth from which
u I. at I tta treasure be/011gi11g to them, "This was a go ·(i I
(K1:.i!, a/-~ckJ;;~~~0: ~w~ P.~i~, (al-ma/i,'l/adhi Iii tu'addii mi11hu'l-.zakdr)"; see Ml lik's Mu w.:i.u a'
~n w ucl:waswritten ' In the na m e of God , th e Beneficent, rb e .Merci tJ · 0
"".:hij1;1~·,i-.ickat af-h~ma Jd fi l-lw11z) aud Abu Oawud's Sm1a11 (Kitiib al:z aka1: bah 3: al-k~n.z
ow .astonishing ·. I1 J. )--how can
he be, sad? How a is _e \~' I10 _believes in predes tination (qa ar n he bt' 11 burirdund~rgroun·d fy). In ocl1er _ words, once the alms cax is paid, ones pro~rty, even 1f It
st omsh111g 1s he who is certain o f dea th - how ca irr.iur,1 of ch, . · Is not kawz in a legal seme. That Muslim s were autho rized to take the
[C.~, ~nd Kh;mpir,~ they conquered is evidcm fro m the hadith, "The treasures (kumiz) of
(Kit.;baJ_ aq,t~; Iwi!l spe nr in the pat h of God." which is found in Bukh :iri's $abib
I I lui rcpor1 h ~1-,,,cut fr om . 15 .36J- 111411
2 5: alama1 al-111,buwwa fl'l- bliim) and elsewhere.
mo11 m;mu~cn pu of Ta bari'~ tilfti r; sec Dir Hapr, · ·

La&__ 3 12 JI)
 TABAR! S,irat al-Ka lif(1 8:6r,-82)

!from the battlefield] (g ha11ima) were made unlawful f, ATION OF a11d I did it not upon my oum command
ceeded us but were made law ful for us. " 1 or those who pro. 1\'TERPRET . . h
· e rochrr] says: ••o Moses, I did not do any of thes; acuons, wh1c
Bishr lb Mu'adh] - Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-S ,_d 1 [b _ /Th I the basis of my own judgement (ra yi) or spontane-
~r.:ida said, co ncernin g the verse and there was b a h . · Abi {Aruba] - 111 O
:l'u sair ' .'d~•, t;:cm upon God's command to me to do them," as has
/ "I I db e,ieat It a treasure be/0 (\~dr. I 011 1) 1'
to t ,em, am not p ease y th e man who says, 'What is th . "g'.ng N' n,rratcd tO us from:
the treasure? It w~s made lawful for those who preceded us/;::ue' wuh " ,;h; [b. Mu'adh]- Yazid [b. Zuray' ]- Sa'id [b. Abi '~.tubaj-
1 8
makes lawful whichever m atter He wishes to k I cI > God Q!ijda said, concerning a11d I did it 1101 upon my o'.vn com11,ia11d, He w~s
I fi) h mac awru andn 1 k
u_n aw u w at H e wis hes to make unlawful, for these arc laW: and ob I: : s .commanded servant. who acted in accordance w1t_h God s c~~mand.
uons. What He makes lawful for one comn1unity, he makes unfawful 0~ f !bn Humayd- Salama- Ibn Isl.1:i.q said, concerning and I did 11 not ':?o"
ano ther. Howeve r, God will only accept pure faith and affirmation of His r:i· ru·tJ c~imnaud. ..All that you saw me do, I did not do it for myself.
oneness from anyo ne who has preceded us. "
l~TER PRETAT ION OF Such is the interpretation of that which you could not
TABARi SAID: Th e interpretation which is most likclv to be corrw
regard.~n g that '. ~ ,~hat ' Ikri1na said , because the well-kno~n meaning of kJrpJtimrly
[Thnc.'Kher] says : All of what I have mentioned to y~u, concern!ng the
kan~ ( ~.reasure ), m the speech of the Arabs, is "some property which is
rmons bd1ind the purpose of the actions I did, for which you reprimand- e
G buned, and that everything which is buried can be caUed "a treasure: ·
ed me, is an imerpretation (ta'11,i0. He says: With regards co the actions, Q. 18:82
Th e interpretation [of ~ r':ini c words] must follow their most common
Q. 18:8 2
usage by the people to whom che revelation is addressed,~ as long as no
.;~m wbicb you could not refrain from questioning me or rejecting or e
G indicator is brought fonh char the meaning must be changed to something fltaring patientl y, retu rn and refer.
else, for the reaso ns I have clarified elsewhere. I.'.BARi SA ID: These stories, in which God (Mighty and Majestic is
Ht) informed His Prophet Mul)ammad (~) about Moses and his teacher,
INTERPRETATION OF and their father /,ad beer, righteous, and your Lo,J art His way of educating jMuQammad], and an order from Him (for

imended that they should come to their full strength and should bringfarth rltm Slu~ammad] to refrain from urging [GodJ to hasten the penalty (He has
treasure as a mercy from your Lord L7 store for] the polytheists who deny Him and mock His Book. They

[The reacher] says: Your Lord J intended chat fthe cwo boysJ reach matu- ..l>0sem: as an announcement from [God] to (MuQammad] that the [cor-
rity and strength, and at that time they should bri,,gforth their treasure from ren] interpreta tion of [God's lenient] actions towards fthe polytheists} ,
under the wall, which I repaired, as a mercyfrom your Lord to chem. He sap: wltich may give th e impression that they are now His allies, is that they
I did my acti on with the wall as a mercy from your Lord for the cwo orphans. ultumcdy will acquire the [overt] qualities of His enemies. This is just
like the actions of Moses' teacher, which appeared to be wrong at the
lb~ (~bb!s said this, in what was narrated to 1:1,e fror:1: d al-Malik b.
rnptrficial level, in the eyes of Moses, when he did not know their true
M
Musa b. Abd al-Rahman- Abu Usama-M1s ar-Ab
( · . st c ment al/
J
purposes, even though they were correctly executed in reality, and their
aysara-Sa id b. Jubayr-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning Hts a eh . hr-
their father had been righteous "The two boys were protected by t e rig,. consequences were destined to turn our right.
c f 1 . ' ·b d righreous. r The following verse attests co the soundness of our explanation:
ousness o t 1e1r fat her, thoug h they were not desert e as 5 fyan
A nearly id enti cal report was narrated to us from Abii Kura)'~ ~Jbn
t' Lord is the Forgi1,er, Full of Mercy. If He took them to task (now)for ivhat
)!6·b'~ yayna]- Mis'ar- 'Abd al-Malik b. Maysara-Sa'id b.Ju a)r
as.
f•t"jear~, He would hasten on the doom for them; b,a theirs is a11 appoimed term
; ; u·h,ch tlzey will find 110 escape (Q. 18 :57). God follows this verse with
1
Cotory of ~oses and his teacher in order to teach His Prophet that
'Thu ~ mcnc are ;absent (ro111or lier
cduioin of c~ tli~_fol~o~·mg mriid, .:i nd tli <' imc i:.il clau ses of the n•pe>rt. iihrn s~n (Maj estic is His majesty) of refraining from hastening His pun-
2 In othi:r wo~d~~:;l: ~cc Dir H.:ipir, 15 :365 (note -4).
ent upon these polytheists is not on account of an act of kindne ss
} 111 othi:r word~. ihc Lord ~( Mo~c~.

)lj

3 14
 TABAR I

from Him to them, 1 even though this [delay] · h

on e who has no k nowledge of what God ha Inug dt appear to sorn('.
" I b f s p annc for th 1111· the
. uture to _e an act o kindness from Him to them, because them
mterpre tat1on of all this ultim ate ly will be [the I h . , e [corrt'ct]
·J . . po yt <!SIS] de5t . T HE LIGHT
and ann1 11lat1011 by the sword in the temporal Id I • ruction
II d d wor ' a ong wnh 1I . SOR.AT AL-NOR.
we - cscrve perpetual abase m ent from God in the Hereafter. im
(Q. 24:35-42)
ICotJclusio11 of tlw commentary on ,,erses 60-82 of Si'irat al-Ka/if]
$
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
[z,F35] Cod is rfie Light ef the heai,eus and the earth. The similiwde of His
lish1is as a niche whcrei11 is a lamp--the lamp is in a glass and the glass is
a., it uoere a slii11i11g star- bumi11g'from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the
G foruor ~f rlie IVesl, whose oil would almost g lorv (on its otvn) though 110 fire
Q. 18,82 1,,~,h!d it . Lig/11 upon ligh1. God gu ides to His light whom He rvi/1. God coins
G similiwdes for lmmauity, and God is Knotver of all things .
GoJ (Exalted is His remembrance) means by His statement God is the Light
r{thc '1 t.il't'11s a11d the earth: jGodj is the g uide of all who are in the heavens
::i:loneanh. By His light they are guided to the truth and by His guidance
they are protected fro m rh c confusion of error.
The interpreters disagreed over the interpretation of this.
OPIK IO N: Some of them said something similar to what we have just said.
An account of those who said that·
, Ali lb. Dawfld al-Taminu]- IAb~ Salil)] 'Abd Allah [b. Salil)]-
.,tuawiy,
H . a 1\.1 I- 'AlI lb . A bI Tall.1aj-lbn cAbbas sai d, concerning
lb · s-J
H:)~rat~menr God is 1he Light of the heavens and the earrh, " God (Glorified is
1
• is e gui de of the bein gs of the heavens and ea rth. "
1

, Ar:i.b1c /1-ghayr, rzaz,irrn mm
">Cc 11:i.v:i. 8o
7 l an ; ~cc Ash'ari, Maqiiliit al-l1liimiyyi11, 2:214.
Sulavinan
Anasb ·.. b· ' Umar b. Kl1a-11·d a I-RaqqI- Wa hb b. Ras h'd
1 -Farqa d-
· Malik said. "Truly my God says, 'M y light is M y guidance.'"
0PJNJON. 0 h .
of the hea\: 1 crssaid: R ather, th e meaning of that is God is the manager
ens and the earth.
An account of those w ho said chat:
1;1t,nprdcrsrc~d1n th ·
: oUnd 1n die 1-h fi ufdinis_ word u the acti~c verb tau":qqada as opposed 10 the p2ssive y1iqadu
H.1111 olso h . g, sec ~ low for Ins explanation .
.. o r co111p;l~~,ou «mremporu:. : r ~ r~rp~cta.tion adopted by the Mu' 12zi li AbU 'Ali al-Jubbfi. w lio was a
hu /,ihu m For the mc:.anmg of 11 a;:;ar 2s k111dncss

316 317
 TABARf

1
from H im to th em, even though this (de1ayJ might a car
one who ha s no know ledge of what God has pl ant d /P h to sonit-
. d ,e ,orr ,111 1· I h
future 1to be an act o fk 111 nes s from Him to them b h tn e
. . f II I . l . . ' ecausc t c !corr J
mterpretaoon o a t 11s u mnacely wi11 be fche pol ycheists' j destrun~ct
and ann ihilation by the sword in the temporal wodd , along with 1 ~:i: THE LIGHT
SOR.AT AL-NOR
well -d ese rved perpe tu al abasement from God in the Hereafter.
(Q. 24 :35- 42)
!Coucl11sio11 of the com mentary on 11erses 6er82 of S17rat al-Kalifj
G
COMMENTA RY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
/:.;:35/ C()J is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similiwde of His
lrirr is as a 11iche 111herei11 is a lamp--the lamp is in a glass aud the glass is
i1 rmea shi11i11g srar-l111rni11g1 from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the
15
e [;_;1110, of tlie West, whose oil would almost glow (011 its own) though no fire

Q . 18:8 2 :-:i.-heJir. Lif!hr up()n liglir. God guides to His light whom He will. God coins
5imilir11dcs fo r l1111nm1ity, a11d God is Knower of all things.
G
Gc>d(Exaltrd is Hi s reme mbrance) means by His statement God is the Light
,:{the heavms and rlie earth: jGod] is the guide of all who are in the heavens
By His light they arc guided to the truth and by His guidance
•11J·onearrl1.

d:~y m protected fro m the confusion of error.

The interprete rs disagreed over the interpretation of this.
0PJ\!ON: Some of them said something similar to what we have just said.
An account of rhose who said chat: ,
Ali lb.
Dhviid al -TamimIJ-JAbii Salil)] 'Abd Allah [b. Salih]-
• lb· s-11
/.lum'll'a
, .a 1 .1J- 'A1I Jb . AbI TalhaJ-lbn 'Abbas said, concerning
1
r:')~tarement God is 1/ie Ligia of the heavens and the earth, "God (Glorified is
e 11 th e guide of the beings of che heavens and earth."!
Sulaymanb
.\na,b _. ·.' U';''' b· K11a 1ida 1-Raqqi-Wahb b. Rashid-Fargad-
. Mal,k said, Truly my God says, 'My light is My guidance."'
o,"loN·O
r th h · thers said
. : Rather, the meaning of chat is God is che manager
0
. ,e ea\"ens and the ea rth ,
f\n account of those w ho said that:

l~1hriprefer1rnd1n thn . .
, .nd mthe Hafi re!din _v.ord as the: acll\'.c verb tawaqqada as opposed to the passi\'e yiiqad11
•Tln111 a/10 the lrller g, s~c bdow for his expla nation.
1Ar~b1c:/1- ha rrria a . ., _. dnessorcon1[U>s10~- 11•1t111poral) of T b P~ttanon adopted by the Mu' t.i.zili Abu 'Ali al-Jubbi'i, who w;u a
Hlva, al mi mmhu luhum. For the meaning of 11a;ar .as km a Jn; sec: Ash' ari, Maqrilat a/.Jsli1"1iyyi11, 2:2 14 .

317
316
 TABAR[ Siirat al-Niir (24:35 - 42)

Al-~sim- al-Husay n- H . --- b :\ thrill, as He says. The similiwde of His /igl,t is as a niche ivlierei11 is
Abb- · - - 'W:tJ- I n Ju · -
as said , concerning His stateme nt G d , rayJ said: Mujihid d ;;;,.:p.
1111 10He sap: The si'11ifit .,Je of the truth
H~ has illumin ated by means
eart " He .'.n anagcs th e com mand (amr) ~n,sbr/1;/~ht ofth, hea,.,.::,)x "irhtclc.H speech of thi s revclatto n IS as a 111d1e.
an moon . o Paces-their stars, ~un · The mu·rpn.• ters disag reed over the referent of the prono un His (Ira')
in Jfo siatemcn i Tl,csimiliwdcof His light. To what or whom docs it refer?
OPJNTO~: Ot hers sa id: Rather, what is meant b .
TheyAsaid : Its m eaning is "the lurmnancc
. o f theyhe
that light isd"Ium.inanc(. P!'.'o"JON'. Sornr of rbcm said: It refers to th e believer. They said: The
' n accou!1~ of those who said that: avens an earth." ~oning f hr passage is: The similiwde of the light in the believer's heart,
0 1
Abd al-Ala b. Wasil- ' Ubayd AU-h b M- - - from [h"is] fai th and the ~r'an, _is like a niche.
al-Rabi' b. An as-Abu ' l-'Aliya-Uba a b. ~sa~Abu Ja' far al-Rlzi- An Krount of those who said that:
stateme nt God~ the Lio/u ofth I yy d. Ka b said, concerning_God's Alxl al-A!, b. Wa1il- ' Ubayd Allah b. Musa-Abu Ja' far al-Razl-
l . o e zeavens an the earth "H b
~mmanct" of Himself, so He mentioned it [first] ' e egan w,di thr ,i-Rabi b. Anas-Abii'l-'Aliya-Ubayy b. Ka' b said, concerning God's
li ght of rhe believe r. " • then He mentionrd 1hr wwirnr Tlie simi/it11de of his light, "He mentioned the light of the believ-
5
:r:· H~ said, The similiwde of his light. He says, "The similitude of the light
TABARlSAI0: 1 We have chosen th . . J [ the bc-licn·r.'' He said , "Ubayy would recite this verse as 'The similitude
thi s verse ~only be . opinion t iar we have chosen regarding
G
G do rm,Jo I i/i _ca use It c~mes a ter His statement And verily Uf haire srm
0
ol ;he !Jelie,·er (matl1alu'/-mu'mi11). "' He said, "This is the believer, in whose
Q. 24 :35 dr yo11dc art y111g revelat1011s, and the example ofthose who M._Wd a1vay before Q.24'35
brm< [Godj has put faith and the Qt!r'an."
G you
thi 011 . to ti,ose Ill/,o are G od-conscious (Q.24:34).,--
. Iat1 a[ Imonition The reason J'for ,1 1-~sim-al-}:lusayn-Hajjaj-Abu Ja' far al-Raz1-Abu'l-'Aliya- G
H· s 15 t 1at . t l e Light VerseJ is best understood as a declaration of the place Ub1yy b. Ka b said, concerning God is the Light of the heavens and the earth,
I occupies fo r H.is creation
. (1:i.tion
ofis Irevc . an d as an extension of the praise ·n.•similirudeofhis light: God begins with His own light, so He mentioned
. reve ation), wl1ic I1 H e b egan earIier, 3 as long as there is nothing
t us i, [fm[, ,hen He said, The similitude of /,is light," He says, "The similitude
e Ise. I111 theI se ntence[ rh at m
· d ICates
" t I,at the declarative statement has ended of the light of the person who believes in Him." He said, "This is how
I.pnor to t 1e Light Verse J. Ubayy wou ld read rhc vcrse." 1 He said, "This is a servant in whose breast
humanitIf this · t h en t h e mterpretation
is how 1·t is,
, veril • · O
of this passage 1s: God has pm rhc Q;r'an and fait h."
fi ( )' Y We have sent do11m for you revelations clarifying rh e reuch ibn Bashshar- 'Abd al-Rahman [b. Mahdl)-Sufyan [al-Thawrl)-
rdom _a!sehood; artd the example of those u,hopassed a1vay before you; at1J an Atf b._al-Sa'ib--Sa(id b. Jubayr said, concerning The similitude of his light,
a m o,11t1011 to those 11410 are God-conscious b)' which We have gu1·ded you 16; 5'.milirude of rhe light of rhe believer."
11111
aII andI clarifi.ed ti te esse ntia
- I teachings of you r religion, because (/"'a' ·) , .lh b. al-H asan al-Azdl-Yahya b. al-Yaman-Abu Sinan-Thabit-
..1~m ' ie
.?ucde of the bei ngs of the hea1,e11s a11d earth. The lam [in li'amii, •··Oai)Qak said, concerning His statement The similitude of his light, "The
1-~cadulsc J, which co nnects the two parts of the nominal sentence, is l:ghi of the believer. "
e I eHe terc,
and be anbecause t Jte co ntext renders it unnecessary to men ti·on . . ir ' ~;"ION: Oehm said: Rather, what is meanr by the light is Muhammad (1)-
Hi g a new sent e nce, wherein He spoke of His act of gucd,ng th , n~, 1a1d : The pronoun His in His statement The similitude of His light refers
fol;ocrea tures, whic h gives it the meaning I have mentioned. Then e o..c to the Name of God.
wing sentence b · . I · ·rcude for
H is guid eg ms wit 1 the clause ch a t provides a sinu 1 An account of those w ho said that:
ance of H is creatures by the clarifying signs (or verses) He sent • lbn Hu mayd-Ya' qub al-f"'lumml-Hafs -Shimr said, "Ibn 'Abbas
(•m Ki - to him,· 'Tell
· me about the meaning
I This paragnph and tl1C' ~ub~C' . . 2 s o:isring in of God' a al-Al_ibar and said

;r
Hunn CL al., An Antlio/. quc,'.t o ne- :ire nc-ithc-r tr:inslau:d nor ind1accd
1 1ta<emenr (Might y and Majestic is He) God is the Light of the
1 In od1rr wo rd,. diat the of ~r anic Com rnentarirs, J6o.
ih:ni
J gni1c!ul to rhc rC'v tc..,,,~ :: Light mca'.u _"cl1c Guidc (af-HJJ1l ··
t
.
Tab.inn one of tliC' few ' Khalid Wi lhanu, fo r hclp wi th chi s d1flicuh P\.1 I
ss:i , . think
rr<'do J~J1confir
l.·-0 Ibo A
rn11he
, PrC'\.-lOus tC'port, m
. which Ubayy read the passage- as mathalu ,I-mu ,mm.
. Sec
It, mund of rnding a~ c:::g~tn who links the Light Vcrse to cl1t· ver)C' "' ,c p 11Y)l,lll-Atulrllrra,al-waji;:, 4 : i8J .
II 2 P C'ttly llC'w pa~).:lge.

) (9
) I~
 T ABAR.I
lieai e11s and the earth (t o ch e e nd 0 ( th e verse) ., Kacb said ,
1 .
of !he heaim1s and ~l,e ea rt!t ; th e similitude of His Ii hr-ri G~d 1~ ~l,c Ligli 1
Mu l.ia mm ad (~)- ,s as a niche.' " ie Sin11l1tu dc of
_, Ali b. ~1-1:Jasa~ al-Azdi- Yabya b. al-Yaman-Ash'ath-
Ab1 1-M ~gl~ira--:-Sa ~db. Jubay r said , concerning His stateme
wde ef H 1s /1glit , !It 1s] Mul:i a m.mad (~). " 11t
0P JNJON : _Orh c rs sa id: R.a th c r, what is meant by that is God's uid
an_ce and H, s clear sp eech, w hi c h is th~ ~ r' an . They said: The pro~oui:
H,s refer s back to God and th e m canmg of chis sentence is: God is thr
O n~ ~h o ? ui des th e b eings of the heaven s and e arth by mean s of His
clan fy mg sig ns ; and thi s is th e light, b y which the heavens and earth are
illuminated . T he similiwde of His guidance and His signs, by which Hr
guides H is creat ures a nd admoni sh es them in the hearts of the beJjen:·n
is as a niche.
G An account of ch ose wh o sa id that:
Q. 24'Jj 'Ali [b. Oowiid al-Taminu] - Abu Salil.1 ['Abd Allah b. Salil,j-
Mu' aw iya [b . Salii)]- 'Ali [b. Abi Ta]\,a]- lbn 'Abbas said, concerning
G Tlie similitude of His light, " Th e similitude of His guidance in the heart of
t he bel iever."
Ya' qnb b. lb ra lum [al-Daw raqi]-Ibn ' Ulayya-Abii Raja°--:-
al-1:Iasan jal-Ba~rl j sa id . co n cerning His statement The similiwde Hrs
light, ''The sim ilitude of thi s ~r'an in the heart lof a believer] '-' as a
nicl1e."
Yun us lb. 'Abd al- A'lal- lbn Wahb- lbn Zayd said, conceming H~
statement The similiwde of His light 1 " The light of chc Q!!r'an rliat
se nt down to His M essen ge r (~) and Hi s servants; chis is thesimiliwdeojt it
~r 'a.n , as a niche wherein is a lamp. " , _ -Za •db.
IYu nus b. 'Abd al-A' lal- Ibn Wahb- 'Abd Allah b. Ayrash H coJ
Aslam said, concernin g God 's state m e nr (Blessed and Exalted
1
\/'.'
is tl,e Light of rhe heavem and the earth· the similitude of His light,
th
h~s l1
which He ment ioned, is th e ~ r 'a. 11 ~ a nd its similitude is ar w ic
has coi ned for it. "
. he similitude of
OP I ~ ION: O thers said: R at he r, th e mea ning of that is t ,.
God s light. They said: By " light ," H e m ea n s ''obedience.
An account of those who sa id ch at :
Mul1ammad b. Sa d lb. Muhammad al-'Awfi]- t11Y .
father- fllf
uncl e lal-Hu sayn b. al-H asa n J- m·y fa th er- his fath er f'A~l)'r
al- Awfi J- lbn Abbas said, conce rn ing Hi s statement God ,s t ie
J..!O
_ mu! ,Ire ea rth; the similitude of His l(Rht is ,as a niche wherein is a lamp,
1f1hrJiVJ.S ·d Muh:unrnad , ' H ow can God s light be apart from the
·Thr Jc:;·~~31G t ~ i,;cd a similitud e for His light, and said, God is the
··,~r ,1 .dieSo/rcarens
''""''' ,o co
mid the earth ; tI,e s11111 . ,s ,.ig I11 ,s. a~ a nu. I,e." He.
. ·t·1t1ulc {ff
Tr,
1
f~r .~·
es w11 l1-
\ ..~hi\ is 3 simili rn dc God coin ed for obcd1 encc to ,~1m. He call ed
~~Jimcc co H im' ligh t. th en he called it 'diverse light s.
l;'°lTERPRETAT JON O F as a niche . . _
Thr intaprrrers di sagreed over the meanings of mishkiit (111che), 1111$bab
(br.p) and ::,fi]ii (glass) and what is intended by these word s. .
OP lt-:lON: Some of them said: Th e mishkiit is any. n!chc ~r .a.perture 111
n nll ,hat is devoid of a window. 1 They said: This 1s a sumhtudc God
,l,:ntd for Mul,i:unmad's (~) heart.
' An account of those who said that:
lbn l:lumayd- Yacql!b- I:Iafo-Shimr said,
!bn 'Abbas ca me to Ka' b al-A~bar and said to him,
.. Tdl me about God 's statement the similitude of His
/iglir is as a uidu.'." H e said, "As a mishkiit, which is a
niche. God coined as a similitude for Mul.ianunad (~)
1he niche wherei11 is a lamp; rl,e lamp, which is bis heart,
is in aglass and 1/ie glass, which is his breast, is as it were
f .:1 slii11 i11g star. God likened the breast of the Prophet(~)
co a shining star, so the lamp refers back to bis heart."
He co ntin ued, " B11mi11gfrom a blessed tree, a11 olive neither
of rhe East nor of the West, mea ning that neither eastern
G; nor western sunlight touches it, whose oil would almost
glow. Mubarnmad would almost have made clear to [all]
humanity that he was a Prophet, even if he had not
i
Jig/ii
spoken,j ust like thi s oil would almost glow though 1w fire
touched ir. Light 11po,1 light.
H; .\lijb. Dawudal-Tamimi]- [Abu Sali~l 'AbdAl!ah lb. Salil1]- Mu' awiya
lb. Salihj- 'Ali lb. Ahl Tal~al- ibn 'Abbas said, concerning His state-
m~m asamisltkat, "The place for the wick."
Mubammad b. Sacd jb. Mul:iammad al-cAwfi]-my father- my uncle
r~,~~ ~-mbup thishadirh into several pieces over du: following pages. According to Su yll\i.
b s,d
,.~
1
rt~I,
11 _fou nd ellewhrrc only in the ~r';inic co mmentaries of lbn Abr l:{ ;i1irn aU<I lbn
lfo.i111 ~)h.al-Du,ra/-mamlui~, 5:87- 8. -•
L~lit 4 lo" !.. ~ th~dcfimuon of m1shkii1 provided by AbCi ' Ubayda and al-Farra , both of whom
1 Jl4bi/i,; ,iJfidha instud of ,rumfadh: iWajiiz a/. ~r 'ii11 . 2 :66 and Ma'ii11f al-Q!_r 'ii11 . 2: 2 52 .
32 1
 TA BAR!
/al-1:f usayn b. al-1:fasan /- my father-his farh ['A .
lbn 'Abb-as sa1·d . co nce rn mg
· Hi s statement God
eris ,it1yyab J,
. · Sa'd a-Awfi]-
. hie Light ofthe hea11tt,sa,,J
1/,e earth until as a misli kar , "Th e mishkat is ch
enic eofthero .,
OP INION : Ot hers sa id : What is m ea nt by th
.h . om.
b 1· I ·1 I / e me e IS the brc Of
1ever. w 11 c t 1e amp refe rs to the ~ r'a n and faith a Sc 1hr
illS hea rt. • and the glass is
An accou nt of ch ose who sa id that:
'Abd al-A'la b. Wasil- ' Ubayd Allah b. Musa-Ab- J 'f: I _.
al-Rabi' b. Anas-Abu'I-'Ali ya-Ubayy b. Ka' b .du a ar a -Razi-
. t d ,J H. 1· I . . sat ' concernmg tl1e
swu 1ru e o tS ,g It u as a mclie wherein is a lamp,
The similiwdc of th e believer in whose breast faith d
the OEr'an have been put isas a ,iiche. He said: The n;;e
is hi ~- breas t, wlierei,i is a lamp. He said: The lamp is the
~ran and faith that have been put in his breast, and the
G la11_1p is i11 a glass. He sai d : The glass is his heart. The glass i5
Q.24'Jj as 1t were a shining star burning. He said: So, the similitude
of one w ho is illuminated by che ~r'an and faith is like
G Hu aid, This is my Lord (Q.6:76), when he saw a star, without anyone
a d11rri star. He says: Shining, bumingfrom a blessed trtt.
Th e blessed tree is its root (o r origin; a$Iuhu). Blessed means
si ncere devotion to, and worship of, God, a]one, wichout
lascribing J any partners to Him. jlt isJ neither of the East
nor of the West. He said: Th e similitude of fthis personj
is the similitude of a tree, intertwined with other trees,
and is green and delightful. Sun1ight does not strike it ar
any timc--neit her w hen it rises nor when it sets. This
is like thi s believer, who has bee;1 protected from being
afflicted by any changes of fortune, by which he has been
teSled. and God kept him stead y fon the right path}. The
believer combines ' fo ur qualities: he is gratefu1 when he
~s gi ven somet hin g; he is patient when he is tested; he is
JUSt when he judges; and he is truthful when he speaks.
He stands out from humanity like a Jiving man who
walk s amon g the graves of th e deceased. God says, Light
upon fight. /The believer) alte rnates through five ki nd s
of light s: hi s speech is light ; hi s actions are light; _his
entrance is light ; his exi t is light; and, on Resurrecuon
Day, hi s fin al destinatio n is li ght in th e Garden.
322
fftt
Siirat al-N1ir (2 4:35-42)
. . al Hu say n- Yah ya b. al-Yaman-Abo Ja' far al-Razt-
Al-_Ot~1:1:~/\bu 'l-'Ali ya_.:._Ubayy b. Ka' b said, "The mishkiit is the
il-Rahif · , believer, 111herei11 is a lamp." He said, "[And the latter refers
hroitO t 1ll
io] thcQ!r'an." c
A nr,nly ident ical report to the o ne tran smitted prev iously from Abd
il-A]a- Ubayd Alla h was n:crratcd !? ~rom lal-Q!sim ]~l-}::lusayn-
. -Abu Ja'far- , l-Rab, - Abu I- Ahya-Ub,yy b. Ka b.
fiaJJil, [b. o ; w 11 d al-T, mimij- Abu Salil, ['~bd _Allah b. SaliJ.,/-
Mu.,w,ya /b. SaliJ.,]- 'Ali /6 . Abi.. TalJ.,a]-:-I.bn Abba'.'a,d'. concerning
rhrsimilitudeofHisliglit isasa 11uhe, The smulttude ofH1sgu1dance m the
hwt f the believe r is like pure oil that can almost shine prior co being
0
iouchcd by fire. Yet as soon as fire touches it, its luminosity increas-
et bnghter and brighter. !This is] similar to the heart of the believer,
who am in accorda nce with the guidance prior to receiving lreligiousJ
knowledge. Then , w hen the knowledge comes to him, he increases in G
guidance~upon guida nce , and light upon light, just as Abraham (may Q.24'Jl
iht blrssings of God be upon him) said before he received knowledge:
G
mforming him that he even had a Lord. When God informed him that
Hnrn His Lord, !Abraham] increased in guidance upon guidance."
Muhammad b. Sa'd [b. Muhammad al-'Awfi]-my father-my
uncle /al-Husayn b. al-I:Iasa nj- my father-his father ['Ariyya b. Sa'd
~-Awfi]-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning His statement God is the Light cf
1-~~heailf'lu and 1lteeartlt; the similitude cf His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp,
The Jews said co Mubammad, "How can God's light be
apart from the heavens?" So, God coined a similitude
for Hi s light, saying God is the Light cf the heavem and
the earrJ1; the similitude of His light is as a mishkiit wherei,1
is a mi$biib. The mishkiit is a nich e of the room wherein
is a lamp. The mi$biib is in a glass a,id the glass is as it were
a shi11i11g star. The mi$biib is the lamp that is in the glass.
This is a similitude that God coined for obedience to
Him. He call s "obedience to Him" "light," and then
He gave it diverse types of names. B11rni11gfrom a blessed
/ret, an olive 11either of the East nor of the West, He said:
Thi s is a tree whi ch neither eastern nor western shade
s~ields, [constantlyJ exposed to the sun, and the purest
k_md of oil [i s produced under such conditions!, whose
od would almost glo 111 (on its 011111 ) though 110 fire touched it.
323
 TABAR)
Siimt al-Nii r (24:35 - 42)
Ma ma r said: al-tfasa n /al-Ba ~r'ij said , "This is not a tree har- AbO 'i\ mir- ~rra- 'Ari yya sa id, co nce ~n ing, .~is
th e trees of thi s worl d; it is neither eas tern nor western." from an1ong 11-n lhshs · /k - ·· JI cU mar sa id , 'The miJhkiit is the ni ch e.
1e111ent iu a 1111., , •at. ,n .
116
O PI NI ON: Others. s~ id: I~ is a si militude for the believer ex I . ·J· T he ,nishkiit is rhc ca ndl es tick (or lamp).
1~1e ~a~np and wh.at 1s 111 It 1s a si militud e for hi s heart, and ' tlie c~pt t!iat 1crr
or1r-,·10N'. Or :~;o~e w ho said th at : -
s11ml1rnde for hi s bod y cavity. mdir is a °i,
1
An ac<~ \\ ~~
1
'Amr [al-Dahilij- Abo 'i\ ~im !al-Nabi IJ - ' lsa fb .
1
An acco unt o f those w h o sa id char: i\ll~l.ia~ll:n Ai,i Najil.i- Muj:ihid said, conce rning God s sta ~em c nc
~1-~sim ~ al;,l:lusayn- l:lajjaj-lbn Jurayj said: Mujahid and lbn ~b)m un j . I di t' ck and then it is the base on w hi ch th e
., a mishkiir. "Tic can es I ' •
A~bas ~o th said, Th e lamp and what is in it is a similitude for tht'
• Jk<tirk stands ." jb I I b] w -' jb
believer s heart and h is bod y cavit y. Th e lamp is like his heart and th r cm Al- Harir h Jb. Abr Usima J- al-Hasan . a -As ,ya -:- ~rq~ .
ni che is lik e hi s bod y cav ity. " Ibn Jurayj sa id, "A mishkat is a niche . ii Ab·1 NaJ·ih- MuJ·ahid said, conce rning as a m1Slikat, Th e
~v hic_h do_es no t pierc_e [thro u g h th e wa11 it is inJ." IbnJurayj said : Jbn
I m
Umar- ' • . "
hollow ch:1111brr in sid e the lamp (or candlestick). ·- .
Abbas sa id. co nce rnin g His statem e nt Light upon li'glzt , "It mean s die 11· b Shahin-K halid b. 'Abd Allah b. Dawud- a man-MuJah,d
faith of the believer and hi s d eeds." uid. ;nisl;kat is the ca ndles tick. "
OP IN I ON : O th ers sa id: R ather, that is a similitude for the ~r'an in the OPINION: Others sa id: The mishkiit is th e iron from which the candlc-
0 heart of the believer.
0
51irk (or lamp) is suspended.
Q. l f l j An accoun t of th ose who said that:
Q. 24:35
An accoum of those who said chat:
0 Ya'qub Jal-Dawraqlj-Ibn ' Ulayya-Abu Raja'-al-1:lasan fal-Ba iri/ Muhammad b. al-Muth an na- Mul_iammad b. al-Mufa<;lc;lal- 0
said, concerning His statement God is the Light of the heavens and the earth: Hushay;n-Dawud b. AbI Hind-Muj5hid sa id , "The mishkiit is the
the similitude of His light is as a mishkat , "As a niche , ,vhereitt is a lamp-th,, iron from whic h the can dl estick (or lamp) is suspended."
lamp is in a glass a11d the glass is as it were a shi11i11g star. " 1 p,BARI SA ID: Th e opinion w hich is most likel y to be correct is t?_at ~f
Yunu s Jb. 'Abd al-A' lij-Jbn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, concerning ;he people who said: This is a similitude God coined for th~ ~ r an 111
God's sta1eme nr God is the Ligia of the hea,,ens aud the earth; rite simil'.- thehwts of the people who believe in it. The similitude of the /,g/11 O~ God,
lllde of His light, " Tl,e light of the QEr' an, which He sent down ro ~is by which He illumi nates the path of guidance for His servants, w inch He
Messe nger and H is se rvants. This is rhe similitude of the Q!!r'in, whi~h sends down to them and in which they believe and have faith in all that
is as a niche wherein is a lamp- the la mp is i,i a g lass (and he continued re,~H- ts inn. in the hearts of the believe rs, is like a 11iche, which is the column
ing umil he reached blessed {treej) . This is the similitude of th e ~r a_n, of th,: candlestick in which rhe w ick resides. (This is equivalent to the
by who se light jpeo ple J are illumina ted, lea rning and caking from ttd. niche tha1 is in a wa ll rhat does not have a hole or window.) This column
Thi · h · · · d . . · ·f ude that Go 11'.ls made into a mislikiit because it is not pierced by any holes, and it is
. s JC ow 1_1 1~; It oes nor dimini sh. Th1 s 1s sim~Jc / , glow (ot1
come or H IS l,ghr. As for Hi s stat emen t ( ltsJ od WOii a mos £, h hollow and open at rhe top; hence, it is like th e niche in a wall th at is not
its 011111 ) though 110 fire touched it th e glo wing here means the shining orrd pierced /by a hole or window J. Then He said, Wherei,1 is a mi$bal,, which
of th at oil. T he misltkiit is wh~re th e wick is, which is in the lamp; an 111
h~ lamp. God made the lamp, w hlCh is rhe mi$ba(, , a similitude for th e
th e ca nd lesticks arc these lamp s." sufyJn ~ran and its clarifyin g verses that are in the heart of th e believer. Then
Muhammad b. Bashshir-'Abd al-Rahman fb. Mahdr]- ,nt He said, The lamp is it1 a glass, meaning the lamp, w hich is in the niche
lal-Th_aw riJ- Abo lsl_1:'iq-Sa' id b. ' IyaQ sa id, co n ce rning His staretn \m~aning the- colum n w hich houses th e wick), is !enclosed ] in glass. This
as a m,sJ1kar, " A nic he." 11 1h
('sinti!i1udeof the ~ r':'i n. He says: Th e ~r'an, which is in th e heart
1 Tht cduou of th _ . _ . rt, as i1 :i~l,ears of th c bdiever and by w hich God illuminates his heart , is in hi s breast.
ltl dit ~r·~ . t' D:u 1-hJa r cd1uon of Tab.:irT's 'lafir 11 01(" rhat ciJJ S rc.-pc\ "fihis 1s) fht
siniilnudo: 0 ;:~; : :~cnurr of Jbn Abi 1:fi cim , h.:i~ d ie add iri_onal : 0 1, .~.' : : : ; ;JOS (110ft 1)
01 1 1 ;hen He made a similitude of his breast-i n its purity from di sbelief and
7
of the Dlr l-hJu ~
11
!::_
111
tht' lican, wl1ich is clu, place of w 11nc~s1ng • oubt in God, illumi nated by th e light of the ~ r':in, and shining from

315
32 4
 TA BARI

th e clarifyin g sig ns of His Lord and His adm __
said. Th eglass, w hich is the breast of the b tnit1o~s-asashi11i11gstar H•
as it were a slti11i11g star. e ievcr,
111
which is his liea;t,
Th e Q.1ir' an rec iters disagreed over the
.. · • rea d·mg of shinin M
t I1c H IJ az1 rcc1ters read durriyyu 11 with ad
.amma ab ove the d-J!,g, d ost of
ping the Ifina!J l,amza. i So me of the Basra d K c a an drop-
.I k ns an u1ans re d J· '
w it 1 a •asra under th e diil and with ch h , S · a 1rri rm
d , e amza. omc of th K f:
rea durri un, wit h a 4amma on the diil and a hamza, 3 It is a c_ u ans
w ho put a i;la mma on the diil and drop the ha . s if those
. f I. . mza mtcrpretcd the mt"a
m g o t 11s word m agreement with the commentators h I n-
. d I ,w omwc 1a\·e
menuone 'w 10 und ers tand the glass, in its purity and beauty, to br like
a pc~r~ (durr) , and that it thu s rese mbles [a pearlJ in its description and
qua lm e~.c-Those who re cited it with a kasra and a hamza understood ii
as the Ji .. ,/ fo rm from th e verbal expression dara 'a'l-kawkabu. In other
G words, ,Sa tan was desi sted and repelled by it," from His statement
Q. •ni
Ht• yadra II the p1111 ishmetlt fro m him (Q.24:8), meaning "He repels it."
Th e ~r~bs call the great star s, the names of which they do not know,
Q Bman reciters read taivaqqada min shajara with afatba on an [mmal] ta
al-dara riyy, wit ho ut a hamza. 4 One of the Basran experts in the speech
of the Arabs 5 sa id: Th ese [sta rsJ are al-darari' with a hamza , from [rhe
vc rbj yadra'11a (" rh ey shine , glow").
As fo r those who read a 4mmna on the da/ and a hamza, they intend~
ed fo r it to me an d11rrii', like s11bbtih ("the Glorious ") and qudd,is ("rhe
H oly"), '' from the verb dara 't11. H~wever, this becomes heavy on the
tongu e, with all of these 4ammas , so they changed one of them into a
I
kasrac'. ~nd sa id durri', as God has Zachariah sayJ, J have reached infirm old
~ge ( 11 'Yf°"; Q. 19:8). The wo rd 'itiyyan is thefi/itl nominal form from
th
atawtll iauwwa11 (" I became infirm or haughty"), and then some of e
~amma s we re changed to kasras, so one says 'itiyyan. This is one wa)::
alth ough o th er than th is way, I do no t know how their reading in tl11 s
' ,1/bn ~P}'yl ;ucn bt,~ thi~ reading to Nafi' Jbn 'Amir and Haf~ (from 'A$irn): a/-Jifuii4""'
-ll'IIJJZ, 4:184 . ' .
2
~:nty1·uK"ribci tlm r~admg 10 Abu 'Amr :md Kis:i'i; al-Mribarraraf-uiajiz. -4:iS4 - Al-fl rri
l lbn A11)'.)'.:1a:;~:~1:: 'A~m'. ; Maiin i al- Cl:!!r'iir1, .2:25 .2. ' . ,harrar a/-u-aji::,
n 8 . Al-Far .. I s re.1dmg 10 l~;un z;i 111d Abu Bakr (from A}1m!; al-M• ·
4
11-A rnasli. Af:~- \~ "K"~bci d m readmg co Abu Bakr (from 'A11m) a ' on
nd
nt'T on be so und, because the .form fi/ ri/ i_s unknown in the ~peech
:nan I S tc of th e e xperts m the Arabic language have said that
d 1hc Ar3is. on .
this rcJJmg is a so lec ism. . . . .
~BARi SA ID: The readi ng wh_1ch 1~ most likely to be ~orrccc, ~n my
!;wnarion. is the reading of d11myy ,~uh a efamm~ on the dal ~n.d without
,[final! l,,mi::a. relatt·d to th e noun pear~ (dr,rr), ~eca~s~ this ts h~w the
ve interpreted it. We mentioned their opm1ons prcv1ously,
in1(rpn,·1trs I1a . .
ind this is suflirient evidence in sup~or~ of its soundness. The. mter~reta_-
tion of this pa ssage is: The glass, wluch 1~ the br~a~t .of the behever,.ts as '.t
~'(fe. meaning is as the glass were, which IS the .smuhrudc of the b:h~v:r s
brcasc.ashini,igsrar. He says: In its purity, lummance and beauty (it 1s like
.:Jmiuesrar]. [GodJ describes his breast as being free from all doubts and
uncm;inties about rhe elements (asbiib) of belief in God, and its remote-
nm from 1he filth of acts of disobedience, as if it were a star that resembles
, pml (d11rr) in its purity, luminance and beauty. .
G
[The ~r·an reciters] also disagreed over the readmg of the clause Q. 24:35
f1mtitJgfro ma blessed tree. Some of the Meccan, all of the Medinan.a~~ so":.~ G
[m1«ad of a r•'], a shadda on the qaf and a fa1/,a on the dal.' It is as if they
interpreted the meaning to be "the lamp burns from the blessed tree."
Som e of rhe o ther rec iters of Medina read yi'iqad" with a ya', with-
ourashadda on che qltf, and in the nominative case with a efamma on the
dJ/ _: Th e mea ning in this case is: "The lamp is fueled-its fuel is from
i.tm.'' and then lrhe ve rb y1iqadi,J is put in the passive mood.
Most of th e Ku fan reciters read t1iqad11 with a efamma on an [initial)
3
iii', without a shadda on the qiif and with a efamma on the diil, with the
mean ing: "The glass is fu eled-its fuel is from a blessed tree," and then
put 1he ve rb in the passive mood. 4
l lnorhrr word1, 1hcy read tawaqqada as an active: Form V verb. Ibn 'Atiyya ascribes 1his reading
Abu Amr and lbn Kathir : al-Mu!rarrar ol-wajiz. 4 : 184. Jbn al-Jazari adds Abll Ja' far and
•~iib.NJJJ,,,.2:249.
.
-~bn only ascribes this rc-adi ng 10 '!qim (according to lsm:i'il), who is Kufan;
;f;\~;~~::_ /-uuji:t,
l Atiyp.
11 4:18.i. This is :ilso the rc:idi ng found in the widesprea~ m~dern p~ri~ting
fbn - an, ha~ed on l:faf)'s reading fr om 'Atim. Jbn 21-Jazari also ascribes 1110 Nafi and
oe,;1sion, Anu r;f•,',uh,, 2:249.
:!t~:
.
11 )Ta:.11enhe1 thi1 ruding 10 f:l amza. Khi'i, Ahli Bakr (from 'A~im), Talba, al~A'mash,

I~ ;" al-Ba1ri, ~1~da. lbn Wathtli5b and 'ha; al-M11bou1Jral-wajiz, 4:,84.

4Th1111 the opu:i:na ~~:;:; ~;~52- _ _ , 1
j 1111111 ihe opinion of Ab · , ra, Ma an, al- Cl:!! r iin, 2: 2 52. nu: :; c-"';::s, ~f one .~onjub>atcs the pmivc verb in the masc~linc (yi!q~u), ~t rcfc-r~ to ;.'1e
1
r~ihr 1 . " hmp. where-as if one conjugates it in the p:.1ss1\-C fcmmm e (wqadu), Jt re cri
6 arc heigl1tmed no1m~;i]~bayda; Ma)'h al-Q!r 'an, 2 :66. . the ca pit.ii kffm
1n the lr.inilauon For th omu diat arc- gl'nl·rall y rcsen:ed for God, hence Q 59 :.aJ- rm1n1ncnou11 "glass...
. c- me:.inmg of 1M Holy, 5(."e Ta~ri's commentary below on ·

327
326
 T ABAR[ Siirat al-N1ir (24:35- 42 )

So me M ecca ns rec ite tawaqqadu, with a fat!ia on an [ini . ., I W t but it would not receive any light in the
shadda o n th e qiif and a dam ma on th e diil with them . tla]j ta, 1
•hen ii dt·cli ncs 10 c 1_e cs ),. bo th eastern and we stern, becau se th e
" I r [tlus tree is . d
burn s (tarawaqqadu ) fro ~n a tree." 1 Then' one of the te anm~ o_f "the gla~\ morni ng. fl :ll ir .' . I ming and sets upon it in the cvcn111g, an
. . . . wo la s 1s dro d ,unlight falls on it Ill t ic n~~cs it in the morning s and eve nin g s. They
because o n e 1s suffi cie nt to 111d1c ate the meaning. ~ ppr •
th( wann th of the .su_ n st\:~n it wou ld have t he finest oi l.
TABAR! SAID: Th ese readings are close in meaning, even thou h th ri r
1.i1d: If chis is how t1t1~:•c w ho sa id that: .
wordi ngs differ. If tli eglass is described as "burning" or "b · kg di Au account of . I s· -k- ' Ikrima said , concerning a11 olwe
. . . . cmg 111 ed." -d-Abll I-A .1wa~- im a
~h e mean mg of that 1s ob~1o~s, for as meaning is that the /amp burn i Han na ,J I , IM . "No mountain or va ll ey blocks th e sun
Ill /th e glass / or th e lamp JS kindled in /th e glass). However, they read ,1orl1er (11/rr Ea.11 nor o t ie e,:t,
th e state ment such that /th e glass ) is described /as burning). and /such from tt when it ri se~ or secs. -b cumara-Shu' ba-cUmara-' Ikrima
th atJ the listeners und erstand what is meant and intended. ll al Muthanna- Haranu . ,J J W'i "Th.
. l1l - rnin ,'God's s~atemcnt ueither of the East t1or o t ,e est, is)
If thi s is ho w it is, th e n the rec iter wi ll be correc t reciting any of i11d. rnna g 1 · blocks it from the sun; (rhu s the sun
th ese rea dings, J althou g h the most pleasing reading to me is that I read ire«:' is located where not ung "
it as taumqqada wirh a fatba on the ta ', a shadda on the qiif and a fmha h nit when it rises and sets. ·- 'd d lb
s me-so H ··-·-Ibn Jurayj said: MuJaln an n
on the diil. In t hi s wa y, the lamp is described as "b urning" because di e- Al-~si m-al-I:Iusayn- · aJpj "It is on a
Abh:is said, concerning neither of th e East 11or of th~ West, 'k When 0
G ki nd lin g an d burning d escribe it alone, wi thout a doubt, and not rhe
moun1ain slope, which the eastern and western ~unh~h.~ sen es . Q.24'Jj
Q , 24']j glass. Th e refore, the m eaning of the sentence is: As a 11iche wherein is,1 tht' sun rises. it strikes it, and when it secs, it strikes IC.
la mp, the la mp li s burningJ from the oi l of a blessed tree, 011 olive neither of
0
G OPINIO N: Others said: Rather, the meaning of that is that it is neit her
the East 11 0 , of the West.
ernc-rn nor wes tern.
IN TER PR ETATI O N OF neither of the East nor of rh e West 4 An account of those who said th at :
Sulayman b. 'Abd al-Jabbar- Mul1ammad b. a'.-Salt-:-Abu Kudayna
We have alread y m e ntioned some of what ha s been narrated, 01_1 die [Yahra b. al-Muhallab)-~bus jb. Abi Zabyan )-hts father-:-Ibn
aut horit y of som e o f th e m , regarding the disagreement over this, so Abbis said, concerning neither of the East 11or of the West, "This tree IS 1~
now we will mention th e remaining portion of reports that we hJw the middle of a group of trees, neither from rhe Easr, nor from the We~t.
not menti o ned prev iousl y . Yunus jb. 'Abd al-A' la)-Jbn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, concerning
O PI N IO N : So me of th e m said: This rree is described as neither of tlu faSI His st~temem an olive 11either of the East nor.~[ the West , •· [It is a} blessed
/ .
uo, o,J t 1e West, w hi c.h n~ eans th a t it is n ot excl~sJve Y ea 5 ce:li ht only
I such that [irc-t'j lll Syri.1, neither eastern nor western.
the sun docs no t strike 1t wh e n it sets a nd that its share of s . OPIN IO N : Ot hers said: ft is not a cree from among the trees of this world.
. .d receivrng no
occurs m the mornin g, as long as it falls on rh e eas tern si e, ) .I. An account of those who said chat:
sunlight as soo n as the sun d eclin es to the West. Nor is [ this tree ex~ u Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah b. Bazi'-Bishr b. al-MufaMal-'Awf-
sivdy weste rn , in wh ic h case the sun wou ld strike it in th e evening. il-Hasan [a l-Ba~ri) said , conce rning God's statemen t neither of the East nor
efi/11• Wm, "By God! Were it from the earth , it would be cuhe~ e~ scer~~
I lb 0 'APyya u cribrs thu re.ading to Abo Amr ,!,, c, ,, •. .., J-H,•.an .al-B.a}ri 3nJ J~n
Ku '" orwrncrn. Rather, this is a similitude chat God has coined for light. Hi\
Mul.iani n; t1l-A•luha,,a, al-1Njiz, 4: 184. , forrn V or Ibn Bashshar- cUtliman, meaning the son of Haytham-Awf-
2 11
h conunon lli d1<: ~r';in for one of the tii ·~ to Ix- dropped in present t,:
11
~;., (so ,hat )1" 1
Forin VI wrbs: m : fo r ex.ample Q .49: 13, w h 1d1 rt·.ad~ li- ta'iiraf 1i for li-tataara; •
iAnbic: ,,a,t.iy<i'"inaru"/.sham la slwrqiwa-lii.g/111rbi; O;ir HJjat, 17 :312 . lbn Zay~'s rc~n a_rpc~rs

!~:F~;,1~!!>0
'"'Rhtfl:(fto k,ww,M1r ,11101hrr).

1~/r1l:oihrcb
~iihou'. 1hr word mutayiilninah in Tha' labi's Tafsir, which rcads h,)•tl slia,m_yyiJ I, ani,a l~~lwm
1.1y~ 1ha1 all of d1csc rc.adi ngs ;m· correct ; Ma'ii11i al: C1!!' 0;; 11 ~ Jj il:J,p ~u-/a gha,bi; al-K,JJl,j wa·l-btiya 11 , 4 : 3s2 . f cras cl. al. transl:11c 1lm repon JS ~ha_
i
1

rhr~~s:~:
of
11011
Jor} !Jot 111JJC.atc th.a! 1hc 1opic of imcrprct3~!01l_~; dOt's: }t't' 15:;ro 0
,he D ir H.aJ.ar t'di~ofihr li m .at tlmjunnurc. alrliough du· J;falab1 ed i1
11
neu hcr of the non h or soucb. neitl1cr e.aslcrn nor _western"; A 11 Aurlrology of ~, ilm r
tr.mtarirs, 365. I ;un gr.iccful fo r Dr Adel Gamal's asm tancc with chis report.

]29
328

121h,
 TABARJ Siimt a/-Niir (24:35 - 42)

al- 1--:{ asan Jal-Ba~r! J sa id , conce rning G d' ·o0f to di r proo fs He had se nt ch e m previously! :!~is is a cl ea r ex po-
E ,f I " o s statement a,i 1·
_ast nor o t te West, Were thi s olive from this world . o ive neither of the ~1'.10n from God, an d a light upon the clear cxpos1t1on, as well as the
~a-her easter_n ~r_western. H owever-by God!-it is ;1~ 7ould h.ave k en ; ~hl Hr Jud de-scribed to them and establi sh ed prior to sending down
It 1s on ly a smu l1tud e that God coin ed fo H · . h , t rom this world ·
y c _ I r 1s 11g t. • ,
1
j,hoddiuona l light J ·
a qu 6 al-Dawraql j- Hushaym-'Awf-al-Hasan I -
conce rnm g Hi s stateme
. nt neither ojthe East,, oro,ft1e.,vest
I ·,v. "Th'
al-Ba~n]
. . sa.id ' 1'TERPRETATION OF Lig/,t t1J){)ll /ig/,t
tu det Ilat Gd
o co med . Were this tree fro h. Id ' is is a s1nuli- He means ]by rhis J the fire on thi s oil, which would almost glo,v though 110
eirher eastern or wes tern.'' m t is wor ' it would have bten
fir, 1,,11chcd ii. as I have been informed by: _ _
TA BAR] SAID: The best op inion for th e inter ret t· Muhammad b. 'Amr jal-Bahiil]- Abu 'Aiim jal-Nab1l]-' lsa jb.
of th e peopl e w h o sai d it is bo th eastern and p a toTnhof that ~s ihat Mmnu;,]: and from al-J:larith jb. Abi Usa ma]-al-l:lasan jb. al-Ashy-
I Id b western. e meanmg 0 f ahj:._11'.,rqa' [b. ' Umar ]; both 'Isa and Warqa'-lbn Ahl Najlh-Mujahid
t 1e passage wo u e: It is not eas te rn, such that the su h ·
· J • I n s mes upon It
SJid, concerning Light "Po" light, "The fire on the oil."
m r _ie eve nm?s , to c 1e excl usio n of th e mornings ; rather, the sun shines
In my estimation, as I have m entioned, the similitude [is] the Q!!r'an,

G
t:t
~n- I ~ at sun n se and sunset, so it is eas te rn-western. We only said tlm
1~ t h e_ be st meaning of the pa ssage beca use God described the oil by
~' lie 1 tlus lamp is bu rning as " pure" and "excellent." If Hi s tree wer~
10
thr mrani ng of Hi s statement Light upon light is that this Q!!r'an is a
1:;l:r fromGod, which He se nt down to His creatures so they could seek G
iibmirution from it. Upon light [means] upon th e proofs and clear expo- Q.24']5
Q.,4:35 eaSre rn-western,'' th ere is no doubt that its oil would be excellrn t
G pure and rad iant. · 1mon that God established for chem, prior to the coming of the Q!!r'an G
.md His act of sendi ng it down to them, among the things indicating the
rta!i1y of Hi s oneness. That is a clear exposition from God, and a light
fiINTERPRETATI
re touched it ON OF III /iose 01} wou Id a/most glow (011 its ow11) thor1gli 1111 W]\'11 th(' clear exposi tion, and the light which He had described to them

prior to sending it down.

God (Exalted is Hi s reme mbrance) says: The oil of this olive tree would
It has been mentioned, on the authority of Zayd b. Aslam, concerning
almoS/ glo w from its purit y and the excellence of its luminance though 110 fire
thi1. what has been narrated to me from:
louclaed ii-so imagin e how it ·wo uld shin e if fire couched it! The intended Yunus [b. 'Abd al-A'la]-Ibn Wahb- 'Abd Allah b. 'Ayyash said:
mea~l!n~ of H is statement [the lampJ is burni11g'from a blessed tree is that this Zard .b. Aslam said, conce rning His statement Light upo,1 light, "Part of it
~ran Is from God and is Hi s speech. God made a sirnilirude of it and its
illuminates another pare of it, m eaning the Q!!r'an."
em_g from Him to the lamp w hi ch is buming fro,n a blessed trtt, which He
(MaJcSric is H is praise) described in this verse. l~TERPRETAT I ON O F God gu ides to His /ig/,t whom He will. God coitJS
th
What is meant by Hi s statement whose oil would a/mostglou, is that e Jm:rlitudes for lironanity, mid God is Kuower of all things
proofsd of God (Exa Ite d 1s . remem bran ce) to His creatures are so clear
· H 1s
:~ (Exalted is his remembrance) says: God grants success to whomever
' 11 . compreh ensible th at they wo uld almost illuminate the person who
1111nks about ch ows His light, which is this ~ r'a n, and to whomever He wills among
em an d examines t hem or turns away 1rom h and ~
c
· h di t em 1
s )ervants. Cod coins similiwdes for humanity. He says: God makes· simili-
isl ~e ess, though no fi re touched it. He s:ys: Had God not increased tht !U d('s and lik encsses c
· O f jr I1ese proofsJ, by sen ding this QEr ' in d.irec dy ro.
cthant y and. lu cid ity ror lrnmanity, just as He made a similitude rnr
c t I1em
0r I e Qt,_ . h
em, ca 11mg th en1 Iii . ly i!lunu- ,ndhII ran Ill t e heart of the beli ever and of the lamp in the niche
nat d l j to a irm H, s oneness jit would have near H 4 of the other similitudes in this verse and God is Knower of all things.
e t 1cm -so i • I ' fl !led rhern
directl y . h . mag me 10w !powerfu l it wasj when e ca d. c~•ys: H rough coining similitudes and ail the other things [He makes],
W I[ It aod fo rcefull y remi nd ed th em of Hi s signs, ad ing a
possesses knowledge.1
illtull ibo\·t thatTalnn
ih, I h f~ reading 111 lll OH p~:~:u
p
di, a:~ iw \~crb /awaqqada ("ii burns") co 1hc p:iUl
cd ~ r am o l y1iqadu (ki" dfd).
·\•(vrrbin
1l\ll111..., hrr~th
e tr.mdation in Fcr:i.s ct. al., ."i n A"tlwlcgy'!f Q!r'a11fr Ctm1mr,rtarirs, end1 (p. 367).

)J O )JI
 TABA R! St/rat al-Niir (24:35 - 42)

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVIN I b 'A nr /al-B,h iliJ- Abt1 'A!im /al-Nabil/- 'lsa /b.
EWORos-
I24 :36 I In houses which God /,as al/01 ,,ed 10 be raised u and H· ,· M
~ha:;~
\l~\'lnunj
:\~ Al~i N~il.i- Mujahid said , co ncernin g His stateme nt fo
I I II ed 10 b,· raised up "These are mosques that have
remembered 1'1er ei11. T herein do 0 11'erpraise 10 H' IS i\ ame
. 11• tm , mornings arid . which G1't
~.,1,.:0 '.~ sa '"'' '
l24:37J Men wh om 11eu/1er merchandise nor sale dist f, evenu,gj,
C d d . racr rom remembra ( l.
rt f !l
ou~tnJC(t'd.
c - ·J . I Cj)0rt s have been narrate d to me firom a I- f-r ·t1
. an 1
o a11 comta11ry III prayer and paying the alms tax; who fear a da ncr ~ f\t>arlv l' llllC:I r , /6 ' U / lb
hearts a11d eyes will be turning. f24 :38) So that God Y u,hcn - LI ,I /- al- Hasa n /6. al-Ashyab)-Warq, . mar - n
may recompe,ise them {t [~ Ab1 '"I s,u:u1·:thid·· and from al-~sim- al-I::lusayn- tlajj;ij- lbn
t I1e best o,f ll'har they did, and increase the reward for then, ,JH· bo · °' ,~~1 NaJ1 .1- .' '
. p O IS fUtty. GM
bestows gifts upon whom H e will, withour recko,iing . J -,rj-Mnj, hid. I J B -J · I
u, AI- Has:m- 'Abd al-Razzaq-Macmar-al-tfasa n a - a~n . sa1c,
God (~xalted .~s His rem embrance) means by In houses which God l,asal!iiu•cd conmu;ng His state ment In houses which God has allowed to be raised up,
t~ be ~aucd up_: God is ~he_ Lig ht ojthe hea1,ens and thr earth. The similitude of His
·in mosques." c - 1- 'A b
light .IS as a '::cite wherem IS a lamp rQ.24:35] in houses wl,ich God has allowrdttl [Al-}:lasan-cAbd al-Razzaq J-M a mar-Abu Is Jaq- mr .
he raised up. as I have been informed by: - ·d "I observed the Companions of the Messenger of God (~)
Maymunsa1 , d
Yiinus /b. 'Abd al-A' laj - Ibn Wahb-lbn Zayd said, "The ,,,c/ar ,-, :Jpng. 'Mosques are the hou.ses of G~? and it is an obligation for Go to
~vhere the wick is located, in which is the lamp." He said, "The lamps art' honour whoever visits Him 111 them.
G m houses which God l,as allowed to be raised up. "
1
Jbn }:lumayd-Ibn al-Mubarak-Salim b. cuma~ said, ~.oncerning Q. 24: 36
Q. 206 His swenu•m fo houses which God has allowed to be raised up, These are
It is possible that the preposition in (fl) is coordinated with th e \'c:rb G
G burning in the previous verse, so that the meaning is "burningfrom a blwcd mosques." . .
tree; thi s lamp is;,, houses u,/,i, 1, God /,as allowed to be raised up." Yunus [b. 'Abd al-A'la]- Ibn Wahb---Ibn Zayd "'.?•
concer~:ng HIS
Th e intended meaning of l,ouses is "mosques." m.ttment 111 houses which God has allowed to be raised up, Mosqu es.
Th e interpreters disagreed ove r the meaning of thi s. OPINION: Others sa id: What is meant by that is any kind of hou se.
OP INION: Some of chem said what we have just said concerning rha t. ' An account of chose who said chat:
An account of those who said that: lbn Humayd and Na;r b. 'Abd al-Ral:rman al-Awdi-1:fakk,m b.
lbn Humayd and Nasr b. 'Abd Allah al-Awdi-1:fakkam- Isma'il b. SJlm-lsma'il b. Ahl Khalid-clkrima said, concerning It, houses which
Abi Kha lid- Abo Salih s~id . concerning God's statement /,i houses u,/1ich God has allowed to be raised up, "These are houses, any kind of house. "
God has allowed to be raised up, "Mosques. " c- . !ABARi SAID : We have chose n our opinion regarding this on the basis
Ali /6. Dawudal-Taminuj- Abii Salil_, j'Abd Allah b. SaJil+--Mu "")• of tht' indica tor from His statement [which follows Therein do cif{er J:
/b. Salil_,]-'Ali /6. Abi Talhaj-lbn 'Abbas said, concerning H,s st"""'"' f'JL(t ro Him , mornings a11d eve11i11gs, me11 ,v/10111 11either mercha11dise nor sale
bi liouses which God has all~u~d to be raised up " These are mosqueS, which han· Ju'.raa from remembra 11ce of Cod. [This indicatesj that these hou ses were
been honoured and in which vain talk ha~ been forbidden." . bu,h for /holding the obligatory ) prayers, so th at is why we said they
Mul.ianunad b. Sacd /b. Muhammad al- cAwfIJ-my farbe~n:~ .re mosques.
, /al - H
uncle . usayn b. a I-tl asan j- m.y father- Ius . rat
c J
• I b.
1er /'Atiyya '
.1 cod
al- Awfi]- Ibn 1Abbas said concerning His statement In houses w "c; Jd· INTERPRETATION OF which God has allowed to be raised up
l,asallowed tobe raised up , "I/means eve ry mosque in which prayers are ie , ~ einurprcters disagreed over th e meaning of His statement which God
a comm unal lmosguej2 o r other ones." :JS alloziied to be raised up.
1 111 other wordi th.1 ~I ,, 1
l Acormnun.1 1m,o t l~ UM"~ rne;.rns "mosqul·1. .. . is held, .1.s opPo"J 1; of the D~r H~jn edition of Tabarr's Tafiir .p refe r readi ng chis name as S:i.lim b.
a buic- mo uc (,;uc (,amr) 1s .1 li rgt' mosque w hac the Fnd.1 )' p r2)'l'f ii hi 110 1 l,(' hdd
1 1
Jbn J).~! b~ugh thcr were unable to idcmify anyone wn h this na,m: who might havt· 1augh t
1hcu ll Ikl as1id) or pn;yc r h,1,IJ (,,u,,a/Ja), in whk h Friday prayt:r II g · u mk ;sc('17:3 17 (note3).
a argc conunu nal mosque nearb y.

333
332
 TABAR I
Siimt af-Niir (24:35 - 42)

OP INI ON: Some 0( t hem said: 1 , RPRETAT ION OF Therein do offer praise to Him , momi11gs and even ings,
robe built. ts m ea ning is that God basallowed th
i;--; rEI ,·,rhcr ,ncrclrandise nor sale distract from remembrm,ce of God
.-:trJ ll'INlllt
An accou nt of th ose w h o sa id th at: eni
Tlit ~r':in reci ters di sagreed _ove r the reading_ of H~ s. statement do ojfer
M~l.iammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahili)- Abu 'A . Him . Most of th e reciters of the garrison cmes read y11sabbi~m
-,Ji.-t' r!l
Ma)'munj; and from al-f:larith [b. Ab-1 U _ )!Im [al-Nabi!J-'i,, [b /Ji/1\'ith a damma on th e ya' and a kasra und er the bii', with the meaning
,abj. - W arqa- • [b . ' Umar J; both cisa and Warqa'-Ibn A. - a~- lb . al-Ashy-·
sama -al-Has
-rhmm 111 cn pray to Him ... They make men the subject of the verb "to
which God has allowed t o be raise
sa 1d, concerning . d up "Bb1 NaJ1b-Mui:ihid
•1 " J priiit," which is 1he prcd}:atc. Thercfo~<:_ they read men in the nominative
A nearly identi ca l report was narrated t ' U1 t. a•~-The exceptions arc A~im and Ibn Amir, who read yusabbabu with a
al-Husayn-1:l aljaj-lbn Jurayj-Mujahid. o us from al-~sim- 1
JJmma on 1he yri' and afatba on the bii' in the passive voice. Then they
OP INION: Others sa id: Its m ean ing is that God all 0 w d h rt,1 J wu in 1he nominative case [as the subject of] a second suppressed
oured. e t em to be bon- (rnJ1dma,) predicate, as if they intended by this: "God is offered praise in
An accou nt of rhose w ho sa id th at: house,; which he allowed to be raised , and men offer praise to Him." They
pui men in rhe nominative case by means of a suppressed verb.
. Al-Hasan b. Yahya-'Abd al-Razzaq-Ma' mar-al-Has IB .
b ng Hi s statement ,vlzich God Iias aIIowed to be ..
sa1id, concerni an !a-.. a~nj
raised 11p That
f:\BARi SAID : The reading which is most likely to be correct is the one
G
G r iey may e honoured by the remembrance of Him." ' with a kasra beneath th e ba' in which the verb is made a predicate and
Q. mion of rbe jsubjcct] men. The only way to read men in the nominative Q. 24:37
24:36
b . ·· J11
TABAR! SAID · . , t l1c opmton .. which is most Lkelr to
e
my estunanon
I~ co rrect is Mujii hid 's opinion, which is that its meaning is: /i,u cod m~ \\ith a suppressed verb would be for the declarative sentence about e
1htse houses ro be incomplete unless it included His statement therein do
0 11:ed to ~e raised up as a building (binii 'an). 1 This is like what He (Majestic

;s Hi_s praise) ~aid: And when Abraham raised up the foundations of the Houx·
oft'r prJi5e 10 Him. Ins tead, the sentence is complete without this clause,
!O there are no grounds for assigning His statement therei,i do offer praise to
..G-_2 : 12 ?,)- Tl11S /meaning of " building" ] is the preponderant mean ing of Him to someone else, meaning as a declaration about someone other than
rai sing wir'1 rega rd to houses and buildings. themrn jof the follow in g verse J. The meaning of His statement Therein
d,,c_D;,, praise toHim , mornings and eve11i11gs is: In these houses, mornings and
I NTERPRETATI ON OF and His Name remembered therein
7e says: He allowed His servants to remember and mention His Name
e\·tnings, men pray to Him.
Thr following interpreters said something similar to what we have
It has been alleged that the intend ed meaning is that He allowed
t lerei n. JUSI said concerning that. An account of those who said that:
them to recite th e ~r'an the rein Alib. al-Hasa n al-Azdi-al-Mu'afa b. ' lmran-Sufyan [al-Thawri]-
~n account of those who said. that: .Amn:ar al-Duhni-Sa(id b. Jubayr-Ibn 'Abbas said, "Every case of
,_Ali /b. Dawud al-Tamimi)-Abii Salil:i ['Abd Allah b. SalihJ- o[enng praise (tasbih)' in the ~r'an is prayer (1aliit)."
Mu aw,ya /b. Salihj- 'Ali /b. Abi Talhaj-lbn 'Abbas said, concerning ,_Ali /b. Dawiid al-Tamimi]-[Abii Salil:i] 'Abd Allah [b. Salil:i]-
d His_Name remembered therein, " Hi~ B~ok is recited therein."
0
"
· cJose 111
• meaning to what we have sat·d , bccause rhe
~\"'."Y' [b. Salihj- 'Ali [b. Abi Tall:ia]-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning
. Thu
_ opinion is :er~rn do offer praise to Him , mornings and evet1ings, "They pray to Him,
~ecaauon of the Book of God is amo ng th e meanings of "rbe rc:m~rn~ mc,~mgs and even i11gs. The word mornings means the morning prayer, while
ranee of God "ex I l . · meani ng,
which is wli , ~\' cept iat w 1ar we said is more apparent m ns n•erimgs means the mid-afternoon prayer ('a,s-r). These are the first two
) e chose It as our opinio n.

A~bic adhma 'llah i»l noun of Aiimi'ru~/ 1.::bbe ~.this_minority reading to Jbn Kathir and 'Aiim, and notes 1hat l;laf$ (fro~
ilbn Aiiry
ri _
1
tht \'erh M10 build (~'~t:J:a bwaO~; Dir f·bjar, 17:31s. Taba ri '.~ usin_g t~e";~ch indicJits 1upport1 brli u like the majority of readers; al-Mi,harrar al-wajiz, 4: 186. lbn al-Jazari
1h~t tht \'crb Mto raht") ) a maf u/ 111ufltliJ of the pass ive verb t o raise, 11111
. .1 srr.ircgY 1n 61C1pl f . an by ascribing the minorit)' reading to Jbn 'Amir and Ahli Bakr, who was a
hn co1mntntar , 111 th 15 conrcx 1 mcam "to bui ld. " H e employs a S ar to A11m;N(ljhr,2:i49.
) 0 11 Q . i :i, lra rn la1rd above.

335
334
 TABA R!
S1irat al- N 1i r (24=35-42)
prayers God made obli gato ry so H .h d
d ' c w1s e to me .
or er to remi nd cHis servants Ito
perform] them" nnon thern borh. iri r of those w ho sa id that :
An";°";,w,id al-TaminuJ- JAbii Salil1] 'Abd Allah Jb. Salil1]-
Al- H asan- Abd al-Razzaq- M , ·
. I . a m ar-a 1-Hasan [ I Ah J '· :-I I ]- 'Ali Jb. Abi Tali)a]- Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning
conce rnmg T 1ere111 do c1Je, 11raise I o H·1m, mommos
. and
· .a -Ba~riJ sa1•d, II -,_.;r, I).,,
1 I·' b .re d " !Tl
! ~. ~duim wi1/irr nrerclia11dise 11or sale distract fr~m rcmem ran~e <j o ' 1cy
aII owe d mosques} to be built so He·
I b o evenings, rnen "God
' may e prayed h ' ;r~·not d1stracrcd by thcsc j from th e prcscnbcd praye rs.
and eve11ings." to t crcin moruitigi
_JAnonymou s]- al-Husay n Jb. al-Faraj]-Abii Mu' - i:--:TERPRETATION OF and constancy in prayer
Kh alid al-Marwa z,] said, con cerning His adh [al-Fa\11 b.
l-r . statement Tl,erer,i do ,It . He san: Al so, [their merchandise and sa le J does not _occupy them su_ch
to rm, morn mgs a11d e11e11ings, "He means th [fi ] b)· (!uer praL(e
e ive o igatory prayers." thJ! 1he\" neglect to perfo rm the robligatoryj prayers 111 accordance with
thnulr; \of praycrj, during their proper ti":ies. _ _
INTERPRETATION OF men whom neither merclrandise nor s I J· f, The following interpreters said somethmg similar to what we have
remembra,ice of God ae 1strac1 f(l/11
iust said concerning that. An account of those w?o said th,~t:
God (Exalted l is His remembrance) says·· "These men':v h.o pray 111 . t1e-1c
I · Muhammad 6. Bashshar-Mul)ammad-Awf-Sa 1d 6. Abi'l-
~~osques t 1at God has allowed to be raised up are not occupied by merchJn- Hasan-a man whose name cAwf forgot said, concerning co11sta,1cy in
Q tsc 0 ~, sale, such that they neglect the remembrance of God atid co11 stancy iu ;,J)rr, ''They pe rform the !obligatory] prayers at their proper times."
Q. 24:37 prayer, as we have been informed by : iqami'l-$alat the verbal noun (ma$dar)
QUESTION : Is not the expression Q. 24:37
Q lbn Bashshar-Mul)amm ad b. Ja' far-Shu ' ba-Sa'id 6. Ab;'\- from ,he mb aqamw ("! performed [prayer]")? 0
B asan-a man w hose name he forgot said concerning this venc, from /11
RESPONSE : Yes.
houses wliich God has allowed to be raised up and His Name remembered tlierei,1.
Therei,i do offer praise to H im, mornings and evenings men whom neither mer- QUESTION : Is not the [correct] verbal noun iqama {with a ta ' marbii_ta],
cliat1dise nor sale distract from remembrance of God untii' His statement eyes [will _iust like the verbal nou n from the verb ajartll (" I leased") is ijara?
be lllr'.1i 11gj, "Th ese are a people who , during their trading and sales. arc RESPONSE: Yes.
not distracted by the trading and sales from remembrance of God. " QUESTION: How, then, can !God] use the verbal noun iqam here? Is it
( Al-~sim-al-B.u sayn- J acfar b. Sulay man-'Amr b. Omar-Salim ixrmissible to say aqamtll iqama11? 1
6 - A6d Allah [6. ' Umar] looked at a group of people in the mark« who
RESPONSE : No. However, what I allow and what pleases me is [the form]
rose and left their merchandise in order to go pray, and said, "These Jre
"iJmi'/-5a/a1 .
t~e peopl e whom God mentioned in His Book : Neither mercha11 dise nor 5ille
QUEST IO N : On what grounds do you allow this?
dtSlract f rom remembrance of God (to the end of the verse)."
A nearly identical report was narrated to us from [aI-Q!simJ- RES PO NSE : The prope r verbal noun for aqamtll is actually iqwiim , just as
al-}:lus(ay~1- Hushay m- Sayyar- anonymous 1-Jbn Mas' od. ~n~ saysaq'adrufulana11 iq (iidan ("I made so-and-so sit down") and a'_raywlm
Ya ~u 66 -I6rahim [al-Dawraqi]- Hushaym-Sayyar--an°nymous:- rt~an ("I ga\'e him [something]") ; but w hen the Arabs put a s11kii11 on th e
IbnMasiidsaw a group o f people in the market who Iert c. h •
t eir me rchand1sr M\lw o[ aqamt11, th ey drop [the wiiw] because there is a s11kiin on the wiiw

w h en the call t O h • lls] to praY-

' AL J prayer was made and got up lfrom t CU' sta ·d
. uu l-t" Allah \6 · Mas' u- dJ sa1.d , ,. These are the p eople w h om GO d menrioned ,.
'" is Book: Neither merchandise ,ior sale distract from remembrance of Go · 1/
5omcofth• •d I . h ,dise11or ~ e 1
:: oihn wordi, the interlocutor is claiming that God used the wrong vc:·rbal noun in this verse
d" f, cmsai :T1e mea ningofthatis:Ne1r1ermerc
istraa rom th eir Ifive] obligatory prayers.
1 a,
lti~:r~:nt the Form IV verb aqiima. Interestingly, iq,im h used in the only 1wo cases this
1n che H;i~h~run m ihc ~r':in in conjunction with prayer. (Sec also Q.21 :73 .) However,
1
(OIJJun lneramrc, tlic \'erbal noun iqiima with a 1a' ,narbiita is more commonly fou nd in
Litcn lly, "f, orn ilic p~non who infori ued hi rn of th is"; D.ir H :iJU- 15:32.z. <lion \\1 th pnycr t!i~n h iqiim. ·

336 337
 TABAR!
Siira l af- Nllr (24:35 - 42)
and a rnkii,1 on the mim, and thi s is how the
the wau, prior to the a/if has a sukUn on ,·t y mlake the verbal noun. ' Wh t\TEllPRETAT l ON OF wlio fear a day wlien hearts and eyes tvill be turning
'J,~-1 I f, 11 . .'" t I1e verb aI noun parad· '" ~r uvs: Thrr/ear 11 da)' wlieu llt'l1rts wil~ ~e t1m1i11g from its t~rror, be~wecn
I a, t d1e ftrst etter] is dropped ar1d ' m Its p ace _, igin of
tie en o the [verbal noun] as an add·t· h' a ta marbu1a: is pu, hN'l' j· r dcli \·crance and fear _of pcrdmon, a11~ eyes, meanmg, lookmg at
wa'adtll IIll 'I·datan (" I promised' h . ") tdion to t c ward. Thus, on "
0
th: pbre from which they will be taken- will they be among those of
. ") If I tm an wazantuhu . " e ~\1
It . t 1e waw is removed at the begi . f h zinatan ( I Weigh;d ,:,r Right sidr or th~se of th e Left side? And from which side_will ~he
. . d nnmg o t e ve b l [\,.,ks \recording the ir deeds] be brought to them-from the right side
ts mcrease att hcendwith atii' marb -, Wh . r _a noun, theword
•- . "·a. en, in th15 ea sc, he Ivcrbll
noun_I iqama ts annexed to $D liit' the additional m k orthl' left side? Thi s is on Resurrection Day, as I have been informed by:
marb11_ta , was el.ided because the [t Yunus jb. Abd al-A' laj- Ibn Wahb-'Abd Allah b. 'Ayyash-Zayd
wo parts o f t I1e .Jar
ar er, rneanmg the tJ '
.
non as if they were a si ngle expression, which c~nstruct1011] fun(-
•
i~ak
1 0 b. Aslam said, concerning God's statement fo houses which God has allowed
,krJi.1cd 11p through to His statement [a day] when hearts and eyes will be
th c ann exed part of the sentence to have an add· ~s 1t unnecessar?:_for 11
One. of them has said something equivalent t; this Icto1onal l~ttersh (za iJ).i ,~mii\e, '"\On\ Resurrection Day."
_ , ncernrng t r wrse,
imw 1-kliali_ta ajadd{i 'l-bay11 afa',ijaradii !KTERPRETAT ION OF So that God may recompense themfor the best of ivhat
111a-akl1/afiika 'ida'l-amri'l/adl,111Ja'adii rt -Jd, arid increase the reward far them
1 of His bou11ty
G Truly the fo reigners hastened to separate and rushed off He s1ys : They did that, meaning that merchandise and sales did not divert G
Q. 24 :37 Leaving you behind wi th the promi se they had promised [you]. r~i"'I fn1m reme111bra11ce of God, and they upheld the [prescribed] prayers, Q.24'38
G The
d poet d fiSa)'S 'ida'I-am r mt
· h e Pace
I o f ,.1data ,1-amri and the tii' marbii_ta was
paid the alms tax and obeyed their Lord out of fear of His punishment G
on Resumction Day. !They did all this] so that God will reward chem
roppe . rom \ da beca use of the annexation construct. The same is the
on Resu rrection Day for the best deeds they have done in the temporal
case of iqiim al-~aliit !in this ~ r'anic verse].
world, and will increase for th em His reward for them, from His bounty,
I NTERPRETATI ON OF and paying rlie alms tax (zakat) :or the best of theie deeds, which they did in the temporal world. [God]
h\1shes of Hi s bounty upon them what He wishes to bestow upon chem
· o f [wa-ita ' al-zakac] 15:
It has_been alleged t I1at t hc m eanmg · "An d smceu
·
ob ed1ence to God." out of His generosity to them.

~ 11 account of those w h o said that: INTE ~PRETATION OF God bestows gifts upon whom He wil/1 without
~Ii \b Dawud al-Tamlml]- [Abu SaliJ:,J 'Abd Allah Jb. Salil!J- rt.:bm11g
M_u aw,ya lb. Salibj-'Ali jb. Abi TalhaJ - Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning
~Is s~atement Upliold tlie pra}'ers and p~y the alms tax (Q.2:43 and elsewhere),
God (Exalted is His remembrance) says: God lavishes of His wealth and
nd grn~romy (karama) on whom He wills, in excess of what he would have
,~ejis conunanding His people to perform the [prescribed] praycts '
m~ntt"d just on rhe basis of his deed s and obedience to Him, withom reck-
(u• )' th e alms tax · Wh en H e says an d has en;omed
. . upon me prayer a,,J zakJt
3

Q .i9 :3i), Had it ,iot been for the grace of God and His mercy to you, not one ef o,u?._Hc says: Withou t settling accounts for what he showers upon him
i~ gi\·es 1ohim.
)"014 wo1,ld ever liai,e k- (Q
za at .24 :21 ), and And compassion from O urpresenct' and.
i:. :~
, k- (Q
: 19 :13), and similar passages in the OEr'an, the meaning of za ·al
ed1ence to God and sinceri t y."
1
h· COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WOR.DS:
L !he verb under dbcu\\i i
Weil" verb\ _ II J I O 1•
• . I
aqarna. ha\ ;n 11 ~ 1rilitt,ral roo1 q-w-m and be ongs
10 a dao of
. k~rr
· pl As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage in deserts. The
on 1h" "111." :~ :1i ~: .1~~-..VC'Tb} ••!bu\. t h C' "',:•" root letter is dro pped w~cn rhere is ,1 JII rumy one supposes it to be water ti/I he comes to it and fi11ds it naught,
1 au dfit1ds, in the place th ereof, God Who pays him his due;
1 1
2 L'.tcr:ill y, "a h.3'"'; ih<' ex ; TC'i l _ro\c _,u qum111 (without a w,ill1) instead of '/~';'~· uistic icnni-
1
3 1 his expbnat1on is sn I sion r" _,11<1,~Uta docs 1101 appear a m o n g Taban S Jug ric;ains thil
a11d God is swift at recko11ing.
VC'Tk of f'Oetry . nibr to al-l·arr.i , Ma'im i al-Q!!r'J,, , z which also co

]]8 ))9

Ltef&_
 TABAR!
S,irat al-Niir (24 :35 - 42)

This is a si militude God coined for the pcop]c who d· b . TION O F a11 d God is swift at recko11it1g
said: The similitude of che d eed s of those who d Ishclieve in Hirn. Ht . . .
. I . n .. •- d eny t e oneness 0f h I. .. ,..¾ud God is swift at Hi s rcckomng, becaus_c _He (Exaltc~ 1s Hts
Lo rd an d rCJCCt t 11s ~ r an an the person who br I . . t ('ir lk SJ);1~ 111 ce) is in no need of fin gertips or mcmonzmg by heart , rather,
meaning " like a sariib. " A sa riib (miraoe) is that h·ohu~n It ts ka-sar.ib,
. o w 1c 1s affix('d 1
rcr.1;::~w·s this . :t ll of it , before :tnd after thc_serv~nt- docs it.
g_round 1mdday, when the hea t becomes intense, and the va our::~ ie lk Thr following int erpreters s:i. id somc thmg snmla~ to wh:i.t we have
n scs !appea rs to be} water, betwee n the heaven and h TPh _ hich t \Jid concerning th:it. An account of chose _w_ho sa1~ th ; c: __
Cart · IS jri1i
o f t I1e vapour I starts at daybreak, and then it all rises by 1111•d !' ·Abd ,I-Alab. w, 1i!- ' Ubayd Allah b. Musa-Abu Ja far al-RaZI-
11
. ng
• . -( . -morning '
His statement b1-q1 al, 1s th e plural of qit ("desert") J·u •· . · I R ,· bAnas- Abr,'1-'Aliya-Ubayy b. Ka' b said, "Then God coined
I I f ·- (" . I b " , ' st aspra is the
p ura o !,°' nc1g 1 our ). The word qa means "a land that is spr('ad oui ~:o,~t·;sii;iilicudc :i nd s:tid , Asfor those ivho disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage
and vase, and in it a mirage can occur. : The ,?am'ii11 supposes it to be u1:2rer •H J . • Tl ·s is how the di sbeli ever will come forth on Resurrection Day,

He says: Th e thirsty one among th e people thinks that the mirage is u•at~ i•i,,•seTI_.' ·
\Jrrosmg '
t;:~t he has some goodness with God, and then finding nothing
' "
till he comes to it. Th e suffix pronoun hii ' (it) refers to the previously men- iiGod pu ts him in Hellfire. _ .
tioned mirage, m eaning " until the thirsty one comes to the mirage, see king A nrarh- identica l report was narrated to us from al-Q!s1m-
water with w hic h he ca n relieve his thirst , a11dfmds it 11a11gh1." He says: He ,!-Hu1Jyn~ H,jjaj-Abii Ja'far Raz1-Abu 'l-'A.liya-Ubayy b. Ka' b.
G did not fi nd the mirage to be any thing. Likewise, the disbelievers in God Ali jb Dawud al-TamlmI)-[Abii Salii)j 'Abd Allah [b. Salii)j- G
Q. 24 :39
suppose that the deeds th ey did in a state of delusion will save them fro m Mulwiya jb. Salih j-'All jb. Abl Tali)a j-lbn 'Abbas said, concerning Hi,'. Q . 24:39

G
Hi s punishment, just as chc thirst y o ne who sees a mirage supposes it to
be water t hat wi ll que nch his thirst, until , when fthc disbelieverj perishes
and beco mes in need of his deeds , which he thought would benefit !1im
with God, he finds that hfa d eed s do not benefit him at all, because du,-y
[were doncj w hil e in a state of disbelief in God. This disbeliever fi,rds
God, at t he time of his perdition, ly ing in wait for him, Who pays him his
diie on Res urrection D ay, for che deeds he did in the temporal world, 311d
requites him for them , in acco rdance with the requital he deservr:s for
mwnent 1heirdeeds areas a mirage iri a qi'a, "[In other words}, a level ground. G
Mul)ammad b. S:i1 d !h. Mui)ammad al-rAwfiJ-my father-my
undr jal-f:l mayn b. al-l:lasan]-my father-his father ['Atiyya b. Sa' d
21-'Awfi/-lbn (Abbas sa id, concerning His statement A5 for those who dis-
b(/rezie, their deeds are as a mirage iri a desert until His statement and God is
,w,jr a1 ruko11i11g, "This is a similitude God coined for the thirsty man,
11 hosr thirst in tensifies, causing him to see a mirage, which he supposes is
\\4t~ r. Hr seeks it , thinking he can take from it , until he reaches it. When

doing them. he reaches it , he finds it to be naught and dies at that [place]." He says,
,-The di~believer is likewise. H e supposes that his deeds are sufficient for
QUESTION: H ow is it poss ible for o ne to say rill he comes to it a11 Jfi Jsii
11

:'L11 or will benefit him. H e does not bring forth anything !that will save
iiauglit beca use if t he mirage is nothing, then to what does the pronoun
~im] unri! death reaches him. When death comes, he docs not find that
suffix ha' (it) refer in H is statement till lie comes to it?
:~!! deeds provide for h..im at all, nor do they benefit him , just as a mirage
RESPONSE: It is something that one sees from afar, like fog or duSC pJr- isor no be-n,:fit to the ex tremely thirst y person."
11
ticles, which seems to be dense fro m afar, yet when the person d:aws ~ba;; Mu~arnmad b. 'Amr [al-Bahillj-Abu 'A.;im [al-Nabllj-' lsa [b.
1·, b
ecomes very fin e and becomes like th e air [aroun d h"im l· It JS po<" dji d M, (armunj·, an d .rom
c aI-Harirh [b. Ahl Usama)-al-l:lasan [ b. a I-Ashy-
l I · · e a11 11 '
t lat tie mea mn g of thi s is "t ill he comes to the place of th e nurag I' . s cbr
::d-Warqf[b. ' Umar]; both 'lsa and Warqa'- Ibn Ahl Najll!-Mujahid
th e mirage naught," in which case the m ention of the mirage re Je\ C
need for mentionin g its place.
m,,a~;~:
1 1 11
~:;~ ~ g Go~'s_stat~me_ nt as a mirage bi-qica, "In a deser~,land. :he
ii ihe d eed. (~ anth, m hi s narration from I:Jasan, added the ,mrage
in1tt _e~d ~f the d1sbelievcr.") He comes to it and fi11ds it naught. His com-
I Tlu~l\~ tnul:iri I l , , _ . / Q.irllu,1.:J. 54; \ J~:J: GItdis lus drat! 1 an d Im. separation from t he tempora I wor Id . And [heJ
f.,JJ" o
al-~,'<in, _ ° iow a -Farr~ :ind Ahli ' Uhayda ddinl" s//riib ; M .11ama_- ;1;ss.1gc. -
0
atthc r·imc O fl 1is sepa ration from the temporal world, Who pays
~1m hU di;e_.,
2 66 111
l Th 11 11 simil~r ;~ ~ ~~ll"_ful ~or Kli ~lid \V1ll i;11n~• aH isl a ll~l" w1.th the P
O\\ :il - F:i rrl expla1n~qi; Mad,i ia/- Q.4ri1fl, J.- 2 54·

34 1
 TA BAR!
Al-1-:f asan-.'Abd ~1-~a~~aq- M a' m ar~tada said, co . ,
statemcn~ a~ a m'.ra~e-ln-q, a, In a desert land. The thirst one s:cernin_g His
water . Tlus 1s a s1m1 litud c God coined for th e deed 0 fyh d· pposesu fo /y
says: [The di sbcli cverJ supposes that he is in the
. . .
c1:
1t. e ISbdic,•er. He
ar, JUstas[thecJ ·
one I supposes t I1at t Iu s tmragc 1s wa ter till he comest ·, dfi nd . lltSfy
Like w ise. th e disbelie ver, w h e n he dies finds that a;5 hitJ
s it llaughr.
fi nds, in the place thereef, God Who pays l,~,n his due." ee are naught aud
Yunus [6. 'Abd al-A'laj- Ibn Wahb--Tbn Zayd said, concerning Hi,
statement A1/or ~li~se w_ho _d'.sbelie11e until His statement and finds, iii tirepl,1.(e
there~ God, T l11 s ts a smulnud c th a t God coined for those who disbelirw
Tliei~d~eds areas a mirage i11 deserts. He h as see n a mirage and is sure in his hear;
~.bat It 1s ':ater: W hen h e arrive s at it, he finds it 11a11ght." (lbn Zayd] said.
These jd1sbc hcvcrsJ, who think that th e ir d eeds are righteous and tlut
they will benefit from the m, sha ll only benefit from them in like mann er
G to how the person [who sawJ a mirage benefits from it. This is a similitude
God (Maj estic is His praise and sa nctified arc His Names) coined."
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
124 :40] Or as layers of darkriess 0 11 a vast, abysmal sea. There covers it a wai'e,
above which is a uNwc, abo11e u,/1ich is a cloud: layer upon layer of darkness.
Wlret1 he holds 011 1 his hand he sca rce can see it . And he for ivhom God
has 1101 appointed lig ht ,for him there is no light .
Thi s is another similitude th at God coined for the deeds of the disbt'liev•
ers. H e {Exalted is Hi s re membrance) says: The similitude of the deed_s
of th ese disbelievers, which h ave bee n done erroneously and corrupd),
a~d not in accordance wi th !div in e ] guidance, and the error and confu•
51011 Iarisin g} from their deeds in this sta te, is like layers of Jark~i.e
55
llaSf, abysmal sea. Th e sea is linked co th e adjectival form of 111.JJa (t '
~~:t
abySma~ because of its grea t depth and tremendous amount of water.
Th e lujja of the sea is its treme ndous magnitude . .: There covers it a wa't
He sars: A wave C011ers th e sea, abo11e wlticlt is a wave. He says: ~bot~ I de
wave ,s anoth er wave, which cover s / th e first J w ave• above which is a c ~11 ~;
He says· Th • I
· ere IS a c oud above the secon d wave, w 1c co
h. h vers the ur.
. d d~
;~v,. [GodJ madeche [layers [ of darkness as a similitude for their "r1;
l C vast, abysmal sea is a si militude fo r the h ea rt of the disbeliever.
'L11m l1 y, "' H e ~up )n I . , ,. l);ir Hajar, 17:J;9.
n pl:.1.u:.1.uon ~
2 T\11 1 l<' 11 m )Omedung (Ja li~bu mwahu fl
5/1a}' ) ;
1
ound III Abfl Ubayd:i , Maj,fa al-~r'an. 2 :67.
)4l
Siirat al-Niir (24:35-42)
_Hi~ an [i s doncj with th e intention of a heart th~t i~noran ce, error
11
:J.confo ~ion have cove red. just as a wave, a_bo,,e '.41/11ch 1s wave, above
:/;i. li i.( a cf1111 J covers thi s 1,ast'. aby~mal sea. L1.ke~v.1sc, the ignorance of
G J co\'ers the heart of thi s d1 sbclievcr, the sumlitudc of w hose deeds
i.r: thnc /,,yers of darkness. beca use God ha s sealed {his hcartJ and hi s
i,~·.1 rin~- Th erefore. li e ca nnot concei ve of G~d, nor ca~ h~ hear the
txhorudons of God; and God has put a covenng over his sight, so he
mn<'t sec thr proofs of God 's (ex istenccJ. These layers of darkness [arc
1
li~c thisj . some of w hi ch arc above others.
The follo wing inccrpretc rs said something similar to what we have
j1.m s31d conrcrning tl1: t. An account of those, wh~ said that:
\luhammad b. Sad [b . Mui)ammad al-Awfi]-my father-my
und, [al-Huiayn b. al-1:lasa n ]-my father-his father ['Atiyya 6. Sa' d
.!.cAwfi]-Ibn (Abbas said , concerning His statement Or as layers ofdark-
r:t.')Nl a 1•,w, abysmal sea. There covers it a wave, above whicli is a ivave, above
u·hi,h isa cl1111d until His statemen t there is t10 li'ght, "The intended meaning G
ofl.:ya.- ofdark11ess is ' deeds .' The vast, abysmal sea is the person's heart; Q. 24:40
1haeco1m it 1.1 w1111e, above wltich is a wave, above wliicli is a cloud: layer 11po,1 G
l:yer of darkness . He int end s by this the covering that is over his heart,
b ring and sight, like His stateme nt, God has sealed their hearts (until the
tnd of the verse ; Q.2 :7) and Have you seen the one who takes /tis desire as ltis
,;. J?umil Hi s statement Do you not reflect? (Q.45 :23)."
1
. Al-f:l asan-(Abd al-Ra zzaq-Macrnar-Q:!_tada said, concerning
Hi'.s'.aceme m Oras layers ofdarkness 0,1 a lujji sea, "!Meaning] a deep (sea].
This is a similitude God coin ed for the disbeliever who acts in a state of
error and con fus ion. He sai d: Layer upon layer of darkness."
f'-\BAR i SAID: It has been related to me on the authority of Ubayy
:i.~'. b by 'Abd al-A' la 6. Waiil- ' Ubayd Allah b. Musa-Abu Ja' far
. azi-al-Rabt b. Anas-Abu'l-~Aliya-Ubayy b . Ka' b, concerning
11 i~ ltatement O
; u·Ji•e ( . r as Iayers o,J dark,iess on a vasl, abysmal sea. There covers 11.
th d· bun_u1che end of the verse), " [God} coined another similitude for
is e1iever
,he end f an d sa,'d , O r as /ayers o,Jdar,mess
, on a vast, abysma I sea (unti I
ikrkn ~I .th e verse). jThc disbeli ever] alternates among five types of
t 5 15
nns• · ~ ~pcech is darkness; his deed is darkness; his entrance is dark-
15
Rts~r e~u is darkness ; and his final destination is layers of darkness on
0
""' " Day-[his end shall be] Hellfire. "'
1
l(ntrnce 11 a ara . . . .
;thI the !t';: r:~ ~:;t0a
·~ '°1-n- thrir J ~hraie of Q.2:7, winch reads: God hos 5eafed 1ht 1r htarts arid thtrr htari,ig,
<oi,rri11g_; rht irs will bt mi aw.fi,/ doom.
•?n 1, l(e ~bo\'~ I fan earlier report, in which Ub3yy b. Ka'b identifi ed five types of
' 11 <' com111e111ary on Q. 24 : 35 .
343
 T ABAR I SOmt al-Nri r (24:35 - 42 )

A nearly i~~'.1tical _re~ort was narrated to us frorn al ~ . . icrvrr bas see n hi s hand aft er dc!.ay and exertion, as one s~ys "I
al-l~usayn- 1:laJJaJ-Abu Ja far al-Razi- al-Rabi'-Ab-'J ,- . ~"ni- [:ITht ob. . in th e d arkn ess · which mean s that he did sec
b. Ka'b. u -A11)~-Ubay 1 i•'lO\l could not see ) ou
• ,.
. . /
l . ftcr despa ir and hard ship.
h:11. but on ,d, t rion is the most evident of the meanings, from the
Ytmus [b. 'Abd al-A' la)- lbn Wahb-!bn Zayd said,
mf
COlicerlli i, .
Th1s{hir mtcrpre a " I d"d h· ")
sta tement O r as layers of darJm ess on a vast, abvsma/ sea Th . g Hi i ·cti\-cofhowt hcArabs use th cverbkiida( He near y 1 somct
1· ere covers u a u•.iiy
•
abo1,e which is a 111~ ,1~ until His statement layer upon layer of darkttcss, "Lare;
1
(: f't. , I Tl 1e other OJJinion , which takes the sentence co mean t 1at
1•1hmsp<"trl. · · firom t hc perspec t'1ve
[! · I andj is the most ev1'd ent opinion
upon layer of evil. · '·
h:d1J noc sec _11\~n tl;ough it is the least evidene of its [litera!J mean-
~• wmmrntar), t: • . h h · · f
INTER PRETATION O F When he holds out his hand he scarceca 11 sec ir i;~. Th is linrcrpretationJ , meaning he s~arce~an see it wtt t e mtens1.cy. o
t!-~darkncss that is mentioned, is good 111 this context on.ly because It ts a
He says: W he n the obse rver ex tend s his hand into these layers of dark n<'ii,
lie scarce cm1 see it . ,:~iilitudc and not a report of something that actuaUy existed.

QUESTION: H ow can it b e said lie scarce can see it given the inten sity br i:-.·nllPRETATJ ON OF And he for whom God has not appointed light,for
which th is darkne ss has bee n described? You know that when one says
/.101;i/1c'Ttis110 fight
" I nearl y cannot (lam akad) see so-and-so," it can only mean that one
1
G
He s.iys: Upon whomever God does not bestow faith, guidance fro~
G is affirming that he has had a vision of him after exertion and hardship. mor Jnd knowledge of His book.for /,im there is 110 light. He says: For 111111 Q. 24:4r
Q. 24: 40 Given char an observer can not see hi s extended hand in lesser darkness
G than chat w hich is described in chis verse, how is it possible he could sec
ibrrisno faith. gu idance and knowledge of His book. e
hi s hand in thi s darkne ss?:
RE SPON SE : Th ere arc several ways to re spond, which we shall mention COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
before we inform yo u of th e correct one: !in1 j Htwe )'OU not seen that God, He it is Whom all ivho are ifl the heavetts
! 1 J The meaning of this clau se is: When he holds ow his /,and to look for a1id rhe earrh praise, and the birds i11 their flight? Of each He knows his prayer
it he scarce ca 11 see it In other words he does not know where ~o look fol ai:d its praise; a11d God is Aware of what they do. (24:42) And to God
· d I· · . f ] fi ] • k· h aning of thesecon belongs the sovereignty of the heavens attd the earth, a,id to
It, an_ t 11S _1s a case~ t 1e 1rst _ c ause ta mg t em~ . case would be
one (mvcrs1011). Th e mterprctat1011 of the sentence in th.is,, God is theJrnal outcome.
" Wh en lie holds out his ha11d he cannot get close to seeing it. . ,, In rhis
[2} It s meaning is " J,fl l,e11 he /,olds out his hand, he does not see 1~;) [ earll
God (Exalted is Hi s remembrance) says to His Prophet Mu~ammad (~):
"h J t cannot O~fobanunad, have you not looked with the eye of your heart, so chat
case, Hi s statemen t lam yakad (he scarce can or ea mos .. l1i
pose )Ou would know that co God pray all who are in the lteavem mid the earth,
"he cannot"J in t his contex t, like th e parallel case when to His
( )" . d . I ontext such as r •:n?ng the angels, people and jinn, and the birds j,i their flight in the air also
;amia 1s use to ex press ce rt aint y in a specia c ,, . ,,;,ii) that they /iai 't' pr.is~ Him ? [And do yo u not di scern that J Of each He k11ows his prayer and
statement Tliey are certain (literall y, "they suppose , ? 0 r· JI~l!e?
no es,ope (Q. 4 , :4 8). '
ll.·b- · be sat·d O>j eacII He knows Ius. prayer a,1 d Its
QtESTJON •· [H. ow can lt . praise,
.
sonirdung-)- 1
1 Fo r di r uugr anJ niea11111g~ of 1hc special verb kada (''to nl•;i rl )' or alnto ~r t :Sourhish.1nJ,
.n). Jtcordmg to )'OU, praise (tosbih) is a [form of] prayer (1ala1)'
1
~e Wright , 2: 100 . Wrigln 1ramll tcs 1his ~r':inic p.us:igc:ts "when hc- Srrctc
he can h;u dlr ice ,1." isd:1usc1ou1fl~ th
:~;~ ree opuons arr found. in different words. in Abf1 ' Ubayda. Majiiz al-Q!r'an, 2:67. The
2 Al-F.arrf offeu tlm argu ment as l·videncc- in rnppon of chost· who rake- th
:t.:er~: ~'r rse Tibari cites in rhe second o ptio n is found iu al-Farm', Ma'dni al-Q.!r'iin. 2:255.
l ~~:;~:~: ob~rwr\ hand cannot be ~ccn; Ma'a11i a/-Q:!r:i11 • .2:.255. of refuge:" : A.rlxrrr,'.::'
1 td;;
1:-,e 01 ~:;it~onmle~ (akhfa) ."
M 11 tunsl.te~ du ~ vcne a~. MTh ey pcrcc-1ve tht·)' have no pl 3ce . ..The)' will ,;;tuim i]I e l:bl1b1 and Dir Haj::ir editions suggc-u this wording for the lacun 3 th a1
~he> will dnnl that the y h1ve 110 1 sy lum"; and Abdd H a lel·lll o ffers. th
rmanu~ripts ofTab::iri's Tafiir;Jam i' al-bayiin, 18 :152 ; and Di r Hajar, 17:333.
t 1a1 there n noel(ape .H

345
344
 TABAR !

RESPO NSE: The word prayer applies to the Ch·Jd

1
J rr,ii(c 0 f God, which He has made obligatory for them to perform."
applies to all o ther creatures and 011 a ~en of Adam, whi le . on The most apparent int erpretation of thi s sentence, amon g these three
O
betwee n the se two words. ' ccount this God distingt~:~: .,t1NJ~. is dl(' first one, in which th e meaning is "Of each one who prays

. Tl~e fo llowi ng interpreters sa id somethin similar /id

0
rr,ii<rs arno11g thcn1 , God k,wu,s liis prayer a,id its praise."
JU St said co nce rnin g that. An account of ti g h . to wh;u we h-.w
MI d b ' 1ose w o said that L\TE RPRETATJ ON OF a11d God is Aware of whal Jl,ey do
)amma - Amr lal-Bahill]-Abu 'Aiim [al- : ,.
Maym un]; and from al-l:l arith [b. Abi u - )- l Nab,IJ- lsa jb. God (Exalted is His rr membr:rn ce) says: Aud God possesses knowledge of
abJ- Warqa' lb. ' Umar J. both ' 1-s' and W sa_''.'" lb a -Hb_ asan lb, al-Ash,. ~JI c\'cry one who prays and praises among them does. None of their
- . ' .. · arqa- nA iNa·ih- •- ·.
lftJOns-c ithcr in obedience or disobedience to Him-is concealed from
said, con_ce r~mg ~i s statement all wlzo are in tlze heavens and;,,~ ea ~UJa~1d
Him. IHis knowledge ] encompasses all of this and He will requite them
a,1d 1the 1 111 tlie,r fliglit ? Of each H e knows Ius. prayer a,i d ,ts
· birds . praisrrt "Pra1w
i pra1!,(,

app ies to_l~ ma ns and praise applies to everything else in crcatio~."
Al-~snn-al-l:lu sayn- l:lajj;ij- Ibn Jurayj-Mujahid said. con-
~ernmg Hts statemen t Ha11e you uot seen that God, H e it is Whom all whoari·
"'. the hearJftlS ~11d rJ,~ ea~!li J~raL(e 1 and the birds itJ their flight? Of eaclt He kuous
G /us prayer_a11d Its praise, Hts prayer applies to humanity; its praise is general
and applies to everything ."
_ H is statement Of each He knows his prayer and its praise (k111lun qad 'ali11u
1
~alara/111 wa-rasbif,ahu) can be und e rstood in several different ways:
l 1) Th e suffi x pron o un lia' ("his/ its") in His statement his prayer and ii.!
taise refers to each (k ul0, so th e interpretation of this sentence would ix:
. Of e~c/1 ,?ne who prays and praises a mong them , God k,JOWS his prayer ar.J
forlllof this.
17" TERPRETATION O F And to God belongs the sovereiguty ofthe heavens and
1~, mt/1, and to God is thefina l outcome
God (Ma_i('stic is His praise) says : 10 God belongs the dominion over the G
~, J1n;5a,1drhecartl1 and their sovereignty, to the exclusion of every ruler
md king other than H im . So fear Him, 0 humanity! Him alone you
ihould seek and not anyone else. In His hand are the treasuries of the
!:mens and the earth, and He never fears becoming destitute by giving
you [portions] from them. And to God is the final outcome. He says: You
-.,,ill go to Him after your deaths. Your final outcome and return is to Him,
11 hen He \\ill give you in full th e rewards for the deeds you have done in

115 praise. T he word kull is in th e nominative case here on account of che the 1emporal world , so perfect you r worship of Him! Strive hard to obey
15
suffi x pronoun refe rring back to it in His statement Of each He knou his Him and bring fo rth from yourselves righteou s deeds.
prayer and its praise; this is the suffix pronoun ha' affixed co prayer.:
l 2 J The suffix pronoun ha' affi xe d ro prayer and praise also refers ro e~(b, [Condusio11 of rite comme11tary on verses 35-42 of SUrat al-Niir)
and each is in the nomi native case on account of the verb knows, for whKh
each is its subject. The interpre tation of the sentence in this case wo~ld
be: "Each one w ho prays and praises among them knew his own ~rl)tr 10
311d prai 5 c, w hich has been mad e obligatory and necessary for hirn
perfoThrm ." J c God ,vhik
I3I e suffix pronoun ha ' affixed to prayer and praise rexers toth ' nee
~he verb hows has each as it s subject. The interpre tation of ethSen::-er
in th is case would be: " Each one w ho praises and prays knows eP )
• Tim
i:is:1 of th(' mor('
I~ .l rn nm1
al-Q:r'ii,i,
. .
('Xtc.-mivc gr:.imma rica l discussion fo
und in al~f Jrr:i'. ,\{J~1i
Jnd
iTim•~r.iuchow pic_k11i"
die M _ 1hc
.111 tra1ula1t)
h
p.;mage: "Of each H : knowct ve~ s cx rolling-· ,
·1y th(' wor1~)p
3 Th1;1~ h~w S~m.11:i.rly, Arberry offcn "Each- H e kn ows its pr,iy('r and _1 rhe ]:;i.11cr hJS •£.).b
kno-.n 1' [ow~~::1:rn.1d Aud and Abd('. I H alcc.-u~. rr;anslatc rhis J)J-ss:igc-,
1
) I of pr.ayer and glor1fiea11011.
347

ntA
 Si/rat al-Sajda (32:1 -30)
. ION OF Or say they, He (M11liammad) has in11e11ted it ?
1\TERPIUTAT
Ex~lrcd is Hi s remembrance) says: Thos~ w ho ascribe ~,:1 rm.ers to
GN ( ·. I d fabricated chis book by l11111self and falsified 1t.
Gr,.l 53): Mu iat~;ur'' (am) is an affirm ation . We have clarifi ed in multi-
PROSTRATION Thi s p_-n11c cb o k that w hen the Arabs insert a parenth etica l phrase,
SURAT AL-SAJDA r , btt·s m our oo ,
~ a ns of :rn intcrrogarivc phrase, in the midst of a ~iscussi~n, part
11
oi i1hkh has already ca ken place, th ey use the inte~rogau ve pa:u.~le am .
(Q. 32:1-30)
One /exrcrtl amo ng t he111 1 cl aimed th at the me~ nmg ~f that is _rather

G ihev m·" because "or" is eq uiva lent to th e particle waw, and waw ha s
ihe.me;ning 0 ( "rachcr" (ba0 in this context. .
Then God (Exalted is His remembrance) demonstrated th ~ fa~ s1ty
COMMENTARY ON TH E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS, [01 ihc polythcim' sta tement] by saying It is not like _y~u claim It to
:

ihar Mul_iainmad fabricated [ch e Ol!r an]. Nay, b,a ,t 1s the truth and
1

/32:1 j A/if Lam Mim. /32:2 j Th e rei,e/ation ef tlie Book ofwhicl1tl,m

rmciry from your Lord. 0 Mu}:iammad. He sent it down_ to you th~t
is no doubt-it isfrom the Lord efthe Worlds. (32:3/ Or say they, He
)l'II ,r.J)' mm afolk about th e divine punishment and seventy that will
(A1ubammad) lzas i,111ented it ? Nay, bra it is the tmthfro,n your Lord, 1
blll dit'm because of their rej ection of it. ~ No warnercame [to them] before Q.J2'2-J
that yo11 may warn a fo lk to u,hom t10 u,arner came before
you-perhaps they may be guided.
i'-'11. He sap: O Mu l_tammad , no warner has ever come prior to you to G
c~m people-hi s people, among th e ~raysh-to whom your Lord
The clarification of the interpretation of His statement A/if Liim Mim has ~,rnnr you, to warn them about the divine punishment on account of
1
taken place previo usly in a manner that is sufficient. ,h,ir disbelief/in God j.
71
INTER PR ETAT ION OF The revelation efthe Book efwhich there~ odoobt 1,TERPRETATION OF perhaps rhey may be guided
l · ,jthe Bock chat was
.. /
Go d (Exalted is His remembrance) says: T1e reve a(lon
. d b ·Jromtlie Lor 0
°
J·' H~~rs: So char they may grasp clearly the true path, recognize it and
se nt down to Muhammad (s), of w hkh there 1s no ou t, 15 l0 11)· ld1minit.
the Worlds." H e sa;,s: "From ~he Lord of rhe rwo mighty groups (r/,aqa 1' • The following interpre ters said some thing similar to what we have
JU I! said concerning rhe interpretation of that. An account of those who
the jinn and humans," as we have been info,rmed ~_Y: Abi 'Ariiba)-
Bishr /b. Mu'ad hj- Yazid [b. Zuray ]-Sa ,d [b. I . 1of,/11 111d1h.ar:
~cada sa id, concerning His sta tem ent Alif Lam Mim. The ,eveatio, Bish, /b Mu'adhj- Yazid /b. Zuray' j-Sa',d [b. Abi 'Aruba]-
~r.ida said, concern ing that you may wam a folk to whom r10 warner came
Book Iii rayba fihi, "Of whi ch there is no doubt."
Th · . . I ·
.
uncertainty t
hat ,his
,_ e meaning of dus passage 1s that t 1ere 1_5 no God, and rh.1c it is 1 1
'()-ou-perhaps rl,ey may be guided, "They were an unlettered people,-1
orno w.arner came to them prior to Mui)ammad (~) ."
~ran, which was sent down to Muhammad, from 15 rnething
·h · h Iris nor so .5
neJt er poetry, nor rhe rhymed prose of a soot sayer. d Majestic is f-11
that Mul,anunad (i) forged, and, by [this statement] , Go loJoldwhilh/JC
praise) rejects the opinion of th ose who say, Fables oftlie ,n 11. (Q.,d·
has hd · dow,i so that they are dictated to 1·
a umtte,, um mom andei er
1 ng
I h s ;,wetiffJ'
· · of those who say. This is ,zaug /JI but a lie that " a
and t he opm1on ;~:~nt~eopiruon of Ab~ ' Ubayda; Majiizal-Q.,r'ii1J, l: 130.
"nd orher folk hai,e helped him with it (Q.25 :4). :r,(nt (~· pr~'.10 ~~ is arnb1guous; it probabl y refers to their rejection of the "divine punish-
~r·in, 11·Hch : ~ribi('
1
.-1 .iii), but it might also refer to their rejection of tht· ~r'an or God.
1 Sec AppcoJlx A for T:ribari\ explanation of tlu.' "disconncCtt'd letters" of ,he · u"l/11,1 ummiyya. This could also mean ":i people bereft of a book."
I~ h11 fo rnmcnury on Q.2 : 1.

349
 TABAR! S1irat al-Sajda (Jz:1-30)

COMMENTA RY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS·
!32:4 j God 1t 1s Who created the heavens and tf,e earth, and all th
between .diem, in six . days.. Then He moumed the Thr,one. v,ou have,
ar wh,(h ,_s
t t.
H1111 1 a prorectrngfnend or imercessor. Will you
noI th en remember,
' ' orndt
God (Exalted is His remembrance) says: "O humanity [GOd • 1th .
Wh o is worsh ipped, and !Who decreed that] no oth;r b " ' _One
fully be wors hipped, Who created the heavens and the earth em~ c;n nght-
rhjngs which jareJbetween them in six day5 . Then He mounted•H•~1s Tai1ro11rcrelted
1
on
t he_sev~nrh day, after H~ had created the heavens and the earth, and thit
wluch 1s between them, as we have been informed by:
. Bish, lb. Mu'adhj-Yazld fb. Zuray' ]-Sa'id lb. Abi'Ariib,]-Ge<id,
said, concerning God it is l.Vho created the heavens and the earth, and thar which i_;
between them, i11 six days. Then He mounted the Thro,ze, "on the seventh dav.•·
He says: 0 humanity, you have no god except the One Who did ,II
0 OPINION : Some of them said: Its meaning is: Truly the command comes
this, and created chis wond rous creation in six days.
Q .J2'4
0 ~NTERPRETATION OF You l,ai,e not, beside Him, a protecting friend or
111tercessor
He says: 0 humanity, yo11 ha11e not, beside Him , a protectingfriend (wal~ who
can protect yo ur well-being / or who can aid you against [GodJ if He
wishes harm to befall you. Nor is there an intercessor who can inrcrced:
on your behalf with God if He punishes you for your disobedience ot
Him. He says: Take Him as your protecting friend! Seek assistance from
Him and by obeying Him in your affairs. If God wills, He will prcren{
the person who wishes to harm you from doing so. and nobody can repd
d
what He has willed for you to be. No conqueror can conquer Him, ao
no vanquisher ca n vanquish Him.
INTERPRETATION OF Will you 1101 rhe11 remember?
God (E xa Jte d ts
· His. remembrance) says: O humanity, d o you n0 rconsidct
I Tab...ri o: lain h . .0 o(God Mmounnr1g
th, Thro:, (u,:: _,,n~c:11!1 ng ~_f_ chc thcologic:.1Jl y concron·rsial ('X~rcss• ~in thisii'2nibt!~n)
For a sun1111ar . u ala I- ,mlr) m lmconuncncarron Q.i:29(n_ocmc.iude c Girn:ut:'• b0.Vf'_
l.angwr ti Thioi dus pa.1.1agc and broader discuuion of this rop1c, SC the
Attnbutts in hi:' tt1 Islam, 23 8- ~2: Tabari h2s ver y Jin.le ~o sa)' about th
t\'cry nig!u to ,t"d or d1c surv1v111g frag mC'IH of his 7abw. He affirms h· Ta ,
Ji ma'ti/i,n al-dill, ; ~ow, ,, h~avcn, whid1 implies rha1 h(' is abov(' clJ(' (':~ ;hor1 chapc,rs of
re pom tcmfyui ~h~rTabari_s ~onumporuy lbn Khuzay1~ia ~cvo~~ f 1-taivbui, 101 - H·
l L1tmlly " 'ou g God Is d t \•;11cd, 2bovc everything, Ill !us Krtab a
' } r 1t.itusor affa1r (amrakum)."
At·ct. so you ,,·ould know that you have no protecting friend or
·. ,nJ re I ~r tb:ui Him ? So restrict the quality of divinity to Him
01
111ac~t-s~J'· , ir:ccrrl)· worship only Him, and repudiate all partners and
0 o.:rlu11,1 }· .
~o.ls ihat arc- beneath (or other than) Hun.
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
!u:s] Hedirects the command from the heaven to tl,e earth; the,i it ascends to
Him ;11 a 1/ay, where4 the mcas11re is one thousa,id years by your recko11iflg.
God(Exalrcd is His remembrance) says: It is God who directs the command
(;mr). rhJt is. the romma//d of His creation.from the heaven to the earth; then
1w:mJs ra Him.
Thr interpreters disagreed over the meaning of His statement then it ascends
r., Him i11 ada)', 111hereef the measure is one thousand years by your reckoning.
G
down from rhe heaven to the earth, and then it ascends from the earth Q.)2:5
:othe h('awn in a si ngle day. The duration of this day is 1,000 years, G
•.:cording to the reckoning of earthly days, because the distance between
rh( emh and the heaven is fthe distance covered during} a 500-year jour-
r.(y. and the dista nce between the heaven and earth is the same as that.
Therefore, [the coralj is 1,000 years.
An account of those who said that:
lbn Humayd- l:lakkam-'Amr b. Ma' ruf-Layth-Mujahid said,
concerning i11 a day, whereef the measure is one thousand years, "What He
me.i.ns by rhat is the descent of the command from the heaven to the
wihand lits ascension J from the earth to the heaven in a single day. The
ll'.tJJureof this day is one thousand years, because the distance between the
btiren ind,he
B' h eart h.ts t he d·1stance covered over a 500-year journey. "
q,- -l' r Jb. Mu'adhj-Yazid lb. Zuray']-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Ariiba]-
1, a_said, "He directs the commat1dfrom the heaven to the earth; then it ascends
1
/t'u, ; c~:,~i~ay;mong your ~ay~, whereefthe measure is one thousand years by
ingio . !,g. he length of JtSJOUrney in that day is 1,000 years, accord-
plus ~ 0 ~r reckoning of the days on earth. Now 500 years of descent,
5S f )_ears of asce nt: that is 1 ,ooo years."
. s I ur,n] 'dibn Wk~ a t [b - aI-Jarral1]-Abii Mu' awiya-Juwaybir-
tl-D,bb:k
.. . .a sa1 ;ars concern mg· tIten ti. ascends to Him in a day, ,vhereo,JI
Ucneihousand t 1e measure
'"" desc dY by your reckoni11g, "The angels ascend to the heaven, then
01·er. a ,,OOo-
en .in one. of your cart hi y d ays, and it is the distance covere d
)ear Journey."

350 351
 TABAR!
Siimt al-Sajda (12: 1-3o)

_ ! Suf~an _b. WakI' ..b. al-Jarrab]-my father-Sufyan jal-Ti _ I I , , t , the earth by mean s of the angels, then the angels
Snn ak- Iknm a said, One thousand years by you k , iawnj-- (.-":11i.mdfrim1 r I~ 1tm;11 t I mc:1surc of which is I ,ooo yea rs, according
earthl y days.'' ' rec 0 ""'g, 3lllong your l,m1J to Hnn 111 a ay. tic ,

_ Hannad a!-Sari~Abu' l-Al~wa~-Abu'J-}:Iarith-cikrima- Ibn (Abba~ io orthl ~ day\ of those who said chat:
said, co nccrn1~1g Hts state~ en: He dire::s the command from tlie J,rai,eu
1
' ".''t;;,wudal-Tamimij- jAbu Salil_i] '~bd Allah jb. Salih]-
the ca~rli; tlien 1t ascrnds to Him Ill a day, Among your earthly days, and
10 Ah11 1 ·b SalihJ- 'Ali [b. AbI Tall_ia]-Ibn Abbas said, conccr111ng
_I

th e d1 st:11~ ce betw 7cn

h eaven and earch is the distance covered over .,
1
,\ lu J ~~ [ · j '. d· toHimi11 aday, whereojrhemeas11reiso11etho11sa11d
1_h111Jtc111cnt '. rk~" ''. ,isc~'.~~tis occurs in che temporal world. The angels
500-yca r JOUrn ey.
IAno nymousJ - 'Abd
1
al-Razzaq lal-San ' 5ni)-Macmar~t.id., ~:wJ [Godj in a day, the measure of which is r,ooo yc~rs.
-~ by yimr n c 011mg,
10
,.
. _
said, "Everything will collapse and then ascend from the earth to thr [Sufy,n[ ibn WakI' jb. al-Jarra~]-Ghundar--:Shu ba-S1mak-
hcaven l in a single day, the m easure of which is 1,000 years: 500 whilr it k. ·d concerning i,J a day, whereef the measr,re 1s one rho11sm1d years
!·rnna Sl,' ·. "The distance between heaven and earth is the distance
de scends and 500 w hil e it ascends." Ifi\W rt'o:om,ig, • . f hi d ,,
wm("d ovrr a 1 ,ooo-year journey, by you~ reckomng,o ear~ a~s. .
OPINION: Others said: R ather, the meaning of chat is: [God] direw1hr
lbn al -Muthanna-Mu!Jammad b. Ja far-Shu ba-S1mak- Ikmna
comma11dfrom the liearJet1 to the earth; then it ascends to Him i11 a day chat is cqu~I u:d, conn·rning the verse it ascends to Him in a day, whereof the meas"re is one
G in length to on e of rhe six days during which God created everything.
G
tb .smd jrar5 by ymir rako11i,1g, "The distance b~tween t?,e heaven and the Q. 32:5
Q . 32 :5 Th e length of that day was 1 ,ooo years, according to che reckoning of m1h is thr dista nce covered over a r,ooo-year Journey.
G your d ays. 0
OP!NJON: Ochers said: Rather, che meaning of that is: [God) directs tl,e
An account of those wbo said that:
11'm'lh111dfrom rhe l1emJe11 to rlie earth in a day and the measure of chat direct-
Ibn Humayd- H ak kam- <Anbasa-Simak-' Ikrima-Ibn 'Abbas
said, "O,;e
tltousaud ·years by your reckoning is a measure. of dim_nu.
:1g(1adbir) is 1,000 years, according to your reckoning in earthly days; then this
d:rwing, which He directed, ascends to Him.
Co nce rning Hi s state ment like one thomand years by yo11rreckoumg (Q. 22 ·47 )f
[it means J: He created the heavens and the earth. in days, each
0
~:x An account of those who said that:
IAnonymousJ- l:fajj3.j-Ibn Jurayj-Muj3.hid said, "The command
whi ch lasted 1 ,ooo yea rs, according ro your reckonmg. -'-I-Simik- of m rything is decreed for r ,ooo years to the angels, and that is how it
jSufyan] ibn WakI' jb. al-Jarrah]-my fathcr-lsra 1 _ i, for 1,000 years, and then the command of everything is decreed for
' . ' . . ·. d J ojthemeas11reL1m11
lknma- lbn Abbas sa id , concern mg 111 a ay, 1~ iere . h God crcatrd [~ioth~rJ1,000 [yearsJ. Then this is how it is for eternity." [Mujahid] said,
tlio11sa11d years by your reckoning, "The six days durmg whte conct~ning a day, whereof the measure is, "The day, which is called '1,000
the heaven s and the earth." . . _ Mu<adh [al-FaQl b. yr1.r_1, on which !everything) is decreed to the angels, is actually when it
[Anon ymous]-al-1:lusayn jb. al-FaraJ]-Abu hh-k said, con· usaid ·scand it is!' However, He called it a day" -as we have clarified all
Khal id al-Marwazlj- ' Ubayd j b. Sulayman ]-al-Qa · ·ah sand .,,_,; ;~hat from Mujahid jpreviously]. jGod's] statement Loi a day with God is
. I ,s one t o11 1 1
cernrng Hi s statement iri a day, whereof t 1e measure da s among chr six o,:crhomand years by your reckoning (Q.22:47) is the same as this.
1,
by your recko11i,ig, "Th is is the length of one of the Y h d all thJt
OPINION : Others said: Rat her, the meaning of that is: [God] directs tlie
days durin g which God created the heavens and che eart ' an
"'rt1;a1Jdfrom the heai1e,i to the earth and then the command ascends to God
is be tween th em ." . d]dirt{/5 tht ;~1 r course of a day whereof the measure is one thousand years. The measure
OP INION: Others said: R ather, the m eani ng of that is: jGo J ascension is one thousand years by your recko11i11g.
account of those who said that:
I - · . , ·
Tlbui u~ , the- pnm·c-dhukiro an. which o b~c url") 1hc- link be,
;1.]r~:::
Wl"t"il Jijm ;J.il d '!,bd
, insrc-:id 0
1~~
11 15 stYunus lb · 'Abd aI-A'Ja-J- lbn Wahb---Ibn Zayd said, - concernmg -
It•~lXl' \ 1bl, thJt ht rt ;id 1hi ~ m, copy of 'Abd ;1. I- Razz:i9 "s conum·iit:ir}, atrnienc tlzen it ascet1ds to Him i11 a day, whereof the measure is one thou-
tt Juecd r rrolll ;l lC';J.d1er.
2
l·ollow,ng the 1c-aJ111g 111 the Di r l·h j;i r ed 1t1o11 ofTabari's Tafair ; iS: 593 ·

353
351
 TABAR!
Siirn f al-Sajda (12:1- 30)

b years by o• "S omc sc hoars

I said Th 1
sm1d h your reckonino i\lt.luians and !ll OS t Ku fan rcci ter s read a~1sa,ia ku/Ja slzay i11 khalaqahu , with
etwce n t e ea rth Iand the heaven) h . : c measure of ·h .
e k f · w en It ascend t •
1
\\ i 1 11 JJ;ihiJ(l!l rhc /iim [of klwlaqalwj.
P a o It s asce n sion is t ,ooo years Tl . . h s o It and reach h
BA Ri SA ID: Th e corre ct opinion, in my estimation, is that they arc
on th at d ay whe n it asce nd s. " . 11s is t e measure of that asc('n11on
c:s r
; ~ widrly ancstcd readings. Scholar~ and Q!!r'an reciters have recited
10
!ABA Ri SAID: The interpretation which ism t·k och of these readings . and both mcanmgs are sound: God perfected His
m my estimation , is that of the perso h ost I ely to be corr«t cro.tion (klra/qdflll), and, likew ise, He perfected everything chat He created
. I n w o says· Its m . '
directs_ ti ~ comma11d from tlte hea 11en to tlie earth and . h . canmg is: "!God] il•l:;/J Jlu,). So. the reci ter is correct reciting either of these two readings.
all wahm a si n g le day, the measure of that day : en~~ ~sc~nds to Him, 4 interpre ters di sagreed over the meaning of this verse.
The
~sce nd ed and de scended to the earth, is one thou~:;d w ate t e comm~nd OPINION: Some of them said: Its meaning is: He brings everything to
m your da ys: 500 years of desce 11 t d ye rshyro11rrecko111·~g
b . an 500 years of ascent " Th' • h perfrnion.
es t int erpretation beca use it is the dearest one and m t ·. ·1 is is\~ An accoun t of those w ho said chat:
apparent meanin g of the revelation. os s1m1 ar to t~ Abbas b. Abi "falib-al-l:lusayn b. Ibrahim Ishkab-Sharlk-
hhumf- ikrima-Ibn (Abbas said, concerning His statement Who made
.Il ch;n'_gs~ which He created, "Even though the buttock of an ape is not G
G CO MMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS: !'ern;iful. God, none theless, perfected its creation."
Q. 32:7
!Sufyan! ibn Wakl' !b. al-Jarral))-Abu'l-Na<;lr-Abu Sa'ld
Q. 32:6-7 IJ2 :~ J Such is th e K1101ller of the invisible and the visible, the Mighty, 1he G
1!-~\u'addib--Klrn $ayf-' Ikrima-Ibn (Abbas recited Who made all thit1gs
G A1ercifu!, [32 :7 J Who made all things good whicl1 He created, at1d He brgari
s,,~1u·hich Hrcreau:d, then said, "Even though the buttock of an ape is not
the creation of man from clay; [32 :8 J Tlze,i He made his
seed fro m a draught of despised fluid; t'(,.miful, God, nonetheless, perfected it."
Mu~ammad b. 'Amr !al-Bahili]-Abu 'A1irn al-Nabll-' isa [b.
God _(Exa lt ed is Hi s reme mbra n ce) says: O humanity, this Being, \Vho \faymun!; and from al-J:larith [b. Abi Usama]-al-J:lasan [b. al-Ashy-
~cts m the way I desc ribed to you in these verses, is the K11oweroftheit1Pis• 1b!-Warqa' !b. ' Urnar]; both ' Isa and Warqa'-Ibn Abl Najil)-Mujahid
ible, meaning Kn o1ver of that which is hidden from your eyes and that you ~d. concerning made all things good which He created, "He perfected every-
do not see. This includes that which the hearts conceal or souls hide. t~ing He created. "
an d ·w hat no longer exists. And j He is the Knower o}] the visible, meaning Mu~ammad b. ' Urnara-'Abd Allah b. Musa-Isra'll-Ibn Abl
th at which th e eyes can perceive and all chat exists, the Mighty. He Slp: ; 1Jih-Mujjhid said, concerning Who perfects (atqa11a) a/I things (Q.27=88),
Th e Seve re in His ve ngeance against those who disbelieve in Hint, as~ Ht counts everything."
date partners with Him and reject His Messengers. !He is] the Mmifiil
towa rds anyone w ho rep e nts from his error, returns to faith in 15
a
nd
G1 o;JNlON : Others said: Rather, the meaning of that is: Who made beau-
" ul or good th e created form (k/,a/q) of everything.
Hi s Messenger IMui}.ammad] and becomes obedient to Hirn- [He roo An accounr of those who said that:
mcrci fu lj to punish him after his repentance. Bilhr lb. Mu'adh)-Yazld [b. Zuray' )- Sa'ld [b. Abl 'Aruba)-
~tada ~aid, concernin g Hi s statement Who made all thinasgood which He
INTERPRETATION OF Wh o made all things good which Hecreated ,1 1na1ed, "H d . . ;o ,,
thi [Anone· ma e [ever~~~mg] beaut1f~lly, }n .the wa~ ~e cr~at:d.. .
The ~r'a n reci ters di sagreed over che reading of Who made all ngsg(li. d dart ) mous]- J:l aJJ aJ-lbn JurayJ-A ra1-Mu1a!ud said, It IS sim-
1 1 e created. Som e o f the Mecca n , Mcdinan and Basran r 1 5 1c (Q.i::~~he verse j: ~e Who gave everything its proper form, the,i guided it aright
absalla kulla shay 'in klwlqalw , with a sukiin on th e /iim [of khalqahu]. on ). !God] d,d not make the created form of the beasts like the ere-

1
1 1611 '!qi)' }'l.isc n ~ , thii rc:.idmg 10 ib11 Ka1l1i r Abo 'Amr rnd Jbn 'A,nir; a/.Muhort"'"/.u ll//:. lbn.!-J.it.1,rj .1,k"nbc\ th is reading to Ni fi ' and the Kufans; Naslir, 2 :2 6o.
4 :359. '

355
)5 4
 T ABAR!
S1/ra~ of-Sojda (12:1 - 30 )
ated for m of people, o r th e created form of co le .
of beasts. Rat her, [God ] created •and •3 pport1onc . P dp like the created"orrn Onr of ihc,n ' said: It is an exa mple of il_1 vcrtcd word orde r : and li e
cverythi . . ;n:aprried It in die same mann er as th e poet s state ment,
OPIN I ON: Othe rs sa id: R at h e r th e mca . f nginnsforn1."
0 th
eac h t hing th at H e c reated it. I; is as if tlnm_g_ at is: IGodJ infonm u"J -:,ini il,iyJ..:a'/-/, 1yli1 hit}nayhi i11111111 i
_ . 1 C}' mterprctcd th ·
Ii-ii/hi ;dlui hii/,.1'l-hidJ1111 fa(r1fo
m ea n t I1at Go d m sp ,res H is c rea ti o n o f I I . .i s passage to
J . d w lat t 1cy arc ltl need , i d .
state~ ~.nt a _,sana 1s un ersrood in th e se nse of th e e x ressio fi '_an ~is i\l \' dr pJrttlrC w you is at t he 1wo e11dpoint s of d~c night _
kadha ( So-and- so is good at so mething'') h P n t1lan yubsr,114 Trulv I am doing thi s at a time when th e fooli sh one 1s full
An account of chose w ho said chat: ' w en a person knmvs it. 0( :lrr ad.

[Sufya nJ ib n Wa ki' Jb . al-JarrahJ-Sharik-Khuiayf-Mu ·ahid said Hr m~Jns w,,-zani l)iQ nayi'l-layli ilayka. Another equivalent case is :
. rn Img made all tlrmgs g ood
co nce . which H e created
·· , "H c gave everyth"mg m. ' b d,ur<1 Hindm1 rhanayalui 111,1-balijatahd
Iumqu e crca_red for m , ma~m g humans into humans , horses int o honr\ yJ1i•ma'lraqay,,a ~1/a adt,ali dobbabi
and donkeys mto do nkeys.' ·
Hmd's incisors and beauty
. Acco rding to thi s interpre rati on, bo th khalq and k"/1 arc in the accusa-
like a day we spent at the ho llows of Dabb:ib.
\ \ ('rr
tive case beca u se they are object s of the ve rb absana.
e lno1her words, ka'am1a rh an:iyJ Hi11di,1 wa-baltjataltii. 0
TA BARI SA ID: The interpretation rega rding that whi ch is most likely
Q. 32e7- 8
Q . 32:7 co be c~rrec c, in m y estima ti o n . for cho se who recite Who made all th ings
l\ TERPRETAT ION OF 011d He bega11 rlie creation of ma,1/rom clay 0
e good wl11cl1 He created (w ith afatba o n th e /iim of kl,a/aqa) , is that its mean-
God (Exalted is His remembrance) says: He bega11 tlie creation of Adam from
ing is ''H e perfected [\.vh at He crea te d) ,'' beca use th ere are only two
cLy. andthen He made liis ,iasl, mea ning seed.from a draught (sulii/a). He says:
possible int erpretatio n s for thi s reading. Jr either means what I have just
From thl' fluid that trickles out of him. This refers to the pouring out of
said, th at God perfec ted every thing , or it means God made everyth ing
Im Auid. as the poet said, 1
good, in the se nse of bea utiful. G ive n chat there are things God has
created d~at are, wit h o ut a doubt, ugl y and hideou s, it '.s obvious th a; fa -jii 'a1 bil1i 'ddba'l-adimi glwcfa,,jaran
0
th e m ean mg cannot be that God mad e all things good m th e sense wWata farjiu kiina glwyra ~1a$i11i
bea utiful. Therefore, th e bes t interpre ta tion is chat God perfected His It brought him a splitting of th e skin , lbloodJ coarsdy
handiwork. pouring out fro m a hole, wh ich had been unprotec ted.
t
As fo r ch ose w ho recite khalq (with a suki"in on the lam), rhe beS '.nrerj
pretat ion is "God in fo nned a nd in spired eve ry thing of its form He assigne
INTERPRETAT I ON OF of despised fluid
fo r thern ." i Thi s is like the verse , H<' Whogar,eeverythi11g iupro~Jorm , i/ifll
Hesays : or fain t, weak semen.
guided it aright (Q .20:50), because chat is its most apparent me~nm~- "Who
Tht' follow ing interpreters said som ething silnilar to what w e have
As for th ose v.:ho adop t rh e interpretation chat its meani~gr~e accu-
JUS! said concern ing that. An account of chose who sa id chat:
pc~fected th e creat io n of all things," th ey read the word khalq in d all 811 hr
sanvc case, as an elu cidation , as if God were saying '' Who perfecte
jb. Mu'ad h[- Yazid [b. Zuray' J- Sa'id Jb. Abi 'ArubaJ-
things created by Him _" J rTiui 11ihrop1mo1 0(Al. ' b
11 ,~.1.,i; k>u/ J kul; /u .~ ayda, who daims 1hat the implinl wor~ order o( d1 is vcm·
\bh.J. t ' shay m ( He pa (ected or made bcau11fol rhc crcauon o( each thing");
~!ui boo~ ,an, i : i30-1 . Abu ' Ubayda also includes the fo llowing two examples of por try
::h.•~
cxpl.m:.1t1on •~ found 111 al-brr.i', A1a'ii11i al-Q!!r',lt1, 2:330- 1 ·
I
l
D~a ic ala_, ui.i-alhama kulla shar ' klialqalm huw-a ah~nal11m1 : fo llo wing ir rc-
:1di11g 1n d,c IAk1 Ub d1
'-'-~ /;·: d arifi<" 1 1h1t dabbiib is a place, which is also ralk·d
14 131
ad(ral dabbab, in Majii::
l ln11 , n ~ 11fo~11 Jin b· ,
l Ar:b~"J:;1:;~:~:: : :Tabari\ ·1~Jm (18: 599 ). Au UbJyda, Majii::al-Q!riin. 2:131.
Jm //a shay m khalqau mit1lm: D i r H apr. 18 :600•

357
 TABAR!
~rad a said , con ce rning and H e began the creatio,i of man fro
is rh c creation of Adam . Then H e made /,is ,,a I . m day, "Thii
_ . . s , mcanmg his d 1''1
draught !'.11/al~). of desp,sedJ/111f. S11/ala is faint, despised fluid.,, S<c ,f,on,'
, Abu 1-S; 16--::-Abn Mu awiya-al-A' mash-al-Minhal-Abii
A TJJ - lbn Abba s stud , con cermng His statement s J-l 00 "[! . Ya~} ~
fluid ." " • t Is a] pure
M~l! ammad b. 'Amr _1 ~1-Bahili]- Abu 'Aiim [al-NabilJ- 'ls; I
Maymun] ; and from al-f:lamh (b. A.bi Usama]-al-H [b b.
bJ w _, Jb , J b I ,- . asan . aI-A,h\"-
a _- arqa . . Umar_; 0~1 .!saandWarqa'-IbnAbiNaji~-Mujih;d
said. conccrnmg efmalu11Jl111d, Faint, male semen."
_ T he word ,~1ahi11 (" de~pised ") is the filil nominal form of the expm-
s1011 mal11maf11/an, which 1s used when someone slips or is weak.
CO MMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
0 Q.32:10
IJ2:9 j Th e,1 1-lefashioried him and breathed into him of His Spirit; ad
Q. 32:9- 10
appoi111ed far you l1earfr1g and sight and hearts. Little tha,rks do you gfrr!
0 The following interpreters said something similar to what we have just
God (Exalted is Hi s remembrance) says: Then He fashioned, in a symm('tri·
ca l manner, the human, whose creation He began from day, a,1d breaiheJ
i11 to him of His Spirit. He became living, speaking and [God) app<'i,itrd fJf
! 011 hcari11g and sight and hearts. Little titan ks do you give! He says: 0 human·
n y, your Lo rd favo u red yo u by giving you hearing, by which you can hear
sounds, and sight, by which you can see individual entities, and hearts, by
'-\'hich you can di st ing ui sh good from evil. lHe did all chis] for you to
ex pre ss yo ur gratit ude to Him for all that He has bestowed upon you
related to thi s.
INTER. PR. ETAT ION OF Little thanks do you give
I-le say s .· y ou gwe · Ie thanks to your Lord for a II t h at H e has favoured
. 1Ill
you with.
•
CO MMENTAR.Y ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE woRDS,
[J2 ·10JA dJ I
11 t 1ey say, Wh e11 we are lost in the earth? 10 1v can
wetheridbt
recreated? Nay, bur they are disbe/ie1,ers ;,, the meeting with th eir Loll ·
God (Exalted i H · I I ssociate p:1rt·
. s 1s rem embran ce) says : The peop e W 10 a. Jsa,-,
ners wnh God and reject th e Resu rrec ti o n jon the Day ofJudgen1e1ll ,
358
111au<f&._
S1/rat al-Sajda (12: 1- 30)
. · ti , earth whic h mea ns, "our Acsh and blood become
rri1,ir ra ,ff(' I(l~ [ ,',ti /£ '
I~hr
n ,hecarih. d h dII - d /"I - b
wrb •·we ;ire lost'' ca n be rca cit er as . a a na or . a • ,w._ ut
, odin, hrrc is 4ala!IIJ. wh ich is the better onc,~n~ how ~e r~ad tt.. lt
_. 1:: ~crn :1flcgcd rh:tt :il-tlasan [:il-Ba$riJ ~ccited a 1~ha !,alafoa, with a ja1;
h . .. .,,I ,e ree k .. from th e Arabic expression the meat reeks.
,canine \v irn \\ ' I 1 ·
n B. ~heir state ment. Whe11 ive are lost in the earth,_ the p_o yt 1e1sts ca~
C1nh· ;nt('nd to inc:in "When our bodies have_ perished ~n the ea~th,
N",;usc C'\·crything that is ovcrco'.nc by ~.omethmg els~.~lt1~ately d1 sa p-
pcm into th:tt which overcame tt _and be_co~:es los~ _m It. The Arabs
.r ~r hc water became concealed m th_e milk, once 1t 1s n_o longe~ pos-
1
11h]no disiing uish it from [the milk.) · An example ofth1s usage 1s the
pCICI al-Akhp.l's ve rse addressed to Jarir:
bm1a'/.qadluifi mawji akdara m11zbidit1 Q
q.ulliaj1'/. 'ariyyr j biliifa-i;lalla 4aliilii
You arr the airborne debris in the murky wave's foam ;
the di~unc wave cast it, causing it co become imperceptible.
Q
rnd coun:rning chat. An account of those who said that:
lbn i:{ umayd-f:{ akkam-'Anbasa-Layth-Muj:ihid said, concern-
ing When we are lost i,i the earth, "When we have perished [in it]."
Al- fl arith lb. AbI UsamaJ-al-f:lasan [b. al-Ashyab)-Warqa' [b.
UmarJ-ibn Ahl NajilJ- Muj:ihid said, concerning Wh en rve are lost iu
1/..uarrh, "[WhenJ we have perished."
IAnonymousl-al -l:lusay n [b. al-Faraj)-Abii Mu'adh [al-Fadl b.
Khalid al-Marwazi)- ' Ubayd [b. Sulayman]-al-Oal:il:iak said, concern-
mg His stateme nt When ive are lost in tlte earth, "They are rejecting the
Rt)Utrrction, saying, 'We are but bones and dust-will we really be res-
~rrnud anew?"' J
1
1Z~i~:SJl/a'/..~alrmu 1F<1•<1J,Jlla. ThC' content of these two sentences is largdy found in al-Farra·.
1..,;;~a:~G~ an. 7:331. Al-hrr~• docs not indicatC' a p~rference for dalal~ over dali/11ii. He also
1 , ~ llaSJ.n s al_l(ged reading was ,-ali/rrii, which 1s a dialC'ct of Arabt~ hc_had n~,·er heard
lu·· 1111 11 a ~lwsm. Had al• H:iun read idlalnii according to al-Farra, his rradmg would
~:uo,:~:~r T;ibari J~pcars t~ assume 1hat al-~asan read ,he verb as ,-a/a/na ~nd docs not
kiitri ,Wand ~ d 10 lecmn, which is w hy I have left ,-a/alna in my translation: Given tha: the
.14.'i!n.i},,.ou]d ha.-/~uc thc same ~liapc in an uncfotted 1ex1, the words da/a/,,a .~nd ,-alafoa (or
l Th ppearcd 1d('nncal in the carlieu written codices of die Q!!r an.
11 1 ~rfound in ;i].farri', A•la'iirri al-Q!r 'au, 2:331; and Lane, "ef./-1."
111ii 1: x:r;~Jc
1
P l!C of Q.i7:49 and 17:98 .
359
 TABA R I S iiral al-Sajd,, (12: 1- 30)
. conce rning Say: The a11gef of dearh, rHl/0 has char~e cm1cemi1_,g
Bishr /b. Mu'adh/- Y»id /b. Z uray' /-Sa'id [b . , ~1jJ1 sJid. "Tl I of death along with angelic assistant s, will
~t:id:i s:ii d, concernin g A11d they say Whet1 l . · Ab, Ariibaj- 1·.'ll , wilf.c,1rl1rr r(IJI , JC an gc ,
/ b " 11
' ,c are ostmthcea h h
ll'l' r 1r11 l' recreated.~... T hey s:iid, ·Weare but skeletons and dust- ~t- ' oui Cll ri
11 ;,,her you.'· d b 'A r [al-BahiliJ- Abo 'Aiim [al-Nab,JJ- ' lsa [b.
hr resurrected aneiv? 1 u •II 't' rcu/11 /b IA ·h
Muhmnn:i
_;,j:
1
· Ill IH
and fro m al-1):irit h lb. Ahi Us:i1:1a - a - ._asa~- • a - .~
J
t
-'1•l"' 0 -· [b u1113 ,J- bod, 'lsa and Warqa - Ibn Ab, Na.J1l_,- MuJ3h1J
IN TERPRETATI ON OF Nay, but thry are disbe/" , · I .
1/ieir Lord tei ers '" t ,e mee1111g wirh JH-Warq:i . · H·s s.t:i r~mcnt The a11 ael ofdeath will gather you, "Th e eart h
iJ conccrn111g l , c bJ · b
~ill.be hollowed out for him and made into something rcscm . mg~. rass
God (Exalted i~ H is remembra nce) says: These polytheists lack the- llll'ans \IJ,m (ra5t), so that he can reac h anyrhing in it whenever he w ishes.
to o~pos~ God .s power to ~o as H e ~vills ; nay, bur theyaredisbelie11ersinrhe A nc:irlv ide ntical report was narrated to us from Ibn l;l.um ayd~
meetmg wult th~" Lord, fean ng [God sJ punishm ent and the terror of Hi~ H.i kklrn- Anbas;i-Mubammad b. 'Abd al-Rabman-al-Qisim b. Ab1
reco mpense w ith th em , on acco unt of their di sobedience of Him. It is on
account of this that the y reject th e mee ting with their Lord at the Return. B•m- Mtijlhid.

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIV INE WORDS, e

!l) COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWI NG DIVINE WORDS , Q. 32: 12
[32: 11) Cmld you but see when die guilty hang their heads before th eir Lord,
Q. 32:11 /32: 11 J Say: The angel of death, ivlzo lzas charge concerning you, will garl,er (a11d say), 0 Lord, we ha1,e now seen and heard, so smd us back; e
G you, a11d afterward to you r Lord you will be returned. 11,e will do right , now we are su re.
God (Exa lted is Hi s rem embrance) says: O Mu~ammad, say co these pro• God (Exah,d is His remembrance) says to His Prophet Muhammad (1): 0
ple who associa te partners with God: The angel of death will garher }\l/ -
1
Muliammad, Could you but see chese people who say, When we are lost in the
Hc says: The angel ef dead, wiil cake aJl 0 ( you by seizing your spirits, rhe t'.irrh, hou1ca11 we 1/,en be recreated (Q.32 : 10), when they hang their heads before
seizure of which ha s been e n crusted to him. Consider the verse of rhe tf.efr Lord, our of humil ity from their Lord for their earlier tran sg ress ion s
riiji:: poct,i in the {emporal world. Th ey say, "O Lord, we have now seen Your punish-
imw Ba11iya'I-Adrama laysii min al,ad m~m of those who di sobey Yo u, which we had rej ected , and heard from
wa -lii 1awaffiil111m Qyraysl11m fl'!- <
adad You verification of what Your Messe ngers commanded u s to do in th e
temporal world , so send us back." H e says: Return us to the temporal world
The Banu'I-Adram arc unrelated to anyone
And the ~raysh do not co unt them among the major frribesj. ~n~- ~-e will do acts our of obedience to You-for that is [the meaningj
off nghteous dccds,, - r,or 110w we are sure. He says: Now we are certain
0 all of rim we were ignoran t in the temporal world , concerning Your
INTE RPRETATION O F aud afier,,,ard to your Lord you will beret1micd ~,nt'nns, and that it is not correct fo r anyone to be worshipped other than
r t /1e angel of death seizes your sou IS, I0 rvourLordon
H<saj•s ··AIJierwm;J, artcr r~u . /We are certain that] it is improper to suggest th at th ere is a Lord
R.es ur . D h form you
I d rm ,on ay, you will be brought back to life in t e same d f. h·s ~- enhan You. !We are certain th at] You give life and deliver d eath and
ia pri or to your dea th . Th e good amo ng you will be rewarde dor ; ourt'surrectall
rxci . w I10 arc m . t I1etr
- graves afte r th eir death and 1>hys ical
goodness
. • and t J1e w1-c ke d among you wiJl be punis I1ed 1or
c h"IS wicke "" ·
( -b;i/- /We arc sure t hat ) You do w hateve r You will.
Tl c ·
nrt1011
BJShr /b. Mu'adl,]- Yazid /b. Z uray' J- Sa',d fb. Abi Aru ~ dc " ,ollowing
. int erprcters sat·d som ct I1111g
. snm . ·]ar to w I1at we just
11
of h H is sta tcmcnt [tIiey ) ha11g tI1e1r. Ireads (11ak1s11
onrrrnmg
iccount - . - rn ,iis,l11111
. , ). An
y- t osc w ho said th at:
unus [b. 'Abd al-A' I-3 J- Ib n Wahb-Ibn Zayd said - , concernin g His

36 1
360
 TA BAR! s,,,at a/-Sajda (32: 1- 30)

statem ent Could you !mt see whe,i the guilty hang their heads befi . [TAT1 0 N OF Taste the doom immortality ef .
"They were depressed and bashful. " ore tlreir Lord, I' TLRPR . b . th em "Taste the punishment that you will
-\] it will c sa1<1 to ' I Id d
!lt SJ)·, :. ~\ for eternit y l,cca11se of wl,at in the .~e mpora wor you use
kt\frncnn ,~u rJ :icts of disobedience of God.. .
COMMENTARY ON TH E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
r;J,\ among L . . said something smular·d toh what we have
I (iO l\owrng
Tit
mtcrprctcrs •
I An account of those who sa1 t at:
I
!32: 13 A nd if r,ve had so u,il/ed, We could ha11e gi1,e11 every soul its guidanu
.

ii::t9id concernm~ ~tt. y -d [b zural ]-Sactd [b. Abt cArOba] -

!mt the word from M e concerning evildoers took effect: that J will fill ' Bishr (b. Mu :i ~J- 1~·\:' stat~ment So taste (the evil ef your deeds).
I W. fi
Gehen na with th e j inn and lmmanity together.
a./ .-ouf1rgo t the meetiug ef this your day,
n. ·d said conccr111ng
-.:!iJ of
"All f
e orget you, " . o
God (Exalted is His remembran ce) says: 0 Muba1mnad, ifWehad sowillcJ, foJ,m r1c r as ) . bur their wickedness is not forgotten.
Wecould lw1Jegive11 these fo lk s. who associate partners with God, from among ,hmgoodnm '.s f~drgotlrT cn, - · ]-Abu Salih ['Abd Allah b. Salih]-
;t· Jb Dawu a - anunu . d .
yo ur people and others among the disbelievers in God, [their]guidance. This : '. J.b s·I I ]- 'Ali lb. Ab, Talha]-Ibn 'Abbas sai , concerning
Mu~w1va . a1_1 b d d "
is th e [soul's] guidance and granting it success in believing in God. Burdie H11 sm~·rncnt lo! We forger you, "We have a an one you.
word from Me took effect. H e says: The punishment from Mc is incumbem
upon them. 1 / will fill Gehem1a u,irh tl,e jinn and /,u,nar1ity together, meaning G
0 among rh e disobedient fo lks and the di sbelievers in God among them. COMMEN TARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS: Q.J2'lj
Q. J 2 : 13- i4 Th e fo ll owing interpreters said something similar to what we ha\·t jp:15\ The only (true ) believers in Our revela1io11s are tl~ose who, 1:'he,fn 1hey G
G just said concern ing ch at . An acco unt of chose who said chat : are re,nitided of them,fall dowti prostratiug and glorify the praise 0
Bishr lb. Mu'ad h ]-Yaz,d lb. Zuray' J-Sa',d [b. Ab, 'AriibaJ-:- rlieir Lord, a11d they are ,1ot arrogant ,
~tada said, concerning if Mle had so willed, Mle could have given ~,,ny 50uf 1/S
God (Ex.alted is His remembran ce) says: The only people who belie:'e in
g11ida11ce, " Had God wi lled, H e co uld have guided all human beings. Had
Our proofs and th e signs of Our Book are those who, wheri they are renuuded
God willed, H e co uld have sent down to them a sign from the sky, causing
~{1h~m or t'xhoned by them,fall down to God prostrating their faces out. of
their necks to be bro ught low j loo kingJ at it, continuousl y. Bt1t th e wc,J
humility to Him, humbling themselves to His majesty and confirnung
fro,n A1e took effect. The word took effect upon chem. "
thm servi tude ro Him. {They ] glorify the praise of their Lord. He says: Tl'.ey
gloriff God by praisin g Him during their prostration and abs.olve. Hun
of .all that the disbelievers describe Him as [possessing}. The disbelievers
COMMENTA llY ON THE FO LLO WING DIVINE WORDS, .
th • .sc-ribe a \\ife. child ren, associates and partners to Him. A,id they are not
I32 : 14 J So taste (the e11il <f }'Ollf deeds). Forasmuch as youfiorgot 11/ e meeting of .:r,oganr. He says : Th ey do all thi s, a11d they are 11ot arrogant, regarding .pr~s-
your day, lo! Hie forget you. Taste the doom ef immortality because tmiug to God and glorify ing Him, and have no qualms about submitting
of what you used to do. •ndhumbling themselves to God.
G0 d ( I · • . ·d o these people, It has been alleged that thi s ve rse came down to the Messenger of
Ex a ted 1s His remembrance) says: It will be sai t d' ish-
" 110 assign
· partners to God, as they enter Hel !fiire, " T
as ~ ~ sh'le
~,·ou ?odM on account of a group of Hypocrites who would leave the m~sque
mem or I1av111g
· 10rgottt."11
c you r mee ting wit h H un · hr nowhw 1 aban·
· ng unm.ediate\y prior to the [obligato ry} prayers. 1 This has been mennoned
were on ea rth . Lo! 1¥eforget you." He says : On chis Day, We ave on 1he ~uthority of lbn Jurayj, from }:Jajj3j.
don ed yo u in Hellfire.

' Ta'"ri d,uific-~ 11 • . , "thr word 1o0k df,ct)

lllu ru M'IIIJaba' / a:t th:t the ~ r Ji m c c_x prc)~ io n l10qqa 1-qawlu _( _ . Lin,IJ), ·.,.,,hcu the iqlimll was being: said.'"
- llbu { tlu: pu1mlu11cn 1 h m c umbcnt"'); 0:ir H:ipr. 18 ·
606
 TABARf
s,;rar al-Snjda (p:r- 30)
. Likewise, rh osc "" ho were forsak ing tlu:ir bvdics [fro m sleep
CO MMENTARY ON T H E FO LLOW IN G DIVIN w:1e pra~rrs. . .,
,crc<loi ng rhc sa me thmg]. _ c _ c- _ c _
I32. 16I Wl, ose bodies forsa ke 1/,eir betsI to cry to rl,eir L dE.WORDS
fi : 1 pbn ,J- Mu1han nal- lbn Ab_1 Ad,- S, ,d lb. Ab, Aru ba I~
.
an d spend of wlrnt We l1a1,e bestowed Oil them.
or Ill ear and hone
r, Q,dJ,-An,s ,aid, concen11ng H." statement W /, ose l,odies forsak'., 1/,m
God (Exa lted is Hi s rememb rance) says· Tl b J· 1,Jc. "Tliry pray rhrou ghour the rnnc b.ct~een th,~sc rwo p~arc r~-
belie ve in th e signs of God and fit rh ts ·· d escnpt1on
l e o ies of these people , who Ali ,. s, id , 1-Kindi- Hafi b. Gl11 ya th - Sa 1d lb. Ab, Aru ba l-
up from their beds, w here they norm all 1· r- I ' turn away and gtt '<!';J,-An" said, " 1-1:,/iose bodies forsake 1/,eir beds betwee n th e sun set
I I y ie rors cep Th d
f: 1cr, t b1cy cry to 1/,eir Lord in fear and I,ope ror
rat r- pardon· andey o nor slrtp·, ind 1112h1-t in1c prayers.
M~Ji,n11nad b. Khala f- Zayd b. al-Hubab '-al-l:larith b. Waji h
avo urs y H is mercy and fo rgiveness Th d to receive Hh
,J.R;s,bi-Malik b. Oinar-A nas b. Malik sa id , "This ve rse, W/,ose bod-
on 1/,em in th e path of God, and fro m .it ti ey 'f'1'r,' lofhw/,ar _We have best,u,J
H I d iey ru I t e claims of God 1h11 id frr:-ake 1/icir beds, came dow n o n account o f some male C ompanio ns
e 1:tsl ma e in cumbent u po n chem co,1ce rnmg · 11 . wealth j
t 1e1r (,hr Prophet (~) who wo ul d pray between th e sun se t and ni ght-tim e
I
T 1c ve rb tatajiifii is Form VI} fro m al-jafa' meanin g "to be . I . 11

bed \, to be remote (nub11w111)."' For example • tl;e t\' '0 h cnusttc

. . IlCiresft
o cs~ [1~
rii;a:::· NJ\"efS.
· ·1sufy;11J ibn Waki' lb, al-J arrah] - Mubamm ad b. Bishr-Sa' id b.
wa-jiihil,r dliaw hibahi11 damsltaqu .~bi ArGba-~tada-An as sa id , co nce rning Whose bodies forsake their
f.(J.c, "They were perfor ming supererogatory prayers between the sun se t Q.]2 :1 6
wa'b,w miliiti11 m 11 tajiifi 11 t1rfaqti
G md night-t ime prayers.'' G
Q . 3n6 My compa nion, a livel y she-camel. swift I- .. ] !Sufyan b. Waki' b. al-Jarral1J - 111y father-Sufyan [al-Th aw ri]-a
Her upper legs are close co her bod y. grace ful. m.n-A uas said. "Whose bodies fo rsa ke their beds during the rime betwee n
G
In o,th er word s. t h e she- cam el's nobilit y is n aturall y shown by her upper 1hr sumrt and night -time prayers ."
legs prox imit y to her bod y. Bishr [b. Mu' ad hj - Yazid lb, Z uray' J-S a' id lb. Abi 'Arubaj-
God (Exalted is H is remembrance) o nly described [the believers[ " 0t1ada-Anas = said, concerning Whose bodies fo rsa ke their beds, " Th ey
forsakm g their beds beca u se they shun sleep in them and occupy them- wm awake between the sun se t and night-tim e praye rs."
1
sel ves with praye r. OPIKION: Others said: W hat is mea nt by that is [ th e night-timc J praye r.
. The interpreters di sag reed ove r w hich prayer God (Majestic is His An account of chose who said th at:
praise) has described them as fo rsa kin g th ei r bed s in order to perform ic: [Sufyan[ ibn Waki' lb. al -Jarrah]-my fath er- Talh a- 'Ata' said
OP I N ION: Some of them said: It is th e prayer between the [obligaro0·[ "Whose bodits fo rsake their beds fo r th; night-time [pray~ r] ·(al- 'at~ma) ~" •
sun set and night-time prayers. ' He said : This verse came down on b,h,li I 11 has ~cen alleged that Hajjaj- Ibn Ju rayj-Yal) ya b. Say fi- Abu
of a gro up of peo pl e who were prayin g during th at time of day. 1llma [b. Abd al-Ral)lna n] sa id, " l!rrefers to ] th e ni ght-tim e lprayerJ ."

An account of those w ho sa id ch at: I / .

formJ th · 0. t her~ sat'd : W wse bodies fo rsake their bedsJ w aitin g [to per-
OP!"ON·
Ibn al-Muth anna- Yal)ya b. Sa' id- [Sa' id j b. Abi 'Aruba.-Qetad•;5 e nigln -tnne prayer ($aliit al- 'atama).
~nas said, conce rning His stateme nt u,/,o at 11ig ht sleep little (Q· '."i' ·
The se people were pray in g extra prayers be ew ee n the sun set and nig ir-
t:
1Follo111n 1h
1Fono ,n£• ht' m d1'.1g of the- Di r H:.ajar c-dition of Tabari's 'I'afiir; 18:6io.
11
•!enhtd c rc-idi ng of thr Di r H:.ajar edi1 ion of Tab:.a ri's Tafiir; 18 :610. farlkr editioru
1 Ser Hava, _ .\f "j: 1
747
Thnc art actu.ill I f, d 1. 1 AbU ' UbJydi .. ') f
l l ~e BUl:iq, 1~:~1t~n~o ~tida_- . .. . .. "
al- ~r 'On _ 1 ~c ir~t .ind Kventh hcm1suches of ,aj/J:t fo un _ ~ b:.avd:.a's rc<cnl1<1n o
} C..:.tonof the HI b· . HJJar (18,611 ) edmons all lm ·c ,naglmb ( sumet ) pr.l}W, bm die
dm vtrM:. 1 1 2 - 3- 1 lir final word u 1JJJaqu imtl•:.ad _of <1({aq 11 in Abu U 11 j~, of ihcst \,,r,r>- ~1th t\it r:wo r~~:t; ~d;~~:1 su~ges,1 t~1:.a~ the tt ~t should read 'ara_
m.i in ord!."r to be coruimnt
1
wlucli he iJem~/i;~r~ul 10 Dr Adel G:.a m:.a l for hi~asmtanCl' \,,ith rhe 111ca g trl(fir1tth1rdofth h ain~ . \Cc ja ,m al-boy~n, 2 1:101. Accordmg to FayrUzib.'idi, '1Jtama is
l la ,dd,uoo, •o ,h, r,,.' b,mg >«nl~ d '° Z,fayfo ,\-S, di. ,d ,o P"Y,dd"'"':r !
IXJI th( iun1et pr~ e ~ig/ 1 ~r 1 1r m:ond night-tlnll' pnyer, wluch is gen!."r:i.lly called islia', :ind
, u,"lt rer . e oblig:.atorr d:.a1l y pr:.a n: rs. Muslims are cnc.o ur.ig . I J:.a,·- ,, hnf )'t'r,a-Qjm11s al-m11hi1, 146s.
,1"~ ,,,';:;~~~~:;;;'.''.;of.,,, c,\\cd"'"'"'" P"l"'·"" ,•,cio"' ,;mcsd::;•: 6'1
,;, 0 ;,. r"'"'
) I ~)<' ti occu r muncdi:.a td y prior to or after the- Ii
365
 TABA R! s,,rat al-Sajda (12:1 - 30 )

An accoun t of t hose who said that: _ D . Th e correct opin io n regarding ch.is is for one_ to say: Trul y
5 1
'Abd Allah b. Abi Ziyad- 'Abd al- 'Azlz b. 'Abd All,-h I- . . rABi'>R 1 :"' ~hcse eopk as keeping th emselves o ut of their beds, occu-
- b. B·J·J
Su Iayman 1a -
Ya h_ya- b . Sa'·d [a J-An~3.rI]- Anas h.a Malik
U" ari,-
· . GtJdr~cnbl'<l .
li cat in g to th eir Lord and worshipping Him fo
I
"This ver se, W hose bodies fo rsa ke th eir beds came down . said, rnne themsd \'~S,~·it
, ·111
1
Tlm t1111c 1or ro,
~UPf
rsakin g o ne's bed must be night-tim e because
. .
time spent wa itin g for th e prayer ch at /s ca lled 'the ~~~cen_ung th e
11
_fJi.:i1< 11t~od chat i( someo ne describes a m an as keepmg l11S ~ody a~ay
('atama).,,. ig t-t1me one 1_nnl!l{'.crstd it can onl y mean that he is forsaking sleep ~un~g a t~mc

t,orn h1s_bc · . f. o plc to be sleeping, and that 1s mght-mne

O PI NION : Others said: What is meant by that is spending rh c nigh t in 1
h 1tis customaq or pe b . . d"
·· en da ·time. This is how the Arabs descri e so~e~ne, as IS .m. 1-
prayer (qiydm al- lay0. 1
r,1h<r ,har l f 'Abd Allah b. Rawaha al-Aniarc (r) descnbmg
An account of th ose who sa id that: wtd ~y till' statemen t o ·
Bishr [b. Mu' ad h] - Ya zld [b. Zuray' ]- Sa' id [b. Ab, 'ArubaJ- ,h, Prophrc of God (i):
~cada-al-1:I asa n lal-Ba ~ri] said, concerning Whose bodies foruzke 1'1 cir yJbiw pi.fiifija11 bah11 (anjiriisli:hi _..,
beds, "Spendin g the night in prayer." iJJ:j'starlrqalat bi'l-11111sl1riki11a l-ma4ap 11
Yunus [b . 'Abd al- A' la]- !bn Wahb- !bn Zayd said, concerning His He spends the night far apart from h.is bed
stat ement Whose l,odies forsa ke their beds, "These are th e people who per- wlulc the- beds o( the polytheists weigh them down. G
G form the ta liajjud prayer at night. '' 1
Ii thac is bow it is, and given that God (Exalted is His re.mem~ra~ce) d~d Q.32:,6
Q. 3i,,6 Mubammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahili]-Abu 'i\ i im [al-Nabi!J- 'ls, [b.
Ma ymu n[; and from al- J:'l ar ith [b. Abi U sama]-al-1:'!asan [b. al-Ashy-
not specify a unique time, to the exclusion of o~h~r umes unng t .e G
G nie:hi. when these peop le [forsake their beds], then IC 1s necessary for [this
ab [-Warqa' [b. ' Umar ]; borh 'l saa nd Warqa '-!bn AbiNajib-Muj;bid
n~s(] co apply to all possible times at night. .
sa id , co ncerning His st ate m e nt Wh ose bodies forsake their beds, "They me
If this is correct, then whoever prays between the sunset and mght-
to pra y during th e ni ght.'' nmc prayers. waits until the later night-time prayer, stays up all or part
OP INION : Ot hers sa id: Thi s is o nl y a de scription of people whose of the:' night in prayer, invokes God throughout the night or performs
tongu es are never free from the in voca tion of God. 1ht !obligatory] night-time prayer Catama) is included in the_ appar~nt
An account o f th ose w ho sa id rhar : . _ ,_ al-Fad! b. m~ining of His statement, Whose bodies forsake their beds. It applies to ~Im
[Ano nymou s[- al-Husay n b. al-FaraJ-Ahu Mu adh I · ~cm~ his body is removed from his bed when he is in a state of standmg
Kh alid al-Marwa zi]- ' Ubayd [b. SulaymanJ-al-J;>abbak said,.concernj or m1ing in prayer or recollection of God, so long as he is not lying dow.n
. h . Lordm jearat1
mg His stat ement Wh ose bodies fo rsa ke their beds to cry to 1 eir h her in lx-d, and if he is physicall y capable of standing or sitting. However, if
'
nope ,
'·Th ese are a people who do n ot cease invo k.mg God ' wheeea ere eopk. :n this is correct , then my preferred interpretation is for this verse to m_ean
are in prayer, sta ndi ng, sittin g or wa king up from sleep. They ar P ipending che night in praye r," because this is its most apparent .meanmg,
who do not cease invoking God." , _ farher-mr ii well as th e preponderant one, according co the apparent meanmg of ~he

Mul1anunad b. Sa' d [b. Muhammad al-Awfij-mY. b s,'d pa_i~ge; and a repo rt fro m the Messen ger of God(~) reached us supporung
uncl e [al-Husayn b. al-J:'lasan J- n;y fat her- his facher l'ApyrJ, cl" ;o th11
- as we have been informed by:
al-(AwfiJ - Ibn (Abbas said, concerning Whose bodiesforsakt th e~r ( cod. lbn al-Mmhan n3.- Mubammad b. Ja' far-Shu{ba- I:Iakam-' L:rwa
eJ1cl of the verse, "They forsake- jthe ir bedsj for the invoca~ion °,hcchcr b. ,l-Nazza\'- Mu'adh b. Jabal said rim the Messenger of God(!) sacd co
~ -henev<' r they wake up. th ey invoke God without incerrupt_io~d::. Tht'Y hun. "Shall I guide you to th e gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield~ aln:is
51
or standing or sittin g o r while lying on th eir
It IS du ri ng prayer rtrnove faults; and a se rvant stayi ng up at the dead of night, standmg m
do not cease invokin g God." prayn"-a nd the Proph et recited thi s verse: Whose bodies forsake their beds
1 Tlir tali., i.d ,rior 10 1h( obhg~ior•· 1
J . IJJ praye r 11 1 mpc rrrogawr y p r.ircr th,n is performed J Following thr rr~ding of rhc Dar H;ij;ir l'<l ition of Tabar'i's Taftir; iS:614·
l) bfcik pr.iycr aft\·, 1 Mud1m has 1lcpt Jnrl of 1l1c night .

367
36 6
 TABAR!
S,1rat al-Sojda (J1:1 - 3o)
to cry to 1hcir Lord i,1Jear and hope, a11d spend ofthar Wi I , ON THE FOLLOWING D IVI NE WORDS :
A I ·d . I
_ near YI en:1ca rep~r: was narrated to us from Ibn al- .1
e iave bestow,d
on 1,,,,1
I
o '1MENTAll\
C' ' 11 s ,11!,ar is kept l,iddet1 for rliem ofjoy, as a rcwar
d
Yal) ya b. tf ammad-Abu Awana-Sulay man-~ab'ib b Mut_hann~- _-1 \ 1o -O II •t/O UI
and f:l akam-bo th from Ma ymun b. Abi Shabib-Mu'adh · Ab, Th;b;, [:;2 .1 , ' . for what they used to do.
Messenge r of God I! J. b. Jabai- tl,, . . remem brance) says : No soi,/ of any li vin g creatu re
God (Exalted is His . D God has kept hidden for these pco-
~ubammad b. ~ hal~f al- (Asgalant- Adam-Sufyan fal-Tbawrij'- l . .5 ;it Res urrec11011 ay. .
Man~ur b. al-Mu tam1r- H aka m b. cUtayba-M - _l,:.•11.• w i;HJO) • ·estic is His praise) described in the precedmg cwo vcr~cs,
SIia b-b-
t
' · dh b
Mu a
. aymun b Ab;
. J abal- t!, e M esse nger of God (•) said .: f plc \\"hom Hc("hJ I . I I e th eir eyes in His gardens on Rc surrc cnon
. h I II f , to m e, I you .imong ihe things w 11c/1 P easd t d He says: !It is] as a rewa rd for th ei r
w1s , I s 1a noti y yo u of th e ~ares of goodness. Fasting is a shield : a!nu Dar. ilJ aJa::a'for 11,/1ar r ,ey use o o.
rcmov~ fau lts; and a man sraym g up at rhc dead of night, standing in l d die\· usrd to do in the temporal world.
prayer -and then th e M esse nge r of God (~) recited, Whose bodies (orsah, ~U ;hr following interp reters said something simila~ to w~at we have
their beds. · · u11 ~iid concerni ng that. An account of those ~ho said th at. - - -
Abu Kurayb-Zayd b. al-f:lubab-1:lanunad b. Salama- 'Asim b J - Muha mmad b. ' Ubayd al-Mui)aribi-A~u l~Al!wai-Abu Isi)aq
Abi'l-Naj ud-Shahr b. l:laws hab- Mu'adh b. Jabal-the Messenger of ' bu Ubayda-'Abd Allah lb, Mas' ud] said, It IS written the Torah, m
God(~) said, concernin g Hi s statement r¥hose bodies forsake their beds. "Th.:- :~oJ lm prepared fo r those who forsake their beds chat w hich no eye has G
G scrvant who spend s part of th e night standing [in prayer). " 3 ~"tn nor human heart has conceived, nor ear has heard, nor what any
Q. 32 :1 7
Abu Hammam al-Walid b. Shuja'- m y father-Ziyad b. ~m:~·1in proxim..ity [to GodJ has hea rd.' ' We read {this verse] as, No soul
Khayt hama-A bu Ya~ya, the fodder merchanr-Mujahid said, "The l'll;H'5Whar is kept liidde11for them ofjoy."
G
Messe nger of God (~) men ti o ned st anding up at night in prayer, and his Khallad-Nadr b. Shumayl-Isra'il-Abu Isl)aq-Ubayda b.
eyes overfl owed w ith tears, to the point that they streamed down [Ids R.1 bi a- lbn Mascild said , " It is written in the Torah that God has prom-
facej, and he said, W hose bodies.forsake their beds." 4 id those who forsa ke their beds that which no eye has seen, nor ea r has
hmd , nor human heart has conceived . jlc is written) in the ~r'an , N,~
I N T ER PR ETATI ON OF lrhey j CT) ' to their Lord in fear and hope, a11d5P"'J .1.,u/kirows what is kept hiddet1for them ofjoy, as a reUJardfor what they used to do.
of what Mle ha ve bestowed 0 11 them lbn Bashshar-'Abd al-Rabman lb, Mahdi]-Sufyan [al-Thawrij-
The fo ll ow ing in terp reters said something similar to what we have jusr _\buish,q-Abu ' Ubayda-'Abd Allah [b. Mas' udj said, "Concealed for
said concerning that. An account of those who said chat: ( _ J- thtm is what no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human heart has
Bishr lb. Mu'adhj - Yazid lb. Zuray' J-Sa'id fb. Abi Aruba ,J concdv.:-d." Sufyan said, "As far as I know, without a trace of doubt. "~
~tada said, concerning fthey J cry to their Lord in fear and hope, a~,dh ·~ Mu~ammad b. al-Muthanna-Mu~ammad b. Jacfar-Shu (ba-Abll
fi
0,J w I, at w;_, /1a 1,e bestowed on them " /They are] in ear O f G O d's punJS
I """'1 hbaq-Abu ' Ubayda- 'Abd Allah [b. Mas' ud J said, "He, meaning God,
and it1 hope of God 's mercy and.spend ef what We /,ave bestowed on t ,emou rnd: l prrpared for my righ teous serva nts th at which no eye has see n, no
of obedie nce to God and in His path. " en has heard, and no observa nt heart has conceived, [in the verse], No soul
(Tirm)Jhi.
h ou'5 what is kepi hidde,1 fa r them ofjoy, as a reward for what they used to do."
1 Accordmg lo Surll!i. longer v;iria1iom of Mu'adh\ haditlt ;ire found in rhc Sun,:;s~l\•·J'>h; rf. t R bAbu Ku'.ayb-Ibn Salt- ~ s b. al-Rabi'- Abu lsl)aq-' Ubayda b.
Nui'i lnd lbn Mijl ; th<" ~r':iinic conunc111 ;i ries of Jbn Abi f::larim .i_nd 1.bn 1:~5 ah~ fou nJ a I a al-l:lantl1i-'Abd Allah b. Mas' ud said, "Truly in the Torah fit is
:~usradr~k o( ~l,iikm1 ; .ind Bay h.iqi'~ Slu/aba/-imJn; a/-Durra/-,rumthur, 5· 131 ·
An-i\aw.1u,, J Fo,1y Hadi1h. 98- 100 (haditlt num bc-r 29).
2 Tht Dlr H.iJ~r c-dm o n ha~ Sh.i)'biin im1cad of Su(yan; sec- 18:6 1.S (note :z). f lbn JJ;in0l1 J!IJ 1TI111 (1ndwft. f,]]
l 1:';
1
rd111 K to Su)'iili, rhu badi1li i~ fo und dscw hc rc- on l)' in rhc lvfusnad O
A onunc:nur y of l bn Mud.iw.iyh; al-Durr al-,nat11h/Jr. .S :337.
.f
I . 1 rh t' ,\·fi1J~ 11 "j
Gi lr..A
1
1 0
~"lrl'II, I:yr liarh ;, " '1) is actu.illy a pa_r2.phr.i~e o( the New T csr.im ent verse, B111 dS iris
11 st(11 , uor tar lt(ard, 11mhn haw tntued imo tltr hrarl of wa11, thr things which

l Sufi· . p,q,,mdfcr rhe1111ha1 low him (1 Corint hians 2:9).

• ;~: rd111
1
Kto SuyU1i, v2.rm1o rn of d1h mursal ht1dith .ire found d 5ew herc
011
l
1~" f1 r\1bi 111
th, 6;\t rnl'm ha bn
11
unclea r to me: J;md 'alimt u 'alii-gh,syr wajli al~sltakk; sec 18 :617 of
~ub: ~~1~l)~l, 1~1<' ~ , · ,ir 11c commc:nury 0 ( ibn ;i l- Mu11dhir. ;i u<l l,oo s ' ' 1J,,rl'dnion.
11
· a)r, al- Dur, al-ma11thii, . .S : 337 _

3Mi
 TABAR!
written j, 'Th e reward (kariima) for those who forsake their
whi ch no eye has see n , n o r huma n h ea rt has conceived beds is th.it
It1.s 1nt1c
. I "" '- N Ik ' nor ear has h d,
~rana s osou •,iows whatiskepthiddenforthemoJ. · .. ear ·
Abu Kurayb--Ashja'l- lbn Abjar- Sha' bl-Mu hira b J•Y; .
from the pulpit: g · Shu ba 5a1d
Moses (~) as_kcd about th e least-rewa rded 1 person among
the people rn the Garden. It was said to him, "A man is
brought fo rth, and, after the People of the Garden have
entered it, it wiII be sai d to him 'Enter!' The man will sa
'Where do I go, w hen so many places already have be!
taken?' It will be sa id to him , 'Count four kings, among
the ea rthl y kings, and you will have an amount equal
to their possessions. Yo u have another one: Your soul's
desire.' The man says. 'I desire thi s and that, I desire that
G
too .' It wi ll be said to him, 'You can have another one:
Whatever pleases your eye.' The man says, 'This and that
Q. J2 "7 arc pleasing to my eye!' Ir wiJI be said, 'You can have ten
G times the eq uivalent of that! '" Then jMosesJ asked Him
about the greates t reward for the People of the Garden.
/God / replied, "Thar is something l sealed for him rhe
day I created th e heavens and the earth." Shacbi said.
'This is in the ~r 'an: No soul k110111s what is kept hiddni
fi,r them ofjo)', as a rewardfar 11,hat they used to do."
AJ.,mad b. Muhammad al-Tu sl-Humayd1-Ibn ' Uyayna; and
~rqasanl- Tbn ' Uy~yna-M upr~if b. Tarlf and Ibn Abjar-Sha'bl said,
" f heard Mughlra b. Shu'ba, who elevated this report to rhe Prophet (i),
say from the pulpi t;
Moses asked hi s Lord. " Lord , which of the People of the
Ga rden is at its lowes t level? " H e repli ed , "A man who
comes after all of th e People o f the Garden have entered
it , and it wi ll be sa id to him, 'Enter. ' He will say, 'Ho~
do I enter, when all o f its abodes have been settled?
It will be said to him ' Wo uld you be pleased with e
th
equivalent of what a;1 ea rrhl y king would have?' Th :
1
man will Sa)', ' Wow! ' mea ning, 'O Lord. I am content.
It will he said to him , ' Yo u shall receive chis, and rbe
i 111c td11on ado i mnoscripn ofTab,;i~
l 'afir,. on tht ~lllht ttadtng~.klai:us, which is ll01 fo und in ~nrof the liJl Mo1lir11's s,ihih : j
18.6i8 (noit . o( Nawaw11 opm1o n on 1hi.s reporl a.s u 1s fo und
J). l ht manmcn pn l1an • aluan ;rnd abkhas ins1c.td o f akliaSJ.
Laa ) 70
S,lrat al-Sajda (J.z:1 - 30)
hlr of it. and the like of it , Jnd the like of it!' He will
rqlly. ·1 am content , 0 _Lord!' The,~ it \~ill be said. co
h11 n. ·y0 u will receive rim, plus ten t11n e~.n. along with
0
it1' He will reply. ·1 am co ntent, 0 Lord! Moses asked ,
"0 Lord. w ho among the People of the Garden will
r,c ~1 dw highest level ?" [God replied,J "Is that what
rou warm·d !to know] ? I shaU inform you about them.
I han· conferred My favour by My hand for them and
sr.ilcd it- no eye has seen jic], no car has heard jit] and
11 0
human hea rt has conceived jirj." The confirmation
f that in the Book of God is: No soul knows what is kept
0
liiddm fa r rl,cm ofjoy, as a reward for tvltat they used to do.
1
Muh 3mmad b. Man~Or al-TOsi-Is}:iaq b. Sulayman-'Amr b. Abi
~,-Jbn Abl Layla-M inh,! b. 'Amr-Sa'ld b. Jubayr-lbn 'Abbas
uid. concern ing His statement and His Throne was upon the water (Q. 11 :7),
"God's Throne is over water, then H e took for Himself a garden, then He
G
Q. 32:17
m,dn.nodier one beneath it , then He covered it with a single pearl. He
'>J1J, .fo d bmeadi them are trvo other gardens (Q.55 :62). This is fthe gardenJ G
ifi..r no soul knows ." Or flbn cAbbasJ said, "These are the two gardens
ihi.t Nosor,l knows what is kept hidden for them ofjoy, as a rervard for what they
ultJ1odo.'' He said: " Ir is the one that humans do not know what is in it
(or in tht"m both), and every day something precious comes to them from
rnhtr ont" or both of these heavenly gardens."
A nt"arly identical report was narrated co us from Ibn l:{umayd-
Ya qub- Anbasa- Salim al-Afras-Sa'id b.Jubayr.
S,h! b. Musa al-Razi-Walld b. Muslim-Safwan b. 'Amr-Abii'l-
lYamanal -Hawzani1 (or someone else) said, "The ·Garden has one hundred
tie!1· Its fi rst leve l is sil ve r- its land, abodes and cups ate silver, and its
•ilii
d. musk· Tl ie secon d Ieve I is gold-its land, abodes and cups are go Id ,
'" Inssoil is mu sk. The third level is pearl-its land , abodes and cups are
:''"
I-
1 O
'rand its so,·11·s mus k . Beyond it there are ninety-seven leve Js, the
1
• .e which no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human heart has
<Jncr1red" TI I1
'
0
f · ien e reca. ed chis verse: No soul knorvs what is kept hidden for
•. JO)', as a reward far 111hat they used to do.
l'..c0rdm2r0Su--·
~::~;a[o(
oi'f11nuJhJ h ) U!I, \-::itiationsof Mughira's badith :ttC' found in the Sabib of Muslim. th<" S1ma11
, •:d 1h~ book: 0
~ l~n Abi Sh:iyba. tht" ~r 'iinic commentary of lbn Mardawayh.
. S,:i:1ih..isJui ,1.0a· 11 · Abu 1-Sliaykli and Bayhaqi; al-D1trr al-m,mthUr, 5:340- 1.
1
cvn1:11tnury :iial.Hudhali; a/-IJ,,,,., al-manrhur, 5:34 0. This r<"port is fo und only in Tab.n's
37 1
 TA BAR! Siiral 11/-Sajdll (Jz: 1- 30)

- Abu Kurayb-::Muharibl and 'Abd al-Rahim- ,,-uhout ,uionning anyone of il, and then ,9,od , on Resurrection Da y,
Abu Salama- Abu Hurayra said· ti M · Muhainn,ad b A "·il! conc{'.11a secret wit h him ~hat ts a JOY- _ _ _,
·d ' I h . 1e essenger of GOd . lllr-
" . J ., ave prepared for M y righteo us servants th h (i) said , "G·'
., Abb.,s b. Abl Talib- Mu alla b._ As,~d- Sallam _b. Ab, Mut1 -
.·J _ Uqb., b. Abel al-Ghafir- Abu Sa ,d al-Khudr1- the Messenger
(~)
see n , no ear h as h eard and no huma I .at w ich no <.'}'r h
. I N Ik I n 1cart conceived , R 11
w1 s 1, o sou ·11ows Ill zat is kept hidde" for them of. . ecite, if you n:i.rr:ncd th at Hi s Lord said, "I have prepared for My righteou s
,,sed ro do. "1 JOY, as a rewardfor u•har1~ ~nJnt( ih.lt which no t·ye has seen, no ear has heard and no human heart
Abu Kurayb- Abii Mu 'awiya and lb N 1 ? ron(cJ\'l'd.·· :
Salih- Abu Hurayra said: th e Messenger o~G:d(:r:-; .:A' mash- Abu Abu'I-S;'ib- lbn Wahb- Abil Sakhr-Abil l:lazim-Sahl b. Sa' d
have prepared for My righteo u s servants that whi~h a1 ' jGhod said.i: 'J ~ J. ''I witnessed a gat hering in which the Messenger of God (~)
1
ear has hea rd and no hum an heart concei d " ' Ab- no eye as S('en, no Jc,cribed thr Garden until he exhausted the topic. Then he sa id , at the
an alternative [reportJ3 of what He . fj ve d. u H~rayra said. "for endof bisdiscoursc, ' In it is what no eye has seen, no ear has heard and
" Ik in orme you, recite, if you wi h no huma n heart ha s conceived.' Then he recited these verses: Whose
ivodsou r,ows
·• Ab- what is kept hidde11for them of;·oy
J. , as I hquseJ
a rewar,dfiorw1at1 '.
&i!res {orsJkr their beds to cry to their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of that
to o. . c u _Hu,;ayra also said, " We recite it as qurr'ati a'y1min (instead of 11chd1'f be.1roll'ed 011 them. No soul knows what is kept hidde,1 for them ofjoy,
q11rrat1 a y 11111 11 J. 4
i:.• mwd for u•ha1 they 11sed to do." J
e
Y~' qllb b. _Ibrahim [al-Dawraqi]-Murtamir b. Sulaymin-Hak.i.m
G Jen Bashshar-lbn Abl 'Adi-'Awf-al-l:lasan [al-BairiJ said, "It Q. 32:17
b. Aban-Glmrlf-Jabir b. Zayd-Ibn 'Abbas-the Proph« (l}-,h, rmhcd me that the Messenger of God (~) said, ' Your Lord said, "I have
Q. 32 :1 7
Truthful Spirit / Gabriel] said , " The good and bad d«ds of a person wtll
G
r:epmd for My servants who believe and do good deeds that which no
G ~rbrought forth; some /deeds) will cancel out (fa-yaqta,,m)' other deeds. e:·e h.as sci:-n, no ear has heard and no human heart has conceived. "'"
4

J USt a sm g le good deed remains , God will throw wide open the g,11e1
to th e Garden." /Ya' qub said,] " I entered the house ofYazdad,'' andh,
narrated a nearl y identi ca l report. I sa id, 'Where did the good deed go?'
H e repli ed . Those are ther from whom We accept the best of u,hal 1hey do, aid
811hr lb. Mu'adhl-Yazld /6. Zuray' J-Sa'id [b. Abl 'Aruba)-
~ 1.ida said, "The Messenger of God (~) narrated this from His Lord:
"Your Lord said, " I have prepared for my righteous servants that which
r.o ere has seen, no ear has heard and no human heart has conceived. ""'
5

overlook their e11i/ deeds: (they are) among the owners of the Garden; rhif is ,hr ISuf~·anJ ibu Wakl' lb. al-Jarral))-Sahl b. Yilsuf-'Amr-al-l:lasan
true promise which they were promised (Q. 4 6:16). I said, •~h,at about H~s !~·~a~ri] said, concerning No soul knows whal is kept hidden far them of
~tarement, No soul knows what is kept hidden for them of;oy? H~ rep!ie ' .f!J',_ They concea led a !good] deed in the temporal world, and so God
th
Th e pe rso n who performs a deed secretly, concealing it wi God. mmded them for their deeds."
A' Q/sim b. Bishr- Sulayman b. l:larb-Hammad b. Salama-Thabit-
1 Acco r<ling lo SuyU1i, ilus hadi,I, qmbi I) foun d in d ie Saf,ihs of Bukhiri .and MuSlim :tti:~ / \ Rifi'- Abu Hurayra: (f:lammad s.aid, "I think Abu Hurayra
1:1,,d"lt~ ~~Jrth,rJyh:
:l~S:~~~mdlii; the J\-:~•~ m1af of lbn Abi Sliay b;i; rhe :11~,d books _of _Jbn131 .,n urcd this to the Prophet [ff') said, "Whoever enters the Garden will
• .ind ilie~r ;imcconm1t'ntaries of Ibn ;i]-Mundlur. Jbn Ab1 f;btm
al-Dur,al-,rumtl1Ur.5:JJ 9 .
2 ~~Od 1.iid " 1s rn m mg from the published tt'Xts ofTabari's 1'aftir. r.abic expr(»1~'
1
~:~:!~n; Suyllfi,
10 vm.ariom of this baditl1 arc found in the
M1madrak of Hakim the
3u,a~~::i;:,rs of tl1e D ar H.iJl r edmo n of T.abari's Tafir cxpl.ain that die A
. .:!-,....id~,.0;1:1:;~iary of lbn Mard.aw.ayh, and the book s by Tab:irfoi :md lfayha9r ; al-Durr

• Abu Hur. hr r~ie.a n) m111-ghayr 18 62 1 (no te 3) _, ,_ ran 2 Jll :'~)iuidon notni l"nti . .
_..1.ccordin •• o n ihn had11h in al-Durral-mamhiir.
S The ediio;r.a s trrc-gu~ar reading I ) mc1111oncd 111 al-Farra, Nfaam al-~us re:iding " ~ichU
not found ) of the Du HaJ.ir cdmon of Tabari') /aft rr ha"e adopted~ "Judi i)us r(pO' l> of !bn H!:.~}.u;;~cf ;\;:;i:;:ons of 1l~is _badi1h art" found in the $a~1ili of Muslim, the M,m 111d
1

found , i('( 1; ~ :a;,1Y of 1hr m.anuscnpts, on rhc bas1) of other ea~l) tex:~i:tc . ~~nlllle~urr of lbn Marda\\~: .of J:1.akim, the- M11µm1~af of lbn Abi Shayb:i, die ~r\inic
... ,.~~tr.~ ,.n ,o. }h, and book s br Tabar.mi and Mul,i.unmad b. N.a 1r; al-Drirr
6 ·1Im I \ rob.abl 21 (no te 6) 'L1tc-r:1ll r, the ve rb J"q1a1111 means to rctur schol.ir err
lmlc l) ~no'""n > ~.azd5.d b Um.ar :il-1lam:idh.:ini. :i d11rd/ 11111rb c;'~\ .a~d e2llc:d J al, :iu lSL)1J1idonno1 rncnt1 .
_0 11 this mursal ~adirh in al-Durr al-marllhi"ir.

~I Y
W'
vai/uqr •)('(' lbn 1 11 Al.ii l-l i mn \\ rote had11h fro m h:111 1:1 H :int~d 2 ]-R.ahmiill
Abi H:amn.al - R.azr, K1tab11l-;arh 11,a /-1add cd A j) ,o
l SJ)iiti don
not rnennon ihis rnursal hadith in al-Durr al-ma,11luir.
1952 9
~rn1111 9 ,o)) (lkirur D li r :il- Fikr. 11 d frtprmt of H ) dcr:ib.ad '

37]
371
 TABAR[
Siirat 11 /-Sajda (Jz: 1-3o)
expe rience pleasu re wit h o ut h ardship , clothes that n ever w
yourh w ill nor fade. In it is that which no eye has seen : ar out a11J h11 . d thre:H, and obeys His co1nmands and pro_hibitions?
GCIJ".: pro1111sr an .k . I God He says: Th e believer s and
and no human h eart h as co n ceived." • 11 ear has br~rd I Th ·y are not a1' e w it 1 • I I
At',0lutcly not. t I ' I Him regarding what He wil.1 do wit 1 t 1em
The ~r'a n_reciter~ disagreed over the reading of His stat . d1,N"hc\'as :i re uo cqll;l \\ It l
soul knows what 1s kept l11ddrnfor them of}o)'. Some Medinans B enient i\ a - · Day h h
o:i Rc1urrrct1on/ : o~e ,wt alike (Iii yastawllu) is in the plural, even t oug
Kufan s read ukhjiya (" is ke pt hidden") with a dam h • ifasrans and
_, . I I . d • . tna on t ca'1 and a(Ill!10 The dame r it' } I rio r to it a belie1rer and an evildoer, because God
on t I1c ya , m t 1e t 11r -person singular passive form hil ·
th~re only tw~ p;ohc~ i~vcr or a s,ingle evildoer, but rathe r all evildoers
read uklifi, w ith o ut any short vowel on the ya ' witl • ~ . c sor~e Kufans
fi f ' l t e mcanm g of the dill not mtrnd a smg d d i A ding to the Arabs, if two singular
rst-person present tense o a !Form IVJ active verb·"[ lud I h· J II bclk\'crs are mtcn c . ccor h
from them." i • c som('t tn g] an a frr to more than two individual things, it is proper to use t e

!ABARi SA ID : The correct opinion in our estimation is that both rrad-

mgs a~c ~vid_e spread and close in m ea ning , beca use if God hides someihing,
th en It 1s hid de n (makl,fi) and if it is hidden , there is no one lo hide it
(m11klifi11) other th an H e.
0 Jbn Hum,yd-Salama b. al-Fa,11-Ibn Isl:,aq-some (or one) of h,s
Q.32: 18
The word mii ("w hat") in His statement No soul k1101Vs what is kq,1 liiddm
far them_0fjoy is in the accusative case, regardless of whether one reads ukl!fiP
0 11
~r kl,J, , because it is the object of the verb ra'lamu ("it knows"). Howcrn.
if one rakes ma to be an interrogative no un then it is in the nomin.i.1ive
~ase if one reads 11kl,.fiya because it is the subject of a passive verb; but it is
lll the accusative case if o ne read s ukl,j; because it is governed by this vcrb.J
COMMENTA RY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS ,
1~ 2 : 18 ]
ls li e wh o is a believer equal to him who is an evildoer? They are 1101
al,ke. [J2 :i9J B111 aJJor rhose who believe and do good works, for them arolie
rd
Ga em of Rrtrea t- a u,e/come (in reward)Jor what rlzey used to do. !Ji:.20)
A,,d_asfo r t Jiose wli o do evil, their rerreat is the Fire. Whe11ever they d~sirrto
issuefo rt!1/rom tl1e,ice, they are brought back to it. To them it is said,
Jaste the torment ofrh e Fire which you used lo deny!
God (Exalted · 1-1" . . h ,j,cll
G0 d' · . is is remembrance) says: Is this disbeliever, w O r
promise !of the Garden J and threat j of Hell} and violates His com·
man sa nd prohibitions, at all like thi s believe r in G~d . who accepts as rrue
i Ibo A1t}'yll~cnbt-\ thc
nf:r:; rt:istead 0 f the dual form of the verb}. .
r It \ias been alleged that thi s verse (Q.32:18) came down concerning
Alib. Abi Talib (r) ,nd Walid b. ' Uqba.'
An account of those who said that: .
tmhm-·Ara' b. Yasar said , "Th.is verse came down M~di~a concer~d f" G
ing Ali b. Abi Talib and Walid b. ' Uqba b. Abi Mu ay!- Ah and Wah
Q. J2"9
hidnchangcd s~mc words. Walid said, 'My tongue is more eloquent than
yvurs, my spear head is sharper than yours, and I am better a_ble to ~epel a
G
squadron !than you]. ' 'Ali said, 'Silence! Truly you are an evildoer. Then
God sem down, rega rding the two of them, Is he who is a bel~~ver equal to
hun wlw is au evildoer? Tliey are not alike to the end of Q.3 2 :20.
Bishr [b. Mu' adh ]- Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Aruba]-:-
~tlda said, conce rning His statem ent Is he wlio is a believer eq11al to lu~n
i, ho isan e1
1i/doer? Tliey are uor alike, "No, by God, they are not alike in this
\\ orld, or at death, o r in the Hereafter."
INTERPRETAT ION OF B,a as for rl,ose wl,o believe a11d do good works,Jor
i/ieui are il,e Garde11s of Retreat
God (Exalted is Hi s remembrance) says : As for those who believe i~
God and His Messenger and act in accordance with what God ao d His
Mt~\enger have comma~ded th em to do,for them are the GardetJS ef Retrea~
He nieans: Gardens of resid ents who reside in them in the Hereafter an
ret reat to them.
k rh21 allofrh~

~~ ~::~rr~r.il-
odier lt"Clleu. wuh die :c:;hrig of Mk/if; 10 ~a111 za and al-'."' m,u h, and renur :
4 362 _cpu on of a few irregular readmgs. read ukh.fiyau
14 .uJI.?, :
sh·r w·r~.

i
111
3
I\,[~ 1;;;::~lil of
2
1 l~r expb.n.1cio n h found in al- Farra', M,ld rii al-~r'iirr. :z:3 ~-·:id &mily in Mecca and
1 ; : ,: ~

ih11 u1c:u11ng 4Yfu ... T l1 r c·cli1on o f al - Farr.i.'"s J\,f4'Jr1i a/- ~r'i11 cbriff ihit tni brlccd Uqb.1 (d . 61 /680) was a member of a pronuncot Uma~ho w:is notorious for hi s
3~:I 1-j~~ U, 18 :62: .
~• a", 2 332.
;;:a:~:l~C'of
flt
aY)'M; 2 :332,, . '
of 1h1 \ pa~~agc h fou nd in grea1e r detail in al
.Fafr,i', }.l,J/li
1"1P10111 l h llrn at 1_he conquest of Mecca in 630. He was a poc'_1 ' Uthm5in's caliphate: sec
C. E (ls, c1pccr,11\y w hile ~crving as governor of Ku~;i dun 11 g d s not :ippcir in Jbn
Hi~h~i~~\;·orili, "ll-W;ilid b. ·l!i::.ba," EV The brief epuodc heTC' oc
ece n11 o n of lbn hl.1:ic:i s Sira .

374
375
 TABARI Sii ml af-Sajda (J2: 1- 3o )

. ,u,iishmmt before the g reater p1mishm et11' that perhaps they

I NTE RPR ET AT I O N O F A ivclcome (in rewara)for ,vhat they ,uedrodo
• ,,1 wit rhc lo u1t r I · J , . th e cribubtion of the temporal world.
rr.( •• Tlir lower punts mumt 1s . . ,,
H ~ says: A ,_ 1,elc~me (,iu~ula11 ) in w~ich H e settled them, as a rew:i.rd from 1
...,.;j'1c1,m , . . I !worldl y] cal :unmc s.
H 1111 for act mg lll o bcd1cn cc to Hun in the temporal world. I hJ1b-rcn ~a1d: It is t ic I - b S ' -d- Shucba- Q!tada-<Azra t -
' I A I n1i:1 - Ya 1ya . a I d
lhn ,1 -J\·illt ia ·b Ab; L ,- - Ubay y b. Ka' b said, concerning An
I NTERPRETATI O N OF A,id asfor those who do evil, their retreat is ihe Fire l U --J n i ay a I
Jl-!j.t91.1 ,1 - . r:m111 taste the lower pimishment, "The calamities int 1c c;m-
l-Vhr11e11er they desire to issuef orth from thence, they are brought back to it . Torlro~ 1·. 11/y li e m,1ke the , k , (Q 4. rn) has already taken place, as well as the
it is said, Taste the tormem of rl1c Fire u,hicl, you used to deny! f"'-'ra! \\:0rld. ·~he sm~16e and.~tl~c inevitable. (lizam; Q.25 :77).".z -
God (Exalted is Hi s re m e mbran ce) say s: And as for those who disbdien• in ~:zurc (hJtslw . Q .44. ) -J ·d "Yah ab Sacld's elision of Ya}:iya
~bii rvrnsa !Jbn al -Muthanna sa1 ' : y ·. . ,.
God and fo rsake o b(·dien ce to Him, their relreat is the Fire. He s;;iys: Their
res idences, to w hich th ey shall rt"treat in the Hereafter, are in Hdlfire. b Jl.-Jazz.lr fro m th is chait~ of trar;s~~te;:c~~ :~~:=~:;:~~-b.Jacfar-
Whenever they desire to issueforth from thence, chey are brought back to if. Torhem :,.\ ul_1.11nm:id b. Bashshar- Ya Jya .c - y h ·_ b al-Jazzar-Ibn
si. l n ~t:ida- 'Azra-al-Hasan al- Uram- a. ya · I
it is said, Tast<' tire torment of tire Fire wl,;clr you used to deny in the tcmponl -·~ i.1- ,_'<2. \Jb b ~ acb s~id concerning this verse Aud veri y We
world. [Th ey used to deny] that God prepared it for anyone wbo associ• A~1 Lar a- ayy . . ' h 1mislune11t " [Such as]
mJk. i/1,w Ms1c the lower pmmhmeut ,before t greater p . - . , . ) and
aced pa rtn ers ·w ith Him . 0
i1odJh· cahmi tics, ' the in evitable (luziim instead of lizamb, Q.25. 77
0 The fo ll owin g interpreters said something similar to what we bm . . , h k , (Q -44··IO)." .(Shu' a . was] )unsure Q.32:21
'tht" smu rc (Q.44 :1 6) or t c smo e
Q . 32:20- 1 just sa id conce rning that. An account of those who said that: \1heihrr 11 was ';r hc se izure" or "the smoke" [in this nha ~rbatlo~~- _d
Bishr lb. Mu' adhj - Yazid lb. Zuray' ]-Sa' id fb. Ahl 'Arub,l-
0
0 !bn al-Murhanna- Mu.hamma d b · Ja' f a r-S bu a-'-eta _ Uba-
~cada sa id , "A nd asfo r those who do evil- associate partners with God. hi . IH I ' U - y I ab al Jazzar-IbnA ,Lay1a- ayy
.-ma-a - . asan a - ram- a JY . · - t that ht! said,
tl1em it is said, Taste tire torment ofthe Fire which you used to deny-these pt•op!t ~- K/ b said nearl y th e same thing as above, excep
are deniers. as yo u all ca n see." ·cilamities, 't he in ev itable,' and 'the seizure."' c _d _
!Sufranjibn Wak(l b. al-Jarral)]-Yazid b.J:Jubab--Shu ba~t: ~b-
1
Am_;l -Hasan al-<Uranl- Yahya b. al-Jazzar-cAbd al-Ra}:iman ·
CO MMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORD S, layl:i-Ub~yy b. Ka' b said, "The calamities that strike th'~'m in th e tem-
I32 :21 J A ,1d 1,erilr
l,Jle make them taste the lower p1mishment before rhc pcml world: 't he seizure ' 'the smoke' and 'the inevitable. __
greater ptmisli mellt , that per/raps they may return . ISufyan l ibn Wakl' (b. al-Jarrab]-my father-AbuJa' far a!-Razt~
The interpreters di sagreed over the m eaning of the loiver ptmishmt'III •I-Rabi - Abo' l-'Ali ya sa id , concerning And verily We ma.~e th em taS te t ,e
(al- 'adhab al-ad,ia) that God has promised to make these evildoers ra ste. IJu11'r p1111isl, mem, "The calamities in the temporal wor1cl. h-k ·d
nd [ibn W,k;' J- Abu Khalid al-Ahmar-Juwaybir-al-Oal:ii,' sail '
O PI N I ON: So me of them sa id : These are the calamities afflicting lifr a conre-rning And verily f,Jle make then; taste the lower pimishmelll ,,efore tie
wealt h th at th ey exper ience in the tempo ral world. ~reaier. '•The calamiti es in their worldly lives and their weal th . _b ]
An acco unt of those wh o sa id th at: J--n Bisi,, lb. Mu' adhl - Yazld [b. Zuray' J-Sa' ,d [b. Abl 'Aru a~
_Al, lb. Daw f1d al-Tamlnu ]- Abu Salil:, l'Abd Allab b. s:e;~ing 0 ,,-d
a a-a nony mo us-al-Hasan [a -Ba$rl
I -1 sat·d.' concerning
"The world-
15
Mu aw,ya lb. Salihl - 'AI, lb. Ab, Talhaj - Ibn 'Abbas said, con idly 11_aternt:nt And verily We make chem taste the lower pim,shment,
11,.J 1¥ ,;/)' fV. k I . . "IS ch as] the wor
I r ma e t 1em taste the lower p1mislunent, u cs so l: ra!amnics."
c; amit ies. illnesses and tribu latio ns by which God cests His servan
t lat {or Unti l) they re pent." , er- Jllf lollo•.., d . he following three- isruids, who
!. 18 .627
1
r,ort ih:~g thr cd1ton of 1hc Dar H :i.J ar tdition he re~~
d 1-'Awf,]-rnY fa t b s 'd
m
Muh ammad b. Sa'd lb M I l r,,r mor tno~.t manu~crir, u have ·'' Urwa.. i.'.1stead o f
uncle I I H
/1-. . , . ,a b. a
u .iamm a a Azn. r,Tabari's cmnmcncary on SUn.t
al-A usa~n b. al -f:i asan] - my fa ther- hi s farher fAP? u1r ,,111kf ·' ·! coo th t:" m1okr and " thc ~eizurc, ~tc,..o lumeitfo
•· lu~hln (T!ir Smoke, ).
w l - lbn Abbas sa id , conct"rnin g His statement And ver1 Y 44

377
 TABA R! Sii ral 11/-Sajda (J2:1 - 30)

[Sufy~ ~j ibn Wakl' /6. al-Jarrah]-Jarir- . fwr,t hi ng God pron1iscd th is commu1 ~it y regarding the lower p1111isltmmt
1

/al-Nak ha ,Jsaid , concerning A,id veril Wi k Man1ur- Jbrih-

ishmem, "Things by which they arc Illy edn_,a e them taste the lorFcr irn
a . 1ctc m the t I p11n.
1' 01 ~ij .t lihc mad
,_,
1 11111
punishmen t ofJ rhe sword.
b. (Amr lal-Bahil!J - AbU
1
A~im [al-NabilJ- (isa lb.
OP IN ION: O th ers said . What • b empora world.~ i\lil'rnlin]: :ind fro m a\-J:l ;i. rith_lb. Ahl Usamaj-al-1:lasan [b. al-Ashy-
penalties.' . i s meant y that are the fi xed criniini.l ab['...11'.rqa' [b. UnmJ; 601h ' Isa and Warqa'- lbn Abi Najil,-Mujahid
u,J. concrrning A11d verily We make them taste the lower p1111ishment before the
An acco unt of chose w ho sa id thar·
~,Ntn rimif/mient, "!It was I th e killing and starving of the Q!!raysh in the
lbn
· Bashshar-A6ii
A d 'Asim-Shabib-'Ik
· .
nma-lbn 'Abb· ·J
cern mg II i,erily We make them taste ti I ·1 as s;u , ron- ' cmPoral world.,,
.1 " 1e ower pun,s tment bef. I 1
B,,hr [b. Mu'adh ]- Yazid /6. Zuray' ]-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Aru6a]-
The fixed crimin al penalties."
p11111s lfll etlf , 'Jore I regreaur
~ 1j_ Ja said, "Muj:ihid would narrate from Ubayy b. Ka'b, that he said,
OPINION: Others said: What is mea nt by that is bein I . ·.-hid 1•cril)' /Ve make them taste the lower punishment before the greater pu11isli-
He said: And the y were killed at the battle of Badr. gs am by thrsworJ.
r·:mt at d1t' ban le of Badr. "'
An account o f ch ose w ho said chat : OPINI ON: Others said: What is meant by chat is the years of drought
Muhammad 6. Bashshar- 'A6d al-Rahman [b M hd·J-s 1 f-
.1ftlin cd them.
. u.ha IMuslim/-Masriiq-'Abd
· · • Allahu '." d1JI
/al-Thawrij-Sudd·
,_ 1- A6-u 'l- D [b G
G An account of those who said that:
Masofudj
tic said,. ' "A ,,d ,,er,-,y w,e ma ke IIJem taste the loi,,er punishment at the ba1-·
Badr. lbn Bashshar-'A6d al-Rahman lb. Mahdi]-Sufyan lal-Thawri]- Q. 32:21
Q.32: 21
~lln~iir-Ibr:ihim lal-Nakhaci] said, concerning And verily We make G
G [b Nca rl )~ ide ntical reports \\'ere narrated to us from [Sufyanj ibn Waki ib 11 tasie the lower p1mishme,it before the greater pu11islm1e11t, "The years of
I · al_-JarrahJ- my father-Sufyan lal-ThawriJ-Suddi-Abu'l-Puhi drough t that afHictt'd them."
, Musl,mj- Masruq- 'A6d Allah lb. Mas' ud] ; and from Ibn Bashshlr- A nt"arly identical report was narrated to us from Ibn Waki..c [b. al-
A6d al-Ral.1111an jb. Ma hdij- lsra'il-Suddi-Masruq-'Abd Allah [c Jmil)J-mr fathcr-Sufyan lal-ThawriJ-Maniur-16rahim lal-Nakha'i].
Mas'ud j.
OPINION: Ot hers said : What is meant by that is the punishment of the
Ya'qub 6. Ibrahim jal-Dawraqi]-Hushaym [b. Bashir]- 'Awi- gJ°.1l't'. I
anon ymous-al-}:-Jasan b. rAli said, concerning And verily We makt tlum
An account of those who said that:
taste _the /011,er p1111ishmcnt' "Being killed by rhe sword whi1e in chains /as Muhammad b. 'Umara-' U6ayd Allah-lsra'il-Abu Yahya-
capri vesj."i
MuJ,lhrd said, concerning And verily We make rhem taste the lowerpunishmerlt
/Sufyanj i6n Waki' /6. al-Jarrah j -'Abd al-A'la-'Awf-'Abd Alilh tfjJ,e tlie grearer p1mislm1em, "The lower [punishment] is in the graveS, as
fb· al-Hari1h
· . 6· Naw f;a1 sa1·d , concerning. And verily U'l ,nakt them ,asrrrh'
rd
- wdl as th e earthl y punishment."
ou,er pumshmem before cl,e greater ptmislm1e11t, "Being killed by th e swo .
OPJNJON : 01hers said: That is the earthly punishment.
1 Tht word ~udiid is us d • cl . h ishmc-nt) rC'r An account of those who said that:
ditw-cnmts. The-sec c t ~ 111 ic.itc- :i )pccial d :us of crnm:s, as wdl as t pu{ forniou~n. Yunus /6. 'A6d al- A'laJ-Ibn Wahb- lbn Zayd said, concerning His
theft, brig;i.nJ.;,a r ; :11.es 11_JClude fo rmcat ion, the unsubmmriated accusanooo !'. at~me nc A 11d 11erily We make them taste the lower p1misl11nent before the greater
ditsr crimes ar! a'll111cor xication , and, :according to many jurists. arosta_sy. T
or hisdepuurs . For ~r31Jn nature and can only be applied by a legit in LJ;-r.i: punislunem, "The lower pu riislimerlt is the earthly punishment."
1110
i.a141{Ncw York : C.;,a rnb; ~n tlie~crn~1es. St'e Rudolph Peters, Crimt and TABAR! SA ID: The best interpretation of this is that one should say:
l In h1\ Hutory. Ta"4ri reel gr Um"erm y Pren, 2005). ' ' /Uh b. JlJ\dh.i
1rgarding whrdin the :~d s a debate ~mong Abo Bakr, U_ma_r and Abel~ B:6r 9 hdpl'J 1
1

rnolve 1h u ur. Hr rt 1 mg of capllvt's was lawfu l and 1nd1cates t~ar ~ront ofthc!ll
11 1
C'k:l J)(wuhout papn a ::r h th.;1.1 tht Prophet Mul.i:uumad declared l~t ~jc.;1.te how tnl"Y
(if u1r) Clpli\·ri Wcrrg 1som or losmg his he.;,ad," altho ugh he docs not in The f(llli;J;/a~
o/tlit Corn"'"""Y· so-/bm :ifttr 8;1.d r; m· Th t Hisrory ef al-Tabari, Vol. VII:
ilir cul y ihcological debates in Islam was O\'C T the existence of a form.of punishml~ ~
.:.,l~:t:':~ {or 1?mb) ~twcc-n the time of a hum~n's dtaih an~ Resu_:r~c;:t11~;:•0~,;is
top ' · Uliinmdy, the vast majority of Muslnns accepttd !IS ruli Y
ic. ',(( A.J. Wcmiuck. :ind A. S. Tritton, "'Adh.1b al~~abr,'' £!1.

)79
378

.... l
 TABAR.I
Slirat al-Sajda (JZ: 1- 30)
!ru ly G.od promised these evildoers, who . .
thi s wo rld . The y will taste it be~CJecc His thre;u, Ihtlou't'r
15/,me11J Ill The follow ing interpreters said something simila~ to what we have
fl owe r/ pu ni shm e nt is alJ of th . I h'.lore the greater punish pun. u•! siid (oncrrni ng th:i.t. An :i.ccount of those w ho s:ud _that : _
s I .I e tna s t ey ex . fflr111 . Thi
penence in this wo I ! [Sufy;nj ;6 11 Waki [b . al:Jarr~hJ- my_fa,her-S,~fyan .fal-Th awn [-
th;~,
u c 1 as rav1 s iing hunge r o r bcin kill e d
All of thi s is part of rite lower p~11islm1e;1~r ;~amities that befall s,dJi-Abi,1-Duha- M,'.'."9- Abd Allah f~; Mas udf satd, concernmg
remembrance) promised them this pur . h
en God (Exalted ii H_- rl:~· rcrli.:r rhey IIUl}' ret urn. The y m:i.y repent~ ( - - -C

to a_ specific rype of punishm e nt co t;11; ;1ent,. He did not restric1 :: lf-n \t'aki [h. al-J:i. rr:'i l.1]- my father- Abuja far al-Raz1-al-Rab1 -
punished them with all of these thin s i xclus1on of other~. 1-1<: h..1 ,\ b(i·l-Aliya s:1.1d, co ncerning that perhaps tliey may return, "They may
hun ge r, hard ships and financia l ca l g _ . n the temporal world: killing
promised them. amities. He fulfilled all that He 1i;; rtprnt.''
Bi,J,r [b. Mu'ad hf- Yazld jb. Zuray' ]-Sa' id jb. Abi 'Ariiba]-
~ 1:iJJ said.,,conccrning that per/raps they may return, "In other words , they
I NTERPRETATI ON O F b,r,
H 0ore tire g reater p1mislm1enr mlyrrprnt.
e says: Bcforc r the g reater p1mislm1enr a nd .
Resurrection D:iy. ' that IS the punishmtnt on
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
G . The fo ll owing interpreters said some t .
JUst said concernin g d A
. .
hmg s1m1lar to what we hm /_:1 ::1] A,id who docs grea ter wrong than he who is reminded of the revelations
Q . 32:2 1 G
Ibn Bashshar-cA~~· I ; a~co ~nt of those who said that: ~(liis Lord, rl1c11 wrus away from tliem. Lo! We shall requite the guilty.
Q.
G Suddi-Abu'l-0 h- a - _a· man fb. Mahd,j-Sufyan [al-Thawnj-
God (Exalted is His remembrance) says: Which person does greater wror1g to
32:22

greater pimislime,;t : · a ;~asruq. -cAbd Allah [b. Mas<odJ said, "Before r/;e G
hi~lSl' lf tlrau lie whom God has exhorted, by means of His proofs, the signs
' A nearly idem~ca/";~rrecuo,n Day." Hi5 book an d His Messengers, and then wrns arvay from all of chat? He
Abd al-Rahman {b M p~n ,,as, narrated to us from Ibn Bashshar-
Mas'udj. · · aIid,J- lsra il-Suddi-Masruq-'Abd Allah [b. aid not herd His ex hortations; rather, he scorned them out of arrogance.

Mul.1ammad b cA [ _ !~Tl:RPR.ETAT ION OF Lo! We sliall requite the guilty

May111un I. and Ii · 111' al-Bahilij-Abii 'Aiim [al-Nabtlj- '!sa fb.
ab[- War~~• fb. ,~:::: 1+larit?_ f_b. Abi Usa1;1aJ-al-J:Jasan [b. al-Ashy- He says : Lo! We shall requite those who commit sins and evils.
said "Be'- I rj • both Isa and Warga -Ibn Abi NaHh-Mujah1d Some of them said: What is meant by the guilty in this place is the
' ;ore t ie greater " · / :, · P{'o ple of ~da r. 1
Mu~ ammad b f "' 5 _Hnem, on Resurrection Day in the Hereafter.
tt

Muja hid said .. . Umara- Ubayd Allah-Isra'il-Abii Yahya- An accounr of those w ho said chat:
Bishr [b' MeJ:~e th e greater pu11ishme11t on Resurrection Day."
8 _ ~a glib b. Ibrahtm [al-Dawraqi"}-Marwan b. Mu' 3wiya-Wa'i1 b.
0awud-Manvan b. Saftl)- [Zayd} ibn Rufay' 2 said, "God's statement
Qetada said :. .," ad hJ- Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Arubaj-
8
al~o narrated ti ~ore greater punishniem on Resurrection Day." (~tida
H s 0 p m1on fi I 1
Yunus [b. 'Abd al- , _ rorn a -l:lasan [al-Ba;ri].) . , / ~'. morl· on "the" People of ~dar .. {or ~darh). sec the notes accompanying Tabari's
statement befo I A la j- Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, concerning Hi, i
0
1 l.1rncn11ry o ri Q .1:s. abow .
ment in the Hrc' iefigreater punislm1e11t "Tlzegreaterp1mishment is the punish·
erea re- r." '
for"::\~::ahritid ~ar_ 1-hja_r editions of Tabarfs Tafsi , havf' Yazid b. R~f~y< here _and in _ilic
.!iction.;i~~s.!~n._Dar l·-bpr, 18 :635. I could not loc.itc Y.izid b. ~ufay Ill ~hie b1ogr.;iplucal
INTERPR 111 thii lSr.JJ O\\cvcr. accordmg to lhn Abi }:litim. Marw:in b. Sl-fi:I.) al-KuA. who ap~f'a~s
ETATION OF I \\c hiic ·he. n_a r~t~d fr~m Zayd b. Ru fay' to Wi"il b. Abi OiwOd. which is exactly ihc uriad th
He says: So that the r ,at perhaps they may return . . '.s;;, fi ind~ ~ l<.itab al-;arli wa'l-ta'dil, 8:27 4 . In Miziiri <J!-i'tidal, Dh.ih.ibi reports th~~ _b~
1
thc1ll with tl1e lo1ver y lll ~y re t urn a nd re pent, by means of [His] punishing ~111 al.,, M araqut~1i corn idcrcd Zayd b. Ru fa y' al-Jazari 10 be "weak':: Mizil~ al~, Ilda/fl
pu 1115limn1t. •I. llnii>~·i . cd Ali Mu'aww.iQ and 'Adil 'Abd 3 1- M.iv.jlld, 7 vols. {Beirut: ~:u al-K~r~~
21
\\;i1 "r'"1; j 1.?95). J: 1s2 - 3. H owever. tbn Abi l;f:itim quous ibn l:bnbal as S:1)'111 8 ih:i.i _ )
I l;i\~ ,i 11cJ~11f • 16 3
~111bi, :ind~ : Krtiib al-ja,lr wa'l-ta'dil. 3 :563. Jbn Sa' d idf'ntifies Zayd b. Rufay' l S uauve of
) in~ her, th.;it th, Ar:i.h1c word d,;,, 11\f'.lm "before" in this context.
:i tn Im dl·:ith to 130/747- 8: Kitiib al-Jabaqiit a/-kabir. 9:485.

JXO 381
 TABAR.I Siimt al-Sajda (Jz:1 - 30)
b Mu ,dh [- Yazid [b.Zuray' ]- Sa'ld [b.Abl'Ar~ba]-Q?,tada-
in th e ~r'an, L o! We sliafl requite th e g uilty, alludes to the ~d . ,,
[Zaydj recited, Lo! the g uilty are in error and mad,ies.s. On theda Then
dragged into tire Fire upon their faces (it is said imto them) lie•/ thy ~h, 1hey ar~
:~is. 81'~11 l · .. · J. •d "The co usin of your Proph et - meaning Ibn
·1 lh raa l- Rip 11 sa1 .
·''' _-' .. ' d 'Th,°Prophct of God (!) said, "On th e nig to my 1g t
1
h f N' h

, .. ttouc ofHdJ
Lo! ~Ve luwc created e1 eryrliing by measure (qadar; Q.54:47~).
1 ·
A nea rl y i~ enri cal report was narrated to us from al-l:lasan b. (Au.fa-
Marwan- Wa ii b. Dawiid- [Marwan] ibn Safil)-[Zayd] ibn Ruf. ·'
However, in thi s report, it was Wa'il b. Dawud who recited the ver:e~
from Surat al-Q?,1nar (Q.5 4:4771).
O th ers said, concerning that , what I have been informed of by:
clm rln b. Bak kar al-Kul:'(i-Mubammad b . al-Mub:i.rak-Ismt il b.
'Ayyash-'Abd al-'Azlz b. ' Ubayd Allah- ' Ubada b. Nusayy- Ju nld,
b. Ahl Umayya-M u'adh 6. Jabal said, "I heard the Messenger of God (1)
say, 'A nyone w ho does one of three things will be counted among 1ht
guilt y-he w ho binds him self to an unjust cause, 1 or disobeys his p;1r-
G em s or wa lk s in lockstep w ith a tyrant to aid him.' God says, Lo! m
slia/1 req uite tire guilty." :
Q.32:23
0 The follo wing interpreters said something similar to what we ave
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
!32 :23 ] We ga11e A1oscs the Book; so be not in doubt ef(MubammaJ) meeii,r~
him; 3 mid l•Ve appointed him as a g uide for the Children ef Israel. [32 :i4 J ll r
appo i111ed from among them leaders who guided by Our commatid whrn th <'Y
became steadfast and believedJinnly i,i Our signs.
God (Exalted is Hi s remembrance) says : We gave Moses the Torah. juSc;is
w_e gave the F11rqar1 to you , O Mui)ammad, so be ,1ot in mirya ef rn~~
1
~!
lum . H_ e says: So be t1ot in doubt ef meeting him. Q!t3da would say, J i1tiJm is someone who is followed towards good or evil ends. The inte nd ed
f b h me1 !Moses
1(nea1~mg o th.at is ' IMul.1 ammadj. be not in dou t t at ylouJerusalein].'~
or t at you will meet him) during your Night Journey to . I 11
Ie
O
Th is im crpretation has also reached us in a report, on the au th0 ntY
Messenger of God (i):
AH1A1~ ; · : \.~S show n Moses, th e son of <lmran, and found him to be
Jou!1~\j 1 tall and cu rl y-haired. It was as if he were from among _the
~ro\\:::en. 1
was also show n Jesus, and found him to be of average st~e,
rurr. h : 111. complexion and with lank hair. I also saw the Guardian
1
1Anl!rl
d"1s of-" Hellfire
' and the Antic Iuist. ""' [Ab LI 'I - 'AJ·iya sa1 d] . mo_ng
, "A
1hc.s1ms God showed him is so be r,ot in do11bt of(Mu~,amr~1ad} meellng /run,
diat 1l1ul.ianunad] sa,v Moses, and met Moses on his Night Journey [to
Jerusalem].'':
l\TERPRETAT ION OF a11d We appoi11ted him as o guide for the Childre11 of
LrrJd
GoJ (Exalted is His remembrance) says: And ~e appoitited Moses as agui~e
(vrrhe Cliildre,i of Israel, meaning a source of gmdance for the~. Th~y wtll
Q, 32:24
·m corrrc cly by fo llowing him and attain the truth by emulatmg him and
following his speech. h 0
ju•1said concerni ng that. An account of those w~o said that~ < _
Bish r [b. Mu'adhj-Yazld !b. Zuray' ]-Sa 1d [b. Ab1 Aruba]-
~ t~da sai d, conce rning and vVt- appointed him a g11ida11ce for t~,e Children of
L,.:e/, ''God appoi11ted Moses as a guide far the Children of Israel.
INTER PRETATI ON OF We appointed from among them leaders
God (Exalted is His remembrance) says: We appoi,ited leaders from ~m~ng th e
Children of Israe l. The word ''leaders" (a'imma) is the plural of imam. An
meaning in this context is "God appointed leaders from among th cm to
[guide diem toJ the good, by whom they are led and guided," as we have
betn 1nfonned by:
r Th~ N h • . . • Mc:ca prior to the:
Eiru ig t Journey (is,J) occurred during the Prophets mission 1~ Mecca 'to Jc:ruu lcm.

:~::::!!!';
lb
Mb;i;rmn'~ ~r "~t~.ndard'" (lm>a.'). . , nic cornrnc:nt.ri~ ~f
ig to Suyut1 , v;i; rmions of tlm h<ldfth ;i;rc found Ill the ~r :i T l,arini ' af.V,.t1
h gr.uio 11 to Medma. In ;i single night, Mul.1amm2d travelled fro,h
st'
before: having
: d;;; he met the earlier Prophets and ascc-ndcd through ihe ~e~ c;t:~~\v, obligator}'
11
a/.::ri~~,i',Uu.m
Th
and 1~11- Mardawayh, and du: books of Jbn M.an~ 2
' 5.342, Su yup rt'm;i;rk ~ that 1hc ch:un of 11arr.1tors for this b
';jt/,
~s "wok.·
' et)' of"-;)1
pri,er:\~ cou11ter wid1 God. During this encounter, God or~; miraculousjournc:)' on
thc.t11er/1 Mu)lum pr:iy dail y. Muslims tr2d.i tion~lly cdt:br.atc-cton the: NightJoumc:)', sec:
1
Pie~t;t~c ~~ucnccfa-/J takunfi mirya mi,i 2
fiqJ 'ihi has been rr.1nsl2tc:d i~ ;;rinot in Jou~
Cuill•urn:-\t\'C:n'.h day of t~~ lunar momh of R.aJa~. For ~o~udcd in this translation);

conc~:~ 111 a:hc'>Onbc: not yr: in do ub1 of hh rccdving it"; Arber.~ has n::in doub1 of /:~;J •Accord111 , 181-;~ :i~1d Taban s commentary on Q .17 , 1. (not m hihs ofBukhiriandMusbm;
th"" .~toSuyu11,nriatiomofthisliadirharefoundmthc$a .: b Abi Hitim and ibn
lu\•1ng rn!t w11~1 :~untcr ~·1th lum": ;i;nd Muh,unm;i;d Asad has so tee] ... I hJ\'t' folio 1./ /' llllC conunenurie~ of 'Abd b. l;lumayd, lbn al.Mundhir:
1 ·
Tab ., 1
' u mc ltru d1 111 the rc:vd.ation vouchsafed to t ,r i11·1yh; ;i;nd Da/J'j/ al-11ub111vwa by Bayluqi; a/-Durral•mallfh1lf, S·
Tl\ llltcrprcuuon of th mea nrng.

383
382:
 TABARJ
Bishr /b. Mu ad h/- Yazid /b. Zuray' ]- Sa',d (b
~ra:da sa id, co n ce rnin g l4'c appointed from among th l d Abt ArubJ/-
0 11rcom111a11d, " Leaders to th e good. " em ea ers who guided by
INT ERPRETAT ION OF who g uided by Our command
God (Exa_lr ed is Hi s rem e mbra nce) says : They guided their followcn J.nd
th ~ peopl t' who accepted them by Our p ermiss ion and Our act of mrn th-
cn111 g d iem to do so. g
INTERPR ETAT ION OF u41e11 they became steadfast
Th e ~r 'a n reciters disagreed ove r th e reading of when they became strJd-
fasr. Most o f the M ed i na n and Basra n reciters, and some of rh c Ku fon
recit ers , read fammii fabarii wit h a fa cba o n the lam and a shadda on chr
mim, with the meaning "wh e n t h ey became steadfast." Most of 1hr
Kufan s read fi - mii, w ith a kasra under the liim and without a sliadda on
ch e mim , instead of fammii, w ith the m ea ning "bec.1: use of their s1r1d-
fo sm es s in turning awa y from eart hl y desires an d their efforts co ober
Us. and act in accord ance w ith Our comma nd. " lt has been aliegcd that
Ibn Mas lid recired bi-mii fabarii ("o n acco unt of their steadfastncss"). 1 If
one rea ds rh e verse as Ii-ma ,tabarii, the word ma is in the genirivc case:
but if o ne read s lammii, the word mii does not have a case, because: it is
merel y a panicl e. 1
TA BA Rf SAID: M y opin ion co n ce rning that is that both readiugs m
~,,idely arres ted , ha ve sirni lar m eanin gs, and h ave been recited by a plural-
n y of recirers, so the reciter will be co rrect read ing either one of tbem.
If thi s is read as lammii ;abarii , it s inte rpretation is: We apPoime~
ammig rhem leaders wl,og uided th ei r fo Jl owers on account of rhe pernussi~;
We granted th em and gu id ance by which We strengthened chem. /We di
r'1isj when th ey were steadfast in th eir obedie nce co Us and turn ed away
from ea nhl y delight s and desires.
. If ili is is read as li-mii fabanl , the n we have alread y described its mean·
ing !above / an d we have been informed by : . d
[
[Sufran[ 1'b11 wk· ·d "We I" "
a 1 /6. al-Jarral,,J- my father sai, . Jb •D'"
someone ex pl ainj I½, appoi111t'd from am ong th em leaders ,vita guide
} ;~r fo r the m the nature of Our way (swmatanO) of treating anyone who
a lbn A11} ya aw:-nl>c-. t he . , ' /ha and al-,fm.ub
All oftli r othcr rc-cncu ;;adrn_g of l1~ma to l;-lam u , K1 s;i i, Jb,~ M :u Ud, T~ i--kaJsonitnllcin'
tlic 1rrcgub r rcadi n of b_llo~ d ie P!t·v1omly m entioned n·aJ1ngof lamma-,af-u"1jl;:, 4:;65
i Tl1c c0 111 c ,
1 10
( I g
1
t-rna sabaro1atr n bu1 eJ to lbn M :n' Ud ; af. M11bamt
Ul J)Jragraph 1s fou nd 1n al- Farra', Ma'ii11i al-Q!r'an, z:JJZ-
Siirar al-SaJda (12:1 - 30 )
. , _ I wlini rhcy r,•a1(asc: In turnin g away from th e tempo ral
{,'"·"J.!11,
b N tJ III C 5
11<1 rlJ ..
!' ER PR ETAT I ON OF ,md bcfiewdfirm/y in O ur sigr1s .
1
He iJi ~: The y we re peop le o f cc rt:1 int y in w h at ?ur proofs gmded
rf•crn ; 0 , ,eop!c o f be-lief in th e truth that was clarifi ed for them, and
1
h:copk ofl t~iith in O ur Messenge rs a nd th e signs of Our book and Our
re1 eb 11011 .
COMM ENTA RY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
[.; ;:25) Lo! your Lord will Judge betivee11 them on Res11rrectio,i Day
co11cemi11g chat wherein they used lo differ.
God (Exalted is Hi s remembrance) says : 0 Mu}:lammad, on R esurrection
D.1 r. rruly you r Lord will clarify all religiou s and eschatological I disagree-
mrnrs br rween H is crea ture s. He will distinguish between them with a Q. 32:25-6
dm111·ej udgement, namc:ly Hi s affirmation chat the People of Truth will G
~nter rht Garden and the Peo ple of Falsehood will enter Hellfire.
COM MENTA RY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
[32:26] Is it 11ot a guidance for them (to obseri,e) hoiv many generations We
desrroyed before them, am id whose dive/ling places they walk? Lo! in
that there are signs! Will they ,wt then hear?
~vd ~~xalted is Hi s remembrance) says, "Did chis nor make it clear for
t /Jm tnrm: ' as I have been informed by:
_Al, /6. Dawud al-Tam,m,]- Abu Salil! i'Abd Allah b. Salih/-
Muaw, ra /6. Salil) /- 'Ali [b. Abi Talha]-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning ls
11
'Ma guidance for chem, "Did thi s nor make it clear for them?"
All of the [most aut ho ritativeJ ~r'an reciters of the garrison cities
r,ad lam yahdi with an ini ti al ya' and this is the correct reading in our
~!irnacion, on acco unt of th e con~ensus of the reciters. This verse means :
/dnor Our destructio n of earlie r generations who have vanished make
~ ows clie path of those [communiti es] who rejected Our signs, so cbat
1
:iey niay heed /Our wa rning] and d es ist?
1
~;Jc•r/,1\I ·· 1hr Rn urrcctmn, reward, .and punislimcnc (af-ba'1h wa 'l-iha i,..ib u,a·J- 'iqJb)'":
639_
Dir
 TABARJ
Slimt al-Saj da (Jz :1 -30)
If on e re:i d yahdi, th e n kam would be in thenominative Qse o . hrd is His remembran ce) says : Do no~ ~he~e deniers of resur-
o f th is verb. But if on e w e re to read nahdi ("We guide") I narcouni Gol! (Ex~ ·r de:i th and th e restoration after an111h1lat1on sec that w_e, by
be in th e :iccusati vc case. 1 't ien ka,n Would
rc,t1(1Il a tl d I . tcr to ,he rugged, parched land that is devoid of
Our power. Ira t II wa
I NTER PR ET AT I O N OF amid whose du,elling places they walk
\t-~ctJflon~ . I in g o f barren r.- 11 ,,,z) comes from the [Arabs'J exprcs-
God (Exa lted is Hi s rc ~1embrance) _says: "Did not Our destruction of Thr ongma mean v [ .h
. '"A voracio us Uuruz) she-camel." when it cats everything w1~ out
a large_number o f pre vi o u s ge ne~ ~1ons prior to them, through who~ ~
1
~~;irnon). Likewise, barren land is land o~ whi~h anything that tn~s to
coun cn ~s_a nd land s _th ey..w alk, like Ad and ThamGd, 2 make clear to them · focc is ruined by it. This 1s eqmvalent to the voracious
l!Tc1\\" upon \tS St1 r ' . h h
/Our ab ila y to p um shJ, as w e have been informed by: ;hc-rnncl that cats eve rything 1t finds. A ~.uman w o eat_s too muc can
_Bishr . lb. Mu'adhJ- Ynid fb. Zuray']-Sa'id [b. Ab, 'Arub,j- !,o bt' called Jaril:z, as the riijiz poet says, A barren d:ce1ver:,. (k~a~bu~
1
~tada said, con cern mg ls 11 1101 a guidance for them (to obserw) liow nwny piU.:-im w,i-idlui ... ). " One can also describe a sword as voracious (iuraz) .
generat ions 11-'e destroyed before them, '"Ad and ThamGd, which indeed murnrJ •11 bcn ir cuts everything lit encounters]. There are fou~ rel~ted w~rds.
uot to them (Q.36:3 1). " land that is juru:: ,jarz, jaraz or jurz. It has reached me that ;arz is the dialect
of BrnUTamim. 1
I NTE RPR ETA TI ON OF lo! in that there are signs!
G The following interpreters said something similar to what we have
God (Exa lt ed is Hi s re m e mbrance) sa ys: The abandoned ruin s of tht

•
Q. ]2'26 JUlf said concerning that. An account of those who sai? that: __ Q. 32:27
ea rli er ge ne rat io ns ' d w ellings that We destroyed long ago, prior co )Suiyanj ibn Waki' fb. al-Jarrab]-Ibn ' Uyayna-;;- Amr [b. DmarJ-
G the se ~ raysh i d e niers of God 's revelations, who pass by and view lhn AbbJs said, " The barren land is a land in Yemen.
th em, are sign s fo r th e m a nd exhortations they would have to obey, Ibn Bashshar- 'Abd al-Rai)man [b. Mahdi]-Sufyan b. ' Uyayna-
we re t hey t rul y in p ossess ion of intelligence and intellect. The pe-opl_e Amr b. DinJr- Ibn (Abba s said, "A land in Yemen."
of thes e earl ie r ge neration s deve loped and lived in these dwellings un nl /J bn Bashshar)- 'Abd al-Rahman [b. Mahdi)-'Abd Allah b.
the time of O ur d es tru c tion of them on account of their rejecting Our al-.\fobarak- Ma(mar- Jbn Ahl Najil-,i-Mujahid said, concerning Have
Messe nger s, de ny in g Our revelations and worshipping deities in add~· chq not seen how t,Ve lead the water to tlie barren la,1d, "Abyan and any com-
ti o n to God . 3 God says: Will they not then hear God's exhortations, His p.rabl, Pand J."'
reminde-r to them of Hi s sig n s and His act of informing them of rbe Zakariyya b. Yaha b. Abi Za'ida-'Abd al-Razzaq b. ' Umar-Ibn
va lidit y of H is p roofs? tl-MubJ rak-Ma(mar- lbn Abi Najil-,i-Muj3.hid: Same as above, except
h~ said ··and any comparable land." _ _ c _
Muhammad b. 'Amr ial-BahiliJ-Abu 'Asim [al-Nab,!]- Isa [b.
COMMENTARY O N TH E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS, . Mayn,unj: and from al-l:larith [b. Abi Usama]-al-l:lasan [~- al--~shy-
I32 ·•27 j Ha 11e rhey not seen lro111 f,Ve lead rhe water lo the baffen land' bri11g"g
h 5t"t? abJ-War9a' [b. ' Umar] ; both ' Isa and Warqa'-Ibn Ab, NaJih-11
jorllz crops of 111hicli their cattle eat, mid they themselves? Will they ttol I en tn.an-fbn 'Abbas said concerning His statement Have they not seen ho_w
:ie lead ihe water to thej;,ruz land, "Jumz is a land in which insuffi~!ent ram
1 lbn 'A 1 •
~r~J}.
A
:r _
aicnbe~ the rC'adi ng of 11 al,di to Abo 'Abd aJ.RaJ:iman. a.1-f;f
• ·Muhanaral- uvyiz. 4 :J6s.
asan al-Bi1ri ,ui<i

, whonitht
r~)ls for an)'thi ng to grow , except that which comes in tor_rent\ Dahhak
[Suiyan] ibn Waki'- Muhammad b. Yazid-Juwaybir-:" - · · ·
2

~rt
Pr! ~;:~ ~ :ia~nUd are _~ 11 CIC'nt Ara l.iia 111ribcs m cu ri o n cd freq~enrly i~ rhe ~ r ~;::( soutl'.~J1l iaid, concerni ng to rl,e jumz lar;d, ULand devoid of vegetation.
1 1
Ye,:en ...... ; da Sa!1I) wt-re ~ent. rc~pe c1full y. A di ~ a~soc1ate~ wuhc~~~1 10 ,he
Cod demo ·ed
fl ' d1 j
i!
mud 1~ a1~oc1:11 ed with n o rtb -we~1ern Ar.i b1a. Ac e
th inbe, 011 accoum of d 1C'ir d isobedience. f or mor '
f. Bohl, A· l \louof h . , M 'iinial-Q!r'iin,2 :333.Unli_ke
TJb.i. ri, a;. c<:1.ucnr o( tlu_s paragraph is four_1d in al-Farr:i • (:ur v:i.riaiions of juruz while
l T,b~:~1corn~:e!:,hi~· '"TliamUd," EV . . Jon SC'nrence; st'<' pjr 1~ d

A
1~ru adch tha t II is fin e if one rccnes an y of 1hc5c
~:~g,:l~c ~r'an . . Yemrn ·uu cast of Aden.
I laJat, i8 640 _ e coment of both 1he~e sentc-nces into a single g l
province in the southern part o f the Republic o( ,J

386 387
 TA BARl Siimt al-Sc1jda (12: 1-30)
B;sh, fb. Mu'adhJ - Yazid Jb. Zuray' J-Sa'id fb. Ab- , _ II ~oon lw a d:i.y fo r us in w h ic h we wi ll rela x comfo:ta~l y an~
~tJda said . ·•H a 11e they nor seen how W e lead the water th . 1 ArubJj-- ih,-~c-"~k:smgs in it . Th e po lyth eists re to rted , W lie,1 comes tl11s 1,1ctory, if
10
d usry. la nd." eJUruz, tneining f('dl\('

YOnu s [b. 'Abd al- N la /- Ibn W ahb-Ibn Zayd said, conccniin His
~tate m e n t _Ha1,e they t1ot_s"e" ho,_
" We lead the water to thej "ruz fat1d, ''juni! land
1s _that w h ich h as no rl1111 g o n it a1: d is d evoid of vege ta ti on." Concernme
:,11s state m ent a l~arre,_1 ntou n_d (sa idan j urnzan; Q. 18:8), [lbn Zayd] sa;l
Absolutel y nod-nng, rn cludmg vege tati o n, is on it."
I NTE RPR ETAT I ON OF bri11gi11gforrlt crops ef rvhich theiramle eat, midt/;q
rl,emse/1,es
God (Exa lt ed is His re m em bra nce) says : By mean s o f that water We send
dow n upo n the rugged. pa rch ed land , and after a Jong period of time, m,
bri11gfortl, gree n crops cf tvhiclt their Rock s eat. Their bodies are nourished
G by this vege tatio n and it keep s th em aliv e.
Q.3i:28
I NTERP RE T A T I O N O F W ill they not then .see?
G pvlytheists after th e con quest o f M ecca, and benefited them through their
God (Exa lt ed is H is remembran ce) says : Will they not see all this \\~th
their o wn eyes and learn fro m see in g it that the power, by which I did all
that, allows Me to bring th e de ceased back to h fe , raise them from thci:
gravt"s and return them to th e fo rm s th ey possessed prior to their dearh s:
:iiJre11url!(i,f?.. . .
1 I . · , , rctcrs said : R ath er , wh at 1s m eant by th at 1s th e
or1NtON: 0 t HT Ill 1C 1
((nqucst of Mecca ji n 630 cE J. ' . . . . . .
nBARi SAID: T he co rrect interprctatto n re~ard1:,1 g tins 1s t~ c o~m_1on o f
;b.1sc who sa id: It s mean in g is: T hey arc saymg, Wh en "\~111 thl s J~~ge-
n;cnt bcrn·rt~n us and you arrive?" In o ther words, wh~n wtll th~ {d1 vm e j
runishmcnt come? God's statcm en_t , O n t_he day of the v1_ctory t~1ef~1th of those
u•li(,.lik-lim· ll'ill 11 ot ai,ail them, neither unll they be reprieved, md1cat cs_ that
t!i:s 1~ d,r cor rect meanin g. Th ere is no doubt th at God granted the d1sbe-
hm.·rs dw option to repent both pri o r to and after the conquest of ~ ceca.
Ji Hi} stateme nt, Wl, en comes this 11ictory, if you are m uliful, only applied to
thc rnnquc-st of Mecca, as !al-Farra' ] has said, then repentance would not
h..n· lx·c-11 accepted from th e poly theists who embraced Islam after the
Q. 32:29
rnnqurn or Mecca. Since th ere is no d o ubt that God has forgiven many
G
bd1er in Him an d Hi s Messen ger, it is ob vious that our interpretation is
1ounJ, and any opposin g iopini o n] is invalid.
His stateme nt if you are truthf ul m ean s: If you are truthful about w hat
you [ht·lin·ersj say abour us being punished, on account of our rej ection
o!" Mu!_1anu11ad (~) and o ur wo rship o f gods and idols.

COMMENTARY ON THE FOL LOW ING DIVINE WORDS, lN'T~RPR ETAT I ON OF Say : On the day of the victory tlref aitlt of those wl,o
/J 2 : 2 Bj A nd they .say, if you are /rutlafal? fJ2: 2~]
J,f//ie,i come.s rhi.s victory, Jisoeliei•c will not ai,ai/ them
Say: On tl,e day (!f the 11ictory tl1 efa ith of those who disbelieve will not 1111011 He says to His Proph et MulJa nu n ad (~): O Mul:iammad, say to them 011 this
them, 11eitl1er will they be reprieved. [32: 30J So withdraw.from t/iem, d.iy~f judgement and th e arrival o f the punishment , .. Tl,ef aith w hich th ey
a11d await . Lo! they are a waiting. ongrnatc- at thi s titn c will not ai,ail anyon e who disbelieved in God and His
God (Exa lr_ed is His rem emb ran ce) says : Th ese· polytheists assotJte i:gn ~lpreviously J," as I h ave bee n informed by : .
part ners w~tl i God say to you: O Mu}:i amtnad , rvhen come.s tlus vtdO,Y· Yunus [b. Abel al-A'la]- Ibn Wahb-lbn Zayd said, concerning Hts
1
There is disag reemen t over t he m ean ing o f this. ::: tki1t ~~)': 0 11 tlie day of t!te 11ictory the f aith ef those 1~,l10 disbelieve_ will,:iol
O P I N I ON · s f ·n h"sjudgemenl rliem, fli e da)' ef victory is w hen the !divine] pumshment arn<~e~.
l>f · omeo th ern said : lts m ea ning is :Whenwi t 1 · h 11 Mul_ianun ad b. 'Amr [al-Bahill }- Abii 'Aiim [al-Nabil]- Isa lb,
twee n us and yo u arrive and w h en wiJI thi s reward an d p unis J11 C'.' I
COfll e? ' ~•,yrnunJ; and from al-H arith [b. Ahl Usama]-I-J:lasan lb, al-A'.hyd
An account O f I1 I • - Wa,9,' Jb. ' Urna r] · both ' Isa and Warqa'-ibn Ahl Najil)-Mupht
Bishr Jb 1 ~ ose w 10 said t h at : , i <Ar(ib:iJ- laid, "' TJ,eda)' of tlie victo;y is R esurrection D ay."
~tlda, 'd · Mu ad h)- Yazid fb. Z uray' )- Sa 1d fb. Ab ,_ . victor/,
a, ,concer nir1 H · d I When comes lnlS I

. a__
ifyo a,erruih{,i/' ..
11 g JSS ta tcmenr A n t1eysay, J said : Tru f 1111
t
:,• ·' Th e Compani o ns of th e P ro phet of God(~ !\ h lic 0 P11110 n of al-F;r,rri' in Ma'ii11 i ,1l-Q!r'ii11, 2:33].

388

1
 TABAR!

The word yawm {"day") is in the accusative case in the phrase Sa .

11,e day of the 11ictory, because it is a response to matii ("When"), whil/~n
the accusati ve case too. The m ea ning is "Where is the time of this \ict; in
if yo u are truthful (a,mii binu hiidha 'l:fatb i,i k,mtum $tldiqi11)?" Then it..,.~
G
be said , "A da y like this (yawma kadhii)." This is how aU of the ~r'an YA' SIN
reciter s read this verse. sORAT YA' SIN
(Q. 36:1-83)
I NTERPRETAT I ON OF neither will they be reprieved
H e says: They wi ll not receive another chance to repent or return !to the
tempora l wo rldj .
G
I NTERPRETAT I ON OF So wirhdrau,from them, and await
TARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
COM MEN _, - 6·2] B tlie_flawless Q!!r'iin!'
God says to His Prophet Mul_1 ammad ($): 0 Mu i:iammad, 1vichdraw from {36: 1] Ya S,n. [J · Y I 6 _ ] On a straight path,
th ese polytheists w h o associate partners with God and say to you, fV.b [36:3I Lo! you are among those sent 3 .4 . ·s statement
The intt' rpreter s disagree d ove r the interpretation of H1
comes this 11ictory? and who press ure you to bring fort h dtis punishment
Q . 32 :3 0 qui ckl y. Await w hat God w ill do with them. Lo! they are awaiting. He
0 says: "The polytheists are au,aiting what you (Mu!J,am.mad] promise them, il Sin. . h b which God swore and
con cerning th e punishment and arrival of the Last Hour," as we ha,·e OPIN ION: Some o f them said: It JS an oa~ . y. He)
ii is ,one of God 's Names (Mighty and Majestic is -
been in formed b y :
Bishr /b. Mu'adh] - Yazid /b. Zuray' ]-Sa'Id [b. Abt 'Arub~/_- An account of those who ''.'id th a~: -i·h 'Abd Allah b. Sali]:i]-
Qe,tada said, "So w ithdra 1" from them, and await. L o! they are auiat1mg. Ali [b. DJ.wild al-Tamlm1}-Abu ~alb { 'Abbas said, concerning
meaning Resurrection Day." lluawiya [b. Salii)j- 'AlI [b. Abi Tal]:iaj-I '\- h G d swore and it is
His stat~ment Ya ' Sin, "Truly it is an oath by w lC o
Co,ic/usio,i of the commentary on Siiral a/-Sajda lmong the Names of God." ,,
OPJ NIO N : Others said: Its meaning is "Oman!
An account of those who said that: b Waqid-Yazid-
lbn Humayd-AbU Tumayla-al-Busayn ·Ya, Sin "(Meaning}
lkrima- ibn (Abbas said, concerning His st ~~ement a '
·o man!· (ya insiin) in the Ethiopic langua~:~-Shu<ba-Sharqi (al:?,,a~ri}
Ibn al-Mu rh an na-M~}:ianunad b. J~ of Ya' Sin is "Oman!
1aad. "I heard ' lkrima say, The explanauon ( ifi-1, ka/am), by
OPI NION: O thers said: It is an opening st atement " 11 ta .
Which God began His speech.

1 1 . '• ni'/-hakim. Picklhall, Arberr):, a n ~ ;

~•l~t rn._tran~btC' this as By 1he wist: K~,n/~ro:'·; thC' inteii,rcution of this ~s:•in
•m followmg Tabari's intC'rprctation of 1Vll .~-~r~e Muhanunad As:ad ~ndcn n as~ Scott
English

....
tilt Q:,an[i,11 of wisdo,~. For ;m extensr.·c stud)
0
rd' Two Excgctiol Dc~-t~ (.osmululJh iJJ'/-
1C. LUQ1, b the ~r i n Wisc? h God the Ou~,v.i · DirUJdt 'arabiyyti u.ti-i.Jani•n~
11
~ 1buou~ of the ~r'in," in the English ~ctton ofal-Ad.ab, ). 541--66.
1<:Wh<1/-J,.k1ii, Adil S11laymii11Jamal(Cairo : M:iktalut 2014

39 0 ~91
 TABAR[

The word yawm ("day '') is in th e accusative case in the phrase Sa .

rhedarefrheviaorr, beca use it isa response tomata("Wh en") wh; {. °"
the accusative case too. The meaning is "Where is the timeof;his v'.c,:
,ij
if you arc truthful (a rmii /,iriu hiidha'l-fat/, in kumum ,iidiqin)?" Then it
be said, "A day like thi s (rawma kadha) ." This is how all of the ~t'in YA' SIN
reciters read this verse.
SORAT YA' SIN
INTERP R ETA TI ON OF neither will t/,ey be reprieved (Q. 36:1-83)
H e says: Th ey will not rece ive another chance to repent or return fto rhe .@).
tem poral worJdJ .

INTER PRETATI ON OF So wirlzdrau,from them, and await THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
God says to His Prophet Mul;ammad ($): 0 Mul.1anunad, withdraw from COMME NTARY ON h flawless Q!r'a,i!'
rhese polytheists who associate partners with God and say to you, Wbn1 136:1] \'ii' Si,i. [36:2] By t e[ 6 · ] On a straight path,
those sent 3 •4
comes this victory? and who pressure you co bring forth this punishment f 6:3 ] Lo! you are among . of His statement
Q. 32:30 3 . ed over the interpretation
qu ick ly. Await what God will do with them. Lo! they are awaiting. He Th, interp reters disagre d
G says: "Th e polytheists are au,aiting what you fMul_l ammadJ prontise them,
}'J ' Sin. ath by which God swore an
.
concerning the punishment and arrival of the Last H o ur, " as \'\.'C li;m f h said: It IS an o . )
been informed by: OPINION : Some o t em . h nd Majestic ts He .
It is one of God's Names (Mtg ty a .
Bis hr fb . Mu' adhJ- Yazid [b . Zuray' J-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Ariil>:')- th
An accou nt of those wh'.' ,_aid ~~: Salih ['Abd Allah b. Salii:i]-
~tada sa id , '"So withdrau, from them , and await. lo! they are awalflng,
meaning Resurrection Day." 'Ali [b Dawud al-Tammu]-A u ] 1b
'Abbas said, concern_m~
Mu iwiya jb. Salil:i]- 'Ali [b. _Abi Tali:i:hby ;hich God swore and It IS
His smeme m Ya' Siu, "Tr~ly it is an oa
Co11c/11sio11 ef the commemary 011 Siiral al-Sa.Jda among the Names of God. .,
. is"Oman.1
OPIN ION: Others said: Its mea~~nt{at: . -Yazid-
An account of chose who sat I I Husayn b. Waq1d . gj
lbn Humayd-AbU Tumay a-a.- . ment Ya ' SitJ, "(Mcanm
· < •d rning His state
lkrima-lbn Abbas sa1 • conce ic Ian uage." i [al-Ba~ri]
·o man!' (yii i11sa11) in the Ethiop d bg J ' far-Shu ' ba-Sharq ,,,,,
Ibn al-Muth anna.- Mu}:ianuna · f Ya' Si,1 is "Oman.1
said, "I heard ' lkrirna say, 'The explanation° t (miftiib kalam), by
O PINION: Others said: It is an opening st atemen
which God began His speech. bdd
. k hall Arbcrry, :md A .
-· . . of illfl'I-Q!r'ar,i'/-(wkim. P1c ~sad•renders it as 0,,uiikr
1 l ~11 following Tab;m s mterpr~tanon ,i!Q!r'On. while Mu~-unm~d of this pass.age-. stt Sc~n

H;i.b -m trambtc tllis as By tht WUt' K~ ud of the interpreu.n~I1 I Dcb.ites Lost in En~~!h
r¾ ~r'<infi,/1 of u,isdom. For an ex1ens1vch:t o!n..,ard? Two E~ege_nca. wo-iILimiyya muhJ.Jh ,la I-
C. Luca~, "Is the ~r·an Whe? ls God ~ h ·on of Dj,wdt tirobiyya
Tran1b.1iom of the ~r·an," in th_e En~h~. ~ 1u,~t al-Adah, 2014), 54' ·
"s.tadh al-dukt ,ir 'Adil SulaymJ ,i Jamal (Cairo·

390
39 1
 TA BAR.I Siirar Ya' Sin (36: 1- 83 )

An acco unt o f th ose who sa id that: Throther [interpretatio n\ has it as a predicate of a su~jcct, as if it had
Ibn Bashsh:ir- Mu'ammal- Suf _ k-en sJill : /.(I/ )'11 11 aff m11011_t? 1/,osc sent; lo! you arc 011 a straight path.
Muj:ihid sa id , .. Ya ' S i11 is an o . yan [al-ThawrIJ-Ibn Ab- N ·-
speech." pen mg statement, by which God~ aJ1b-
egan ~fo
COMMEN TARY O N T H E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
OP I N I ON: Ot hers said : R ath e r it is f
A_n account of those who sa:d tl1a~~e o the names of th e ~r·an. 116:5 \ A rc,,c/ation of the Mighty, the Merciful,
!lislu jb. Mu' adh] - Yazid jb. Z~ra ' ] - ,_ The ~r·an reciters disagreed over the reading of His statement A revela-
~ cada_ sa id, co ncerning Hi s statement Ya'~- .~a id [b. Abi 'Ariiba!- ci.m (1 1/1c Migliry, 1/,e Merciful. Most of the Medinan and Basran ~r'an
lettcrs m the ~ r 'a n are among th a 'r"'1All of the [disco1rncnc-dl
w. I c names o t 1 e ,_ ,. reci tr:rs read A re11t'lat ion in the nom.i native case, interpreting it in two
. e lave already explained sufficiencl , ti [ ur an. .
prev io us pa rall el cases con ce rni th ?
ie correct] opinion in tht w:in :
'.i ( "Lo! you arc 1 a re1,elatio11 ofclae Migl,ty, the Merciful." In this case , A
and restatin g it is unneces ng I . e olpenmg letters of sUras , so repeating 1
sa ry at t u s p ace. 1 ,,Telathm is made th e predicate of a nominal sentence; or
[2] By means of an (elided] subject, in which case the meaning of this
I NTER PRETATION 0 F By the.fla wless Q}jr'iin! pl$~age would be "Lo ! you arc among tl,ose sent. This is tl1e revelation of tlie
0 Q
He says: By rl,e flawless (mulzkam) nu ,_ r . h .\liglu y, 1l1e Mercif11l."
cl arify ing proofs.~ · '<!!ran . Wlt regards to its rulings and Q. 36: 5
Q. J6 '4 Most of th e Kufan and some of the Syrian ~r'an reciters read A
0 m't'la1ion in the accusative case as a verbal noun, because that which is sent Q
3
I NTE RP RETATION O
God .
,
F La. you are among those sem m His stateme nt Lo! you are among those sent is the revelation. It is as if ic
(Exalted is Hi s rememb ) had been said: " Lo! you truly are sent down as a revelation of tlte Mighty, tlie
swea ring by H . I . ran ee says to His Prophet Mu~ammad (t}, .\1euif11/.··
wi th God' , tis r_eve an o n: Lo! you, 0 Mu}:iammad, are among tho:ii s1•111
s re, e anon (wahi,) t H" TABAR! SAID: The correct opinion, in my estimation, is that both read-
Bishr lb. Mu(adhj - · _ 0 I S serv: nts, as we have beeninfonne<lby:
ings arc widely known among the reciters of the garrison cities and dose
said, conccr . I Yaz ,d jb. Zuray ]-Sa'id fb.Abi 'Ariibaj--Qetid,
oath like ~in g 8 Y lie flawless ~r'an! Lo! you are among those snit, " It is an m meaning, so the reciter will be correct reading either one of them.
' · w lat you hear: Lo! you are among those sent on a straight path." The mean ing o f this passage is: O Mu}:ianunad, lo! you are amottg those
! OU b:_· the Lord , who is Mighty in His vengeance against the people of
IN TERPRETATI disbelief, and Merciful with whoever turns towards Him in repentance and
H e sa s· " ON OF 011 a straight parh
turns away from hi s disbelief and iniquity. [He is too Mercifull to punish
Y as
Islam ," · we
On have b frc_c• fro m d ev1atio
a path · ns from the guidance, w h.1c h 1s· someone for the earlier breaches he committed prior to his act of turning
.I ' een mformcd by.
8 "" [b M ' -dhj to Him in repentance, away from them.
Qetada said :. u a - Yazi<l jb. .Zuray' j- Sa'id fb. Abi 'Arub,]-
God's st, 0 "a straigl1t path , meaning Islam. "
of th em has~;eme nt 0 ~' a Slraight pat!, can be interpreted in cwo ways. J Ont'
With th e trutl 1~ tean.mg o f : Lo! you are among those sent in full accordance.'
straight path isl. n t_h 1s case, the preposition on ('a/ii) in His statemen t oira
coordin ated wi th jrhe implied verbJ sent. :~t llowing dw Dir Hajar edition ofTabari's Tafair that has in,rak.-t; i9 :4oo. , _ 'f
Shn ~tirya:i~nib(·s tlib reading and i~tcrprctation to Ibn Kathir, N:ifi' , AbG. Amr, Abuja .lr,
l Sc-o:- App1:iid1x A I 6
~~} ;;/ 1_1:!;a~an al- Ba~ri and al- A' raj; al-M1,l1nr,ara/-11"1J1::.' \_44 · band ' ha b. •umar;
: ~: 11 ~ u 'i',1/ 1) tr:irh l:ition, which contain~ Tabari's comment.iry on Q .z:i.
al~o T~h:ir;~ 11 1
g/-.\f,. /,a:;a,:Kt,1b~·\ tins reading to 1h11 'Amir, 1:1•11nn. ,K1~ • As\~~' rmish: in the prhm·d
• ,\,1::/w~ _1111~rpro:-t:iu;;}:r:tui~on or "akim in Q.44 :~ (see volume n). H•fi rt:idin, l-u a)I::, 4:4~~· Bo th rc_a~ings are ascn~d to ~}Jill and a
· u 4 u1,qa.,,,, """ al I, o:- ou ucl 111 al-Fa rr,!', A1a'ifoi al-Q!,011, z:37.z. . g or the ~ran, tm1::il 1~ m the accusauve cast .
- uqq ; Dar HaJar, 19 :400.

393
]92
 TABAR I Siirat Ya ' Sin (.16:1 - 83)

COMMEN TARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS: r:un111 arians1 sa id : If one did no t intend for this
'36:6] That yo11 may warn a folk w~1osefatliers were not warned, sorhr arr One of th e Ku fan , .. tl c m ea nin g would be "That you may warn
heedless. [36 :7] A /read)' has rlie 1udgeme11r (forrheir i,,jideliry) pro.,;d ·obr ,he ··ma of ncgat1_01; , I l vc;c warned (bi-mll imdhira iibii'uhum)."
' l ·I ·ch their rat 1ers \ k h
true of most of tli em,Jor they belie11e not. diemnf t u 1 ,, ii . . ctin the preposition ba ' and having ma ta c t e
Till~would ent ail CJC g . se like what He said: I ,vam yo11 of
Th e interpreters di sag reed over the interpretation of His statement Tliat f in the accusative ca , ,j Ad d
plice o a no~ill I I . d bolt (which Jell of old upon the tribes) o an
you may warn afolk whosefathers were 11 0 1 warned.' a1111mJrrbolr l1kr t ze t um er
OPIN ION: Some of them said: Its meaning is: So that you may warn a f/r,muid (Q.41:13). ~
people about t hat wh ich (ma) God warned their forefathers.
An account of chose w ho sa id that: iKTER PIUTAT ION OF so rhey are heedless . .
Mubanunad b. al-Muchan na-Mu}:tammad b. Ja(far-Slrn{ba- Hesars: Sothcyare lzecd/ess o f w h at G o d d oesw1·th His. enerrues who assoc1-
d His
Jtt p~rtne rs with Him, such as the unleashing of His vengeance an
Simak- ' Jkrima said, concerning thi s verse That you may warn afolk 111/i ln<'
fathers mii 1mdliira, "They had indeed been warned." m:iult upon them.
OPINION: Others said: Rather, the meaning of th at is: That youmayrmm INTERPRETATION OF Already has thejudgemenr (for their i11fidelity)pro,,ed

.
G afolk wl,osefatl,ers were not wa rn ed (la,n y1mdlzar). Q
An account of those w h o said that: lmi of most oftliem , for they believe not . . I incumbentl
Q. 36:6 God (Ex alted is His remembrance) says: Pumshment is tru Y h f Q. 36:7-8
Bishr !b. Mu' adh ]-Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa' id [b. Abi 'Aru b,]-
G upon most of them because God has decreed (bata,na) in the 1:1-ot er
Qe.tada sa id, conce rning That you may u,am a folk wl,ose fathers ma 1111dhir11 •
1he Book (11mm al-kitiib) 4 that they shall nor believe.for they believe not, 111
"Some pe ople said: That you may warn a folk whose fathers ma rmdhirJ ~
God, nor have they faith in Hi s M essenger.
!meaning that ] the people prior to th em had not been warned. Som!!' 01
th em said : That }'OU may warn afolk wlzosefat!ters mii undhira, meaning this
community (1m1ma), to which no warner had come until Mu):iammad M
came to them." COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
I36;8] Lo! We l,a1,e put on their necks Jetters
r. I,. ro rhechins, so rhar
reac wg up ~fore them and a bar
The grammarians differed over chc meaning of mii in His sutement
'.diose fathers mii 1mdliira if it is interpreted to m ean that their fathers had il ey are made sriff-uecked. {36: 9 ] Aud We have set a bar be.J,
1

indeed been warned, instead of as a particle o f negation . behind chem a,1d have covered them so that they see not.

th
A Basran grammarian ~ said " If the intended m eaning of this is not G0 d (Exalted 1s . Hi s remembrance)
' says: We have made the right
h hands
nn o t
e ' ma of negation,' the m ean;ng of th e verse would be 'That fO!' m~)' of thest' disbel ievers fet tered to their necks by chains, so t cyd~a of
'.var,, afol k of that wh ich their fat h ers we re warned, so tliey are hetdltsS- T_his II di in the rea mg
extend them to do anything good. It says a Y h ndsfetters reach-
~nt_erpretation is not possib le g rammaticall y because of theft' follo~;~!
111
Ab<l Allah lb. Mas' ud!: Lo! We have pur 011 rheir nght a
it _fa-hum ghajili111 ('so they are heedless'). And God knows bc5t • h 111 11
g Plo 1/ie chins . s
c~ntmu
1
ed, ''It is better for ma to be read as a negation in this case, so~~
t e :ntence, lll eans •Lo! you are amo,1g those sent to a people whosefa th m h ae
not een warned he-ca use they we re li ving during the period when t er
were no Proph ets (al-fatra). '"
:;t 1
e_l( pli11u1on h found in al~Farr.i'. A1a'iirii al-QEr'au. _z:31zb,;, thi t normally follows the
'Cr:;er~ su~pom al~_Farrii°\ point because the ~~~Po~~:~::der..) is in the accu~ tivc c.:isc .
l .\bti ndha,a ( io warn ) is droppc-d. so the w~rd Ja iqa _~.. al-Q!!r 'a11. z:157. .
4 For Ubyda ;ilso glo)scs dit' verb ~t1qqa as 111,JJaha; M~;a. bow Tabari's lncroducuon and
Q rn~tc on tl1e meaning of " Morher of the Book, sec a
0
' ,
The iuue T~b.i.ri n addrc~\lrl . d ,nJ in th is P'sll£'
Ar:b:;.1: il'.t~ ~ra~~l~tion~ . . .
i
~~gatci the pai~l\"e verb Wil',eg here I ~ w het her dw mullivoc.:il An.bic w~r "that which-~ l . . ·• - an. This reading is found in al-Farri ,
-l I h11co1llc111 1~ fou ri d al-AWQr,ieJ (u11dli!r~) or 1c-rvc~ .:is a noun m eaning Ma~n· · Illa 1a.~/11afi aymandir'" aglilala11 fa-lu}'a ,la I adhq
111
khfa~h. Maum al- (er'a 11 . 2:666-7. 1a/-~ru11 ..z:373.

394 395
 TABAR.[
s ,1ra1 Ya ' Si11 ()6: 1- 83)

I NTER PRETATION OF "P to the chins

,J.,,\\\·11]-lbn Abbas s:1id. " Hi s st:1tcmcnt , Lo! ~e lw,,e put~" ~heir t1ec~
This means rh ar rh cir rig ht hand s are ·oined i;m~ rt,i(/iiu_(! up t1, rhc rltins, so that tl,ey are made srijf-necked, 1s hke Gods
bur their righ t hand s are o nl y allud d J d by fetters to their n '-
d / · · I/ I e roan leftu eco ,utl'mcnt Do not make your lumd_{ettered to your neck (Q.17:29). Boch verses
. ie ong m a istc nc rs ro the ~r'an wo ld nmentioned, benu~ mcJn that their hands :1 rc fettered to their necks and th ey are incapable of
m g, name ly that if there are fetter
wou ld also be fette red to them '
fett J ·
;J
1 have known the mea
atta~ ie to the ir necks, their han~-
rns it was suffici \
rxtending them to do any good act." _ _
Mubam mad b. 'Amr !al-BahiliJ- Abo lA$im al-Nabil- <Isa (b.
crs on r ic ir neck s wi rhour mention . h . .. ent to mention the .\lanulm ]: an d fro m al-1-:-1:irith {b. Abi Usama]-al-1-:lasan (b. al-Ashy-
the poet said, rng t cir nght hands, like what
•l'].:._ Warg:i' [b. ' Uma rl; both 'Isa and Warqa'-Jbn Abi NajI}:i-Mujihid
11•a-mtl adri idha yammamtu u,ajl,a,, .1id. conce rning Hi s statement so that they are made stijf-necked, "Their heads
1
urid11 'l-klinyra ayyul,11111ii ya Ifni i re r.rncd and thei r hands are put over their mouths."
Bishr /b. Mu'adhj- Yazid lb. Zuray' )-Sa'Id lb. Ahl 'Ariibaj-
a 'a~-klwrm 'l!cidl,; aliraghihi ~13.d:i said . concern ing His statement Lo! We have put 0,1 their uecksjetters
am,'l-sliarm 'lladl,; la ya'talin i n'Jflriug up to 1/ze d1ins, so that they are made stiff-necked, "In other words, so

0
Q. J6:R
I ~ n ow n ot, w hen I aim /my spear) in any d "
wishi ng fo r good-which of the two will
Will it be tlic good which I desire?
c~:~:t::I::.
.

'
they are forte red from performing any good acc."

INTE RPRETAT ION OF And We have set a bar before them and a bar behind
Q
Q. 36:9
0 them
O r the ev il that does not leave m e be? Q
God (Exalted is Hi s remembrance) says: And We have set a bar before these
The poet alluded to "e y [· th ~olyrhe-im. which is the barrier between two things. If the word for bar
tioncd the ··go d., b vi m e first verseJ, even though he only mt'n-
o , ecause the listener k nows t hat evi·] 1s
. mennont'
. d 11 rr.1d with a Juba (sadd), then it is an act of humans, whereas if it is God's
1norma ll y / alo ,1 gs1.de t he good. mion , then it is re ad with a 4amma (sudd).
Th e Arabi c wo rd ad/, a fi Mon Mcdinan and Basran reciters and some Kufans read bar as sudd,
thc two jaw bo nes join. : q 11 com es rom dhaqan, which is the place what'
wit h a 4amma, whereas some Meccans and most Kufans read it as sadd,
wahafarlia. '
INTER PR ETA TI ON
Th . OF so that they are made stiff-necked r•BARi SA ID: I prefer the reading of sudd with the t;lamma, even though
e word m11qmal, ("s tiff- k ,, 1
Basra11 cxpe . · · nee cd ) m ea ns , in rhe opinion of one of tht' r reading of sadd is permissible and correct, too.

r;er
111 1 His st ateme nt And We have set a bar before them and a bar behind them
chin to one'n sl t le speech o( th e Arabs, J muqni' which is co lower one's
the Kufon IS a'.id th en to raise o ne 's head. I~ the opinion of one of ~eans tha t the ev il of their deeds has been made attractive to them, so
1
1 4
raising hi s h~a ~-~ ogiSrs J, it mean s "som eone who lowers his gaze after at _iliey see not, and th ey do not see [God 's) guidance, and do not grasp
reality.
. Tl_1e fo ll owin in ter . , . The fo llowing int erpreters said something similar to what we have
JUSlsa id co nce . g I preters sa id som~thjng sintilar co what we ha\l~
rnang t iat A said concerning that. An account of those who said that:
Mu~ ammad b S < • 11 acco unt o( those who said that: JU5t

uncle !al-1:-J usayn b. 0

al~ d / b. Mu!Jammad al-'AwfiJ-my father- ;Y ,/. J_bn Humayd- 1:Jakkam-'Anbasa-Mulprrunad b. 'Abdal-Ral:,man-
l:lasa nJ- rny fat her- his father f'MiyY' b. Sad h ~ sun b. Ahr Bazza-Mujahid said concerning His statement a bar before
I cm and a ba r behi11d them, "[Barring them] from the truth."

!1
: e~~]~'lng txpkllat1o n ..rid \ "C ,_ . ,_

4 Tiu ::
1
:t
J Tiu) >, ide111 1ca! ddi11u1on f ;~ of poetry are fou nd in a.1-Farri', Nla'mtial-Q!ratl, 2.J1~ J-
opuuon or Abu ~ba '.aqa,i u ;i]m found in Abo ' Ubayd;1, M ajdzaJ-Q!r'dll, ,1 : i) ·
.- opiruo,, of a!.fJrr;i'. )dJ ;_A111Jii..z t1f-Q_1,'a11, 2: 157.
7 I lbn Atirva s I f. II . r citcn who read s,u.lJ:
lhrnzJ·. I{, _,_ays t 1at c-ver )~Onc read sudd except for !he O owing e 2ththi b, ' lkrima ;and
!br~hini al-~~:/ la,fHfrom 'A~i rn). !bn Kathir, lhn M .is ud. Tall:i2, lbn W
• Ma,m; al-~r'an. 2:373 . ha I; <1/.A,fufta,ra, al-wajiz, 4:447.

J96 397
 TABARJ Siirat Ya ' Sin (36:1 - 83)

'M~/Jammad b. 'Amr faJ-BahiJiJ-Aba c- . . instc,ld of Ja-agluhayt1iil11m1. 1 In thi s readi ng, and) ~e] have covered
Ma)lnunJ ; and from al-Ha:rith fb Ab- - A~1m al-Nabil-'J ·
,::::,. it ,hen bccorn cs "We brought nightfall upo?. : hem ; mother words,
said, "And We ha1,e set a h•a , before
from th e truth so th ey
s,:;:,
ab/- Warqa' l b. ' Urnar/ · bot h ' f - . d ' Usama)-al-I:iasan lb al " lb.
Warqa'-Ibn Abi Najih~M-~~ht
d c and a bar behind them fb . . UJaltid
"ihis ,crson wal ks :it night , when he ca nnot sec .
1
Bishr l b •M ' -d J I go to ~n uo repeatedly." arnng rh,m/
_ · u a 1 - Yaz 1d fb z c COMMENTARY ON T HE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
~tada said, '"And f# ha b. uray )-Sa'id [b. Abi 'A "b
dev iation s (4aliiliir). " ve set a ar before them and a bar bth 111. druh •/- 1 [yi: io] JVlicrher you warn them or you warn them n~t, it is alike for them,for
- I em a
/iq belic11e uot. iJ6: I1] You can warn only lmn who follows the
;unus lb. 'Abd al-A' laj- Ibn Wahb-- 1
Reminda and fears the Be,ie.ficent in secret, To him bear ridings
God s statement A nd We ha11e set a bar Ibn Zayd said, concerni1111:
lia11e coi,ered them so that they see not .. ~efore them_ and a bar bthind them, and
efforg iveness and a rich reward.
Islam and fai th , so they cannot r~ach ~.ut this bar between them and God (Exalted is His remembrance) says: 0 Mu}:iammad, it is alike for you,
ll){1m them or yo u tllam them not it . fk it. He then recited Whether }'OU regardi ng these people for w hom the judgement (for their infidelity ] h as
and t he ve rse Loi rhosefo 1 ' ,~a, •efortl1em,fartheybelievtt1ot (Q •6·10) pro\·cn crue, warning !them] or ceasing warning [them], for they will not
"' , fl: II · r wiom tne rvord ,j L d( ., ·
e_vea wi not belie,,e (Q 10 . 6) d . o your or, co11cerning sinners) has bdi,ve, because God has already decreed (bakama) (disbelief) for them.
bI . ) . .9 , an said "Wh G d

•
Q. 36:9 c ievmg is in capable fof doing so J. "' omever o prevents ffrom Q.36:10- 1
1\TERPRETAT I ON OF You can warn only him 1vhofollows the Reminder and
0
I NTERPRETATI ON O F dI fJrs 1/ie Be11eficwt in secret
He says· Wt d h an 101,e covered them so that they see not
. . e cowre t c eyes of h fc I God (Exa lt ed is Hi s remembrance) says: 0 Mu}:iammad, your warning
their ~yes, so tliat they see not an , r u~se o ks, meaning "We put a cover on only benefits he who believes in the G_Hr'5n , follows the rulings of God
been mformed by: } g idance nor benefit from ir," as we h,ffe found within it, and/ears the Beneficent in secret. He says: He fears God
_Bishr lb. Mu'adhj-Y -d I ' whtn lit is abse nt from the gaze of the onlookers and is not a hypocrite,
~ tada said ':-t d I az, b. Zuray )-Sa' Id [b. Abi 'Aru ba/- who concea ls God's religion when he is alone and [only} displays faith in
the y beneti/ fro ~i i;a;:e CoJJered th em so that they see not any guidance, nor do a crowd. Nor is he a polytheist whose heart God has sealed.
I_r has been alleg.ed rhar th.
b. H1sham , 1 when he swor is ver se ca me down on account of AbUJahl INTE RPRETAT I ON OF To him bear tidings efforgiveness and a rich reward
hea~ Wi th a stone. An accoe an oat h to kill [Mu}.iammad] or ro crush lus Hr says: 0 Mu lJammad, to him, who follows the Remi,ider and fears the
( . hnran b. Musa-c b unr of the narration of that:
lkrnna said, "Ab - J It
_d al-Warith b. Sa'Id-' Umara Abr I:Jafia-
such-and-sucl, Ir uh~ 1 said, 'When 1 see Muh ammad I am going co do
b. ~e1Jefiu,ir i,i secrel, bear tidings of forgiveness from God for his sins and a
rich reward · H c says: An d a rich reward , in the Herearter,
h' c firom H"1m 1or
c
k, o nn / r' Tl · , i im, \~hich is that H e gives him this Garden, on account of his acts [of
~le( fetters through H ' · ie n ir was sent down, Loi Wehaveput o11 Ullir
oUowmg and fearing].
is MuJ:iammad!' and 1~: ratem enr so that they see not. The people said, 'This
. Th e fo ll ow ing interpreters said something similar to what we have
could not see him "~A u J ahl replied , 'Where is he? Where is he ?' and he
JUS t s~id conce rning that. An account of those who said that:
It has al b · B,slir [b. Mu' adh[ - Ya zld [b. Zuray' ]-Sa' ld [b. Ahl 'Aruba)-
so een narrated rl b ' .h
, Ab - iat 1 n Abbas read fa-a'shayt10hum wit an
bJ~!:~r~h H1 ~hlni, w l lO)(' rc:il
carlr Mu)l111:1.~~a~ hzo,n d:in of i;1:11,:- w:u Abt1'/- f;I;1k :im 'Amr b. H ishim, was one or;: 1/~ 1 Ap yp :iho a~cribes thi s reading to ' lkrima
2
Jbn Ya<niar, ' Umar b. 'Abd al-'A iz
DJ~hl, Et•. c Wai killed :it Ilic b:i~r:ipli :ind was '1osrile towards Mu(lanunad an1Abil Mu;:~~:ir~!~- ~br:ihim al.Nakha' i, lbn Sirin :md a r~port on the a,uthorit)". of rb~;i.~:oCce~
1 A(corJ111g Su •ii . c of B:idr in 2/624; see W . Montgomery Wart. \.\r tcn idc!/l-Mi~lic.1,rn, af- 11Jajiz, 4 :44 7. Doth aglu haynd,~nd ashaynd " ould
10 11
lhc tc;i ll y Ill t he ea rl y dorless codices of the- OJ:!r an .
) 11. thh rl'po n h u . 2 73
niquc to Tab:iri's Taftir; al-Du" aJ-,,,,.nlliilr, p , B.s- conicm of thi s pan.graph is found in a\.farri', Ma'at1i a/-(1!!,'.i,i, :3 ,

399

- l
 TABAR! Siirar ¼i' Siu (16:1 - 83)
Q!.r:ida sa id cone ·
''f II . ' crn111g You ca11 wa i\n,na- lbn Abbas said, ,.The hou ses of the Helpers were far from the
-o owmg the R emind er is follow· n, o,ily him. who follows th
mg the ~ran." e RtminJo, n,,,,qur and so ,hey desired to move closer. Then the verse, We raord that
M,h:./i tlit'}' Ji, ,r dm1e. mid rlicrr foo tprmts, came down and they decided to
11

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOW ]l,n

!t,tr p111."
a\- Muth an n:t- cAbd al-Samad-Shu{ba-Jurayrt-Abll
/36 :12] Lo! We it is W/10 b . I ING DIVINE WOR DS
i'hJrJ- J5bir lb. 'Abd Allah] said, "Banll Salima wanted to move
luwe done d I . fi mig tie dead to life u,;
'a11 t ie,r oorpriflts. And all thill s We :
I e record that wliicli rhr;• dw r to thC' mosque, but the Messenger of God (~) said to them, 'O
God (Exalted is His rememb :ave kept;,, a dear rcgirre, Bmll Sa\ima, clin g to your houses, for truly your footprints are being
lift fro m among Our c . ranee) says: Lo! We it is Who b . h . .
db I rear1on and I# d I rmg I c de.id 1c,orded.'" 1
an :ic , in thi s wo rld . recor. t lat which they I d I~ lbn Abd al-A'i, -Mu' tamir-Kahmas-Abu Na4ra-Jabir [b.
The fo llowing . ' amon g righteous and wicked de d lal'f one, gocxl .\ bJ Al15h ] said, "Banll Salima wanted to move their homes closer to
. . . rnterprc tcrs said h. . e s.
JUs r .s~1d co nce rning th at. An ace som e t mg similar to what we hm ihr mo~guc at a time when the Biqac [area1 was empty. The Prophet($)
_Bis hr _[b. Mu'adh/ - Yazld ount of t~ose who said that: rmiwd word of this and said, 'O Ba111J. Salima, cling to your houses, for
Qe_rada sa,d, conce rnin g Hi s [ b. Zura y /-Sa'ld [b. Abl 'Arub,j- 1our foorprints are being recorded.' So, they stayed put, saying, 'He will
e
Q. 36: 12
to life l,f!. dI statement Lo' Wi . . Wh
·_ e reror t iat 11,hic/1they liave d " . e II ts o bring the deal not be pleased with us if we move.'"
Yu nu s fb. 'Abd al-A' J·J- b one, From among [their/ deed,. " Sulayman b. ' Umar b. Khalid al-Raqqr-Jbn al-Mubarak-Sufyan Q. 36:12
e scarcm Iv. a I n Wahb-Ibn Z d .d
ent ' e record that wliicl, the _ " ay sa1 , concerning His 1•1-Thawrij-Tarlf-Abii Na4ra-Abu Sa'Id al-Khudrl said, "Some G
Mul_1a111 111ad b. 'Amr [ I '. qa_dda11111, T~at which they did." members of Ban U Salima complained to the Prophet M about the dis-
Maymii n/ ; and from al-Hari:hB[~luli]::--A~ii 'Aiim al-Nabll-'i,, fb u~cc of their houses lfrom the mosque} and then the verse Lo! We it is
ab/- Warqa' fb . ' Umar/ · bh 'l _ · Ab, Usamaj-al-Hasan [b. al-Ashy- 11 lwbrins rlie dead to life. We record that wl1ich they have do11e, and their footprints
said, co nce rn ing Hi ' ot saa nclWarqa'-JbnAbiNajih-Mujihid came down. !The Prophetl said, 'Keep your houses, for your footprints
s staremem that '""' I . I1 tItey qaddam,i, "Their. d« ds.'' are brmg record ed."'!
1NT[ RPR ETA TI ON O F a d . 1'." Humayd- Abu Tumayla-al-1:lusayn-Thabit [al-Bunanl]
The word a I - I ,, theirJootprims md. I \\'JS walking quickly with Anas b. Malik when he took my hand
l t tara 11m 1 mea ns "d . ft . . [to 5low me down}, and then we took our time. After we completed
r has been a11cg d h Jen oorprmts (klm.tahum hi-arfulihim).'
of people wh o de . t ar th is verse came down on behalf of a group our pr,ycrs, An as said, ' I walked with Zayd b. Thabit, and when I began
God (~,J ·11 order fo me to 111
r it to b .ove closer t 0 t h e mosque o f t hc Messenger of to ru~h, he said to me, "Anas, did you not know that the footprints
1
are being recorded? Did you not know that the footprints are being
An account of 1 c close r co them.
Nasr b AJ- I t lOSe wh o said that: recorded?'''''J
fkrnna-
• · lbn · 'Abb·
1 a ·Jahdaml- Ab-
· . u AI.1mad al-Zubayri-lsra'rJ-Simak- - Ya qiib [al-Dawraql]-Ibn ' Ulayva-YGnus-al-1:lasan al-Bairl
d·ISlant from the IJ as sa,d ' "Tlle houses of the Helpers (An~arr were ' trtcd <hat th e houses of BauG Salim~ were far from the mosqueh and th
t ey desi red to move closer, in order to perform their prayers wil e
vcr~e
I ' i,v"<cord tl,atiosquc,I . I so th e), WIS· Jie d to move closer to ii. Then tI"
t le)• said, 'We will "'flC' they have done, a11d tl1eir footprints came down 3nd
[Sufyan j .6 stay where we are.'" ' th
1 ~rroiJmg
10 Suy\1\i, J.ibi r\ !iadir/1 h also found in the Sabib of Muslim JllJ r Qlr'inic
' " Wak·'1 fb• al-J arral.1 [- my fatber-Isra'l/-Simlk-
Ac::r::;;ary ~f l~n Mardawa)'h; al-D11rr al-ma11chilr, 5:488. nd
. -. MIi ,waj
1
f'
of Abd 0 Soyu\i, Abu S,';d', i,,di1I, i, ,ho found in ,h, S,n,n ofTirn ~• ,hr' M l'dhir
'!!'''!''' ,omm'."""'.:,;~;_;,:,;;,,~;,,,s:
r Thr Hrlp<'h {An i
Muh.,nun.,d to .,/ r) \\'t"fe tlir natJ\•e~
di<' [rn1grin ( n·r J} di<'ir rd
. • 'JlcJ
o ( Y~tlmb/Med in:i who cmbr.iccd h/am and Jn \11 . h
llo Ab, ;;,~,:,"'9: ,h, M""'d"k of ljakim: rhe
l Followin' l ar~d llm.Mardawayh; and Bayhaqi s Shuaba~-m1a,1, ol-D "'Did ·ou not know
ruhrr Eth:: )~u h;iJ1 rG11 ). wh~g~~:o aiHl pol mcal k·adt·r. Tliq arc lO be concnstc.
10
1 ~nd btrr McJrn.,,
111J ·~J
\:'.;~ t:a~licH M.ud ims in Mecca and who ''. :;;'.
l
ih the ilir Dar Hap.r C'dition , in which Zayd repeats \us sta1en1ent. }
0 \ \ CrH m :11g ht 10 Medina from M«ca in
41
ooiprum art· being recorded?" See D:ir HJjar, i9:4IL

401
400
 TABAR. [

:~e
S1/mt \'a' Sin (J6: 1- 83)
Prop het (s). Th e Prophet (s) said to th em " coM MLN T ARY O N THE FOL LOWIN G DI VIN E W O R D S:
counted, Barn.1 Sa lima ?" and so th • not your footprint b
Ibn I:J urnayd- H akkam- rA b ey staye In their houscs.i s ring ·o: i·J C,iinfor thew a si111ilit11de: T he people of tlie city wire,, tlie messengers
al-~ sim b. Ab, Baz~a- Mu;-1, 'dn adsa- Muhammad b. 'Abdai-R h . [., ·' I . jJ6·, ] 1,Vh c11 Mle sent to them two, and th ey rej ected th em
4
I I d :.,a .1 sat , concerning H·
t 'CJ' ,a,,e one, and iitl,aralmm, " Th eir fo o tprints ,,
a . m211-
ts statement tlia1u·hidi
,-,wir t,,
1
;,:::;i, 50
111e reiuforccd th em with a third, mid they said,
Lo! we lw 11e bceu sent to you.
M~bammad b. 'Amr /al-Bahili]- Abu . \~..
Maym unJ ; ~nd from al- H i rirh fb. Abi Usa $Im al-Nabil- 'fsa /b. G<1d (Exalted is His rem embrance) says to His P~ophet Mu}:!a m mad (~):
abj- Warqa _Jb. ' U marj ; bo th ' lsaand War a~-al-~asan_Jb. al -A,hy- 0 Muh:unmad. make a similitude for the po lytheists among your people
sa1d , con cerning atl,iiralm m " [M . J h q_ Ibn Ab1 NaJ1b-Mujihid \\"llhth;· ptt'flle<f the city. allegedl y Antioch , 1 ivlien the messengers came to them.
Bis hr [b M u'adhj ' - eanmg t cir footprints."
r, , · - Yaz,d [b Zuray' j s ,_d [b Thr scholars di sagreed over these me ssengers and o ver who sent chem
~rada said : al-Hasan al-Basr-1 d. -d ai . Abi 'Aruhlj-
to 1/ic pcvple of tlic city.
"T l1e1r· t;oorprinrs." Qe.tada - .d an "O ~ta
S fa said • co ncerrung
· tirha,ahum,
OPIN ION : Some of them said: These were messengers of Jesus the Son
j usr one of yo ur affa irs, H e ,:~~Id
5
o n o Adam, were H e to overlook
of Mary. and Jes us is the pe rso n who sent chem to them.
2

rh c wi nd s efface. "~ h ave overlooked these footp rints thJ1

An accou nt of those w ho sa id chat:
Bi,hr lb, Mu'ad h)- Yazid [b. Zuray' ]- Sa'id [b. Abi 'Aruba]- G
Q. 36:12
I N T ERPR ET AT I ON ~ tlda said, concern ing Hi s st atemenc Coin for tli em a similit14de: The
God (Exal d . . OF A ud al!tlting.s l# lra11ekeptit1adear register Q. 36 :1 3
0 ts H rcopleof 1heci1y 111lien the messengers cam e to them; Whe,i We sent to them tavo, G
re
or will ex ist Wt I ts remem
k bran c e ) says .· A n d a 11 tl1111gs
. that have eximd
and tliry rejectd 1/iem both, so We rei,iforced them with a third, "It has been
which is rl , I e ,a,~e ept an d es tablished in the "Mother of the Book .~
l e c ear register It is Il d / 1:1entioned to us that J esu s th e So n o f Mary sent two of his disciples to
everything that J b · ca c c ear because it clarifies the reality of
Anrioch, a city in th e R oman empire . The inhabitants reject ed them ,
j ust said c:
Th e f; Jl . ias. ee n es tablish ed in it.
owi~g in terpre ters said something similar to what we haw
ncern mg th at A
lbn Bas l I -
f
, b · n acco unt o those who said chat:
.
50 Jesus rei nforced ch em w ith a third [ disciple) and the me ssengers said,

Lo! u•e have bee11 sent to you. " 3

lbn Bashshar- Yahya [al-Qa_nanj and 'Abd al-Ral)man [b. Mahdi)-
Mansii r- Misiar-
._ .d A. da l-R aI.11n an
- [b . al-Mahd1)-Sufyan
- .
[al-Thawnj-
the Boo k." UJJ
111 said , co ncernin g in a clear register, " In the Mother of S_uf~-jn jal-Thawri]- Suddi -clkrima said, concerning Coi,1 far them a
~:miluude: The people of the city, "Antioch."
Bishr jb. M ,_di1 j _ O thers sa id : Rath er, th ey w ere Messengers from God, whom
Qetada said u a . - Yaz,d !b. Z uray'J- Sa' ld [b. Abl 'Arub,j- OPl~ ION :
register, "Ev~rc~~ ~ern_mg H is statem ent And all thi,igs U'e havt /«pt in a dei:r God srnt to Jche people of the dry].
YCinu s {b} (A~~g ils en u merated in a bo ok w ith God." An acco unt of th ose w ho said that:
state ment A d II .3 -A'laJ- Ibn Wahb- Ibn Zayd said, concerning His lbn Hurn ayd- Salama-Ibn Jshaq: le had reached him that Ibn <AbbiS,
Book, whici" . a t.1ungs l,Ye have kept in a clear register "The Mother of tht' Ka b al-Al_ibar and Wahb b. Mun abbih said , "In the city of Antioch, there
th
1
1
dear register. " is wnli God and in w h ich all things {are recordedJ, is t'

1
[~~~;rl r _cxt"getc Mu q:i1il b. Sulaym:i n also identi fied this cit y as Antioch ; Tafir M uqiitil

i ~:~ G~~r:d~
r Su)'O!l dlks no1 lllt"O
;1 H1tt" rprt"u11g .. mu"5<1! hadit/1 io al- Durr al-mamhUr.
a1nb~ ~da'" ; k°'t" Di r Ha; r tlw ~ubJ~cr of the d .i ust· law kiina mughfilan J,ay '.rnminIM
•
,.,k~;
· 1'1 uqit~t~;~,tS 7S-
Sli~111 iui; ibi/fit" t the messe ngers as three disciples or Jesm named
J 1" 1111 rrpo · .
Tumi n, YUnus ;md

1- • t{ / IV· Tht A,ui('Jlt

1 ui . , 19: 411 . T ht' subject o( the ,..e r b /M,ia in Q!tid.i's st:arcrncnr I J.. ~.,:J rt a110 1s fo und in Tabari's Hi5tory; see Tiu History of al-Taaa fl, () · ·
1
oo,IJ, trJ.rnlatcd by Mosht' Pc rlmann (Albany: SUNY Press, 1987), 168.

-4 02 403
 TABAR!
Slira 1 Ya' Si11 (36:1 -83 )
1
wa s a terribl e ryranr nam ed Abtil.1s b. Abtil.1s 1 who worshipped idol~ d . t temcnt We rei,iforced as cazzazn.ii
H 15
associa ted ch em wich God. God sent three Messengers co thetn : •- . rec it er s rc:td s a f. ' A.~im who read tt
All of th~ ~ r ; ndda o n chc fir st ziiy'. except or ,
Sad llq and ShalU.111. T wo of them arrived initially and were rejected,! fcnn II). with' .< •~az aznil .' . • ' ,a on
God reinforced th em w ith a third one. When the three of them rnm. l nhout :i .,/,,idda :is ] f g in our estimation ts az; az, -
moncd /th e ty rant Abril.is] and ca lled upon him to obey God 'scommand " <Ri SA ID: The Jco rrcct r~au:r'an reciters. If one reads , azzaz}•~•
and to cha nge hi s relig ion and hi s people's practices, {Abfi~s] said to them. TA B, f I consensus of the d" . ! d if one reads azazna , 1t
l,Ve augur ill ef yo u. If you desist 1101, we shall surely stone you, andgrie11oust!lrture iht l'as1s o _1 i.:Wt· rein fo rced, strengthcne .' a?'Wc overcame" docs not
11,ilf befall yo11 at our hands (Q. 36 :18). 3 It• mea'. \~,; : vcrcamc (glralab11ii)." The meanmg

~::~:\cry mu ch sc.~nsc in this context.

I N T ERP RETATION OF When Wesem to them two, a11dthey,ejeaed1hrm
borl, , so We reinforcC'd them with a third
THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
God (Exa lted is Hi s remembrance) says: lVlien We sent to them two to sum- COMMENTARY ON I l'ke us. The Beneficent has not senl
mon them to God, and they rejected them both, We reinforced them witl, a thirJ, 116 :15] Tiu'}_' said, You are b1~t mo~t-a ~} •They answered, Our Lord knows
and strengthened th em w ith him. dc11•11 a11rtln11g. Yan do bntloe! [3 .1 { 6· 17] And o11r d11ty is bnt $
G The fo llow in g interpreters said something similar to what we hrn.' tlwr we are i11deed sent to you' 3 . )
Q . 36 , 14 just said conce rnin g that. An account of those who said that: plain co,weyauce (of tlie message . dehv- Q 36.15-1
G Muh ammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahili)-Abu 'A,;imal-Nabtl-'isa (b. Map''.!"i: God (Exalted is His remembrance ) say . b
s. When the three messengers
ll1e people of tl1e ctty sa.1
d G
and from al-1:larith fb . Abl Usama)--al-lcJasan [b. al-Ashyab]-Warqa _Jb.
ered the message wtt h w luc l1 they hadI /een Were you [true ] messen -
k sent,
' Umar]; both ' isa and Warqa'- Ibn Abi Najib-Mujahid sai~, .~oncemmg to chem, 'O people, You are but peop e I e u~. Tl e Beneficent l1as not smt
His statement fa-'azzaznii w ir/1 a tl,ird, "We reinforced (sluuldadna). _ l!m as )OU assert, you would have been ange s ' .. The Be,ieficent has not
IbnHumayd- Hakkam- 'Anbasa-Muhammadb.'Abda1-RaQman-
a~u n auytI1mg · He says They continued by
C H has not conunan ded you
d saymg,
al-~sin; b. Abi ·Bazza-Mujahid said, · concerning His 5 mement
,e11tdou11 to )OU any message or book, an {eh t they said), "You do he
fa- 'an az,,il wit/, a third, " We increased ." . His aii)lhmg regarding us "1ou do bu t /,et" He says t a gcrs to us ,,
YUnus /b. <Abd al -N Ja]- Ibn Wahb-Jbn Zayd said, concern ~ng ~· rt'gardm g anythmg you claim about bemg M esse; d sent to you. He says
st
atcinentfa- 'az zaz,ul wirh a rhird, " We made them three. That is toozzu-., Tliey a,1 swered, Our Lord knows that we are ltl ee deed sent to you wtth
it 111eans 'stre ngth, power (quwu,a) . "' h
t messengers sa id , •' Our L ord k uows that wehfi
arel m id our duty 1s bur Plam
that to \\ h1ch we ca ll you and that we are trut ~, but to convey to
INTERPRETATI ON OF Lo! we l,a,1e been sent to you i,
<omeyauce ., He says [that they said), "At1J our II y 15 you, m order to
He says: The three messe nger s said to the people ojtheaty,. "Lolweha11erxtll
· h. f chc O
\ou the message of God with which we were sen;I ~efall you, whereas
I r
" "' ta you , 0 people, in orde r for yo u to be sincere in your wo~s 1~ , and can \ It fo r yo u If you accept tt, good fortune d Wt God ts rhe M aS t e r of
~ingular God, Who has no associa te, and to disassociate from t e g l! \ou do no r acce pt It, we have executed our uty.
idols you worship."
Judgetncnt in this matter."

r lb . _
'
• ·:i.ding from Aiun,
. . al-Mwhamu a/-uliljiZ. :J:49.
,; n is with a sha ·
1 n Aii;y~
1 d arilit) that tlm i1 Abu Bakr s n: . J· ions of the ~r ;1, , _ ~-,sS.
1 1i~ n Jmg of 1:1 :i.f~fr om 'A~im in m~crn prm\ c, : 1.zaznii; Mojiiz a/-Q!!r a,r. -·
l!ni L\ nc:u \y 1dcmica.l to Abu ' Ubayd a s gloss ot 0
 TABA RT Siirat Ya ' Si11 (36: 1- 83)

CO MMENTARY ON THE FOLLOW said concern ing rh:i.t. An accou nt ~f tho!c who sai~ that:
"/
:1 8 (7 ie peopleefrheciry)said ,,,
ING DIVINE W .

I36
I II I I
.
, ,., a11g11, ,I/ of If ORDs , -1"
1
B,M [b.Mu', dh] - Yazid jb. Z uray J- Sa id jb. Abi Arubaj- ~tada
s ia sure y sto,ic you' and grie1,ous chastisement witf°;;;al/ you deJist no1, II \' slid. '")'iiu, niil augury is UJitli
)IQH, m cam_ng your deeds arc w1th_ you.

God (Exa lt ed is His rem embrance) . Tl you at our harids. Jl,n Huniayd-Salanu- Ibn Isliaq: It had reached htm that Ibn
sc ngcrs. We augur ill efyou m ca ni11 gsa7.~ ~e people ofthe city said to thrm AbbJi. K~ b al-Al_ib:i r and W:i.hb b_- Munab_bih_ said, "The °:esscngers said
if o ne befa lls us, it is on a'ccou nt of e.. oretcll a calamity from you:~: [tht people of the cit y J, Your c11,I a11g11ry 1s wtth you, meanmg your deed s
10
Bishr jb. Mu'ad hj- Yazid [b y~, as, wc ha~e been inform,dby, J.U 1\"lth you. "
Q!_rada said, concerning Tl,e said. ~ray J-.Sa id [b. Abi 'ArOba)-
1KTERP R ETAT I ON OF Is it beca11se you are reminded?
mi sfo rrun e befa ll s us it is o1 y , cf a11g11r ,II of you, "They said, 'If
' l accoun t o yo u [messengers]. "' The ~r·an recite rs disagreed over the reading of Is it because you are
INTER PR ETAT ION OF If you desist not, rtmindeJ.' T he majority o f reciters in all of the garrison cities read a'in
H If we shall surely stone you dl111kkir111m with a kasra under the alif of in preceded by a fatba on the
c says / you desist nor from ment1onm h "~/if of interrogat io n." T hi s reading means: "If we remind you, then
message of j d isass r. gt at you were sent to us fwnh tht
oc1atmg irom ou r gods d hb your evil augur y is with you. "
ptng fof th em j th , // / an pro J mng our worship-
0 , en we sna sure y stone yo ' 1t h b
1s mea nt by that is , / II I t
U d h
as een a ege t ar \\ hat In the opi ni on o f one of the Basran grammarians, the conditional G
Q. 36:18-19 A u es ia sure)' stone you with rocks ' rlrt irlr i11 has been merged w ith the "alif of interrogation." In the opin- Q. 36,r9
n account of th ose who sa id that:
0 Bishr
ion of one of che Ku fan g rammarians, this is a form of repetition (takrir), G
Qe_rada sa,dlb .. Mu' -dh
a j- Yazid [b Zuray' ]- Sa' ld [b. Abl 'Arub, j- i1 if it were said , "They said, 'Your evil augury is with you. If you are
, l4'e w,/1 shall surely stone you w ith rocks . ., reminded, then your evil augury is with you."' 1 The apodosis [" your
e\·1! augury is with yo u" ] is elided because it is sufficiently indicated by
INTERPRETAT ION OF
H a11 d gnwous
. chasrisemetJI ivi/1 befall you at our hands the sen tence. T he advocate of chis position rejected the first opinion
e says: Au d yo u w ill rece ive a painful cha stisement from us . because it !requires th at] the "alif of interrogation" intervenes between
ibe apodosis and the condi tion, and it cannot be a condition when it is
preceded by an interrogative particle.
COMMENTA RY 0 .. Ir has been all eged that AbG R az'in read a'a,i dl111kkirtum as meaning
[ 6. [ ""/ N THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
3 · 19 7 ,ey said, Yo 11r )·1 - . · dd hit bec~ use you are reminded your evil augury is with you?".: One
(ef tlie tnu/1)? Na but ei augury ts u111h you I Is it became you are remm e
I

11ttermost part ef ~he cit you arefrowa:d folk_! f36:20J And there came from rl:e
of his remer pupils also said th at he read qalii 1a'irukum ma'akum ayna
Jlmkirtum, mean in g "Your ev il augur y is wich you wherever you are
wl10 J,a, b Ya man m1111mg. H e cried O my people,fallow rhoS,
,e een sent! IJ6 : 21 J Follow those who ask of you ,io Jee, a11d who arc rneniioned," and w ithout a shadda on the ka/in dlrnkirtum.
God ( riglulr g uided! !ABA R! SA I D: The on ly reading w hose reci tation ,ve permit is a read-
th
~xalted is Hi s rem b . I 0 le ing a~opted by th e Q!!r'an reciters of the garrison cities, ao d it is e
wy, You r evil a, ei~ ran ee) says : The messengers said rot i t P~P
0,J tl1e nd
and fortune b h ,g11ry ,s with you.I T h ey say, "Your deeds, provis1o~s
not because ~f or !good and bad, are w ith you, around your necks. It '.s
t
m~rging of th e "alif of int errogation" with the conditional particle, a
th a shadda on the kaf(of dh-k-r) according to the meaning (ell<lorsed
al.Akhfosh J. o n th e basis of th~ consensus of the <l!:!r'a n reciters.
ord ained and us, s io uld some thing ho rrible befall yo u rhar was [already/
The follo:\~_1nes_to you from God." I In other Word I - . ,. . h'15 tence This is ae1ually
the prdcrrcd ~. 1 1crc simply i1 no .. olif of inrerrogauon Ill t _se~o'.ini ~/-Q!r'.irr. J.: 667_
ing lllt crpreters sa id some thing similar to what we haVt' 1 :\I.J-arrf idcno~1r1 1on of 1he Basran grammarian ; I·~khfa~h; sc-c hi_s ,fa'.irri a/-Q!r 'an. 2.: 374_
t Sine, 1h, v, rb ! he fo llov.m t1f1c~ Abu ~nin as one of lbn Mas ~d_s pup1h;_see ~,~:u h al-farri' just ~ys
die l1tt" r.1l rn,.11 11~:;:;.~·;10 \ton('"') can also nu·au ""10 hurl insu lt s," T.ib.iri is clarifiri ng ihJ! IOITJe rtn tn~' )entcnc(' ,s ..also fou nd in h_is Moo~• a!,-Q!!ra//, a t g
'h v, rb i) m 1(' n dt•J hn~ . in~1cad of ~ome of hi~ rccn er pupils.

406
 TABAR.J Siimt va· Si,, (16:1 - 83 )

. Tl.,c fo ll o wing interpreters sa id somethin . . brhcwr and ;1n ;1\msgiver. He would gather his earnings in the evcn-
J USt s~,d co n ce rnin g th at. An acco unt of thos! s11111lar_co what we haw ::i:,_·1ac((irdtng tO what th ey all ege. and he would divide them in half. One
Bis hr [b. Mu' adh J- Yazid [b z < who sa,d that: h;Vwoul d be used to feed hi s dependents, and the other half would go
~ tida said , " Is it because you are r~mi,~;aJ' ]-S~tid Jb. Abi (Arllba]- ;\iJrity. Hr did no t allow concer ns about hi s dis.case, his work or h!s
:ibo ut G o d , ·wi ll you a ugur ill from u s' m~:ming If we remind \·ou wr.ilt>ncd state to di stract him from the work of His Lord. ~hen l:lab1b
10
. ay, ut you are froward folk !':,
hordof lns pcoplc·s plot to kill the m essengers , he came runnmg to th em
I N TER.PR. ETATI O N OF N ar, but you arc froward folk! [i ,.n the gate at th e for end of the city to remind them of God and sum-
He says: !The m esse ngers] said to the m: You hav nwn
1
tht'III to fo ll ow the messengers. He said, 0 my people, follow those ivlio
f~om u s- rat h er, yo u arc a people who disobc ~no reaso~ to augur ill
b·, kmscut!"
sms ha ve overco m e you. Y od and sm, and your Jbn f:l um;1yd- Sala111a- Ibn Is}:iaq-'Abd Allah b. 'Abd a1-RaQ.man
l, . .\\J mar b. l:{:mn said ,
I N TER.PR.ETAT I ON OF A 11 d II,ere cam e from the uctermosl part of rite cit;· a }:labib b. Z:lyd b. 'A$im, of the Banft Mazin b. al-Najjar, who was
man n11mi11g
cu: into pkct's , li mb by limb, by Musaylima the Liar in Ya.mama,' was
mennoned to Ka'b al-AQ.bar. This occurred when {Musaylima} began to
Hehosays:I A11d 1/,cn , ca meJ,rom t Iie uttermost part of the city of these people to
w
t
w l 111 ic messenge rs were sent, a man nmning to them. This happe~ed
1c11 t 1cse peopl e of his cit .
,1k him abom th e Messenger of God(~). and as h e began saying, "Do you
t~<nfy that Mu~am mad is the Messenger of God?" [J:labib] said, "Yes." Q .36:20
Q . 36 :20 k ·11 I I )' consu Itc d Wit
. h one another and resolved co
Thm [Mu say lima \ said, " Do yo u testify that I am the Messenger of God?" G
G ;, irce m essengers, all eged ly. This man, whose house was at 1he
t l CSe t
to which he replied, •·1 cannot hear." So Musaylima said, "Do you hear
I . ermost pa rt of the city , received word of thi s jplot]. He was a bc)jever, and
11
tb, bu1 do not hear that?" "Yes," \J:labib] replied. Then [Musaylima]
us name a1legedl y wa s H abib b. Mura.' k gan to CU I hi m to pieces, limb by limb, and every time he asked him,
thingThe simifolar
llowing - ) I1 a:'c come Idown to usJsaying som('•
to w l repo , s (a kl1b_ar [l:fabib] di d no t add to w h at he had said, until he died in front of him.
ti . lat "e have JUSt sa id concerning that An account of \rhen it was said to Ka' b that hi s name was }:iabib, he said, "By God! The
ic transm itted repo rt s that say th at: .
man m Sllrat Ya' Sin was named Hahtb!"
A Muh· amm •ad b· BasI1sIiar- - Mu .anunal b. Isma ' il-Sufyan [al-Th awn·J-
0

lbn l:l umayd- Salama- Ibn l sQ.aq-al-J:lasan b. ' Umara-al-E:l~~m

~1111 a 1-Ah wa l- Ab - M .. I
~ abib b. M.ura.. ,. ~
· " -
u ·IJ az said , Th e man (fabib) in Surat Ya in
's· 15. b. Utayba- Miqsam Abu'l-Q!sim, the maw/a o C Abd Allah b. al-I:Ian
th

b. Nawfal- Mujahid- 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas used to say, "The name_ of

m anlbn firat Y~i' _ Sa Iama sa1-d , " This is part of rhe report about t h('
in s Humavd- thc man in SG rat Ya' Sin was Habib and h e was affiicted by advancmg
'Abba K • Sm from Mul_i ammad b. Jsl_1aq ." It reached him chat Jbn l:prosy." 2 •

a man in Aa b al-Ahba
s, . · r an d Wa hb b . Munabbih al-Yam3ni sa1·d , "Th ere ''"'' Bi,lir \6. Mu' ad h]- Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'id [b. Ahl 'Arubaj-
by adv nn ~ch nam ed Habib w ho made rope ' and was being weak,n,d th
~ tada sai d , concerning His statement A,id there ca,ne from e utrermo~t
ancmg cpros y. Hi s hou se w as at th e farthest gate of the dry. Hr part ef the city a n1m1 ru1111ing, " It has been mentioned to us that t~s mands
n,rne was l:f abib, that h e lived in a cave where he worshipped his L,?r '
r Follow1ng d1t voc,11 lr z;mo11 " ~" . • id(ntifit> th
thh pcr_~o11 a} Habib b. ALr·o~ M_u rn 11_1_the D:i r H:~:1 r edition; 19 ;.p~- Mu.ql'.'' •fu ;riH - 2nd. when he heard of the messengers, he came forth to meet cm.
Si.lnymau, j: _., ' }':I A ,,ar Navar .a nd cbinJS hew.a> an Isr2ehrc; 1af,r '- i"
576
z ;'~rlr11a r111 ha~ Aliri Mak l1lad . l,.iri 1:~.
Ac~ 170· Note that 1\-r hll.ann 1:~ ilit Ut1Jd _111 >t<:'ad ~f Abo Mijlaz; r_~~ Hiuory tf af-Ta '
3 H1st: ;dm11, to i ht cd 11on of 1hec_aJ1~cs Im fa d1 ~·r > n:unc as "M.a ri. . in TJIJJri"1
l'ct lr1J~r:,~d 011e of tlw nu nu>c/ ; .ar I-la.pr :~ n ion ( 19:419). the: idc-nu':3-l_r~:ch o:p!,inl l for rno r,: " . •. the Introduction co Tabari's
Tire v. o rJ: lr.1 n ~~a11 on of ">ilk -in~t ~-f !lit· lafi ir has lt11rir in scead of 1anr, Vol. ,v, ,65 l ~Jii,. lbo~; the Liar, Musaylim:i. b. l;labib, see the notc-s co
IIIH fo r rope {,Jn r)" d .. n Il l tl m pa)s:1gc-; Tltt His1ory,fal-TafHin, der 1ht
raI co11 't0na11t an ~•l k (Jia,,,)" arc distin guished b)' a mere dot uu lihi1 rrpon ;s also fo und in Tabarl\ History; Tire Hisf1J'1 ojal-Tabtiri, Vu/. JV, 170.

409
40 X
 TABAR! Siirat Ya' Si11 (36:1 - 83)

I NTERPRETAT I ON OF He cried, 0111y people,fo//owthosewhohawb,,, .,,,, I l I ga in (f,011/d I not worship the Lord Who created
oihrr \\·orlls. ·'.W i,::tt,:uowi/1.be brought back? He says: Awl to Whom all of
God (Exa lted 1s His remembrance) says: The man who came from tht 1
,.., :" Aud h II l,M ) d !These words were uttcredJ when he
urtermost parr ef the city said to his people: "O my people, follow thcne u•ho 0 , le will be rcturn e . h" I
1·ou. p<or ·d I. b ·I· fin God and His oneness to 1s pcop c, as we
ha11e bt'e11 se,1t!.~od se nt them to you, so accept from them what thC"yhavc or-nl~· profrssr u s ,'. IC
brought you .
h,rc bw1 informed b)I · lb I haq· It reached him that Ibn 'Abbas,
h has been alleged th at when he came to the messengers, hi: a~k~ I_, ·d-Sa ama- n s. . II d
lbn ,uma) Ibb M bbih said· [The believer] ca e out eo
th em , "Do yo u demand a fee for char which you have brought us?" 1 Tht b I Alb,, and \Va 1
• una · I "d I
Ka l - _1 .' , • le to do different actions from their norma I o -
messengers replied no. The man then said to his people, " Foflowth05tu•ho
ask of you ,10Jee
for their advice."
them. mranmg.h1~ pco:cd, to them his religion and worship of his Lord.
wor1h1p and hr d1spla) can bestow assistance or harm other than
An account of those who said that: He inforr_ned them that nob~dy/d / t hip Him Who has created me, and
Bishr lb. Mu'adhJ-Yazid [b. Zuray' J-Sa' Id lb- AbI 'Aruba]- Htm sa\'mg, For what causes 1011 no ivors . l f H' ' Then he
~t5da sa id, ''When !t hi s manJ reached the messengers, he said, 'Arc you l.l iriiv,;1 )'OIi will be brought back? Shall l .~ake gots i~p ~c: :11e a:;·harm their

as king for a fee for this?' They replied, 'No.' Then the man said, 0 mr !hmcd [1hr godsj by say ing, If the Be11e_,,cent s ou ivis
peoplr, fallo w those who l,a,,e been sent! Folio," those who ask of you 110 fi'e, 1211J i~r,1'ces..,i,m r11il/ ar1ail me 11a11ght, nor can they save me.
Q who are rightly guided. " 1 < _
INTERPRETATI O N OF Shall I take gods in place of Him? Q.36:23-5
Q. 36:2 1-2 Ibn }::lumayd-Sa lama- Ibn Isbaq: it reached him that lbn Abbas.
.
lTh, beliem] says "Should lwors h tpgo . Place or
d5111 God'" meaning
I Id some-
ishme G
Q Ka' b al-Ah bar and Wahb b. Munabbih said, concerningfo/Jow rhoSe wli~ J •• ·

a~: tl:ing that is worshippc d Ot her t han ffun. If the . Bene_,,cent s ,ou w
ask of you ,;o fee, and who are rightly guided, "They do not ask you for .ant I d uffering
of you r wea lth in exc ha nge for rh c guidance they brought you, ~h~;.
, If I B .f.
,mynarm-He says : / t 1e ene_,,cent a 1
fll'cts me with any ,arm an s
re is nothin that can inter-
•
offe r you sincere advice , so follow them so that you may be gm e ) 1keiri,llmrnio11 will avail me naught. He says: The r: g ca,i they
their g uidan ce." d
C(' eon TnY behalf or Iias t I1e power to repe
I this harm 1rom h me,. t1or
ffiicts me .
.\:1't' me. H~ says : Nor can they free me from th is harm w en tt a
I NTE RPR ETATION OF and who are rightly guided ·d d
INTERPRETATION OF Then trnly I should be it! error manifeSl I
H e says: Ar1d who are upright on the path of truth. 0 people, be gm e
by th eir g uidan ce! [l ht" believe r] says : If I take a god who fi ts t h.IS description other t 1an
ho reflects
God , 1Iien truly I should be in error man!JeSt
,r. m. t h e eyes of anyone
f h w th
~pon this, [who will sec J its deviation from the pacb O t e tru ·
CO MMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS: d 1'.'\ TE RPRETAT ION OF Lo! I have believed iri your Lord , so hear me!
\36:22J For wl,ar ca use should I not worship Him Who J' as created . I me' at1.
oJHim
lhert" was disageemcnt over the meaning of th ac.
to Whom you will be brought back? f36:23J Shall I take gods ,n au •fl a1oail ! OPJ . . h· e was spoken h)
, this believer
1vii 11 ,r / h ·
e , !, t ,e Be11efice11t should wish me any harm, t elf m· tercess1ot1 "'1
/J b · 1 error NION:Someof themsaid:T 1surteranc h. b r fin God.
me nauglir, nor ca n they save me? f36:24J Then truly I shou e It!
[Habib/ to his people in order to inform them of is e ie
. d
manifest. [36:25 J l o! I lta,,e believed in your Lor,' so
hearme. .. g An .account of rhosc who said chat: d h. char Ibn 'Abbas,
f hi 1,ehe"" Ibn Humayd- Salama-Ibn Is}:iaq: it reache . nn Lo' J have believed
God, (Exa lt ed is Hi s rememb rance) says , informing [ usJ O t s red ,ne? In ( abal -AJ_1ba r and Wahb b. Munabbih said,_concer~:~:. wi1om you have
5
man spcec:h : For 11,hat ca use should I 1101 worship Him Who has crea i1 }'our Lord, so hear me, "Lo! I have believed 111 your
1 No1e d1;u tlit D - H
.
. ,he third-pt'
rso11rl11r~- reJtcted, so hear my statement!" ed this statement to
c:\·tn iho u •h l-h ~ib :.ip r cd11 1on ofT;1b:.i ri's Tdftir has thi 5 Sl'll~tncc- , :,4JJ.
:.i Thi) rtpo~ 1)·:.il I) :.id<lrt')~_ 9 JV. 69.
lllg tht" rncs)t'ngen directl y ; Da~ ,l-bJ _ 'vlll. OP INION: Others said: Rather, [the believer! address
1
)O found 111 l :.ih.ni'~ Hrl tory; Tire H istory of al-!abari,

41 I
4 10
 TABARI
Siirat Ya' Sin (J6: 1-S3 )

the .111essc,_1gcr s an~ said to th em , " Hear m y statement, so that you m . . d him in th at mann er and H e met him, Enter the
test ify to us veracn y o n m y beh alf to m y Lord. I believed · I •) when hi~ r rop k killc red rhc Gard cnJ . h e saw how God had honoured
sc ngers] and fo ll owed yo u ." 1 tn you tn t1. G;,,!m When hr cnt.\ Id r ad fas rn css in Him , and said Would that my
It has been alleged that w hen !the believer] said this statement and hu11 t'tc.111te of his fa1td1/:lllfi s ~·c,1·,,1c H e says : Would tltat they knew that
I . Lir ,a t org111 . • h
ad vised h is people by th e wo rds G od m entioned in lthe ~r'an]. hispro- r·,1rl, b1t·11•1uu 111) I ( d / -sforgi11cn me m y sins, and made me efchose w om
ple pou nced upo n him and sle w him. thrrta~on why my Jor ,a . ti cm into His G arden , was my faith in God
T hen the interpreter s disagreed over how he was kilJed. Godlm bonoured by.cntc_nn g \ I as killed . If onl y they would believe
dmr ~1ead fasrncss m H 1111 untJ w d
OP INI O N: So m e of ch em said: They ston ed him with rocks. lll • ld be entitl ed to enter the Gar en.
An accou nt of ch ose w h o said that: in God. they wou - id something similar to what we have
Thr follo wing inte rpreter s sa h .d h .
Bishr lb. Mu' ad h] - Yazld fb. Zuray']-Sa'ld fb. Ab; 'Arubaj- · 1 th at An account o f those w o sa1 t at.

~tada said, co nce rnin g For what cause should I not worship Him WholiJJ ju)t sJ1d concendrn gs 1' . - lbn Ish aq-some (or one) of his teachers-
Ibn 1-himav - a arn a · d H d
created me, aud to YVho m you will be broug ht back?, " This man summoned hii :\~J Alla·h b. Mas' Ud sa id. " God said to him, Enter the Gar, ~"· e c.ntcre
people to God, openl y gave th em ad vice, and then [his people} killed him .H .1.lin· and was prov1·d e d f.or m . 1·t . God removed from himh the illness,f
for doing thi s. Ir has bee n me nti o ned to us that, while they stoned him, he so·row and toil of his fo rmer life. Once he had attained tot e mercy lo
e was sayi ng, ·o God, g uid e my peo pl e ! O God , guide my people! 0 God. G:d. 1-fo Garden and Hi s honour, he said, Would that,:ny people knew t iat
Q . 36c,6 G
gu ide my peop le!' until t hey killed him on the spot." m1 /.i,rd frasforg i11e11 me a11d made me of the honoured o11es! - ' -b ]
(i; Q. 36'27
O th ers sa id : Rath er , th ey pounced upon him and tramplrrl 811hr lb. Mu'adhJ - Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'ld fb. Abi Aru ad-
OP I N I ON:
him umil he died . ~tida said, concern m . statem ent 1t was sar·J (to him), E,1ter the Gar, Ien,
. g H 1s G
An accoun t of th ose w ho sa id ch at: "\rhen he- entered it, lie said, Would that my people knetv tl~at ':Y Lord 1as
Ibn l:f um ayd-Sa lama- Ibn Isl; aq: it reached him that Ibn 'A~Ns. , [il't'11 me aud made me o,J tI1e I1011011red ones .1" [r>•rada] said ' You
_1.'r . Ion 1Y
Ka'b al-A h bar and Wa hb b. Munabbih said, " When fthe behever) said 10 mm rhe- believer g ivin g sin cere advice and you never meet him c l~at-
them For wliat cause sl,011/d I not w orsl,ip Him Who has created mt until H~ Jr.g. When the believe r saw w ith his own eyes how God honoured htm,
st ll'ould rl,ar my people k ,1ew that my Lord has forgiven me and made me of
f.e S.Jid,
atemcnr so hear me, th ey po un ced upon him aU together and tram~!~
him to death . T hey fo und him to be w ea k , due to his infirmity alld SIC - ihdwnorired 011es,1 He hoped to God that his people would know about the
ness. and the re was nobod y to de fe nd him. "~ . teachers- !breof God's gen erosit y h e h ad see n with his own eyes, and all that had
Ol'e rwhclmed hi s senses." . _ _ ,- _ fb
< Ibn l:Iumayd- Salama- lb n Isl; aq-some (or one) of_his nril his
_Abd ~115.h b. Mas\jd said, "'Th ey trampled him under their feet u Mul.1a1nmad b. 'Am r [al-Bahili]-Abu 'Aiim al-Nabil- Isa h :
lnte srines spilled out of hi s backside." '.lnmunj; and from al-l:larith [b. Ahl U sama[-al-l:lasan_fb. al-A'. Yd
"1-Warqa' lb. Umar]; both 'Isa and Warqa'-Ibn Abi NaylJ-~.up 1u
!:.id,(oi1eerning H is statem ent It was said (to him), Enter tlte Ga,detl, It was
COMMENTARY ON T H E FOLLO WING DIVINE woR.DS, ii.id [to hun/. 'T he Garden becam e his due .' He said that when he saw
lhc reward ,.
· J 1t Was sa ,.d (to him), Enrer the G arden. He sat·J, Would
[36 ·26 d that m)'
people knew [36 :27 j T hat Lord hasforgivet1 me ati
lbn B. I I - , _ [ 1Th -J- Ibn al-Jurayj-
'11)' \!u ~h· ~s 1s 1ar-Mu ammal- Sufyan a - awn n "The Garden
be J id said, conce rnin g ft was said (to him), Enter the Garde •
made me of the honoured ones! -b)I C.J. nie )'our due " _
God (Exalted 15. I . bef ver (Hab1 '
-fis remembrance) says: God said to [the JC · lbn H . db 'Abdal-Ral)man-
J.o,. · umayd- tf akkam- cAnbasa-Mul; amma · ·J(to him), Enter
1L T_h., h th., opinion of al-F _, . ,_ - , -·; ih.~casmi b. Abi Bazza-Mujahid said , concerning It ,vas 501
1111~ r<:pon all J th., f, ur;i • Ma,m,al-~ r ifo, 2:374. . I repart in T~luf1 . a,Jei, "Tl G d d "
I-Imo')';~.. T~ 1 ollowuig o rit frofll Jbn M:i.s' Ud appear as a smg e lbn , 1e ar en becam e his ue. _ fal-Thawri]-'A$im
i moryojal-'J Qb,ni, Vol . IV, 169.
Bashsliar- Yal) ya [al-~nan ]-Sufyan

41.Z
4I]
 TABAR! Siirar Ya' Sin (36:1-83)

al-A bwa l- Ab~ M.ijlaz ..5aid, c~nc~rning His statement [btcause of w~ . r;

} · oppression o f him , and utterly annihilated
this hchevc r. or t i c ir I I. I I d d
my Lord has forgwcn me, M y faith m my Lord and my bcli f. . 1] monmg He hastened His vengean ce upon t 1em, w 11c 1 t 1ey eserve .
scngers jarc why H e ha s forgiven me)." c in Hisme1. h1 peoplc..
1
d against his people after him a host from hea ven, nor do
\fr1aid . 111' smt 11/ll ' ~1.1~e d o n o t n eed to gather a large host fof angels);

11;• ii•tr .,end. He sa)S. · n easier for Us than that. It was but one S/10111, and

C OMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
'36 :28} l•i le sent 11 01 down against his people after him a host from he,wni ,
nor do l,Jle e11er se11d. [3 6:29) It was but one Shout, and lo! thty were extina.
God (Exa lted is Hi s remembran ce) says: We sent not downagairut this bdie\"-
er's peop/c, who killed him because he su1nmoned them to God andoffmd
them sincere advice, after him , meaning after his death , a host from lrra1'(!1 .
I N TERPR.ETATION O F a host from hea ven
G The interpreters disagreed over rhe meaning of the he.:i.vcnly host {iudj
Q . J6ci8
that Go d said He did not send down to this believer's people afm chcy
killed him.
G G
OP I N I ON:Some of them said: What is m eant by that is that God neither
sent them a m essage (risiila) nor se nt them a Prophet after this incident.
An account of those w ho said that:
Muhammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahill]-Abu 'A1im al-Nabtl-'isl lb-
Maymun]; and from al-Harith [b. Abl Usama]-al-I:lasan lh- al-Ashi-
abl- Warqa' lb. ' Umar]; both 'Isa and Warqa'-Ibn AblNajih-Mujlhi!
said , concern ing His stateme nt a hos/ from heaven , "[Meaning] a message.
A nearl y ident ical report was narrated to us from Ihn f:iumayd;
1 a.t one Shout is its predicate. It has been alleged that AbUJa' far al-Mad~m
l:l akk a.m- Anbasa-Muhammad b. 'Abd aJ-RaQman--a.1-~sim b. A 1
Bazza-Mujahid. ·
Bishr lb. Mu' adh]- Yazld lb. Zuray' ]-Sa'ld [b. Ahl 'Mub•t:
~t ada said , concerning We sent no/ down against his people after h,m,~e hU
from lieave11 , nor do We e11er send "No by God! God will not rcpro. " 1
people aft er they killed him. It •was bu,t one Shout, and lo! they u,trt exmur. d
o I __ . _ . h rGod(Exali<
OPINION -
is H is rem·
.
1
l erssa1d.: Rather, w h at 1s meant by that 1st a
embrance) did not send any hosts to fight chem on
His t,chalf:
rliher. the man.er ,~,~ e~cdcs:roycd that king and the people of Antioch,
f h
:~rh
/1r1/1q wrr,·cx flt 1Cl. o d h (
that not a remna nt of th em remaine on t e_ ace o t c cart .
h "1
This serond opinion is th e superior inter~.retatton. t~e verse be~aus.e of
"a message" c:mnot be ca lled "a host (iund). Muj:ih1d s mterpretat~o~ IS
onh· possible if he reall y m ea nt "messengers (rnsu0," but even this IS a
f.r.'fi·tched interpre tation of the apparent meaning of the text, because
human messengers arc not sent down from heaven/ However, the dec-
lmnon. according to the apparent meaning of this verse, is that a host
1rn not se nt dow n from heaven to this believer's people after his death.
Angels, rat her than humans, would be the more likely interpretation of
thi1 passage. Q. 36,29
l\'TERPR.ETAT I ON OF It was but one Shout
He says: The destru ction of these people [of Antioch) was but 011e Shout
th;,1 God sent down upo n them from heaven.
The ~r'an reciters disagreed over the reading of ~ayba (one Shout).
Most of the ~r'an reciters of the garrison cities read orie Shout ~n th c
UcusatiYe case, in acco rd ance with the interpretation I have mentioned,
ii·nh the und erstandi ng that kiinat has a suppressed subject (mut}mar), s~
th
read o,ie Sliolfl in the nominative case as the subject of kanat and that kat1a
d0t-~ not have a suppressed subjcct. 3
!ABARi SAID: The correct reading in my estimation, is the accusative
s
'~ e. due to th e consensus of the recit~rs, and with the underSta nd ing th at
l:.i1Jac has a suppressed subject.
I :t;nr?;:~
"'onh
1

1
• l lorig \~·itl1 the t~·o previous rcporu ~rom Ibn M,s'o~
rt-pon g T ab.i.ri s History; see Thr H1s1ory of al-Tabarib
in
1
'~0~~ ;;,s r::
. od of the three
in ste~d, He destroyed them by one Show. l':lti1tn '.;;:n1,dm l l] of the reports in T.i.barfs His10'1'. conc~~n!ng t n~~~:a;, and that he
(Oicr g ho Were sent to Antioch are found in lus Q!!r .i.ntc co
lbn account o f those w h o said that : . hers--
n Humayd S 1 ) f his ceac rc.i.ter depth m hn Tafa,r than m his Hislory to ,he ~r•au
'Abd All: h b - a ama- Ibn lsl:, aq --som e (or one o ( hiJll• l
d
lJ !l) c.i.n serve a) God's ~essengers, a~coc mf~Muliarrar al-u"O)IZ, 4 4P
a · Mas\ld said, "God became furious on accollnt 0 .lKrtbe s tins readmg to Mu :idh b .i.1-Hamh , a M d one of the

i Th1 ~ npon "'ctu;ill y ~u >

·'.tuJll
ctnc~t:o~
d
i:::mg I t. me.~moned m ,! 1 15
.al-Farra' . 1\-1a'am al-Q.!r'an. 2 7~ot ;c1::'ded:unong lbn
l renter\, according 10 Ibn al-Jazari. ahhough he 1
11
I porh ihc- ~econd o pini on . i :Sncn Canonica\ R.ccnen "

414 415
 TABAR!
Siiral )'ii ' Sin (36:1 - 83 )

I NTER PR ETAT I ON O F And lo! they were cxti,rct (khiimidiin) cn~ \MENTA RY ON THE FOLLO WING DIVINE WORDS,
He says: A 11d lo! th ey perished.
, \ Hare rlicy not scc tt lrnw many generations We destroyed b~ore tl~em;
!.;Ci: .,i 1
d I r, tlie,w '36: 32 But alf, without ex<cplloti, w,fl be
th() indrcd rcr um c no ' bro,11g l1t before Us.
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
(, , (E. ltcd is Hi s rem embrance) says: 0 Mubammad, do not these
I36:30 \ Ah , rhc ang uish for th e sen,ants! Ne11cr came there to them a f~~s ,~~\:o :i.ssociate partners with God, from among your ~eopl~, see
Messenger but they did mock him!
ku ,;umy gnrcmtiolls J,Ve destroyed before rliem, on ac~ount of their demal of
God (Exalted is Hi s remembrance) says : Al,, the anguish of the sem:ims Our Me~sengcrs and rejection of Our signs? They mdeed returned not to them.
for th emselves and regret for their mockery of the M essengers of God. H . • Do th ey not sec that tliey indeed returned not to them?
Ne1 1er cam e there to them a messenger from God b111 they did mock him! It has sit
e following interpreters said something similar to what we have
been all eged, in o n e of th e [irreg ul ar] readings , that this verse is "Ah, JUSt said conce rning that. An account of those wh,o said that~ c _
the anguish of th e servants for th cmselve s." 1 Bish r \b. Mu' adh] - Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa 1d [b. Ab1 Aruba]-
The fo llowing interpreters sa id something similar to what w~ hm· ~tjda said, concerning Have they not seen how ma,iy generations We destroyed
0 just said conce rning that. An account of chose who said that: btfire1hem; 1/iey i11deed returned not to them, "[Such as] 'Ad and ThamUd, and
Q. 36,30 Bishr \b. Mu' ad h\- Yazid \b. Zuray' ]-Sa' id [b. Abi 'Arub,]- there are many generation s between that."
~tada said , concernin g Ah, th e anguish for clie servants, "In ocher words. Q. 36:31-2
\Al -Farra' said\: 1 The word kam ("how") in His statement liow m~ny
G Ah , th e anguish of the serva nt s for th emselves, for the part of God"s i; m the place of an accusative [noun], whether, if you wish, as an object G
co_mn~and th ey squandered and for transg ressing against God!"' [~t ada] of the Yerb "Have they not seen" (and it has been alleged that 'Abd,;'-,llah
said . In o ne of the [irregular] rea ding s, [we find] 'Ah, the anguish of \b. ],,-1as' UdJ read this verse as" Have they not seen whom We destroyed )- or,
the se rvant s for them selves!"' if you wish, as an objec t of the verb "We destroyed."
Mul~airnn ad b . 'Amr lal-BJ.hiliJ-AbG \~~im al-Nabil-' Isa \b. If one reads amw/11011 , thefatha on the alifis governed by the clause Have
MaymGn\; and fro m al-1:{ ari th [ b. Abi Usamal-al-I:Iasan [b. al-Ashy· 111
1 •wt seen? 1 It has been alleged that one [reciter] read im1ahum, with a kasra
ab]- Warqa' \b. ' Umar]; both ' l saand Warqa'-IbnAbiNajil)-Mujalud nd
u er the a/if, in o rder to indicate a new sentence (isti'nii/); in this case, t be
said, _co ncernin g Hi s stateme nt Ah, th e anguish for the serva,m, '·Their clause Haw 1/iey not see11 no longer governs [the particle innala,maJ:'
ang~is\~ came from thcir mockery of th e Messengers." _
,_Ah
\b. Dawud al-Tami1111 ]- Abu Salil) ['Abd Allah b. ~alih]_- li\TER PRETAT I ON OF But all, witlto11t exception, will be bro 11ght before Us
Mu aw,ya \b. Salih]- 'Ali \b. Abi Talha]- Ibn 'Abbas said, conW"'.'.'g God (Ex alted is Hi s remembrance) says: "Truly all of these generations-
His st atement Ah , rl,e ar,guishfior rh e.ser~ams "O woe to the servants! '/ ihose whom We destroyed those whom We did not de st roy, a nd
O nc O f t I1c g r amm aria ns sa id "The meaning
' of (yii basratan '/"
'·b -,n aa - ~: hcrs-w'./l be brought together with Us on Resurrection Day," as we
, ,~:/I i.sb ' How g reat is the angu ;sh for the servants (yii laha hasr.i1a11 ave ~een mform ed by : _ _
aa - 1 lld)J'" i
. Bishr \b. Mu' ad h]- Yazld [b. Zuray' ]-Sa' id \b. Abl 'Aruba)~tad!
laid, "' Biual/, witliout exception, will be brought before Us on Resurrection Day.
1
~ ; :onicni of tlih p:.i.sugc is found in slightl y g reater detail in a1-Farr:i', Mt1'dni al-Q!rO,i.
1

I ~ r:r.b,.._: ya1,,n,.:1r.:1 "!- ,"4dr ,;:i/ii . - • , . • • raton'.ifJ'/· 'ib.J: '- ~t~I~: a-fa ,,, yaraw ma,i aldahrti imtead of him ah/llknii; this reading is fouu d in ;i,I-Farri',
.. ~1 H aja,. 19 -429 .:1,rf,o,ht1 . l ht• standa rd ~ r :i111c read111g1s yo bas .
2 10
"" g r<:-at L\ d i,: :arri'
lA1a~:~:~~~"~<i11, _2 :376_ . . ~Hovtthrynots«n \1ha1) thq
1
a - Q.:..t'a,1, l .37 _ ~llgu i~h fo, th~• stcrva n1 ~1•· T ins l11w is found in :ai-F •
,\{a J~I
1r-<l<rd,rir. ,,i:J :;tam~. th~,tntca~ing of this.verse wnh mmah11m 15
5 , >.i.h, -• O/ /o thf m ;Maii nit1/-~r<i11,2 :376. _ < . /-(l!!r'Dn, 2:376.
ra •',("nb,:-~ the reading of im1t1hum to al-l:la~a.n :i.l-BaJn ; t,,(d dn• a

417
 TABARi
Siira t Ya' Si11 (J6:1 -83 )

T~1e ~r'a n reciters di sag reed over the readin of COMMEN TARY ON T l-I E FOLLOW ING DIVINE WORDS ,
except 1011 , 11111/ be bro11ght before Us I M f h But all, _uiith°"1
B J• . osr o t e reciters of M • .,,] :t i 1,rfrr 1/iem j_c th e dead earth. We revived it , a,id We brought forth
as ra, and some of rh c Ku fans read ,.va-in kul!un la-ma . rd1 na and
on th e .mim, beca use the /iim , which ,·s aaceroten-
tt h d h 'wabout ashadda ' ·\,mi /crai11 so that 1l1cy cat tliereof; i36:34J And We have placed
1
6 5

· ,11crciu g1Jrdc11s rJ the date-palm and grapes , and We have

apodos1s ~·awiib) to th e part icle i,1 fat the be innin o/a• ~erves a5 the
caused spri,1gs of water to gush forth tlierein,
The meam ng of this se ntence is "And 1·f II gh lgl thu sentence].
be brought before Us." = a · ' t en a together they u1il/ GoJ(Ex alted is His remembrance) says : An indicator (dalin for these poly-
. Most ~ufan reciters :cad lamma , with a shadda on the mim .JThismd- theiqs of God's power to do what He wills, to give life to His deceased
mg (lam'.11a ) can be explamed in two ways, according to us: noturrs. and to rev ive them in the forms in which they were prior to
drnh. aftrr their annihilat ion, is His act of reviving the dead , barren earth
1· •J The ·11 b meani ng of th e clau se is "All of th em toget her (Ia-nnmtr.a
- ) 111tended · .
br means of the rai n He se nds down from the sky. This leads to plants,
;am, I/fl . WI e brought before Us," and then one of the mims of la-mamni.i
f;om which grain is extracted, which serve as provisions and nourishment
(= la-mu1-1,~ii ) is elided, because of the large number of mims, likr wh;i.t
the poet said : ior them, so that they cat thereof

gltadiitn .tafat 'nlmii'i~ Bakru 'b,111 Wa 'il INTER PRETAT ION OF And We have placed therein gardens o{tl,e date-palm
G wa- '1']11ii ft1diira'l-khnyli 11af111,a Tamimi
G
a•,dgri1.pes, and We liave caused springs of water to gush forth therein
Q. 36,32 Q.36,33-j
In the morning, Ba kr b. Wa'il patrolled the water God (Exalted is His remembrance) says: We have placed in this earth that
G \re re\'ived after its death gardens of tire date-palm and grapes, a,1d We have
G
wh il e we turned aside ch e chests of our steeds toward
Banll Tamim. r~ 1•scd springs of water to gush forth therein. He says: We caused springs of

l~JIn t1:.c other interpretation, the intended meaning of lamma is i/lj water to flow in it.
( e~cep t ) onl y w hen it is in co njunction with che particle in. This ii
e9u,_va len.r r~, irmamii being used in rhe place of ilia. One Kufan gram-
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
marian said, It is as if mii is affixed to lam and the combination become,
'except,' and the two words cease being negations. " i
[36,35 j Tl,at they may eat of thefwit thereof, and that which tlieir
One gramma rian also said: I am unfamiliar with /amma with a sliadi:.i Jia11ds worked. 1 Will they not, then, give thanks?
[on th e mim j.j th
God (Exal ted is His remembrance) says: We made these gardens on is
TABAR!
. SAID·· Tl1e correct opm
. 1on
. ,m. . .
my est1manon, · hat both read-
1st
eanhfor My servants to eat from his fruits and that which theirhauJs worked.
mgs.are well-attested and dose in meaning, so the reciter will be corn•cc H"')'s·· Tliat rI1ey may eat o,J the frmt. o f t he gardens t hat We made for. them d
ari dchat wliich their hands worked from what they harveS t ed a
nd culnv~t: ·
rt'admg either one of them.
Th cl ' ' ·1 yd-h° 1 1111 is in the gemnve
c war ma in His statement wa-ma a,m at a h. h
ca~a d . . " dfromthatw 1c
n coordmated with fruit, with the mcanmg an
1 Much of thu inforn . . . . -• Ma'dni al-Cl!1'Jr..
i:J76-?. imon, mcludmg 1h<' poet ry. is fo und 111 al-Farra• I Th~ ed11 - - frrs ihc- or1hodox roding of
a,: n of tl~c. Dar Hajar edition note 1.h~~ laban ~r;akr (from 'A~im). as oppo~c~
• J·irr.l
l Aub1c: r,i ku//1m li:i- a111i I - h words, ,n.i has Jl(l
n:;i.] lll(';i,ni ng 111 thi: SC'nt:::c:-day11a rnuJuJarUn; Oar Hajar, 19 :431 . In ot er .,
toih
•hd ~:r~lly ilar aydilum, ascribed to f:lamza. Kts:\ t ;i.nd
1 f,0 d . chc- rc-adings of Nafi
orthoJ ox reading of Wll-1"0 'a,ni/arhu a~Jh'. :~C' ~; .. ;;_3 (nOCC' l): Pickch;i,~I
3 lbn A1 1ryaascnbrs t1 .

4 Tlie rditou of
~t .
al-i.iaji:z, 4 :452. Thu alternate" reading 10 al-l;fas.111 al-Ba~ri. JbnJ~~yr and
th
dir tt';i.dmg o( l:fa() fou nd in most print rdmons of ,'7¥
;n·
(}._ . •11J-M11fi:!'·
r'irJ.
1
ironiLttes' ;i. nd liencc mo~t prim editions of the. ~r ~~Muhamnud Asad has though tt
..,,"5 this chusc as "and their hands made n noc, " h was not their own han~s
11 ,r14'· f , i
1
(1101(' 5). I
t IC' D~r HaJ~ r cdi11011 t'x plain that tli is is a contraction of " • th~ t :o.:i1d~hc1r h;i,n.~s that made it," and Abdc! Halcc1:r~::hat ,hey might cat of ics frum
•nd h all dm . Arbcrry agrees wit h Tabari and off.
5 AI -Farri' 1JC'1111fin K1sa'i ,_ . r'ln, ::.:J71· t e1 r h;i,nJ~· labour."
Iii (' proponent of thi s opinion ; Maam llf-Q!

419
 TABARJ Siirat Ya ' SiPI (36: 1-83 )

(ma) ~heir hand s mad e ... , lbn Mas' od a1Je ed !Jcr. ' It i~ :ts j( He had sa id , "Mic strip the day fro m it. We br~ng darkness
m _ean mg: um- nlinmia 'amilathu faydihimJ h lyh read this verse with thu ;nJ We ~l·nd ,1way the d:ty." This is like Hi s sta tement, R ecite to them the
wah rh e sa me meaning. In o ur readin •t~Jt -~ _e o bject p ronounha' and r/,~(f,imti, 11 ,/,om I.fie ,(?(Wt! O ur re11elatio11s 1 but he slo11ghed them efJ(Q.7: 175).
Ara~s sometimes suppress rh e ha' and !'rhe; l~a IS suppressed, because- the Ha~. bur l,c sforighed rhem t?.ff ((a'malak ha minhii) m ea ns " he went out from
relati ve p ro nouns (?iliit) man, ma and alladhi. 1;:;es _make it manifest in the nan.I ktt n." The stripping o f the night from the day is likewise. And lo!
:::~~· one h~s a srrong ~o~ition (madMiab) and r~:
o~ th ~1r hands (111111 · amal aydihim). " If .
~7~:rprcts
mi :s aver~
se means from the
rl:qarr iu dark11ess. H e says: And lo! tlzey become surrounded by d arkne ss,
b\ the comi ng of the ni ght.
of ncg;1t1o n .. and that it h as no case, one also~1e interprets t~s as the "ma · Q:tJ.da s;i id. conce rning that, what has been narrated to us from:
verse means Thar rhey may eat cfrhefruit ti ,J. asdalst~ong posaion and che Bish , [b. Mu'adh/ - Yazld [b. Zuray' )-Sa' ld [b. Abl 'Arubaj-
tereo • an t 1err hands made it nor."
Q!tad:i said, concern ing His statement A sign for them is the night. We strip
IN T ERPRETATI ON 0 li~(rh, day, and lo! they are in darkness, " rGod) penetrates the night into the
He ' . D F I-Vi'// titer not, then, g fi,e thanks?
. Sa) s. o nor these people, upon wh01 di:·, :rnd penetrates the day into the night."
tlm dead earth l,Ve re,,i,,ed . h k n We bestowed sustenance from
TA BAR! SA ID : ~rada's interpretation of salakha'l-ttahiira min al-lay/ is
them and blessed them ~~,t~1\:? an ·s to the One Who bestowed th is upon
far-fetched in my es timat ion. The concept of penetration (lliiJ} implies a
G relati\'t increase and decrease of night and day over several hours , whereas G
Q. 36,36-7 tl:c word salkli is not like that at all, because the day is stripped from the Q. 36,38
C OMMEN TARY 0
e (36:36} Glor I . N THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS , ~mire night, an d likewise th e night {is stripped from] the entire day. It is G
y Je to H11n Who creat d II h , ,f nor possible for the entire night to penetrate the entire day, nor the entire
ef
grows, and rliemsel , ; a t e pa~rs, o that which 1/ie eanli
Jay 10 penet rate the entire night.
G d ( es, an ef that wl11d1 they know not!
1

o Exalted is Hi s rem embra

/from partners] is H Wf n ee) says: Transcendent and disassociaced ll\TERPRETAT I ON OF And the sim rims on to a resting-place for it
of the ea nh and ,f le 10 crea ted all the different colou rs of the plants
God {Exalted is His remembrance) says: The sun runs to its place of rest.
among th eir' child .t1emseves d1 · H e says : G o d created male and female from
0
:bl.' preposition Ii ("to") m ea ns i/ii (here]. A report on the authority of
He has not )'e t d' re,'• "d" efrlzat which they know not, also, among the things tr Messenger of God($) has come rco us} affirming this.
u 1ge to th e h
t h·mgs th ar theseivpol ' th cis L'k ·
m .. 1 ew1se, God created pafrs among t r An _account of the narration concerning that:
the y describe H· )d t s ascnbe to Hin1 and the pa rtn ers by which ,I-T Abu_ Kurayb- J abir b. Nul~-al-A' mash-lbrahlm [b. Yazid/
im an ot her things.
a} mi - his fat her- Abu Dharr al-Ghifarr said, "I was sitting in th e
; ~os_guc wi th the Prophet($) and, when the sun set, he said, 'Abii Dharr,
COMMENTARY k )ou know w here th e sun went?' I replied 'God and His M essenger
j36:37/ A ,· fi ON THE FO LLOWING DIVINE WORDS, itO\\' bes t. • T he Prophet sa id, ' It goes to pr~strate before its Lord and
ig 11 or rl,em is the . I . 01 seeks p · as 1·f 1t
· was sat'd
darkness . I . / mg,t. W e stripitojtheday,and/o!dreyarem to it "R, enm·ss10
• 11 to return, which it is grante d . It 1s
., 6
I liar isl rl,.38 A11d the 511 " runs on to a resting-placefior 1/.
, d . .
. for /n .t t~rn to where yo u ca me from" and so it rises from chat place,
God (Exa lted is . t or aimng ef the Mighty, the All-knowing. at 15 It s abode (mustaqarruhii). " ' . !
to do h
re, Hi s re inen l,
w ateve r He will r~n ce) says: Another indicator of God's power 1 lhr ( Oot ... 1H of I · • · J fun' JHa'ii11i
d 111
, 41-Q_,, j n, i :n&. t us ~cmcucc :1.11d the fo Uowing three sentences 1s foun a· ·
nove th e day from it s ~ l r ie niglu- We strip it cf the day. He says: W,e
. lt.' part icl e minim ("of") means 'anhu in rh1s • Aclord111 to ,· . . . • . J I·n the S uuan of
l 1rnuJ I __g I Su} Ut 1. van .a11o ns of AbU Dharr s baJ,th arc .also foun dh ' d
lbu ,\k 1 ;; ic M,m,ad of Jim H:mbal: tht· ~r'foic conuucnt.aries of ibn .al•Mun ir;n
r:::'"a:~~t'H 0'.du ~Parag•raI,h. uicludrng lbn M:u' ud 's irreg ular re.adi11g, is foundina.l· f~rri', ~re~dd:11~:1ll:"i 5:4t•-~;1 :h~;,:
a'.1d_t he Mu ja,,"11aj of Sa' id b. M anpJr: al-Durr til- ,:wnthUr,
0" · i :377 the u a \J n~tiom of thi s ht1ditl1 found in the SaMlr s of Bukhari a~d Mus am.
1 11
proS t r~ce~ 111 from of the Throne inste:id of i~ front of God Huusclf.

4 20 42 1
 TABAR.I Siimt 'r"a' S i11 (36: 1-83 )

One of chem sajd, rega rding that h "A n.I ;i sign fo r the m is th e moo ,1. We /,ave appoi,rted {it in] stations:"
~ ishr _/b . Muc5d hj - Yazld fb. •~r:t been informcdofb ·: 0ihn Mecca ns. Mcdinans , Basran.s an~. most Kufans ~ead the moon m
Q!_rada said , co ncerning Hi s st at em ent A II Sa id {b. Abi cArGba]~ the .1.ccusa ti\'e c:i.sC' wit h the m ca nmg: Wc.,'1ave app01~ted the 010~1:_
for it . .. It is a single moment
tald,llw )..,
I. h . n t tesun runsontoamting. /
• w uc IC cannot exceed (1110qt wa/J~; [ml stations. Just as We did with the su~. These reCiters read [ta!n
Crun~"}] in the fem inin e, since th ey refer .1t back to the .sim ,_ and the ,~a':'
. O tl1~rs sa id: The m eani ng of that is that th . bft \\'C'Cll th e two clauses is for the posterior verb (which IS qaddamaJ .
It s aport1~11 ed station s (ma qiidir mau,ii<}i'ilta). i II c sun runs Its count', to
TA BARi SAID: Th e correct opinion, in our estimation, is that both
travel s to Its furthe st stat io n in the W, d n other words] , rhe sun
pass beyond it . They said. Th at . b est an I then it returns, as it cannot ;odrngs arc we ll kn ow n an d have sound meanings, so the reciter wi1l be
eac h n ig ht until it ends . . I I S fi eca use t le sun continues to adnncr comn rc:iding either o n e. The interpre tation of this passage is : A sign
up m t 1c urrhesc West, and then it retu rns. for them is Our ac t of appointing the moon {in] stations, in the form of
wJning after its fullness, its perfection and regularity, 1111til it returns like an
I NTERPRETATION OF Tliat is tlie ordainin .
He says· All th W I ,gefiheM,ghty, th,All-k11 011,;,. c!.f shrii-cled palm-stalk ('urjr1n).
. . at e 1ave described con . h . ¢
An urj,iu is a raceme of dates ('idhq) from the sprouting-place in a
rn_n s resting-place, is the ordain in ef;he ~ermn_g t motion of tht sun
H ts enem ies rhe All k .
ever y or her ;hing N- ·nou,,,,~ 0
f
Mig hty, In Hts vengean ce against
th e good deeds of His creatures Jnd
datr-pJ\m to the stalks loaded with fruits (shamifrikh)/ God (Majestic is
H1s praise) likens !the moon} to the old shriveled palm-stalk. Old here means
. o cove ring ca n hide anything from Him. :·dried out ." because th e raceme can only be found bent and curved when
a gm old and dry. It is nea rly impossible for it to become straight and
r~ert like the trun k s and branches of all other trees. Likewise, the waning
COMMENTARY ON
li6· J THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS, 01 the moon at the end of the month before it disappears, when it becomes
·39 And for rhe moo Wt I . . bmt and curved, is like th e shriveled palm-stalk.
old shri,,eled I lk" e iave appo1111ed stations until it returns likea11
nor doepatim-Sla. h ' · l i6·· 40J It is· not fior tne
' s1111 to overtake the moon, The follm.vi ng inte rpre ters said something similar to what we have
The~ ,_ s ie ,11g t owstrip tiie day. T11eyJIoat each in a sphere. JUSI said concerning th at. An account of those who said that:
_Ali lb. Daw ud al-Taniiml)- Abu $ali]:i ('Abd Allah b. Salib)-
1/,e mao~r ~: ;ecirers d.isagreed over rhe r ea ding of His statement Audfi,r
reciters read 1~ 1,c appo,~zted Sfatiom. i Some Meccan, Medinan and Basuo
~-
1 ""°'Y' lb. Salih)- 'All (b. Abl Talba]-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning
1 a is. Sr,Hemcnr 11mil it returns like a,i old slirilleled •urjUtJ, "The root of an
[in the previo ie "' 0011 111 rbc n omina ti ve case coordinated with rhuur:
nn~t raceme of dates."
1

Q.36 :37), th e us,versej, since if the sun is coo rdinated with the nighr (in
5 I uhammad b. Sa'd (b. Muhammad al-'Awfl)-my father-my
it is also amo~/ ,e ~'100 ~1 ll1U S t agree sy ntacti ca lly with the sun, beca u e
.[~l•l:fusay n b. al-1:lasan }-n;y father-his father {'A{iyya b. Sa(d
sign s. 1 Accord · g t e signs (ayat), like the night and the sun are two
rng to th is rea ding, th e int e rpretation of the passagt is: dd \'.ft ]-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning His statement 11t1til it returns like an
1
s~u,e/:d c14 rjii11, " cU ,jih1 means a dry raceme of dates."
i

2
T h11 h the o pin10
1r1t ri gu in
plalc"), ....~;.C~ft' IIC(' to the rcad;n
In o di c he •ay~ 1~a valid
.:~~u
11 of al-Far~ · · A <- _
1
af- Q!,!r 'a 11, 2.:377. Tabari does not include al-Fam
a "'"llaqarral,mutaqarr,m /aha (M/thc- sunJ has no rei rmg
-"
1
al- Ii a qub b. Ibrahlm (al-Dawraql]-Ibn ' Ulayya-Abu Raja'-
. asa n [al- Ba~ri J said, con cerning His statement Aud/or cl,e moon We

po...,..,/·:.
1
11
:~;: 1• g ivc n d1a tht ',~; 1i: ~,i'>eQu,c ii nn p lks rhat the sun is in pe~tual mot1 o~;
1
ca,.,, Com pare ; hare all coordin;i.;! J i> t Jun an_d the moo11 are all among the s1g~s of :'.e I ~~•rb~ :Ja-,addii/1 11'ala, 1-1,J, mi11
al- shamsfl'l-,m:i'nii li-ami a/-wiiw allatifiha li'l-fi '/ ,,mid 'akhkhar:

:~<'
of '1<1ffkr, the 1s pa1ugc w1th l l-F Y ~~le co,nJunct io n 111Dw. they should all be in tht dill~ d-Q_.,~:r~,:9:4 36• This sentence makes little sc:ne without hc:lp fro"!. the editor of Al~'iinl
3 lbn Atiy
111 110111111at1 ve Cl l rr;i., A1a iini al-Q!r'a 11 2 •37 s f:ura' prefen 1hr ro ' '1//Jh yaq,;,, ~ : ~:unph.· provided by al-F;arri' , w hich Tabari drops: In th.c- scn,t e:~;:; ,~~1~
al- A' raJ;J~ ::::lx-, rca~:;
1
tl111
1
, _ , • · · _
l:,J 11 11
t\·J:f
h()t the riou n Ii ~a ~iya1a /111 y~~rib11hil, the word jiiriya is governed b.y the \"t"rb lx rwccn
lll 1he .l.{CU1a11ve ra , ,i/-i.'{J;i2: , 4 :4~ 4,~-iNafi. l bn K .i thir. Abu 'Amr, al-I:Jas»i
ca't", ·
al-Bar
l' si,1t e~ that all of thl' other reciters (b,iqiilf) reau ~,r. ,~':,::,;,:lt t ;, f~b,t:~~~,:;:'.':;,~\:vhy ;, ;, in ,he"'""".""" T
\ lllmo n of '11rjii,1 is found in a.1-F:u rf, h,fa'd11 i a/-~riin, z :37B.

42.l
 TABARJ Siira t Ya' S in (36: 1- 83)

/i a,,e appointed sratiom 1111til it rerums like an old sh . < ·- Muhain mad b. 'Amr !al-B5hilil- Abl1 'A$im al-Nabil-'Isa (b.
race m e o n a pa lm tree. wh en it age d b r1vded uryun, "Like a d \\J\·1J1lin j: and fr orn al- H arich_jb. Abi U sa1;1aJ - al-l:l_asan._{b. al-~~h~•
Al)lnad b. Ibra him al-Dawragi~ ~nb_ ~c~mes crooked." ate il,]~\lh rqa" Ib. U m ar\: both cl s5 and Warq5 - Ibn Abt NaJ11}- Mu},ah1d
h. 1-:-fayyan al- Raqqi- ' a<far b B - u az1~al-Kharraz,whoisKh -l d ~; l conn• rn ing His statem ent It is not for tire s1m to overtake tire moon. The
. . J . ur9an-Yaz1d b al al
c; r~img Hi s sracemenr umil it returns like an old shri. l JP:$a~ !aid, con. lu~-m.i.ncc f o ne of th e cwo (sun and moon) docs not cover that of the
0
o ;"Jtcs o n a palm tree, when it ages a d b ve e uryun, A raceme .i:hcr, nor should ei th er o f them {resemble the other]." As for His state-
!Im l:-f _u111 ayd - Yal.1 ya b. W 5~i1,l- ;sa i.c?t7be: c~kcd:" ment ,r dors the 11 ig lit o,astrip tlie day, [Mujihidl said, "They mutually seek
111
cernm g Hi s sta tem enr like an old sl,rii1eled , ·- •• yd Iknnu said, ron- rJch other quickl y, sin ce one of them is stripped from the other."
- Mul,i ammad b. ' Um ara a.1-Asadi- ' ~~un , A~ old palm tree." YaqUb b. Ibrahim [al-Dawraql]-Ashja' i-Sufyan al-Thawr"i-
~b u Yal.i y5- Muj5. hid said , conce rnin ay_~ Allah b. MOsi-Isra'il- hmi J\-Ab U Salib said, concerning It is not for tl1e sun to overtake the ,noon,
fMeanin g J a d ry racem e o f dac es . ., g like an old shriveled 'mjii11, "Thisonc·s lumin ance does not overtake the other's luminance, nor does
M ui) amnu .d b. ' Umar b. 'Ali - - that onc·s lumin ance overtake the other's [luminance]."
al-~ zz:'iz-Ab u 'Asin -S J - al Muqaddanu and Ibn $info Bish, [b. Mu'adh]- Yazld [b. Zuray']-Sa'ld [b. Abl 'Aruba]-
muil it ret urns i-k l
lll e nt
Bi shr fb M •-~t
/~ : y,_
n an al-TaymI said, concerning His srare-
a,i o s 1m1eled 'urji"in, "A raceme of daces. "
~ r5da said , ·con~e:n/,!- Ya~i~ fb. Zuray' J-Sa' Id [b. Abi 'ArU ba]-
~ cida said, concerning It is not for tire sun to overtake the moon, nor does the
r.iglu oil/strip tlie day, " Each one of these [celestial bodies} has a limit and 0
nurkcr that is neither transgressed nor made deficient. When the domin- Q. 36,40
appoinced sta rio f hg m11,/ tt returns like an old shriveled 'urJU,1 "God
0 ion (111/fllu) of thi s o ne arrives, the dominion of that one departs, and when 0
raceme 0 ( d~ tcs n~ d ; .; moo n and made it wane unrH it becom:s like a
the domin io n o f chat one arrives, the dominion of chis one departs."
a dare pa lm. ,. · · 0 1
en ed th e waning of th e moon to the raceme of
h has bee n narrated from Ibn 'Abbas, regarding this topic, what has
k en narrated to me from:
I N T ER PR ETATI O N OF/ 15
. Mul_ia mmad b. Sacd [b. Mu1.1am1nad al-'A~fi1-my father-my
night omsrrip tl,e day t nor far tl,e sun to 011ertake the moon, nor does rlir
uuc!e [al-f:{ usay n b. a).f:lasan )-my father-his father {'Ariyya b. Sa' d
God (Exalted is Hi s rem emb . ;i.l- Awfi ]- Ibn cAbba s said, concerning His statement It is uotfor the sun ro
ove n ake th e lllO d f; . ran ee) says: It 1s not beneficial for the su n to
0 oi·make rhe tt10o11 , nor does the night outstrip the day, "]f the cwo of them come
making all time ~ an . o r Its lumin an ce to displace the moon's luminance,
~ogeilier in the sk y, one of chem is in front of the other; and if they are
day. God (Exa ltesd _a)~l.m e wic h our an y night. Nor does the night outs1rip rlie 0th absent . o ne of them is in front of the other."
th e day. to the . is 1s r~m embrance) says: The night does not pass o\"er
i ng aII times
. pornc. t1iat It s dar k ness J·1sp Iaces the days
' lurrunance,
. Kh_[Anony mo us}- al-Jclusayn [b. al-FarajJ-Abii Mu' adh [al-Fa<;!! b.
night mak
Th -run e. . alid al -Ma rwazlj- ' Ubayd b. Sulayman\-a1-0al:il:iak said, concern·
~7t
. . e fo ll owi ng inter re .
said co ncernin g th at alters sa.id something similar ro what we h~ve
rbat, save that ti ' th oug h th e words differ in the interpretation
1
~g His statem ent It is uot for the sun to overtake the moon , "This refers to
'. e- lu tninance o f th e moon and the sun. When the sun rises.
th e moon
1
what we have said ~ meani ng s o f most of them are [in agreement] wifb
;s d~ voi d of lu nlin an ce ; and when the moon rises, the sun is devoid of
uni ni ancc d I
roe d' , rio, oes r,e nig liroutstripthe day.
,, [ I hh-k] id "This. refers
A-Oa .. a sa • h
al- 1~~ 1:iurnayd~ H~~~~co un,t o f th ose who said chat:
r. ~ sun b. Abi B ·. atn - Anbasa- Muhammadb. 'Abdal•Ral,unin-
th o . s decree and knowledge chat the day will not outstrip the ntg t,dt~
;or rl,e sm azza- MuiaJ11"d .d . . 110r e po111t th . d k nish and to Go s
ti 'to OVfrtake ti :.J sai , concerning His statement It 15 decree tha ~t it ~cache s it and causes its ar ness \ova . t ,that it reaches
1
lat of the lll oon no i e ~ioo ,i, "The luminance of the sun does not coverr it atid . ' t t 1e mghc will not outstrip che day, tot e potn
, r s o uld it do so. " cau st s its luminance to vanish." 1

I ~:_i~;,;·111g 1ht' rt";id111g of / ·

aya,,.,~" ht"r<" aud m tht· fo llo w ing rcporr in the- Dlr J·bjareJiuon: old:oth..- cdi1 o rs o f thc D i r Hajar o:d1tion
I 1,111 grJ1t:f 1
l<"lltt"nct'
- -· T rfiir for vo<,1,lizing
ofTab;t.n s ii
ihc fou.l

•~ Tl' p o n ; 19 :440.
 TABAR! S1irar Ya' Sf11 (16:1 - 83)

":he _p article an in Hi s statement an tudrik God (Exalt ed is H is reme mbran ce) says: Another indicator and sign of
no mrnat1ve case because of H· a (to overtak~) would b .
ts statement ya 11 baghi. 1 e in the Our power to do whateve r We will is that We carried theircifjspri11g, meaning
ihoir children of Adam who escaped in Noah's ship. God (Majestic is His
I NTE RPRETATION OF
He sa 'S . E , .
Tl
,ey oat each ;,, a sphere
JI rrJitc) mtl· nds for rl,rladc11 ship (al-fi,lkal-masMnin) to refer to !Noah's ship].
d - ~ . v~ryt!1111g We have mentioned-the Thcfidk is "the ship"' and maslibrin means "full, laden (mamlii' mriqar)."
ay JS mov rn g m a sphere (falak). sun, moon, night .i.nd The following interpreters said something similar to what we have
. Tl_1c fo ll owi n g interpreters said somethi . . ust ~aid conce rning that. An account of those who said that:
JUst said conce rning char. An account of th ng smula~ to what we lme 1
. Ali lb- Dawud al-Tanumij-Abu Salih ['Abd Allah b. ~alihj-
- Mul~ ammad b. al- Muthann3- Ab - ' _ose cw~o said that: )lulwiya lb- Salih]- 'Ali [b. Abi Talha]-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning
Allah al-' Ijli-Shu'ba-M 1- I -u I Nu man al-l:lakam b. 'Abd His statement And a signfor them is that We carried their offspring in the mashQUn
said, concerning TheyJloat us l/~ a -Ba/pn-Sacid b. Jubayr-Ibn cAbbis
eac I m a sp zere "They . h ;l:ip. ··in thr full lshipj."
sp I1ere of a spindle (miglrza~." ' are ma sp ere like the Mul_ianunad b. Sa' d [b. MuQammad aVAwfi}-my father-my
A nearly identical report w uncle [al-Husayn b. al-l:lasan J-my father-his father ['Ariyya b. Sa'd
Muthanna-cAbd al-S d SJ c as narrated to me from Ibn a!• il-AwfiJ-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning His statement And a sigufar them is
Sac'id b. Jubayr-Ibn t,i\~~;s. -
lU ba---:al-A'mash-Muslim al-Ba!in-
tbt !fe carried their <dfspri,ig i11 the mashblln ship, "Meaning in the weighed-
Muham mad 6 'A I I h down !ship\."
Maymu;,I . and f · (~- _a -Ba ilij-Abu 'Aiim al-Nabil-'lsa 16- Sulayman b. 'Abd al-Jabbar-Mul1ammad b. al-Salt-Abu Kudayna
ab l-War~a' lb. ,~~1 a~ b. ancl}_l_b. Abi Usa_';'aj-al-l:lasan [b. al-Ashr• !Yai,d b. al-Muhallab]-'Ara'-Sa'id [b. Jubayr] said, "The fulk
said "Tl narj' 0th Isa and Warqa -lbn Abi Najih-Mujahid
( J ofJIeach 01 ie O f t h em, meaning the night and· day, is in a
jl-m,asliluin is the laden {ship}."
yasbe Jco_urse
• 1
sphere _ !mt.in b. Musa- 'Abdal-Warith-Yunus [b. ' Ubayd]-al-l:lasan [al-BairiJ
Bishr a~ 1111 rt? oar): th ey move. "
said,concrming His statement al-masM1iin, "[lt meansJ 'loaded (ma(,mii~."'
said 1,fi- Mu adhj- Yazid [b. Zuray' J-Sa'id [b. Abi'Ariiba]~tlda
"Tl,
, JIoat in the heavenJysp1err. . _[Anonymousj-al-l:lusayn [b. al-FarajJ-Abu Mu' adh [al-Fac;ll b.
[b oar_each
'(Ali f') _ m a s,,he . r,iey
r re, m ea mng / "
Khalid al-Marwazij-' Ubayd [b. Sulayman]~I-I;>ahhak said, concern-
Mu'aw iya .b Da~vud ai-T~numlj- Abu Salih ['Abd Allah b. Salih)- m~ His Slatemcnt We carried their ojfspri11g in the laden ship, "Meaning Noah's
His st t I · Sal,hj- AI, lb. Abi Talhaj-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning
ship(upon him peace)."
yasbah ~mlent They float each in a sphe;e, "They are in circular motion.
. rm. t 1ey move.·• ~ishr lb. Mu' adh]-Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'id lb- Abi 'ArubaJ-:-
Mul;ammad b S cd [b . ~i ada said, concerning His statement And a sign far them is that We earned
uncle lal-1:fusav n a b
· Mul:iammad al-'AwfIJ-my _farher-m) rheir o_![spri11g i11 the mas/,(11i11 ship, "Laden, meaning Noah's ship-" . .
al-'Awfil- Ib ', b ·_al-Hasa nj-my father-his father ['Apyya b. Sad Yunus lb. 'Abd al-A' la]- Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, concerning Hts
sphere, "Each in. A bas sa i~, concerning Hi s statement They float each in a llattmcnt the lade11 ship, "The laden ship was the sailing vessel that ~oa~ was
s u1 a sphere 111 the heavens." on. The ,j} . h ] " He said, The
Word O sp~mg are the offspring who were on.t at vesse · d hat which
\\" m~librrn refers to that which was laden; 10 other_ w~r s, t he
~s put tn it for it to carry {Noah's] family. They put 10 It whatever t y
IJ6:COMMENTAR:
, I And _ y ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS: ,,·ished; it may or may not have been filled to capacity." _, '·d b
4
ship , IJ6:42J Aa ;gn for them is that We carried their o_ffspring in the Jade:1 Al F di J I 'A1a -Sa 1 •
- a. 6. al-Sabbah- Muhammad b. Fu,ay - / // - -,,"
[ 36 :43 j A ,,J
ca ,_
i,f;
J,:lve created for them of tir e like thereof whereon thty n_d,,.
e w, I We d I I fi h n1 ,ie1I irr
JSub,.'avr- lb11 ' Abbas . said ."Do you . h
know w at a -
I J,,lk a -mas I um t .
·
n ln ey be saved· I ' row11 t iem, and there is 110 he'P or t tt •1 I 'tdl,
A "We said no." H~ said ' "It is the laden lshipJ-" .
J ,b,r----a I- Da hhak

I
' 36

A 111111 h, poi n t i, rnad

O
:44 J Uuless by mercy from Us and as comfort for ,iii// e.
•aid mr b. Abd al-Hamid al-Amuli-Marw•~-..
· conce rning Hi s statement a/-fi,lk a/-mashbur•, ie a
~t\ - -'
den 1,1i;°pJ-"
c111al- Farr.f, A1a'a.,;a/- (eir d11, 2:378.

427
42fi
 TABAR! Siira t ) 'ii' Sin (36: 1- 83 )
I NTE RPR ET ATI ON OF A d I
1/,ey ride ,, iave createdfor them of ti J'k y,,nus Jb. Abd al-A' l:i J- Muhamrnad b. ' Ubayd- Ism a' il b. Abl
,e ' e thereof u•h
Khjl,,J- Abir s,Iih said, co n cern'.l' g H is statement A nd l,av;create~f" 1/,cm
God (Exalted is Hi s re m embran ce
l
polyth eists w ho reject you OM says: And [I#] have er, t d
erro,i

U s to th em , ef the like th ere'![ th e sh~ )~mi~~• a magnifi cent 'i:u!or ~hesc

i,{r!i, /&c rlicmf 11,Jicreo11 rliq ride. Yes, o f the like o f N oah s ship.
~PtS ! ON: Ot hers s:i id: R :ith cr, what is m ea nt by th at is camel s.
Ad am- t.h e boats th at th ey now sa~ m w ich we carried the offs : /om An account o f th ose wh o said th at:
T h e mterprctcrs di sa r d . P gof f•Au ha111n1a d b. Sa' d [b. Muh amma d al-(Awftl - m y father- m y
wliereon they ride. g ee o ve r what was meant by H·1s statemtm uncle lal -Husay n b. al-}:{asan} - m y fath er-hi s father ['A~iy ya b. Sacd
th em said· Thes
OP I N I ON : Som e o f ,1-Awfi]- lbn 1Abb5.s sa id, con cerning Hi s state ment And have created for
An acco unt of th o se w ho s-aid ch : /re boats and ships (sufim ). rlirm .f1/ie like rhereof whereon they ride, "Mean ing camels. God creaced chem
Al-Fad! b. al-Sabbah- Muh . like you sec, and cam els arc the ships on land , hauling things on their backs

,iiey,~::l~an1 ~.~[;:t~c)
Jubayr- Ibn Abbas said ;,D . • ~mad b. Fuc;layl-'Ata'-Sa'id b.
f;: 1e like tl,ereof whereon
1ese arc th e ships chat we re mad s.
~nd have ;,eated for thfrl
a I ; ~e said no." He s1id,
and people ride th em .''
Na ~r b. 1Al1- G hund ar- <Uthman b. Ghiyath-clkrima said, con-
cerning A11d haa,e createdf or them of the like there<?{ whereon they ride, " Camels."
Ibn Bashsh ar- cAbd al-Rah - e after Noah s ship, in its likenrn. " lbn Bashshar- 'Abd al-Ra]:,rnan [b. Mahdl]-Sufyan [a!-Thawrl]-
Sudd1- Abu Malik said . m an [ b. Mahdlj-Sufyiin [al-ThawriJ- 0
5co7ter~m~
Suddi- <Abd All ah b . Sh addad said, concerning And have created for them
tlicreef whereou they ride .. And har,e created for them of rhe [ikt efrlir like 1l,ereof whereon they ride, "They are camels." Q. 36,43
_Ibn Bashshar- Y;h ,t1:
_s ups~'
Abu Mali k said co ,, . }_ f I ~nan]-Sufyan [al-Thawri)- Suddi-
Mui)ammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahili]-Abu 'A1im al-Nabll-'Isa [b. 0
/"k I , cermn g Hi s t M,ymiin J; and from al-1:larith [b. Abl U sama ]-al-1:lasan [ b. al-Ashy-
.' ·e r ,ereef wliereo11 they ride "Sn 1i5 rerncnt And have created fo r thm o_fr!u abJ-Warqa' Jb. ' Umar]; both ' Isa and Warqa'-ibn Abl Najl]:,-Mujahid
if I-Ve will, We drowu them · d ;a · 5 _u ps . Do you not see how He said, And said, concernin g H is statement And have created for them of the like thereof
- lbn al-M u rhann a~ a11 t ,ere ts no help for them?" 1
wlne~u tl,ey ride, " From amo ng the livestock (min al-at1 'iim)."
Zadhan-a.1-l:fasan jal-Ba~~b at~mad b. J a'far-Shu ' ba-Man~Ur b. ~rshr \b. Mu' adh]-Yazld [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'ld [b. Abl 'Aruba] -
for them of rl,e like tli ereo,J ,J· 1J said, c~ nce rning this verse And have ae.11d
1:-{ a.rim b B k I u iereon they ride, "Small ships." 02_tada-al-l:f asan lal-Ba~rl} said, "They are camels."
Abu Si lih said cao r a - l~hbbI- <Urlm1 an b. <Umar-Shu'ba-Ismi'il- T-:BtRi SA I D: Th e m ost Likely interpretation of this verse is the opinion
11iey ride
. , ·" Sma,ll shi ps .,m ng A 11 d I,ar,e created for them of the like thereofwherNt•
ncer ~; . t ose who sai d: What was meant b y th at is ships. This is indicated by

\Anon ymo u ]- .I is ;;s::;e enc

1;,1 {w hi~h follows i~)-An~ if We will, We drown tl~em, and there
0 1. P;or them~ smce drowning obviously can only occur in w ater and
Kh alid al-Man v:zlJ __"._;0 ~ say" Jb. al- Faraj)-Abu Mu'adh [al-Fad! b. thtre
'.:1 g His stat e1nenr A d I ayd [b. Sulay man J- al-Dahhak said, concern- is no drowmng o n land.
Mea nin g the ship " '°''e createdfo r them of the like ;he;e~,jwhemm they ,;Je,
B·1 I s t 1l a t t 11ey 1d . fi . , m eaningafterNoah'ssh1p. . " for RPRET ATI ON OF A ud if We will, Wedroum tliem, a,1d there JS
tliem
H\TE - 110 help
~ - s 1 r lb. Mu<i dh ]- ~ ca te r1t
t/1;tar~ a s~.id , concernin A~;z1d Ib. Z uray' J- Sa' id [b. Abi (Aruba)-
}' ~"• They are the~} . d liai,e created fo r them of the like thereof u1he1ri111
st ate:U~JU s Ib. Abd al-N !~ps from w h ich people benefit."
are t icnt A nd have <reat ]- lbn Wahb- Ibn Z ayd said concerning His
. sa~:~
~od (Exalted is His rem embrance) says: Aud if We will, We will drow11
.~;:yrhe ists as they sail ships on the sea and there is uo help for rliem. He
es~a~)e fr~~y do not .hav~ a helping prov ide,~ (mughfthY who c~n hdp chem
hese ships. " • edfor tlu·m 0/ t/1 (' like thereof whereo~ they ride, ''The)" . 11 drow mn g 1fWe drown chem, as we have been informed by:
8 rshr Jb. Mu' adhJ - Yazld [b. Z uray' ]-Sa'ld . (b. Abl 'ArubaJ-
~:~i ~.
• Th,: <:dttor ~ of
~·h,Lh h n~:"L~i~,~ H:.iJ:.ir ccl1u 011 of •
9 -44 S (no te )
_. _.
id,.,..:d ;i v:.i l,d )] l ab:.irt s l afs ir no te 1hac m ost m :.inu u:ri p!)
h,,-t
_ 1 The
Abu Ar:.1b1c
Ub I)Iun I a11 ,_
<1111 can refe r 10 camels. sheep :.ind caule; H :.iva, 783.
4· I ural for m of f ulk ('"ship..) by Ara bic leicicogTllphcr,. i
ayda aho glosse5 1a rikli :is mugliit li; M i1jilz 11/-Q!r 'an. 2 :162.

I 42:-;
 TADART Siirar )'a' Sin (36: 1- 83 )

~t:ida sa id, co n ce rning And if We w· The following in terpreters said something simila~ to what we have
$ankh for rhem, '' In ot her wo rd h ~/I, We drown them ad I
s, t ere is no helping pro:id:r .! ierr lJ ,1 0 u<t uid conce rning that. An account of th~sc wh,o said that: c
J Oishr [b. Mu adh j- Yazld (b. Zuray J-Sa 1d (b. Ahl Aruba]-
INTERPRETAT ION O . .
F nc1tl1er ca n tltcy be saved· Qet.idJ sai d. concerning Hi s statement Wh eu it is said to them, Beware of
H e s;1ys: There is not hin g th at can ' imle$S by mercy from UJ r/:Jr w'1icli s befon' )'OII, " \Beware o f} the calamities from God th at befell the
drown ch em in th e sea unless We sav:at~e them from drowning if W prcdous
1
tio1~~ who perish ed and that which is behind them , concerning
and so We delive r them from it. 1em by mercy from Us for them~ 113

tht· b~t Hour.

tvhtj :ihid said. concerning this topic , what has been narrated to me
I NTER PR ETAT IO N from Muhammad b. cAmr \al-Bahili}-AbG 'A~im al-Nabil-' Isa [b.
H OF andascomfortfora while
says: _So that W e may comfort th e m . . M. ymCmj : ,nd from al-l:larith (b. Ahl Usama]-al-l:lasan (b. al-Ashy-
1
(a;an. It IS as if He h ad sa id " The . until the time of their death abj-Warqa' [b. ' Umarj; both 'Isa and Warqa'-ibn Ahl Najll)-Mujahid
mercy upon th e m a n d co mf~rt th ey w1ll_tot be saved unless We ha\'e sltJ, concerning His statement tl1at whicl1 is before you, .. Their previously
. T ~e fo llow in g interpreters said~o~nt1 ~he ci_m~ of their deaths.•· , committed sins, and that wliicl1 is behind you." He said, "Their sins."
JU St s~td con cern ing that. An acco m ~ethmg similar to what we h:m
TABARi SA I D : lMuj ahid's) opinion is close to our opinion that we men-
G Bishr [b . Mu' adhj- Ya zid [ it o t~ose who said that: tioned because its m eaning is: Beware of the punishment for that which is
G
Q. 36 :44-5 Qetada said , "And as com r, fi b._ Z uray j-Sa'id [b. Ahl 'Ariibaj- Q . 36:46
':Jorr or a wlule, m other words, until deach.'' bcfm you, among your sins, as well as the sins that you are committing,
G ,md those that you did not do after that. All of that takes place after they G
hJw been made fearful of the punishment they would receive for their
C OMMENTA RY O N d11beli<f [in God and His Messenger] .
j36·4 I W I . . THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
I I ' eware O,f that which is before yo11 aud 1/rar
• 5 1e11 If 1s said to them B
wl1icli is behit1d l~ TERPRETAT I ON OF Never came a sign of the signs of their Lord to them,
IJ6 : 6j Neyou• tlat iaply
,Jer can . you ma~ fi 11 d mercy, (they are heedless). h t rlrey did tum awa y from it!
4 b ie a srgn of th e srgns of their Lord to them ,
G d ut tlrey did turn au,ay from it! God {Exalted is His remembrance) says: Never did a sign come to these
~rJy~hi poly theists- in other words, no divine proof (b1'.ija) or sign
o (Exalted is H is reme mb
wh~.a ssociate partners wit h ran ee) says i When it is said to these people, (llliima) of the reality of His oneness and the veracity of His Messenger
(~). Beware of w h at ha God and r eJCCt His Messenger Mu}.lammad CJmc to them- but tl1ey did turn away from it! They neither reflected upon
ance and H is , I ppened before yo11-conccrning God 's vengc· ldicSe signsl, no r exatnined them carefully, which would cause them co
'\vI m erited \exe mp ary pu 111. 5 I
thi s trea tm en im ents of those nations prior to you, now God's argument against {their false beliefs}.
1
10
on account of , t ]- that the sa m e Itreatment] is flt for you,
nd ~U~STlON : What is the apodosis ro the conditional sentence, When it
rliat which is beh)odu r polyc h ei 5 rn and reiection of His Messenger, tl issll id 10 tl,em, Bewa re of that which is before you and that which is behit1d you?
d iriyou ." H J
s;a~th ' w~a t yo u wi ll enc: says: (~ewa re of] that which is after your
~~SPONS E: The apodosis to His statement, as well as the apodosis to
ma e of d1sbc-I ief, tlim l,a I unter, if y ou were co die in your currenrdt
. Y have me re . PY yo u may fi,1d mercy. He says: So your Lo ;;1"' ""'' a sig ,1 of t/,e siglls of their Lord to them, is His statement but they
Hun } ) on yo u if d fi r i ru ru away from it. This is so because their act of turning away refers to
and t ~rough repentance f yo u g uard yourself against this ~n _ea
ob . stnctl y obcy in H · rom yo ur pol y th e ism, believing tn Hurl,
hgator y upon yogu. lln th ro ugh lfulfilling j those acts He has uiadr ,!!
1 1
c Dar H~pr edition h :i.s Ja-ya'malii. inste~d o f the e:i.rlier print e?,itio_ns _
30d
:;:;~

:nJ'' ;.'""
1
bcc:~H:nj'~ ~f Tab:i.ri's 1'af1ir, whic h h:i.ve fa-ya'fam ii.; i9 :449. pref~r /;,ef: ~;;i.insi

l A vny \tnul ;i.r txpl;i.11;i.uo11 1~ f

thc :~
111
rd1gious pr:~ 1;i~:/~1s
Mgns th ~1 the po ly theis1s rejecud le:i.d to ki~ow lcd~:
o n t ncss ;i.nd tht truthfulness of H u Mess g ·
;;i.t~c~ ihl.n corrtcl

vu nd 111 :i.l - F:i. rr;i" . A1ail11I al-~r~11 . :,. :379.

43 0 43 1
 TABAR.I
S iirat Ya' Sin (36:1 - 83)
eve ry sign of God , and so it is sufficient t
sta1ement. The m eaning of this assa
ef that whirl, is before you a d ti r.
~.nswer {both clauses] .
_ge IS Wh en it i.s said t I, With this
sig n comes 10 th em then t zat w uc/1 .•.s behind you they tut o t em, Btu'rlrt
GC'd (b: altcd is Hi s rem embrance) says : These pol yt h eists, :"ho d eny
God") thrc:tt 3 11 d th e R csu rrec ti.o n after d e~th , : !1allengc _thei_r Lor~ t?,
briHg , 1,out H is ch:1sti sc mcn1 ~Ulckly, by say mg. Wf.1 en unit tlm ~romrse,
, Y urn away. 1 n away;andifa 1
uH:.mmg 1,r pnm1isr of the arnval of the Last H~ur, be Ji,lfilted , if you , 0
1
pt pk. ,ire rr11tlif,il?_
.. This is th ei r stat em e nt !directed] to the people of
0

COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING fauh m God :tnd Hi s Messenger.

/36 :47j And when it is said to ti S d DIVI NE WOR.DS:
·,; tem , pen of that b .
prov, ed you , those who disbelieve ounty 1111th 111/,fr/i God haJ COM MEN TARY O N THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
S hall wefted those wl G d . say to those who believe
zom O if He ·11 d ' [36: 49J Th ey wait bur one Shout, which will seize them while they are
You are in nothing othe/tl '"' e , llJOu/dfeed?
God (Exalted . . tan error manifest . disputing. (36: 50] Then they will rJOt be able to make
I is His remembrance) . a beq11est , nor u,ill they return to their own folk.
w l ~ associate partners w ith God .. ;aysj A,1d r,,hen it is said to thescJ>('op!e
pro1•1ded yo11 , and take from it th e, pen of the bounty of God th at Heh.i.i God (Exa hcd is His remembrance) says : These polytheists, who cha1lcngc
G you to spend on the eo J . am o unt God has made o bligator , u on God to brin g about His chastisement quickly, will wait but otJe Shout, which
Q .36 ,47 11·11/ .;ei::l' them, and this is the terrifying Shout at the arrival of the Last Hour.
G say to those 11,/,0 believe i, G J
oneness o f God and :o~:i int~=cd a~d poor folks, " those who d]ny~he
d t wluch is other than (or bene:n h) Him The fo llowi ng interpreters said something similar to what we have
ju~t said co ncerning that, and some reports have reached us (from the
Q. 36 :48-
0
wealth and fo od those u}ion~ Ga; if~s M_essenger, " Shall we feed with our
IN o , I e wdled, wouldfeed?" Prophetj. An account of those who said that and of the {prophetic]
reports abo ut that:
TERPRETATI ON OF You are . .
Th ere arc two ways of inter . m notlnng other than error manifest lbn Bashshar-Ibn Abt <Ad'i and Mu}:ianunad b. Ja' far-'Awf b. AbI
II J Jr was said b h d" prettng this se ntence· J_~•;ila-Abu'l-Mughira al-~wwas-'Abd Allah b. 'Amr [b. al-'Ai) said,
prct . y t e Jsbeh eve rs rO h b 1· ·. . ie Horn w1 ll be blow n when all of the people are in the streets, markets
atton of the word . Id r e e 1evers, m which case the inter·
at1<l g_;n hcrings, such that a garment is between two men, bargaining over
~t ~;.; e, ~nd
anyo J s \\·O u be· "O
u,irl ne ~v 10 examines and refle · you people (believers], it is d ear to
r wl11ch God has proi,id d crs upon your statement. 'Spend ojthat bou11t)' _o n e man does n~t releas~ it from his _hand until the Horn is
rar rron I e you on yo u · di ,
0. · bcn if a m an leaves his house m the mornmg, he does nor return
the b . 1 t _1c truth, deviati n fi r in . gene people, that you arc but to It before the Horn is blow n. This is w hat God means by They wait bur
ctter 11lterpretatio f gh. rom the straight path, and in error. " This is
I I T hi s sentence wa s n ° kt 15 passage, among these two interpretations. :~f Shout, wliicl, will seize them while they are disputing. Then they will not be

t e ~leaning would b -~~'oOen by God to the polytheists, in which case

C :.make a bequest , nor will they return 10 their owufolk."
manifest b c. disb e J·ievers, you are;,, nothino other than mvr Q_a_ -/ " . lb. Mu' adh)- Yaztd [b. Zuray' )-Sa'td [b. Abi 'Aruba)-
,,~ ldj, eca use your st
,/ ta a sa id, concerning Th ey wait but on e Shout, which will seize them while
...-vu e d'>' . atetnenr 'SI, II J
sta t e · 15 bu1 a manifi a we feed those whom God,
cmcnt Was erro neo;/;,' error, as is yo ur statement that [the beJievers'J
if Heiuille, \\? ~~t' dispruing, " It h as been m e ntioned to us that the Prophe t of God (~}
thou . say, ' The Last Hour will suddenly come upon the people, as one of
oncn~ is Watering his cattle , and another one is in his field , and yet another
COMMEN
an~ is _p_romot in g hi s goods in the market, and another one is lowering
l16 ·48j TA 11_y O NT in ~-aismg his scale. Th e Last Hour will come upon chem while they are
. A,,d they say W HE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
iii~ ts Slate, then they will not be able to make a bequest, nor will they return to
, hen u,·/1
1 1h ' <f./'
1 hh \ ts promise be fulfilled, if you are trut11;U · e1r ow ,1Jolk."' 1
1
)111 .. ~ I I{ ~>:: rl~r1 a t1011 l l f,

ound iu al- Farr,5 •, Ma'Jn i al-QEr'an, 2:379.

Ac{orduig to S .- • I •
h. l:fu nilyd l nd ulh~1l~~t~~~ t;,:~/t:;:~:: :i-.~~:,~,~!;~t.;~~
1
4
• · · f ' bd
~ r imc commenunes o A

4 32
433
 TABAR.i
s ,, mt Ya ' Si,i (16:1 - 83)
Yunus lb . 'Abd al-A' la] - Ibn
~tat~~ncnt bur one Shout' "Th bl W~hb-Ibn Zayd said still on it s in sid e, and that which was on the surface
mg. c owing jof the Horn] i,sc~n~erning Hh 1
is still o n its surfa ce .
Abu Kurayb- 'Abd 1 - smgle blow.
Ismf il b. Rafi c-someo, a -Ral:unan b. Muhammad i~T£R PR ETAT IO N OF while rh cy arc disputing
b. Ka(b al-~raz'i- Ab - 1~ who mentioned this to h· al-Mu baribi-
The ~r'an reciters disagreed over the correct reading of while they are
"When God co~1 1 u uray ra said: the Messcn im-Mubammad
crea ted th e $1'ir ar;d eted the creation of the heaven~er ~f God ($) said. Ji.<p:11iu.c.
mo uth , and stared at ~;ve;; to [ the angel] Isra:frl, w~n the_ carrh, He
\i\ Some Mcdinan reciters read yakli$$it111lt1/' with the meaning of
)'Jkl:1,1~i111 ii11\Form Vlll}. They contracted the ta' into the $ii.d, so that
Ab u Huray ra said "O 1~ none, waiting for the co o pudt it over hh
'' It i I ' essengcr of G 0 d h mman to blow it " :he ,aJ has a sliadda on it, and left the suki'in on the kha', as in yakhtajitmln.
s a 1orn (qarn)." [Ab- H , w at is the #ir'" H .· [:\ Some Mccca ns and Basrans read yakha$$imi'in, also with the meaning of
H e said u urayra] asked "Wh d . e repl1<d,
• ' at ocs it look likr?" y.iU11.:i,1im ii11. They applied thefatha of the tii.' [in the form yafta'il,lt1] and
It is an enormous horn thac will •pplicd it to the klia' , and they contracted the tii.' into the $ii.d, so that the
Th e.~rst blast is the "cerrif in be b~.own three times. sjJ had a sliadda on it. 3
Q rh e thundering Sh " y gShout, thcsccondoncis bl Some Ku fa ns read yakhi$$innln with a kasra under the kha' and a shadda
Q. 36,49 o f the R.esu . out and the third one is the "Sh on the siid. The kasra under the kha ' is caused by the kasra under the $Od,
rrect 1011 before ti L d out
Q G od commands Is -n1 le or of the Worlds."• md tht: sliadda on the siid comes from the contraction of the tii.' and the
"' Bl ra I to make ti fi bl
o w th e terrifyin Shau I" l~ irst ast by saying, s.id(in a Form VIII ve~b]:'
crea tures in th e I g t. which startles all of the !4\ Some other reciters read yakh$inuln, in the form of yafi!Uu [Form I),
God wills !not t;e:ven s and the earth, except he whom ~rom \the ve rbal noun} klm$ilma. 5 The meaning i.n this reading is akin to
bl ow thi s Sho ut e;ra~tledJ. God commands Israfil to ibey are discussing", or "they were disputing among themselves about
fo r a whil e it .' a~ ' since it continues uninterrupted th<.' coming of the Last Hour and Resurrection and defeating him with
;,,il/ ;;
Shout, tlrere t at to which These wait for but onr a:i argu me nt about this."<,
God no second theret 0 (Q 8 )
con1111and s Isr- HI b] ·3 : 15 refers. Then TAB~ Ri SAID: Th e correct opinion, in my estimation, is that all of these
at which point all:~ tt; ow the "thundering Shout",
t<.'adtngs are widely attested and well known among the reciters of che
earth are destroyed e e creatures in the heavens and
th e m eanin g of Ari/ ,Xcept whom God wills; this is
God takes th e 1· 10 . theywereextinct(Q.36·29) Then 1
~: ~ ~~;1~~~ 10 11 ) a fa r longer /iaditli from Abll Hurayra, which b<gins. in~ similar fashion to
Q.1 th e n de part ~ significantl y from it. This hadith is found m hu commeni.iry on
He, th e O ne. th~ ~es of whomever remains ~ntiJ onl y
!::~!~le:
),9:68 ;i. nd l) not located in any of the canonical lfadilh collections; al-Durr af-,rumthU.r.
At th is point, H e s::n~rne Master (al-Samad), i remains. 5' D.a r l·b .jar editors refer readers to a long badith that is subsc:uui.ally different~~
31·e6 / r tl:~ieir e~itio n . The presence of an unknown tr:u1sm.itter in the uniJd of Tabar1 s
new, perpetu all y ~fltutes th e earth and heavens with 1110
l "Wn\i ;i.0 k _is liad,1l1 rend t' r~ it .. 'l.\'eak" at best. . _6,
. od cries out and II aft earth, without curves. ·T hen 1.nd Ab- w im on the kl11i' and a 5hadda 011 the 5aJ.'" Ibn 'A$iyya ascribes this readmg to Na
It Was i a O creati
11 previously. so that w ain .comes back to the state J lhn :\ti~· ~ni r ; .a l-A111liarrar al-wajiz, 4:456. . _
uch was on the inside is ;.[.i,.hk_l) U\cnbes this reading to lbn Kathir, Abll 'Arnr, al-A' r:aj. Shibi and lbn al-~s1a~pn
to Abu ~ ~ 1,-A111 !uurar al- waji:::, : 6. He acknowledges th:u all three readings :i.rc :ucnbcd
4 45
1
:~•nd A11na ~sc ribe) this reading to 'A}illl Kisi'i Jbn 'Amir, Nafi' (in addition to th~ fir.st
th e ~:~t~~~l:l:nan a~-8.a ~ri :i.nd Abo '~nu; ~/-A1ubarrar11/-u'DjfZ., 4:457. Thh is the rc:i.dmg Ill
S 1h11 A11 ·v:i. ~:la~) prm1.1ng of the ~ r :in. .. . Al-Farri' ;ucribl:s it
to lbn J,' scribes 1h1 ~ reading 10 }:l:i.nn::i.: a/-Mubarror af-wapz. 4.457.
~i \u :nht h :i.h ; M a'ii11i al-~r'ii11, 2:379. ,_ . 79
' '' very ~i lllilar tO :i.l-F:i.rri"s explanation of 1his re:i.ding: A.fa'iilli a/-Q!r ""• l , J ·

435
 TABARJ
Siira t Ya' S in (16 :1- 83)
garr i_son citi es. as we ll as close in .
rcadrng any of them. meaning, so th e reciter will he \n\lthcr word s. fro m t h eir ajdiitl1 , w hich are their g~avcs . The singuc~a~ is
correct
/ " ' · There ,re ,wo languages: the people of the highlands (aid al- a/1ya)
I NTERPRETATIO N OF thc11 the . ,j,.l."_1'. '."ith, tl,a' : and the people of the lowlands (aid al-.<a.fila) say jadaf
tliey retum to their own folk y wt!/ not be able to ,nake ab(, 0
God (E . I d . . quesr, llorwi/1 1111h:i.P.
Tl;e follo wing int erpreters said something similar to what we have
xa tc ts Hi s remembran ce)
t~ rnHake a bequest of th eir wealth to s:ys: These polytheists will no1 bt· bl jtii! sJid concerni ng that. An account of those who said ch at:
t IC orn. n or will th nyone at th e tim f h b . • , Ali lb, Dawrtd al-TamlmlJ-Abu Salil:i ['Abd Allah b. Salil:i]-
who . cy retum101/reiro11111folk H cot c lowingof
is separated from hi s fa n ·J . e says: Nobody am .11, iw,y., lb, Salil)J- 'All [b. Abl Tall:ia]- Ibn 'Abbas said , concerning
granred ti me cod l 11 y ca n return to them b h ong them !fo st.ucmrnt from the ajdiit/1 they vie on to their Lord, "From th e graves."
T l f. o t ia t. Instead th ey h • ccausct cyareno·
. ~c a ll owin g interpreters ~a id are a~cened toward perdition. ' Bishr lb, Mu'adh]- Yazld [b. Zuray' ]-Sa' ld [b. Abl 'ArubaJ-
JUs t sa_1d con ce rning char An sometlung similar to what we h ~1ada said, "And lo! from the ajdiitli, meaning from 'the graves."'
_B1shr [b. Mucadhj ~ Yaz;~count of ch?se who s2id that: :nt
~;a,da said , "T/,,y will 1101 be able ~:- Zkur;y ]-Sa' id [b. Abi 'Aru baJ- INTERPRETAT I ON OF they vie on to their Lord
G 111 I '~}' return to their oum folk- cl :na e equest of what they possess, ,1.,, H(: says : They go o ut quickl y to their Lord . .! Nasaliin means "to walk
Q. 36:50- 1 Yunus lb. 'Abd al- A' Iaj- b l C) are hastened from doing that." bnskl y." G
G statement TJ 1ey wait but o,ie S I, 1 11
Wahb-Ibn
( z ayd sa1•d , concerning His The following interpreters said something similar to what we have Q. 36:52
at the beginning of R . out, to the end of the verse) "Th· JUST s:i.id concerning that. An account of chose who said chat: G
w'/1 es urrection D ., S b , 1s occun
J , "~I be able to make a be ue~t a~. u seq uencly, he recited tlm1 they , Ali [b. D:iwud al-Tamlml]-Abu Salil:i ['Abd Allah b. Salil:i]-
-lorn 15 blow11 and /o ffrom ,t · '
nor wt!/ ~hey return to their ow11 folk; a11J rite
gra1,es they vie on to their Lord (Q.36:50--1).
Mu,w,ya lb. Salil)J-'Ali [b. Abl Tall:ia]-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning
His ,c~iement ym1siliiu, "They go out [from their graves}."
B,shr lb. Mu' ad h]-Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa' id [b. Ahl 'Aruba]-
COMMENTARY ON TH ~ tada said," Ya11 sil1i,i to their Lord, meaning they go out [co their Lord}."
[3 6:51 J A11d the H . E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
Lord
I ' J J 6 :52] Cryiom g Wtblown and I0 ·'firomt,egravesthqvieonlotheir
I
15
l ~TERPRETAT I ON O F Crying, Woe upon us! Who lias raised us from our
11
5 eep? This is rliar ,'- I
0
e upon us! Who has raised us from our place of a; of sleep? This is that wliicli tl1e Beneficent did promise, and tlie Messengers
1 Benet:
111 lie , 1,e d'd .po e1ru1lifully
5P0 k (' tnulif,,lly. 1 _ J ! ,cem t promise, and the M we11gers
b36 · 53 It ts but one Shout and behold them God
R. (Exalt ed is · H is remembrance) says: When che Horn is bl own oor t h e
God (Exalted is . ro11gh t together before Us/ emrrection, blowing at the station of che Resurrection, and their souls
already , . His rcm cmbran )
and the ~1 e11:1oned the disa ree1ce says, A nd che Hom is blown. We ha~'e
a;1: r~turned to their bodies-and that is after the sleep they have been
so tha . orrcct opinion w·gh . 11ems over the meaning of the Honi (!slf) e,rrmg (in oth er wo rds, dcath)-then these polytheists will say, Woe upon
t Its rep . · .
(11afklia)" . ct, uon is unnece ' It Its . sup porting · ev1'dence, m
. sufficient
• detal I ~
it .Who lias raised i,s from our place of sleep? It has also been alleged that this
1in this verscj is I ssary at thi s pl ace. ' The intended "blowing " PTltakes PIace benvecn the cwo blowings [o f t h e H orn ]•
t 1e blowin R ·u\t ~c follow ing interpreters said something similar to what we h ave
INTER PRE g at esu rrection.
J ~aid concerning that. An account of those who said that: -
TAT JO N OF and ,
lo . from the g ra1,es Mu!Jam m ad b. Bashshar-Abll A.Qmad al-Zuhayri-Sufyan
1 Taba ndi ~

Ill lui co111~:::~;u,1 topic :t i l<' ng 1h 1

) on Q .iS:9<J (no:
I 1 Abu Ub~ ·ib
h1g:hl..nd ?. n.y~ the same thing, ahhough his rwo groups of spea~cn ·.
:u eihe" o lt of 1hc
_ pc P
:
11
~;l::~uneni~ry o n Q .6:73 ;md adds a few mort «parts
111 t!11 ) tran slation). l r..bu Vb: -,~:idthe "people of Najd." respectively; Majdzal~Q.!r~•'.· ;;;~::,~~fan. 2 : i6J .
} glosses y1msifii 11 .is ysu,a' Un (''they are niovt'd quickly ), •

4 3(1
437

1-
-
 TABAR! S11 rat Yii' Si11 (36 :,- 83 )

lal;Tha~v rll - Man1ur- Khay thama-al-1:iasan lal-Ba1ri]-Ubary b d' recd ove r who will say This is that which th e
Ka b said, conc~: nmg His statemenr _Woe 11por1 us! Who has rais,d '" J,"' Tlir intc rprct~rs isa_g time. .
our place of sleep,_ They ~ere asleep pn~r to the Resurrection (al-ba'th)." BmrP,rn r drd pnmuJc at tht s . . o le of faith in God will say this.
Ibn Bashshar- Mu amma l- Sufyan lal-Thawri]-Man1!ir---, nun ·, N: Some of them sa id: !he pe_ P '
ca ll ed Khay th ama said , concerning His statement Woe upon ,s.f Wlio h OPINAJO cot11H of those w ho said that. b al-Ashyab]-Warqa [b.
1 nI 1ac1 - ·th lb. Abt U sama
- ]-al-Hasan
·. [ · - g This is that 1vuc1
I · / th e
raised usfrom our place of sleep?, "They are asleep prior to the Rcsurreciion 45.~ A- :iart ·-1 ·d sa1d concernm h"
Bishr lb. Mu' ad h] - Yazld lb. Zuray' ]-Sa'ld lb. Ahl 'Arub, j- Um.ir]- Ihn Ahi N:1Jil~~ ~u]~a 1~ H •clarified; the believers say t is at
~ tada said, concerning Woe upon us! Who has mised us from 0 1tr plaa if did promise, "lTh.1s 1s,, 1w at e
B:r:(Pw 11 , -
sleep?, "This is a stat ement [that will be Uttered byj the people of error.' the ~ime of the Resurrec tion. - Zura ' }-Sa<id [b. Abl Aruba]~
The ' sleep' is the rime between the two blowings. " Bishr lb. Mu' adh] - Yaz1d [b. Thy_ ·s that ivhich the Bcr1ejicer1t did
· H "s statement 15 1 ·)I say
Mu\iammad b. 'Amr ial-Bahil1J-Abu 'A1im al-Nab1l-'lsa jb. ~1:ida said, co nccrnmg t "The eople of guidance wt ,:
Maymttn]: and from al-l:larith lb. Abl Usamaj-al-l:lasan lb. al-Ashy- rpmi.-t aud ,lie h1esse11gers spoke trutliful~y. d tip Messenoers spoke truth/111/y.
' 15 1' 1 B ,h t did promise an ie 6 h
abi- Warqa' lb. ' Umar]; both ' Isa and W arqa'- Ibn Ahl Naji\i-Mujahid Thi., /wc u,/1icl1 I 1e eue_,,cen ' -Woe upon us! Who as
said , co ncernin g Hi s statement Woe upon us! Who has raisedu.sfrom ourpl.ut OP INION: Others sat : at er,
·d R h both h h. h the Beneficent d'd
. . statements .e
t pronus '
Q ef sleep?, "The disbelieve rs will say this." rJi.< eJ iu from our place of sleep? and Th,s IS t at w statements of the disbe- G
Q.36,j2 The m ea nin g of man ba(athanii min marqadinii liadha is "Who has wok- ,wd clie ~\1essengers spoke trwJifi,lly-are among t e Q. 36,53
Q e n us up from ou r sleep?":: It is like th e expr ess ion "So-and-so made h~s lievers.
G
camel ri se (ba'atha 11aqatah11 ) and it rose . " \vhen he makes it rise and_1~ An account of those w ho said th at: b z d said concerning His
rises. It h as been all eged that Ibn Mas<Gd read man ahabbana min marqadma Yunus lb. 'Abd al-A'la]- Ibn Wah;-! n ~;, plac: of sleep?, "Then
hadl,a ("Who has aro used us from this , our place of sleep?"). Huemc nt Woe upon us! Who has raise llS from o 'This is that which the
Hi s statem ent this (hiidhii) can be interpreted in two ways< ·es some of them will say to others among th em,l,fi 11 They informed
&n~ficem did promise, and tJ,e M esseng~rs ath
spoke
andtrut 1 " Y·
1
1 ] In the first way, hiidhii is an allusion to mii (that which), which makh then be taken to account
it the initial subject (m ubrada') of a sentence, after the conclusion oft e u,t hat we wo uld be re surrected after e
prev .~ous_se ntence, Wh o has raised 1Hjrom our placeo,fseep. I , Th;n "is,a(hadlia)
becomesis and requited."' . e believers will utter th.is sen-
notnrnan ve on acco un t of hiidhii 4 and the sentence means Th TABA Ri SA I D: The first opimon, that cb lation because the
the
2
promise of rlie Be11eficent,and tlze Messengers spoke truthfully." ,fd tence, is closer to the apparen t mean ing ,of the revethat the dis_b e1·ieve rs
indicates ·r
1 1 The othec interpretation is that lhiidhiij is an adjective of plau o, t~ phra~e Wlio lias raised usfromourplaceofsleep. h . I eofsleep [1.e., thet
(ma,qad) and so it is in rh e genitive case because it refers back to th, ';h ·,w:re igno rant of w ho had raised them from t eir Pac ht to establish who
marqad Iwl · I1 · - l ' l h predicate. e gra\·es]. It was o ur of their ignorance chat they soug ht to establish the
tncani Hc ts In t 1e ge nitive case] and comp et~s t e our lau ef
I n~ of th e se nt ence in chis case is "Who has raised us from _P) ,hich had raised them. It is imposst·bl e (mu.ia
J -/) that they
[ sougle) who were 0 ther
th
stp,
1 is (liiidl,a) lplacc ]?" Th en a new se ntence begins: That (ma -11 rhe cause of their awakening from anyone except pe~p-r qualities concern-
8 e B~reficenr did promise, meaning "Your being raised from Slee_p is as,. than the m, whose qualities were in opposition to t ei
1
ene icent's promise ." In thi s intc;prctation , mii is in the nominanve' ng [t heir pred icament}. /
r and behold rhem brought roger ,er
IN TERPRETATION OF It is but one Sliout,
he.fore Us!

in s of this rcp0rt in the

t 1 . . •
~ , ? 458 (11ote 1) of the D i r H ap.r <"dmon
for the di\'crgcnt re.1.d g
rn ~nuk":riph of Tab:ari's Tu.fsir.

4JS 439

-
 TABARf
Siimt Ya' Si,i (36:1 - 83 )
God (E_xa lccd is His remembrance) says: Their return t .
death, 1s b11t one Shout _ This is the third bl . f O life, aftC'r thetr ( those w ho said chat: ( .
. WhtheH orn If
owmgo An .1ccoun t o ' - b- 1-lafs b. J:Ium ayd- Shimr b. Apyya-
a11 dl,cI,aId II,em brought tooetl,er before Us H o lsiifi!j Jbn l:lmn:i.yd- Y:1 qu . b M_. cud said concerning His statement
I b " .,, J' . e says. en the
tog~r icr c o re U s, th ey are made to attend and witness arc ~ough1
review and accountabi lity (mawqif al- c rd '/ l . _b) e Stanon of
b .
tt S I na- 'Abcl /\ 11 a11 . .is
Sh.1qhJ I, :i ,11 . f I Garden this day are •happily
' / d "[Tl
cmp oye • 1e act o
f]
Tnilr 1hc'.(l"JP:'.111~111~: owti{~ kcc th em employed." -c
among th em can be absent from it. a . wa -.usa ' and no onr from
Jr6o\\·cnng , irg 1- -Mu(ta~1ir lb, Sulaymanj-his father-Abu_ Am.r-
We have clarified prev iously th e disagreement of those who . ihn Abd :i.1,-AAbb~ ·d " Truly the companiom of the Garden 1l11s day are
over whethe r th e rea ding of sayha (S'10111) is ii1 th . disagrt"eJ Jknm:i- lbn ;is s;i 1 ' . . "
. . · · . e accusative case or ·
",a_n ve case1 111 su fficient d etail , suc h that its repetition is unnccessno'.m• h~rpily t'mplorcd deflowering! vITgm~. father-his father-(Ikrima-
r 11 s placc. al"} .it Ub.,yd b. Asba\ b. Mu )amma -my / . d are /,a pily
1h11 Abbls s:i.i d, "Truly ,J,e companions ef the Garden t 115 ay P.
!'fl;rfoycd deAoweri1~g virgins." d us from al-Hasan b. Zurayq
C OMMENTARY ON TH E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS, A nra rl y idcnncal report was narr~te to c k . a~Ibn < Abbas.
,l-Tuh:iwi-Asb:i! b. Mul)atmnad-lus father-~ n~ h· ,_ wa'il b
/3 6 :5 4 J Tliis day no sou l is 111ronged anything; ,ior are you requited a11ytl1i1:g . Al-Husayn b. 'Ali al-$uda'i-Abii'l-Na. r - s ~• , - 7i / / .
e sa,,e what yo11 used to do. (36:55j Truly the companions ojthe . b l
D:iwUd-Sa id . a -Mus~yya sat '
b .d cerning His statement rn y tie
c?n lo d "The are deflowering G
Q. 36,54- 5 Garden this day are happily employed, 1rn:pa,:im1s of the Garden rim day are happily emp ye • Y Q. 36:55
G God (Ex:dred is His rememb ra nce) says : This day, meaning Resurrection rngin s. " G
Da y, " 0 soul is wronged anything, and likewise Our Lord does nor wrong OP INION: Others said: Rather, what is meant by th at is th at cbey are in
~ny soul : H e does nor give th e exact equivalence [of goodJ for each of 1we of well-being (11acma).
Its good deads, : nor does H e impose upon it the wrongdoing of another An account of chose who said char: _ ,- . I N b·I]-' Isa [b.
so ul. Ra th er, He renders fully the reward for the good deeds it has donr Muhammad b. 'Amr [al-Bahili]-Abu Aitm [a - a [b I-Ashy-

~:~in
311d
punishes it o nl y for the sins it has conunitred and accrued. Norarer"11 Maymlln]: and from al-I:Iarith [b. Abt Usa 1~1 a]-al-1:I_asa~th_:.__~u·ahid
reqimed a11 ytl1i11g sa11e UJhar you used to do. H e says: You wiJJ not be requictd, ah_] -Warqa' \b. cUmar]; both ' Isa and Warqa ~Ibn ~:
1
thisd~yart'
except for your deeds that you did in the temporal world. md. concerning Hi s statement Truly thecompamorisof
happily employed. " In a stare of well-being." . d
I NTERPRETA TION / d / · day ar,
happily employed OF Tm y the companions ef the Gar. en t ns OPINION: Othe rs said: R ather, the meaning is th at th ey are diScracre
from what the people of H ellfire are experiencing.
Th e interpreter J· d " I nc (<l:11-
gl111 ~•· I s isagree over th e meaning of the emp oymc · I An :iccounr of those who said that: . AbO SahJ--al-E:-Iasan
c d t lat God (Majesti c is H is praise) ascribes ro the companions oft ic Amr b. 'Abd al-H amtd-Marwan-Juwaybir- . ,sofrl,e Garder,
ar en on Resurrection Day. th
[al-Ba~ri] said, concer~ing God's statement Trnly ecompam:i,om rhe suffer-
OP I N I ON: Some of I1
virgin ('" .d_d
"d l ·u b deflowering
t cm sa1 : Thar femployment wt e '.lusdayare liappilyemployed, ''Bliss (,1l im) distracts the~ awa'( ~ent."
s ~I r_a_ al- adliiirii). 3 ing rhat the people of Hellfire experience from rbelf pAu" !1
b Taghlib-
N b , c l Shu'ba- 6an · h•
: Se._. above die co rnnw111arv 0 11 . _,_a$r . All al-Jahc;lami-my rat 1er- aniousoftheGaraenl 1
,s
~rab1c:Ja-/;; y1t1t'<if/il,;; ,, ~-: Q .3~. l.9 . . ,na '4mif~ 1 ,,un lsnia 11b. AbT Khalid said, concerning Truly th ecompfi what rhe people
:Ir~. D:ir Ji~J ~r. 19 : ~ ~"l~h amal,/1~ l-1,ilil, .. . wa-laki,mahu y11waffi_kul/a
4 9
""f~~,.,Jacd tfui 11!( day arr happily employed, "They are distracted away rom
1:~"'~rJ for a good Jeed l~a r:·· . ~ r l ll a11d Haditli state explicitl y 111 mulup ui1:aJencc of tlir
J,:-eJ 1t1<lf. Therefore ~;v~ic r,:- from ll·n to 700 t illll'S (o r n~orc) the c; ,t inconsiiirnt)
,1,._,,;:1 1
0.~ev.·;1rJ ..-~di
3
~ 11 tl,l·se kxlS, i1 wou ld be U11JU SI (or 3 t I le. Q. :i60 JHJ
of Ht\l fire are encountering."
TABA -
. RI SA ID: The opinion that is most I
J'kely correct 1s
. che one which
. 7i /ythecompa,11ot1so
. ,J
6
IV<lwi J f:on y /·lad/' dnd 11} t·xac1 e qu1vJll·11ce. S,:c , for cxamp <on \orins to w hat God (Majestic is H"1s pra.1·se) says '" Ioytd wi·ch
1 ] · happily emp
3 L.1ne t ~ri}l~th tl1c \'f:tbr~1'.1~~: ~~a~itJ, ou~11~·r 37). .. ., • VJII).
l,ede11i..r:111ared lie, ; Laue, 'j-t/-{ (Form
r:e Carden, meaning th e people of [the Garden • are

44 0 44 1

· . . \~
 TABARf Siimt Ya' Sfn (36:1 - 83)

~leasu.rable thing s (ni'am) that kee h , tuh;. rn m:id b. 'Amr ial-B:.ihilil- Abll cA~im al-Nabil-<Jsa [b.
m whi ch they find th e l . P t cm occupied Th·
amusement, delights nd1Sde· ves. t~clud es well-being dee is e~1ployinen1, Ma\mu;, j: :rnd fro m :il-l:laritl:_lb. Abi Usa~-:-1a]- al-I:I_asa~- [b. al-~~h~-
1

H II an 1stract1on fi [ h • owcnng • ,bj- Worqa' [b. Um,r]; ~orh Isa and Warq~.- lbn Abt NaJ1h-MuJah1d
e arc encountering. rorn t e punishrnent] h v1rgin1,
Tl r,,. ,_ I e people r iaid. cona rningj"iki/iii,i, They are amazed. . .
. te ~r an reciters disagreed o h o The expert s in the speech of the Arabs disagreed over the meaning
ny of Medin ans and one of th B vcr t e reading of employtd Th .
reports , read fl slwg/1/ w ith ad e asrans, for whom there are ~nc en'.a_ior. of {.ihlriiu as well. O ne o f the Basraiis said that the faki/1 is "one who
It has been narrated :hat Ab Ci ;~:a on the shin and a sukUn on ch:n~;:t~~n'. jokcsU·,ir1:fi1Hali11)." 1 He sa id that the Arabs describe a man who is amused
and a sukiin on th e gl,a d r read shugl,/, with a damma i }. b'J/~(J kkn/ 111 ) by food , or fruits, or peoples' reputations, as someone who
ii pkased by the qualities of the people. As for those who read fakihiln
shi11 and the ghayn. S~::~:~ tdh_ar he read shaghal, with }1thas o~nb:1~-;hir.
recir d Ithi s word J as slmglwl
e m an
and Ba d . e with an a/if. it can m ean "one who has many fruits," as substantiated by
ers rca . ·, d sran an most Ku fan ~ r'.i.n
TA BARI SA ID: The b . , wit l . ammas on the shit, and ghay11. the following ve rse of poetry by al-I:Iuiay'a:i
d· es t rea dings ir . u'IJ -da'awtani wa-ziamta anna-
: ea . mgs of slmgl"'! or slwgl,J and , J l my. estimation, arc the [standard)
n c1~ her of these ways, bec.a ~se th tic recu:r will be correct if he rei d1 ka /iib imm bi'l-$ay.fi tiimir
~a rn son citi es and are dose in m es: are widely attested readings in th~ You invited me , claiming that Cl)
is not ~oss ibl e, in my es tim ation e~mng. ~s for the reading of shaghal. ii You we re one '\vith much milk (labin) and dates {tamir) Q. 36,56
the rec1ters. ' ecause It contradicts the consensus of in rhc summer! Cl)
The ~r'an reciter s also . In other words, liibin means "one who has much milk (lab11)," and tiimir
reciters of the garr iso . . . di sagreed over the reading of happily. M~t
m~ans "one who has many dates (tamr)." Likewise, an ciisil [is someone
alleged th at Abu Ja(fa r : ~m_es_, read ~kihiltl with an alif, but it has been
1 with much honey ), a liibim [has an abundance of meat} , and a shiibim [has
TA BARI SAID. ~n read It without .an a/if. 3
much fat].
a/if, b . Th e correct reading 111 . . . . - . - .
· ecause that is th lJ k • my esnmat1on, 1sfak1/11m with an On e of the Kufans said that this is like the difference between biidhiriin
e we - nown reading.
(wnh an a/if) and badhiri1n, (both meaning, "to be cautious"),3 and this
INTER PRETAT IO second opinio n is the more likely meaning of the word (ashbah bi'l-kalima).
Th e interpre d· N OF happily (fakih1111)
ters is.agreed o l .
O PINION: Son ve r tie rnterpretation of that.
A le of th em said - I . . . -
1:~e
( 11 accoun t of cl · ts meamng 1s they are joyous (fon(11111). COM MENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
M (_Ali lb. Dawud wh~ said chat: [3 6 :56 ] They and their wives, i,i pleasa,it shade, ot1 canopied beds reclining;
Hi~ awiya [b. Salih]- '~iianum,]- Abu Salil_, ['Abd Allah b. Salihj- IJ 6:57) Tl,eirs is th e fruit and theirs is (all) that they request:
staternenr jTh; j a fb . AbI Tal}:i.aJ-Ibn (Abbas said, concerning [J 6:s8 ] A greeting of peace; a statement from a Mercifi,I Lord!
OPINION• 0 h y re l,appilJ' employed "They are joyous " h
~od (Exalted is His remembrance) means by His statement they: Toger er,
An ac . t ers sa id: I ts me .
count of tho I
. ' c.
anmg 1s they are amazed ( ajibUn).
sew 10 sa id chat:
:h~co111pai1ions of th e Garden [of the previous verse] and their ivives. among
t ~cop!: ~f the Garden in the Garden, as I have been informed b~;
I lbn A11 yya aic n ~ l-l:!ar11h lb. Abl Usama]--al-i:Jasan lb- al-Ashyab]-Warqa [b.
2
MuJl h1d , al- Hai
~t',~ I
~1L}'ya a1e n: "': ~ ~a}ri, Tall,,., .,~ 1?:i
th,:- r,:-adu1g of J,
1
~~i~bn Ka~liir. Abti 'Amr, Jbn ~ as'od. Ihn ' /1,l,l,Ji.
lb 1 1,4" "' 41- u .1 1h rud uig to M . I _ b. li ps; al-M11harraral-1va]iz, 4:45 8.
•

1 an~ ~ 11Y)·a a\~ n;:',\ : :458. H" .ill-0 H~~:/:1i

the \<:<:orid r,:;i,J1 read1r1g off,1 1.:,/, _
and m ention s it ~s AbU 'Amr's second rr.i1Hl~·
_ac .ill of 1111: re m ai ning reci t<"r5 r<"ad 1l111gh~ ;.
: -~ :::~tl;:,opinior~ ~f Abu ' Ubayda: Majiiz a/-Q!r'ii11, 2:i63 . .
~1- (~,,t . ~::~onf<1k1lul,1 and the followin g verse of paeiry 1re found in Ab
0 ' Uh.a ·da, Mafaz
}
w.::
1118 a 11oc-1~i ,: J
1
1
a n alifto Abo Rajl', Muji hid, ~boJ,br.
J
t h11
txpl anati;;l is fo und in :a!-F 1rr.a', Ma'dn i al-Q!r'tI,,. 2.:3So.
• al- Mubarraraf-u,ajiz, 4:459.

442 443
 TABAR! Siira t )'ll' S iri (J6: 1- 83 )

' Umar)- lbn Ab, Najlh-

d I . . .
M UJa
·-h·d 'd
sa1 • conccrni H (i k ru li1ti11l7. "Arii'ik arc beds over which are curtained
J Jtfmrnt.. flll 11r, L.,.
a,1 t 1e1r wwc~, in pleasant shade, "Their spouses (hal-~~ is Statement Tht, 11

The OEr an rec iter s disagreed over th i

a ,luhum), in thcsh:ide • r.in~t1:·,.)3:i.shsbar- Mu ' ammal - Sufyan 1ThawrI]- [:Iu~ayn-Muj3hid
rea~ ~ulal, as the plural of -?11lla, which ;;::s ~g o~sha,1e. Sorncof the~ 1
siid. concrrning Hi s state m ent 011 arii'ik recli,iing, "Arii'ik are beds in cur-
This is like th e plural o f bu/la ("set of clothes" a':mng or "covcring."1
tiinrJ c111opics. ··
. Ot hers read it as ~i/0./, which , if it is r d bemg bulal. Abl,·1-Sfi b- ibn Idris- f-:lu ~ay n-Mujahid said, concerning His
m two ways: ea hke that, can be interpreted
~ innciH m1 ,m"i'ik red iniug , "Beds over which arc curtained canopies."
11
[ r j O ne o~ th em is that it s intended meanin . h . Jbn Abd al-A'la- Mu' tamir [b. Sulayman al-Taymi]-his father said:
g ts t . c plural of +1ll, which has
th e mean m g of "s helter (k ' ) " .
Tl d I
,ey an r ,cir wi11es a re in a sh It
h·
,m, •
111 '\V ich case chc
h . passage would mean:
Mubammad ib. SirinJ claimed that ' Ikrima said, "The arii'ik are beds in
rumincd canopies."
th at the peo ple of th e tem. or:] ::~r~;rouc ed by the ~un in the manner Ya'qub [al-Dawraql]-Ibn ' Vlayya-Abii Raja'~l-l:lasan [al-Bairl]
no sun in jthe Garden). P are tou ched by It, becausc thmi1
.i.skrd by a man about the meaning of ara'ik and he replied , "They
\\ '1S
l2J The o th er way is that its intend d . . unum.incd canopi es. The Yemenis say, 'The arika of so-and-so."' [AbG
plural form h:is the flt f . e meaning 1s the plural of +11 /la. This
e . ect o intensifying th d lik h R;ii] said, "I heard <Ikrima being asked the same question and he replied ,
0 cases of much khu/f ("I ") b . e wor , e t e cquinltm
becomes qi/ii/.: a ove econung kiri/a/, and much qulla ("spitt") 'The-y are curtained canopies over the beds."' G

•
Q. 36,56 B,shr [b. Mu' adh]-Yazld [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'ld [b. Abl 'Aruba)- Q. 36:57-8
0 ~_tjdJ said , co ncerning on ara'ik reclining, " They are curtained canopies
INTER PRETATION .
A ~• ·k ( OF o,1 canopied beds rec/i,iing in which arc beds."
ra ' canopied beds) are curtai
d . ··-
and matt resses 1 T h . ne canopies (f,'}aT) in w hich there are beds
I\TER PRETAT ION OF Theirs is tliefruit and tl,eirs is (all) that they req11est
claimed rhar e,:er bec~1J~lar _form of this word is arika. [Abii. <ubaydl]
Dhu' l-Runu , I~ rash) is an arika, and he cited as evidence for this ~ c Slys: Th ese people of the Garden, whom He (Blessed and Exalted is
na s me o f poetr y: .e) mC"ntioned. can have any fruit in the Garden, and theirs is (all) that they
· ·· ka'amiamQ r:quesi . He says : Everything they desire shall be theirs.
y11bas/1ima bi 'l- ma'zii 'i mas.sa'l-arii'ik , It ~.as been alleged chat when the Arabs say idda'i 'alayya mii slii'ta, they
1
rnrni: Ask of me w h atever you wish (tama,ma 'alayya ma shi'ta)."
··· h was as if
t h e pebble-strew n g ro d . li\TE RPR. ETATION OF a greeting ofpeace; a statement from a Merciful
. Lord.1
The followin . un on winch they lay were a canopied bed. Th
~aid co ncerni! 111t erpre cers sa id something similar to what we have jusi .e \\Q rd a ;:reNing efpeace (salam) can be read in the nominative case in
. Ya•qub [a l~ ~iat. A,:
acco unt of those who said t hat:
1\\Oways .
fr! One ~/ctord~ng to one of the Kufan grammarians . .!

sa ~d , concernin ~~raq1J - Hushaym-E:-Ju$ayn-Muj~hid-Ibn 'Abhj1 rh h t 1em is th at it can be the predicate co (al[) that they request, so
tained canopi es~" is sta tement on ara'ik reclining, "These are beds in cur· 1n
at[the Ga /ning O f· the passage becomes "and 1/,eirs is (al I) tI,at I ~;que~t
t e me ·
'-'~Y
Hann ad- Ab11'l -Ahwas - . 's
J.
den sec ured just for them (m11sallan11m lalwm kha/11). Jf it
· · Hu ~ayn- Mujahid said, concerning God
J fh11 ~n~cd
i ~ ln1 h Abu lJba ·d . 2 ~t •1-brr:.te h :~~nd in Abu ' Ubayda, Maja:::: al-~r'J,1, 1.:164. . . /Om
• .irnia. Ki}l'! . ) 3.) o pi nio n ; M -- - , . d to
rt" r~uk1 tli.11 . fa.11.u , lbn Ma1' Ud "J~, al- ~ran, ..:: 164. Jbn 'Ariyya ascribes this rca 111gHt i1n1 tht" • Maa,u al-Q!r'ii11 , 2:380-1. The problem Tab:.iri is addrcn ing here is that J,Q
th.:a th
; ~h t"Xplan,.,~::;:~o~t" d1e rt"adi z:~ /. Abci 'Abd al- R al.1111311:
" t"Xpl.111..:11 10 ound 111 ;i]. f:i r , '
al-~,,i"• 2:16/ of <lr.i '1'k. indudu r;i • ll.1aani al-Qyr'oin, 2:380. .. ,
0n
0
Q s: .z~.a~~ ~'.irclated to e.1cb other. Co1~ipare this with 1hc com~,
"'~ 1.J//~,,, 111 tlu~
vhi c ~ botl_
c:~)~ ;::u;:;,.::
1"'o w ~oni rn ~tive c a ~c and qawl is in the .iiccuutive ca.sc, which initially suggc~ts
1 1
~ 1
t e sc

1 qi/ and salam arc m the sa,~e..c:i.sc. Al;,F_:.irr.J o f .. a recting of

· ig th c hcmmich o( poetry, is found in AbU ' Ubaydl. f. /.:JI· i"~ce" A crsc, which is why I h:.ivc rendered 1t st"curcd tmt,:-a g
w il] hcconw clear shortly, Tahari d ocs not endorse his in1erprctation .

444 44 5
 TABAR! S1fra t Ya' Siu (36:1-83)

is und e rstood in this way. then the I · is the op in ion w hi ch is most likely to be correct on the
for emp hasis, d e tac h ed from , - __ word (qau,ij is in th
s~nt encc means "and theirs is ,d7i~';;yanl
min) the word s:/~ccus,tive c:~
Js:iY t h at t u s
. f I1r report I recei ved from:
nghtfull y." r It is as if it were .
qawlan) .•, said, He said thi
,a~.
t iey request, securedam, so th~t tht blsis O _t
Jbr.:i 111m ·
b Sa' i<l al-Jawhari- Abii <Abd al-Rahman al-Muqri'-
• .
'"•statefor jun th ' Ill, Jhrinala-S ubyman b . IJ.um ayd sa id ,
I]2 The seco nd way is for H . rnent (11Jla~M heard Mul_1amm ;1d b. Ka•b n arrat e co jCa liphJ ' Umar
1 Abd al-'Aziz: " When God has finished with the
as part of an ind epe nd e nt is stateme nt salam to be in th b.
ti sentence (ist"' •I\ l e Domin .
1cm- a statement from God ! h · I naJJ • meaning "I . •tivc,~~ pec,pk o f th e Garde n an d th e people of H ellfire, He
It has been alleged h < w tch He said]." tis secured for begin s wa lkin g in th e sh ade from the clouds and angels,
acc usat ive case, lncanin ~. at Ab_d -:1-IIah lb. MascGd . :rnd then wi ll sto p b efo re th e peo ple of the lfirstJ level.
menr, " in w hi ch the g d _and their-s rs (all) that they re ] md salam in the He w ill greet them (yusallinrn 'alayl1im) , and they shall
they request . In thi s ca~r:a;~at~ c_ondudes with the ,i::;;
;hs~cu_rcd st~te- retur n hi s g ree tings. (This is in the GEr'an: saliim; a
sr111cmc11 t from a Merciful Lord!) Then He will say, 'Ask
as an emphasis of" srat;me:;r ,!s I~ the accusative on accounte~~ (al~ '.6
(musallaman qawlan) " • wtth the meaning of " H sm ,ng jof Mc an ything}!' They will say, 'What can we ask
O ne of cl . a secured st:nemem of You? By Yo ur m.ight and majesty, had You divided
Q . ie Basran gram111aria J between us the sustenance of the humans and jinn G
Q. 36,58 as an appositi on (bada0 for a verb ;s s~ys: ~wl is in the accusati\·e q, .
(dwqa fay11), we would have fed them and given them Q. 36,58
G : 1::;:ment ." It is also read in th; ac:::a,er words, it means "I say thlt : drink , and clothed chem.' !God] will say, 'Ask!' They
, Hi s sta tement and theirs is (all) th tr;e as a f,a/ dause of the defini1, will say, 'We ask for Your pleasure lwith usJ.' (God)
G
!ABARf SAID: Theo i . . at t iey request.• will reply, 'My pleasure allows you a place in the
in a rcpor fi p m on w luch is most 1·k I
th e . t ~om MuJ}anunad b. K <b 1 1 : y to be correct is found abode of M y h o nour.' Then He will do this with the
is (a;onunatt ve case because it is th: a -~ra?•,' who said, "Salam is io people of each level {of Paradise] until He finishes."
ti ) that they request. <, Therefo . predicate of His statement a11d rhriry [Mu~am mad b. Ka' b} said, "Had even a single woman
iey r~q11est , and th at is a r . re , tts meaning is 'And theirs is (al~ th~r among the houri s come forth, the luminance of her
mea nin g of 'a greeting of e:tmg
cf peace from God upon them • with rh, bra celets would have extinguished the light of the sun
;~lam elucidates (all) rlrat J:,
ace from God (taslimun min AlUh).: The wo,d and th e moon, so imagine the [brightness) of the ones
is statement saliim in this te; :::~:sr a nd the word qawl is detached from weari ng the bracelets!"
Yu nus lb. 'Abd al-A' la]-Ibn Wahb-1:larmala-Sulayman b.
I Ar.1 b 1r: Ll>a-/ah . -
Followin ' ti JH~ filia m,i )'adda'im mu sal/a Humayd said:
l 1
~!
of the i:h.t.b~\ ;nic~] ednion of .al-Farra~: ii_l,j un ba~q,m; Dir Hajar, 19~66-7.
!heard Mu}:i.ammad b. Ka' b al-~ra~i narrating to
~"" 19:467 of d i/ I:.ar H ~jar editio ns ofT.aOOa~.m al-~riin (.z:381). which haJ isti'ri,ifin11ro.J
l Tlih is al- Ak\if; ~ar H~ar l"dition · n s Tafi,r. both of which havt' nvu/~ Cpn.1)('~); Umar b. <Abd al-<Aziz; "When God has finished with
4 S« Wright 2 · a1 h , .\l"e 111 5 A1a'iinl aL<.;e ,_
th e people of th e Garden and the people of Hell6re,
.s Mul,u nnnadb. 1~7. b nan. 2:667--78. He wi ll draw near in the shade from the clouds and
con)idn "rd 1~ble~' al-~ra;i h a M t"d in a r . angel s." He said, .. Then He will greet the people of
1~a 11gnifi ca diia •~nd w ho1e J,aditli arc folu;u c~t"SSor , _v hom Muslim J:ladirh critics generlU)"
:.cc lbn l:h.p111r T h~/e111eni ove r his d I id Ill all Six c.anonic.aJ Sunni collections. Tbrtr Ga rden, and the y will return Hjs greeting. (This
6 ~~ 1;eh al~o ;h/~yn:!::~;a~dhib. 6 :2: ;: i d.aie, with the latest propm cd date being u o/73! :
15 111 th e Book of God: salii,n; a statement from a M erciful
L~,d-0 Then He will say, 'Ask !of Me anything!!' They
1
t ulay:~1 '!: au dion t}~ :~-;;~~n adopted by Abo ' Ubayda, who docs nor mrn!ion
Ke h~lf ~f God ra:1~etl1ing ~lllli]ar to. am~~d b . K a' b; Majliz al- Q!!r'iin. 2: 16-4. M uq:idl b.
will say, 'What can we ask of You, 0 Lord?' He will
a : 1,if,ir M~'fiit/{ 1 ha11 by Cod ;;;n~ s~];ug~ the greetings arc m:adc by tht- angeh on
· Sult1ymi1fl, J :.ss _ 'as is the case in the rcPort by MuiJammad b.
2

44 6 447
 TABAR1 Siirat Ya ' Sin (36:1 -83)
repl y. i 'Go ah ead, ask Me, Th .
coM MENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS,
~vc ask for Your pleasure l~ith ;"111 say, •o Lord,
. , \ N,,,,. ""'I' yo ursrlves apart , 0 you g '.'ilry, rliis doy! \36:6~\ Did I 11 ot
M y plea sure allows you
ho nour. , Th ey will say
l
~6 ~ce J- the abode of ~r
[GodJ will rep!
1tM6~<
19 )'tlll, o (1 1s of Adam , tlrnt you worslnp not Satan- lo! lie 1s your open
al
tn
5 1
of you? B y Your mi g ht, ina ·c ord, what can we l• · .f<,l·!-l)6:6t \ But tliat yo u worship M e? Tl,is is a straight patl1.
You -~cstowcd upon us , the ~s;:~;:1d lofty place, had 1

Tlit' lllcaning of Hi s statem ent, wa 'mtii z11 , is "keep yourselves apart.''

an~ J11111. we would have fed thet~ncc of the people
Tiii~ rhr lFonn V111\ ve rb deri ved from the root miizalyamizu , which
dnnk , _cl o th ed th em. and served I , and given thern 15
have d11ni ni shed !our status] a bi: ~e~. It _would not iii•i:t<l:::,z/pmzr,i.::: u/ initiplz.
The fo\lo,,..\n g int erpreters said something similar to what we have
M c belo ngs the in c reasc.' .1. Then . will say, 'To
N said concernin g that. An account of those who said that:
each level (o f th e Ga rd en) u ·1 H He will do this With
ov ) · IHI e spreads (y .11 IJi,h, lb. Mu' , dh\- Yazld (b. Zuray']-Sa'ld (b. Ahl 'Aruba]-
er 11s sinin g area {maj/is). Th en G , out astawd)
be bro ug ht to them by angel s ., (Tl ad s t~casures will ~t:i.h said, concerning His statement Now keep yourselves apart, 0 you
re po rt is lik e t h e prcv iou . ) ie rcma111der of this p11lir, rlii.- day . "Th ey will be isolated from every good thing."
lb s· _ s one. Ahf1 Kurayb- 1Abd al-RaQman b. Mul).ammad al-Mu\:i3rihi-
n man al-~zzaz-AbCi <Abd al - hm:i ii b. Rafic-someone who narrated it to him-Mul)ammad b.
Q b. M, umayd said " I 1 . d -Ral,man-Harmala-S I - G
Q . 36,58 Um ar b (Abd 1' C - lC~r Mul~ anunad b. Kacb a}-n.. - u ~yman ~ J b al-~ra+1- Abt1 Hurayra-the Messenger of God ($) said, "On
l · a -A ziz: When G d . • '-<.!:!ra~1 narrating 10
1111a:e finished Q. 36:5<}-6<)
Q t ie Garden and th e people of H ell~ w1 with the people of Rtmrrcction Day, God will command Gehenna, and a long, dark neck
tlhke clouds and an ge ls and sco '"tr(c. He w1!l draw near in the shade from \offirr\ will emerge. Then He will say, Did I not charge you, Osonsof Adam, G
1 e th e p , ·
. rcv1ous ones except P· ch TABAR!
: I I SAID·· Th·ts report crollows rl:J1,r1:-u worsliip riot Satan- lo! he is your openfoe!-but tliat you worsl1ip Me?
w 111 say. 'W h at can we' ask of y at lt 1as t 1e following content: "Thrv Tbs ts ,1 s1raight parl1. Yet he has led astray of you a great multitude. Had you
and
I ,lo ft ). pace,
I had You <li v id ou,d 0 Lord'. By y our nug · h tan d majesty.' tfi,•u 11 0 St'nse ? Tlzis is Gelienna wliich you were promised (if you followed ltim)
ay" - m ea nin g jinn and a~nong us the sustenance of the tliaq~- \Q.36:60-3). \Then He will say], Now keep your,e/ves oport, 0 you guilty,
them drink , and served I peop ~- we would have fed them and ginn r!us day. and the people will be divided and crouch down , as described in
\Godl will say, 'But f t 1em w ithout chat di1ninishing our s;ores at all.' G~d·s statement, And you will see eadi nation crouching, each ,ration summoned
fo r Yo
ab
l O course, as k of Mel' Tl1
ur P casure.' H e w ill re I , ·.
·n .
ey wt say, 0 Lord, weask ious record . (A,zd it will be said to them), Tliis day you are requited what yo14 used
' ode of My honour , Tl P Y, M y pleasure allows you a place in thr rodo(Q.45:28)."'
1
of th e_ Gard en unt il l~e fo~ ~s ; He wil!
d~ this with the people of each level Th~rcfore , the interpretation of this passage is: 0 disbelievers, you will
narrat ion is lik e the pr . 1 es at Hi s Sitting area." The remainder of this be separated fr om the believers on that day. and you will be led to a ditfer-
TABARi SA I D. ev1o us one. ) rnt deS t ination from chem and will enter a different entrance from them.
peace (sa1-am) ts
. a. dMuham
a ·fi m . ad b · K alb's report informs us that a greeting oJ.
I not charge you O sons of Adam, th at Y "
0
an d th at tIie word (qanwD d (bayii 11 ) O f ff1s statement (alij that they request
ica.t1on INTERPR..ETATlON OF Did 1

I N T ER PR E ts ctached from a greeting ofpeace. worsliip Hot Sata u- lo! he is your open foe!
TATJ ON OFJ, Thee,
f . is an e 11·1ps1s. in t l1is passage because t h e comp\ etc meaning
· is· suf-
In other word IG ro,n a J\1erciful Lord ic-1t:ntly indicated by its words, and it is: "Then it v..i\\ be said, Did I
s, od Itiis•M eroif,ul with
them for t I e breaches . them because He docs not punish
1
1 Unlike- ie y comtnitted pre v iously, in the temparal world.
16
111 1 Ubayd:i. also glo~~es i1111aza a~ ramayyaza; Majii z al-Q!r'Ort, 1.: 4-
futurt< lc11~1:~);h:1ou~ rcpon , tl1t· Ve r b t tr~~: ~aditli_ is 1101 fo und anywhere in SuyUti's al-Durr a/-mar1tl1Wr. lt h.s an unknown
'.'~" ,·,:rb 111 dit< fut, pa)t tc11~e hen.· . Giv ·- cnsc of qdlalqalii shifts ;lbrubtly from cht prc:~n~/
2 1 hi \ \<"ntcn,._c cd 1;; ; .'::c.. . t n t h c fui urt• seu ing o f this report, I will m:1.inuin
in D~; 1 ~t- 111 tt 1 llmid, which rcnderi it "weak" a1 best- Thh is a fng_
0
m cnt \~~:::1:~::~:;',
10 o, Q J6,:;'.',t~~t 13., dHfm n1 p,n of which ,lrc,dy ,ppcmd "'T,b.u l
·35. mid rl1n1• is mu,e w ith Us (wa-lad,1ynd mazid).

44~ 449
 TABAR.I
not charge you , 0 sons of Adam." He sa . . S iira t Ya' S111 (36:1 - 83)
command you, in the temporal worl ys. Did I not enjoin u
follow him by di sobeyin G d ' d, not to worship S Pon you and Kufans rc:id julmlmi w ith Qamm,~s on thc_Jim and ba' and wi_thout a shadda
' L IS g o . Lot he . atan and on ihc /.Jui. 1 Some Bas ran s read ;ublau, with a Qamma on the ;im and a sukiin
)~ U: o. atan is youropenfoe. Hehas~ d1syo11rope11Joe.He;a _Yetyou
Im refu sal to prostrate t la e clear his enmir ys . I say to onthrhii'.:
acco unt o f the noble sta; y~urd ancestor, Adam, our of y to you through :\BARi SAID'. All o f th ese readings are well-known dialects, although
dece ption of (Adam] to u; o gave him. (Satan] has al envy of hin,_ on ~he only 1wo readi ngs I like are eith er jibillan , with a kasra under the jim
expelled from the Ga,rde t 1e point that he caused him a:~ m.h_ade ~ku his and a sh(1dila on the lam, and jubulan, with ~am,nas on the jim and ba' and
n. 1Sw1feto bt
,abou t :i $l111dila on th e lam , because these are the readings of most reciters
1
INTERP R ETATI ON
H . O F Bur that you ivorshi M, :> •• cl 1hr garrison cities.
; says : Did I ,wt charge you to worshi M P e. This ts a straight path
ot 1er than Me-all gods and artner~ e to the exclusion of ever ·thin INTERPR ETAT I O N O F Had you then ,io sense?
of -~ e, exclusive obedience c! Me an;-:1nd to _obey Me? Sincere }ors\} Hr says: 0 polyth eists . Had you then no sense that if you obeyed Satan by
rel1g1on and the straigh t path. d1sobcd1cnce of Satan is the soun~ wmhipping anything other than God, then it would not be acceptable
for you to obey your enemy (and God's enemy) and to worship things
G
other than God?
Q. 36:61-2 CO MMENTARY ON THE F G
G J36:62] Yet he has led ast OLLOWJNG DIVINE WORDS:
ra)' of you a gre t I . d
IN TER PRETATION OF This is Gehenna which you were promised (if yo11 Q. 36:63 -
[36:63 J This is C/ / ·
e 1e11na w uch
a mut,tu e. Hadyoutlre1111oseme?
,
/fowedl,im)
/ 1 G
36:6 J B I . . you were promised (if yo11folloived /i;m). Ht· )ays : Tliis is Gehenna which you were promised in che temporal world
[· 4 urn t 1ere111 da fi I
11, 15 .
God (E I . y or t tat wlucl, you disbelieved. for your disbelief in God and rejection of His Messengers, yet you [stillJ
xa red IS Hi s remembrance) t b . contin ued to reject His Messengers. It has been al1eged chat jalia,mam
a.H ray of )'OH a g reat j ib •11- "S neans Y His Statement Yet he has h·J
(G~henna) is the first gate among the gates of Hellfire.
obeying M e and re ' .. . atan h as diverted a 1arge number of ) 'OU fro m
· stn cun g to M I . . _.
t I1at th ey worship I . d e t le qua 11ty of d1vm1ty, to the poin1 INTERPR ET AT ION OF Burn therein this day for that which you disbelieved
.
bee n tnformed by: um an take g 0 d s Ot h er t h an Me to worship," as I hare
He says : Bu rn in it on this day, meaning Resurrection Day, in which you
Mub ammad b. (A 11 _ ._ _
May111unJ · a,,d fi " fal-Bah,li] - Abu 'Asim al-Nabil-'lsa /b. art brought to it, for that which you disbelieved. He says: (Burn in it) on
· rom a 1-H- · I [b · .,_,coum of that w hich you denied in the temporal world, and your rejec-
ab J- Warqa" Jb. ' Um ar . · ant ,'-_ · Abi Usa'?'a]-al-I:Jasan (b. al-Ashy-
sa1d, concern ing H · J, bo th Isa and Warqa -Ibn Abi NajIQ.-Mujahid llon of/ Hell] .
g reat number of is sta~~m eru Yee he has led astray of you a great jibill, "A
The r, .. ,_ peop e.
I ~r an reciters di d ( CO MMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
t 1e Medin ans and some sagree over the_ reading o~- m_ultitud~. Most~
und er the jim d 0
f the Ku fan reciters read pb,llan with a krura \3 6:6 sJThis day We seal up their mouths , and their hands speak out to Us
an a shadda o n th e liim. 1 Some Meccans and most of th e ai1d their legs bear witness as to what they used to earn.
l ;1;~:; :r~'J'c-a~~ to Ix- a scribal or rint in,
al-Jazari {a Nafi as rcadi ngjaba//:,, w i g C"rro r
. ' , . 1. rs
111 Ibn A1iyya s commc-ntary, as he: 1dl.'n'. fibn
God (Exalted is His remembrance) means by His statement This day ~Vese~l
th f.at!itis, w hc-rcasjibillan is rhc word preferred b) I . i1p rliei, mouths: This day We seal the mouths of the polytheists, and that is
al-Cha n _ ~d Tabar!); al-Muha,-,a
of the- r;:j;/'lio drrw heavilyfr~;~-;'' Y 1
~ - ~ =46<_'; Jbn al-J azari, al-NaJiir, 2:2~: !bnju:~~
al-T11 !hr/ . (uthcr tban 'uba/1 bn Apyya s cornrnemary. also idcnti6es1ihi/Lmas , I 1h A . d . •••1. o/-MubarrJr o/-wajfz, 4 :400.
1 lb11 1i ry;i. .1.Knb,:s 1his re21ding 10 Jbn K:uhir. i;bmzaan ~is;i 'd I H dhayl b. Sh;ira\:ihil:
) :J06; ;in~ ulrmi 11l-_1a11~i/, ed_JJliQlun), ~s d ~i _Abu 'Abd Alllih aJ.~rfubi; !bn JuzJ)lJ: i
~r1ub1, al-Jii, J _al-l lam:um, 4 vols. (Beirut: Maktabat al-'Ain)Y-1, zOOS 111 A\L )')'a a\cnbe~ this re2iding to Ahli 'Amr, ibn '}u-n1r ;in a - u
1
ni Hi,karnul-Q.1r 'an, 15:33. -.\f1,harr,u ul-wujiz, 4 :46o.

4 50 4S 1
 TADAR.l
S,, rat Yii' S111 (36:1 - 83 )
Resurrectio n Day, and their h d
ing God they co mmitted . ahn s speak out to Us about th _1 IJ tam b. Zur' a- Shu ray l) b . ' Ubayd- ' Uqba b . 'Antir heard
II d 111 t e temp 1 e aces f A\\ J Sl- ;l!ll(_, } d d
a cgc that th eir left t hi g hs w ill s ora world. Their I s-~ disobey. ihc.Prc,pbe.t (~) s:ty. "The firs~ hu!~un body pa rt to speak o n t 1c ay G o
cam, among t heir past sins in h pea k- bear witness as t eg. h It has ~11 1
ols th(' 1110 uch s is h is left thi g h .
The following inrerp~. t t e r_~mporal worJd. ow ar they ustd to 1

j ust sa id concern in g th at ; er s sa1 so me thing similar t

Ya'qub b. Ibrahim ! ;·;J_;
acco~Jnt of those who said whar Wt h~w- COMMENTARY ON T H E FOLLOWIN G D IVIN E WORDS,
l:'{ urna yd b. Hila) said: ~ bu ; w ~-iq1 ~ Tbn cUlayya-Yon uat~ c \;u:u(,] Aud J,ad !,lie w illed, We verily could have quenched their eyes ig ht so
ur a said , Abu M - - f s . Ubayd-
T hc believer will be ca ll d usa al-Ash(ari] said · /1,11 rliq slw11ld srmg__(!lefor rl,e way. T hen how could tlrey /,a ve seen?
1
Da~ and Hi s Lord w ille ; o accou_nr on Resurrection . [36:67 \ Awl had M1c willed, We verily cor,ld ha11e fi xed them in their
jpn varely J in the space be~ vesent ?un With his deeds place , mak i11,g them powerless to go forward or turn back .
ad,~1it th ese deed s an d say "~c: ;,11m _a nd him. He will
I di d. I did. and I di d .. Ti . w hich means "Lord Thr mtcrprc tcrs disagreed over th e interpret ation o f His st atem ent , And
and shield hi m from ~I 1en God will forgi ve his sin ~ /iJ,{ 11;, willed, We 11crily could l1ave q11enched their eyesight so that they sho11/d
0 sec [these si ns/, buc al; e~~ · N o creature on earth w ilJ s1114g_glcfi1r rlic ullly.
Q. 36,65 manifest. T he beli ever w is;1scf~ood d eed s will be made OP IN ION : Some of th em said: Wh at is m eant b y that is: Had W e w ished. e
0 dee_ds. T hen rh e d isbeliever dr all peopl e to see these Wr would have blinded them from the guidance and led them astray from Q . 36066
summoned. T heir Lo rd ·11 an rh e hypocrite will be
they wi ll deny, sayin ·{J present th eir actions, which
1hr intention of th e ldiv ine} proof.;! G
An account o f those w ho said th at:
has written th in gs th: t•I d ~ rd , by Yo ur might, the angel Al,jb. Dawud al-TamimiJ-Abu Salil:i ['Abd Allah b. Salil:,)-
"Did you nor do such-a n~ no t do!" T he angel wilJ say,
and-such in this l ;," -s uch o n th is day and such-
,lu awip jb. Salih]- 'All [b. Ab, Tall)a]- Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning
~i s Srarcmc11t A 11d had We willed, We verily co11ld have q1uncl1ed their eye-
i.
will reply. "No, L: r~ceb :he di sbeliever or hypocrite
51tlrt , .. He says, ' I wo uld h ave led them astray and blinded them from
As soon as he says th i; o ur glory, l did not do that!"
!~he narration co n . . is m o uth is sealed. dir guidance."'
said. " I think rtn ues, w h ereby Abu M- -J ' OPJN JON: O th er s said: The m eaning of th at is: H ad We wished, W e
then h . that the firs t pan f h . usa al-Ash ari subsequently
Us a"d :,1::~1ted, Tlzis day l4'e seal:
Ab - legs bear witness as /
th~7: to speak is his. righ t thigh," and
mouths, and their hands speak out to
would have left th em all blind.
An accou nt o f th ose w ho said that:
1 Y, gub jal- DawraqlJ - Ibn ' Ulayya-Abu Raja"-al-1:lasan [al-Basrl)
al ' u Kurayb-Yah ,- o "' tat they used lo eanr.
-A lllash- s 1 ' b- · )a [al-~ttan] - Ab- - ~aid. conce rn ing H is statem ent And had We willed, We verily could have
did this and ti la , J sa id, ''On R es urr~~t· D u Bakr b. (Ayya~h- qlueuclieJ tlieir eyesight so tliat they should struggle for the way. Then hoiv could
will b lat. H e will r I , ion ay, a man will be told, You 11 cy
d lia1 este
• ll.,
;i " H ad H e w ish ed He would have quenc he d t h e1r · cyes1g
· Ilt
curse~ sea led bur his limbs ep .jJ• I did nor do this,' and then his mouth
1

.'t ,
1

IO li1nbsJ! J I wi spea k. H e will say to them 'May God an le.ft them bl ind , going to an d fro aimlessly (yataraddadii11). "
n . . -8 is lr lb. Mu' 5.d l ) n y protested for your sakcl' "
O
• n , ~ishr jb. Mu' adh] - Yazld [b. Zuray' ]- Sa' id [b. Ahl 'Aruba]-
~tada said 1
- Yazid [b z · ~tada sai d. con cernin g His st atem ent And had We willed, We verily could
tl1ei, J ,. d 'concerning H i· · uray' J- Sa' id [b. Abi tArUbaj-
1" 11 s sp k s statem Tl • J iave qurncl,cd their eyesig l1t so that th ey sl1011ld strugglefor tl1e way. Then how cot1ld
"Th ere wer:" ' 0 111 to Us and their le ent ' ~ day Ui- seal up their mouths, an
this [ver I arguments and d · ~s bear wttness as to what they usedtoeam, 1
: ~ ~ ~~~:g '. ~ Suyll\i , t h h liadlrh is aho fo und in the M us11ad o f lbn }:f:mbal. 1~1e. ~r'i n ic
Muise , and then thei a isc ussio n, th e final words of which werr
_1arnn1 ad b. 'A r mou ths were seal d ,.
',1.,,,,,,,,,,::•;•,:;. lbn Abi lci•<im , nd Jbn M nd>'~yh. , nd , book
11
by T,b,r.>m . a/-D,m

wf al-Ta'-- e .
· 1 lbn al-Mubarak- [Abu Bakr) ibn • 1~0 !~~w~n g l~J,: Dar Haj:u readin g o f q,lid al-hujja inste:id of q~d a/-ma~ajja c~cn,i ghc p;iih")
lin cd1uons; , 9 : 474 .

4 52 4 53
 TABAR! Siira l ya' Si,i (36:1 - 83)

tliey ha11e see11?, "Had We wished . . ,,,.id /,.we ,., c/,ed their eyes ig/rt as meaning "blinded from the guid-
to and fro ai ,n.lcss ly." , We would have I £i
::;;1 •-' said ,h,r1,he interpret ation of His statement Tltet1 /row coul~ they
11
TABA RI SA ID. Tl . . . e t them bLind, go·
. us op1111on w l!!g /,;,,;,,.,. , isc --Then how could they have been guided to the truth?
'.11 o re similar to the correc t e . I e m~ntioned from al-H
ton I because God I . xp anat1011 of this PL - . asan and n a.~J . An account of th ose who said th at:
. says r u s as a I nrasc [th h "-!~ts Ali /h. Dawud al-Tamiml ]- Abu ~alih ('Abd Allah b. ~iilih]-
is no way one co uld say to d" b t/rea t to the disbelic . ant cfi11t opin-
as~ ray," w hen He has alread 1;
e ievers, "If We wish ~g p~ople. Tht1t
~\ujwi\":t lb. S:ilihJ - ' All {b. Ahl Ta11Ja]-Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning
~·Ji /u,;r could they lia,,e seen?, "How could they have been guided?"
w ished, We would have u ed them astray. Rathe; H e w1U lead thctn
:~shet:.hem Had r-.luh:tmm:td b. Sacd {b. Mul).ammad al-'Awfil-my father-my
01
their eyesight, and m aki:g for their dis~li s.i:byys: .. Wt
un(k [:i..\-Husay n b. al- l:{asan} - my father-his father rAiiyya b. Sa' d
nor cou ld the y be guided b _e~ md, so that they coul~• quenching
\-'A\\·fi J- lbn 'Abbas sa id, concerning Then how could they have seen?,
Th e litera l mean in of y It. not see .i p.nh.
!~~:JS
6
gap betwee n the two e geli on the eye is "the state "Thty do not sec the truth. "
two eyelids,j ust as th: _ds. In other words, that ist of thm b,ingno
can be ca ll ed - wmd sea ls up (tatmis ) f; . he slit bctwc-en rhc INTERP RETATION OF And /,ad We willed, We verily could /,ave.fixed them
ma.tmus or _tamis . . u ootpnnts. A blind person in rheir place, making them powerless to go forward or turn back
Q
God (Ex:i.lted is His remembrance) says: Had We wished, We would have G
Q . 36,66 INT ERPRETATION OF Q. 36:67
Q He says · "H so that they should struggl fi h crippled the legs of these polytheists in their houses, making them powerless
M 1· as te n ro rhe path (1ari ) "
u _1am111ad b <A
e or t e way
[ . q , as I have been in6 db
iog11f'rward or turn back. He says: They would not have been capable of G
Maymun] · d f . mr al-Bahili)-Ab- ,- . orme y, monng forw ard or returning backward.
ab)- w a,°,~ nlb ,rom al-Harith [b. Abi U _u Ai,m aJ-Nabil- 'f,; /b. The interpreters disagreed over the interpretation of that.
said q · Umar]; both 'I - sa~,a]--al-I:Iasan [b. al-Ash ·-
,., M~,c~~~y;~:~a~/ s.. statemen:a,:ni,::~'!;-;;,!~~ ~~!:t~~~tuj;~: O~I NION: So me of them said something similar to what we have just
said concerning that.
An acco unt of those who said that'
~,.:: :' . /b. Mu'adh)-Yazid b , ., Y, qub jal-Dawraqi]-lbn ' Ulayya:__Abu Raja'-al-Hasan [al-Bairi]
y- aid, conce rning so that ti [ . Zuray ]-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Arub,)-
5~id, ~~ncc rning Aud had We willed, We verily could have fixed them in their
unus lb. 'Abd al-A'I-J •eyshouldstrugglefarthefiriit "Th h"
statement s I a - Ibn Wai b--Ib .• e f)'t . pace,. Had We wished, We would have crippled them."
0 I tat they should strugg/ fi n ..Zayd said, concerning His
INTER. PR E The ,iriif is the path.'' s,·d B'. shr /b. Mu' adh)-Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'id [b. Abl 'Arubaj~tada
. 1 :w~ nd had We willed, We verily could have fixed them in their place, mean-
e or tie way,

He sa, . " TAT ION OF Then ho 1ng

or wo ld l,ave cnppled
"""webac~ . their legs,' making them pawerless to go Jonvar~
foll >~- By wha t poss ibl w could they have seen?
owin g afte W, e mean s could h j they would have been incapable of advancing or retreating.
of t his Ole, . r e had guencl d h . t ey 1avc seen the path they were
Muh anmg by: le t e ir eyesight?" I have been informed w,
OP I would
N I ON"·h0 tIlers satd:
. Rather, the meaning of that is: Had We wIShed,
.
A ave caused them to perish in their houses.
May mu;/ '.Hmad b. •Amr /al - . -
ab / I, and fron I -Bahil,]-Abu 'A-· al Nab!l-'1- /b 11 acco unt of those who said that:
- War a' ' 1 a -l:f3.rith fb - ~un - sa .
said, conc;,)b. U111acj ; both ' k . Ab, Usama]--al-I:Ia,an [b. al-Ashy- un tu~ammad b. Sa' d [b. Muhammad al-'Awfi]-my father-my
nd al-~:v~; ~usa);n b._ al-1:lasan]-my father-his father ['A1iyya b. Sa' d
rl,, y ha,e '""i? His statement T: a Warqa'-Ibn Abi NaJil)-Mujihid
We , . I Ibn Abbas said, concerning His statement And had We iv1/led,
ihosc e 1ad We quenched }et~ how could they ha Vt! seen?, "[HoJIJ a,uld
P ople who . t 1e1r eyesight'" or 1 enby
1 could have fi xed them;,, their place, making them powerless to go forward
1uni_ ack , '' {Meaning:} Had We wished, We would have caused them
i Th11 dcfi n111011 h fo
. Interpreted His statem~nt, And had~ willed, Jfi
10
und in Abu ' Ul, pe n sh in th eir houses."
a)'da, Majdz al-~r'an, 2:165.

454 455
 TABAR f S iirar Ya ' S i11 (36: 1- 83)
Th e word s makii11a (" I "
haw cla ri fied ea rlier in ti ace ) 1and makan sh are th ti'TERPR ETAT I ON Of J-lai,e 11,ey 1/ie11 no se11se?
11s te xt. • e same meaning, ~f
1.,k, wisc. ,he ~r5n reciters di sagreed over the reading. of H:,ve 1/iey
t~c•r h snisi·? T he Mcdina ns read Have you th en 110 sense? w1th a ta 111 the
11
CO MMENTARY ON THE FO L [:eco"d person! form of address (ta'qi/u,i). ~he Kufans read it with a ya'
/36:68] H e whom we bri,ig to Id LOWING DI VINE WOIU) (jJqrlur ) , :ts a dccl :iraovc statement (kl,abar).
1
go hack to weakn ess a{ra Streu o I age, We reverse him iri ere 1· S: T.A.BARl SA ID: The rea ding of y,{qi/1111 is more similar to the apparent
/, ave ,wt taught him.(M11bm,t :,:~) H ave they then no se11se?a[,06n· (tnaki11g him ;nc.inmg of du: ~r':in . becau se it is an argument from God against the
less rlian a Re111i11dcr a11d n., ,_ poetry, uor is it pro'Pe fi /3 . -69) And lit polytheist~ . about w hom ir was said, We verily could have q11e11clied their eye-
. a '<!!ran mak· I r or um Th ·.
I,,,cs, and that the d mg pain , (36· 70] ..,..
wor may be fi !fill d ·
. u Uno
JO Warn wh ri(lli (Q.~6:66). Th e act of making that [clause} a declatacive statement so
God (Ex alted is H is re b u e against the disbelievm OSoel'tT thJt it is consi stent w ith Hi s \declarative} statement, We verily could ltave
life We p ro lon Wermem rance)says: " H e whom web. . queri,b,·d their eyesight. is more appealing to me , even though the other
to th e state I g, . everse him in creatio,, "H nngto oldage, whw
· 1e was a I .ld · e says· "W. b . rcadmg is not to be discarded.
age." Th is is th e " r 111 s a c_ 11 ' which is the condit_- ; ru_ig him ~ck God (Exalted is His reme mbrance) means by His statement Have they
G things he o nce ki •e~ersa l Ill cre ation. " such that h iobn o sen~ity and old r/:rn 1u1srmr? : Do these polytheists not grasp with their eyes thac God has
Q. ] 6:68 Th e fo llowin1n: . e ecomes ignorant of the power to do w h atever He wills? Do they not sec that God transforms
G
j .d g Interpreters "d Q . 36:69
0
USC ~~:h; ,'t';:.t,~
O that. An acc~: n:~;;ting shimila~ to what we have their physical state as H e wills and wishes, from childhood to adulthood,
and then he revert s th em from adulthood to senility? G
n .. rada . . u ad h] - Yazid [b z ?sew o said that:
~ , . said , cancer . . uray J-Sa<id [b Ab '
reverse liim in
so that he
The
do~:~:'°"• . nmg His statem en t H e I . i ArGbaJ-
" H e w hose life We rol~~1om we bring t~ o~d age, _Hi
,_ ot know som ething aft P h kg, i# reverse h,m m creatson,
IN~E~PR.ETAT I ON OF And We have not taught him (Mui,ammad)poetry,
1101 15 "propt·r for him

re11ers I . ~ran reci ters disagreed cir e new it, meaning senilit)'-" God (Exalted is H is remembrance)says : "And We have not taught Mu}:iammad
1
read "e ""'· k M I OS C M edina n and ·Ba overt I e rea d·mg o f His . staitemcnt Wt poei r}',_nor is it proper for ltim to be a poet," as we have been informed by:

on thea::c'~~- m las a Form I verb] , ,: ::~•a a ong with some Kufan reciters
. B,shr /b. Mu' adh]-Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa' id [b. Abi 'Aruba]-Q;i_tada
a dam111 1d o ne. M os t Kufans re fatba on the firs t nUn and a sukiin ~aid , conce rning His statemen t And We have not tauglit /Jim lMui,ammad}
T· (~ o n the first 1111 and
11
far/, ad ,,,makkis-hu [as a Form II verb], with 17''ry, I/or is it proper for him , "It was said to 'A'isha, ' Did the Messenger
: A BARI SA I D: Th e c . a on the second one. 2 C_od (~) ever relate any poetry?' She replied, '[Poetry} was the most
be-spiscd for m of speech for him. However, he did relate a verse from a
;i~her he
111 the ga rri son . . orrec r opi ni on is th b h .
be co rrect. H cities, so th at the reciter w at ot re~dmgs are well known
of BanG Q~ys, but 1nixed up the order of the cwo hemistiches.
is more ~Wever, the readi f I ho reads euher one of them will
p u Bakr sa id co him , "The verse is not as you have related it." The
fr Godpeahng to n1 e becausngi° tie majority of Kufans (nu11akkishu)
/ophct of God replied , "Truly, by God, I am not a pot!t, nor is it proper
0 111
d
thing a ahnd it is one stat e afi et le p rocess of reversal in creation comes
or me \to be one]! '"" :!
• • 11 t e Ive rbal j form· t~; an o t h er state, or one thing after another
1
1 T.1b.ir1 d1~nn~ Wit a shadda intensifies this meaning.
1
Ub:iyd:/;1t~~~p:;i•1t b~ll·Ar in hi s conuu ,
2 ~l;10 A
recit.-/~1 >;h:~~('nbesthe~~~~"· 2; 165. 'n tar )·
011
Q.6: 135. T his opinion is sh.ired bf
1~;1 ~1 1Y)'a :uc ribc\ the reading of ta'qiliir1 to Nifi' and Ahl, 'Amr (in ,he recension of 'Ayyish),
1
2 .-\:~;r~\'(•ryonc else f{'ad yil'tj i/ii,r; al- M1iharrara f-u.vji::, 4 :461. , _
t{'adin g Aghi 'A~1111 t{'ad g llll,iakk ,s- hu to usc , •. uig to Su yG(i , chis badlth is a.lso found in rhe Musa,maf of Abd al-Razzaq wd di'°
and tli'° 10
t,, ll r11. al-A rn.1 J 11 a11kus-J, 11 ; al- M/h f:lamzaand ~im andindicatcsth.irsom_~
Q/-~:a~,;iu:-_ conm1c111 aries
of 'Abd b. Humayd. llm al-Mundhir and lbn Abi l:f5tim: _al-Durr
"""akk i.1"'<lin.1n~; M . 1 and l:far11z a
u- "·
d \ arrar al- wajiz, 4:461 . Al-Farri' ascribes chr1
aan, al- Q_,,Q,,, '. ~ 1 ~ie reading of nanltus-hu to al-Hasan al-I»tri dn. /"°'·
5:505 . In Su yU ~i°s venio,~. ~tada acknowledges ,hat he d id no l hear rh1s r'°p~rt
2 3
· 1. lie stand ard l;laf$ edition of the Ql!r'in ii
,,:,;:/,;,:::•;~;:~!'.';,~::7:,;,';,~;',','~'.:::: '}";.1~,~t" no< ;J, ndfy hi, infonn,n< Thu>'''

4 56 457
 TABAR! s ,,rat Ya ' S111 (36:1 - 83 )
I NTERPRETAT I ON OF /
making plain T tis is no less than a & . 1,, [b. Mu' adh]- Yazld \b. Zuray' ]-Sa' id [b. Abi 'Arubaj-
G d ( . mmder and il<''J.,
815 said. .. A d that.. th e 1Vord may be J11/fillcd aga ;11st the disbe/;evers on
o .Exalted is Hi s rcmcmbran a ~,'a" 11
By Hi s sta te m ent Thi5 H ce) says: This is no l JccoutH of their deed s.
yo h • e means Muh . ess than a R.r,
u, O uma nity. God remind s ' . anunad is no less than nink,_1
to you and remin ds you cl I }OU by His act of send· a Rrminder for
a n .. ,_ k iroug ' hin f ing [Muh COMMEN TARY ON T H E FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
'<:!.' an ma ing plain H " 1 0 your lot in u; I .amnud]
is a ~,•a,, makino pla ·· "eHsays : This thing that M hi c and by sendingj [;n:; \ Ha pe ,hey 11ot see11 /101V We /,ave created for them of Our ha11di1Vork
,- } I - 0 "'· e says· " I · I u . ainmad b - 1
rlzruirrlc, so 1/w t th ey are th eir owners, \36:72) And have s11bdued them ro
v. It l 11s rni n d and intell ect th : . t is c ear to anyone wh _nn~ you
down to Mul_1 ammad , and tha a~ I~ JS a revelation from G o examines it 1/,cm. so tlia t some of th em rhey have for riding , and some for eating?
of a soo th sa)'er ., I t It Is neither poet od, who sent it God (Ex alt ed is Hi s re m embra n ce) says: "Have these people w ho asso-
, as we 1ave be . r- ry nor the rh d
Bishr [b. Mu(adhJ - _ en mrormed by : ymc pro~ <1Jtc gods and idols with God not seen how We have created for them of
Qetada said "A n,. ,_ Yaz,d [b. Zuray' ]- S ,_ Ou, lraudiwork?" H e says: "Of the creation We created, the cattle (art 'am),
• '<.!!ran making plain is th· n .. • a id fb. Abi <Arub~J
is ~ran.. -
which arc lives tock th at Go d created for the children of Adam and put
Q INTE RPI\.ETAT I ON OF T, . Jt their disposal - ca mel s, cows and sheep-so that they are their owners."
G
Q . 36:70 He says: 0 humanit M o warn whosoever lives Hn:iys: "They are free to use them in any manner they see fit, by means Q.36=71-2
0 whosoe1,er has a pul s ~• u}:ianunad is no less than a &. d. of thei r power and con trol over them," as we have been informed by:
G
t
and understand ti e,- wl h ose minds can grasp wh -,n~~ _er to you to mm:
I 1at w Uc! · b . at 1s ocmg "d h _ Bishr [b. Mu' adh ]- Yazld [b. Zuray' ]-Sa' ld [b. Abl 'Aruba]-~tada
w 1osc hearts are dead dI ts emg made clear to them I . sat t em, said. concerni ng His statement so that they are their owners, "Maintainers
_ Th e followin inr;n are foolish. · t 1s not or thost'
{Jab(11111)."
J Ust said con cerni g rpreters said somethin .mil Yunus \b. 'Abd al-A' la]- lbn Wahb--lbn Zayd said, concerning His
Abu K ng that. An acco unt of h g s1 . a~ to what we ha\·e
said uray b- Abu Mu":i . . t ose who said that: Have tl1ey ,iot seen how We have created for them ef 011r handiwork
STat t· me nt
, co ncern in g H · wiya-a man Ab- R rliwmle, so 1/iat they are their oumers: It was said to him, "Are these camels?"
bl e of t hinkin ( is stat eme:-nt To u,arn who - . u "awq-al-OaQQak
B· I g o r sane ; 'aq;f)" 'Soeverl,ve.s, W h oeveriscan.1- \!bn Zayd} replied, "Yes." Someone said "Cows are also cattle, but they
" " [b. M11'-dh . , a7 not in cluded in this verse ." [lbn Zayd} said, "Camels, cows and sheep
~tada said ' ·· y; warn
a wliosoeve
]- Yazld1· [b. zu _ ray ' ]-Sa ,_id (b. Abi 'Ariiba]- ~'""_"') ,~re all 'cattle (an 'am)."' Then he recited fag/11 pafrs (Q.6:143).'
0
INTE R.PR ET
r ives w1ch a livi J1 d
ng eart an living insight." e said, C ows and camels are cattle, but ewes (sha ') arc not included."
disbelievers . ATI O N OF and that th
He sa , . e wo rd may be Jul.filled against tht l~ TE R.PRETAT ION OF And have subd11ed them to them, so rhat some of them
d )S. So that the .
1icy liavt' fo r riding, and some for eating
isbel ief in G pun ishment ma b .
and opp od- rhose who Y e incumbent 1 upon the people of Hesays·
ridin t em tI'CJ'. I,avefior
}i Wc Iiai,e subdu ed these cattle to them, so that some o,Jh
T he f. II ·. 1e 1as broug) turn
osc w hat I I I away firom f-;o ll o wing fMu ~ammadj tr.iv: }. Res~!'". So that some of them they ride, like camels,_upon which they
j ust said co owi ng int erprcte H r_~em from God. l ( aki,b 1s the beast w hich is ridden, whereas ,ukub, with a ,!amma,
oncerning th at. A rs sai somet hing similar to what we liaw 1
s t ieactof
The · g.1· An d somefior eating their.Bes h: .
n'd 1~1
11
T.ib acco unt of those who said that: following mterpreters said something smular to what we h ave
1
Ui haffi
2 Li1 crally. H~~::111g
t hat ilit· ~ n id ..
11 1 !he colllp\cte verse is: Eig!1t paiN: Of rlae 1hrrp two, and of tht goats W"1, Say: H as He forbiddm
~,: \: :. :f Taba~;~:;;~ 3 l1v1ng ; 1~: / 1 {::;; ''.~ in t his ~c ntc nce; Dir Hajar, i 9 :4 8o.
1 1 1 g lhc rc.idi ng f . ka na bayya 1-qtJ!b)"; sec: 19:481 in the Dir H~p r (ii,.1"'"' mal~J or tlrt ru,o ft malv . or tlrtJt which 1ht a.wmb1 of tht /WOftmaltJ (,mttJiri ? ExPound IO mt
0
)'<lpba in d1c l)J r Ha'ar e . '
dm o n of Tabari s TtJjrlr; 19:481.
1 Thi:";!::•ncuon
•ili_kr ou,ledgt,
1 if yo1, trHthfiil.
llrt
a fo und in AbU ' Ubayd:a. ,\,ftJjJz .r/-(2!_4r'J,i . 2 1
: 6s.

Ith..~
4 58 459
 TABAR! s ,,rat Ya' S111 (36:1 - 83 )
j ust sai d conce rni ng t h at. An ac
_Bishr [b. Mu'ad h]- Yazid c[o unt of those w ho s 'd God (Edtcd is His remembrance) says: T hese gods cannot help [the po ly-
~tada said "And Iw, I b. Zuray' ]-s <-d ai that : ,hco<tsJ against God if H e wills to harm them , no r can they pro tect them
!"we for ridi,:o- tl , ~dj zavc subdued them to ti, a I fb. Abi cA.rULJ
6 l e) n c them in d em, so that Vi- from :i.ny mi sc hief.
somefi ,, ea1i11g th eir Ac I ., o r er to travel u some of then. rh
s 1. pon their backs-a~
Ji\TLilPRETAT ION OF thoug h tliey be l10sts made ready f or th em
H{' }.w~: "The5c poly th eist s arc hosts made ready for their g ods."
COMMENTARY ON TH E FOLLO W
Thc- interpre te rs d isagreed o ve r th e int erpretation of Hi s st ate m e nt
J36:73 J Benefi ts and drin k I ING DI VI NE WORD ,,i,zdc rt'ri.i}' (n111b(iariit1) and w h ere the ir prese n ce will be w ith them.
tha uks >[36:74] A / ,'""e th ey from them. W ill th S: OP I NION:So me of them said: What is m ea nt by th at is though they be hosts
. n t tey have taken (oth ey not then givt
order tl,at th .
111 b er) gods beside God madcmulyfor rliem at th e tim e of the Accounting (fiisiib) [in th e Hcreaft erj.
God (Exalted is His ey may e helped. ' An aCC'Oll nt of th ose w ho said th at:
ti c, such as their wo;;n/, embran ce) says : "They have be Muham mad b. 'Amr (al-Bahiu]-Abu 'Aiim (al-Nabil]-'I sa [b.
household good Tl , . ur a nd h air, whi ch can b dnejits from these m- Maymlln} ; and fro m al-I:Iarith (b. Abt Usama]-al-}:Iasan [b. al-Ashy -
0 also have drink ,r
s. ie1r h ·d
i es can be used fo
e use forfi ' h•
umu mgs:i.nd ahJ-\Varqa' [b. ' Umarj ; both ' Isa and Warqa'-ibn Abi Najil:,-Mujahid
e
Q .36:73-4 have been info:m:;1 ~1 ,~hese ca ttl e], such as t~:o:~n~~eor sh_elte:. Tlity saiJ. concern ing Hi s stat em ent though they be hosts made ready for them , "At
Q. 36 :75 -<
0 Bishr [b. M ' -di' Y dnnk, ' "'" thr time of th e Accounting. "
~tada said "B u a ,]- Yazid fb. Zura ' ) S ,_ OP I NI ON: Oth ers said: Rather, the meaning of that is though they be hosts
e
drmk their ;11j]t1~1s -tl1 ey wear th e w o o f fi - ah1d [b. Abi (ArUb.2]-
- ia,,e they from them ." ram t em-anddn"nks-they ma~t' ready for rliem in the temporal world , who get angry for the sake [of
1heor gods].
INTERPRETAT An account o f th ose w ho said that:
I ON OF W '/1
Ht"says: Wil/rh ey,1or tl . l they not rhe11 g ive tha11ks? ~ishr _[b. Mu' adh]-Yazid [b. Zuray' ]-Sa'id (b. Abi 'Arubaj-
u~~n th em and M i.e11g111e rha11 ks for th ese o . Qe.tada said , con cernin g though tlzey be hosts tntJde ready for them, " The
divinit y a d
n wars} ·
y k in d n ess tow d h
and idol-w I . H p to Me al o ne an d .
g od tlnngs I have bestowed
ar s t em b O b ·
Y eym g Me, restricting
P!rhci
0 5ts ge t an g r y on behalf of their gods in chis world, thou gh th ey
ors 11 P? re 1mquishi ng o bedience to Smn nen ie r br ing them any go odness nor protect them from any ev il; they
are me rely ido ls.
INTERPRETAT I ON TABAR I SAID: Wh at ~ tada said is th e more likely interpretation to be
He rliaz the'} may be helped
order OF A nd they have taken (other) gods beside God i11 co;en , in ou r estimation, because at the time of Accounting, the idols
s . says: Th ese >ol . , ;~ . anything t h ey w orshipped will ,disassociate themselves from the poly -
h_1p, it1 order ythe1sts ha ve ta ken (otl
tl1a~ .
will aid ti tl,ey may be 1, I d ier) gods beside God that rhey wor-
icm agains t God's re:~~ · ~ e says : Our of h ope that these gods
n uti o n and punishment.
ti at et
R. ei ~ s, s~ l~ow can \the poly th eists] be hosts made ready for them at that time ?
It is in th e t emporal w orld chat they arc a host chat gets angry for

le sa c of {their gods} and fight s others.

CO MMEN TA INTE R.P R ET ATI O N O F S o let not th eir speecl1grieve you

[J0 :75 J Tl RY ON T H E FO
iey ca11,iot J,d , J LLOWING D IVINE WORDS: G od (Exalt e d is
Mui · 1-1'1s rem embrance) says co His Prophet Mu):iamma d ($): 0
1 t iem , thou h ti
IJ6:76J,i , S0 let 11or the· r.g zey be hosts made ready fior tl,em . yo )tnmad, so let not g rieve you comment s like, " You are a poet, and w h at
we k 0 '' Jpeech · lave b ro u ght us is poetry," which these poly theists from your people
" "' rvliar they< g'je,,e you (O M ubam mad). Loi 111
oncea and what they p roclaim . yoa e regard in g you , or their rej ection of God's signs or their denial o f
ur prophethood.

4<io
 TABAR! S1,eat Ya ' Sin (16:1 - 83 )
INTERPRETATI O N 0
God (Exalted is H · F Lo! Weknowwhatth dir.' ,nd ,hen phcc you into H ellfire."' [~tada] said, ":,~e Messenger of

i
th em to say w hat :;,:cmembrancc) says: Loi : .: •1eealandwl,a1dtey
t her brought them say IS envy, and tha; the now that wh,i h P"'1,;,,,
are not a liar VM k P etry nor any thin ey know that "dn,,,,
God (i) killed \Ubayy b. Khalaf] at the battle of Ul1ud. -
OP INION : Others said: Rather, al-'A! b. Wa'il al-Sahm! was intended

arc calli n t . e ttow u4,at of their re g re_sernbling poet you h,-, nei. bri1 .
1

' An :accoun t of th ose w ho said that:

publicl y, :,i~t~, r/,ey cottceal, a11d wha/if~tondof ~he rcaJ~a~~d ~hh~t )-OU Ya qi1b b. Ibrahim \al-Daw raqlj-Hushaym- Abu Bi shr-Sa' ld
cir tongues. e1r crual of that theyv. proclaim
;u )'ou
b. J bayr said. "Al-'A! b. Wa' il al-Sahm! came to the Messenger of
God11 (s) wit h , decayi ng bone, crushed it betwee n his hands and said,
·o M11ha111111ad , will God re surrect this after it has rotted away?'
COMMENTARY ON ~\u\1,nnnad replied, 'Yes, God will resurrect this, then He will cause
136 :77] H THE FOLLOW!
lot I . as nor man seen that We I NG DIVINE WORDS· ,01110 die, th en revive yo u, and then He will place you in the Fire of
. ie 15 a,1 open oppo iave created him fi . GC'hcnna:·· \Sa'td l said. "Then these verses came down: Has not ,nan
a11d has forg otten ti ttctrt. I36:78) And he has co. rodm a drop ofsemen? \(I
.tt't!J rlia r We Jiai,c created liimfrom a drop of semen? Yet lo! li e is au open oppD-
a bones when rhe 1 'e fact ef his creation say,· •wttehfor Us a similit11Jr
"'
Q. 36:77 Who produced I
y ,a,,e d ' ttg
rotre away? (36:79) S' . H
o ·11
rtvieerl,escw:
' nrnt to the end of the siira."
4
5 e
G d ( t ,em arrh e jirsr,Jvr H . K ay. e w,/1 revive them OP I NION : O th ers said: Rather, 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy was intended by it. Q .36,77
G T~ may He be exa lted) e IS nower of every creation An account of those who said that: e
iere has been disa says, Has ttot man see11 tha ' Mul)ammad b. Sa' d [b. Mul)ammad al-'AwfiJ-my father-my
1101 matt see,, g rcement over who - . t w; ha,~ created him'
O PI N ! O . . IS mtcnded by Hisstarcm,nr H~ uncle lal-B usayn b. al-Hasan \-my father-his father ['A!iyya b. Sa' d
al-Awfl ]- Ibn 'Abbas said, concerning Has 11ot ,na11 seen tJiat We hove
N. Some of h ""''d liim fro m a drop of set>iett through to His statement wJiett they have
An
M Iacco unr of those
t emw said:
ho sa,·Uba
d I yy b . Khalaf was intended h)· this '
u ,ta.mmad b ' U - t iat: .
'°"'da\l'ay', "'Abd Allah b. Ubayy brought the Prophet(!) a decaying
Abu Yah a- __· . mara- ' Uba d b - - , bone, which he smashed in his hand, prior to saying. 'O Mul:iammad,
b,mes tt•h~;, the ~UJah,d said , concer;;n HMusa-lsra ii [b. Abi Ish,qj- how will God re surrect this, when it has rotted away?' The Messenger of
came to the )' tat>erottedaway?, " [Thisgw JS statement Whowill revi,..the., God(!) replied, 'God resurrects this, and He causes you to die, then He
Muh Messenger of God (s) . h as said by] Ubayy b. Khalaf, who
May mu~ ammad b. 'Amr [al-Bal~t a bo~e J:nd s:ud this]." '. Follow'.ng the rcadm g of yi1miwka in the O;ir Ha.jar edition; 19:486.
abl- W I,-~nd from al-Haritl b h]-Abu A!im al-Nabll- 'is.i lb. . '"'.<d«,g10 Suyu\i , a v,,;,,ion of ,h;, ;,duh m«d ,h,ough lbn 'Abbl• •PP'"" ,oldy ;n ,h,
said arqa /b. ' Umar) · botl ,'. 1_ · Abl Usama]-al-I:Iasan [b. al-Ashy· ~ r :i.mc co,nmemary o f ibn Mardawayh; a/-Durral-manthilr. 5;507. T abari's badtth is ,mirsal,
1 1
d I W arqa-• - lb n AbiNajl~-Mujlhid
, concerni sa and sinct :i.1-~t:ida docs not name his immediate infonnant. T ab.i.ri rtPoru from ibn h\:ti q that
is] Uba . b ng H IS " statemen
' tA ( 1» mn» d ;uR;md, f>1,l ;nju<y upon ub,yy b. Kh,I,f" "" b,ul< of Ubud (3/6,s) ;n
B_ Y) · Khalaf." 11 ,e has coined far Us a simi/imde, ''[He 10
~: l~l\tory ; ~cc Tht History of af-Tabari, Vol. VII. i:;13- 4.
i s 11r jb. Mu' -d -A~ b. Wa'i\ al-SalmU is counted 2,mong the senior lclOcrs of the Meccan oppo-sirion to the
Q;,_tada
have rott said a h] - His
d 'concerning Yazid
st [b · Zuray , ]-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Arub-]-
3 ~ oph« Mol»mm,d: Th, Hou,ryef,1-T,bdri. Vol. VI,M•bdmmod" M«a, '"'"· W. Monmm,ry
d "' ,nd M. V. McDo,uld (Alb,nyc SUNY p,~,. ,988), 93- S, ,07. T, bari m,n,;om 6 hh (na1u<>I)
to th e ~ away', " It has bee at eme nr Who,.,;// reviverh,s,bon,s ,vhen thl'( rnh m the fim year of the Hijr.i. (i/622); stt 'flu HiJtory ofal-To"'1ri, V~. VI!, · .
it into thessc ~ger of God (s) :~nhention ed to us that Ubayy b. Khalaf came A"?«lmg 10 Suy0\i, v,,;,,ion, of ,1,;, i,,,di<h ,<>cing ,hcough Jbn Abbl, ' " found m ,h,
4 Q,<, >nk comm,nmk, of Jbn ,J-Mundh;,, Jbn Ab!"'"'"' ,nd lbn Ma<d,w,yh , ,h, Mm"d"k
it has rott edwmd · Tl1 en he .sa •d It , a deca y mg
. b one, crushed it and scartered
of t:i i bm ; and books by AbO Bakr 2,\-lsmi 'ili. B2oyh2oqi and ()iP,' al-Din :i.1-MaqJisi; al-Durr
· Muhanunad
e a1vay''
1
,
0 Muh
. • amma d , Who JJJill revive chis when
· rep 1ied, 'God wiH revive it then make you ~l- mamhiir, S :507. Note that Tab,ui's version of thh /,adith h mursal. .
S Abd Alli h b. ub,yy b. s,lol w", !c, d;ng f, gu« of M,d;n, ,mong ,h, Kham) who pubhdy
cmbm,d bl,m, bu< w" g,nmlly , on, idc«d on< of ,h, !;'YI".""' ~ (M><.,;fiq'")- H, d;,d
I Th 1) <' p l!Odt• I •
to · -~1efsi,
Uh.in b. K)h~~: t• - in GM,i
u ill.ium
qJrd bc 's16,4-s- MuqJt il :ilso identifies this passage as ,dcrring n:itur;il\y m 9/63 1; ~ct W. M . \Van, "'A bd Alli h b. Ubayy. El ·
. 11aymiin , 3 :585--6.
 TABAR!
Srira r Ya' 5;,, (36 :1 - 83 )
places yo u in Ge h enn a
at the fir~t, Jor H e is K1101~,~:d /,aid, H e will revive t
fhcO'" Who creat ed \th e bones ] th e fir st time, whe n they were nothing,
TABA RI SAID . Ti . if ' ery creation "' 1 he,n Wh op d
man who says :WIie lllte rpre ta ti o n o f ti . . ,, ' «d r!,. "·ill rr,·in- ,hcn1,f" /-le ~ Knower of er,ery creat,ol/. He says : He h a_s knowl-
,Jc, uf ,11 of His creatio n- h ow He w ill ca u se death , how H e will revive,
!liar We have created 10 _will r e 11i11e these bone; s passage, then is·"
h u man being ' '' l11m fro n, a drop <,fscmc w~en they hav, ~,,; dHa,"" thu hr;\\ !k wi ll begin. ho w H e will bring back- no aspect of His creatio n is
. " an We have crcar:d au10y?' .((l'II
,onlcJkd fro lll him.
INTER P R ETAT ION OF acompl«,
H Yet/o l /
e says Yer lo I he is ar u . ,e is an open oppo11e,11 COMMENTARY O N T H E FOLLOWIN G DIVIN E WORDS :
Lord co nce rn in g h g m e nta t1 ve w ah H L
:;c~~u!:~1~sfi]1,. a hn dwth: tc ~1~L
oo;,: ~a~~lato hun,1[w~:~-~cs:;:]u'7Is
[36:80\ 11'/io /ws 11ppoi111ed for you.fire from tliegree,i trees, and behold! you
\\ 1t h H1 kmdk frlnn it. \36:81\ Is not I-le W l10 created the heavens and the earth able
er t e 1r d h ration t I amgo tHre.irc rlie like of tliew ? But yes, Jor H e is th e All-knowing Creator,
u,hen ihry have roucd .~:at : Jh e n th,s m a n say;, ~:. tha/\ He " " ' " ~,;
G T he wo rd ope11 (mub!' , e ny ing th e pow er of wr revwe rlzmbonrs God (halte d is Hi s remembrance) says: Say: He will revive them Wh o
arg um ents an d sp h Im) m ea n s It Is clea r (y h· ) God to rcv1vl" them r1(1J1Hd 111cm 11 r tlz efi rst (Q.3 6 :79), Who lias appointed for you fire from the
Q. 36:78-9
$ INT eec t 1ar h a m to who
e IS o ppos111g HIS Lord Wh mever hw sh11
s,,-cn rrm . He says: lHe} Who brings forth for yo11firefrom the green trees , G
ER.PRETATI ON ocreated h,m \dnch burns the trees. Nothing can prevent or stym.ie an action that Q . 36:80-1
God wills to take place, even if it is reviving rotten bones back into
forgotre11 the fact of I . O F A nd he has coinedfi
a com plete h um an , in a brand new creation, just as He did it che first
G
have rottedawa)''S 11S creation, say ing , Wh o ·t/or ~s a similit11de, and /41.1
· K tJower of e, · ay ·· He. u' 1'/I re11i11e them W I iv, drevive th ese bones u1hrn they tmH· aro und.
H
15 i crycreat1011 iopro ucedthematthefi fi H The fo ll owi ng int erpreters said something similar to what we have
e.s ays: By sayin W . m, or r just said concernin g that. An account of those who said that:
[tl11 s person J coin~ d ho w,/1 re11ive th ese bones u,h Bishr jb. Mu' adhj - Yazid [b. Zuray' J-Sa'id \b. Abi 'Aruba]-
power to rev ive d fo r U s a rese mblance t
!w h ich is d d ca d crea tures gi
e,i they have rotted awJj',
h o someone who lacks the ~;'!' sa id, concernin g Wli o /,a s appointed for yo11 fire from tlie green trees,
H e l,as fo r ea J. Thi s pe r son has for
ven t at nobody can revive chit 1
~ One W ho bnngs forth this fire from these green trees has the power

he was n gho~te,1 O u r crea tio n of I .'J:Olteln the fact of his creatiott. He says: to resurn:ct h im. "
speak ing ot P ing b ut a d'°P <,J sem e, 11111d, iow h We created him, and th>!
of him w~~ s~n. H e says : Thi s p e; and~ en We made him a complett'. l:-CTE RPRETATI O N O F and behold! you ki,,dlefrorn it
atecl hii~ f IC 1 woul d h ave ma d sho~ id not think about Our creation He ~_ays : And beliold ! you kitidle fir c f,om the trees.
1 ro m ad ,J
speakin g d f rop o semen to h
e Im know th
.
h O
at t e ne W o crt'-
h fhe pronoun ir (Im) refers to the trees . The pronoun is masculine rather
bringi ng ai" rcc ly ac ti ng (,;, t e _p o mt th a t he became a complere. cban fe minine , because shajar (" trees") is the collective plural of shajara.
1
as a hum t 1~ deceased back t " ~~arrij) human. cannot be incapable of ·'.~st like ''.•ama r (" frui ts") and hasa ("pebbles"). One would be cor_rect say-
h
5
a- an in tli o 1IIt' o r of b . . d b k g mwha, beca use the Arabs refer to these collective plurals u mg boc
euace m<' nt . e same fo r m as t h e• nngm~ a rotce bone ac ·
God (M · I p e r so n w as pnor to his [death andJ ma\culi ne and fe minine m arkers. '
Say: He will~! :.ty aocl Majestic is INT ERPRETATION OF ls not He Who createdrheheaverisandtlie earthable
says to y 1 '"e them Who d H e) says to H is Prophet Muhammad (~):
ou, Wh 0 wi·1l revi,,e th b them at t I1eJi rs/ to this polytheist
pro rued . who rocre<1 te il1 e like of tli em?
1
~ ccordu g ~uv - _ ese ones wl,en they have rotted away? He says:
1

,::t;:,',m;' ,l,o ind ic,m ,1,,. , l"j"

10
b11 M:ird.iw;i ·h , u1 1. tlu ~ had;,J, 1 " " in ,h, f< ,ninin< o< ,n,sculino g,nd« by ci<ing
} ; tl/-J)"na/- ," lhii
411
~ fo und onlv in h .
r. s:so?. ' c c~ r •-.inic commenurit1 of T.ilxin. ;inJ
pie~ from t h e ~r';in; /l.1(l'ii ni a/- Q:!r ,i ,i , 2:382.
 TABARJ
Siirar Ya' Sin (.36:1 - 83)
God (Exalted is H.is remembrance) admonishes this disbeliev<r Who
said Who 11,il/ rev11,e these bones when tliey have rott,d •way? (Q . b,d . . \1111,lk)' over all tiringsd andd
.S t \lC do m1mon
d
. \\ 'hosc ha11 :rn d. treasuries
b k H e\ says: . you wil\ be rctume an
To H1m
hi s error and the m agn itude of his ignorance by S>ying• r. ' 36H· S) of
created t/,e seven liea,,'.'" ond t/,e corth able to create
' the likes
• unor
certainly not more difficult to create the likes of you from rotten bon.,
7
of you:t \\'h It : isl k 111 ,,u will ~c broug llf ac .
:•1/"n I• ,ftcryour deaths.
\1·,nJ up.
, _
Siirat Yii S111
than it isto create the heavensand the earth! He says: If it is not ; . 11 of the connnenrary on
Cmc Iu s10
sible for Him to create th at which is greater than you, how can111 i,~
impossible
and vani shed?for Him to revive the bones after they have turned to dust

INTERPRETATION OF B,u yes,for Heu tl,e All-knowing Crtaror

He says: Bu t yes, He u oble to create the like of them, and Ht u the Crraro, of
whatever He wills, the Doer of what He wishes,' and the All-k,.,,;,
0 of whatghas
anythin from been
Himcreated
. and will be created-no covering can concr,\1
Q.36:81-3
0
COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS:
IJ6: 82] B111 Hisco111111and, when He wills a thing, is only that Hesay51, it,
Be! and it is, 116:83] Tlterefore, Glory to Him i11 Whose hand is 1hr
dominion over all things and to Him you will be brought back ,
God (Exalted is His remembrance) says: B11t God's command, wl1a1 Hr ll'ill;
the creation of a thing, is only that He says to it , Be! 011d it is. Qetada sard,
concernin g that, what has been narrated to us from:
Bish, lb. Mu'adh]- Yazid lb. Zuray' ]-Sa'id [b. Abi 'Aruba]-
~tada said , "The previous verse, Is 1101 He W/10 created the heavens a1td ,ht
earth able
111
to create the like of tlren,> But )'es,for He is the All-knowing Crra<or, .
11
like ( itl,~1 B111 His conm1011d, whe11 He wills a thing, is only that He says to 11 '
Be.t a,i d II· ·s." He scud,
. ,, There is nothing in t he spcechf t heArabsthat.
O
· IsgHer
IS J and easter· than !saying k1111 (Be!)], and the commandofGod 11
JUst hke that. "

INTE 011 i,ETATI ON OF Therefore, Glory to Him in W ose a

. RP It h nd is tl11
do"'"" ovrr oil tirings and to Him you will be brought back ..
God (Ex aJte d IS· His rensensbrance) says: Therefore, free £rom a11 impunucs

' Th,. d,"'«d, Q 11 /' - y,,n~. Thronly

d,ff"'"";, ,h;~, ·
the Our'·an,. D·Jt Ha.,ar,
· ban 19 add~
«-
'107 •nd 85 ,i6, Don of who, He ,,i,hes (fa •(~• •-;:;,his indefioite '"
the def111i1c :iniclc al- to the word fa ol, w
:490_
1
A.bu Ub~yda. :i.ho g\o~~t!. malakUr •~ mu lk·Majazal-Q!!r'cin,1.:165.
'
 s ,,rat nf-Zumnr (;9:53- 55)

L,,rd repcurm,t, a,id submit to Him (Q.39:54). God on ly

nTroacbrs the peo ple of understanding. The la\,,fu l and
die unb wful arc o nl y for the believers; it is they whom
God rcpro:tchcs :md th ey whom God commands. If any
~HE COMPANIES
0 11 c of them acts in an excess ive manner against himself,
SURAT AL-ZUMAR he ~hould not despair of God's mercy; [rathcrJ, he is to
(Q. 39:53-SS) rnrn 10 Him. without delaying his repentance from thi s
cxcc~sivc :tct and the sin which h e committed. God mcn-
11oncd in SOrat Al <tmran (3) th:tt the believers, when
they :tsk God for forgiveness, say, 0 Lord, forgive us for
CO MM ENTARY ON THE FOL ()11r sim mrd wasted efforts, make our foothold sure (Q.3: 147).
139:53] Sny: OM LOWING DIVINE WORD \G od\ knows that they commhted excessive acts and so
D . y scrr,a,1ts whose . S: com manded them to repent from their excesses.
espair not of the mercy of God/;::,~sse~:;1; go."e ag_ains1 themsr/r,es!
Lo! H e is the Forg . . y I Jorgtves sins ahogether. Mulp mmad b. 'Amr [al-Bahili]-Abu 'Aiim [al-Nabll]-' Isa [b.
The interpreter cl · wmg, t ,e Merciful. .lla;·mim]: and from al-1:larith [b. Abl Usama]-al-1:lasan [b. al-Ashy- G
OPINION. s isag reed over who are the intende . . ab]-Warqa' [b. ' Umar\: both 'Isa and Warqa'-Ibn Abl Najlb-Mujahid Q . 39:53
th e· t WI. Someofthemsaid·Th . dpcoplclllthuvmr. :.ltd, co~1e_c rning God's statement Whose excesses have gone agai11st themselves,
1s s. len ti · c intended p l The killing of [innocent} people during pre-IslanUc times."
G
can we bel.i 1ey were summoned to hav f . e~p care among the poly-
and kille eve when we have associ t e atth m God. they said, "How lbn 1-:l~mayd- Salama-Ibn Isl)aq-some (or one) of his compan-
has pr d p~ople whose lives God I adedtartners with God, fornicated ions- Aia b. Yasar said, "These three verses came down in Medina on
u . onusc Hellfire for the las ec ared inviolable, given th3t God account of Wal~sltl 1 and his companions: O My servants whose excesses have
s g1Avcn all that ,ve have don perso~ who does this? Faith will not hene6r g.~ne agaimi the111sel1,es until before the pimislm1et1t comes 011 yo11 suddenly, 1vlien
M In accou f
nt O those who
e previously
-d h · " Th en t h·1s verse came d0\\11. )rn are tmaware (Q.39:55)."
u ~anunad b S rd sa1 t at: , ·aYunus [b. 'Abd al-A'la]-Ibn Wahb-Abu Sakhr-Zayd b. Aslam
uncle
I , lal-H _ • usayn b. . al-H a [b. ] Muhammad· a I- 'Aw11
"] - my fatber- my : 1ve' conccrn_ing His statement (Exalted is He) 0 My servants whose excesses
; - Awfi J- Ibn cAbba s sai;san - my father-his father ['Aliyya b. S.a'd ti
11 gone agarnst themselves! Despair not of the mercy of God, ''This is just for
1a11c g o11{' aga i11s1 tl1emse/i,esl n:;n~erning Say: 0 My servants who~ exusstS lC" polytheists."
Th_is Irelates toJ .the pair not ef tlie mercy ef God, n, ~~shr _[b. Mu' adh]- Yazld [b. Zuray' ]-Sa' id (b. Abi 'Aruba]-
~ta 3 said , concerning His statement O My serva,Jts whose excesses have
clauns that jGodj
shipped ido ls call ;v1 -ieccans who said, "MulJammad
nor forgive anyone who wor- R:ne agai 11s1 themselves until he reached sius altogether, "It has been men-
tioned to t l.1 at a group of people had committed tremendous sins during
prL·-lslam~s
killed people 'whoe l~pon another deity with God and
h sc .Ives God I d
ow ~a n we emigrate /witl . ias eclared inviolabl e, so
' ance wo t
tunes. Then when Islam came, they feared that their repent-
Mu slun s w hen w h 1
hun to Medina} or become 0 M u d not be accepted, so God called out to them ,vith this verse:
people whose li v;s 'torshipped a ffalseJ god, killed Y servants whose excesses l,ave goue agafost themselves."
arc po lr rh eists?" The~ ias declared inviolable and we Mul:iammad \b. al-I:Iusayn al-BaghdadtJ-Al)mad [b. al-Mufoc;lc;lal
:us whose excesses ha"e :,~d sc1_1t down Say: 0 My serv-

,;o
1: ~tli~b. l;hrb h the Comp:mion who, prior 10 hi~ convc:nion to hbm, killed the Prophc:1'5
e~- mercy ef Cod. He sag•s·e agauw themselves! La taqna/U
co1n;u,ir:~ 1~ / 1 t_hc: b;i.tdc of Ul.1~J . .He- convc-rtc:d 10 hlarn ~hordy ;i.(1,:-r _the Mmlims
) ' truly God Jorgii,es sin: ; not despair of My mer- 1;;1.rr cca • ;i.nd. after figb nng m the bat de of Y2rmouk., he- sc-H led m the Syria n
1 ,gerher. He said: Turn to yc11r l\on town of H om~; )c:c- ibn i:h ,j ar, TDhJJi;b al-rnhJhib. 6:710.
 TA BAR.I
S ii raf a /- Z 1m1ar (39:53- 55)
al-Kufl J- Asb:it [b . Na, r] - Sudd, sai
sen,a11ts whose excesses ha11e one a d, concerning His st
. !The« Musliins\ feared that they could not repent \from their failure to
pol ythe ists w ho said I gM I rgamst them.selves, .. Th atctncnt O i\f
I II to u 1ammad] ' H csc arc th M r 1rn1gr:ite\ . .
to s_ am] w hen yo u claim th~t whoe , how can we answer c ccc.i.n An account ol those ,,..,h o sa1d th at:
associated partn ers wi th ti B fi ver as fornicated )'our call lbrJhim b. Sa' td al-J awh art.- Yah ya b. Sa.' ld a\-Umawt- lbn Isl)aq-
Hellfire? We have done al1t o/;~c iccnt .will perish arnonor t:urdercd or ~i , - lhn Uma r said: he {1neaning ' Umar) said, "We used to say, 'ls
were sent down to add l esc lw1ckedJ decdsl' Thg c people of 1
thtrerc pcn tance for th ose who have left lslam?' They would say, 'God
aga i11sr tli emsel r,cs ,. • rcss t 1cm: 0 My servants ivho en these verses will not acc ept any thing fr o m u s , for we abandoned Islam because of
• iSt exctssts h
Ylmu s [b. <Abd al-Nl aj- Ib1 ave gout th m:ils which befell u s aft e r w e kn ew of it\' When the Messenger of
1
statement OM y sc r11a m s whose exc W ahb-
I Ibn za y d said,
. concern· . God h) o mc to Medina, God se nt down this verse addressing them: 0
ti ot of the mercy of God (u ntil th~ esses rn11e gorie against themselves' mg Ht_\ .\ !) sm •11111s wlwse excesses lra1,c gone against themselves! Despair not of the mercy
':ho had evoked th e displeasur i°nd o f the verse), "These we," Dc;p,,, ,,( G,1a.·· U mar said, "\ wrote down this verse with my own hand and
time s. When God se nt His Pe o[God] (maskh1"'i!1it1)during ree}~op~e ;hrn I sr nt it to Hi sh a m b. a\-' A~. Hisham said, 'When this verse came

G
Q . 39,53
M u~amm ad (s) to b ·J·
and _some of th em <,;~;et~n
accep t us m Hi s rdi ion'' } '
~:::t~:llow
. . rop c t, the y said, 'W

ow can God and His M

P s11anuc
him, lw:;~d ;: ::;;t
,
::t to me . 1 recited it but did not understand it. Then it struck me that this
msc came down to address what we used to say. So I mounted my camel
\and rode it\ until l re ached Medina."'
2 G

•
man to the Mess g f. T 1ey subsequently said 'Shall cssenger ibn \-:lumayd- Salama-Mu\:iamtnad b. hQaq-Nafic-Ibn ' Umar Q.39,53
G enger o God (sP' Wh • we not send a
ve rse ca me dO\vn: Say . 0 M . . en they sent [ him} the n .. ·- . rnd, "These verses were sent down only for ' Ayyash b. Rabfa, al-Wal'id
sefoes , Des . . y servants whose exc I ' --<Et amc b. ;i,\-\Va\ld an d a sma\l group of Muslims. They converted to Islam then
, . J •b pair not ef the mercy of God " H esses ,ave gone agaimt them-
mg ,r e among the righteous (Q.3 . 8) . e recited until he reached rhar J were persecuted and tortured , so they left Islam. We used to say, 'God will
lb n l~umayd- J _ 9-5 . ncYer acce pt ransom or these people's return to Islam, for they are a peo-
MasrG anr- MansGr- Sh ch-1 "d " ple who converted to I slam, then abandoned their religion on account of
9 sat togeth er and Sh · . a sat , Shutayr b. Shakal and
I1eard
, fr_ om lb n M as<Gd and Utay _im, 'E"It h er you relate what you
I w·rlJsa1d .to h· bei ng tortured.' Then these verses came down, while (Umar b. al-Kha1~ab
)ohu wi ll verify it.' MasrGq _di ' venfy lt or I will relate [from himJ and w;i,s a scribe, and he said, ' l wrote them with my own hand, and then I
w at yo u say. . IShutay r} said sa1 : hNo·'drad ler, y ou re 1ate and I will verify sent them to cAyyash b. Abt Rablca, al-Walld b. al-Walid and this small
ous_1 verse in the e ntire n .. •- •. 1 ear Ibn Mas<Gd say, "The most jo\"- group, and they became Muslims lagain1 and emigrated lto Medina1."' J
agamsr
k the I ~ran1sSay·OM
mse aJes! Despair ,w ,J h · yser11antswhose excrutsha11ego11c
, Ya' qub \al-Dawraql]-Ibn ' Ulayya-Yiinus-lbn Slrln said: 'All (r)
spo en truthfu ll y.' " t O t e mercy ef God.'" Masriiq said, ' You ha'"e said, '"W h ich ve r se of the ~r'an is the most expansive and inclusive?"
OP I N I ON: O th ers . Pl"op\e began to m e ntion verses like, Yet whoever does evil or wrongs his
th. e peo Ple of Islamsaid
Tl: Rather . ' th e.mcen d ed people [in these verses] are ou,u so u! , 1he11 seeks tl1e forgiveness of God, will find God Forgiving, Merciful
~ms a~together for w h.o r :ey sa id: Its interpretation is: Truly Godforgi~-es The n <All said, "There is no Q!!r'anic verse more inclusive
is Wntt en 111
. I llt.' ve r He wil1 s Th "d th:m H is st ate ment O My servants wliose excesses l1avego11e agair1SC ,l,e,nselves
down to t 1 e codex of <Abd _· ey sa1 : And this is also what
blocked address a group of MuAllah l_b. Mas' ud]' and this verse came (until th e end of the verse)."
from makin g the E I_ s!ims Mecca] whom the polytheists
111
1 io~c vc:~ h~re i~ ifr~tcrna ("to raise a riot, rebel") instead of ir14JJa. whicb is ihc ,uual verb

Following the Diir

migration [to Medina] and persecuted them-
2 AIni: c;s~ or
1
\,:av1n_g hlam . . . . 1
etailed vcr~10 11 of thts cpisode ts found in Gu1\bume, - 7· . h
1 11 ic ~tory of Ayya~h b . Abt Rahi'a is found also in Guillaume, 21 7· Unlike Hhh_~ m.:,YY~\
1
ed,uon~ofT:r.b:r. _, _Ha_i:r.r rc:r.d1ng of fi I
!'. :.~~i~~;'~
1 o1her word~~' ;hfofai, h:ive J,uaja ,i , .2o:.2~7 . So,~c of the manuscripts and print \: ~;~:I and thcn was captured by AbU Jahl and bro~ght back ~o
b 1I urce~ say he ,:migrated to Ethiopia, too.) There is no mcnuo
~r:r;~;~t-
a:;:lid_
. . , •-h
ho,n,..v,.., li e w1lh"~) codl.'X of lbn M::i\ Od ; o uld mean . comforting." ' ,.
· l as the :i.ddnion al clause li-ffl41n y,s5'r4 ( for b ~b~l~ghi<> in,h;, P""S' of ,h, ,;,.. ,l<ho_
ugh hi, ',"B'' _,w,_invol;:;,~;:,~r,~:,.~;_:,'.
4
, b, a to Med m a and is told in deu1l m lbn Sad, Ki1 b al r "'1.:J
4

470 471
 TA DAR I
Sfira l al-Z umar (39:53 - 55) ,•

~bu' l-~a'ib-:--~~u Mu' ~wiya- al-;: ' mash-Abu Sa'd al-A,di- 1 invalidate our good deeds.
k d 'W h at is it cha: cat . we would see anyone
Abu 1- Kan ud sa,d, Abd Allah 1.b. M as ud] entered the mosque whe,e, -cJ0\\1l, we .as e _. ;"I nd \cwd n ess. Whcnc'vHcr ·s doomed ,' until the
preacher (qas,) was rcnundmg lhsteners] about Hellfire and the shack! ·•·' I ·M JO ' stn s, Id say e t Id b
\\'t rq1He,. a k. 1ds of acts, we wouf, . ot that a partner sltou e
and he came up to him face-to-face. IJbn M as' Gd) said, 'O preacher, ' ::; ":rrrtr atc thc~c ~:ne down: Lo ! God orgw/es/:o wlwm He will (Q.4:48;
you trying to make th e people despair lof God's mercy] ? [Say inste,dj, ' · , rm c, · (all) save I ,a thing
[,,llowtng H rlwu~I, Hr forg,,,es d sisted from saying some f
O Mr,
se. ,:"vants whose excesses /,ave gone agamst themselves to the end of the
ver ,,.d.-.11t1 im.\ . v~ rsc ca m e d ow n . we c ffi ic tcd with a trace o
··16). When t 11s aw anyone who was a t affHctcd with
Yun us Ib. 'Abd al- A' la\- Ibn Wahb -Abu ~akhr-Q!,lrai1 said, con- ~:\1. this. Whe neve r "\VC\dsfcar for him. and if he was no
ce rnin g th e verse O M y scn ,ants whose excesses /,ave gone against themS!l1'rs! h t\ we wou \ ..
Despafr 1101 of the mmy of Cod, "Thi s verse is add ressed to all humanity.· \ro::: '~~~'.\cl.hope for \his sslvation . likely to be correct is the opin\-\
Zakari yya b. Yal)ya b. Ab1 Za'ida- 1:lajjaj-Ibn Lahl'a-Abu ~bil .. - D. The op ini o n th at is mo st ) ·ntcndcd by this verse a
IHuyayy b . Hani']'- Abu 'Abd al-Ral)tnan al-Muradl-Abc, Abd T.\BAR I 5A ld(.Exahcd i.s His reme mbrance t mon the believers and
al-Rahman al-Jubl anI hea rd Thawban, the 11,awlii of the Messenger of '°'' thst Go . inst themselves, a g O My ser-
God (~). say, ·• 1 hea rd th e M esse nge r of God (~) say, 'I would not wish to r,orlc whose cxtsses ;~:~a has left general His ";'~me~t~eop\e who
Q have t he ent ire world and all chat is in it rin exchange) for chis verse: o
:h, polytheists , ccaus a inst 1/,emselves , to inc u. e a \ication l&
Q. 39 ,5 3 .My serva11ts 1111,ose excesses ha11e gone against rlremsel11es! Despair not of the nit' ff}' "''""'''°" excesses Jw,,, g~•te a!nner. God did not specify the ap{e exc\u- Q. 39:53
Q
hm , ctcd tn an excesmc m
of this verse to some of the peop c w
\ ho commit excesses tot l&
ef God (to th e end of th e ver se).· A m an said to him , 'O Messenger of God,
what about someone w h o associated partners with God? ' The Prophet {~) 110
n of others. f dating partners with Him
was silent and then sa id, 'And w hy n o t one who associated partners wich Ql.!ESTlON: Does God forgive the act o asso
God
three? tiinc why
And s." 1
not o ne w h o associated partners with God ?' He said ch is
\,hirk)? f om this act. God's only
RE~PON SE:
I poy
Yes, if t1e l theist .repents r
"T l Godforgivessnua • ltooeth
o_ er to
OP I N I ON: Others sa..id: This ve r se came down to address a group of f H· ternent
peopl e ·who conside red anyon e w ho committed a major sin to be among h ttnd1:d mea ning o is sta " Th· . like the lirregu l ar] readrng
ts ru Y we
I ded
whomever He wt·JJ s l to foc give] · . dts ts Jbn Mas' ii d • G 0 d has exc
. u Ie
•f
the peopl e o f Hellfire. God informed the m that truly Hefo,gives sins alro-
gethcr for whonu:ver H e wi ll s. 6
ment ioned prev iously that is ascn e to. . partners with him 1 c"J
An account of those w ho said that :
,teem \Hts f his action, for H e said Lo!
. forgive ness] t h e act o f assoc1atmg o
( II) ave
person who does this does not repe;t; Him ,!tough Heforg,ves/ snot
Ibn al-Barqt- (Atnr b. Abt Salama-Abu Mu' adh al-Khurasani-
f.,,gi,,e, "°' rl,at a partner s/,011/d be ascn e to f r:ned \us] that He oes cs
Mugatil b. l~ ayyan - N,fi '- Ib n ' Umac sa id , "We w e.re among a group
;/jJ/ to w!ioni H e will (Q.4 :48; 4: n6). H.e m oless the perpetrator rep~n o),
~f Companion s of the M esse n ge r of God (~) who considered or said ,,otg,vc <his act of assoc .tatton . wi·th Him h .7 •n·
. I,teously (Q.25
I' un d acts ng
T here is nothin g among o ur good deeds except that it is accepce d
" He s>,·s except wh oever repents and be ,eves an of them is left to td ~t~e
\by God\,' unril ch,, fo ll owin g verse ca m e down, Obey God a,rJ obry
As for \~ins\ oth er than this, the perpetrato~e pardons him, an 1
the Messenger, a.,d render not yo11r actions vain (Q.47:33). When this verse fG d I\ him a favour,
o. o . lf H e wi s t~ grant ites him for it.
w1~hes to treat him fauly , he requ

INTE RPRETATION OF Despa,rnoto . ,f the mercy

" of Cod
lhavebeeninfonn ed b y :
This mcan s: " Donotdespairo,f Ihemcrcy of Cod, as
d al-'Awfi]-my. father-my
b Sa' d
•iv\u \)amm ad b. Sa' d lb · Muhamma
· f ther-his rrat h e r ['Auy
· ya .
uncle \al- l:lusay n b. al-l:l,asan]-my a
a\. Awfl\- lbn ' Abbas.

_,
4 72
47l
 TABARt S,4ra r al-Zumar \_39:_53-55)

We !1avc _a lready m enti o ned the narration . \ l' hcl\ cr o.n hdp you and de\i.vcr you from th e punishment that wi\l
and clanficd u s mcan.ing. 1 s on this topic previoush· 1
~c,ccnd uron you .
I NTERP IUTAT I ON OF Tmly G d fi . . \;\TU\..\lRCTAT\ON Q \= A ud follow tl1e bes t ofthal which lias been sent down
Forgi1,i11g, rli e M erci'i1/
~• o org11,es sms altogether. Lor· Hr 1.5 rhr
Lord
, ,., ( ,,u1 y.1ur
1 1 11 1
He says : Truly God cove rs over all sins b , a . ~.~\~h ahrd i.s H is rc1ncmbrance) says: "O humanity,folloiv what your
trat e them, an d relinquishin g the . 1• ) p rdomng those whop,
f I L pums 1mcnt they d f rpc- \NJ 1.,~ com manded you to do in His revelation, and avoid what He has
1
rom t ~e m. o! H e is th e Forgi1, iPJg, tlie M erci',,,[ to th cscrv~ i they repent fotbid.\rn \'0\1 from doing." That is the best of what has been sent down
to pumsh th em after th ey have r
epente
d r:'rom [their
em. {He ts too Mercifu\j
sins}. 10 u5 from, our Lord.
QUEH ION: ls there part of the ~ r' an that is better than another part

of1l:
. C OMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING DIVINE WORDS ·
Rf.Sl' ONSE: t\.\\ of the ~r'an is good. The meaning of this verse is not
{39.54} Turn to your Lord repentant, and submit to H' .
menr co na_es to you, wlie,1 you ca mwt be l,el ed . im , before rl1e p1rnisl1- •~)OU ha\'e imagined . Rather, its on\y meaning is: "Fo\\ow the best of
1lia1 wl11cli lias been senr d J, P -[39-5:S]Andfollowrlzebw of tht comnunds. prohibitions, reports, sim.i\itudes, stories, arguments, the G
oi~m to you rom your Lord b ifc
co mes o11 you sudden ly, wlren you are ,;na~:::t~h pums. hmtnl
t
rrnmise and the threat which have been sent down to you from Your Q.39:ss
Lord.1,1e 'best of a\\ this' is that you obey His command and refrain from
God (Exalted is Hi s remembran ce) s - .. . doing what H e h as forbidden, because this prohibition is part of what has
G
a state of repenta nce· r t H· ays. O humamry, face your Lord in
call for you to affi r ' ~ -urn to im b y obeying Him; and respond to His bern ~ent down in the Book. Were they to do what had been forbidden,
divinity and to woml . isHo_n en ~ss , to acknowledge His exclusive claim to they wou,d be doing the worst of lwhat has been sent down from your
Bishr \b M c-rsdl PJ 1m sincerely • " as we I1ave been in1ormed Lord'-'' That is how it is to be understood.
11 c
by:
Q,_tada said ~one~ a . '~Yazld [b. Zuray']- Sa'ld [b. Ahl 'Arub,]- The fol\ow ing interpreters said something simi\ar to what we have
face your L~rd.,, rnmg ts st atement anibii to yoi,r Lord, .. In other words. ju~t said concerning that. An account of those who said that:
Muhammad \b. al-l:lusayn al-Baghdad1\-Al)mad \b. al-Mufa<)<)a\
Mul:iammad \b I H ,\-Kufi]- Asba\ \b . Nai r\-Suddl said, concerning And follow lh< b<SI of
al-KM,]- Asb- \b · a - · usayn al-Baghdadl]-A\:imad [b. a!-Mufa<)d,1
il1a1 which has been sent down to you from your Lord , "What you have been
"Respond \to at .LN a~r\-Suddi: said, concerning anibU [to W>Ur LorJ1.
your ordJ " ,- CotmHanded to do in the Book, before the punislnnent comes Otl you."
Yunus \b. 'Abd al-A'l: ] .
state1nent ati ·b- a - Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd said, concerning His
INTE.RPRETA.T lON OF before the punishment comes on you suddtt1ly, wlmi
ence and re 11 to your Lo rd • "The meaning of iniiba is 'to return to obtdi-
1

no un ce what th d · , h }'O ~ arc Ht1a111are

ve rse Turning t H ' ( ey we re omg previously. Do you not sect e
0
un only); and be conscious of Him (Q.30:31)?" H, ~ays: Befo re tlte punishment of God comes on yoii unexpected\y, when you
arr unawa re. H e says : When you do not know of it unti\ it overwhelms
I NTE RPRETATION .
you, wher1 O F and subn11t to Him before the punishment come.i f(I ~ou unex pectedly.
you ca ,11101 be helped '
He says: Humble 'OU r ' . \Concl usion of the co mmentary on verses 53-55 of Siirat al-Z"mar)
mon otheistic (I ) _ selves m obedience to Hirn and affirm the pun:
on account /Cl"tifl) religio n before 1he punish,nent comes to you from Hilll,
0
yo ur di sbelief in Him, wlien you cannot be helped. He says:

' Sc:e ihe prcviou\ few

p:iges, where ili h report ;md others like it :u e recorded .

47S
474
 APPENDIX A
THE DISCONNECTED LETTERS
(Muqa!!a'iit)

COMM ENTARY ON VERSE I OF SURAT AL-BA~RA (THE COW)

Tile ~r'an commentators disagreed over the interpretation of God's
1
,:m·ment (Exalted is His remembrance) Alif Lii,n Mi,n.
0PJl\lON : Some of chem said: It is one of the names of the ~r':in.
Al- Hasan b. Yal)ya-'Abd al-Razzaq-Ma' mar-~tada said, "A/if
L~mMim is one of the names of the ~r'an."
Al -Mmhan na b. Ibral)lm al-Amul1-Abu J:ludhayfa Musa b.
.llas ud-Shibl- Ibn Abl Najll)-Mujahid said, "A/if Liim Mimis one of
:ht names of the ~r'a.n."
. Al-~sim b. al-J:lasan-al-J:lusayn b. Dawud-J:lajjaj-Ibn Jurayj
!Jid, ··A/if Liim Mimis one of the names of the ~r'an."
OPIN ION : Some of them said: These are opening (expressions} by which
God opens [some s1lras of} the Q.!!r'an.
Harun b. Idris al-A~a1nn1. al-KUfI-cAbd al-Ral)man b. Mul,am~ad
il-Mul_i;irihi-Ibn Jurayj-Muj:ihid said, "A/if Liim Mim are opening ·
(expressions J by which God opens [some siiras of] the ~r'an." _
. A~mad b_ f:lazim al-Ghifar,-Abu Nu' aym-Sufyan [al-ThawnJ
said• Alif
1 Lam
- Mlm are opening {expressions] •" _ -d _

t)an
S ) 1-Mut hanna b_ Ibrahim-Isl:,aq b. al-J:lajj•i-;;al:>ya _b. A an~il'
\al -Thawrl]- lbn Abl Najlh-Mujahid said, 'A/if Lam MT7,G
· 11111 ' Al!f Lam Mim Sad and Sadar~ opening !expressions} by whtc
1 0d

opens [some siirasj.". ' ·

l Tllcniv-1 . . . ··Jhconnectcd lcucrs"' which ::i.rc
hot 'Jn 1111c s1m1s open with anywhere becw~n one to six ul::i.tion .;imong Muslims ::i.nd
non: /,. of a word. These \encn have elicited tremend~us_sjXC rc-iation of these Jcu,:rs, _sc-c
,\ i lu~l11m: ~c "'tS,ur'an," EV For a modernist Muslun 1nterpt of Orientalis1 ~pc<0bt1on 1

(in~t
~~ll<l ix ~! o f Asad's Thr Mej.J(fgt of tht Q!r'dn. For ::i.n ::i.cco~or.1n," Tht /.·fos/nn World. 4
01
Anhur Jeffery, "The Mystic Lcm·rs of!lie

477

te ati ! G \
 TABARi /\ P PEND\ X A

Al-~sim b . al- H asa n- al H

sa id something ncarl Y ide ntical -t~ ~:1:;; e-1:lajjij- Ibn Juray·- ·- ..:roU\' of Companio ns of th e P roph et t~) said, •. Air Lam M imis an expres-
OPIN I ON: Others said . T l . . po rt of Ha.run b . ldr{s Mu1.i.hid ~•(ln d.,·tiYcd fro m th e \etter s o f the a\phab ct, w hich m ake up the Names

YU.n us b. cAbd al-Ac1a~:~:dname_ of the sUra. . ~fC.Lx\ (r--.h)cstic is H is praise)."

al- R al~man b . Zayd b. Aslam about Allah b . W ahb said, "I k < :-,. \uh:unmad b . Ma' mar- \1\.bbas b . Z iyad a\-Bahilt-Shu' b a-AbO.
rlie Book ... and A/if Lam M - th e m eaning of AlifL - as_ed A.bd Bi\hr- S;,. 1d b. Juhay r--:~~ n ' Abbas said , "Alif Lam Mint, tra' Mitn and
Rii'. Tlrcse ... (Q . 13: 1) an~n;~c ·': /~~elati~n ... (Q. 32:1) an:":ui1~~Thuu :,;-11u arc nonn frag1ncnts.
th e names of the s1l m s .,,,, P ied , M y father said "Th if a1n Mim O?\'.'-\O N: Some of them said: These a-re \ etters of a posited alphabet.
2

O PINIO . . • cse are on\v i\nonyrnom-Man~Ur b. A.bi. Nuwayra - A.bU Sa'1d a\-Mu'addib-
N. So me of them said · It . G • .
. ~ul.iamm ad b . al-Muth an~ a~c o d s Gre atest Name. h.hup)·f-M uj5.hid said. " 'The siira openings, a\\ of them-~, Sad , tra '
sa ~d, I _asked Suddi about the m ea1 .Abd al-~al)..man b. Mahdi-Shu' .\littt, n' Sin Mim, Alif Lam Ra' , and others-arc \cttcrs of a posited
Lam M1111 and he repli ed ' lb 'Abb_11n~ of Ha M im, Ta' S in M - d b, ~,1,1u.brt ."
A I . • n assa1d " I . • •man .-i.!if
l M ;1ea r y id enti cal re po rt was • dt is God s Greatest N amc .""'1 OPIN ION : Some of them. said: E ach of these letters inc\udes diverse and
a - ut ianni -Ab u' l-N u<m an- I n<arrate to us from Muhammad b d.1n:rgent meanings.
al- Hamd anl- 'Abd All· h [b S m ba- lsma' il al-S dd·1 . A~-r-.~uthanna b . lbrah1m. al-1'abar1-Is\J,aq b. a\-\:lajj3.j-' Abd Allah
Al M l a · M as' Ud] u - Mum
- - ut 1an na ial- Am uli } I h - . b. Abi Ja far a\-Raz1-my father-al-Rab\ b. Anas said, concerning Aiif
~usi- !sma' il- Sha' bi said '~l s . a~ b . al-I:la.ijaj-' Ubayd Allah b Lilm Mim. "T h ese \etters, among the twenty-nine Arabic \etters, are the
o God.. , 1e sura openings arc amo ng the Name~ on~s around w hich a\\ languages revolve . 'There is not one letter save that
? PI N ION: So me of them . . . n 1~ t\1e hy to o ne of His N ames. There is not one letter save that it is
is among
y h H is N an1es. said . It ls an o ath by which God swears an d It. among Hls bounties and His trials. There is not one letter save that it is a
a . ya b. ' Uthman b s-t·h tm; ~cri.od for a people and their appointed times. Jesus the Son of M ary
b. Sa% - 'All b Ab· .. a ' . al-Sahml-'Abd Allah b ~=''" M ,. . ~ai · 1t is amazing that people sp eak about His Names and live by His
G d · 1 Talh a- Ib c bb- . · -,allQ.- u a\\1ya
0 swears and it is amo~g h A as sa1 d , "This is an oath by which ~~tenanc~o h ow can they disbelieve'?' The letter Alifis the key to His
< .Ya\:1 Ubb. Ibrahim ial-Da t e - ames ocf God ." ,in, _• ti.1e \ ctter L·am 1s_
and theAl lah· · t h e k ey to H1s· Name T hc Kt~· d \a I-Lanif) :
lk n ma sa id , ,.A/if Liim M · w raq1]- Ibn Ul ayya-Khalidal-H adhdha- ~ the boMm~ is t~~. k ey to H1s Name The Glorious (al-MaJtd). The Alif
O P1 N 10N . S rm ls an oath ." . 1
is H· \ unti es (a la) o f God ; the Liim is God's grace(!«!/); and the Mlm
and verb . o me of th em said . Thes . ,\f• is.gfor y \majd). The Alifis one year; the Liitn is thirty years; and the
l s, and each lett h · e are disconnected letters &om nouns
1111
ctter. er as a meaning that is different from the other is o n y years."
al ~ -bu Kurayb and S . \.hkkam~ _ n,t 1ca\ report '"':as narrated to us from lbn H. umay d -
A ne arly ide
k -Sa ,b- Abu ' l- Ouha -lbuf; an b. Waki'-Wakl'-Sharik-'A1a' b. Abu ] a far-al-Rabi lb. A.nas).
now A [bet] ( . , · n
s ana llaliu acla m) ,,, Abbas sai·d , "A/if - .Mf,n means ,I, Gou,
r Lam -' 0acP1 >now
d· · S o m e of them sa1d. : They arc letters wh1ch . arc to b e used
b bll onymous- Abu ·u . cor tng to their assigned numerical values \~i.sab al-jumman .
. Ju ' )'r said, " A lif Liim M _bayd- Abu' l-Yaq~an-'Ata' b . al-Sli'ib-Sa'id 1ABARi SA 1 D .• We d1shke
. . . .mter-
mentioning the person from whom t\us
Musa b H - rmmean s' I G d k · , <ta )'"
b. Na~r- Is. -c: run al- H amdant- < ' 0 , now [best] (ana lliihua m ._
Abu Salih..:_ia ,I ~1- Suddi , in a re Amr b . l:lammad al-Q!nniid~ Asb>!
· lb n Abbas· pon h e mentioned from Abu Malik ,nd
1
i
.-\nb
Ar,,~~/ i~:~tuq~~~~<. Cooper translates thh as "act0nyms~.. Commentary, S4. .
"lhe ~cn; 1if 1111a 11,aw JU' . 1 am following Cooper's helpful di~us~on of t~1s exprcss1on :
.
' ao d fro m Murra al-Hamd3.ni- lbn Mas<od; 3 \>(>,,ittd b , of the Tradition quoted by 'fahari would seem to be that ccru.m \ctten were
n<:Hh ) C od to co nvey m eanin gs and thus form .i. kind of symbolic :i.lphabct ; h o...,-cvcr,
?,t;
1 No1, 1h21 Suddi i1,:,vcr
ll1 e t lbn 'Abhi~. 'Xp\~:i~c~1 than this c:m be !.aid, because these meanings a.re not known and have not been
· cc C ommt'11ta ry, S.t, and &9 (no te 2) .

478
479
 TABAR.I APPENDIX A

prctatio n is reported, beca use th e peo le

narr:nors and transmitters. i A co rres po ~ho narrate it are not . tk'ii r.i opcnings. in w h ich \the alphabet is indicated by\ different letters
semed o n the auth o rit y of al-R b-' b p ndtng report has J·u L rel iable .'_lt arc olll of se que n ce. =i.nd by me an s of the initial letters of the alpha-
a 1 . Anas. st oecn pre 11:ct-Jli(~,f ,f i/i,1'- in their correct sequence is the following: When one
OPINION: Som e of them say th at e . b . 1
of th e ~r':.in is its openin g letter s. very ook has a secret, and the sc irJiot~s tlic a\ph abct ·w ith letter s that are out of sequence, then one has
, dJCatc,I intl·ntion all y a word compose d of connected letters; but when
TABA R} SAID: Th e g rammari ans . cte1 1
,, emcutiom the letters in \alphabetical} sequence, then one has indicated
these lette rs. also disagreed over th e meaning of 1
m:cntk)nally the disco nn ected letter s of th e alph abet themselves. In order
SOME GRAMMAR IANS SAID. Tl pw\'\Lk cYidc nce that it is perm.issible for someone to say "My son is
10
memion of th ese letters at the l~se are letters of the alphabet d
n ention th e remaining lettc!:e :~1g of the sii,-as makes it
to ,_ unnc::s~~c- ;,mong r,'i' .:-a··· and similar things, and that his clear statement takes the
plm ofhim say ing " M y son is among alifba' ta ' thii'," they cite the fol-
~vh1 ch is twenty-e ight lett er s. Like"\ ~he ~l~lrnbct, the total number )f lo\\ mg \W SCS of rajaz poetry from the tribe of Asad:
/ 01'.1,whom it has been m ade know,~•:1:~," IS sufficient for the speak;,,
r11 'c1 yw amral1ii Ji bu!fi
l,1111111,I
/-1.: 1~h_r lette rs, to m entio n ju st alif ba' _,rl~e-~lphabet consists of twen-
(;11: 1~1m_g l_e tt er s o f th e alph abe t . .: It is ~ ta without mentioning ihc u·<1-fm1c1 kar Ji kadliibin wa-la_t_ti
. ,; - ._2) is m th e nominative case b or t ts reason that Th is is the Book aklMdlir u min!,a bi-quriiuin sl11m1_tin
ts A lif, Liim and A1im are amon • ecause the mc-aning of this scmcnct }~ -lam rr1zc1 / ~awbi bil1a 11,a-ma<ti
w hich I revea led t g the di sconnected letters T' . . h lrnrrii 'alii'l-ra'sa da1111m yugha_ , ji
oyoua sa !unified] c II . . • ms1ste B{l(lk
OBJ ECT I ON : [I s .t I o ect1on,1 •n wh icl, theu is t1odoub1.~ When l saw that her affair was with the hunl,
I not t le case] th lifb ~' ' And that she persisted in lies and denial ,
a proper name fo r the alph b . at a , a tii thii' have become akin to
ca lled '"All praise''?4 . a ct, JU St as the Opening of the Book (Q. 1) is I seized her by the black and grey locks of her hair;
~y pulling and dragging lher hair\ continued,
RE SPONSE: Sin ce i . • ..
it is obvio us by chat ts:: :cnmss1ble to say "My son is among ta' za' •'when mil blood covered the top of her head.
a declarat ive statement a~o1enc,h~vere h e to say it, that h e int~nd~ (t~ mah·] TA
ihatBARI SA ID·· H. e c1a1me
th e w · d t h at t h e speak er inten de d tom.~ k ea statement
nccted I~tters,
, then it is b uc. ts son's [ name ] cons1stmgofthesediscon-
. .
r om::m ts among the Abo Jid, and that he put I saw that her
::/:r tas ,vith the ~uur" in the place of .. with the Abo Jad." When he
f[ . .
Ilet,o, . rh aI PI1abet], eve n thviou s that alifb-' _, h-'.
O I
ou a ta t a I S not a proper name
tns 111stea d of bi• o r! gh man y people ch oose to call it bi· these ~J.~,. :,~~:• ~t is cle~r to the listener that the intended meaning is "When l
Tl 1er o n es
le reaso n for the di scre .anc , . . . . er affair was with the Abu Jad."
P ) tn tnd1catmg the al phabet between SOt,,\ E GRA
with these I ~MARIANS SAID: Rather, the reason why thesesUras bega~
l D('1pu c- tl111 cavea1 T ha . day \, who tt~ers was to _c atch the ears of the polytheists{~: MuQammad s
The rcpon IS Ira ' . a n relates thi s re rt i .. . .
r~pu1at1011. who11;; 111 mc-d" via Mu\_1an11narb a;~ d1scuss10 ~ o( these ~1erpr~tariom bdo,1 \', ou\d . 1 a been urgmg each other to oppose the ~ran, so that they
Sa _,b al-K.alb1. a transmitter wnh a Yer}' pc,or
lttt1:r s. 1lSlen to the words of the OEr'an that immediately follow these
d11cu \cd tlic , Taban, 111 gl·rwr:i. l leeks ·
1 111 10
i ;:1c1~ -~T(' th.:- fi~ ~~::::1or\ l[ltroduc~ io n). avoid. at least in his <-O!r'!inic commenrar)' (is
1
l C i Hlstead of" le1tcr1 of ihe Arabic 3 I .
3 -~011cl'" how Tabarith,: alphabet.·· phabet; the English cquiva1cnt is uying the SOMt G
in ,j. I
RA M MARIANS (oR ONE OF THEM) SAID: These are [mean-
•~~n11l·ctci k·u . in l11s co111 n1l•ntar . w . , . gc l">s lcn ers b y w h .ich God opens His speech. 1
~r i n, that is aih:n (11l-li 11r1if 11 ,_ 11111 a,~~" .~a,t-s Ill a~ almost poetic conn-ast bctv.,:rcn the
QUES'flON · A
4 h 11~1 Ion~ beer nt fro111 tht• an uai ~- ~nd the !unified] collection (majmu') of1he · re th ere any parts of the ~ r•an that are devo1·d o f m earung.
. '
fo llowi ng the b.i:,con11non pranict· fo~r ;m _K '.'· x i.
5 I an1 grat(' tu l f tt,;i/a. winc h is al-I J ';,1us l11 m to refe r to th~ first sUra by th~ fin1 word
o r D1 Adl·l G :un I' i.:u'.1 ( .i ll praht:"). l l h 1~

r.a......_
.\Jua ,~:~~gc , i.~1ch1ding the verse~ of poetry and their cxpbn~tion~, h found in ~l~A.khfash,
• I -h s1s1a nl'. e wit h di is passage. ~ r a1J. 1 : 170- 1 . 11 do'"s not appnr 10 reAect al-Akhfashs pcuonal opmion.

480
 TABARl APPEND lX A

RESPON SE: Th e correct understa d ·

us~s these lett ers to ope n Hi ss c _ing of thi s [last} opinio . 1.i~ro~SE: Consider h o w m any people sh are the same n ame, such that it
to 1t has conclud ed an d that H~ 1:~s ~n o rde r to indicate that ;h~ t~at G~d t'(1 nOI di~tingui sh them fu ll y, except by the addition of something else,
letters_ as a sign of the division betwcgun another one. So God ~11ra pttor ,~;h,ie1 ~cne:i.\ogy . adjec tive o r attribute, which serves to distinguish
for .thi s pra cti ce in the speech of h ecn th e two sllras . Th ere i se~ thcs<:' .t::n irom eve ryone c\sc \w ith the sa1ne n ame1, There is no doubt that
recited the followin g v f t c Arabs, as a m an f s evidence ·'-:1rna1nr is sti\\ used to di stinguish th em lfro m peopl e who do not have
erse o poet ry, rom among them
h nJmr\. an d then . out of necessity on account of multiple people shar-
bal wa-baldat i11 mii '1- i,isu mi11 al,ii/il,a
··;:h11 na.mr. additio nal qualifiers are u sed to specify this unique person .
\I swearJ by a land devoid of ~:( iamc app\ics fo r th e narnes of the s1lras. Each s11ra has b ee n given a
Th e fo\1 0\ . I I any human inhabitants.
vmg u s a so been said: :1~~ r namr . :iccordin g to proponents of this position, and, when this
t.lll\ets ~hared by multiple sl1ras, the speaker must add another name to it
la bal ma liiija abza 11a11 wa-sliajwa,1 d J •- mo:dcr to distinguish for the listener the exact sUra to which he is refer-
H e was no t di stu rbed b qa s ia;a :i~.~ by means of an adjective, attribute or something else. The speaker
y sorrows o r g rief\ l . I1 I d
The wo rd l>al in b I . v nc ta tnanifcstcd. -:.igb1!.lY, when informing smneone that he recited SU.rat al-Baqara (The
n R ot 1 cases is neither par f l
teter. ath er, it se rves to cut off o t o t le verse nor counted in the Co\\, 2) when he has called it by its name of Alif Lam Mim, "I recited Alif
se nt~~e b~gin s immed iatel y fo llo ,; 1i~ se ~t ~nce and to indicate that a nrw Llm ,\fim. The Cow;'' and , to indicate lSUrat1 Al tlmI"an (The Family
. . ere is a well -known wa . g_ it. of lmrln. J). ·· 1 recited Alif Lam Mim, The Family of ' Imriin." On the
optn~~n s :ve have presented re:a~~i~;t1';~ e~ch of the preceding people's o:her hand. he might ch oose to say for The Cow, "\I recited] Alif Lam
A/if ~ere are two ways to justif , the . isconnected letters] . .Ihm. T/,is i, die Book," and for The Family of ' Imran, "[I recited] AlifLam
t
' Lam Mim is on e of the nam) f o:m1on of the people who said that ·' 111'1• God-,liere is tJO god but H e, the Living, Self-subsisting." This isjuS like

Il i Th ey intended Alif L - - es o t c ~ r•an: c,m of someone who, w hen he wishes to tell a story about two men
0th
~11rqi1tl (" the C riteri o n") ~:,o:m :~ b e a n a m e of the O!!r'an , just as the nf.med A.mr, one of w hom is from the tribe of Tamim, while the er
o~ed , then the inte rpre t . of it s _names. If this interpretation is fol- :ne i~. from the tribe of Azd, then he must specify to his listeners "I met
Mhw1. Tliis is the Book has t~tlon o . A/if Lam Mim in the passage Alif Lam / :\1th. Amr al-Tamiml and cAmr a\-Azdl," because there is no way to
t e ~ r'-a~, Tl1is (liadl,a) is ethe B km g. of an. oat h , as t·f one were to say "By
mean t~tmguish be tween them and everyone else who shares the name tAmr, th
2 They Ill tended I .
Iarclk b oo ' m wl11ch th ere is no doubt .., except by st ating their tribal affiliations . This is how the proponents ~f- e
.. n ow n by their t u s to e a p r oper n ame of a stlra, just as all things pos1uon that the ope ning letters are names of s11ras justify their pos1nond,
Tod ay l reetted
. · i proper
Al, f L- names
_ · Tlle t·IS t ener who hears someone say Those who said " These are opening \expressions} by which Go
· d s1l ras i7 and am }M fimh.Sad • a 11 d N-Im " un derstands that this per-
son re cne opens \a passage o q ,the ~ r•an " justify their position in a simil:U: ma;- ,
68
person says '' Today m t O t . e ~ r' a n, just as he understands, when a ne: to the \third \ opinion of th~ grammarians we mentioned pre~ous yd
1 \\ rio said tl h l ion of one s~ra an
a !specifi c} Zayd and rA:rup with tAmr a nd Zayd," that he met up with the be . ~at t ese le tters serve to indicate the cone us . n of the divi-
OBJ ECT ION · \WI 1· . sion bgin ning of another one. Therefore, they serve a~ a s.tg of his poem
leading
. I11111
. to - saylat
· Hif th e meanin go f t ha t wasambiguousforsomeone. to ,1 d~twee n them, just as the poet used bal at the begd1nnh,11tgthe previous
give
If n ti lat multiple· silra
ows bcan . thi s .secon d mterpretation
· · \e,
be permiss1b n \Cat \ h
one had be t lat e was commencing a new poe
01 an t a
tioned, in ,vhich the
t1l<'Se Were trul y pro eg in with Alif Liim Mim and Alif Liim Ra'? A b . ee n concluded. This is like the case we men d .
bthe
<'twee
, w n i11 d·1v 1.dua ls; andper ames '. tl1 e n t }_1 e~ would distinguish cIearIY
if nthe ra. !. inte nded to indicate they were starting a new o e .
) ould not be pro Y did not distinguish between them , then
pe r n am es ha/ mii l1iija a~1za ,1at1 wa-slHJjuxm qad shajii •frstcd-
H. . f which had rnan1
I Th1i h ihc co11duuo11 of . c was not distmbcd by sorrows or gne
the p•u•ge foun J .111 • l•Akhfash .s M a'imi al-Q!!r ',fo .
 TABA Rf APPEND IX A

The word ha! is neither part of the verse no d . . "when he docs such and such ," and
· d . _ r countc in i
If ocs se rve th e purpose of rnd1 ca ting that one discour
anorh er has begun.
hts tnctt'r, bu,
se as ended and
1:1iJ) ii th C' 1~1~:
.
;\dcd mcan mg we re " d ")
sufficie nt indicato r of yafalu ( he ocs .
~,:hdrm·r y,1 ·d r the following:
L1kf \ri1f . COl1S l C
As fo~ those who _say rhar some of these discon nected Iett
from Gods Names (Mighty and Majestic is H ) d h crs come ti'1-H1,1 yri kharriiri11 w11- it1s/111rri11 fil .
come from H is Attributes, and thar each lerrercl an or er~ among d1rrn Good (Olllt' S with goo
d an d if !he docs] evil. then [evil he
f; ias a meaning that . d"f
ercnt fr~m the oth er letter, they justify their interpretation b , • is 1
die poet s statem ent , ) 11 1ram o( ih,ill rrn-i,·e j. " Consider too :
q11l11ii lal,a qif,• ta11a qiilar qaf !frtntends a fl-to mcanfi1-slwrrm1 ("then evil ).

la 1af1Snbr amui 11asi11ii 'l-ij'aj u11-/,1midr, '/-sliarm ilia ,m tii

I donor wish fo r evil unless you so wish !for it]. . "
We said ro her, "Halt for us!" She repli ed, "I haired."
- ds for ilia au tashii'a ("unless you so wish ). In
{We said} , "Do nor think we lia ve forgotten how {yo u/ made our !nri:ha words, ilia an ta stan d _, fficient indicators for complete
/hearts/ throb! " ' thefiii' an ta were su I . I
:be iwo Iatter cases, · W to document ex 1aumvc Y
. ·ng letters ere we
Th e poet sa)'s, "She said qiif' in the place of "She said 'I halted (1i,aqafr11)"'
I
imrJ~ without t 1c rema1111
imul;; rxamplcs, this book would ecome too
b b
long as we have een
'
beca use she indicated , by m ea ns of articulating the qafof waqafiu, rh aclier
intention was th e complete word 111aqaf111. "'01m,d by: -J-Ib ' Ula ya-Ayyub and Ibn
These fo lks interpret God 's statement Al!fLam Mim and correspond-
Y,qub b. Ibrahim [al-Dawraq, n y '.d b Mu' awiya died,
b s· -
A\\'n -Mul,iamma I • mn s_a ' ..
d [ id "When az1 · f
.c (k•''nafitna), so seek re -
ing passages in a similar fas hion. One of rh em said that A/ifrefers to rl1e
'I I chis as c1v1 1strue a 1
d f . ,,, (Ibn Sirin] said, " W hat
1

alifin and (" l"), the Liim refers ro rhe Jam in Allah, and rhe Mim refers ro .i bida sai to me, on Y see
1
Ci!t m you r estate and stay close to your an~ y. r-. ble to me that you
rhc m,-,,, in a'lam ("know / best]"), such that each letter indicates a complere , d , .. H said "It JS prercra h
word. Tl1ey say char the sum of rh ese disconnected letters, wh en it is clear Co rou command me to o. e ' h . I ds under their rig t
.' . -b dlb11 <Awnputt e1r rnn .
rhar each one refers ro a complete word, is "I, God, know {best] ." They Li -at which pomt Ayyu an . ...') " ·J ou see a recogmz-
chteks to indicate lying down in bed (,ef_tya - unu y
interpret all of rhe orher openi ng letters ro rhe stiras in this manner, say-
ing cha r it is overwhelmingly clear that, in Arabic speech, the speaker ca n ,blesiruation." _ . .. u lie low,, which he rook from the
Thr intended meaning of ta IS yo [ ' ] dd letters to words,
redu ce l1is words to letters so Jong as th ere remain suBicient indicarors as wordtad_taji. Likew ise, another person said one can a
ro wha r has been elided, and rh at likewise he can add letters to what he a1wr drscribed previously:
says so Iong as tJJL ey do not confuse the listen
. er. For exampIe,= = .~ d
d1e final tlia' of th e name Ha:rith when softening the voice (tarkhim)· a'. 1 aqii/11 idh kliarrar <
a!ti'l-kalkiili
Sa)' "O tlar; " or drop th e kii[from Malik an d say "O Mal;" and Jike,rnr ya niiqa1i mii j u/ti min majiili
wirh similar cases. This is like th e rajaz verse, ! say. when her chest sinks to rhe grouu<l, fi l\ ursc!"
"O my she-camel! You have not yer roamed a u co
ma li'l-:ptlaymi ~/(/ kayfa la ya
ya11qadd11 'anhu jilduhu idl,a )'ii Th, imcnded meaning of kalkii/ is kalkal (" cheSI"). '
What is with rhe male os trich- how it howls? 1 . 'Abida [al-Salm:inij,
Tht Sh~k1r brothm propose emendi ng 'Abda in d~c rnanuscnptdt;bda who would h~v_c
His skin fnca rl yJ spli1s open when he docs that.
~c~u1e the-re is n_o known concc~n~rary of _lb~
0
Si~'.'~~:,~a::;4
~ ~~ 1c Muslims' second ovil
I M.iltn - - . . - ' U ba; rop;,11/-Tabari, :~ ~ mor to lum. as dw rcx r mdJCatcs; fs, ~
11
10 1
fin ; g , ~!
6 6 3
, fkal
: , · • iud Sh.i krr idcnulicd the l>Ot' t of this verse of ra;az as al-Walid b. q
1 2 2 1 " '.'.c11~1ficd ~fier die dl·ath of ~a~id b. J\\,'YI~,;/ do:s not alta the meaning of ka
T•b~n point ht'rc is di 31 th e addmonal a/if 111 kal ..
2 Su Wrrg/11, 2:88- 89 •nJ 11 not t-Wn p:in of the word .
 TADAR.i APPEND IX A

Likew ise, another [poet] said, . r o up of people is one year, since the num eri-
11011, d 11me ,or a gr I
it111a sltakli wa-i,ma sliakfaki shatta '''"h" I I /if,·s one The letter Liim y ields a comp etc name
I of t ic cn cr a ' . r . b
fa 'lzami'l-kh 11$$a wa'khfi4i tabya4,'ef<J; r,!1·,uc . I . I ' -ti{(the Kind)· the complete noun ror His ounty,
·G('(] wl11c 11s a- u1 i ' c I
,I · ((" " )· ·and it indicates th at the allotted time ror a peop e
IOmy wife I, my fo rm and your form dB; h'h 11 !111 grace
:r . _·- ' f G o d , w h 1c h
So sray in you r home of reeds, be at ca::can1 .~rent; .
v.
1
The lette r Mim y ields a complete name o
::~~~\~-iJc(;,'d~~("Majestic) ; the complet e word desc ribing His ~reatness,
lfrom staying indoorsJ. d hght-skmned
, . _I ·esty")· and it indicates that the allotted time for a
,h1ch 1s 111a; maJ •'
The poet added an ex tra letter dad in tab ad1'dd·1 " . 1

is not part of the word. · Y · · · ( be light-skinned") th at op!, ii fort y years. f h f,

['( Tbr meanin g of this speech, according to the ~roponents o t ~rst
The proponents of thi s position said. Just ,i,w. ii that God (Majest ic is His praise) opened His speech .~Y descnbmg
in these examples of Arabic poet d . ha·s each of the single 1mm Himsrll as "the Knower from whom nothing is conceale~; an_d that He
ry an speec indicate I
t I1e Ictters A/if Liim Mim and th . . I s comp ete words,
word s. e1r eqmva ent passages indicate comp!err dOC"sso co set an example and [to illustrate} the way by which His servants
cin open their orations, epistles and significant affairs; and as a test from
Those fo lks w ho ad I . . Hm1to them. which, if they pass, will guarantee for them a tremen~ous
Mim and .t . I vocate t 1e opinion that each letter of Alif Lam
I s equ1va ent passages indicates multi le . reward in the Abode of Recompense. Likewise, God opened [ocher 5uras}

t
narrat ed from 3 I R 3 b--<: b P me:mmgs, as we have 2
.. . l - 1 · Anas, justified their position in a way that is with the expressions All praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds (Q. r : )
1 ind All praise belongs to God Who created the heavens and the earth (Q- 6 :1) .
~nu Jar '~/ ~t the folks who claim that the interpretation !of Alif Lam
. d"~ 1 15 ' 0 , know (best)," on the grounds that each letter sufficientlv God opened these and other sUras with praise for Himself, just as He used
m. icates
d a complete word , so t h at its · remaming• Iettcrs need not be men•· thm· siira•openings to magnify Himself and glorify Himself, as He says,
tlone ,,. H owever, they d iue •,r re d over t h e meaning of each letter, when Gfo,r Jo 11,, O11e Who brought H~ servant by night (Q. 17:1), and likewise in
ask d
th ' e .Does. !this lett er ] rerer
r tot I1e wor d which the first proponent [of all of the corresponding siiras. Therefore, just as God opens certain sUras
his 0 P1010 n] claimed or to a different word?" They replied "Rather, 11ith Iwords ofj self-praise, self-magnification, self-glorification and self-
t e A_1if of A lif L0,n Mini com es from di ve rse words and it indicates the abmanion, He does the same with th e disconnected letters by which He
meanmgs
d _ of all of th em, compete j j y. " T h ey said that each letter has been opens other siiras. So sometimes He praises His knowledge, other times He
n~a e smgu lar and shorn of the remaining letters of the complete word praim His justice and fairness, and ocher times His bestowal of bounties
I rom whi ch it is derived], because, were all of the letters of the word pre· ind goodness. He does this succinctly and in an abbreviated manner, and
sent, th e word from which some of these disconnected letters were taken then He relates the issues at length in what follows these opening passages.
would
h on ly
_ ind tcatc
· • a smg . Ie meaning, and not two or more meanmgs. • According to this interpretation, the Alif, the Lam and the Mitn
ey conunued: [That is the caseJ when there is no indicator, were all of would need to be in the nominative case, each {letter being nominative]
le l_ctters present, except of a si ngle meaning. However, God (MajeStic on accou nt of the other [letter], independent of His statement, This is the
15
~ts praise) has intended fo r each letter to indicate many meanings for Book, which is a predicate to an !elided] subject, and is distinct from the
a srngle th ing, so it is not permissible to understand these single letters IIle_a~ing of A/if Lam Mini. The proponents of the second of these two
e?cit ~s indicating these multiple meanings, in order that the addressees opinions under discussion also require that This be in the nominative case,
0
~d s speech know that God (Mighty and Majestic is He) does not r~ch pan of the clause governing the other one, although they assign a
mtcn a single mean· . I b h I ners· rather, different meaning to it than do the proponents of the first opinion.
He onl y intends · mg or smg e intended object y t ese e •
As for those who said, "They are letters among the letters taken
Th . by Ithe letter J to indicate many things. ,
n . <>c folk, said: Therefore the A/if in Alif Lam Mim yields m•~) ~~0rd ing to their numerical value, devoid of any meaning," they said:
1ea111i"gs. It means the complet~ name of the Lord which is Allah ; tic e know of no other meaning which can be understood from these let-
comp etc word for the bounties of God, which is i1a'; and it iudica1ts ter~oth er than their assigned numerical values or that they represent the

486
 T ABAR.I APPENDI X A

~ct of spellin g by so m eone who says . Ali[ Lam - " . f\ . dO mini on nor of th e allotted time' of1~is
It JS no t possibl e for God (M aiestic is H· M,m _ They continu d· duration o us ,. H b Akhtab said , while
b f , JS praJSe) to dd e . · , save you 1 uyay y · · ·
ants y mea ns o expressio ns except with those the a rcss His serv. '.01~m11in1t ) : ,\ wcr~with him, "Alif cqual s one; Liim
co mp rehend . If that is how it is, the e xpression A[;
ca~ understand and bnng those " 10_
equals thin y ; Mrm cqu a s
1 forty . and the sum of these
' of ou enter into the
be understood in th e two possible ways w I if lam Mirn can on li·
ways-tIlat it is intended to be the act O f
· J·d I h
mva 1 ' w 1ic mea ns chat the only sou 11 d
e 1ave mentio d 0
]]· nc · ne of thrsr
spe mg out Ali[• L - M
d b am im - is
;;:~7,
'.:\;' ;~:: ~; ~
0 1
; ;·,1: ~~~; ::nio: and allotted ti1;;~
. h an esta lished f ofl: is community would onl y last seventy-on~ y~ ar;-()
scan d mg t csc letters is th e o cher on I. h . . way o under- Then he turned to face th e Messenger o . 0 l
. d e, w u c is lI1 accord .h
ass1g n e num erical va lu es. This position is invalid b _a~ce Wlt their and said. "O Mul) ammad , do you ha~e anythmg e se
for one to say "Alif Liim Mim " [a ·f ]c~a use It ts not possible like thi s'" "Yes.'' he replied. " What? ~sked l:luyay y.
f. II I. . s t one were spe 1mg a wordJ d I
o ow r_11s unmedi ately w ith the statement This is the Book b an t icn \Muhammad \ said, "A/if Lam Mim Sad . . l:l~y;:l;:~1/
of spe_llm g] is bereft of m eanin g and cannot be underst ;cau~et~fe _[_an "This is mightier and a longer (duration\. if
anything f Ali[L - M - . oo as Sigm )mg equals one; the Liim equals thirty; the Mi,n equals fort~;
, so I ' am '"' is adjacent to This is rl,e B k ["t h
some comprehensible m eaning] . oo I must aw and th e Sad equal s ninety. The sum of these letters\ ts
16 1 year~. 0 Mul) ammad, do,.rou ha:e anything e se
The proponents of this position also cited as evidence the following
report :' 11.ke tmI . , .. "Y " I e replied. What? asked l:luyayy.
. es, 1 ·d "B
!Muhamm ad\ said "A/if Lam Ra'." l:luyayy sai , Y
Muh amm ad b. l:lumayd al-Razl-Salama b. al-Fadl-Muhanunad
God! This is mi~11tier and longer! The Alif equals
b~ I_sl)aq;-!Mul)ammad b. al-Sa'ib] al-Kalbl-Abu ~ali~-Ibn 'Abbas- one; th e Lii m equal s thirty ; and the Ra' equals 00. 2
Jab1r b . Abd All ah b . Ri ' ab said
The sum of th ese letters is 231. 0 Mu\:iammad , do you
Abu Yasir b. Akhtab pa;sed by the Messenger of God (i) have any thing else?" "Yes," he replied. "I have A~if Liim
""l~tle ~1e was reciting th e opening of Surat al-Baqara- Mim Ra' ." 1-:{uyayy said, "By God\ This is mig~uer and
A/if Lam Mfm. This is the Book, in which there is tro do11bt- longer\ The Alif equals one; the Liim equals thirty; the
when hi s broth er }:luyayy b. Akh!ab, along with some Mim equals fort y; and the Rii' equals 200. The sum of
oth er Jews, came. He said , "By God! Do you know/ Ijust these letters is 271 years."
heard MulJa nunad recite among th e words God (Mighty Then l:luyayy said, " Your affair has confounded us,
and Maj esti c is He) revealed to him, Alif Liim Mim. This 0 Mu\:l ammad. We know not whether you have been
is tlu• Book." They said , "You really heard this?" " Yes," given a little or a lot lof time}!" Then the group \of
he replied. lclu yayy b. Akhtab walked at the front of a Jews\ got up and left [Mu\:iammad\. Abu Yasir said to
group of Jews to the Messe nger of God (i) who said, "O his brother, l:luyayy b. Akh!ab, and the rabbis who were
Mu~ ammad, is it tru e that, among what was revealed to with him, "Who knows? Perh aps the sum of all of these
yo u, you reci ted A/if Liim Mim. This is the Book?" The numbers is what lies in store for MuQammad? \Were
Messenger of God (i) said , " Why yes!" The g ro up of we to add\ seventy-one plus 161 plus 231 plus 271, ~e
~.ews ~sked, "Did Gabriel bring thi s to you fro m God?" would get 73 4 !" The lgroup of Jews} said, "His affair
Yes, repli ed IMul)ammad) . They said, "Prior to you, has become ambiguous to us!"
God (Majestic is His praise) sent Prophets; none of Some folk claim that this verse2 was revealed on
whom, that we kn ow of, were informed by God of t be account of them : He it is Wl10 has revealed to you the

1
I T l11 ~ repor1 I } aho d. k.ndmg llj/JI for ukl; sec Tafsir al-1iibari, 1:217 {no tes 3 & 4).
2 M~l.1mUd Sh:.ik . ou n i'.1Gu1ll:i.umc-, 256- 57. here, chr tcic 2

~!1 ~t, l hc Arabic hu the plur.i.l form of 'thcse ven cs:· :i.lthough the quoted p:i.ssagc is part of a
0

ha} the tnc-a n1nir :~d~.c:i.tc-~tn du: notes in the Sira ~( Jbn Hish:i.rn and dscW itnglc long verse.
g Beaw arc tlm . . . ; fafsi , al-Tab.ir1, 1 :2 17.

Ab
 TABAR!
APPENDIX A
Scripture wherein are clear si - h
Bool..- -and others (11,ltich are ans b' r ey are the Mother o,J,h,
'-g) • r is no differen t from that of a single word indicating
1 "' 1g11011s (Q . ) , 1£SP. ONSE : Tlus cas l " "
T l C proponents of this opinion said . Th· . 3 .7. da·.,·,,,g meanings, such as calling a group of peop e an umma or
what we. h ave said, conce rning th e i~tcr is/ cp~rt clarifies the soundnl•ss of "'"riodof
"" rime "an
· mm1rn" or a man who is ex:re1~e \y p1o · us.~n.d o be_d"1-
and th e mva lidity of what ti h P ctation of !the opcnin 1 God.. a" or a religion and sect (,mlla) an mmtta. L1kew1sc ,
rnt !O an rm1111 " _ ,, . .
TABARi SAID · Tl 1ose w o oppose us have said. g cttcrs\, cm call requi ta\ and retaliation a dm o r authonty an~ ob~d1e~c~
: . le correct opi nion in I ' . •,Jin.. or self-abaseme nt "a diu" or lmarh ematical) rcckonmg a drn.
'.nterpretati on of th e ope nin g letters ~f ch n) ~sum_ation, regarding the
There m many corresponding cases ro this, in which a single word l~as
ts His praise) made them disconnected le;se suras, is that God (Majcs1ic
mJm· mranings, and cataloguing them exhaustively would unnecessanl~
of chem to th e other w hi ch would h terds and did not connect one
' ave ma e them lik II ]rog;hen the book. Likewise, God's statements (Majestic is His praise) Alif
er spcec 1 l t 1lat consists of co nn ect d I b ca of the oth-
.\fon, .4/if Lam Rii', Alif Liim Mim ,Siid and all of the similar case~ of
remembrance) intended for ea l I e etftHer~, ecausc He (Mighty is His
. 1 c l etter o is express· . d" 1mm that serve as the openings to si'iras. Each letter of these expressions
ttp e meanings. !This is) like what al-Rabi' 10.nstom icatcmul-
li m.ited th e number of m . 1 b. Anas said, even though he mdicates many meanings, inclusive of all of the Names of God (Might y
eanmgs tot 1rec to th I · f l andMajrstic is He) and His Attributes and all of the other opinions ven -
meanings, insteadof ad d · j dd' . 1 ~excus1ono altheirotlm
mr~d by the commentators that we have mentioned. These letters, along
Th erefore h
\1 tn ~ a iuon~ meanings] to it.
letter contain ' e ~o~rect mte_rpretatton, in my estimation, is that each l\itb this, are the openings to silras, as the advocate of this opinion has
memionrd . The interpretation that these letters are among the Names
all of th e remsa~1ino t l e n~eanmgs th at al-Rabi' mentioned, along wi1h
£ l c. . mea mngs that th e other contmentators said, except of God (Majestic is His praise) and His Attributes does not preclude them
or t 1e lnml 01, m1 on of th e grammanans · t h at I mentioned who said from being the openings to sUras, because God (Majestic is His praise)
t 11at t h ese Iettcrs at th e sura
- o penings. merely represent the lettcn' of tht" opms many of the salras of the ~r'an with Self-praise, Self-glorification
a1P113 b et, such th at it is . . . and Self-magnification, such that it is not impossible that He would open
ei hr letters f h unn eces~a r.y to m ention the remammg c:'enty-
g O t c alphabet. Their mterpretation [of Q. z: 1-2]- Thm some of them by lswearing} an oath by them.
are. th e letters; This is th e Book, in which they are brought together, in One of the meanings of the opening letters, by which some s1lras
wlucli
h there
. . is n0 dou bt " - 1s
· erroneous and invalid because it departs 1rom r. begin, is that they are openings by which [Godl opened some of the s1lras
t e opin io ns of all of the Compa nion s and Successors, and those com- ~f the ~r'an and that H e swore by them , because one of their m eanings
11 1hat these letters are among the letters of God's Names (Exalted is His
ment ato rs and interpreters w ho followed in their footsteps. A sufficient
proof of th ei r error, along w ith the invalidation of it by [all the people! remt"mbrance) and H is Attributes, as we have previously elucidated. There
we h~v~ mentioned, is th eir inconsistency in explaining why Th is is rbr ~no doubt that it is a correct me aning for God to swear by Himself, His
~ook is 10 the nominative case . Sometimes, they say that each word pu~s · arnes and His Attributes.
Its correspond in g word in the nomi native case· other times they link J[ dThese letters also possess numerical values, and th ey are indicators
to th e suffi
. x prono un Ill
. t h e expression m , bt·• and sitllI
. which' t/,ere is. no aou ~:v/anies_ of the silras they open. All of these interpretations that we
0th cr ti mes the y conn ect it w ith g uidance for those who are God-conscioiis. Al dcsc~ibed and the ways of justifying them, which we have clarified,
of t_h ese gra mmati cal ex planations are outside of and do not even conside~ ~reHr.omamcd in the meanings of these letters, because had God (Majestic
their alleged interpre tation of A/if Liim Mim dhalika'l-kitab11, which the)
"and "b praise) lllten
. ded, by t 1,·1s or somethmg
. else, these letters to indicate
say is "Th ese arc the letters; This is the Book. " in \ t"ar only one of these meanings, to the exclusion of the other [ mean-
OBJE CTIO N· H . . a compre· at ' He would have indicated this clearly to the Messenger of God (s) in
h · ow is It poss ible for a single letter to serve as
cnsive indicato r for many differing m eani ngs? 8/~ambi~uous manner, since He (Majestic is His prais.e) sent dow~ His
thi~ to His Messenger(~) in order to clarify for [his listeners] all of the
lravegsoverw\ l nc. h h d'
t cy isagree d. The fact that the Messenger (s) did not
1
Sec above for a tr;,nuhuon of Tab:.iri\ co mmemar y on this imrorunt verst", any c ear indicator that God intended some of these interPretations

491
490
 TABAR!
APPENO\X A

of the o pening letters to the exclusion of others is the clearest . f elo ucnt speech by winch
that God mtend ed all of these interpretations and th . C\tldehcc ct;1.t1on \ faHs m1ts1dc of the chnn\ o u;\n H e (Exalted ts Hts
I
as o ng as t I1c 111tc . and m ea ning is not ime meaningsthe
. rpret at1on "bl Ybear,
reason, just as it is no t impossible for a single word poss1 e •~cording to
~l~;:;•r,:l;nd) dMa\ptd 1 1 0 1
c Hr )ad~;:;,:,~:,,t,~ctl~o,d of the Worldsb, \ winch
Au 1o
'.
1
15
I '..I ay e among
tc1embrancl.' s:n I b lir dowt1 upo11 your hea rl ' t iat you "', \ b
many m ea nings. or expres 5ion to have , Tmru \1rrl1}' Spin! ws roug _ ) 1 How can Gods specc 1 c
2
Those fo lks w ho deny o ur interpretation should be asked to ex lain ; t."rnm: melem Arabicspccc/1 (Q l~ l9 o~: rehcnstblc to all of the com-
what th e difference is between th ese letters and all of the other le~trrs. c\u;if some of It ts umntdhg1b\c an tt~11s Prammanan, and ts unkn ow n
w hi ch fo rm a smgle wo rd beanng many meanings, like ,mima, din and -unmes. Kcordmg to the opnuon o' G 1-s dcdarauon (Majestic is Hts
equivale nt noun s and verbs. They will not b e able to affirm one of th ese ~ the spec-ch of an) of His crcaturcsb of tes tlns claim He mforms us
!categories] without affirmi ng th e other one. •- lear Ara ic re u I I
nr,11e) that the ~r an \S m c d d that it was perfect Y c ear
d d what He sai an
Likewise, each person w ho interprets these letters in only one of tli<' th:it the ArJbs un crstoo t r retatton is wrong
ways we have described , to the exclusion of other ways, should ht asked Th1rnom: of the Wd)'S m which \ns me P God (MaJesttc is Hts
h rror 15 to associate I
for th e proof that their interpretation must be accepted exclusively. Then \:\ T\1e second aspect o f is e f e\ess and meamng css
im1e) "ul1 addrcssmg Hts servants by means o busher tt ts present m or
they should be prese nted with a different interpretation and asked what , I the meamng w et
th e root difference is betwee n their interpretation an d the other inter- Wl2u;ige which ts irre evan t to f f fnvohty to God,
2~m from the address This is assoc1atmg a orm o h Htm (Exalted is
pretation. They will not be able to affirm one of these interpretations l\h1ch all of the monothems prohtbtt assoctatmg wit
without affirmi ng the other o ne.
As for the person among the grammarians 1 who claimed that the Hi1remembrance). . . [ h he made a false comparison
\31 The third aspect of hts error is t at I. b . and easily
o pening letters correspond to word the word bal in the poetic verse bal . \ · The wor d ba
bttween baf and Alif Lam Mun . " dan. o v1oush to refute a
ma l,aja al,zanan wa-sliajwa,r qad sliaja ("He was not disturbed by sorrows or . I lt ts use m speec
undmtood word in the Arab tc anguage. b (b o your
grief which had manifested" ), th at they are devoid of meaning, and that
pnor mtement, such as " Your b roth er d·dnotcometome,
1 . ,
ut a,1
_ " 2 There are
th ey serve merel y as a superfluou s expression indicating a division, truly fiiher did" or" \ did not see 'Ame; rather, \twas Abd Allah. _ Th ' I b .
he has erred for the following different reasons: b many cas~s similar to this, such as the verse by al-Ksha of Banu a a a.
[1] He described God (Exalted is His remembrance) addressing the Ara 5
111J-la'a1li r11bannad1<1mli11iyan11..-i-1hamiiniya11
in a manner that is not part of thei r language or any human language. d bal
wa-1halad1a tasl1ra1a wa'thnatayni wa-arba'a
Even though there may be some who open t h eir poem Wlt · hthewor. h Alif·
it is agreed upon that none of them open their [poetic] speech Wl\
that 1shall drink eight and eight
And thirteen, and two and four.
Lam Mim or A/if Lam Ra' or Alif Liim Mim Sad in the same manne pen
I
t 1ey use th e word bal. O nce you acknowledge t h at t h e_ Arabs
. never o
ddressed The poet wem on like this until he reached his statement,
thei r speech in this manner, and that God (Majestic is His praise) ah t they
I . a 1·mguisnc
. all of th e verses of th e ~ r ' an m . . m anner th a mode bi'l~j11llasa11 wa-iayyibin arda11uh11
t lem 111
bi'1-wanni yaJribu Ii yakurru'l-i$ba(a
recogmzed . and used themselves, then there 1s . no d O ubt that
. h t eused to
( b·o . IetterS, wh1c .. are gverses in a drinking room, with a \singing gir\\ with perfumed cuffs,
sa " J we have desc ribed regarding the opening
c t he remam1n striking cymba\s rapidly, for me, with her fingers.
open some of the siiras, is pdent ical to] the mo d e IOr d' ed frotn
of the ~r'an- God did not use them in any manner that ivergede thJt Then the poet said,
t h e rccog111zed
. li nguistic usage of the Arabs, [t h en you mu stconc
bal 'addi hadha Ji qa riJin gliayrihi

1 111
• Ma'Orii al-Qir~"· bui 011\y ci1c~ vem:~ 193 -<) $; \ h 1ve inc\udcd 26: 192 for the sake of chriiy .
A~ Wa\ mrnuonrd previously, thh opini on is fo und in al-Akhfash s
although hr d~) not a~cnbc it to anyonr-. i Ar:ibic : •Ila ja'ani akhiika Ml abiika; and mii m'ayr11 'Amra11 bal 'Abda'l/iih.

493
492
 TABAR\
APPEN DIX A

of th e opening lette r s to th e exclusion of otl - I I ·m of eloquent speech by which

I
Go d mtended
. all of these interpretations a d h 1ers 1s t 1e clearc
.
_ st evidence . ,j falls outside of the c a1 ,_ He (Exalt ed is His

:ira[~:
t lat 1 rprmt101 d "b d the ~ran. /
I I . . n t e meanu1gs the . b
as ong as ti e tnte rpre t_atton and meaning is not impossible acco,J- ear,
reason , JUSt as It 1s no t impossible for a single wo d . lllg to
i;;1 :~gh1r)'· ',
1

1~~;; ~ :) a;:,~:,~,;on of rJ, cLo ,fa,'1y'::.::fyd~} ~:::~~;

rd 0
mL•rancl' · / d Po" your 1,ear 1, 111 b
m any m ea nings. r or expression to have ;:r.; 1rrl1y Spirit l,as broug i t ow11 II ) i How can God's speech e
~.1 ru.sW\ in clear Ar11bic speech (Q. 26: 192--95 . I ns,·bI~ to all of the com-
Those fo!ks w h o deny our interpretation should be asked to ex lain !'.l~·;rnm-, 1· ·bl d incompre 1e
what the difference 1s between these letters and all of th h Ip (:mit10111l'ofit is un intcl 1g1_ an f this grammarian, and is unk~1ow~1
I· I
r- - . e ot er erters, r.~~1ties, according to the_opm1on o God's declaration (Majestic ts His
w n_c 1 rnrm a singl e word bea ring many meanings. like """"a, din :ind
cq mvalent noun s and verbs. They will not be able to affirm one of these nthnpel'ch of any, of_H'.s crc:t~r,:~·ic refutes this claim. He informs us
!categories] without affinning the other one. ·ri11~) 1hat the ~ran is m clea
1 ·d d that it was perfectly clear.
b d d what He sa1 an
Likewise, each person who interprets these letters in only one of rhe tb.it the Ara s un ersto~ . . inter retation is wrong. .
ways we have described, to the exclusion of other ways, should be askrd foi1is oneof th c ways m which his. P . t God (Maiestic is His
f h' or is to assoc1a e :.i
for th e proof chat the ir interpretation must be accepted exclusivel y. Then [1\ The second aspect o is err b f useless and meaningless
th ey sh o uld be presented with a different interpretation and asked what rrme) with addressing His servants y me.ans oh ther it is present in or
the root difference is between their interpretation and the other i111rr- hnguage, which is irrelevant to the m.ea~mg e f frivolity to God,
pre tati o n . The y will not be able to affirm one of these imerprerations
,hsemfro m the address. This is as~o~1atmg _a _ormw~th Him (Exalted is
which all of che monotheists prolubit assoctatmg
with o ut affirming the other one.
As for th e person among the grammarians 1 who claimed that the Hisremembrancc). . . he made a false comparison
o pe nin g lette r s cor res pond to word the word bal in the poetic verse bal
l;J Th, third aspect of lus error JS [ th at I. b - s and easily
~tween bal and Al if Liim M-mi ]· Th e w ord ba ,s dan. o v1ouh to refute a
mii liiija abziina11 wa-shajwan qad shajii ("He was not disturbed by sorrows or . l It is use m speec
b
understood word in the Ara tc anguage. b . (b n your
grief w h ich h ad man.ifesced "), that they are devoid of meaning, and thar
pnorsmemem, sue11 as "Your b rot h er did not . come to Allah
, bd me, "ut2 There
a,J
are
th ey serve merely as a superfluou s expression indicating a division, truly father did," or "I did not see (Amr; rather, It was A · · _ Th ' l b .
he ha s erred for the following differe nt reasons: _ the Ar,bs mlny cases similar to this, such as the verse by al-A's ha of Banu a a a·
[ 1J H e desc ribed God (Exalted is Hi s remembrance) addressmg
!41J-/a 'a.sliraba11,rnthamOniyau11,a-1hamiiniym1
in a manner ch at is not part of their language or any human langudabg,~-
U.'a -t!ialiitlia 'ashrata wa'tlmatayui wa-arba'a
~ven th o u gh th ere may be some who open t h ~ir poe": w] tt · hthewor
ech with Alif·
I shall drink eight and eight
It is agreed upo n that non e of them open their ~poeuc spe nner char
Liim Mim o r A/if Liim Rii' or A/if Liim Mim $iid m the samebma open And thirteen, and two and four.
I
t 1ey u se the word bal. Once yo u acknow Id }
e ge t hat t le Arasnever
. ) ddressed The poet went on like this until he reached his statement,
their speech in this manner, and chat God (Majestic is His pratse ahat the}'
hi'l-julla.sa11 wa-/ayyibiu ardiinulw
t h cm in a II o f t I1e ver ses oft I1e G!:!r ' an in a I..mg uisticubr
manner t 010de
that che hi'l-wamii YD4ribu Ii yak11rru'l-i.~ba'ii
recog ni zed a nd u sed themselves then there 1s no do h. h e used ro
1

(sabiQ we have described regardin g the opening letters, w .1c . a:ng verses
open so me of th e si'ira s, is [ide nti cal co] t he mo de f,or the rema1t11
d. rged frorn
of th e ~ r'a n- God did not u se them in any manner cbar ivencede chac
the recogn ized linguistic u sage of the Arabs, Ithen you rnuS t co
1 '
Ai w.i,~ nic 1111011 cd prcn o ud y, d1 is opinion is found in al- Akhfas h s M
i hhough he doc~ not i\Cribc it to .r,nyone .
in a drinking room , with a \singing girlj with perfumed cuffs,
striking cymbals rapidly, for me, with her fingers.
Then the poet sa id,
bai <addi hiidliii Ji qari4in gliayrilii
1
,/Jni t1f.Q!l ~r..
T~bui only rnn vcuu 193-<JS; J h.i,ve included 26:192 for the s:ikc of clarity.
i i\r.bic: miijii'aui akl1Uka bo/ ab1ika: m <l ,nJ ra 'aytu ~ mra11 ba/ ~bda 'l/a/1.

49 2 493
 TABARl

wa'dlikur f ata,1 sam~a 'l-kl1aliqati arwa~

No! Leave this for anoth er poem,
And ment ion an ad mirable youth of bounteous disposition!

It is as _if th e poet said , "Leave this and take anoth_er poem." The meaning APPENDlX B
of bal m th e speech of the Arabs IS like its usage 1n this passage. Since we
TABARl'S TEACHERS
do not know of anyone among the experts in the Arabic language who
claims that bal can be used as th e opening of a statement in a superfluous
or elliptical manner, w ithout any m eaning, other than the [grammarian\ . men in the trans-
whose opinion I have m entioned, how then can this meaning [of baIJ hr
a basis from which one can make a similarity with the [disconnectcd]lct~ T,\,ri n,rrares at;~•-" ne re ort from the fo1lowmgf ace I have not
oomm:ntary. In the inte_r~t o ~p fo~nd easily in
\i1ed schtions o i~s c h and students, wh1c can e
rers that open some of the s1lra s of the ~_r'an , were they to be compared, h1ted thtsc narrators teac ers
when th ey are so far from resembling [ball in any way? the sources cited.
hbbreviatiom of sources: . E , 'st La11g1u ti Thtologit en Is1am
IConc/1,sio11 of tl,e com mentary 011 th efirst verse cf Siirar al-Baqara J . Claude Gi\hot, xegc , ' <J-1
Gmiot : _ H-tim Kirab al-jarl1 1va I-ta I
)T : 1bn Abt . a •- '·am sliuyUkh al-Tabari
.. . Akram al-Athan, Mw J _,
M111am • ,,- al nubala kh
Siy<1r Dhahabi, Siyar a a~ _- Tarikl1 madinai al-salam (= Tari
TB a\-Kha\lb a\-Baghdad:t, a

Bagl,dad) ·bfi ,,·al ,1-hadirh.

. lbn Hajar, T,hdhib ,1-rahdh, I_ ·. which these
TT of. the canonical
Abbreviations . Sunm. H· adith collecuons m
nma1ors' ~adirl1s are found:
B ,Sal_iil_1 al-Bukhari
M Sa~il.1Muslim
AD Siman Abi Dawud
T Swnan al-Tinnidhi
N Swua11 al-Nasa'i

lM S11na11 Ibn Maja . J· h ol\ections.

S B k . AH six of these canomca\ l:fo ti c
tx oo s. - hadirh narrator, whom AbU
ABB~S B. '/\BD /\L-'/\ZIM AL-'/\NB/\RI. B\asrba\n ,; H' h dirhs are found in M.
l_litimeva\uated as "sincere" and Nasa'i. ca\\cd re ta e. ts .a
.ID, T. N and IM , and he died in 246/86o. (TT J:J<JO"'<Jt) .
, - • \ - < b 'Abe\ Allah. He \ived m
ABBAS B. AB11AUB. His fu\\ name ts Abbas b . ]~far\~- _ .d he was "sincere
B.tghd:i.d and was a mawlii of the 'Abbasids. Abu 1:\3.tlm a - a'Z.t sai d. lM and
VodUq)," whi\e his son declared him "re\iab\e (thiqa)." His ~aditlis are oun m '
he died in Jumada II 218/872. (TI J:384)
ABBAS B. MUHAMMAD B. HA.TIM /\L-DURI. - - I\ H· ' a·,r h Scho\ar of. Baghdad
d h·
and unportant st~dent of the fa~ous critic Ya~ya b. Ma'tn. Nasa'i. constdere tm

49 5
494
 TABAR! APPENDIX 8
"~diable,., an d hi s (wdirl, s arc found .
di ed in 27 1/884-85. (Scott Lu c as, Comtructive
m AD , T. C
N and
. . IM. H c Was born in ••""' "'d"'~' of ,he Q,r'an . H e was appointed qa4i of Baghdad ;n 242/856-57 and
ABBA.S B. AL-WA LlD B. MA Z YA "''"• 210-u; TT 3 :397) 185/801 and ••' .:on'l,krrd a "wc;ik" n arrator by 8ukhir1 and Nasa'I . However. his baditl1 s arc
,,un.lln M. T :111d IM. and h e died in Sha' ban 24 8/862. (Siyar, 12: 153- 56)
according to the school of Awz -<- A scholar o f Beirut wh
;•li ed h;n, "s;nme and rel;abl: .•'.· T bu ~ atim .• valuated him as~. g.,ve le.~al op;n;om WO JJUMAY D Alj MAD B. MUljAMMAD B. AL-MUGHlRA AL-HIM~l. A
r_m n l11m . H is hadrrl,sarcfo u nd . . a an acqu ired the ~r•a sin_ccrc andhis~on di~umJw r from Homs. Sy ria, w h o m Nasa'i and lbn Abi }:latim con sidered "rcli-
died R abi' II 270/883. (Gilliot, 2:- ~D and N. cAbbas was bor: ;~ad1~g of lbn 'Amir ,'.'!c - lhs /1Jdirl1 s arc fo und in N, and h e died in 264/877-78. (TT I :73 -74)
ABD AL-A' LA D w- . T 3 :399-400) RaJab i6g/786 and
ABO KURAY ll MU ljAMMAD 8. AL-'ALA' B. KURAYB. A Kufan /iaJ;,I, scholar
" . . . ASIL. A Kufan / d· I
as s_m c~ rc ' and N as;i'i co n sid ered. " .ta_ It I t~~n srn.itt cr, who rn Abu - . 11hornllrct cd perhaps as m:my as 300,000 laadiths. Despite acknowledging the crca.t-
he d ied 1il 247/861. (TT . reliable. Hi s baditl,s c ~ •mm cva]u~trd dncs, of the ~r' an under duress during the cAbb:isid "inquisition," AbU Kurayb's
, J.727- 28) are round m T and
AB?. AL-KARIM B. ABi ' U N, ,.,J rcput,11ion mnaincd intact, and his badirhs arc found in all Six Books. Muslim includes
{M11Jm11, 314) MAYR. AL-DIHAN. An obscure - \0> 11JJirl1s from him in his .Sa~1H1. His personal notebooks were buried with him at
ABD AL - - /,,,doth transm;no,. b funm,\, according to his testament. Abfl Kurayb was born in 161/777-78 and died
LAH B. AB! Z IYAD . mJumidi ll 248/862. (Gilhot, 20; Siyar, 11:394-<)8; TI 5:781-82)
sc_h olar of Kufa, Abu H i tirn . ~ts full n am e is <Abd Allah b. al-H le - .
rcltable ·• Hi I J· / · e\a luated him as "s· .. · a am b. Ab1 21\'~d ABOl -R.ADDAD AL-MISRl, 'ABD ALLAH B. 'ABD AL-SALAM. A Basran
' . - s w iris are found in AD. T and IM mc~rt a~d ~is son considered i1i11; !Chohr. who settled in Egypt, where he served as a ,n1/adhdhi,1. lbn Abi f:1 3tim met
ABD ALLAH B. AHMAD B • an te died tn 255/869. (TT 3:49 )
hun~nd evaluated him as "sincere ." UT 5:107; Mu'jam, 707)
scho lar in Merv, whom lb . . ~H ABBUWAYH AL-MARWA . .
the Six Book n l:-hbban considered" 1· bl .. ZI. A nu1or ]:l!lduli ABO'L-SA' lB SALM B.JUNA.DA AL-SUWA'I. A Kufan ~,adith narrator whom Ahli
and he di ed . s, pr~su m ably becau se he was yo re la ~- His badiths are absent from Hlt1m l'Yaluatcd as a "sincere shaykh" and Nasa'i considered "righteous (salib).'' His
Ill 275 888- 89 . (Mu'Jam, 315) . unger t tan some of their compilers,
~..:.Jirlis arc found in T and IM, and he died in Jumada ll 2541'868. (TT 2:729)
ABDALLAH 8
1"11/irli t ra nsmiu . MUHAMMAD 8. 'AMR AL-G ABO SINAN. See Mul).ammad b. Sin5.n b. YazTd.
hadirlrs arr f, er_from Gaza, whom Ibn Ab- H- . HAZZf. A reb.tively obscurt
ound 111 AD , and his death d . I . atun evaluated as "reliable. " His ABO ' UBAYD MU}:IAMMAD B. 1:IAFS AL-WASSA.B1. A badith narrator from
ABO A.LLAH B. MUH ate is unknnwn. (IT J :651) H~ms, whom lbn Abi Hatim found to be repudiated by some of the religious
Muhatnn d b ' . AMMAD AL-ZUHRf " kolars of Homs. His b~didas arc absent from the Six Books, and his death date is
wh~m A~a- ~bd al-R.abman b. al-Mi . His full name is 'Abd Allah b.
un now n . (JT 7:237)
IM. and h u ~at1~1 con sid<'rcd " sincere .. s:1ar. 1:e was a Ba sran /µJ.dith u.msmim:r.
c died Ill 256/870. (M ,. . Hts ~1ad1ths are found in M , AD. T , N and .br\BO' L-ZA' IDA Z AKARIYYA B. YAHYA B. ABi ZA'iDA. See Zakariyya b. Ya\:iy:i
ABD AL-WA R.ITH ' u;am. 329: TT 3 :645) -Abt Za' ida. .
whom Abt1 I 1- . B. ABD AL-5AMAD A ' - -~H~~A D B. 'ABDA AL-OABBl. A Basran liadith narrator, whom Ahli l;llitim and
J·l i~liadi,h
: at im evaluated as " sin ,. L-~NBARI. A Basran /:ladith scholar,
_ s arc fo und in M, T, N andc; : and Nas~ I considered "not bad (laba 'shilu].~ ~ : ; 1 considered "reliable." His liaditlis are found in M, AD, T, N and IM , and he

ABU AMMAR S • and he died in Ramadan 25 ,1866.(Tf 4:286) 1

Ill 2 45/859-60. (TT 1 :58)
- . ee 1-:lusayn b. al-Hu Ai:IM
b Ab AD 8 · ' ABO ALLAH,
- 18N AL-BARQh.His
- full name 1s
. Ahmad b. ' Abd Allah
-
AHU HAMMAM - . rayth aJ-MarwazL
tied in Ba Id AL-WA LJO B SH U - ( .-
f; d_al-Rahim, lbn al-BarqL An Egyptian .f{aditlt narrator, Ibn Abt }:latim wrote
~aid he w!: .~~- H is reput ation ~as nu!: AL-SAKUNf. A Kufao schobr who_~c• In,~::•~, and dedmd him "sincm." Hi, /Oddillos a,e absen< from 1he Six Books, and
01

T and IM a m icere shay kh . but not a d 3 '. 110~1g t.~e Jjadith cri tics, and AbU l:btUll 1 date 1s unknown. (J T 2 :6 1)
AU _ · nd he d;,d in R abi' h
/Sur o m auve. His hadiths are found in M. AD,
U H ISHAM - 1 243 57. (S1yar, , 2 :23; TT 6:73 1-32) ~ l:IMAD B. 'ABO AL-RA}:liM AL-BARl""\i. See Ahmad b. ' Abd Allah , Ibn al-Barqi,
~l>OVC . -~
AbG H 1~h- w;,i~ AL-R. !FA'
a Kuf.i n
f. Hi s
,_ foll name is Mub ammad b. Yazid b. Mubamrn~d.
41 111
ur an reci te r w h o composed a book on the subject of iht Ai:IMAD B. 'ABO AL-RA.}:IMAN B. WAHB . H e was a nephew of the famo u s

49 6 497

\
 TABAR!
APPENDIX B

Egyptia n sc hola, 'Abd Allah b. Wahb, ,'.vh o •.'.so J;ved in Egypt. Ibn 'Ad; tn<mio,.,d en e rally conside red
- TAM-I Mi A Baghdadi scholar, g . f lbn 'Abbas'
elm the Egyptia ns cons, deced lun, a weak nurator, although MusJ;n, inclod,d
1Li R oi.WOD ll . YA
Z ID AL- · h • llccuon °
for 'All b. Abl Tai ·_" s cob _, Tafsir. Hi s ltaditlts
at least one of hi s /,aJ;r/,s in his Sa/t;/,. Ahmad b. 'Abd al-Rahman died in R,br IJ
,64/877-?8. (TT , ,54- 56) :, r< ··c,[»bk.'" He;' th e s:;:r;,~ almost t ,ooo times m _Ta ar):83- 84. (Gilliot, 27;
:{ti:tll•~l opinions 11a t a~c . D hG' l-Qida 272/886 or m 270
· ·. I 111 IM
1 and he d1ecl 111
Al:IMAD B. 'AMR 8 . ABD Al- KHALIQ AL--BASRI, ABO BAKR Al-BAZZAR. 1rr to1.1m ' ·who
A Bas,an scholac who, in his o ld age, travelled to Isfahan, Baghdad , Egypt aod 11 . d sch o lar from Mosul, Iraq, - .
Palesti ne. Nasifi considerc=-d him "unreliable ," and D:iraqufni said that he madr man\· AWS ILL A poet, histo n an an 8 . Samarra. Ahli I:Ianm
rni srakes . Hi s large M11mt2d has been publi shed in fift een volumes, and he dird ; .lli ll H~R ll A~~";Abbasid C aliph al-Mu' t~zz in 254/,~; ~;eous." His hadiths arc
R.amla, Palc-stine, in 292/904-5. (Mu)'am, 95; S iyar, IJ :554-57) 11 1111 rM1H d h) t ,, . .. while N asa'I s,ud h e was h wal 265/879. (TT
mluartd hun as smccrc, . / 86--87 and died m S aw
found m N. Ali h . 1-:Jarb was bo rn m 170 7
Al:IMAD B. HA Z IM AL-GHIFAR..I. A rc:latively obscure Kufan badith nirraror,
whose death date is unknow n . (JT 2:48).
! n -;6) - Ba hdadi l1aditli narrator, whom al-K.ha~ib
Al:lMAD B. IS}:IAQ AL-AHWA ZI AL-BAZ ZAZ. A badith narrator from sou1h- ,\Li B. AL-1:IASAN AL-KHAZZAz_-,tH"_g ?7/8 , _(Mn'jam, 352; TB tJ ' 299)
2 9_
western Iran, whom Nas:i'i consid ered "righteous." His badiths arc found in AD, and ,on11dered "reliable." H e died in Dhu - · ljJa AL AZRAQ!l. There is
he died in 250/ 864. (TT 1 :18)
ASAN) AL-AZDI (OR - Kufan ,
.l li B. AL-1-!U SAYN (OR AL-1:1 . b f h · u-ansmitter. He probably was a 8 )
Af:IMAD B. MANJc AL-BAGHAWI. A major ljadith schol.ir from Marw Rodh, who I:luch con fu sionoverthenameandms ao t ts(M t • 3' maybe TT 4:57!)- 0
11ho w;is considered sincere in his narrations. 35 • cAI- b al-Husayn b.
settlt,d in Baghdad. Abu l;i iitim evalu ated him as "sincere," while Nasa'i considercJ IIJOUI,

him "re liable." He compi led a musnad that does not appear to be extant, and his grand- H" amc should be t • . .
son was the fa mous Haditl, transmitter AbG.'1-~sim aJ-Baghawt. His bm/iths art" found Ali B. AL-1-!USAYN B. _AL-i:IARIT~-Ish~•~- Hecame from N~s•, T~'tkme;;s;;d
lbr~himb.al-1:Iurr, and h e 1s kn_:=,w~t~s lbvaluated his as "sincere, reliable, a nd
in all Six Books, and he died in Shav,.,-wa l 244"8 59. (Siyar, u :483-84 ; TT 1:So-81) .i.nd sc-ttlcd in Baghdad. lbn Abt l:lattm e
Al:IMAD 8. MANSOR.. A badirl, narrator in Merv, Turkmenistan, whom Ahii inSh~wwal 261/875. (M,ljam, 355; TT 4 : 5SI) etded in Baghdad.
1:l itim evalu;ited as .. sincere." He may have a l,adirh in Muslim's Sahib, and he dieJ AU 13. MUSLIM AL-TOSI. - A Khurasam
- - - I_,a ditli narrator
f. d who
in B sAD and N. 'Al:i b ·
sometime between 256/870 and 26o/87J/4. (TT 1:79)
Nisa'i evaluated him a~ "not bad." His t,~ditlis a_r;_ ~u n / 6 .'crr 4:651 -5 )
8 2 53 8 7 2
Al:IMAD - AL-M IQQAM. A Basran liadirh narrator, whom Nas.lii'ievaluated as "nm Mm!im was born in 16o/776-,7 and died m Juma a . hose family
bad." Hi s bad11hsa re fou nd in B, T, N a.;1d JM, and he died in Safar 253/867.(TT i : S) . Ramla, Palesnne, w ., .
7 AU 13. SAH.L AL-R AMLI. A master. schol~a:~l considered him "reliable. Hts
Al:f.MAD 8 . MUl:IAMMAD AL-TO SI. A Khurisini hadith narrator who scctlcd in on~inal\y came from Nas:i, Turkmet11s~an.in --7 . (TT 4:605)
l,dni,, "' fo und in AD and N, and he dtcd 2611874 5 h Ab - Hatim
Baghdad. Ibn 1:libban included hi!~ in his book of reliable narrators, although Jbn
Uqda said there was something unsettling abo ut him . His /:,adiths are found in T, ,1, nd
he died in 248/86 2-<:iJ . (TT 1: ) ALI- B. SA IDB. MASROQ AL-KINDL - A K u f:a n liaditli
· d N narrator, omin Juma
d hewdied u . a I -a-
74 ev~luated as .. sincere." His badiths are fou nd in T an • an

Al:f.MAD B. AL-WAUD AL-Q!:!R.ASHL An unknown badith narrator. He might >49/ 863. (TT 4:603) - - . an unknown /tadit/t narrator, pte-
be Mul_i.inlinad b. al-Walid al -~rashi,
250/864. (Mu jam, 114)
a Basran narrator who died sometime after
AM R. 8. ABD AL-l:{AMID AL-AMUL!~s~: ts(~uJam, 381)
~umably fro m Tahari's ho meland of Taha · d . . • Basra.
~~-~AD B. AL-WAUD AL-RAM U. An obscure Palestinian badirh narntor, whose . - . r Hadatl, scholar an cnuc m " .
. a It s are .ibsen t from the Six Book s. (Mu}am, J 13) AM_'.': B. 'AU B. BAK~ AL-FALLAS.,~i=~aJ:r Hadith, master scholat (/,a.Ji,)- ;~'.'.
NJ,_a I descr ibed him as ~ehable, comp, ie died in Dhii'l-~<da 249/863--64. (SY
hadulzs are found in all Six Books, and l
:}IMAD ll .. Y0SUF B. KHALID AL-SULAMl. A /,adith namcor m Nish•p~~
10 111 Muslim cv I d . ' f 'Abd al-RazZ3
al-Sa,i'~nr~ book "~.itc as ·reliable." He was a narrator o . din or n 470: TT 5 :7<>---71) scan hadit!t namtot, whom Ibn 'Adi
26 4 Jg 76 s. Hu hadiths arc found in M , AD, N and IM, and he die 163 AM H._ B. MALIK AL-BASRi AL-RASl~L A ~ a arc ·f ound in T, and he died after
f8 at th l'.' age of 8 1. (TT l :87- 88) rv.iluatcd as .. weak"' and a plagiarist. His {,aduJis
2
-io/85 4-55 . (TT 5:85}

498 499
 TABAR!
APPENDIX B
AMR B. SA' ID B. YA SAR AL-QyRASHi.
380) An unknown had-th
1 J;quirrJ , 0111 .- JwJi1/Js. Hi s/adiths arc abse nt from the Six Books, and hi s death date
· narr.itor.(AfujJ!Pl,
:-1mk11,1\,n . (JT 3 :39; i\1r1;m11. 20.5}
AM R B. UTHMAN AL-' UTHMANI
. I b ' . An unknown hc,dirh n -\L-IIA'-AN B. YA l:IYA . A scholar fro m Gorgo n, Iran, w ho settled in Baghdad. He
m1g lt c Umar. (M,ljnm, 383) . arr.1tor, whose n~mr
;_ ,r.itrJ l' Xtl·ns1n-ly from the book s o f 'Abd al-R azz:i.q al-S:m' :i.ni. Ibn Ahi f;fitim
DISH~ B. ADA~. A Basra n badith narrator. whom Abu - . (l"Jluw,I hun ,1 s "sincere." Hi s badiths arc found in IM, and he died at the beginning
strong and Nas:i i rated as "not bad. " His badiths ar f; l;I~tlfll evaluated a~ -not
he died in 254/868. (TT 1 : , ) c ouocl 1h AD, T and IM, ;uid ,,, Jmn.id:i l 263/877 . (TT 2:74- 75)
4 5
,;l-llA'J AN B. Z U R.AYQ AL-TU HAWl. A relatively obscure Kufan badith narra-
13'.SHR B. M.~_AD H AL-'A~DI. A Bamm badirh narrator w . t(':. i\ ho,l· /r,u/i1/1s arc abse nt from the Six Books and whose death date is unknown .
;\a~ua~cd as sm ccrc. upright w ith hi s badith." H e is th • hom lbn ~bi lfjrim
ifl 3. 1~)
Aruba~ ex 1cns ivc collecti o n o f ~tad a 's exc etical o in· e source fo_r Sa id b. Abi
3.000 tunes in Tahari's Tafsir. Hi s badirl, s a! foundpin t~ns~hat arc med moret~.n H.\Tl:--.\ B. BA KR. AL-l)ABBL A rc:-latively obscure Basran narrator, whose hadiths
arou nd tlit· yea r 245 is --6o (G" ll • .T • and IM , and he diet! m found m IM. and whose death date is unknown. (TT I :598-w)
59 . •I 10[, 23, T 1:4-29- 30)
HU IIIAYD B. MAS'ADA AL-SA.MI. A Basran badith narr;tor, whom Abu l:J;itirn
AL-FA[,)L B. 1S1:IAQ B. HAYYAN AL-BAZ Z AZ AL-D ORI .
narrat or, w h o was consid ered "r·J · bl ,, H d · d . • A Baghdad1 /i,idlrf. m lum.·d as "si ncere·· and N asi'i considered "reliable." His badith s are found in M.
14:325) c ia c. e ie m 24--2/85 6--57. (M1ljam , J96 : TB .iD. T, N :md IM. and he died in 244/858-59. (TT 2:231)

AL-FA[,) L B. AL- 5A B8AH A B hd d 1· - AL-1:IU"AYN 8 . 'ALI B. YAZID AL-SUDA'i. A Baghdadi l,adith narrator, whose
Nihawand Ir I · · ,. . ag a bad,th narrator, whose family came from l.;Jir~sm· found in T and N. He died in 246/86o-<>1 or 248/862--63. (TI 2:103-104)
and IM ·d tnJ':" 1~m lbn Ma Ill evaluated as " rel iable." His badiths are foun d in T
, an J C icd 111 Rajah 245/859. (TT 5 :257-.58) .\L-I_IUSAYN 8 . AL-HURAYTH, ABO 'AMMAR AL-MA!lWAZI. A Had;,/,
icho!ar from Merv, whom N as;i'i evaluated as reliable. His hadiths are found in
HANN AD B. AL-SA ili AK (
ciation (;: i1lu!) thar has b · u ~n scholar ,,.,ho composed an early work on renun- B, M. AD, T and N, and he died during his return from the ~eater pilgrimage in
l-:Lititn evaluated, him a ~e_n publ:.shed_and was known as the "monk of Kufa." Abil z,'185 \ -59 . (TT 2'83-84)
are fou nd in M AD Ts si ncere, whil e N a_sa'i considered him "reliable." His~itks
_ · · , N and IM , and he di ed in Rabi' II 243/857. (Siyar, n:46y-66) Al-HU SAYN 8. MUl-;IAMMAD AL-DHARI'. A Basran haditl1 narrator who set-
t!tdin Baghdad . Abu H:i.tim evaluated him as "sincere" whiie Nasa'i considered him
:~ARJT H B._AB! USAMA. Hi s full name is H:irith b. M uhammad b. Abi Usirnl.
I c 'ts _a 1113Jor Baghdadi scholar and transmit~er o f books ·such as ibn Sa'd's KrtJb
Mrehablc-.'" His lwditlis;re
found in T and N, and he d;ed in 247/861- 62. (TT 2 : 110}
a -/a '"fat al-kabir. Diraq - d d I. ., .. ' J ·· d AL-i:IUSAYN B. SALAM A B. AB! KABSHA. His full name is al-l:Jusayn b. Salama
him for rece ivin • mo n urm gra c_ 11111 as sincere. Vet some scho ars c~uoze_
poven y. 1-firit h ~ ey for teaching liadiths, which he justified on the bam ~fhi'. hma 11 b. Yazid b. Abi Kabsha al-Azdi A Basran hadith narrator, whom Ibn Abi
sources fo~ lbn Abi: -~t?
0 111 0
a mum~d t hat has not su rvived. He is one of the pn~~
01
~!;um t\·:iluated as "sincere" and Daraq~mi consid~red "reliable." His badiths are
ouocl in T and IM , and his death date is u;1known. (TT 2:89)
about i ,ooo times in ;~ ·1 s ~~llect~on ~( Muj:ihid's exegetical opinion~ that are l ;d
he died in at · bans Tafs,r. Hi s badfr/,s are absent from the Six ~-ooks. -S · :~·HUSAYN B. YAZID AL-TAHHAN. A Kufan liadith narrator, whom Abll
28218
Siyar, 13 :388"""90t5 the age of ,oo. (G ill iot, 29; Lucas, Constructivt Critics, 207 . d~ •tun !.'val uated as "lax (layyin):,, Hi~ hadiths are found in AD and T, and he died
uruig Ra111:idan 244/859. (TT u8- 19) .
HA KON B. IDRJS AL A ,. )
- SAM M . An unkn o wn Kufan n arrator. (M11;am, 6+4 lBN 'ADD AL-A' LA . Sec Muhammad b. 'Abd al-A'li al-San' iini.
AL-1-:tASAN B. 'ARAFA . whom
:.s~
Abu l:l~tini ev;i. luatcd as maJ?,r l_-laditl, s~ho lar in Baghdad and .~an~ar:j;,h are
18 N ABI" L
S\ _
.
-S HAWARIB. His full name is Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Mai
I k b Abi'I-
·
found in T and IM nce re and Na sa i considered "not bad. H u: b . b~;\a~ib al-~ mawt. H e lived
1
in Basra and Ubulla, and Nasa'i evaluatt:~ him a~ "~ot
Sanu,rra. (Siya, .· and he allegedl y lived 110 yea rs, d ying at the end of 157/87110
'll ,547- 51)
24-4/g ts l1adril1s arc fo und in
M. T , N and IM, and he died in Dasn Ill Jutnada II
I . (TT q ,s- ,9)
AL-HA SAN B. NA~ ll:I. An ol bO J-l;idrtl
>scure Dasran baditl, narrato r, from whont A · IUN AL-BAn,QLsec Al.uuad b_'Abd All,h.

_soo 501
 TA BAR!
APPENDl X D
IBN BASHSHAR. See MulJammad b. Bashshar Bundar.
IBN l:IUMAYD. See Mui)ammad b. l:lumayd al-Razi. . ·q s Sl-lAHi N. A l1mli1~'. nar:tlr.. a~~s
\' tl.\ i<-l°i rvahuted him as not a . .
~:;;it~:
\ \ y landown er (dil1qlln) in W asit .
are found in D and N , and he
IBN AL-MUTHANNA.. Sec Mu}:lammad b . al-Muthanna. 1

hl (TT ·2.2.4) fH -
J.t31tirr ;,o/F.6~. I. - l . l obscure l1oditl1 n arrator o . arranb,
IBN SI N AN AL-~zzA.z . See Mui)ammad b. Sinin al-~zti.J.. •· TTADI A re attve Y f •umar .
\~\l \QH. Z1\Y D AL-K H A. :d d" · d
li ab\c." He was a dcscen ant o
IBRAH IM B. 'ATIYYA B. ';UDAYI~ B. 'ATIYYA. An unknown /,ad;,h "'"''~
from Syria or Jerusalem. (Mu j am, 62)
h;: wh<'m \\,n Uibbsn_'°'"~ :'.:,o,'~,ijam,
125) .
~-~h,11:i.b·~brother. Za)d. U ho\ar from Ba\kh, Afghanistan,
IBRAHiM B. AL-MU STAMIRR AL-H UDHAL!. A Ba,nn b,d;,h n, n,,o,. wh<>m 1~\IA .IL B. AL-FAOL B . MOSA \ AL-DALKHl. A sc
\ Khatib considered " rchab\c.
. ·• H e died in Rajab
\\'r10 1mk d m Baghdad. and\.\' lOln a -
Na sa'i evaluated as "sincere ." His badiths are found in AD, N and lM, and hisd~th
dm: is un known. (TT 1 : 155)
:'6 ~99-l,\luJd m, 134: TB r28 1) - . b Palestinian bcidith
- .- '- L-RAMU. A rc\auvely o scurc ,.
IB RA.HiM B. SNID AL-JAWHARi. A Baghdadi scholar ,vhooriginally camc frorn IS\ IA IL B. \SR.A IL A~-L~ _AL ~aluatcd as "sincere." (JT 2:153; Mu1om, 131)
Mazandaran, Iran. Ibn }:lanbal narrated m an y badiths fro m him and Nasfi evalu- ni:r.tor. whom lbn Abi \-:l.:1tun e h denied that
ated him as "reliable." Ibrahim b . Sa<id composed a large mus,uu/ that appc:m 1obt - A Kufan hodit/1 narrator w o
IS\\A iL B. MOSA B. BlNT AL-SUD_Dl. s ite bei~g known as "the grandson of
lo st. His baditl1 s arc foun d in M , AD, T , N and IM, and he died sometime betwmi
hr w;s the son of a nephew ~f Sudd1, d e t •m as "sincere" and indicated that h e
247/86 1-62 and 253 / 867 at a riba_r n ea r the Byzantine frontier. (Siyar, 12:149-51; TI Suddi\ daughter."' Abu Dawud evaluated l h " .. b d., His hodiths arc found
1:11 7- 11 8)
hd Shi i sympathies, while N as:i'l considered ; ; ~~:_; )·
Ill :\D, T ind IM, and he died in 2 45/859-00. ( 1·3 5 b
' IMR.AN B. BAKKAR AL-KALA.'I. A hadith narrator and m,/adluJhin in Hollll,
w hom Nasa'i evaluated as "reliabl e." Hi~ bodiths are found in N , .and he died in - L AZRAQ This appears to e a
271/ 884- 85. (TT 5: 11 3-14) J.\ FAR B. THE DAUGHTER OF lSBAQ ~r'~n reciter ~f Wasit ls\:aaq b. YUsuf
gnndson of the respected l:ladith scho\ar and ;locate the name of ls\:a:iq's daughter
' IMRAN B. MO SA. AL-~z.Az. A Basran IJc,dith narrator, whom Abu _J,arim i.1 -Am.q(d. 19 5/810- u). l h ave not been abl; ~a a\-Azraq, see Siyar, 9:171-72; and
eva lu ated as "sincere" and N asi'i considered "reliable." H is lu,diths arc foundmT,N or the name of Ja' far's father. For more on s ·. q ra hica\ dictionaries. (Mujcim, 170)
n 1:2 44 - s.Ja.' fa r himself is absent from the biog P
and IM , and he died sometime after 240/854- 5. (IT 5:129)
JAFAR B. MU HAMMAD AL-BAZWARl. An obscure K u fan hc,di!h
· narrator, who
'!SA B. ' UTHMAN B. 'lsA AL-RAMLl AL-KOFI. A Ku&a /u,Ju/, aamtm :~ sold collyrium. ·(Mujcim, 164) h
ttanm,;ued exten,;veJy fro m h;, uncle, Yah ya b . ,-Isa- al- R • mli · N.,.1 e..lu,
. «d) =•
as "r ight eou s," and hi s badiths are found in T. He died in 251'865. (TT 5·205 . KHA LLAD B. ASLA M. A Baghdadi i1adith narrato~, ongi . ·na\ly
d hefrom
died Merv, w om
in Samarra in
Na~fi cva\uated as " rc\iab\e." His badid1s are found m N, an
ISAM B. RAWWAD B. AL-JAR.RAH. A ,elatively obscute lu,dith hnarnror i,,,ot
ID Jumid5 \I 2.49/863. (TT 2:3 40)
Ashkelon, Palestine , whom Abu }:latim ;valuated as "sincere." His fsadit s arc l
MAIJMOD B. KHIDASH AL-TALA~l. - - A Baghd d 1" H· adirh scholar,
d IM and whom
h e diedIbn
in
fr om the Six Book s, and his death date is unknown. UT 7: 2 6)
Ma in eva\uatcd as "reliable." His bcidiths arc found m T an '
1
ISl;IAQ B. ABi ISRA'IL. H;, full name ;, Ishaq b. Ibriihim b_.,Klm>himjri-.:;. :". scl&64. (Siyar, 12:179-81)
from M«v and se ttled h, Baghdad, w hece Ib n M • c-in evaluatcu f God as
but «f.,;o MUHAMMAD B 'ABBA.DB MOSA. . A relatively obscure Baghdadi bod_irh ;ar~-
He is teponcd to have declaced th e Qtr'an to be the spe~ch O f ~,I,. Hi, !,,Jitlo tor. \~•ho was disa~provcd of b; Ibn Ma' in. His bcidid1 arc absent from the S1x oo s,
from Stating that it was uncre.r.ted, w hich upset some Parmans O d died in MSOf •nd his death date is unknown. (TT S:656).
arc found in AD and N . Isl_iaq b. Abi Isra'il was born in 1si/768 an
246/859"-61. (TT 1 :211 - 13) whom MUHAMMAD B. ' ABO AL-NLA AL-~AN' A.NL A Basran ~adirh ~.chlobb,l ':'h~~c
f ·\ - - · \uated him as re ta e.
" '" y °',ig;n,Uy came from Yemen. Abu l:l~ttm, ev;llection of Q!_tada', exegetical
11
- B. IBRAHIM B. HABi B AL-SHAHID.
ISl;I AQ - A Bman b,adith ,nd he dit<! ".
d IMnarrator, Abd al-A \a is one of the major sources for Ma mars c
Nasa'i eva luated as " reli able." His hadiths are found in T, N :m '
J urnada II 257/ 871. (TT 1:202- 203)
i For n1o rc on Suddi, ~ec '·hmi' il b . 'Abd .a\-R:to ~min .a\-Sudd'i"' in Appc-ndix C.

502 503
 TA UARI APPEND IX B

opin ions th at arc cit<.'d near ly 1.100 times in Ta -•

M, T. N and IM . and he died in B . . 'bans Tafsir. His haJ-,h ~J l.\l lbn J-\uinayd was o ne o f Tabari's fir st sig nifi cant t eachers, an_d he in c~r-
asra rn 24 5/859-<>o (G· lJ · . ' s are foun d . :,~iuJ nun\ rc·pNt\ fro m him in h is Tajsir, including passages from hts rcce_n s1~n
MUH.AMMAD B. 'ABO ALLAH 8 (A . t tot 23; 1T 5:6g5) Ill
1,- ~n ,h:i'\\ lm•gra phy of th e Prophet. H e wa s bo rn a ro und 16of?76 and died tn
E~y-ptian Maliki j urist 'Abd All ah b. ' BO AL-l:IAKAM. The son of 1 1
l:ht 1111 evalu ated Mul_u nun ad as •· .. Abd al-l;l ak am (d. R.:unadan 2 the fa.mou1 ::· ~r,1 (C.1\lw,t. 21; Si)'IIT, 11 ;50 3---6)

he neve r saw a j uri st w ho was mo:;iccrc and reliable." lbn Khuu Abu ::!/29]- \\Ul!A~\MAD n. AL- l:IU SAYN AL--BAGl-lDADi. A ,fladith scholar f~~m - N as~:
Companions and Successor I knowledgeable of the legaJ }_ . u.1d i h~i Tu:kmrrmt;in, who settled in Baghd ad. Ibn Ahi f:Hitim evaluated him as relia ble ,
lradid, s arc found in N H s t ia.n Muhanunad b . <Abd Allah b 'Abdoptmons of tht , , hkh11 fathe r s,\id he w as "sincere." H e is an important source for Suddi's exegcti-
(T T 5:670-72) . c wa s born in 182 / 798 and died in ~h -'l-~:!"1d· abm. H11 1
,~orin10m 111 Tabarfs Tafs ir. His baditlr s arc found in B, AD and N, and he died in
U '<.! 3268/882.
.\\Jhmam 261/874 at the age of 80. (TT 5: 541-42)
MU HAMMAD B. 'ABO ALLA H ll
(M11 j mn , 533)
u arrat o r . . Alli MAKHLAD AL-WASJTI• An un kno....'Tl \ICHAMMAD B. IBRAHIM AL- ANMATL A Baghdadijurist and compani o n of
th(HJJir/1 critic Yal~ ya b. Macin. whom the latter nicknamed Murabba' ("Squ.are").

;:~t;~
MU l~AMMA D B. 'ABO ALLAH B B
1
~ ~ :u(
1 · 5.65 9 )
-,
a; Td a~ "reliable." Hi s ha.ditl~~~; ~u~i~7n!adTith ndarrator, whom Abu
n ' an N , and he died in
lhh.Jirlis .uc absent from the Six Books, and he died in 256/870. (Mu'ja m, 437; TB
: no)
.\!UIIAMMA D B. ISMA' IL B. AL-AHMASI. A Kufan hadith narrato r, w hom AbG
MUIJAMMAD B. 'ALI B AL HA
H.iume\·.i.luat('d as '"sincere" and Nasi;i considered "reli~ble." His badiths are found
scholar of Merv, w hom Na~a'i e;,a-lu a!;dN ~- S_H A~Q AL-MARWAZI. A l:ladirh
N, and he died in 250 or 2 51/86 -6 (r-t reliable. His badiths are found in T and ir. T, N and IM . and he died in 258 /8 72 or 260/873-74. (TT 5 :484)

MU HAMM AD B ' 4 - 5. 5 '74!>-50) MUHAMM AD B. lSMA.' lL AL-I;)IR.ARI. A relatively obscure badith narrator in
D, I d . . AMR AL-BAH !Ll A - Rlyy. lr.i.n. whose !1adi1l1s arc found in IM. His death date is unknown. (TT 5:485}
g ad. He is a tnajor sourc f. lb . Dasran bad1th narrator who settled in
~pinions 111:11 are cit ed m ore :h:~ I n Ab~ Na?l.1 ·s collection of Muj3hid's exege[ia.l MUHAM MAD B. lSMA'lL AL-SA'IGH. A Baghdadi l,aditl, narrator who settled in
-491863. (G ill1ot. 29: TB 4 :213- 15) ,700 times m Tabari's Tafair. He died in & m in ~\~ccl ll(':i r the end of his life. Ibn Abi }:13.tim evaluat~d him as "sincere." He m ay
l \·c a liadr,/r in AD, and h e died in Mecca in Jumada I 276/889. (TT 5:483- 84)
~ -U l:i~MAD B. AWF . A haditl,
sinc_c.·re a nd Ibn 'Adi praised H " narr~tor of Homs, w hom Abo 1:f3tim evaluated JS ~1~ 1-1~MMAD B. KHALAF AL--(AS~LANL A Palestinian badith narrator, w hom
(M,i}'.im, 565; TT : _ ) · is ,,ad,rli s are fo und in AD, and he died in 272/ 885.
5 779 80 l ~l~um evaluated as "sincere" and Nas:i'i considered "righteous." Hi s /,aJith s are
MU HAMM ADB - oun 111 N and IM, and he d ied in 260/873-74. (TT 5 :566)
Abu H- . . BA SHSI-IAR BUND- .
al-s ·· _- a_t 1~ 1 c,:al uarcd as "'sincere" d A~.~ A m aJo r Basran ]fadirh scholar, whom ~:~ ltAMMAD B. KHAUD B. KHIDASH AL--AZDL A relatively obscure Basran
De/JtSlam cl auned that he heard an N_asa 1 considered "righteous. " AbU Di wlld d-/' 1 narrator ·w ho settled in Baghdad and whose lwditl1s arc found in IM. His d eath
he J::: mmc _dcbatc over hi s ~elia~~;~x ,~atel)~ 50 ,000 baditla from Ibn Bashshir.
_ ) ·. his badiths are found in all Six Books, and
c L~ unk nown . (TT 5:558- 59)
4 .
2 66 _ (G illiot
111 R aJab 25 /8
MUH AMM , - -
MU HAMMA . 23 , S 1yar, 12 :144-- 49) naluaicd ls ~? B. M._1:- ~AR AL-BA}:IRANI. A Basran scholar. whom AbG J:l3tim
. D B BAZl S ~ftc / sincere. His badirlis arc found in all Six Books, and h e died some time
MU i:t AMM AD . - ce Mu\_ 1:munad b. <Abd Allah b. 8.azt. r 250 864. (Mu }am , 590; TT 6:65-66)
who s I 8 . HAT IM B SUL -
~iderc~tt ~d iu Baghdad . Abu ·1-1 - . AV MAN AL-MU'ADDlB . A KhurisaDischo!.tr MlJ
.,,,1i i:1- AMMA
l D B. MANSUR- - - A J:{aditla scholar and Sufi from Tus, Iran .
AL-TUSI.
(M11jarnlu m "' rl."hah\e." His liadir;,tsim eva lu ace~ him .as " sincere," while Nasi'I con- foun;~0
tt cd in Baghdad, and whom Nas;i'i evalu.atcd as "reliable." l-l is hadichs are
. 459; TT 5:.S2 ) arc found m T .and N , and be died in 246/86o- ,n AD and N, and he died in Shawwil 254/868 at the age of 88. (S iyar, ~2:212-14}
3
MU i:IAMMAD hlUl-;IAMM
rclaii\·cl. bAD B. MARZ UQ. - According to the .auth o r of the Mu'jam . this is the
Ran. lra 11 U. l:fU MAVO AL- . . · ·n 1
able ." IJ u · ~ hon1 Jim Ma in .· RAZ I. A lllaJor l:{adith scholar and histonan _ b. al-N) 0 _ sc ure Basran /1aditlr narrator whose full name is Mu})ammad b. MarzUq
kh:i ri :i nd lbn Khu zac~ 11:l(l~red .. a~ce ptablc," but N:na'i declared ·'_unreli- froin tl~c 1; ; ;\ lbn 1-:libban considered him ·:~eliable," although hi s l_ia~iths arc .abse nt
) 11 did no t like hi s badirhs, which are found in AD- 3oak s. The author of the Mu1am acknowledges that it IS possible that
 TABA R !
thi s Mulpmmad b. Marzllq is the better-known M u~atnmad b. Muba
Marz liq al-Ba hili, _a Basran scho lar, w h o m A~U 1:1:itim cvalu:ned as ..sinccrc~!li\
J,aditlts are found m M , T and IM . and h e died m 248/862. (Mu)am, S8]; for B~hili
sec TT 6:3 5-36) '
MUl:{AMMAD B. MOSA AL- 1-:{ARASHL A Basran badith narrator, whom Abu
D:iwlld con sidered "weak" and Abu l:f iitim evaluated as .. shaykh." His bdirhs ue
fou nd in T and N. :md he di ed in 248/8 62. (TT 6:79-80)
MU l:l AMMAD B. A.L-MUTHA NNA , ABO MOSA. A major Bunn Hadiih
scholar, w ho m AbG l:{iit im evalua ted as "sincere, righteous," and Nasi'iconsidrrt'<I
"not bad." He read his badirhs from notebooks he had compiled. and sometime1
was favoured over his fe llo w Basr.:m scholar Ibn Bashshir. lbn al-Mutbanna's badith\
are fo un d in all Six Books, and he died in Dho'J-~<da 25 2/866. (Gilliot, 23; Si1·~,.
12:123 - 26)
MU}:IAMMAD B. NA Fr AL-BASRL His full name is Muliamm.ad b. Abnud b.
N:ifi al-cAbdi al-~·si. A Basran l,adith narrato r, generally known by his k,myii.
Abu Bakr. 1-fo l,adirhs are fo und in M. T and N, and he died after 2.4o/854-55. (TT
n so--1,)
MU H AMMAD B. SA'D IJ. MUHAMMAD B. AL- HASAN AL-'AWFI. A badit!
narrat o r in Baghdad, whom Dira~utni evalu ated as "~ot bad." He is the source for
Atiyya b. 'Awf's collection of Ibn 'Abb:i s's exegetical opinion s that are cited more
than l ,500 times in Tabari's Tafair. He died in R abt II 276/889. (Gilli0t • .25; TB
3:26 8- ·70)
MUl;:IAMMAD B. SINAN AL-~ZZAZ. A Basran badith narrator who sct tled in
Baghdad, whom Abo D awod considered to be: a "liar." His baditl,s are absent from
th e Six Books, and he died in 271/88 4-85. (TT 5:619-20)
MUl:IAMMAD 8 . ' UBAYD AL-NAHHAS AL-MUl:IARIBI. A Kuf.m /,,Jill;~-
ntor, whom Nasa'i evaluated as "'not bad ." His l,adiths are found in AD, T an ·
;i.nd he died in 245/859-60 or 251/865. (TT 5 :733)
MUl:tAMMAD B. ' UMAR B. cALI AL-MU~DDAMI. A Basran baJi1h na~: ;;~
w~om ~bu l:litim eva luated as "sincere" and N as:i'I considered .. not l,.id, rch\~)
His hadrth ~arc fou nd in AD, T. N and IM, and his d eath date is unknown . (Tf $
MU l:fAMMAD B. ' UMARA AL-ASA Di. An obscure Kufan badith narrator, whom
lbn l:fibban evaluated as "reliable." (Mu'jam, 547) d ~Al!L B. MOSA AL-RAzi. An unknown hadith narrator. (Mu}am, 2 84)
MUJAl·IJ D B M - - h tied in a,ghd• .
:~d;!om
d · USA. A l:l.adith scholar from Khwarizm, w o set
lbn ~ a' in evaluated as " reliable. " l-:lis badiths arc found in M,
, and he died in 244/ 858- 59. (TT 6: 177)
AD T. N
' ~~u,~.ted as "since re." His bad~tli s ~re found in N, and hi s death &ue is unknown .
MOSA. B _ . tor, whofll
. ABO AL- R.AH MAN A L- MA SROQL A Kufan had,,h n2'f2
506
APP EN D IX B
1,_~- ll.imn c\·;i\u:tt cd as "since re and reliabl e. " His badirh s are found in T , N and IM ,
~n;hc d1l·d in .2 58/872. (TT 6:465)
MO)A B. \!A RON AL- HAMDANT. -~n identi.fied. ':h~s is Tabari's m ajor source
fN :\~hi! b. Na~r·s collectio n of_S ~ddt s cxege u c: I o p1111ons. His teacher, 'Amr b.
l\mim~d. was a Shri in Kufa. (G1lhot, 2g--30; M11;am, 633)
AL-M UTHANNA B. IBRAHiM AL-AMULi. On_e o f_!a,bari's fir s_t majo r te~~h~r~,
wh 0 11 unknown . H e is a m ajor source fo r I~n Abt N aJ1l.1 s colle~uon_~( Mup~d s
n:q:;etical opinions, and fo r 'AII b. Ahr T allia s coll.cctio n o_~ Ibn Abbas s exegetical
(lrnuons. More than 1 , 100 reports of his are found m Taban s commentary on Suras
: - 16. (Gillio1. 22: Mu'Ja m. 420)
N:\$R B. ALI AL-JAHOAMi. A Basran Jjadith scholar. whom Abo l;litim and
Nnf i ('\'aluaccd as "reliable." The Caliph al-Mutawakkil allegedly ordered him to
b( Aoggt·d for narrating pro-'Ali badiths, but the intervention of a friend le~ to_a
retraction of this decree. N a~r•s liaditlts are found in all Six Books, and he died m
R.. bi II 150/ 864. (Siyar, 12: 133- 36)
AL-~ SIM B. BI SHR B. Al:IMAD. A Baghdadi hadirh narrator. whom al-Khatib
com1dcred " reliable." (M11'jam, 405; TB 14 :421)
AL-~ SIM 8. AL- 1:IASAN. The author of Mu )am shuyiikl, al-Tabari considers him
~n un known teacher of T abar!. According to Gilliot, this is probably the Baghdadi
1hcolog1an Abu Mu!Jammad al-Q!sim b. al-l;fasan b. Yazid al-Hamdiini al-Sa'i~h.
AI-Kha!ib J.1-Baghdadr evaluated him as "reliable." Al-Q!sim is one of rhe maJ0r
Kiur.:es fo r lbn Jura)j's comme ntary on SUras 1-29 in Tabari's Tafair. He died in
m JR85 in either Baghdad or Egypt. (Gilliot, 27; Mu'jam, 407 ; Siyar, r3:158)
AL-RAB] U. SULAYMA.N AL-MURA.Di. A famous Egyptian pupil of Imam
Shifi i. who llJ.rrated his boo k s to many jurists, including Tabari. Nasii'i evaluated
hnias "not bad,'' and hi s ltadilhs are found in AD. T, N and IM. He was the inaugural
1>1ii 'ad/idhin in 1hc commu;ial mosque in Fust:it. Al-Rabi' was born in 174/7c;o-9t and
died 111 Shawwal 270/88 4 . (Gi lliot, 32; Siyar, ~2:587-<)1)
SA D B. ABD ALLAH B. 'ABD AL-HAKAM. A son of the famous Egyptian Miliki
Js:r~\t Allah b. 'Abd al-1;:lakam ·(d. Rama~an 214 /82 9). Abll I:I_arim evaluate~
as sincere." l-:li s hadirhs are abse nt from the Six Books, and his death date is
unknown . UT 4 :92) .
SAID B. 'AMR AL- SAKONi A l1aditl1 narrator in Homs, whom lbn Abi J:Iiitim
· -6,,)
Sr, io B. YA!:fYA AL-UMAWi. A Baghdadi J:Jadith scho lar, whom Abu l:{:itim eval-
507
 TABARi APPENDIX B

uatcd as :·si ncere" and ~~-.sa'i co nsidered "rc)j~ble. ·• He is a direct descendant of AD A Ku fan bmlitl, na rrator, whom ~bu 1-;ia_~i1;;
Compamon Sa id b. al- A~. whose fa th er, al-'A~ b. Sa' id, was kill d 6 h . _1ht tB\YD B A"-BAT B. MU l-;J AM M ~- din T and IM , and he died Ill Rab,
the M uslim s at the batt le of Sadr. Hi s f,adirhs are found in B M ~D till: againit r,i!J.11cJ ,l\ ",\uykh ." !-\ is liadi1l1 s a rc o un
ht' di ed in Dhu' I-Q_ld a 2 4 9 /86J--6 4 _ (TT 2 :?ot ) ' ' ' an N, and
. : •tiJ ( TT ,L156) ·/ whom D3.raqu;nl
., - . A.Rf A Kufan l1ad1t, narrator, b· ' I
SA.LI i:-{ B. 1:-{ARB B. KHA.LID, ABO MA'MAR. A Baghdadi t,adirh narrator, whom L'B I..YD B ISt,AA IL AL- HA BB . . . d he died at the end of R a t
Ibn 1:-{ibban considered "reliable." (Mu)"a m, 289; TB 10:43 2) I r11lu.ltl·d ~s "rchahlc." His liadir/1 s arc found Ill B, an

:,o.~64 {IT 4:3~6-57) _ _ I . cly obscure Jaadirl, nar-

SA Ui-i B. MI SMAR AL-MAR\VAZL A badirl, narrator in Merv or Rayy, whoin
Abu 1:-{5.tim eva luated as "sincere ." His baditlis are found in Mand T, and he ditd m UBl..\'DAL LA II ll. M Ul:lAMMAD A.L-FIRY~BI. atl~ "reliable." Hi s (wdith s
d 1her 250/864 or 246/86o--61. (TT 3 :223)
. . I h
n:N 11ho sr1 tled in j crusa cm, w om Mc-
lbn Hibban cons1 ere
341)
n .1!-srnt fro m the Six Books. (JT 5 :335; 11;am, I d· Ii nar-
SALLAM B. SA LIM AL-KHUZA'L An obsc ure Baghdadi badith narrator. about I A relatively obscure Basran .ia If
whom al- Khanb says al m ost no thin g. (Mu)"am. 274: TB 10:275) LB.WD AL LAH ll . YOSUF AL-JUllAYR . d h , ,r 250/864. (TT ns4-55)
mor11hose Jwdi1/Js are found in IM. He died aroun t e )C _ H ms
AL-SA RI B. YA IJYA AL-TAMIMI. A relat ivel y obscure Kufan badith uamtor, - ,- l . I obscure liadith narrator m o •
whom Abu l-;l;i tirn evalu ated as "si nce re ." He is a nephew of the .ascetic Hann~d b. lMAR ll. ABD AL-MALIK AL-TA I. A re auve y I I -J-tl in N and his death
11 ':10m Nasa'i evaluated as "righteous." He allegedly 1as a .ia I I '
al-Sari {see- above-). His badiths arc absent fro m th e Six Books, and his death date 11
unknown . (JT 4:285) dltc m unknown. (TT 4:740) d . B hd d
- ( I d·1 I rrator who settle Ill ag a ,;
SAW WAR B. ABDA LLAH B. SAWWAR AL-<ANBARI. A Basranjurist.ancl J)O('t U.\\AR B. ISMA.' iL B. MUJALID. A Ku an :'a .~ ' : ~ - H-t ·m said he was "weak.
1
who settled in Baghdad and se rved as qii</i in the Ru ~afa district. Nasi'i eV2luated him lbn ~la in declared him to be ·•a worthless liar, h u · a oversial haditlr in which
as " reliable," and his hadiths arc fo und in AD, T and N. He was born in 182/798 and •~.J Nasa'"i rejected his baditl,s. He is a source for r elc~ntr d <Ali is its gate." His
' p I 11 dl ·d "I am the city
died in Shaww:il ::?45/860. (Mu)am , 286; TT 3 :99) ::i~ rop iet (~) a cge y sa1 , , of know e(TT
known ge an
:692-93)
l1..l11/1s are fou nd in T, and hi s death date is un · 4 d
SU FYAN B. WAK I' B. AL-JARRAH . A son of the famous Kufan }:la.diih schollf
Waki h. al-Jarr:ib, who also li ved in K.ufa . Sufyan's reput.ation was mixed; a~cot d_ ~
1
A$1L ~- 'ABD A_L-A' L~. A K~fa.1~ ~10dir.~
l!!Kcre a.nd Nasa i considered rcltablc.
"~,~~;;i:;
H . 1
h Abll Hatiln evaluate as
it;
;:r:~~und M, AD. T. N and
mg to one account, his scribes inserted weak liaditlis in his notebooks from which 1'.r !M, :incl he dit·d in 24 4/858-5 9. (TT 6:702 )
taught. He is one of Tabari's most frcqucnrly.cited teachers . His badirhs are fou nd in
- ' ( b 'Abd Allah, and he was a
T and IM, and he died in Rabi' 11 2 4 7/861. (Gilliot, 24; Siyar, 12: 152-53) YAIJYA B. ABI TALIB. His name is Yab_ya\:ii!ase:;Jed in Baghdad. His liadirlrs arc
SU LAYMAN B. 'ABO AL-JABBAR B. Z URAYQ. A Baghd adi scholar, who
r
~_ctl1 rdat \\'ely obscure lwditl1 narrator frol~l ~asit, ,,vw:il
~bitnt from the Six Books, and he died m Sh.. 2751889
_ (TB 16:323-25)
.
in Samar a, and w hom Abu H :itim eva luated as "sincere." His l,adiths are founcl m ·
. - - . b e hadith narrator in Wam. Iraq.
and his death date 1s unkno\\:n. (TT : ) \Ai_lYA B. DAWOD AL-WA.SIT!. A relauvely O scur · . H ·s badiih s are absent
3 41 - b oo k o f re liable transnutters.
Su . <aJ·rh narntor,
lbn l_h"bban mentions him in \11s ) 1

. LAYM~N- ~- ' UBAYD ALLAH AL-GHAYLANI. A Ba.~ra~ <' '., H.isbaJiths fro111 the Six Books and he died in 244/858-59. (TT 7 :34 _ _ A
\\holll Abu ~ attm t·valuarcd as "sin ce re" and Nasi'i consid ered reliable. , . , j ' UBAYDA AL-MAS' U~,I.
8
are found in M and N, an d he died in 2 4 6 o r 247/86o-62 . (TT 3 :45) \A i:YA B. IBRAHIM B. MUl:f_AMMAD -:~asa'i evaluated as "sincere. H e
H·\au\·ely obscu re liadirli narrator m Kufa. who . , bd AU-h b . Mas' iid . He may
SU LAYMAN B. ' UMAR B. KHALID AL-RAQgLA rdarivelyobscu rcfwa'it/ib:~; Wai a direct descenda nt o f the famou s Compamon A ) '
rator of R.i.qqa. Syria, whom lbn Hibban considered "reliable." His baditlrs arc.a h~i·e a l1adi1/i m N and his death date is unknown. (TT 7 :5 _,_
from 1he Six 13 k ( · .
oo ~- JT 4: 131; Mu'} 'm1. 280) ,horn - , - ,- I ditl1 narrator, whose badith s Nasa I
YA! IYA B. TA U:IA AL-YARBU I. A Kufan ._w nd his death date is unknown.
UBAYD B ADAM - - hk I Palestin(', d tva\uarcd as "worthless. " Hi s badith s are found 111 T, a
Abu 11 _. · B. A131 IYAS. A l,adirl, nar rato r in As eon, _ N andh('di( Irr, 6o)
. · aiuu and Nas;i'j evaluated as '\inccre _" Hi s haditl,s are fou nd 10 '
m ~ha b;in 258/872. (TT 4: 355 - 56) . - An Egyptian (iadi1l1 narr.uor who
YA ~IYA B. ' UTHMAN 8 . SA. Lil:{ AL-SA HML

509
508
 TABAR!

alleged ly held Sht i symp,i hi es. His badith s are found in IM , and he died in Dho'J.
Qfda 282/896. (TT 7,8 2- 83)

YA' QQ B B. IBRAHIM AL-DAWRAQL A Baghdad; rladitb scholar, who., Abo

}-:l i tim evalu ated as "sin cere" and N asi'i con sidered "reliable." H e composed :a miunaJ
that has not bee n preserved . H e is an impo rtant source for H ushayn, b. Bashir'sconi. APPENDIXC
mcntary in Taba ri's Tafs ir. H is badiths are fo u nd in all Six Books. Ya' qUb was born in TABARI'S QYR'AN INTERPRETERS
166f782 and died in 2 52/ 866 . (Gilli ot, 28 ; Siyar, 12 :141 - 43 ; TT 7:205--6)

YA' QQB B. MUKRIM . A n unkn own badith nar rat o r. (Mu)am, 679)

YON U S B. 'ABO AL-A'LA. AL- SADAFI. A m aj o r religious scholar in Egypt, whom . . ch of the following ~r'an interpret-
Abu }::li tim and N asa'i evaluated as " reliable." H e was a master ~ r•an reciter of th, T:ihari cites at least o n e op1mon o f ea M o st of his interpreters
. the translate d se Iect1ons
min . O fhis commentary.
.
. h
. any Muslim w o saw 0
r
read in g of Warsh (from N i fi' ). YU nu s is the source of 'Abd al-R ahrnin b. Z:r.yd'1
G!! r'i nic comme n tary, which is ci ted approximately 1 , 800 times in Tabari's Taftir. m Companions an d s s
uccessor . ACompamonlSd . ned Muslim untl·\ r h e ir
His badiths are fou nd in M , N and IM. YU.nu s was born in Dhii'l-1::Iijja 170/787 md studied with the Prophet Mul).ammad (~) an rem~ ·ed with a Companion
1
died in R abi' 11 264-/877-,8_ (Gill iot, 2 0; S iyar, 12. :3 48-51 ; TT 7: 265-66) dcath. A Successor is any Muslim who saw or Sru_ Successors were alive
·\ h . death Some semor
ZAKARIYYA. B. YAHYA B. ABI ZA' IDA. A Kufa n hadith narrator, whom Abu md remaine d Mu slim untt t eir · h h opportunity to meet
during the Prophet's life time , but did not ave t e
l:litim evaluated as "si~ cere. " lbn Abi J:Iatim reported rh at he held that the ~r'ln
was God's uncreated speech. There is disagree ment over whether he has a fwdith in him. . d most Successors are consid,ered r~~i-
B, and his death date is unkn own. (TT 2: 486) ln general, all Compamons an r II of Tabari s ~ r an
. - - s Thererore a · . d.
able ~aditlt narrato r s by Sunm cr~tic · d reliable, unless there is an m tea-
ZAYD B. AKH Z AM AL-TA.'I. A Bas ran scholar, whom Abu (:latim :md Nasi'icnl- interpreters below should be cons1derc:
ua1cd as "reliable." His badiths arc fo und in B, AD, T, N and IM. He was killcd by
rion to the contrary in their short biographyh
,_a;.~
_ llegedly said , "Take
Zanj rebels in 257/87Q---J1 during their revolt. (TT 2:533- 34) 1
The great Kufan sch olar Sufyan al-T Sa c-d b.Jubayr, clkrima
~r':inic commentary fro m fo ur [men]: MuJa 1 ' a 1
and al-Oal:ihak .'' 1
Abbreviation s o f sources: -•-bJ,· ma'rifat al-a$(,ab
l.s1i'ab : lbn 'Abel al-Barr, al-1.sll a ' _,
. . Dh habi S iyar a'liitn al-m,bala -
S,yar - a , _ I tahdhib fl rijiil aH1ad11h.
TI : Ibn 1:;Iajar, Tahdh1b~-hadiths a major Compani_on
Whe n Dhah abi quotes the number O · M d f the Andalu sian
narrated, he is basing his number on the l~ st r::e: i:cludes repetitions
scholar Baqi b. Makhlad (d. 276/8 89), and this n~ -J
of the same essential badith text with differ~nt '~~ah s.ollc:ctio ns in which
Abbreviations of the canonical Sunni l:fa it c
these narrato rs' hadith s arc found:
8 . : $abib al-Bukhari
M : $abib Muslim
AD : S unan Abi DiiwUd

t Dhahabi. Siyar , 4:45 1 ; 12: 18 .

511
5 10
 TABARi
APPENDI X C
T
N : Sm1a11 al-Tirmidhi
.-:,:, Hhli.i,/rrli~ arc f0 und in all Six Boo k s, and he died in Oman in 83 or 84f702- 4.
M '. Smum al-Nasii 'i
1
Six Book s : S1wa:1 Ib11 M a.fa 'i-'-J':o)
Tl . All six of these ca noni IH \Bf) '..I I .~II B. MA S OD. A se ni or Co mpanio n , from the tribe of Hudhay l, who
1e Companion s m entioned b I 11 hca . adirl, collccrions. ~a, (,,nfr,kra1cs of Ba 11t1 Z uhra o f the ~ray.sh. He is also known as Ibn Umm
of the Six Book s· e ow a ave at least on h . aJ·uh in .all \N A,hcphml. lbn Mas' Gd was one of the fir st co nverts to Islam, who participated
L~ thumigrJtion to Et hiopia and the Emigration to Medin a. Ibn Ma s' Gd participated
A_BD ALLA H 8 . 'ABBAS. A cou sin and .
wuli whom he spent a J . Cornpa1uon of the Pro h Lilllof the Prophet's campai gn s. and was sent by ' Urnar as th e fir st judge and QEr':in
account s. lbn 'Abbas I p~oxunatdy thirty m o nth s in Medina AP c~~ubanunad. ui,hrr m the garrison ci ty o f Kufa. He was famous for his ~r' an recitation, and
Id I . was orn three years P . I . cco mg to many
o ~ ' 1en the Prophet di ed. Thc Pro hct . nor tot 1e Emigration and was 13 ·r,us M,m mcludl·S in hi s tafsir many examples of Jbn Mas' Ud's irregular readings that
[lbn Abbasi the wisdom and •- IS re ported to have said "O God } I .:tp,rt from the stan,brd ' Uchm:inic codex. According to Dhahabi, he narrated 840
life in Mecca , where he c~1ltiv:n~; an ~nterpretation!" Ibn 'Abbas 1:vcd tnon·;;a;_i b!d11. While caliph , ' Uthm:in summoned Ibn Mas' Gd to Medina, where h e died in
J~br, ' lkrima, Sa id b. Jubayr and 'A a_~1~cle b~f students, which in cl uded Mujihid ~1 .do5 2- 53. (hti ~ib, 3:987; Siyar, 1 :461)
rned ·- • ra - A I Rabah He · T b -' ·
h - ran interpret er in his Tafiir I h h .. i.s . a an s most-frequenth- .'..BD ALLAH 8 . SHAQLQ A.L-<U~YLI. A Basran Successor, who is described as
r Alt b. Abi Tall.1a (d. 120'738) h
a ~-:ug many of these opinions are narr:ued i rmisan of 'Uthman and hostile to 'Ali:, as well as reliable. His baditlis are found in
wnh Ali at Siffin and servcd bri •fl w o c t not study directly with him . He fough t
~I.AD, T. N and IM, and he probably died during the reign of al-1:-lajjij. (TT 3 :511)
na,rratcd 1,660 ~iadiths. lbn'Abbasedi~da:,~~;;rnor of_ Basr~_- Acco rding to Dh.ahabi. he
b: lbn a_l,~Z ubayr, whom he re-fu sed t 687~ 88 in Ta ~f. where he h.ad been exilrd .\BO ALLA H B. ' UBAYD B. <UMAYR. A Meccan Successor. whose badiths arc
" ar. (/st1 ab, J :933; Si)'ar. 3 :331) o recogmze as caliph during the second ci,,l found Ill M, AD, T, N and IM. He died while participating in a raid in Syria in
11 3';3i-3 2. {TT 3 :560) .
'AUD ALLAH D. AB! MULAYK .
Abi M~layka Z uhayr b. Abd Allatb H~~ ;~u narne is (~bd Allah b. <ub.ayd Allih b. ;~BDALLA H 0. ' UMAR B. AL-KHATTAB. A Companion from ~ray.sh, who
and mu adl,dl,i11 , who was b d . · J an al-~rash1. He was a Meccan Successor t~v~ncd to Islam as a mino r, along with his father, prior to the Emigration. He was
him as Jiit_li of Mecca durin orl,1\s ~:l1ing the caliph~te of 'Ali. Ibn al-Zuhayr appoimed thr ~oung 1~ fight at Oadr and possibly Uhud, but then joined in the remainder of
Ibn Abt Mulayka d · d . g · phate , and h,s hadiths arc found in all Six Boob ltphet 5 campaigns. He was active in the Muslim conquests during his father's

:r~
Je In 1!7'735_ (Si)'ar, 'i :88) · · 1
C'l ~\ ait · and was present at the conquest of Egypt. He had a reputation for piety
ABO ALLA H B. 'AMR B ,- .
:; M·;;~;:lcdge of ~he Prophet's practice, and many of his opinions can be <found
Companion. who j oin ed th~ ~ S- _A Con_ipani o n of the Prophet, and son of l
refrained frMuw,'.n~ - ~ccording to Dhahabi, he narrated 2,630 badirhs. lbn Umar
had a reputation for extreme asctri ~r lil Medina shortly after the year 7/628-29. He
ht h re JOrt~m giving_ Ali the oath of allegiance during the first civil war, something
;101 fa st more than every oth er da , cism ,_so much so that the Prophet insisted chat.~e
by a w~unld re~temng near the end of his life. He died from an infection. caused
r: 11 ~,fewer than three days. He ~ (outside of R amac;liin) and_ recite the entire Q.!!ran kill·d to Ins foot, in Mecca in 73/693 a few months after Jbn al-Zubayr was
5
A~t'l\t'd ~pcnnission to write dow o ne of the few C ompam~ns w ho requested and vie d ~'.~d th(' long second civil war ended. According to some sources. Jbn <umar
. Allah senlcd with hi s f:nh _n the Prophet Mub.ammad s teachings, or Su111ia. . ~(· 1
.<' ~aiely struck by a poisoned lance at the instigation of al-l:lajj:ij during the
11
~::n on ":1u :iwiya 's sidt>. T hcr: ~s ~_ Eg_ypt and _was present with him at the b.itde of 1
i.lJ ISt1 ab. 3:950; S iyar, 3:203)
able. ranging from Medi na . Mccc s1gmficam d1 sa~reemenc ,over '":lien and where be
dat(' of his death is _ a. E~r_Pt, Palestine or Ta if, while che mosc prob-
651684 85
::1)
1
AL-RA tfMAN B. ZAYD B. ASLAM. A Medin:m expert in ~ r'3 nic com-
ABD AL LA. I-I B _ · (lsll ab, 3 :956-57; Siyar, 3 :80) coi:::~::~d'\ho111 Taha.ti quotes very frequently in his Tafsir. He was generally
hoollt.'of~ wea~ badit!i narrator, although his baditl,s are found in T and IM . H e is
Prophet , to wh0 1~ tL-1::fARITH B. N AWFAL. A Successor and nephew of cbe 4

~u' :iwiya, and bod11~

1
~\'7 prcse1Hed as a baby. His morher, H ind, was the sisrerof
(Si.
}ar,
. aban s few Abb:isid-cra ~r'an irm:rprct ers, as lbn Zayd died in 182f798.
8:349)
z l('- cidt'rs of Basra us ~t her and grandfather were Companions of che Propher. ABO ABO - -
1
~:i·aa~-~c-d to Syr ia da~: :1ted 'Abd All ah as their governor after ' Ubayd ~llih b. wa~ Ku f: AL-RAl:IMAN AL-SULA Ml. His name is 'Abd Allah b. l-:labib, and he
1 3
lk, k an Successor and famous ~r'an reciter. His hadlths are found in all Six
Zubayr. who re g _rhc second civi l war. Lacer, they pledged allrg1ance ro
appomted 'Abd All ah as their governor, before removing hil11
0 5
and he probably died around the year 72/691-2. (TT
3 :446-7)

5 12 5 13
 TABAR! APPENDIX C

ABO'L-'ALIYA AL-RIYAHi '

and :1wwla, who emb raced fsl; :~F~Y B. MIHR.AN. A sen· ,f ,1,r p,ophr> Mul,a nunarl's mi ssion, convc,,cd ro Isl am , ~nd murncd '°
hi '. r,ibe
" Yrmcn. Some reports d;,im he was part of rhe first em,grauon ro Ethwp,a. He
Books. and he died in ·90;709. oray93/711
~r :in with Ubayy b K ' b Z d urmg the caliphate of Ab- ior &sran Succe
b. Thabic a nd Ibn (Abb- Hu _Bakr. He studied
I (S as. IS had·tJ, t r
,..,, r'" j , rl,kga> io n of about fifty A, h' a,l tribesmen who travelled by boar
0
ABO'L- ASWAD AL f - - 2. iyar, 4:207) . r s arc in all Sil: thr J-hylZ, and arrived in Medina at the same time the Emigrants who were in
1[,luop;,
0 «Jon.cd ,he Muslims in Med in a, at rhc rime Khaybar was conquc,ed. The
b. Amr. He studied t-h~ LI(~~ al- Du'ali). A Successor 2nd - .
of the Cam el ·md . d~r an w ith <Uma r and <AJ-, H qa/1 of Basra named 7=1· J',oph" ,pponned him governor of Zab id and rhe coastal area, of Yemen . then
•• 1s ere itcd b • e suppo ed c v.i IIJ\
grammar. His badith s arc foUJ J.
m any Mu slim scholars with th r~ Ali at the haule
Unm appointed him gove rn o r of Basra, until cucbm:in removed him from office.
.~hU Mu~a next settled in Kufa , where he was appointed governor after the Ku fans
69/688-89. (Siyar, 4:81) l m all Six Books, and hediedn: mvcntionof An.bic
ABO BAKR m plague in B»ni, rx:rrl\cd Sa id b. 'A~. until 'Ali removed him from office. He represented 'Ali at
1hr failed arbitration in the wake of Siffin, and died in Kufa between th e years of
AL-SIDD IQ B -
~r;i.ys h. the fi rst adult m '1 . ABI Q!:!l:IAFA . An c mi 44/664 :md 52/672. In ad dition to his significant political role in early Islam, AbG.
fo llowi ng the Prophet 's d at co nvcn to Islam, and the 6 grant ~ompanion of MUs:i was r("now n cd for reciting the ~r•an with a beautiful voice. (Isti 'iib, 3 :979;
eom~rnnal p<aym when e,~; ;om n-,3 /632-34, H e led rh:•~; .ahph, who rn lrd
po lm ca l unit y of the M . roph et was te rmin al! ill ·_ V m 9/631and 1hc S1r~r. 2:380)
se nt the militar ' ushm co mmunit y durin h ~ . Abu Bakr secured the ABO Q!!.A BA, 'ABO ALLAH B. 'AMR AL-JARMI. A senior Basran Successor,
Persia and E ) expeditions ch at resulted in th g ts tumultuous caliphate .:1.nd who had property in Oariyyi, Syria. He allegedly moved to Syria to avoid serving
opini~ns sur!!?e~ ~;;;)ng the caliphate of ' Uma; ~~q~;:; :~~~ria, Palestine, Jn.q, a, qjdi in Basra. AbG. Q.Daba's ~1aditlis arc found in aU Six Books, and he died between
-, y 15 legal or exegetio.l
104 and 107/722- 26. (Siyar, 4:468)
ABU L-DARDA' ' UWAYMIR ,- ABO R.AJA' AL-(UTARIDI, ' IMRAN B. MILHAN AL-TAMIMI. A senior Basran
pated m all of the Pr I , B. AMIR B. MALIK. A C .
9:idi during ' Utluna ~P l~t s ca m paigns after Uhud H ompa~1on, who partici- Succe ssor, who allegedly embraced Islam in 8/630, but never saw the Prophet M-
31 and 34/6.5 1- .55 . (Is~/,_ca lt~hate. Abo. '1-Dardi' died.in ~asetded in Syria and was a ~c
stu died 1he G.!:!r'an with AbU Musa al-Ash' ari and Ibn 'Abbas, and had a reputa-
_ ab, 4 .1 646; S iyar _ ) mascus between the yean non for piety. His ~aditlrs are found in all Six Books, and he died in 105/723-24 or
2
ABU DHARR AL G - • .3 35 io7f? 2 5-26, at th e improbable age of 120. (Siyar. 4:253)
ve rted to Islam d . - H IFARI, JUNDAB B JUN _
the Propl . unng the early Meccan -od
ADA . A Companion who con- ~BO_ SA'lD AL-KHUDRl. A Companion among ,he Hclpm, whose name is S,' d
t he initiallet m Medina until after the b ~e~1 f
r~turned to his tribe, and did nocjoin · :'"1:ihk b. Si nan , of Khazraj. His fathe r was martyred at Uhud, and AbU Sa' id par-
in the Hij a:01~;uests, but was ba nished ha' t~a~ t ,c Trench. He settled in Syria afier ~c,pa,ed _i n all of rhe Prophets campaigns, starting with rhc barrlc of the Trench.
was famo ·f, th e req ucs1 of Mu'.3wi ) ph Uthm.an to the town of Rabadha. ; rcmm,cd in his native city of Medina during rhe caliphates after the Prnphcr,
Ill 32/652~ s ~r hi s_ knowledge and i~a, who was th~ governor of Syria. Ahii Ohan
_. SJ 111 exile in R.abad ha. (fsr;•Jb
as_ well as ~ts friendship with 'Ali, and died
;:,::::::' was famous fo, hi, religious knowledge. According to Dhahabl, Abu Sold
. 1,170 /1ad11hs, and he probably died in 641'683-84, after the battle of l:larra.
ABU L-OUI-IA MUS '4 . 16 52; S1yar, 2:26)
(siyar, 3:168)
~rayshi fa ,~il LIM B. SU BAYH A
considert'd an e~ of S~'id b. al- (A~. He ~ .;s a ~u:an Su ~cessor and maw/a of the A~O ' UBAYDA MA' MAR B. AL-MUTHANNA. A famous Bman philologist
died arou d h pen m law and tafi • H · h ~ 1Sc1ple of Alqama b. ~ s, and was ',~, ;;a:;,mari,'.n of rhc cady 'Abbasid period. Taba,l ineorpor,rcs m~eh of h~, book
A _ n I e y,a, •oo/ ,g_,
7
(;"· " · ad,t/,s u c found in all Six Book,, and h<
b . -Q'!, an m ha own Taj,,,, usually without arrriburion. Abu Ubayd, , orhcr
9
BUMAYSAR.A ' . ,yar,5:71) Jooks mdude Kitab al-khayl and the famous Naqa'M between rhc Umayyad poeu,
renow ned for hi , _AMR B. SHURAH -
hadiths ;u'" fou, d piet y. I-le was a do · BIL AL~HAMOANI. A Ku.fan Successor _an r at1cl al-F arazdaq. Despite being an adherent to Kharijism and lacking expertise
All~h b. Zi _d1 Ill 8, M, AD and N sc compamon of 'Abel AUih b. Mas'iid. His 111 th e tradit ion al Islamic disciplines, like law and J:ladith, AbU ' Ubayda's reputation

ABO _ ya · (S;yo,, '"ll ) 'a nd he died du,ing the governorship of 'Ubayd ~• a master of the Mabie language was widely admired. He was born in nol,28 and
Mus;, AL ied .209/824- 25. (EF; Siyar, 9:44 5)
Ye111cni A1h' .r. r lt ~AS H 'ARL H is name 15 . 'Abd Allah b. ~ s b. Sulaym, of tht ABO UMAMA AL-BA.HILi, SUDAYY B. 'AJLAN B. WAHB. A Comp,nion who
be . Most report . .
s S!ate that he came to Mecca in the early years probabl y conve rted to Islam after the Conquest of Mecca, then settled in Homs,

5'4 515
 TAB AR! APPENO IX C

' ama was a close disciple of lbn

Syd,, aft« thernnquem, dming ' Umar's caliphat e. He (or Wathila b. al-A•p') "'"
th e Im survtvmg Co mp,mon tn Syria when h e died in 8t/700 or 86/ _ (/,i;';b •. f ihr mos1 ~ignihcant K_udfanl ~~Jirli s. arc found in all Six Books.
,,. o I stud 1e tie )
4:1602; Siyar, 3:359) 705 '
II> )d. '"ti' whom ,c 62/680- 82. (Siyar, 4: 53 f
d he prohJbly d1cd m 6 1 or . . or M edinan Successor and son o
ADI 0. }:-IATI M . A Compan ion of the Prophet and son of the famous poet l:f:itirn
al-Ta'i, \Vho was proverbial for hi s generosit y. He convened to Islam in 9l6Jo- , as ;\\JR B. ABDALLA H U. AL-d~ U~~;pl~t;;~~1almsgiving._Hi s ~,~ditl),s are found
31
the leader of his t ribe's de lega tion to MC"dina . He fought alongside Khalid b. al-Walid
'-· lbn al- z_u \,a).r. reno'-vne
Uhrh ior 1 / 8 (S1yar, 5 .219
. d ·hortl after the year 120 73 .
in the earl y conquests, later set tl ed in Kufa , and then moved to a town in non licrn m~H Six Hooks. :md he die s - y ··- cnior Kufan Successor, who allcg-
Iraq. Adi also fought in support of <A\i at Siffin . at the head of a contingency of Tan '
\,1\R II MAYMON AL- AWDI al-M•~:::;;;;i:,,e, but did not meet him. :1:.::~::
warriors, at w hich hc lost an eye and possibl y hi s son. He died sometime between 66
and 68/ 685- 88 a1 a very advanced age . (Siyar, 3: 162) ;Jh rn,mtcd '° Islam during~h: :;it. Jabal, and then h e se ttled :I K~;:d between
t.) S1m wnh the Compam on u din all Six Books, an tC
,:u,licJ with lbn Mas' Ud. His /1aditl1s arc oun
A' ISH A BINT ABT BAKR AL-SIDDIQ. A Companion and wife of the Proplm
Mul_1ammad, \vho moved in with him two years after the Emigration, following the ·: i.nd 76/693-<)6 . (Siyar, 4: t 58) ·- l of Medina, who
battle of lhdr. She was renowned for her profound kn owledge of Islamic pr.mice ' . n the KhazraJt He pers h emi-

~-m,asdvc
~N-\S B MALI K. A Companion amo g ) old when the Prop ct . d
and, according to Dhahabi, narrated 1, 2 10 l,adiths. She su pported Tallia and al-Zu~yr
at th e battle of the Camel against <Ali, but then re tired from politica.1 activity and
dedicated the remainder of her life to teaching in Medina . She died in 56/676 and
Prnphet's s«vant. He was ~o :r;;t:; 2,286 bad;1hs. He ""'."t~m~ -
mted to Medina, and, according to Dh a d a~• ~mayyad Caliph <Abd al-Mahk mtrd
Abu Hura yn led her funeral prayers. (Jsri 'iib. 4:1881; S iyar, 2: 135) iooJ nbtions with numerous cal.. ph~:~1-~a~jaj treated him abu_sively. Ana~ '\t~~d
ceded on his behal( after the g~, e ;aver iong life, dying someume betwec 9
AL-AKI-I FASH. SA' I D B. MA S'ADA. A fam ous Basran grammarian, originally from JU>t outs1d(' o( Basra , where he hvc t(a:.
:m ; Siyar, 3 :395)
100 1 9
Balk h, Afghani sta n. He was a student of both Kh al:il b. Ab.mad and Sibawayh, and he 9;/j09- 12 at about the age of · (Is S sor liadith nar-

:m
allegedly read Sibawayh's famo us book o f gramma r to the Kufan scholar Kisi'i and ' ALLAH. A post- ucces . Iv
Al-ARZA MI, MUlj.AMMAD B. UBAYD l l1 Sunni scholars. He alleged_,
tuto red his sons. Al-Akhfash was also accused of being a ~darI. Tabari incorpor.n~s ntor in Kufa, whose liadiths were rejected b~ n;_a; yf memory, which resulted in
some of the content of hi s book Ma'ii11i al-~ r'an in his Tafiir, usuall y without attn- lo1t hi~ notebooks yet per sisted in nar~ating -:a It is \ haditl1s arc found in T and IM,
bution. He died in 210/825- 26 or a few years later. (S iyar 10:2o6) many errors. Despite his poor reputauon, al- Arzam\ ·
AU B. ABI TA LI B. A Co mpanio n among th e Emigrants, who was a cousin and •n<l he probably died in the year 155/77 2 . (TT 5 :725 I probablv
son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. He grew up in th e house of the Prophcc -
Successor preac 1er, .
ATA' B. ABI MUSLIM AL-KHUR.ASANL A post- rusalem. He had a reputa-
and married hi s daughter. Fatima sho rtl y after the Emigration. He is the fa th cr o( . l 1 d 1· Damascus and Je hI ver m et
trom Balkh, A:ghanistan, w 10 sett e ~t of Ibn 'Abbas, even thoug 1e n~ h e died
al-l~ asan and al- ijusayn, the.Pro~hct's onl y two gra ndsons. He partici~ted in ~ll
110n for narranng repon_s o_n the autho s~wditlis in the o cher Six Books, an
of the- campaigns o( the Prophet, except for Tabuk. when he was ordered to Su.y_in him. He ha~ a single ~1adul1 m B, as well a .
Medina.
nd Ali lived in Medina during the ca liphates of Abu Bakr, <u mar and ' Ucbm_;m, in Jericho in 13 5'752- 53. (Siyar, 6:14o) 1 of Nubian
, , mived the oath of all egiance for the c, liphate by the majority of Mush:: - d maw/J of the ~rays 1, • M
;verywh,,,, <xcept in Sy ria, afte , ' Uthmsn was kill ed. He moved to Kufada~'.;,h,, ATA' ll . All! RABAH. A M ecca n Successo; , ;';'thman in Yemen and raised'" -,~ct~:;
orce~ Wt're Victorious at the battle of the Camel against Talha, Zubayr an . ong1n, who was born during t~e c~hphate o and his legal opinions _arc f~und _im for
a,~d remained there du ring hi s struggle with Mu\:iwiya, who refused to rccog~uz: II, w,s a leading legal authonty m Mece~, h, ba. !bn Jurayj stodted w>th In / _

lum as caliph , and the Kh,,ijis, who rebelled against him afrer he agreed to a;t~: ,\fuiamiafs of ' Abd al-Razzaq and Ibn_Ab; ~ix ~ooks, and he died in 114 or 11 5 73 2
th \C\·cnieen years. His ~111did1 s are found Ill al
::,n ~ -i Mu , wiy, . Many of 'Ali's «achings and speeches are said to be '.~~:ring
ah1 al-bal,wha, co111 pilcd by Slu.rif al-R.ac;li. 'Ali was killed by a KhanJ 34 at the age of 88. (Siyar, 5:78} f the Successor sulaymin b.
R..ainaQan 4o/661.1--I" is buried in Najaf, Iraq. (E P ; I.Hi'iib , 3:1089) ATA' B. YASAR. A Medin , n Successor ,n_d brntl;ero:her day. His hadUl,s are fou,~d
AL~MA U ~VS AL-N ,- h was an exccp· Ya~ir. He had a reputation for piety and famng eve y little earher. {Siyar, 4:44 )
lionaljuriM a.nd ur' - ~K HA I. A senior Kufan Successor, w _0 _m al-Nakha'i. in all Six Books, and h e probably di ed in 103 '1 21- 22 or a h fought at thc-
an rccnc r. H e was the- mate rnal uncle- of Ibriht
HUSHAYR B. KA' B AL-'ADAWL A senior Basran Successor, w o

5 t6 517
 TABAR!
APPENDIX C
batt_le of Yarmo uk against th e Byza ntines and h.i
bad1rla arc fou nd in all Six Book s, save that of a reputation for asccticts . hirh w;n not completed until 149f?66. He had an ~no~mous num~er of students,
(Siyar,4 :351) Muslim,andhisdcathd t . m. H1s
a c 1s unknown inJ Im limliilz~ arc found in all Six Boo ks. Hishim died m Baghdad m 146f?63, and
11

AL- OAl:l f:-IAK B. MUZAJ:IIM. A Successor from ihc (Jhph 3 1-Man ~Ur led his funeral prayer. (Siyar, 6:34)
was famo us for his ~r'foic commcntar h· Balkh, who settled in Ku fa a d HUBAYRA B. YARiM AL-SHAYBANI. A Kufan Successor, whose badith s arc
directl y from Jbn 'Abb- H· . y, w ich he almost certainly d'd
1 not acquire
I . as. Is rcputatto n was mi d
eva ~~tmg him as "weak:., but Ibn l:Ianbal and I~cn •
.h
w:~
Ya~ya b. Sa<id a.l•~n~n
ab_lc. ~l-Oahl~ak is one of Tabari's most fre ucntl M~ tn ~aying that hew.is "rdi-
frund in AD. T. N and IM . He died in 66/685- 86. (TT 6:625)

!BN AUDAS. Sec 'Abd al-Allah b.'Abbas.

H1s ~1ad1tl1s arc fo und in AD, T, N and IM I :-cited Interpreters in his Tafsi, . 1
lBN ABZ A. Sec Sa' id b. 'Abd al-Ra\:imiin b. Abza.
(Siya r. 4 : 598) . an IC died between 102 and to6f?1r:r-15.
IBN MAS 0D. See 'Abd al-Allah b.Mas' ud.
AL-FARM', YAf:IYA B. ZIYAD A (
childre n of the 'Abbisid Caliph M~ ' mu:m~~:
by the caliph and disseminated at h
:ufangr;i_m_marian., who tutort-d. tht'
oak A1aan, al-~, in was promott'd
IBN UMAR.. See 'Abd al-Allah b .' Umar.
IBN ZAYD. Sec 'Abd al-Ra}:imin b. Zayd b. Aslam.
Tabari in corporates mu ch of th · ;or~g t e s~hol:uly elite of Baghdad and beyond.
in hi s Taftir Al.f:ura' d ' d ish oo 'sdecttvel y, and without explicit attribution IBRAHIM AL-NAKHA'i. His full name is AbU ' Imrin Ibrahim b. Yazid b. ~ s
(S iyar, JO : II ~) JC on t e pilgrimage road in 207/822-23 at the age of 63: al-Nakha i. H e is generally considered a Kufan Successor, although Dhahabi could
not find any evidence that he heard badiths directly from any Companions. He is the
AL-f:IASAN 8. 'ALiB . AB!TAL!B A nephew of 'Alqama b. ~sand teacher of I:Iammid b. Abi Sulayman, one of Abu
h~ s mother Fa1 ima. who wa~ born .thr~:ndson of the Proph.et M~l;iammad, through
l:l..nifa's primary teachers. A large number of his legal opinions arc preserved in the
his father, Caliph 'Ali, durin the first . ~ears after the Emigrauon. He supporrtd
Muia1111af of Ibn Abt Shayba. His Qadiths arc found in all Six Books, and he died in
oath of all egiance for the ca lig hate fr c1v1l war and then subsequently received lht'
96h 14- 15 at the age of 49 or 58. (Siyar, 4:520)
months, until he made peace ;n i/ om ~housa~~s ~f Iraqis. His caliphate lasted fou r
661 'lKRJMA. A Medinan and Meccan Successor, of North African origin, who was
his fathe r's supporters would b; h wnh Mu aw1ya, on the condition that nont' of
51!6&J--671. Several sources sa he :,med . .Al-J:Iasan died sometime between 49 and i ma w/a of Ibn 'Abbas. He was famous for his knowledge of OEr'in interpretation

46 whe n he died. 'A'isha rant~d I . as pms.o :cd by one of his wives, as be was only ind rravdled ex tensively, disseminating religious knowledge. He is also generally
10 the Prophet b I g um perm1ss1on to be buried in her apartment next con~idt"rt"d to have held Sufriyya Khiriji views, which he introduced to North Africa.
takin g place. (;sti~~bt lt'. Umay.yad governor, Marwin b. l:fakam, prevented this from lknma's badith s arc found in B, AD, T, N and IM, and he died in 105f?23- 24, accord-
a • I .383; Siya, , 3 :245 )
ing to most sources. (Siyar, 5:12)
AL-1:!ASAN AL-BAS - .
al-Ba~ri I-le R..I. His full name is Abu Sa'id al-Hasan b Abi'I-Hasan Yasir 'IMRAN B. 1:IUDAYR. A Basran post-Successor badith narrator, whom lbn
kn owledge a ~ as on~ ~f th e lllOSt famous Successors o~ acco~nt of his rdigious ;i\.Madini considered highly reliable. His badiths are found in M, AD, T and N, and
Umar and n. asceucism. Al-f:lasan was born in Medina during the caliphatt' of he died in 149f?66. (Siyar, 6:363)

:~~a
His lll~thcr ::tncssed t~c rebellion agai nst Caliph ' Uthmi~ when be Wal a tetn:iger.
as qiidi of Bas~ s a of Umm Salama, one of the Prophet's widows. He ser.-eJ
legal opinion s a:; r:se:oij~in rh e revolt of Ibn al-Ash' ath. A large number ofh~
ISMi\'lL B. ABl KHALlD. A junior Successor in Kufa, and major badith narrator.
There is much uncertainty over the name of his father, Abu Khalid. He was consid-
ered the most reliable transmitter of Sha' b'i's teachings, and his badiths are found in
fre
is one of Taba ri's uen:d u~ the. Mu1armaf of Ibn Abi Sh.aybai. Al-1:bsan al-~1.n
all Six Books. Isma'tl died in 146f763-64. (Siyar, 6:176)
AD , T , N and IM qd h ly.-c1ted llltcrpreters in his Taftir. His badi1hs are found in
1-HSHAM • an (' died in R ajab no/728. (Siya,, 4:563) JABIR B. 'ABO ALLAH B. 'AMR. A Companion, among the Khazraji Helpers.
wh B. URWA B. AL-ZUB . . . . sd,o],<, who witnessed the Second 'Aqaba meeting, at which the Helpers gave their oath of
of O wa\ the son of the famou s A:"R . AJumor Successor and maJor J:lad,tlr dwn
the Emigrant C Medman Successor ' Urwa b al-Zuhayr, andgran
81
Mcduia i nd 1nove; lllpa(ion al.zubayr b. al-'Awwim. He.was born in 6r/6So- . in
1
: ~~lotc~_carli~r, lbn l:bj;ir reports ~h;it lbn Abzi can refer to 'Abd a]..R;il;unin b. Abzi
to t ic new 'Abbisid capital o f Baghdad during iU conscruc:t1on, huu I or cnher of his two sons. Abd AUah and S;i'id; 1'aq,ib. 6o5. In Tahdhib al-1ahdhib
( 2 :66 2 ) , l~n 1:1:r.j;ir identifies only S:r.'id :r.s tranunitting ,epons to someone namt"d J;i' far so I
~ni ;i~\um1ng d1 ;11 the Ibn Abz;i, whom T;ib:r..ri is citing here is Sa' id b. 'Abd ;il-R;il,.nuin b. Abzl.

518 519
 TABA R! APPENDIX C

f Kufo , a position he
all egiance 10 the Pcophct Muhammad. He was a wa1er-cacricc at the battle of B,d, . nd was reappo inted governor o
on account of his youth, and participated in eighteen campaigns with the Pcoph,.·
Mu ;\w1ya. a . ·21) .
-.cJg,J ,uppon '~, in Sha ban 50/670. (S,y,ir, J. ' I" b Abi Talib, while Im
Acco,ding to Dhahabi, he nanarcd 1,540 /,aditl,s from the Prophet. He fough,"
HJu11nl h1\ dc.-.1t JYYA Hi s father was t I: h te named Khawb
~iifln on the side of 'Ali and died bmvecn 74/693 and 78/697 in his native city of
Medin a, at the age of 94. (Jsri'ab. 1 :2 19; Siya r, 3: 189) AL- HAN AF . f Ab u- Bakr rin thea Umayyad pcriod,
s ca ip

r·t
\<CH,\MMAD B. . . " from ,he time o .

JABJR B. ZAYD. Hi s fu ll name is Abu'l-Sha' th a' J abir b. Zayd al-Azdi. Hew",

.. her WJ~ an Arab captn.c up in Medin a and, du rt hd~ even though m
:.'.\ fa, a\ -Hanaf,yya. H e t he was the Redeemer 1· 'Abd al-Malik, who
schob, among 1he Basran Successocs and one of the primary students of Ibn 'Abbi,. ''.~, «mnmt Shi a clanne t ,a with the Um ayyad Ca ip nd went into occul-
Acco ,di ng to some «pon s, he was an lbadi. Jabi,s /1adi1/,s ace found in all Six Book, ' , 'i,i7--,,S he had a pcivatc meenn~ imed that he had not d_icd al e second civil war,
and he died in 93f? 11 - 12. (Siyar. 4A81)
Joif some of his debts. Oth ebrs c; by lbn al-Zubayr during t ; . h His bodiths are
r•t H iafl •ya was a use . b al-Zubayr as ca ip .
JUNDUB B. 'ABD ALLAH B. SUFYAN AL-BAJALl. A Companion who coo- ""'"· Jbn ,\- . .,, l f d to recognize 1 n s· ar 4:110)
vcncd to Islam in the final yea.rs of the Prophet's life, settled in Kufa, and then B:aua. c. lug, pan bm usc he re:;• obably died in 81f?oo. ( ,y ' f one of
H t" died arou nd th e yea r 70/689-90. (Jsti'ab, 1 :256; Siyar, 3:174) '.oood m ,II Six Books, an ,c P' - A Medinan Successo, and so~:hammad
' B AL-Ql)RAZ:1. br.ced !slam. . I
KA I3 AL-Af-:IBAR.. l-lis name is Ka' b b. Mari' al-1:fitnyari, and he was a Successor \\UI-\AMr-.•\AD B. KA . f BanU ~rayia who em nowned for his know -
from Yl'tncn, who was a rabbi prior to his conversion to Islam after the death of th, <>ptim of the Jewish mbe od to Medina, where he _wasl~~ix Books, and he died
~nltdin Kufa., and then rcturnc H ' hodiths arc found ma
th e Prophet . He cam e to Medina during the caliphate of ' Umar, where he nam.tcd
stori es fro m the J ew ish scriptures. He participated in the conquest of Homs and rdgt of ~r':inic commentary. dis ~0'738. (Siyar, 5:65) h wned
thmaftec se ttled in the ciry, where he died near the end of ' U thman's caUphm.
(S iya,, 3:489) ~mmmc.- between to8/ 726-27 an 1 d· Successor, o f"'"rays
'<!! . . reno
I Jiilis arc
DIR A Me man /6 o-51. His .,a
\IUI.IAMMAD B. AL-MUNtA b~rn around the yeac 3~/ar s:353)
KHAYTHAMA B. 'ABD AL-RA HMAN b. Abi Sab,a Yazid b. Malik. A Kufao '.°' hup,ety and sincerity, whcod~:: in the yeac ,3of?47-48. 'Y_ ' the long-lived
Successor and scholar, whose fat her ~nd grandfather were Companions. He balanced """d io all S,x Books, and and ma.via of I aq who
piet y and wealth, and was one of the few scholars co be pardoned by .i..1-l;lajjij after - - Basran Successor . f om southern r .
MUl:JA.MMAD B. SIRIN. f h was a war capuvc r He had a reputauon
l bn Ash ath's revolt. Hi s baditl,s are found in all Six Books, and he died around ihe Comp>nion Anas b. Malik . H~ at er ss of kitaba from Ana_sh a sense of humou~
)'Car 80/699---700. (S1) •ar, 4:320; TT 3:346)
bo,,glu hi, freedom through_tci' ~::~or balancin,g pieryci:•;,adill, transmission a:; '
MA'
I MAR B. RASH ID. A Basran Hadirh scholac, who settled in Yemen, wh:" h; fo, ,n,,smitting l,ad,r/,s prcmf \;is contemporaries 1mp;ied i,; Sha"~•al no/Janu )
I Iasttwemy vem of hi ,lifcand tcansmitted muc h o f h'ts"" t c0Uect1onif,°
." 'e d 1>e wh,ch cont casted with some od in all Six Books, and he ri (Siyo,, 4:6o6)
«pon s to 'Abd al-R a;zaq al-San' ani who premved them in his M o,1a,maf• nd T~'"i "''""'Y· H,s hadir/,s ace foun h f al-Hasan al-Ba$ · 1' famous
7,9, o,,, hund.rcd days after the dcat o . ,/a of a Qt!nyshi Mus '::• srudem
Ma nm is known prinmil y .; a coll:c,or of repons, cather than for his pmonal ,g_,
or exege tical opi nions. His liadi1l1 s arc found in all Six Books. Mac,mar was born m S ccessor and rturn . He was a maJ . s
1 '1UJA J-IJI) B. JAB!l,,. A !"'e.cc~:•tc; retation and ,eciratt:;~ as many as thirty:~:;,.;
95'7 1- 14, and died in Sa na'; between 152 and 158/76g--J5 . (Siya,, 7:.s) fo, hh <xpm ise0 in Q;!r amc ' h ~e read the enme Qt! . hs and i, one of_ T I Six
of Ibn 'Abba, , , wlmm he may a. I the Umayyad cal'.p/ j-tl,s are found m al
MA SROQ B. AL-AJ DA' AL-HAMDAN! A Maj or Kufan Sucmsm, who ::;;am:
Muslim He mamtained cordial_cclario;::r:v:~ 'his Taj,,,. Mujahi,:',;'. (~iyo,, :449) _
1 du ,ing the caliphate of Abu B, k·, o, ' Umac, and was wounded Ll ~/;~; 4
most frcque mly-citcd '"".'P' ween 102 and ,081? 2 . Mum b. Sharal,,1
•Mn : ,' '.u b,i<i,,o'. Q;_disiyYa •~• in« ,I., Sasa nid Empire. H e was a dos::~~ in , or
lloak, ,nd he died sometnne bet whose name" d'd ot become
63 ../ 6 81-d 83
and A 1sha.:6J)
, (Siya,, MasrUq s bad11l,s arc fou nd in all Six Books, and h 6
4 , . Kufan Sumssor, p opher but ' n Ii iou,
\IU J\.ll,,A AL-TAYYIB. A Semo, h l'fctime of the r • his piet y and rc g d
MUGI-IIRA B SH I · noHudaybiya, He
,l -Ha.nd;n,. was born dudng_ tB ck; He was famous d ';; probably died aroun
from th l' t · U B~. A Companion. w ho convened tol s am pno(or Q!disiyya), 1\-\ u~\iin until the caliphate of Abu d ~ll Six Books, an e
nl,, of Tl»q,f. He los, an eye a, th e batt le of Ymnouk baf aod d,votiom. Mum's /,adir/,s are foun m . 6o/ ,,_.so, who
'11" "d "_goven,o, of Bas,a fo, ,h,ec ye, ,s, and led the conquests of Am '",h,n tht year 80/699-700. (Siyar, 4:74) S ccessor, born in 67
1
""•dl,.n . Mugh,,, inuially withdcew to Yemen ducing the fint c>Vll wac. --ABasranu
~ TADA B. DI AMA AL-SADUSI.

520 521
 TABAR! APP£ND\X C

w as fa mous for hi, Q;,c',nic interpcetation. He is one of the most frequentl v-ct«d " . i.s father' sa\im m aintai.ncd
. f Medina. L1ke h . \l Six Books. and
int ccpmm in Tabaci', Tafsir. Qttada was considered "reliable," even though .hew., l Jone of the "Seven J~ns;~p~1s. His l_wdirlts arc found lll a
,lso associated with th e advocates of free will (Qtdariyya). He studied with , l-Ifo,n
~,_.-q..ci~ . I the Um:iyya c:i i (Si ar, 4:457) ,
."'..,J 1d1.11m1s \\ 1t 1 106 and 108'72 4- 27. y d . the Prophet s
al-Ba1ri fo r twel ve yem and had a reputati o n for having a prodigious memory. His
l1adir/1 s are fo und in all Six Book s, and h e died in 117/735. (Siyar, s: 61))
'. ,,,cJ,ct«-<"<'' the Y"" converted to Islam urmg famous for
2 ·, , ,.\ ll \ 0 I IAN A Succ~:•::.;~'~ader of the 'Abd al-':\;;::~:;; were killed
AL-RA Bl B. ANAS B. Z IYA D AL-BAKR!. A junior Basran Successor, who mtlrd . b l d,J no1 sec \nm. 1 f <Ali, and two of ht . d ing the cah-
L.:t'.°,me. u , a c\osc supporter o < c di.cd somcumc ur
in Merv, Turk m enistan . H e was imprisoned for nine years in Merv by the 'Al.ibisid b rl~u~ncc. l~c \\ J:h c battle of the Came\. ~a ~a a
ge neral Abu Muslim, although some scholars were .iible to study with him therr.
~\tmg wnh \nm at _, _ . t . Siyar, J :528) o settled in
According to Ibn Ma' in, R abt espo used Shi'i beliefs. His liadirhs :ne found in AD, :h,:eoO,\u ;lwiya. (lsf111b, 2.7 7, he Khazraji Helpers, wh~b. Shadd.ad
T . N and IM. and he died in 139/ 756--57. (S iyar, 6:169; TT 2:402) . anion, among t H sin b. T a it.
SHADDAD B. AWS . A Co;~as the nephew of the ~oe~ . a;/677-78. (Isti(iib, 2:694;
AL-KA.Bl' 8. KHUTHAYM AL-THAWRi. A se nior Kufan Successor, who had a \·:m.ond htcr }crusa\e~n . H w\ed e and pi.et)', and died in 5
reput atio n fo r asc'°ticism and profound d evot ional practices. He was a companion of "' -,\I-known for Im kno g J,; of the
lbn Mas' Gd , and hi s f,adi1l1 s arc fo und in B, M. T. N and IM. Al-Raht probably died . 6o) sor and maw
somt'timr prio r to 6 5/684- 85. (S iyar. 4 :258) 'F•,., - - ,- ' AL-RAfclMAN• A Kufan Succcsur'anie interpretation,
/J.-SUDDl , 1SMA ll B. ABO H was famous for his utation is largely
SAFWAN D. MUl:JRIZ AL-MAZ INL A senior Basran Successor, who was famous
fo r hi s piety and devotional practices. Hi s baditlis are found in B. M, T, S and IM.
~m, h, who was born in rhe Hij:~~ fi:st
third of his Tafsir. 1:1,:;_:e~ "weak" narratO'-
;_.d, Tabari. dtes hi.m frequently m lb Ma<l.n, thought he - 5 (Siyor. 5:264)
and he died around the year 74/°6g3 "-94 . (Siyar, 4:2 86; TT 3 :249) · t · ·cs such as n di din 1211?« 4 ·
i"'""·c, ~though ' "v. cnu ' T N and \M, and he e scholm of
SA ID B. cAB D AL-RAHMA N B. ABZA.. A Kufan Successor, whose bm/iths are
Suddi'~ luuli1lis are foundmM,AD. , t respected master d ·od
fo und in all Six Book s.
"662)
His
death date appears to be unknown. (Siyar, -4 :48i; TI - 1. One of the mos 1 <Abbasi pen .
SUFYA.N B. SN lD •AL_-T.HAWR . tion i.n the late Umayyadle::: to avoid pressure
H,M, law and Q;,r amc tnterpr::~,ave\\ed to Yemen and ~~ere he raugh'. ,ev~ral
Tb wri was a nmve of Kufa, b cd to Basra, . h the Abbas1d
SA'i D B. JUBAYR . A Kufan Successor and mawlci, famous for his cxpcrtisr in
to sen ·e a~ a qiidi for the 'Abbisids. He rcturnrc to making pcac~ _w1t d many of his
~r'anic int erprm tio n and hi, martyrdom at the hand, of the U m,yy,d go~mo,, · d died en rou . Boo,;.s, an . . .
al-H ajjaj. He was a close student of Ibn 'Abba, and had a large number of ,ru ;""· ?tominent Hadit/1 scholars, an . hadiths are found in all Six - and works of Jurtsuc
;j
Sa id part icipated in the failed uprising o f Jbn al-A,h' ath against al-1:!ajjaj io :'. 70
C:1.\iph al-Mahdi i.n 16i/778. HlS ·
leg~\ opinions can be: cmun d m. the Mujanna
,f f 'Abd al-Razzaq
if"! _ of hisohas been pub\ishcd, an
d he was a role
which ult imatel y led to hi s execut ion in Sha' bin 95f?14. His badiths arc foun m a
Six Books. (Siyar, 4 :32 1) d",g"cment (ikhtila.f)-,A '.hort "
29
T; 1 frican origin,
model for ascetics. (E l ; S,yar, 7 · h lar of North A ochtS-
SA'ID B. AL- MU SAYYAB AL-MAKHZ0Ml. A famous Medinan Successor, ~~: - 1. A Medi.nan sc o , nd the year 1
SULAY MAN B . BILAL AL-TAYt~f Caliph Abu Bakr, born a;~~ _(Siyar, 704>5)
also w,s the son-in -law of the Companion Abu Hurayra. He was born dun;t,th •·howas, .,~"•la of the dmendan k d he died m ,7,'7 89 Khazrnj1
hnal years of ' Umar', caliphate in Medi na. and suffered abuse at the han cl, 0 tio" t9. Hi, h,dirh, are found in a\\ Six Boo ,, an cl leader among the .cipated
Ibn , 1-Zub,yr', and Abd al-Malik', governors of Medina. His scholarly tcpUt> ion . . Companion an bet He paru
was so mong th at scholars who generall y rej ected mursal badiths made an exc~pts of UBADA B. AL-~AM1T. A semor b l dges with the Prop . him to Syria as
"""'I•·
and >cce~ted Sa id's m,m,I narratio n, . He is co nsidered o~e- 0 ,f t he " SevenAccording
Medm, . >nd many of Im leg,! opini ons can be fo und tn Malik' M _- . Q!r'i ni<
Junsc

to the Introduct ion of T, bari', Tajsfr, Sa' id generall y disliked engaging me bcrw«n
Help,rs, who was pr~scm at both 'A::lu~fn~ Badr, a~d ' Um•:::~:al of Mu' awiya'~
tn ,II of the Pr?phct ' c,mpatg.: •• ~i, caliphate. ' Ubad, w:\ived in Homs and
' qid; and ~r an tea_cher dun g su ort of the c~hphs. HHe is consider'.d the_ )
'~:st
conHncntary. His l1aditl1s arc fo und in all Six Books, and he died so mcrun governorship, but mamtamed the PP \ f vtmauon. .c. b ·807; S1yar. ;:..5
th
c years of 93 and 9Sh 11 - 14 . (S iyar. 4 :217) Jerusalem where his tomb became a P a~cr:e age of 72 · (J,r, a ''· n for his
qidi of Pairnine, and died in J<V 654 5
-s a Successor, kno~ lifetime
SA
ndLI M ll . AUD ALLAH U. ' UMAR . A Medinan Succmor and gron dson
, of the sec·
hman ,nd Hl A senior Meccan born duri.ng t e
lJ BA.YD B. ' UMAYR AL-LAY:" . d sermons. Be was
o caliph, Um:u b. al. Kh anab. He was bo rn during rhc caliphate of Uc npc-ni ~c in ~r'ini.c interpretauon an

52 2
523
 TA BAR! APPENDIX C
of the Prophet but did not .
probably died in 73 or 74/~n cct him . Hi s baditlis arc fi .-, Um")·,uk \hi l,adiilis arc found in 8 and IM. and he died in n 8/736. (TT 4:42 5)
U BAY Y B K 2---<J4. (S;y-,, 4 : 156) o und in all Six Bok
. AB. A Compani o s, and be l1H\IAN 11. ABi SAW DA AL- MAQJ21Si. A Palest inian Succe1sor. whose1 fath e r
Aqaba pl edge with the Pro l on :unong the Helpers wl 1 ,-,i "lJll'/jof Ahd AH:"11, b. <Amr b. a\-\~~. and whose mother was a nwwfa of Ubi da
11 1
1 , ~'111i. H1s l1o1di1/1s arc found in AD. T and IM, and his death date is unknown.
;~ ;'~,~~\ ':: ; :::111oi"5 prim:,;~: r:~,~~~~::v~~:adr .and :;:•: u":.:;~ ; 1:1 he Second
1i111c, and d ied s~1:: ,o wrote down mu ch of th ge, cs~~ciall y tcgardin l~ampaigns. n,,,6)
(/s1i ab, 1:65· s· <l ime between 19/640 and ; ~ran during the; ; Q!, r i n rnrn B MUNABBlH AL-Dl-HMARi. A Yemeni Successor, famous for hi s deep
. iyar, 1:389) 32 652-5 3 in his native ci/~P let 's l_ifc-
~,l'\drJ~r of 1hc Bible and Judea-C hristian lore. He was born during the caliphate
UMAR ll . ABO AL , - ) of Medin,. 0: Uthmin. ~t udic-d with som e of the Companions in the Hijaz, and later served as
712 , aud U mayyad cali- AZ
h frIZ . A S uccessor, gove rno r of . fi]iof Sana·a, Yemen. His ~aditlis arc found in all Six Books, and he died in either
Man.van b. ~ akam t:ro om ~9f7 17 until I01f720 1-1 . Mcdma from 87-<;3'7Q6-.
a,';;~-29or 114/732. (Siyar, 4:544)
al-Kh :m5b thro . ugh his father and . e was tbe grandson of
Mu slini scholarsu;;:,c:sll mo1 he r. Frcqu:nrl y c:;;::-~~nd son of Ca~ph •u:.::t
.
1l'.\TH!LA B. AL-AS~. A Companion, who converted to Islam in 9/630 and
;s
l·fo l1adirh s are fou nd i,; ai; ;igard him the so le "righttar)" ii'..
Western sources: \;'""P'"d m thr Tabuk campaign. He was known for his asceticism, and died in
RaJab I01 '720, near H x Book s. Um ar II was b ) g idcd Umayyad caliph. .nuscus m 83'702 or 85'704, at the alleged age of 105. (SiytlT, 3:383)
oms, Syria . (E/1· s· o m around 6o/ 68o d d· d .
UMAR B. AL-K I-IATTAB . . ryar, J:lt4) an " '" Y.-l.ZiD B. AL-ASAMM AL-BAKKA'L A Successor in Raqqa, Syria, who was a
c~phtw of the Prophet's ,•vife M aymUna and cousin Jbn <Abbas. There is much unccr-
ond caliph of the M _-
all of the ca mpa;gns :;'';" communit y. from IJ~2J;~;·!OJ"
. An Emigrant Com an ·
,the Q!raysh. and m- wmy ~urrounding the name of his father. Yazid's hadiths are found in M, AD, T, N
,:id IM , and he probably died in 103f721- 22. (Siya~, 4:517)
for Abll Bakr afte r th e ~:c Pro~het and played a criticai4rot~· Uma~ participated in
and during ' U . . ophct s death. Abu B k . em securing thecaliphm-
p . Ill ar s cah phat I a r appo mted ' U h· Z.-W~ B. ASLAM. A Medi nan Successor, whose father was a mawla of Caliph ' Umar
c-rs1a occur red. His l e.' t le great conquests of S . ~ ar as IS successor: · al-Khauab
bih« _ · · · H e taug1" m · t I,e Prop h ct ' s Mosque m
· Mc d·ma, an d Bu kh-an- reports
few of h;s exeget ical ega_l opmions are fo un d in M ali/"'· Palesr:ne, Egypt, lnq and Ah b. al-l-:J.usayn Zayn al-'Abidln used to attend his sessions. He was known
non -Muslun slav . opm1on s have been preserv d s M11wa.t~a and elsewhere, yet wd! for the tafsir that his son, 'Abd al-Ra}:im:in, narrated, and which is cited fre-
e m 2 3/ 644. (E I~ e · He was killed by a disgruntled 41

quem\y in Tabarfs Tafsir, even though Tabari usually identifies Zayd's son as the
bUQ!!A 8 . 'A MIR Al-JU I-I AN- :•~p"'."• rather than Zayd himself. Zayd's /,adir/,s are found in all Six Books. and
his ~r'ath<' bat. tle of t Ile Tre uchI.and
ctween A Companion
th C w ho converted to Islam sometime
t ied in Dhu'l-1:jijja ,36f?5 4. (Siyar, 5:316)
quest pan rccn a1 ;on and knowledge onquesr of Mecca. He was renowned for
for th.re/t.1c1patcd in the conquest of.E e settled in Damascus shortly after in con- aod <lrvenT HAD
ZAYDB , IT. A Companion among the Khazraji Helpers, who was an orphan
I<, ) ms old when the Prophet emigrated to Medina. The Prophet ordered
(s · Uqba f,oug I1t on the s·dgypt,f an d<- served as t he governor o f the Ianer
) ears. " ""
58/6
1
e O Muawiya at Siffin, and died in Egypt in was 10 .:n 1-Irbrcw and Aramaic, so he could read the scriptures of the Jews. H_e
7718 · ,yar, 2:467)
100 ) ung to fight at Badr, but participated in either Uhud or the Trench. Zayd ts
UR.WA 8 . Al-ZUBAYI '.'P:_"d •0 have collected the Q!r'Sn during the Prophet's lifetime, and was a scribe
ih e Emigrant Co . t AL-Q11R.ASJ-1( A f .
of Uthrnan ,ntparnon al-Zubayr b. al-'~w, ~mo us Medman Successor and son of ~:,.t'- He was also an expm ;n the complex rules of inheritance. Abu Bakr ordered
aga;,, Ali . H was too young to fi In "' va~1. He was born during the caliph,te co~,,:~,~ui the Q!r'an ;n a codex (m"1ha}), ,nd ' Uthman ap~o;ntcd him t~ Iwl the
Mecca51 dur;n , ;, hvcd _wnh his brotl,;r, 'Ath h, ~ father at the battle of the C,md to \ · e that assembled the authoritative codex of the ~r an that Musluns recne
" .;~:• ~Y- (See Tabari's imroducr;on, above, for reports concerning ,h;s watershed
al-Zub:.ty r v/ 1_s caliphate, and mad d Allah h. al-Zubayr, for nine years m
played " ktllcd. U, w, is e peace wirh Caliph 'Abd al-Malik after Ibo .) e dted somcttme between 45 /665 a.nd 55/675 in Medina. (Siyar, 2:.p6)
found: s,rfica m role ;n the C counted among ,he "Seven Jurists of Medina," and A~-ZU HRl . MUHAMMAD B MUSLIM B ' UBAYD ALLAH A major M,d;nan
, n a S1x Books, and he ~•~:pdom1on of the Prophet's biography. Hisbadithsare
1t1" ''.'djun;or Successor, or° Q!raysh. wh~ settled in Syria. He is also known "
CU1I HMA. NB . Alli) AL A ic bet\\'l'<" n 93 an d 95!, u - 14 . (S;ya ,. 4=421)
,i" !lnh,b. Zuhri cxmed significant influence on the , rt;culation of ,he biognphy of
a •ph U111:n b '-
I Khanab
L through
H B SUlu
R,A{")A
,:;::- A Mcdman Succmor and gnudson of u _;i.tnmad, through his students lbn lsl_taq and Ma' ma.r b. R ashid, and law, rhrough
thcr He served as governor of Mecca (or

525
 TABAR.I

his pupils Awzaci, Malik and al-La th b '

preserved in the Ml4$(lnnafs of cAJ a . Sad. Many of his 1-1 o ..

t
excellent relations .h h 1-Razzaq and Ibn Ab- Sh~tS.... puuons arc also
1
wn t e Umay d 1' h ayba H .
Mu sl_im scholars. Despite his bread: ip s and remained highly ~s c maintained

;:~~i~odts1
role m Tabari's Tafsir and • o knowledge and fame he l pcctcd among
found i~ all Six Books, andir: ." ~ _int~rprctation more bro;dly~
lC m ctther 1 or u,4/ s . uhs arr
APPENDIXD
23
740-4-2, {Siyar, s:326) TABARI'SPOETS

T.ibari dtes at least one hemistich of poetry or rajaz from each of the fol-
lowing poets in the translated selections of his Tafsir. Most of this poetry
is found in either Abu <ubayda's Majaz al-Q!r'an or al-Farra"s Ma<ani
,1-Q,r'ou . Al\ of the poetry is in Arabic.
Most of these poets have entries in Ju\ie Meisami and Paul Starkey
(,d1.), Th, Routledge E11cyclopedia of Arabic Literature (1998). l have abbrevi-
attd this book as REAL. The remaining poets, with a few exceptions, have
<mries in lbn ~tayba, al-Shi'r wa' l-shu'ara', ed_ Al)mad Shakir, which l
havt abbreviated as Shi'r.
ABO ALLAH B. RAWAl;lA AL-ANSARI. A Companion of the Prophet, from
the Khazraj among the Helpers, who lived in Medina. He died at the battle of Muta
2vinn the Byzantines in 6/629. (REAL 1:12)
ABiD B. AL-ABRAS AL-ASADL An Ancient Pre-Islamic poet, who allegedly
witnessed the murder of lmru''\-0,:ys' father, and was killed by the Lakhmid king
Mundhir Ill. He lived in the first half of the sixth-century CE. (REAL, 1 :22)
ABO DHU 'AYB AL-HUDHALL The greatest paet of the Hudhay\ tribe. who
~mbnctd hh. m, migrated to Egypt, and campaigned in lfriqiyya (Tunisia). He is
amous for his elegy on the occasion of the death of his five sons. AbU Dhu'ayb died
Inapproximately 28/649. (REAL 1:292)
I h KABIR AL-HUDH ALL
ABO - He was the second-most famous poet of Hudhay\,
t ougb only four of his poems survive. He lived between Mecca and Ta'if in the
im century of Islam. (REAL 1:292)
ABO'.dL-NAJM AL-'!]ti · H'is name 1s
· al-Fa4\ (or al-Mufa44a1) b. ~da.ma and he was
:~mi \red the second-best rajaz poet of <lj\. He was an Umayyad poet who lived in
c car y second/eighth century. (REAL I :40)
'ADIB.
niuhi leAL-R.Jni'
U ~- A~ Umayyad court poet from 'Amil , Lebanon, who eulogized
ap P . ma))ad caliphs, beginning with a\-Walid b. 'Abd a\-Ma\ik. He died in
proxmmcly 9sh14. (REAL 1:s6)

527
526
 TABAR]
APPENDIX D

ADi B. ZAYD AL-' IBADl. A P,c- Islamic Ch,i srian poet at the Lakhn,id conn in - l h e ist poet w h o was killed :lt rh e
Hira . lr.q. H, was famo us fo, hi s wi ne pomy, as well as his «ligious poc rns. He di ed
in prison around the year 6oo C E. (RE."iL 1 :56-57)
•·R\YD B. AL-SIMM A AL-JUSHA.Ml.
. A p_m
I Muslims o yt
8/630. He is fam o us fo r hi s poem s
p\ . f Hun:wn fighting aga1m_t t l C REAL I: 198)
·.::,c<' .dfasmcss and patie nce. ( I T -m Al-Farazdaq was
AL-Al~WA S. His name is 'Abd All ah b. Muhammad al-An ia,, al-Al., wa ("the SI;, _ ' , mng S!Ca ' I -rb of tlC anu . I.
Eyed"). He was a Medi nan cou n poet or the Uma yyads, who was banished1 Dahlak i.1. . • . s 1-hmmi m b. G 1a t . b inging, fam o u s for l!S
10
DAQ His name l f B domn up r r. A l
island in the Red Sea for a period or time. He died in 105/724 . (REA /_ , c6i) .~l·L~RAZ . ad court poets, o e - H died in 11oh28 . (Re
~-.r oi the grcatc s~_Umaytrivalry with the poet Janr. c
N.:itt:\·no. 11wcct1H'S an,
AL-AJJiij. Hi s narn , is 'Abd Allah b. Ru'ba al-'Ajjaj ("the Bawler"). He was an in Au-
emial Umayyad rajaz poet, who lived mostl y in Basra. an d died in approxirnatel y
90f? , 5. (REAL 1e67) II :19"""20)
• ZOMi An Umayyad-crapoctfrom Q,!raysh .
\l-H~RITH B. KH ALID AL-MAKH .
AL-AKHTAL. Hi s name is Ghi yith b. Ghaw th or the Taghlib tribe. Al-Akhtal. wh o · Ta{iir al-Taoari.
, . · 1 :26 S) romincnt poet w ho composed
.
was a Christian, was one of the greatest Umayyad court poets, along with al.far- . . - Com anion and most p f Khazraj and nattvc of
azda9 and Jarir. His panegyrics are considered classical m o del s of this genre. Hc died H~SSAN B. THABlT. A p h nad A member O _ d died prior
in approximately 92f?10. (REA L , :67-68) . f h p rop het Mula~amt
i·cr~1 in support o t e
. after the Em ig ratton, an
shortly
Y1.thnb/Medina, he converted to ls
10 40
'AL~MA B. cAllADA. A Pre-I slamic poet w h o composed three of the most famou s /661. {REA· L I :275) l . and Umayyad Poct ' seve ral)
Arabic poems of the Pre-I slamic period, o ne of which is a panegy ric for the Ghassinid - I . An early
IIUMAYD B. THAWR AL-HILAL haveIsdied
amicaround 90/ 709. (REAL t :293
king Hiritl1 b. Jabala. He lived during the mid-sixth century CE. (REAL <c83) I 5
fragment s of w 1ose poems urvive. He may , ("the Dwar r") • and he was

'AMR B. KULTH OM AL-TAGHL!Bl. A Pre-Islamic poet, famous for slaying the

Lakhmid king 'Amr b. Hind, wh en he in sulted his m o th er. O ne of his odes is includ-
.
.\l-lJUTAY.A. His name ts Jarwal bj Awsnd ended during the cdarl y caliphate.
a\-lJutay a He
s incarccrntcd
ed amo ng die famo us "Suspended Odes." (Shi'r, 234) 2 pott whose career began prior to l s a~"l: "wars of apostasy" an_ ~v~rabic literar y
fou ght against the Muslims in the so-c~ ~ . hly regarded by class1ca
'ANTAR.A B. SH.ADDAD AL-cABSI. A Pre-Islamic poet and warrior, who com- during Umar's caliphate. His poetry is ug . d
posed o ne of the fa mo us "Suspended Odes.'' H e lived in the second half of the six )
century CE. (REAL 1 :94) th n,ucs. (REAL, ICJOO d d fath« was k'mg of Kmr his
a,
.
IMRU" L-~YS. A Pre-lslanuc poet, whose mur ere
h f his Me avenging hss
' death. One o
bl ' died around
Al-NSHA HAM DAN. His name is 'Abd al-Rahman b. <Abd Allah al-A'sha ("cbe m ~ uthcrn Yemen, and who spent muc od d Odes." and he proba )
Night Blind"). An Uniayyad poet in Kufa, he ,;,arried the Successor and _,~hobr odos is iocluded among the famous "Suspen e d un
Sha'bi\ sister, and participated in lbn al-Ash' ath's failed revolt against al-1:Iajp:J - He • L i.394
. )
ssoCE. (REA f I three greateSt Umayya
. co
f arazdaq
subsequem ly was executed by al-1:lajjij in 83f?o2 . (REA L 1 :108) FA One o tie . nst a1-
JARi R B. 'A.TIYYA B. AL-KHATA . his invecnves : gad1 '729. (REAL
AL-A SHA MAYMON B. ~YS. A Pre-Islamic poet or Banu Tha' laba in_ Hi" , porn, from the tribe of Ta,mm. . Herics
wasfor
famous or cahp
Umayyad . h • He die 111
5
l taq , who pt0bably was a Christ ian. He is considc,cd one or the mosr sigmfica~t
and al-Akhia\, as well as his panegy
wine poets, and there is little eviden ce he conven ed to Islam prior to his deacb in 1:41 :.) I.(, 649, note t)
approximately 7/629. (REAL 1 : 10 7)
. f Mu' awiya. (S II • et Z uhayr b.
KAB 8. JU'AYL. A poet at the tmse o us p,c-lslamic po ds hiseon-
Al-BUR._J
1:132) B. MU SH JR AL-TA'i. A long-lived pre-Islamic poet. (Tafair al-Tabari, - - A son of the fame "which recor ired
KA B8. ZUHAY R B. ABI SULM.\t . Ka'b's "mantle poens~ne of the most , d,~ ,,).
Abi Sulma, and a poet in lm own ng I Muhammad, is rv. (REAL •
d f the Prop 1ct • th centu ,
2 4
DH O' L-RUMMA . His nat,sc is Abu 'I-H, rith Ghay li n b. ' Uqba of Tamim ;d h; '<tsion to Islam at the han o half of ,he fsrstiseven . hf i sy nspa<hies,
th
w,s fa n,ou, fo, hi s t0n,a nce wuh Mayy; . Dhu'-Ru mma means "He or
th e r t. Atab,c poems. He lived m e first famou s fo, Ins Sd him to dea<h,
Co,d," au<l he hved in Basra and Ku fa du,ing the Umayyad period. He may "' i
d ied around the )'ear r1 7/735 , (REAi_ I : 188) KUMAYT B. ZAYD AL-ASAD . I A Kufan Caliph Hishan1 - 1 · riiypH has Iong been
poet, - se ntence
who \i\'ed during the _Umayyad c~:~ ;:;~~ction called al-Has 111
arid ht was execut: ,~ m t 2 ~/: 44 ~EAL : )
popuhr ;miong Siu 1 Muslm 5 · ( 2 4 57

529
 TABAR!

LABiD B. RA BI A AL-'AM IR i. A Pre-Isla mic poe t who became Muslim at the

I
hand of the Prophet and lived for more th an one hundred years. O ne of his poems
is incl ud ed amon g the famo us "Suspended O des." He may have lived until 1
(REAL 2:4&H>t) .
'""'°''" . oe t whose reputation derives
DD AL-BAKRi. A Prc-Isla1::1c p . d d Odes." He lived in the
;A~
·1~-~FA B. AL- A l d d :tmong the fa mous Suspcn c
_,,.,~I, ilu1 is me n 2:759) - ,- .
41 601 - ·• "hwnnry CE. (R - Um, yad poet fr om Banu Anur
.1 - B ~ VS AL-RU~YYAT. A~ . y te in the second civil war,
5: 190) R B. MARTHAD Al-FAQ'ASJ AL-ASADJ. He was a R ajaz poei. (Dlr li aj,r
MAN~O
, :: ;: :\~:i~it ially suppom d Ibn al-Zu~,~~;i;~h~h:d al-Malik His nickname
: •··~ m rcconcilcd with th e Umay.ya I different women name Ruqayya.
AL-NAB IGii A OF BANO D HU BYAN. Hi s name is Zi yad b. Mu' lwi ya al-Nabigha ;·,0. IC> g f
•.?,JJi.ni.t derives rom HS
I . flirt ations
'
with t tree
(" th e Genius") and he was a fa mous Pre-Islamic poet wh o wrot e panegyrics fo r boil, .. ' . h
the Lakhmid and Ghassa nid kings in Iraq and Syria, respecti vel y. He lived in the sixth '" t, l39) - U ad era poet from Taghlib, w o
ce ntury CE. (R EAL 2:570)
l\L\\'R B. SHUY_AYM AL-QYTAMI./An :•(yi£A-L z:641; "al-1(.utaml," EI~
d died in IOI 719"""" 2 · h
,·· prnbll-k .1 Christian, an .c f T •,·( who was a os-
AL-NAB IGHA OF BANO JA' DA. His name is l:l ibban b. Q,ys al-Nabigha ("the • • . fThaqu, rom a ' )
Geni us'') and hl" was a Pre- Islamic poet w ho embraced Isbm ac the hand of du.• .
L~L\, YA B.
ABl'L-SALT . A Pre-Islamtc poet o
·
.
d H died approximate y m
I . 9/63!.(REAL i:793
Prophet. He supported tAl:i in the first civil war, which led to Muc:iwiya banishing ~.:nnl of the Prophet Mul~amma . e m the Umayyad clan,
him to Isfaha n, where he died in approx imatel y 63/683 . (REA L 2:570) · of the HProphet, frogovernor o f Iraq underf
AlJ~'A.LiO B. UQ!!.A. A Companion served as
AL-NAM IR 8. TAW LAB . A Pre-I slamic poet fro m the tribe of ' Ukl . who convrrud l
•ho rn,braced lslam at t tc co~q
uest of Mecca. e
b her, until he was remove . .
d on account o
d died in
to Islam at the hand of the Prophet. H e d ied prior co 23/644. (REAL 2:577) Ct1rh Uthman, who was his half- rot l retired from pohncs an
Spubhc consumption o f wme. . He subsequent
, kb " El~ Y
RU ' BA B. AL-'AJJ AJ. A great rajaz poet , like his father (see above). He secclcd in
R..g_qa. Syria, in 6J/68o. (" al-Walid b. U. a, d of Taniim, and he con-
B:ur.:i and wrote panegyrics for the fi nal Um ayyad caliphs and the first two 'Abbisid
caliphs. He died in 145/762. (REAL 2:666) .'.1.-ZJBRl~N 8 . BAD R. His name is . al- Husayn
. b. Ba r by the Prophet as a tax
inted
itnffl to Islam at the han d f t he p rin ophet th~He half of che 6. rst / seventh century.
was appa
second
SALAMA B. JANDAL AL-SN Di. A Pre- Isl amic poet and warrior of Tamim. He
:~\lmor fo r his tribe and lived dur g b ri Vol. JX, 108)
l1Ved in the seve nth-ce nt ury CE. (REA L 2:679- 80) RL-tL 2:828; Tabari, Tiu: History of al-Ta a '
AL-SHAN FARA. A Pre- Islamic brigand poet, famo us for his poem Liimiyyat a/-:A r,1b.
He lived in the sixt h-century C E. (REAL 2:703- 4}

SHURAY H B. IABl l AWFA AL-'ABSJ. A minor poet in tI1e m IY Islamic peri~ . r)

od. Tabari .presents his name as Shurayh b. Aw fa aI- 'Ab"- '" . h "· Tafsir b(Dar
AbiHap
Awfi
and 'fii rikh. However, Abu ' Ubayda gives the poet's name as Shuray):i · ( I h ugh
al- Absi. Shucayh ;s rcponed to have been one of the earl y Kh a,ijl leadm a ' 0 s,c-
Hawting infm ; hac he may have initi all y supported Caliph 'Ali's dern:t"'.,~ not
tie the prcvaHing leadership ten sions tluough arbitm on; hen ce Shu") ·. -charge
amongst che earliest Khadjls). None1helm , Shu ray l.1 is said to have bee;;; h,aw»•
of ch, Kh, riji left Aank against th e fa eces of Caliph 'All in th e bat1\e\ 0 . afight;ng
(01he,wise known as the ba11\e of the Ca nal). where he met his deat' '.';.11h 'Heto,Y
fo r the rebels. (Dar H ajar 20 : 2 75 ; Abu ' Ubayda, Majiiz al- Q!r 'iin. 2 :i93. e
of al-Taba,;, Vol. XVJJ , 11 5-6 and 130--3)

SU11AYM , TH E SLAVE O F BANO"L-1:iASl:iAS. An Abys,mi',: . . nci'.ne

la,·eofwho was
,h, firs1
f.mo u~ for his unfon unate looks and attractive poet ry durmg t
fo ur cahph~. (Shi, . 4os)

53 0 53 1
 APPENDIX E
REFERENCES TO ARABIC PASSAGES OF
TAFSIR AL-TABAR!

.\-aihble at : Imps:/ /archive.org/details/TafsirTabariTurki.

1:3-134
Ti.bari's Introduction
1:135-203
lhr Opcning: Surat al-Fatiha (1 :2-7)
4:526-546
The Cow: Sum al-B aqara (2:255)
5:127-169
Th,Cow: Surat al-Baqara (2:284-286)
5:188-227
Tne Family of (lmran: SGrat Al (Imran (3 :7)
5:275-280
The Family of ' lmran: Surat Al ' Imran (3 :18)
n:458-467
Repentance : Surat al-Tawba (9:38-40)
12:96---102
Repentance : Surat al-Tawba (9: 128- 129)
15:308-368
The Cave: Surat al-Kahf (18:60-82)
17:295-JJ5
The Light: Surat al-Nur (24:35- 42)
18:58()-046
P,_'.nration: Surat al-Sajda (32:1-30) t9:398-491
Ya Sin: Surat Ya' S1n (36:1-83) 20:224-232
The Companies: Surat al-Zumar (39:53-55)
 BlBUOGRAPHY

A. Works by Abu Ja' far al-Tabarl

n.e Comme11tar)' 0,1 rhe ~r'an by Ab« ]ajar Mu~ammad b. Jarir al-Tabari, being
111111bridgrd translation ofJam{ al-bayan 'an ta'wil ay al-~r'an, with an intro-
duction and notes by John Cooper. New York: Oxford University Press,
19&7. \= Commentary\
n r History of al-Tabari, Vol. 1: General Introduction and From the Creation to the
Flood. Translated by Franz Rosenthal. Albany: SUNY Press, 1989.
n, Hillory of al-Tabari, Vol. Ill: The Children of Israel. Translated by William
'Brinner • A.\bany: SUNY Press, 1991.
Th, Hillory of al-Tabari, Vol. IV: The Ancient Kingdoms. Translated by Moshe
~<rlmann. Albany: SUNY Press, 1987.
The Hi51 ory of al-Tabari: Vol. VI: Muhammad at Mecca. Translated by W. M.
Watt and M. V. McDonald. Alba~y: SUNY Press, 1988.
Tht Hi5rory of al-Tabari, Vol. VII: The Foundation of the Community. Translated
n:y W. M. Watt and M. V. McDonald. Albany: SUNY Press, 1987. _
H,srory of al-Tabari, Vol. VIII: The Victory of Islam. Translated by Michael
Tl fohbein. Albany: SUNY Press, 1997.
it Hi5!ory of al-Tabari, Vol. IX : The Last Years of the Prophet. Trans\atcd by

Tl \smai\K. · p oonawa\a. Albany: SUNY Press, 1990.

it HiSfory of al-Tabari, Vol. XVII: The First Civil War. T.ans\ated by G. R.

TheHaw .
. tmg. Albany: SUNY Press, 1996. <- .
t•sro,y of al-Tabari, Vol. XIX: The Caliphate of Yazid b. Mu aw,ya. Translated
. .'f \. K. A. Howard. Albany: SUNY Press, 1990.
Jan11 al-bayan < an-ta'wil ay al-~r'an. lNo ed.) 30 vols. Cairn: Mu~\af:i. a\-B:i.bi.
. : 1-Halab,, 1914-1968 . \= Jami' al-bayiin or }:lalabl\
K1rab fihi tab$ir «Ii al-nuha wa-ma<alim al-huda, aw, al-Tab$ir Ji-m,lalitn al-din.
Ed. 'All b. ' Abd al-' Azlz al-Shibi. Riyadh: Dar al-'i\1ima, 1996. \= al-Tabsir
fi- ma'alim al-din\
-Sarihal-S1uma. Ed. Badr Yusuf al.-Ma<t\lq. Kuwait: Maktabat Ahl a\.-Athar, 2005.
- -sourdc\, Dominique. " Unc Profession de foi de \'historien al.-Tabari.",
Revue des Etudes lslamiques, 26 (1¢8): 177-99-

SJS
-a----

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. Works by Abu Ja'far al-Tabari

The Commeutary on tlie ~r 'iiti by AbU JaJar Mul;ramtnad h. Jarir al-Tabari, being
1111 abridged translation ofJiimi<al-bayiin 'a,i ta'wil iiy al-Q!!r'an, with an intro-

duction and notes by John Cooper. New York: Oxford University Press,
1987. \= Commentary)
The History ef al-Tabari, Vol. 1: General Introduction and From the Creation to the
Flood. Translated by Franz Rosenthal. Albany: SUNY Press, r989.
Tlie History of al-Tabari, Vol. Ill: The Childrm of Israel. Translated by William
Brinner. Albany: SUNY Press, 1991.
Tli r History of al-Tabari, Vol. IV: The Ancient Kingdoms. Translated by Moshe
Perlmann. Albany: SUNY Press, 1987.
Th e History ef al-Tabari: Vol. VI: Muhammad at Mecca. Translated by W. M.
_ Wan and M. V. McDonald. Albany: SUNY Press. 1988.
flie History ef al-Tabari, Vol. VII: The Foundation of the Community. Tr.:mslated
by W. M. Watt and M. V. McDonald. Albany: SUNY Press, 1987.
The H istory of al-Tabari, Vol. VIII: The Victory cif Islam. Translated by Michael
Tit Fi sl~bein. Albany: SUNY Press, 1997.
e History of al-Tabari, Vol. IX: The Last Years efthe Prophet. Translated by
Ismail K. Poonawala. Albany: SUNY Press, 1990.
Th e History of al-Tabari, Vol. XVII: The First Civil War. Translated by G. R.
Hawting. Albany: SUNY Press, 1996.
Tire Historyofal-Tabari, Vol. XIX: Th e Caliphateo/Yazid b. Mu'iiiviya. Translated
_ by I. K. A. Howard. Albany: SUNY Press, 1990.
Jami' al-bayiin 'an-ta'wil iiy al-QE.r'iin. (No ed.) 30 vols. Cairo: Munaia al-Ba.bi
, . ~1-1:lalabi, 1954-1968. {- Jami' al-bayiin or I:Ialabi]
Kitab fihi tabiir Uli al-nuhii wa-ma'alim al-hudii, aw, al-Tab1ir Ji-ma'alim al-din.
Ed. 'Ali b. 'Abd al-cAziz al-Shi bl. Riyadh: Dar al-'A~ima, 1996. ["" al-Tab1ir
fi-ma'iilim al-din)
$arib al-Su,1na. Ed. Badr Yiisuf al-Ma' tUq. Kuwait: Maktabat Ahl al-Athar, 2005.
- Sourd~I, Dominique. "Une Profession de foi de l'historien al-Tabari'',
Revue des Etudfi Islamiqufi, 26 (1968): 177-99.

535
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Hajar. 24 vo ls. Cai ro: H ajar, 2 001. Available at· www - I~anuyya bi-Dar
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540 54 1
 INDEX
.\Nn al- A11ir. 259, 266
,\ bmb Slldb. al-'A\. 45
,\ \.~n b. Sahl.i. 70
.\\.bldb . Huh:i.y~h . 150, 155
_\('Nd b. Rishid . 297
Ab~d b. Zakariyyi. 52
,\ bbi1.289
.l-Abbi1 b. 'Abd al-'A+im al-'Anbari, 61, 65
AbN1 b. Abi Talib. 168. 355, 373
~!id. ~cc: 1b.vc:
'Abd ll-A'b. 6o. 180, 32.3, 378
:\bd al-A'li b . W:iiil, 318-19, 322, 341, 343
Abd Allah b. 'Abbas, S9, 90, 92, 94, 99, 105,
t.~o. 183, 2 0 1, 202, 409
Abd AUi h b. 'Abd al-Salim, 182
Abd AIH,h b. Abi'I-Safar, 66
Abd Allah b . Abi Ziyad, 173,297,366
Abd Al\ih b. Al)mad b. Shabbuya, 71
Abd A\lih b. 'Amr, 268
/•bd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'Ah 433
Abd A\li h b . 'Ayyi sh, 313
Abd Allah b. Bukayr, 71
Abd Allah b. al-l:hhm, 172
-~bd Alla_h b. :1-1:arith b. Nawfal, 37s, 409
'Abd Al\~h b. l ~a b. Abi Layla, 2 5--,, 52
'Abd Al\~h b. Ja far al-Raqq'i, 150
bd Allah b. Kathir Ahli S,udayf al-Amuli,
,,,
~bd All~h b. Khalifa, 172- 3
'A.bd Allah b. M aymlln, 21
,Ab,J All~h b . MuQamnud b. <Aqll, 140
' A b<l Allah b . MO.s:i, 355
nb<l Alli h b . Sali m, 244
Abd Allah b . Sa.HQ, 74, 77, 167, 175, 176,
188, 201, 2o6, 237
Abd Allah b . Shaqiq, 150 • 155-6
Abd Alli h b . Sh:i.wdhab, 66
Ab<l Allah b. Ubayy, 463
,~bd Allah b. ' Umar al-Numayri, 289
bd Allah b. ' Uthmi n, St, 309
'Abd Alllh b. Yazid b. Adam, 243
'Abd Allah b. Yazid al-Awdi, 243- -4-
'Abd aVAziz b. 'Abd Allah al-Uwaysi, 366
'Abd al-'Azlz b. Mubammad al-Dariwardi,
43, 46
•Abd al-'Aziz b. ' Ubayd Allah, 382
'Abd al-Malik b. Maysara, 70, 314
'Abd al-Mu'min b. Khalid al-1:Ianatl, 256
'Abd al-Ral,im, 372
'Abd 21-Rabman b. 'Abd al-Q!ri', 20
'Abd 21-Rahmin b. Abi Bakra, 30, 36
'Abd al-R2Qmin b. 'Abis, 36
'Abd al-Ral,min b. Jubayr, 141
'Abd al-Rab,rnan b. Mahdi, 12, 36, 62,312,
313, 319,324,369,378,379, 380,387,
402, 403, 428, 429
•Abd al-Ra):i.min b. Mu}:iammad
al-Mu}:iaribi, 434, 449
,,...,,
•Abd al-Rab.man b. Zayd b. Aslam, 141, 143,
•Abd al-Razzaq al-San' ini, 128, 150, 156,
167,168,175, 183,186,202, 2o6, 221,
230, 232, 233, 239, 262. 263, 267, 269,
274. 278, 279, 291, 295, 305. 3o6--307,
310, 313, 334, 336, 342, 343, 352, 387
'Abd al-Samad, 266, 401, 426
'Abd al-Samad b. ' Abd al-W:irith, 21, 27, 171
'Abd al-Warith b. 'Abd al-Samad, 259
' Abd al-Warith b. Sa' id, 31,226,227, 398,
4'7
'Abda, 161
'Abda b. Sulaym:in, 18
'Abida al-Salm:ini, 66
Abraham, 26, 27, 30, 90,223,323,334
abrogation, 237,238; abrogated verse, 4:
abrogating verse, 4; ambiguous verses,
220, 221- 2: clear verses, 221- 2; The
Cow (2:284), 181, 183-92; Repentance
(9), 256---7; '(they} pursue th:1.1 which is
ambiguous of it', 229
543
 TABARi
INDEX
Ab!i~s b. Ah1H.1~. 404
Abt1'l-'Abb:is, 174, 182 ,282 Abu lshaq, II, i2, 23, 36, in- 3, 215, l 78 l (Adib. Zayd al-' lbadi. IH
Abo 'Abd .il-Ral)Tn:in al-Jubl ii.ni, 472 2?7, 298,308, ]24, 333,369 ' 79• ' Aflan and 1-:labban. 259 _
Ahli 'Ahd al-R al.1m:in a.1 -Madini, 17 5 AbUJa far, 11 8, 143 , , d \ ' Abd Allah b. Yunus. 26 5

~t:::d
151 156
Abu 'Abd al-R al:unan al- Muqri', 447 Abr1 J a' far al-Madani, AIJma d ~- ' Abd al•R aliitn al-Barqi, n 8
415
Abu 'Abd al-Ra~m:in al- Mur:idi, 472 AbUJl far al-~ri' , b: ' Abd al-Ral)m~n b. Wahb, 233
442
Abu 'Abd al-R al.iman al-Sulami , 62
Ahr, Al)mad al-Zubayri, 118, 140, 172, 400,
437
Abu Jah\ b. Hish a 01 , 8
Abu' l-Jiri ya al-'Abdi,
Abu Juh ayrn al-An$liri,
39
297
30
:t~~:d b·.
. db 'Abda,l-l),bb,, 43, 6s
l:15.zi~ a\.Ghifari. 31,118, t43, i 51,
. 156 ,244,3 12 -
Abu'l-Kanud, 472
Abu'l-Abwa~. 11 , 18- 19 , 329, 352,369.444 Ahmad b. Ibrahim al-Dawraq1, 4 2 4
AbiiVAliy;r,, J I, 38, 11 8, 141,318, 319, 322- 3, Abu Khalda , 31
A\1mad b. lsbaq, i72. 173 o
341, 343- 4, 377,381,383 Abu Khi lid al-Al.u nar. Ahmad b. Jshaq al-Ahwazi, i 18, 14
377
Abu 'Amr, 441,442 Abu Kuday 11a Yahya b. ;i.l-Muhallab, _ Ahmad b. Man~Ur , 21
427 329
Abu 'A$im al-N:ibi\ , 77 , 118. 166, 190, 2o6,
:i. u, 235,240, 255, 258~. 269, 273, Abu Ku rayb, Muhammad b. ;i.l-'Al.ii', i8, , A\)mad b. al~~~}:~ 1
; ~,'. ~~
19 t5S Ahmad b. a\ f ddal al-Kufi. 469-70, 474,
274-5 , 291,292 , ]05, ]12, ]25, ]J I, 333, u -30 passim, 33, 35--6, 52-3, 6o, ch, 63, Al~ad b. al-Mu a . .
70, 81, 90, 92, 94, 99, 105, 111, 117, 118,
.\:01S~hh Bidhan. 70
34 1,346,355,158,361, 366,378. 379.
\~U ~:ihh a.\-l~anafi , 265
380,387,389, 397,398 ,400,402,404, 122, 128, 129, 134, 140, 14-l,, 150,156, Ahm:~t Muhammad al-T~sl. 27 , 370
~~·:i Shuf1, :.71.
414,416,424,42 5. 426, 429, 431,4 38, 161, 171, 175, 181-2, 185 , 213- 14, 256, Ahmad b. al-Walid al-Ramh, I SO, 155
.\ ~ii Smin, qo, l19
441, 443, 450, 454, 461, 462, 469 263,266,271,274,279,294,314,368, al_;ruflbarf, seC' wordings
Abri' I- Aswad al-Du'ali, s1 .\~UT1l~a Zayd, 21
369,o, 372, 421, 434, 449, 452, 4S8
Abo.'l-Malih . 78, 79 A~U Tunuyb. 189, 191 , 391· 401 al-Abwa~. 152-3
Abu 'Aw:ina , 368
Abo'l-'Aww;i.m, 78 Abu Milik . 128. 141. 150, 156,221.228, 428
.\ bu Uh.yd, 39, 40, 41 - 2, 72 al-Ahwai b. l:lakim, 53 68 187 191,
.~bu Uba,·d al-Wanibi, 79 ' A'isha, wife of the Prophet, 65, • ,
Abri'l-Azliar Na1r b. 'Amr al-L.i.khmi, 105 Abu Ma' m ar , 31, 6o-1
Abr1'l-Bakluari, 140 Abu M a' shar, 268 Abu Uba)·da b. 'A.bd Allah b. Mas' Ud, 187 232-4, 239, 4 57 54 174
.\bii Ubavd::i Ma' mar b. a\.Muthan na, 62• al-' Alj:ij, 82, w--100, 118, 152, I • '
Abu Bakr b. 'Ayyid1 , 19, 63. 452-3 Abu Maysara, 11, 12
Abu Mijlaz, 408, 414 107..152,247,36<),444
Ab u Bak r al- l:lanafi, 70 al-A~l:;:~1. Sa' id b. Mas' ada, 218, 407

:t~:.\~1,-.~~
Abu Mu' ad h al-FaQI b. Khilid al-Marwazi, .\bU. Umi ma,243, 244
Abr1 Bakr al-Siddiq, 60- 1. 139, 141,1 54,4 57: .\ bu Unm a\-Bazzir, 141
~ r'au, writing of, 43- 4, 46, 47-8; 185-6, 189, 191,2 15,222,295,336, 35?, al-Rahman b. Ya' qUb, 161,
Abii U~lma. 25, 37 ,161, 233,314
Repent ance' (9:40), 258-tio 359,366,425,427, 428
Abu Wi' 1I Shaqiq b. Sa.lama, 36. 62- 3, t4o. 181,214
Abu Balj, 268 Abu Mu' adh al-Khuriis2ni , 472
Abu Mu' 2wiya , 36, 62,351, 358,372,458, 47'2
w 'a!am,seC'world
Abu Bishr. 79, 81, 463 Ablll-Wa\id,25
Abu Burda, 79. 452 AbU' l-Mughira a1-Qe_,vwis, 433 ' Ali b. Ahi ' Ali, 21-2 i6 , 175. 176, 188,
Abu Ya.½ya A' n.j, 358 'Ali b. Abi Talha, 74. 77. 7 2 26o 265,
Abu' I- D:irda', 243,244 Abu'I-Mukhtir al-Ta'i, 140
Abu.'1-Ya,nin al-Hawz:mi, 371 H)O, 201 , 2o6, 220. 228, 37, ' S,
Abu Musa al-Ash(ari, 11 ,171,452
Abu Oiiwud al-Tayilisi, 36, 10. 78, 312, 313 Abu Y;i.~ir b. Akh\ab, 229-30 269,317,320,321, 323, 332, 33~• 3/85.
Abu Dhur al-G hilari, 172, 421 Abu'l-NaQr, 441
Abu N aQra, 401 .l..bu Ynid al-Kharriz, 424 _ -'·J 337,338,341, 3S3, 363,365. 3:; 453 ,
Abn'I-Oul_1i (Mu slim b . Subay l.1), 70, 378, n.bu Zi'ida. Zabriyyi b. Ya\~y'i b. Abi Za 1 a, 391,416, 4-l-3, 426,427,437, 4 • .
380, 381 Abu Nahik al-Asadi, 239 ,so
Abu Fikhita. 227 AbU'l-Najm al-(ljli, 87, 152-3, Abu'l-Zmad, 59 ' Ali b~~bi Talib, 19, 62, 139, 140, 37S, 471
Abu i:l-af$ ' Umar b. Sa'id al-TanUkhi, 208
Abr1 1-latnmim al-Walid b. Shuji ' , 368
1t~-r~·~r;;n 3
~-~!k::·b~~~bd Allah
Abu Zuhayr, 166,167,172
Abu Zur' a Wahb Allah b. Rashid, 182
'Alib. ' A.~illl, 189 -
'Alt b. D5.wUd a\-Tamlnu, 269,i \1 3~3,
1 320 321,

Abu l:liiz11n, 17- 18, al-' ljli, 426 .• Ad, 223. 386, 39S, 417
373 323,332,334, 33S, 337, 33 '3 .. ; 427,
Abu l:l udhayfa, 170, 190, 22 2, 22 8 Abu Qe.bil l:luyayy b. H i m. 472 A(hm, 118, 203 , 229, 402, 428, 449-5o; 363,376,385,391,416,423, 4- •
Abu Q!_laba, 46--?, 52, 79
Abu l:ludhayfa Mu~a b. Mas' Ud, 235, 240, Children of A.dam, 346, 427, 450, 4 59; 4 37, 44--2, 453, 4S5
,,, Abo'I-Rabi" al-Sammin, 23 creation of, 3s7- 8; cxpcl\C'd from the 'Ali b . 1-:iakim al-Awdi, 71
Abu' l-Raddad al-Mi~ri. 182- 3 Ga.rdC'n, 450 ' Ali b. \-:larb al-Maw\ili, 214
Abo 1-l urayr:i., 18, 31 , 85, 161,169,18 1, 214,
37 2, 373- 4, 434- 5_ 449 Abu R afi ' , 373 -453, 4SS Adam al-'Asqa\5.ni, 141 ,212, 368 'Ali b. H i rUn, 207
Abu ' lmrin ;i.J-J:r.wni, 6 i Abu R aja', 87,320,324, 423 · ~:; , , 8, hdl111 b. Sulayman, 181- 2, 184,213, 214 'Ali b. al-\-:lasan , 118, 15?• t SS .. o 335
Abu hi b. 'Abd All;.h b. M ;i.s' Ud ,
117 11
Abu Rawq, 90, 9 2 , 94, 99, 105 • so 6, -4s8 'Mib. l:H.tim , 150,155 'Ali b. al-1-:lasan :i.l-Azd1, ~1\~; .
31 Il l, 128, 129, IJ.4., 1"-0• l-42, 1 • 15 Adib. al-R..iqi ' , 166 ' Ali b . :i.l•\:las:r.n al-Kharraz,

544 545

:Ali b. Mushir, i68
,Al~ b. Muslim al-Tusi, 171
Al'. b. Sahl, 233
1
Ali b. S.i id al- Kindi 36
'Ali b Za ·d 1 · ' S
,. , . . ) ' l, JO, ]6, 19 1 266
a mi. SCC' under know lcd
.ilms, 367 368 g
339, , 409,432; alms t axhakii1, 338
:Alcpma b. 'Ahada, i 16- 17
Alq~tna al-Nakh a' i, i.1 - 2
al-A mash, 19, 36-?, 62- 3, 70, I
372,421,426, 452, 472 7 . 265,358,
:ambiguous verses (m 11tashiibil1)
~2o-6; abrogated verses . 4 , 56, 59,
and othen (which arc) ~1:2~~221-:;
219-22, 233; are to be be\·
bm nm actc-d u ievc
'but only men ~n, 220,221,222;
tt'all y heed' . ~nderstanding
ini_crpretati~~~-6;3:! s~ceking _its
~smg the ambiguous ~~:::uung by
~~t:~rctation on ly knownsb~.3~-0~
ordcr: :1:; ~:~j,;
3
~c~; inverted w~rd
TABAR!
a
Siif
lNDEX
:Amr b. Kuhhum a
,Amr b. Ma' rGf l-T,ghlibi, 74 _ As:i.d b. Musa, 23, 191
,Amr b . Murra' Jt S
i-f•dm~Ulgc and tbe ~r'in, 6, 10-- 13 ,
wi:. ,. JS, 56. 64,158,302; \1j11z
1
Asbit', 77,141,150
Asha\ b. Na}r. 128, 156. 166, 167, 170, 171,
,Amr b. ~ s a•l-M •~~- ~ Hlwl zin, 50- 1; A.r:i.bic langu:i.ges,
Anu b. T,lt,. ub i, 6o, 309 176,187,201,202,203, 2o6, 209. 213,
'Amr b . Tha~-' 141, iso r-i•.~!. 56, 451: Khuza' a, 50--1; 221,228,229,234, 2]7, 244,248,470,
'Amr b ' Ub n, 271, 274 W,.gu1~c of Muhamm:i.d. 10. 34; the
~ 'in 11 the mo~t eloquent form of
474,475
'Amr b. ' ayd, 190 1
• . Uthman b 'Abd al-A' sh a, 242- 3
.~nb1c h ng1ugc. 148, 153; ~r'an,
'Amr 24~ . Allah b. Mawhab, a\-A' sha, of B:m\l Hamdan, 133, 177
,uycnority of speech. 10; ~r·anic
b. Uthman al ' lJ mtr1p1muon and knowledge of the
:i.\-A'shi, of Banii Th:i.' l:i.ba, 83-4
An,s b. ' lyir,l, 17- 18- thm:ini, 31 a\-A' sha Maymiin b. Q:ys. 166----7, 242
~1-in\ l1nguage, 58 , 59 , 72; ~raysh,
~nas b. Milik, 24- Ash' :i.th b. 1shiq, 63
ti;-1, IC,·cn wordings as seven
Anbasa b. Satid, 11 \;\;~~ 317, 36s~, 401
)7l, 397, 402 40 '
4
'
1 2
' 35 , 3S9, 361
lmgu1go, )2, H, 39-,p . 50--1. 54; sec
II~ .'mbK language
Ashhab, 240. 320
Ashj:i.' i, 370,425,441
duous. angel, S6, 119, 14-2: 168: :~• ;;:• 424 . ' A;im, 19, 25, 63, 79, 141, 335, 405
b ~u:hngu1ge, \inguistic/gnmm:i.tica\
448; :i.ngelic au ist:i.m ' _' 34$ , 447, ' A;im b. Abi'\-N:i.jfid, 368
(2:28s), 186, I ~ · ,36!, _TheCow 111uc1, n-4, 92- 4; Allah. tri\iteral
mb\ root, w- 100, 101; apodosis, ' A;im al-A\,.wa\, 408, 413-14
of Hellfire, 383; P;o:tu:i.r~1an Angel association (of :i.ny p:i.rtner with God/
,o;, ,18, 431; basmala, 93- 4, g6; the
;si, 3S3; Ql.!r'an, seve::::!:~:t'""9),
Beneficent, 1he Merciful , 101- 1 02, 1os;
shirk). 109, 204, 349, 358-9, 363,404,
6; recording angels 18 _ Re gs, 24, 468; 'And they h:i.vc taken (other)
9
(9:40), 26o; supplic,;io • ~nt:i.ncc
The Cm {1S·.6o-82). 270,273,292,
gods beside God ... •, 46o; forgiveness,
i<fr-7, 3o3-3o4, 305-306, 308- 309;
;i.n g el of death will g:i.t~~rl;!,~,The
36o-1; Yi' Sin (36:.22- i) _'
G:i.briel· hri£'il· M · h 3 ,41s,see,lso
The Cow (2:28 5), 197--8 , 199; Divine
httribute~. iog;e\iding, 114-15, 153-4,
473; 'O My serv:i.nts whose excesses
h:i.ve gone against themselves! ... ',

a::~
222-3; parables a~d ~::~:prctat~ons, 472; repudi:i.tion of, 351; Kt also idoV
22 anger : Divin~/hu I • IC acl . . l9i-S, 246, 248,250,318,338,393,
~to cause) dissension' • 0; seeking idohtty; polytheism
151; God's :i.ngcr dmmcrion, ,o7, 418; The Fa.mily of ' ltnnn ( 3:7),
\they! punuc th, t \~'~tc~ ~32, 234-8 ; astray, ::z.29; 'And h:i.d We willed, We verily
of those who:a:n1s1-2, 4-14; . ·,· .not ~ 7-i9.' 245--6, 247--9; instigation, 97;
~fit'. 228- 34; ' those 1 is ,mbiguous could have quenched their eyesight ... •,
111 knowled , we I-gro unded (not/gl1a ri I Your anger• 144-p. he Light l2s:35-42), 318, 326-8, 335,
earlier com~:~11 :!~c7\:~ '.
stories of
b from our Lord', 2. - 3_• the whole
,nimal
God's a: e~ 44-9; ~op\e who cam
g . 149-51' synt;i.x, 149)
ll7- 8, 340, 346-7; The Opening (1),
11( 12 5---'7, 132- 4, 143--9, 1s2-s. 157-8;
453-s. 457; 'But those in whose hearts
is zaygh', 227; Christi:i.ns, 155-8;
'Grievous to him is how you h:i.ve gone
. 34S, 3SS-6; c:i.mel, 4-29, 4S9; fish P uu\ form of sUra, 82-3; Prostration
! he F;i.inily of ' Im~~ (S'. s~e als~~y~ : 269-80, 282 , 286--9; 'H:i.ve they no; :i.stray', 263;Je~, 157; ' ... nor of those
(ll :i-3o), 349,356,358, 3S9, 364,
'A _mterpret;i.tion
' ~r b. Fuh,yra, 259
3-7) , ~ r amc ;en how We h:i.ve cre:i.ted for them of
rit:ra~:i"diwork the c:i.nle ... ', 459""00;
t"' 375, 384, 385--6, 390; reh.tionship
;,_~~en the name (ism) and the named,
who go astray', 152--g; people who :i.re
astr:i.y, tSS--'7; see also The Opening
,~mu , 1-Sha'bi, 185, 186 . aughter of, 95; transform:1.rion ' R.cpcm:mcc (9:38), 254; solecism, (1);p>th
' mrn:ir, 168, 172,176 18 _ mto monkeys and pi~. 207 , .w8 218,327; Yi' Sin (36:1-82), 393, 394-S al-Asw:i.d b. Sarl' , 112
,~mm~r al-Duhni , 17~. 3;; 20.'!. ~n~ar, see the Helpers 4ts8. 417 , 418, 419-20, 421,422,426, 4)~. 'Aia' , 62,427,428
mmar b . .r.1- H,~.r.n 6 Ant:i.r.a , 300--301 43 ' 442 • 443,444, 445--6, 449, 450--1, 'Ali' b. A.bi Rabal), 207
:Amr b . 'Abd , i- H .r.,;1ild 4 , 207, 240, 245
Amr b. Abi al-Am uli, 427, 441
Ant~christ (Dajjii{), 57- 8, 383
Anttoch. 4o3-404, 408, 414-16; sec :i.lso Ya'
~se:i:::, 466; su also ~r'in, rhetorical
'Ata' b. Oinir, 118
'A\i' :i.1-Khurasani, 1os-1o6
:Amr b . Abi Sab,~?· 371 Sin (SU.rat Ya' Sin, 36:12-:21) 'Aia' b. al-Si'ib. 118,184,212.214, 319
Anb1c letter, so; ba'' 98--9; ba.1mola,
,~mrb. 'Ali, 308 , 71, 472 apost:i.sy, 4 8 98--g; dura.tion of the 'Prophet :md his 'Ali' b. Y:i.sir, 37S, 469
'Awfb. AbiJamib, 52, So, 109-10, 3::z.()--30,
'Anub. 'Awn, 167 Arabic l:i.ngu:i.ge. 12-14; Ar.:ibic languages, c~mmunity, 224, 22.6, 229-30, 234,236;
i7-t8, 32, 33, 39-42, SO- I, S4, 56, )04, 1111_' 9S"":9; mim, 98--9; sU ras beginning 337,373,378,433
' mrb. Din:ir,3 1 100 i al-'Awfi, ' A\iyya b. Sa' d, 74, 98. 101, 103, 167,
Amr b. Hammad ' 79, 294, 302, 336, 387 4 37; Arabo-Persian, 13; Ethiopic- Wllh dtKonnccted Anbic letters. 81,
16 17s, 188, 2.07, 221,245, ::z.68, 271, ::z.74,
176, 187,201: 2~2: 7, 170,171, Arabic, 13 ; voc:i.lization, s8, 247; 22 3, 224- s, 226,221, 229- 30, 236, 2
2-86, 291,294, 311,320,322, 32-3. 33 ,
' .22 1, 228 229 2 3,206, 209,213, sec :i.lso Arabic language and the 34& l~r'in , names of, 392; 'Yi' Sin', 2
341,343,366,376, 396-7, 423,425.4 6•
_Amr b. l:l am~ ad ~I 34,237,244,248 ~r'in ; Arabic langu:1.ge, linguistid 391 - 2)
427,429, 4SS, 463,468,473
Amr b. al- I-{ · . I -~nnad, !28 gr:i.mmatical issues; Arabic letter; il-'A,uml, MuQanunad b. ' Ub:i.yd Allah,
. arn l. S9, 2S9-6o :i.1-'Awfi, Mu\,.amm:i.d b. Sa' d b. Mul).ammad.
103,105
language ; poetry 74, 167,175,188,207, 220--1, 24S, 268,
~l-'J...l b. Wi'i\ a\-Sahmi, 463

547
 TABAR! INDEX
l 7 I, 274,286 290 l
difftcuhy', 294; ' and he repaired it',
Jl3,JJ2,J 41 ,343•3:•J ll ,J20, 321, battle of Bunayn 2 ;•: .QEi'in . ~urcri.ority to a\\ previo us 302- 303; Arabic language, linguistic/
' 415, 426, 42;, 42; '376,396,423, battle ofTa'if, 25, 55
Awwim , • 455, 463, 468 , 473
r,., b. 1w--6o ; 'We ga\'c Mose~ the
1 g rammatical issues. 292, 296--7,
220 b attle of Uhud 5
battle o f Ya.ma;n:63 ~,,\ ..' . .;~2- 3 303- 304 ; 'Did l not tell you that you
Awzii'i ,288
al-baya,,, see clear ·e:3 . :_;,-, .1.1,.Llqidi. 150. 156 , .oold not bear patiently with me?' ,
iiya, 21, 84 ; as narrative or stor 8
, , Mmlnt ii-Ti\ 107
o r sign, 2 1, 84, 216; see { 4 ; ,r,~ verse Bayan, 186 , , position 277,281,284,293, 2g6; 'Have you
189 200
verses: clc2r v . - a so :unb1g uous ;_.~ S• iJ. JO
;;;c1, mriJ beaut?'• I , 32.6, 327,356 m:ide a hole therein', 277, 279, 28 3.
'Anash b. Rabi':i., the most beautif~{S?; Di~ine Naxne, ::1.inum. 2s3.255 291 (imr/imrlln, 279, 292, 2g6); 'H ave
~ach reading is good~aines ' 109, 112 ; , you sh..i.n an innocent soul?', 278. 279,
~Ayyub, 37-8. 4~ . 66, 232- 3 i·2t \(lr.11\-An' i m ,6), 79
Zn , 377 Who made all thin nd be;i.utiful, 20 - 28l, 284, 294- 5; '1f I ask you after
B cr:ated', HS, 3S6 gs good which He.
-;.~ Mount ThJwr, cave at , 259; ' when
this ... You have received (suff1cient)
tbt twoof tht'm were in the cave . .. ',
:t!~lt :i.1-Mul,abb:u, 297 ees (Surat;al-Nabl
l jS-{()
excuse from me', 281,284, 296-8: 'If
- a iii, Mul,anmu d b. 'Amr, n ' belkvcr, 142- 3, 186. :~s~7, 28
:~D\t (S\lr.it il-Kahf. 18) : 'Your Lord is
you had wished, you could have taken
spend of what' W, h 409, 46g; 'and
;ss.
190, 2o6, 222, 228, 235 , 240 66, 175 , payment for it', 281,284,298, 303- 304;
o~ thern', 364 6: ave bestowed th(Forgim . Full of Mercy. If He took
zf>9, z11 - s. z91, 305,3 12. J;s ss . 'So they both journeyed on till, when
th(m tollsk .. .', 315- 16 ; sec also the
334,34 1,3 46,355,358 .33 . 333 , disbeliever di;t!ncti~~ ; bclie,•~r/ they came upon the folk ... ', 281,284.
as for those who bet· ' 174-.s; But cnmts hclow for The Cave
380,387,389, 397 398. 361, 366, 379. 298-9; 'So they both journeyed on
works, for them \vc and do good 1.: Cm(SUnt al-Kahf, t8 :oo- 3), 26-r-74•
413, 41 4,4 16, 4-.25 .. 426 . 400, 40 2,40 4, till, when they met a lad, h e slew him',
44 1, 443, 4 50,454 6, 429, 4] 1. 438, Retreat', . Tha~ t e Gardens of li~. ~iS--9. 280, 286--8, 289 ; 'and
375 277-8, 279, 294; 'Take me not to task
Bakr,6o 1.46g 196-7 ; forgi~enc:s o;W. (2 :28s), 186, he took its way into the waters as a
that I forgot', 277,279,281,284, 293- 4;
Go d conceals the sins :~:• 193-~ ;
nur.·cl', 273- 4; 'and it took its way
Ban~ Ghi fk 27- 8, 31 'This i.s .the parting between you and
193- 4, ., . he believer, into tht' watcn. burrowing', 27o- 2,
Ban u Q!}•s, 457 211 m e\ ... ', 278. 281, 284, 304; 'to drown
how you :u~2 ', gnevous to him is 2~2· 287; 'and none but Satan caused
Ban ii Salim a, 401 - 402 262 the folk upon it', 277, 279,281, 283- 4,
is a believer cc~, -~ • 26.s; 'Is he who ~eto forget', 273 , 280, 282- 3, 287;
Banu Sulaym , 2 1 287,191.292; 'Verily you have done a
evildoer'' q al to h im w ho is an And when they h ad gone further ..
Ban? Tamim , 31,305, 41 8 · • 374-5; T h e Light (2.S "JS) thing most horrid', 278,281,284, 294.
272, 282,288; Arabic language,
Baq1yya b. al-W:alid, 11 2, zo 319, 32.4 (believer's heart/breast ~19 • 296; 'Well, if you go with me now, ask
1,mguisiic/gn.mmatical is~ues, 270,273;
bannala (fo thr Na mt of God 7 r.2 ~ 123 • )24, ]l5--?; five ki nds'or ' me not concerning anything', 277,180,

t~rf~~·
MrrcifwQ. So, ' rhr Brnrfimrt, 1hr Did you sec, when we took refuge
82 8 ~g ts. 322); prayer, 364; ~ U[reaion on the rock., and l forgot the fish', 273,
283,287, 1()0-t, 293; ' who has slain no
ritual slaughter · 9l~ ; animal, ? •.45 2 ; 'The only (true) belic~rs .. .', man', 278, 279, 281, 184, 294, 295
0 280• 181, 287, 288, 289; buqub, 268-9; ' 1
lingu:i stic/granm1 lang uage, 16 3 • Whose bodies forsake their hem The C ave {Sflrat 2.l-Kahf, 18:79"""82), 285,
1 will not gi.vc up until l reach the poi.ni
Arah1c letters, 98 ~. b·'u-n · · 93- 4, 96; Bish/~ cr y~~ their.Lord', 364 304- 16; 'And as for the lad . . .', 30-r--

~J:;·
~~ere the two seas meet', 26-7- 8, 286;
bi 'smi'llah, 91; com1~1a~ a ' •. 9~--93, 95 ; t8~Mu adh al- Aqadi, 75, u 8, 17.S, 181, 308; 'And as for the wall .. .', 311; 'and
Tht fo_rgot their fah', 269-70, 287- 8 l did it not upon my own command',
alf~in with , 95; fo llow:dto lll1t1a~= a!l ' 196,201, 2.o8, 22 1,232,245 , 256, , (Surat al-Kahf, 18:64~), 274-go;
recnation. _
91
by ~ r am c : : 9, 263,264, 267,271, 27], 27.S, 276. l ll d liad taught him knowledge from
315; ' and l wished to damage i1',
fo 1hr Namr of~;\~~; Gab~el. 92, 94; 7,291,295, 296,299,305,307,3 10, 3o6-307; 'and ucarcr to mercy', 310-1 1;
~ ur prt~ence', 276,288 ; 'God willing,
of God, _ , _' ~· 9.S; mvocation 3~4 • 3is, 34S-s 1• 3.S.S, 357, 36o, 362, 'and their fachcr h ad been righ1com .. . •.
92 3 94 )OU shall fmd me patient', 190; 'How
precede~ its d~cri S, 96, the nam e 3 3-6, 368,373, 375-81 pa»im, 383-4, 314; 'and there was beneath ii a
un you bear patient\)• . . .', 290; ' May l
109; The Opcnin J>lo r and attribut e, 386 • 388 , 390, 392, 394, 397-400, 401- treasure belonging to them', 311 - 14

ih
remembr.uu.:e of
also Divine Nami:-~
~~'J· '
86~119-2 1;
92
3, 94- 5; sec
4o3, 4o6, 407-17 passim, 4-21- 31 J"'ffl"',
433, 436-9, 445, 4-49, 451-62,.urim,
y~u, to t~e end that you might
me , 289; So they retraced their
(buried property, 31r14; knowlcdgr,
311- 13; slate of gold. 312,313); Arabic
~tcp~ again', 27S, 180, 289 : 'Then 1hey
language, linguistidgramnutical issues,
~ran grammarian/ reciter I 46 .S , 466, 46g, 474 ouutl one of O ur servants' , 276; 'Thh
305-3o6, 308-309; 'As for 1hc ship .. ,·,
218,241 , 245-6 • 47- 8, 15 2, 154, Bishr b. al-Mufa<Ji;lal , 150, l.SS, 329 1~ that which we h ave b een seeking',
304-307; 'one better in puri1y', 309,
291)- 300, 308, ; ,:~\:so, 292, 294, 296, Bishr b. ' Um.ar, 6s 274~5 , 280, 289; °)'ou cannot bear
310; 'So we intended that their Lord
384,394,396 39 3 '327, 3H- s, 374, Bi shr b. ' Untara, 90, 92, 94, 99, IOS, 111 , 117, ~~ticm\y with me', 277. 279,281, 283,
should change him for 1hcm', 308- 309
ba 442: 44), 446·, 45~·. :~~· 418, 422- 3, 435 , I 18, 122 , 128, U.9, 134, 140, ~. ISO, I.S6
lheCa~·:s , :87, 289'"9() (exchange for a girl or another boy.
1 Book (s), 232 ; Books chat preceded the (Surat al-Kahf, 18:70-8), 2774• ); 'Such is 1he i.n1crpretaii~n oft.hat
b:,: jc~:;;nor a~pect ~r'i n, 53- 4 , 78~, 1sg--6o; The CoW 290-3o4 ; ' a wall upon 1he point of 309
5 which you could not bear paueni\y ,
(2:285), 186, 196-7; first revealed Book, ~:illtng into ruin' 281, 284 , 298- 303 ; - 6; '1herc was a king in fronl of
baule of Badr, 230, 232, 378, 379 315 1
52, 54; People of the Book, 155 , J08, and exh auSl me not in my affair with

54 8 S49
 TABAR!
\NDEX
th~m', 305 - 306; 'who is t:ik
_ship by brutal fo rce' m g every Muhanunad, 124. . belongs the sovereignty of the heavens
ccnainty, , 90, 194 'Jo6 200; ~r'in, scv • praise from G nl.thco.tth", 171 - 4, 176; 'Neither and the earth', 347; 'God is the Light
48- 50 en wordin od, ,l:oinmrn not s\ccp ovcrta\..cs Him'.
Children of hr;i.c\, 73, 124, 186 I of the heavens and the earth', 317- 18,
278---g, 280,282 283 86' 96, 198,2 19, compact, covenant . gs, 42- 3, ,~; 'the Li\"111g, the Smnincr',
We appoin ted him~ 2a • ~87, 382; 'and The Campa . ( (1sr), 206-208 6;~. 168: "There i~ no god s;wc Him',
320-1, 323, 324 (God is the manager

. ~ hildrcn of Israel', 8 gmdc fo r the 88 : sc~ :11::

;hilrat al-Zumar 39)
1
1
;,. 168; 'To Him bdongs a\\ that is in
of the heavens and the earth, 317-18);
'He is Knower of every creation' , 46s;
Chnman'.ty, 232; the Tn!/ l . The Companies e entry below• for The 1hc hr1vcn\ ind a\l that is on the earth', 'He is the All-knowing Creator', 466;
C hristians ry, 37, sec also t-9. ·while tl1 C)' cncomp:m nothing
C~~p.lnics (SGrat al-Zu 1 praise, 346 ; 'To God be\ongs all that is
Chris~;i.~s~ 47, 198,236; delegation fr 4 45: 'And foll h mar, 39:SJ-s) of H 1\ 'knowledge save wh at H e will', in the heavens and a\\ that is on earth',
aJr.n, 229, 250-1 2 . . om ;hich has been se:: c best of that ' 170""1: ·wnois he that intercedes with
iss- 8; ·o Lord h., 52, goin g :i.scn.y, 179""'80; sec also Ya' Sin (SUrat Ya' Sin,
rom your Lo d' own to }'Ou
compact 25 Yo~ d·~ ~ot on us such a
us!', 206-208· sc I I ;i;y on those before
Him ... •, 468~. ~;1_:; •~nd submit to
H m1 \11't b)' His \uvc', 16<J-70
ftl( (o\\ lSUn1 al-Baqan, 1:284), 179""9S ,
36,33-,0)
creation (process of): 'And have created for
punishment cornes4o S; before the 196: 1bt0g1tion. i81, 183-92; 'God is
clear exposition (ai-bac ; ,;o C hristianity them of the \ikc thereof whereon they
;'hen you arc unaWa n you suddenly, fQwr1fu\ over c,·cr)'thing', 195; 'He
16, 17, 42, 52, 56 y6 ). 6-10, 13, 15, ride', 428-9; 'But yes, for He is the
331: different lc~el:~?9•
223, 301,
before the punishm::' 469, 47S;
;1hen you cannot be h;to~cs to you,
Despair not of h ped • 474-5 ;
v.11\ forgive whom He wi\\ and punish
whom He wi\\' , 180, 182, 185, 188, 189,
AU-knowing Creator', 466; creation of
Adam/humanit)', 357-8, 463, 464-5;
fr,, 9: God's cxpositiocnxcc~lcncc, 190, 193-5; 'To God belongs al\ that is
46840, 472, 4731- c _'!'er( of God', the Creator/41-Khaliq, 108; 'Glory be
Muhammad, S; ~r'in • 9, Prophet rnthe heavens and a\\ that is on earth'
rnpcriority ofljadl al-ba·,t• IS9"-<>o;
alsospcech · > n,6,7;scc
Forgiving, the M:;ci!:i: Heh ~be
se~ants whose cxcessc • 474; 0 My
11<rSo; 'whether you make known •
to Him Who created a\\ the pairs .. .',
420; God created and apportioned
wh1t is in your hearts or hide it ... ' ,
everything in its form, 3s6; 'Have they
clear vcncs (muhkarn
228. 23S 2- / r· 9. S6. 216. 22Cr']
against themselvcsl' ;8~ve gone

p:~ :~';;
expansive and i 1· ..4 "'""'73 (the most
1So-g2
not seen how We have created for them
22 1- 2; ••re t; be4:~:c;:gating verses ,
39
. ~r'an, 471); verse of the
truly God fo . y . sm, 46840, 473;
Tht Cow lSUm a\-Baqar.i.. 2:285), 184, 186,
196- 200 ; A.rabic l:mguage, linguistic/
of Our handiwork the cattle', 459;
'He is Knower of every creation', 465;
~.iwless, 216,223; o nl . :an, 221.' 22; 468 rgtves sms a1togcther' gr.imnuti.ca\ issues, 197-8, 199 ; 'The
in six days, 350, 3s2; ~Ur, 434; sec also
m1erprct.ition, 222- ) n<' poss~bl<"
;~ni.cnt
70
yo~/~• ; • 472 • 473, 474; 'Turn ; 0 Mmengcr bc\ic,·es in that which has
Prostration (Sllrat al-Sajda, 32:1-9); Ya'
who!<" is from o ur ~-r~:4, 226 ; the down .. .', 196,212,213,214;
2 Companions ~f :~;tan~ .. ', 468-9, 474 Sin (SUrat Y.a' S'in, 36:77-82)
also Oya· Th<' F . • « -5; se<' C)' uy • We hear and we obey_ Grant
1 151,172, 182, 18 ~p ct, 86, 128, 141,
~r';ini~ intC'r;;:1t1 Y.of ' lmrin (3:7): ui Your forgive ness .. .', 198- 200, 212,
243- 4 2 3 4,196,221, 228, 231 , a\-Qah,l}ak b. Muzahim, 70, 90, 92, 94, 99,
cod<'x (mush~. 40, 45 4;t10~1 Yama~a5 7, ~65, 388-9, 472 ; battle of 214 ; 'W<" make no division between any
105. 111,117,118,122,128, 12.9. 134,140,
308: Abu Bakr ai-sid~i' 70,265, 307- of Hil Mcucngcrs, 197-8
~r'an, ;e4;c•nm;~;;i~ 333; pra)'tt, 365; 142,150,156,166,167,172,175,185,
C0plC'S of, 46 . lb q. ~• 46, -47-8 ; Tbc ~ow l'5Um :i.\-Baqara, 2:286), 2.oo-1s;
Allah ,
codic<'~
~b~~t~n~o~as Gd, 'Abd
of previous 67, 72-3
3
42, 48; ~r';inic intcr:;;t~ ~~~•
'
::=:•
'
Ame~/0min', 21s; 'And have mercy
186,189,190, 191, 2CYJ, 208,213, 21s.
221-2, 224,245,195,319, 3SI, 352, 3S9,
46 ~n ui • i n , 213- 1s; 'For it is what
writm~ of• 47, 48; SCC' also ~r';in, 366, 377, 387,425,427,428,458
conce:l~cnt: God conceals the sins of the 11 hai earned and :i.gainst it is what
Ot!_iiOI, sec Antichrist
:~kc_
e ievcr, i93-4, 211 ,452; 'whether you 11 hai acctuC"d', 181, 183, 184-'7, 191 ,
command (Divi n<" command QamQam b. Zur' a, 453
103- 104, II , ) , 33, 37, 38, 39, known what is in your beam or 194: 101 - 20 2; Gabrie\, 213,215; 'God
upon my o~· 131,475; and I did it not obhgatci no sou\ beyond its scope', Qamra. b. }:labib, 53
conve/si=~t. .. ', 179, t8o, 181, 190-1, 192,194 al-Dawraql, Ya' qub b. lbrihim, 37-8, 46-?,
fo r th<' str.i.i;~tco~taRcl', 315; ask ing Tb C to Islam, 24, ,i.8 , 263-4, 389,471 '. 81 • 18 3, 1844, 192, 200--201, 202, 214;
66, '79, 87, ISO, 1s6, 171, 185, 193, 220,
&umala, commt d ' 1_3~• 142 ; e 0":' (Surat al-Baqan, 2), 62- 3, 79, 214 ; O Lord, burden us not beyond what
2 2,320.336, 372,378,381,423,
beginning with discouncaed Arabic we have the strength to bead', 208- 10, 3
w i!h, 95 ; tC'com:c~:mm ate all affairs
211 · lt2- 14; ' O Lord, by not on us 4s2,463
~aying 'All pnisc be cd conunand, 57; letters, 227: see a1so the entries below
Dawud h. Abi Hind, 325
of t.he Worlds', 11, - \:ng\ to God, Lord for The Cow ~ th a compact a1 You did lay on those Day of Judgement, 358-9; Day of din/
11
obligatory comm.ind • 5, 126; sec also The ~ow (SUnt a1-Baqan., 2:2ss), 163-?8: !OfC' usr. 106-208, 212- 14; 'O Lord, Judgement, 127-8; God owns or
and He is not overwhelmed by ta. e ui not to task if we forget, or overs<'es the realization of the Day of
communit y (winrna), 3, 14 3 206 mm the mark\', 181, 182, 18 4, 2o2- 2os,
!~:p~:t':!1h:i4; du~;u io,n
3
!;~he preserving them both', 174-6; 'He is
the Lofty, the Tr<"mendous', 176--8 : 212- 15; 'Pardon us, forgive us' , 210-1 1,
ll 3- lS; 'You are our Protector, so a.id
Judgement, 12-4; 'King of the D:i.y of
Judgement', 120, 121-8, lS9, 161,162
(dis:i.grccment over the redt:i.ti.on of,
229-30, 234, 2~:c:nu_n unity, 224 ,226, 'He knows that which is before them
the community ~/tteGPodrop(havoured
et
and that which is behind them', 170 :
'His Knowledge emb~ces the heavens
ui against th<" disbc\ievcrs', 212-is; sec
C,u;il:o forgctfulnen; forgive ncss; sin
121; 'King of the D:i.y of Judgem<"nt'/
maliki yawmi 'l-din, 121-3, 126; 'Master
n,i,117,177,251,345; AndtoGod
0

L 550 15 1
 TABAR!
- INDEX
of thC' Day of Jud '
yawmi'J-d· gcmcnt lmii/iki
162): see a•~:~•;~cl~-3. _124, 125--,, Divine N ames, 91 • 105
422, Allah • 159; the All-kno . tf~ b a\-$lbhih. 427, 428
faz;i.ri, 79
the forbidden, 61, 62,212,475; see also
Da~ of RC"ckoning. 128 J~ mng (1) 1diihi
11
'99-101, 11 5 (g . wu1g, -: ,,. The Ligl1t tins. 40), 322, 324,
prohibition
dcme, 190, 194, 195. 202 its d:;~ 99. 108- 109; the n:i.,,:tliness/ 1

376, 44 S , 300,343, ]7o, 374. ,lj forgetfulne ss, 294; forgetting/11isyii11, 203;
triliteral ~:;~a~nd attribute, 108~:~des .~'.\.- J.!,j,i4, 77,2.!.2, l 23,23 1,23S,24 1,
incapacity to remember, 203,204; ' Lo!
dhikr, sec rem embrance Beneficent/ the ~;~99-i~. 101); the -
1
,1. Ptople or falsehood. 385 We forget you', 362, 363; missing/
Dhu' I-Rumma. 85-6 298 103-107; the Bcncficeful distinction, ~., f mh or ltnri n (Si:irat Al-' lmr:in ,
1 1 neglecting an obligation, 203- 204;
d~,1 , SC'c Day of Judgc;nt" n; 301' 444 101 - 10, 119-21' 161' 16:tlal-~bnuin , !I.; ,bc-gmni11g with disconnected
Moses, 277,279,281,284, 293- 4;
dubclief (kujr), 103, 194,203, 20 ' gr.unmatic.al issues, tot ~ (ltnguink/ .i,,r;b1clem rs, 217; fo rgiveness, 468 ; see
'O Lord, t ake us not to task if we
for thost' who dhbclieve s,. 349: As Creatorlal-Kha/i lo8· 102 , 105); the ~10 tht ennits below fo r The Family
quar.rd ling over the wordi·,; 339-41; al-Mda;?,nn, 17{ the fthe _E~:alted/ cf \mr:in
forget ... •, 181,182,184, 202- 205, 212-
15; 'Take me not to task that I forgot',
~r i n is disbelief 18 gs of the
di sbeliever (kafir), 3, 193:
as for the lad . __ •,
i;t• :8,- 4: And
_ ~::,
S~
Ghafi4r, 474 ; In the Nc1:rg1v111g/a/-
11 5; mvocation of of_God, 91 -6,
!rt h mih of lmrin (SUrat A\.'1mr:in,
Fi), ;16-46; 'and others (which :arc)
277 ,279,281,284, 293- 4
forgiveness, 193- 4, 195, 199; association,
307 Day of Judg('mcn~t1~~=-; _King ~f the i.mbiguous'. 219-n, 233; Arabic
tl1ose who do evil h • And as for 473; God conceals the sins of the
al-l;layy, 164-5 , 168 ; the 2, the Ll~ing/ lmiu2gc , l1nguisticlgrammatica\
Fire . . ' .. . t cir tl"t reat is ihc believer, 193-4, 211; 'He will forgive
1764: Lord/Rabb
IIJ-t'/\~~~· 1;
· · 376, and that ch d Lofty/af-'1/in, mun. 2n-19, 245-6: 'but only men
2 whom H e will and punish whom He
fu lfilled against the di sh.;. wor 'may be of undm u nding really h eed', 246;
t ~he Worlds', 5 'Lord of

~;;:c,
'As fo r those who J· b ieve rs, 458-g: wiH', 180,182,185,188 , 189, H)O, 193- 5;
M:iuer of the Day of u/• 120, 1.22-s: 'But those in whose hearts is doubt',
deeds are ;u a mirag~•- their 'O Lord, forgive us for our sins and
122-3; the M crciful/alRat~ment , 121, 227-S, 230- 1, 232; 'by seeking its
wasted efforts, make our foothold
342: bclievcr/disbdiev J -4~, 341 , 119-21, 161 ,162,354 - ""· 101- 10,

_;~~c:~::;
intnprmtion·, 236-8; 'He it is Who
374-5 ; 'C ould ' er minction. (ling uistic/ ram : 393.' 448, 474 sure', 469; 'O Lord , take us not to task
h211ent down to you the Book',
g~il ty . . .', 361 w h en the Mighty/af-t - mauc:i.l issues, 102) ; the if we forget, or miss the mark!', 181,
116, n C>-- 1. 233-4; 'None knows its
disbdiever's h e:i.n • 3+2- 4; 422; the mostzi:,:, 25.c;;-)1, 261 , 354, 393, 182, 184, 202-205, 212- 15; 'Pardon us,
interpm:n ion s:l,·e God', 234,236,
of d:i.r\:.n ; 342- 3; five t ypes 112 ; n:im es cxd a~t1 u N :ames, 109, forgive us', 210-11, 213-15; pardoning
2 l7, 238-41, 245; 'seeking (to cause)
1 p uuvc to God, ioS-10· minor sins in exchange for avoidance
with th(' ;:~• :,~~ will ~II Ge hen na dn1tm\on·. 230,23 2, 234-6; 'the
11 ~;_tector!Mawlii, 212; the S:afe/a/- ' of m :ajor sins, 192, 194; 'To him bear
3~2: 'h he who is :i. ~:;:::~ ;ogetl1('r', whole ts from our Lord', 238, 239-4 1,
165:· ~;~.the Sustainer/a/-~,,., tidings of forgiveness and a rich
him w ho is :i.n ('vildoer~· qu:i.l. to 244--6(the wholc/kul!, 245-6); 'they
• , the Tremcndous/a/-a;j,n reward', 399-400; 'truly God forgives
~e sh all requit e th e gu;l~?:~:~ 2~! : : 6'. ~7:S: t~e Wisclaf-1:{akim, 25
1'. Ya Sin • 39 1 ; sec :ilso Divine
0--/, m the Mother of the Book', 216-27,
233-4; '\they\ pursue that which is
sins altogether', 468,469,470,472,473,
:i.y,_but the y lite d isbe lieve . , 474; 'Would that my people knew That
meeung with their Lord' rs i_n th(' Attnbutcs; God •mbiguousof it', 228- 34; ' they say,
my Lord h:as forgiven me ... ' , 413; sec
keep yourselves a a ' 36o; Now doubt, 4, 13.' 188, 190, 194, 195 ,235 , 327; 'Bur We believe in it', 239""",p, 243-4; 'those
this da •!' . P· rt, 0 you guilt y. ~-ell-grounded in knowledge', 238- 44; also sin
'Tl . ) '449, Resurrection D those m whose hc:ans is do ubt' 227- 8
Four Righteous C:aliphs, 13()-40
m day We su l I . ay, 452; :3 0-, • 2 12 ; ~r'an, seven ,1,·ordings, ' wherein are clear signs', 116, 220-1,
22 7, 233- 4; see also ambiguous verses; al-Futat b. al-Sa'ib, 141
451- 3; 'Yo u are o:;,:r~et1;c1t1:ouths._..', 4• 26 • 2 7, 29-30, 33, 40, 49; 'suiting

.~:s de:irverses al-Furq:in (SUrat al-Furqin, 25), 20

us ag:iitm the disbehev • r, ~o a,d (to c:iuse) dissension', 235
:ilso The Light (SUrat ._212- 15; see The hmily of ' lmri n (S\Jrat Al-' lnui.n ,
Gabriel, 200, 203; basmala, 92, 94; The Cow
duobcdiencc, 103- 10 Nur, 24:39-40) eating, 95, 459, 46o ): 18),_2~r52; Ar..bic language.
(2:286),2t3,21s;fiutsUrarevealed
disobediencc 4,149, 161, 186, Jg(i, 408; the Em..igr.mts, 45 , 230-1 ~mgum,c/grammatical issues, 247"""9;
82 by, 90; 'I seek protection in God
Gehenna wit l:~ t~~ms. 3 : 'I will fill God te~tiftes that there is no god save
En_tigration to Medina, 468, 47Q-1 from the accursed Satan', 90, 92, 94:
togc1hcr' . e J.lnn and humanity Him. is do the angels and the men of
evil deed, 19 1 • 195, 201- 202, 372,452; 'Aod The Opening (1), 117,129 ('All praise
'whetl1cr·::~•:;1stment , 363: ~nowledge', 247-9, 250, 251 - 2; 'There
who docs gre:itcr wrong th an he who is belongs to God', 111 -12, IIS, 126;
u no ~od ~ve Him, the Mighty, the
.. your hearts or hid: it no;"'n w hat is in reminded of the revcl:itions .. .', 381: 'As 'Guide us on the straight path', 134 ,
W1\e. 250- 1; 'upholdingjustice'.
Divine Aunburei, 95, 112 ·; · , 180, ,'90· 1~1 for those who disbelieve. their deeds 2 49-50, 252
140): Prophet Mu\,:unmad. 65, go:
languagc, lingumici 51, 159: Ar.,b1c are as a mirage', B !r40, 341,342; 'So ~r'in, rcvdation of, 22; °-!:!r'in,
~+ •uzd.iq b. Ghilib, 116, 144,268
109 ; God \ an ('t ' lgr..mm:it~c:il issucs, taste (t he evi l of your deeds) ... •. 36:2 i rqad, 317 seven wordings, 22- 3, 24 , 25. 27- 8. 30.
2 31-2, 36, 38; ~r'inic interpretation,
109, 26s; One~e;s - : Gods m e rcy, expiatio n, 191- 2, 20'] ~l-hni', Ya.\,yi b. Ziyid, 153- 4, 293, 300-
]30, J3 1, 411 , ' ' ,194, 19 5,249, 26o, cx pl:in:ition (tafiir), 24-2; sec also Q!!r'inic 65, 67: Truthful Spirit, 372: 'You alone
4 4 ?
N;uncs; GoJ · God. · see al.so Divine
' s kno wledge
comme nt:ir y
301 , )!19, 41 7
fam ng, 204, 205, 367, 368 wc worship'. 129
ex terior :aspect (10hr), 19 Garden, 371, 373- 4; 'But as for those who
hnaQb. Mu\r;r,mm:iJ al-Raqqi. 2_.3

552 55)
 TABAR!
INDEX
believe 2nd do good works. for them
arc the Gardens of R.ctrc:u', 375; gates
_ . h ai-A.\ ,.•ar, 140 _
good deed, 372-3; inca~blc of a\-}:lant h-lid a\- M akhzllnu. 94
of, 372; greatest tc\\<ard for the Pt"oplc performing any good act, 397 ; 'No sou]
r..~v.,frof th( Prophet , 44 , 46. 47 a\- H i rith b. K. a - ·b- 365
of the Garden, 370-1; ' Hi s Throne was a\-Harith b . Wajih al-Rast I,
~no"-"' W~t is kept hidden for them of '~. t:.6J IQ 1l8, 141 , 14 3, 151, 156, 170,
upon the wate r', 371; 'It was said (to JOY; as a re~d for what they Used to ~):i: \•,:). I . I 202,207, 208, 228, 235,
Ha~ma\a, 441 8
him), Enter the Garden', 412- 13; lcvch H i rlln b tAntan, 276-7
do• 369---7~; reward, 339, 36()-,4, 37S, 1½. l:7, 1;)~.168 . 169, 270,271,27 4,
of, 371 ; lowest reward for the People 376, 4-40; nghtcous deed, , ; 'So b ' A.nfa. 18,381
347 361 ;u. , SI• 2 7 302. 30s. 301. 3og- al-Hasan sh b , 169 , 270, 273, 275,
of th(' Garden, 370-1; ' No soul knows
what i~ kept hidden for t hem of joy .. .',
371; People of the G2rden, 370-1, 443,
that God may tecornpcnse thcrn for the
best of what they did ... ',
339
goodness, 128, 131,174,461; closer in
!
:·1. 291, 29s, 9 ·2 324.319,333.334.
I~. 3u. J18. 31~, ~~5. 363, 365. 472
-£\.)U.346, lS •
al -Hasan b al-A ya15 331 JJ3, 334,341.
291 , JOS, Jlls.\ ;, ;, ]66, 379,380 ,
5 36
•.H;11iJ b. ,.\.Minh"il. 289 346,355, 35 8 400,401 , 404. 413.
445, 447- 8; the ~r'an cam e down goodness, 310; gates of, 367-8; reward

\s~.
for, 36o 387, 389, 397, 3:6· 429, 431 , 438. 439,
from seven gates of the Gndcn, 16, ~ ,iJ b-~lu~amnud. 297 6 68
]3. 52-0; rcw.nd, 370- 1; ' Trul y the gratitude, 113 , 322; all gntitudc belongs to ~;l,m. n ·S, 170,293.313, 327, 3 414,416, 42 s~ 461 , 462,469
M\lhm b. Ab"in, 168-9, 37 441,443, 4S_ • iocr to, 112 , 141 , 167,
comp2nions of the Garden thh <by God, 111 , 112; 'Little thanks do you
i H;bmb. B1shir. 6o al-Hasan al-Bal n , 87, 257 295, 312,320,
arc happily employed', 440-3 ; sec also give!', 358; 'Will they not, then, give
172, 175, 186, 190, ' 336, 359, 366, 373,
Pan.disc
Gchcnna, 305,449, 463, 464 ; first gate of
t hanks?', 420, 46o
guidancc(hidiiya), 134 , 137,277; 'And if We
l,Hihmb. Unuyr. n 2
i'. -H1hmb. Uta)•ba,27, 31,281,3 '
02 307
' 324, 31g-30, 333. 33\
.µ3, 4-27, .µ 8,

Hellfire, 451; ' I will fill Gchcnn2 with
the jinn and humaniti· together', 362;
'This is Gehenna which you were
promised', «9, 451; sec 2lso H ellfire
generosity (karOma), 339,413
Ghi~rif, 372
Ghund:i.r, H3, 429
God, 1; God's Essence, 151-2 ; nc:i.rncss to,
54, 192-3; nothing .at .all resembles
God, 11 7; sec .also Divine Attributes;
Divine N:i.mcs; God's knowledge;
invocation; rcmcmbnn ce
God's k nowlt'dgc, 170--4, 278, 280--1, 331,
ambiguous verses, intcrprct:i.tion
o nly known by God, 224-6, 234,
237, 238-9; '.and God h Aw.arc of
wh:i.t 1ht'y do', 347; ' His Knowledge
cmbnces the he:i.vcns .and the c:i.nh',
171 - 4; imcrprct:i.tio n only known
by, 57-8 , 59, 67, 71; kursi .as God's
knowledge, 171, 173- 4 ; ' None knows
iu intcrprct.ation ~vc God', 234, 236,
237 , 238- 41, 245; 'Of e.ach H e knows
his pr.ayer .and its pnise', 345--'7; 'Such
h the Knower of the invisible .and the
vi\ibl, .. .', 354; sec .also knowlcdgt'
good deed, 32, 33, 52, 71, 130, 188, 193 , 194,
195, 201- 202. 422 , «o. 452, 472- 3; 'A
welcome (1n rcw.ud) fo r wlut they
used to do', 376; 'But as fo r those who
btiicve and do good works, for them arc
the Gardens of R.ctre,11', 375 ; co ncealed
had so willed, We could have given ;()8, 409 ]77, 380. 391; : ;.~05;, 455
every soul its guidance .. .', 362; 'and H.hm b Zuha) r, 263 429, 438, , b Na.daba, 312
al-Ha.san b Habib
We .appointed (Moses) as a guide for lhl.hm b Sa\m, n, 37,66, 77, 79,332, 333 '
a\-Hasa.n b. ~ah\:i, 140 -
the Children of Israel', 383; "and who 351, )Sl , 359,361,397,402,404,413.
a.l-Ha.san b. <ut»:yd Allah, 6o
arc rightly guided', 410; guidance and ~u.424
granting success, 134-s, 136, 139, 146; ~.i.,mud Abu $i\i~. 299 a.1-i:bsan al-'Un~i, ;~; 150, 156, 167, 168 ,
guidance to the straight path, 142; H.mmid b. t>.\as' ada, 1og-10 6 l o, 155 , a.l-l:lasan b. Yal;iya, o2 • 2o6, 221,230,233.
'Guide us o n the straight path', 134-41 H.rnmid b. Salam.a, 12, 25, 3o, 3 ' 5 175,183, 186, 2 274 278,179,291 ,
('Bring us along the p.ath to the Garden 191,133,234,368, 373 239,262, 267o6-, 2 o;, 310: 313,334.336,
2.() 5 , ]OS, J 3
in the Hereafter', 136--7, 142; ' Guide Hwunid b. a\-Wa\id a\-Thaqafi, 312
us' .as 'Iocrease us in guidance', 135--6): Hmunid b. Zayd, 65
a.1-H;s~: t~uray.q a.\-Tuhawi, 441
'hit not a guid:i.nce for them', 385-<i; Hunn b. A.bi'\-Mughira, 141
Hi~him b. a.\-Q!_s1m, 14_1' 3:
The Light (2s). 317, 318, 320, 34S. ('G~ Hi..-nu al-Za)')'it, 140, 297
Hatim b. Bakr ~-~ab:1, 4
g uides to His light w hom He will ... ' H•nnid. 329,444
~\-Haytha.m b . Ach, 5
JJI); •o m y people, follow tbosc who Hi.nn"ida\-S;irl, 3S2
Haywa. b. Shuray\:i, 52, 182- 3
h:i.ve been sent!', 4-10; 'perhaps they , lhnn"i1". hint Ma\ik a\-Shaybini.yya, 31 2
t:1-mmi b. ' Urnira, 329 i:hyy b. Akh\a.b, 2;~~cvcr's heart/breast,
may be guided', 349; ~ r'an as God 5
heart, 2.43, 244, 35 • 25-7; corruption of,
guidance, 4, 12; ' We appointed fron,t t:1-,1b b. Abi Th"ibit , 21 . haust me not
hard~h1p. burden, 345; and ex , ., 319,322, 3~3, 32~,~e:i.rt, 342-3; Prophet
among tbcm leaders who guided ... •
in my affair with difficulty• 294• 0 179; disbelievers . sc:i.lcd heart,
383-4; se-e also The Opening (1); p;ith Mul;iammad's heart, 321,
Lord burd,n us not beyond what we
ha\"C' 'the mcngth to bear\'• 208- IO, )99 _ ,1-A'.rif, 7), 79
Habban b. Hila.I, 61,259
211, 212-14; ·o lord, \ay_n~: o:nu:hosc The Hcights(Surat 229 341 , 343,376,
Habib b. Abi Thabit, 368 19
\Ucha compact as You dtdl _Y'Pardon Hellfire, 35, 6o, 137 • \ . G~ardian Angel
H.abib b . Muri, 4o8-to, 4n-i 5 68
441- 2, 463, 4 • 47 • \ f falsehood,
bcforC" usr ' 2()6-208, 212- 4, . .
H abib b . Z:i.yd b. 'A,inl, 409 of Hellfire, 383; P~i e : ,448,
us, forgive us', ~11; r::a~;,;: 1 447
iuuJJ, see limit . . murllll
without hardshtp, ~1 • . :rney', 385; Pco~::~\~cGc~:nna •
badirh: lµadit.h t rans~~ e~:: iotcrprctation, fou nd fat\guc in this, our J0 272
the i-::\~~~(A.n\ir), 45-6, 230-1. 265,
narr-anon, S2' ur smission. 1.l-H"irith b Abi Usima, 269, 270• 173 ' 275 '
71 : sound/corrupt tran . 291, 3~5, 312, 325,331. 333 , 334, 400--401 122 12], 124. 136,151.170,
distinction of, 68 346,35 5,358,359,361,366,379,341; Hereafter, 55, ' , , Jt6, 375, 376·
199 219
H.af,, 319. 321 1
80, 193, 194, h Beneficent , the
387,389, 397,398 , 4oo, 40:: :;:: 439:
l~af~ b . Ghiyith, 6o, 365 414,416,415, 426,429,43 380, 399,461; t c . 'Take )"OU pleasure
Merciful , 103,104,
ij2 f$ b. f-:lumayd, 441 441, 4-43 , 450,454,461.462, 469

5S5
554
 TABARi INDEX

in th~ life of ihc icmporal world r:u hcr 170,20 1, 202.207. 208 , :128, 235 ,244.
d1 an 111 thC' HcrcafiC'r , 309-10, 312. 318,319,323 2 lbn Abi Mubyka. 66. 70. 98. 101. 103, 232. 25S , 159,268,269,270,271,274,275,
hcrC'tic (m ubra.d,j . 1, 3, 159~~: :~;~. al-Hu3s!~•n3~.I i~4, 3.46 • 3 4. 329. 33J. 133 . 234 . 239 291. 295. 302,305, ]07, ]()9-10, 312. 318 ,
SC'C' also mnovation ' lhn Abl Najil.1, 77, 166. 170. 175. 190, 2o6.
hiddya, SC'C' gu id:m cC' 222,295, 33;_;;2185-;s, 189. 191,215. 319, ]2]. 324,329.333. 334. 34 1 ,344,
1.U. 228 ,235,240,252.255, 259,269 ,
Hishi m b. al-'Ai, 471 al-1:fo say n b. al-Ha san: ~~9,1~6t,• 425, 4-27, 428 346,353,355,363,365
22 1, 245, 268, , ' 7, 175, l88 • .107,
no. 273,275 ,291.305. 3 12 ,325,33 1, Ibn Khidash, Mahmud, 140, 141
Hhl1:im b. t b kim, 20 271 2 m. 334. 341. 346, 3SS, 358. 359,361.
Hisham b. Sa' d, 21 - 2, 28 8 31I • 3.20, )22, )2), 3):4, 286,291,294, lbn Lahi' a, 118, 471
379. 380,387 , 389,392,397, 398.402,
376. 396, 423.425 42~ 341,343, ]66, Ibn Mas' Ud, 'Abd Allah. 18- 19, 20. 21, 31, JJ,
H~sh~m b. ' Urwa, 65. 23~~5: 404, 413- 14, 42 5. ,p6, 4-29. 431,438.441,
l-!1sham b. Yiisuf. 169 463,468,473 • '427,429, us. 36--40. 45 , 52- 3, 62, 68, 70, 79, 98, 101,
443. 450 , 4S4, 461, 469
Horn : blowi ng of, 57, 72, 433- 5, 436, 4 al- f:-lu~ ay n b . lbri him Is - 103, 128, 141 . 150, 156, 185,187,221.
lhn Ahi Shabib, May m lm, 368
:t,8· 440: R.c-~urrc-ction Day, 436, 433:; Husay n :i;l-Ju' fl. 140 hkab, 355 228. 142,248,250.307, 336, 369--70.

Sin. ;~:s4_!:;tc also Ya' Sin (SUrac Ya'

al - Hu sayn b. Mul,1 .immad al - ·•
al- Husayn b. Wi9id. 62. I -Dhm , 299
lhn Abi U sima. al -1:l:i.rith,
ll•n AbiUways,3 1
!hn Abi Za'i da, 175
384,413,414,420,438, 4,41. 470, 472- 3
lbn al-Mubarak, 333,387,401,452
Hud. ProphC't, 223 Hu shay m, 79, 167, 171 , 18~ •1~:• 18 Ibn al-Musayyab, Sa'id. 38, 39, 65, 66. 441
221 268 II ' ' 7,220, !bn Abi'I-Zin.ad. 239
Hi.id (SUrat H lid, 11 ). 223 _ Ibn al-Muthanni, Muhammad , 27-8, 36. 6o.
444: 463, 3 • 313, ]25, ]JO, 336,378, lbn Abjar. 370
Hudad b. Budad, 307 4 66, 70, 150, 155. 180,266,297, )12, JI],
al-Huray'a, 135,443 lbn Am ir. 335
}:ludaybip,23 1,232 325, ]29, 353, 364-5, 367-8 , 369,377,
lbn 'A\iyp, ' Abd al-l:laqq, 271,
al-H udhali, Abu Kabir, 126 l hypoc~isy/hy'.~crite, 188, 190, 194. 195, 391, 394, 401, 426. 4--28
lbn 'Awf al-Ti'i, Mu!Jantmad, 4 52
l:lu~hayfa b. al-Yamlin, 44 , ~/9 !a~l~~SBut those in whose he.ins is lbn Numay r, 25, 372
ibn 'Awn, 66, 185
~ud'.1d, SC'C' rulings lbn Salt, Muhammad, 329, 369, 427
lwjJa, scC' proof lbn al-Barqi, Al:imad b. 'Abd Allah, 23, 71,
Ibn Sha9iq, 'Abd Allih, 150, 155-6
hurnanit y, 356; C hildrC'n of Ad:un
459; CrC'ation of
35 8
• 346, 427,
6
lbn 'A!b.ls~ I I , 12, 22- 3, SI, 58--81 passim,
I •~ ,94, 100, IO'j, I I I - 29passim, 134,
"'
lhn lhshsh:ir , Mu\Jammad, 12, 24- 5, p.,
Ibn Shihiib al-Zuhri, 20, 22-3, 38-<;, 43- 4,
46, 47, 182-3, 20!, 202,259,271,275,
58--9, 6o, 62, 65, 70, 78, 79-80, 81,
' I will fi ll GdiC'~na : ici/c~;~ ~ 4- 'i: .;~ ;• 150-1.' 156,167,168, 171-6pa.mm, 288,289
1 109'-l0, 180,181,184, 19), 214, 23], Jll,
1
~~: ~ii_t}•'.togct hcr'. 362 ; 'Lc1;~:;r:tC' 41 0::,/':JSl,n,
212-Jj, 22.o-J' 228, 236-- 31 3,319. 324-5, 329-30, 336,337, 369,
lbn Sinin al-<l!zz2z, Mub,ammad. 118,424.
pr:r.yn ~ ; ~~nn and humans. n 8- 19. 348; 26r;8 ' ~ -5, 248, 256, 257, 2oo-6, 373, 377-Sopa.ssim. 387,392,403,408, 448
ssim pa;s1rn, 302, 305, 307. 3o8, 311-14 Ibn Sirin, Mub,ammad, 37-8, 66,299,445. 471
a;
l:lunuyd b. 'Abd I R I 413- 14, 428,429,433, 437-8, 445
l:fumayd al-A'r. a .un;in al- Ru 'isi, 140 pa66 ' 329, 332- 43 , 352-3, 355,358,363, lbn Dayan, 'Abd al-i:lamid, 25, 186. 189, 200 lhn Sulaym:i.n, al-Rabt , 23, 191
l::lumayd b.Hilil:
:/2- 4. 355
3 I• 371• ]72, 37(5-.,, ]78. 383,385,387,
!~1. 397, 398, 403-404, 407, 4o8, 410,
lhn Dukayn, al-FaQl. 240
lbn FuQayl, Mul;ianunad, 26, 33, 52, 180, 214,
lbn 'fawUs, 236. 239
Ibn ' Ulayya, r,s, 46--7, 66, 79, 87, 150, 156,
!:tuinayd b. Mas'ada al-Sa - • 412, 416. 423--9 pauim, 437,441 , 442, 185 , 190,193,320,324,401, 4--23-4, 445 ,
~umayd al-Tawil, 24- 5 nu, I.SO, l.S S 427- 8
:1"44· 453,455,463. 468--g, 473 ; ~r'i nic lbn a.1-l:lanafi yya, Mul:iammad, 141 452,453,455,471
. u1nayd b. Thawr al- HiJ-1- lb , lmcrprctation. 62- 3, 70 lbn ' Umar, 'Abd Allah. 21, 46, 182- 4, 192- 3,
1:iumaydi, 370 a 1. 86 lbn }:limyar, 79
n Abd al-A'li .il- ~an' i:nl, Mul:iammad. 29, 289,325,471,472
hu,nili iy, 122 , 205 lbn 1-:lumayd al-R5.zi, Mul)ammad, 11, 12,
thC'y :lrC' noc ~rr4;:;:;/
2 61
· 474: 'And
ibn •..Z~d 2~2, 259,264,401,441, «s !8, 19, 37, 39, 6o, 62 , 66, 77, 140. 151,
lhn ' U yayna, Sufyin, 23, 31. 47- 8, 100, 150,
a -}:Iak.am, Mul:iammad b. 'Abd 155,236,262,263,265,279,294, ]OS ,
1 s6. 170, 175,185 ,186.200, 222,227,
128"'"'9: 'You alon~ we· 3,63: l~w lmess. Allah, 234 • 239
22 8, 235, 237, 239, 240, 246, 252, 256, 313,314,370,387
alone we ask for hd , ~ ; rsh1p_: You
j, l bn Abi 'Adi, 24, 28, 36, 6o, So, i93, 365,373,
2.68. 27 1, 275,276,281,285,293,302,
lbn Wahb, 20-2, 25, 28, 30, 31. 38-<;, 47. 52,

:~:: ~t:
they arc rc-rninded h 8-si; when 4 ]3 59, 65, 85, 89,141,143,151. 156--7, 168,
0 3o7,3 13,3 15,319,321,332,333,35 1,
pro~trating , l en~, fall d own
172, 176, 183 , 186,198,202, 2C17, 2o8, 2u,
al -Hur.iqa,
161
"· • 363; wordnp, 129 D,hi'b, 85 )SI, 352,359,361,371,375, ]91, 397,
223, 227, 233. 239,259,267,269, 272,
!:t urrb. G.:}·~b. 1-1 ·
i l-1:fu~ayn b. 'Al· l }n .il-Faz:iri, 288 lb
11
A:~J a fa r, l64, 166, 168, 172, 176, 189-90,
2 2
· 07, 221 • 2 29,23 5,240,245
; Layla, 'Abd al- Ril,unin, 2.s--6. 27,
4o1 - 404 passim, 407- 14 passim, .µ4, 441.
469. 470,471
lbn al-J:lusayn b . Wa9id, 'Ali, 71
274. 313,320,324,329, 331 - 2, 333. 339,
34-2, 344, 353. 361, 366. 373. 3n,-80, 388,
::::~ usayn b. 'Al;·a~\ ud;r - 2 _--9. J I, 52 ,371,377 389, 398,400.402, 404, 42]-8. 434,436,
uuyn b. Diwod i. 441
I lbn Idris, 63, 70, 171 ,445
bu Ab, Layl.a, Mul:iammad b. 'Abd al- 439, 447-8 , 454,459, 469-70, 472, 474
143 , 151,1 56, 17~ ·: · 119,128, 141, lbn Isl:iaq, Mul:iammad, 70,161,222, 227-8.
Ral>m2n, 26-8, 52 !bn Waki" , Sufy:i.n, 100. 181 - 2, 186, 2o6, 213,
228,235, 2 ' ' · 202,207, 208 235,237,240.246, 252,271,275,281 ,
22 1,233 ,234. 244-5. 259,262,265,
l7 1, 274, l75: l~~• :59, 2()8, 26<}, 27~, :~:: ~t~.~aryam, 23, Jt8 2.85, 293,302,307,313,315 ,37 5, 403-
266. 351--6, 365,373, 378-<;, 381, 38rS,
· 95. 302, 305 , _ lbn Ab/•1_:ugl~it.11, ~amza, 141 404, 407, 408- 15 passim, 469 •.n1
307 387,400
uglura, Ja far, 12,171,173,320 lb njurayj, 100,119, 128,141,143.1 51. 156,

556 557
 TA BAR!
INDEX
lbn .il-W:lid, ;i,l-'Abbas, 66,273,288
lbn Y.inu.u, 63, 81 'ki b. ' Ub.i.yd, 424 the m en of know ledge', 247-9, 250,
will fill GC'hc nn.a with the jinn and
isbaq. 164, i66, 161, i12 8 251 -2; kno w ledge of the Unseen, 283,
;~suf al-Jubayri . ' Ub:iyd Alli h, 70 hununity to gc1 h cr', 362; 'Lord of the
i:d, i-41, 14 3, is ,. i 56, i 57, i68, , 72, I h- 221; 229, 2JS, 263, 3- 4, i89-9o, 207, 290; M oses, 276, 277- 8, 279-81, 282,
, _,q b. Abd All>h b A _s \\'orlds'.jinn and humans, 11 8- 19, 348
~ . 198,202,207,208 211 286,289; 'riisikhiin in knowledge'. 243;
ls!Jaq b. Abi hra'rl . b1 Talba, 21 Joihui (Yihha' , son ofNUn) • .267. 270. 272.
J~o. ;2:233,2:24, religious knowledge, 285,323; ' 1hosc

::~~q
227,267,269,272,274, 169
lsbaq al- Azraq , 70 ' ;78 , 288; immortalit y, 285
332,333,342,344,353,361 66. • well-grounded in knowledge',
388, 389, 398, 400 02 . 3 ' 379-80, b. Sh a hin , 325 jJJ.mm, 132 : sec also J ews
visible knowledge • .289; sec .i.ho God's
lb - h~ J6, 439, 459: :10: : ; :· 427- 8, 434. . .i.q b. Sul.i.y1n an 181 lunlJ1 b. Abt Unu.yya. 382
knowledge
ra im , 39 ,oo ::~a~L~· Su wayd . ;26, ; 22;4, 371 JunJuh,61 Kufan grammari.an/rcciter, 86, 148-9, 153,
Ihrihim b. ;i].'Ali' b. al- - Jundub b. 'Abd Allah, 66
197,241, 246, .250, 292 , 294, 295, 296,
l brihim :i.1-H aja ri, l;hl, ~ak, 98, 101, !OJ lsma' ;l •b'.6,~ ~! : 14~5, 428 1um1,65
19 299, JOO, 303, Jo6. 308- 309, )J.6, 355,
lb~h.:im b. Muhijir, 186, 2 hm~:il b. Abi Ka~m'!:~: al-Suddi. 128 iu111a (qis1),, 210, 322, 382 ; 'upholding
374,384.393, 395,396.397, 407,418,
Ibr.ahim al-Nakha'· 59 Ism, II b. Abi Khalid. 254 JU~llCC' , 249-50, 2 S2
8 423,435,442,443,445, 450-1, 456. 457
lbrihim b. Sa' id al~j}!h:~;
37 , 379 332,333, 4.29, 441 -'/, 33 . 52,150,155, Juwl~·bir, 166, 167, 172, 175, 181, 185, 189,

:~:7i~mt Yuid ;i)-Taymi.'44:t 471

Isma'1lb 'A - h
Ismi ' il ai-A:~~. ;:i8, 101. 103 , 382
191,207,208, 213.221 , 24 5,351,377,
387,427, 441
k11fr, sec disbelief
kursi: Footstool, 171-2; God's knowledge,
'·ih ;jo, 386,3 89, 404, 171, 173- 4; sec also The Cow (SUr.at .i.1-

s!::~;g:;~n ~bee
430/~r; ~.
of Him?,', 411a:
polytheism
' lkrima, 66, 77, 11 8, 168---g 175
;!?'
256-7, 285, J IJ - 14
HS, 378,391,394,
_42 4, 4--29, 441,44 5
hnr:m b. Bakk ar 1 _,
10
:lnrin b. Mili;i :J-Q_~a i , 5, 382
: : : ~:~: bb. al-!a_l;ll, 98 , 101 , 103 Baq:na, 2:255)
a1 · Mu s.i. al S dd- 2 Kl b .i.l-A\:ibir, 11.2, .282, 319-20, 321,403,
0 lsma' il b. Rafi' - u '· 3, 156
at1 o n;
4 407, 408,409,410,411, 41.2
Ism.a' il b ' Ul ' 34, 449 Labid b. R abt' a, ¢-8. 116, 1.26--7
8 I , · ay)'2, 232 Ka'b b. 'Amr, 51
language, 11-17, 301; Books that preceded
Ka b b. Ju•.i.y\, 127
' ' I 0- I , 186, _s m.a ii b. Y.i.}:iy.a, 98, 101, 103 the ~r'an, 53- 4; Ethiopic, 11, 12, 13,
333 , 3S2- 3,
, 400-401, 403,
;,o··-;t compact, covenant
Sra · • 434. 440
Ka b b. Lu'ayy, 51
Ka b b. Z uh.i.yr b. Abi Sulm21. 84
14, 15,391 ; God's message, 10; Greek.
14. 15, 16; Messengers, 10; Nabatcan,
Isri'il, u. 23- 4, 172- 3, i86, 352, 355 , 369, 378 Ka b.i.. 19 3
12, 15; Persian, 12, IJ, 14, 15, 16,267,
l:.iji r, sec disbeliever
268; '{Something] from every language

J;~~ t
22
lmri.n b. al-Mu' tamir '2.26, 7, 398,417 J ~b'.r, 77, 86, 186, 244 , 245 K:i.hm.i.s. 401
is found in the ~ r•an', 12, 15, 16 ; sec
~lllru al-~•s, 132 , 299 Kalbi , Mu\:i.i.mmad b . al-S.a'ib, 51, 59, 71
'A~ Allah, 140, i61--2, 224-5, 401 also Arabic langu.i.gc; ~r'in , seven
mh,ritanc, 22 · Nu}:i,62, 185 4--2 1 kar<ima, sec generosit y ; reward
4 wordings
~nnovation .' ;, ~~· 57, 220, 226 Kh.JQi ,. 274-3 15; argument over th, identity
23 3 Ji~ir b. Zayd. 372 ' Last Hour. S7, 71-2, 224,237,238,390,43 1,
ln!C"rccu ion, 411 ; , w ,::~: h o h,r,_iic Ja far, 63 of. 288--9 ; sec also The CavC'
433 , 435; Rising of the Last Hour. 124
With Him sa b _11, that intcrc,dcs J a:far b. Burqin, 424 Kh:i.lid .i.l-l-:{.i.dhdhi', 79,150, 156
al-LaJifft-a/.tkilm 5/,arii'i" al-Isliim, 86-7
:~tcrior aspc-ct (ba;,~). ;~H1$ lcavc', •69-,o J .a far b . Muhamm d I s-d· Kh:i.hd b. Khalid, 181

tcr~:-~::~ ~ta'u,f~,
invocation ( f in1crprc1:nion
24-i, 315; $C"C' also
J a' far b M
J .a' f:
h .i. a - a iq, 26.2, 263 , JU
. u. ammad .al-Zubayrf, 65, 6g
ar b. Sul.i.ym21 n, 183-4, 336
Khl\id b. Nizir, 234 , 239
Kh;i,lid b. Salanu, 51
l.i.w : crimin.i.l penalties, 2.26; leg.i.l
oblig.i.tions, 226; legal verse, 57, 67
Law of Islam (5hari'at a/-J,s/,hrt), 2J.
J .i.hmis, 236 Kh:i.lid .i.1-Wasill, 150, 156
9 - o Godltas,n1ya), 92-3 the lawful, 4, 23, 33-4, 55, -469;
Kh.i.l\id, J69
. 4 S, 96. 98 ; invokin G ' J .arir \ 'Abd al-l::lamid, 18, 37, 39, 6o, 62, 170, impcnniniblc ignor2ncc of, 59
int, rruption , _M' g od w itho ut Kh.i.llid b. Aslam. 17- 18
366 - I ;• 186, 200, 359, 378, 470 Layth, 37, 60, 65,141,351.359
rcrncinbrancc • C' .i.lso prayer ;
J ;mr b. Ariyy.a, 120 , 138--9 Kharija b. Zayd b. Thabit, 4 3-4
Layth b. Abi Sulaym. 79

is~
lr.i.q, 23 1 J ayslir, 295 Khirijh, 230-2, 23 6 Th, Light {S0rat al-N0r, .24), 62, 63; see.i.ho
b. lbrihim, J 12 Khaythanu, 43 8 the entries below for The Light
J ,sus, ~· 98 • IOI• JO], 198, 217, 229, 234, 250,
u b. M.i.ymUn, 77, 166 I Kh u$ayf, 3S5 , 356 The Light ($Or.at al-Nor. 24:35), 317- 3 ;
1
3 3· 403: descent of, 57, 71; Gospel of,
J.J.8, 235 ,240, 255 ~S, 190, 2o6, 222, Khuzaym.i. b. Thabit, 45, 46 Arabic language, linguistic/
274- s, 291, ]OS, 3'1 / j;•
26'), 273,
341,346,355,158 361 s. ]]I, HJ.
Jew~, 54 • 7 8""""9, 159; truthfulness, 7
.~•L19 8 , 22 4,226,230, 236,321, p3 ;
K.is:i.'i,2 4 8
Kit<i h al-qirli'iir (The Book of Cl!:!r' i n
grammatical issues, 31 8, 326-8:
o rd ' lay not on us su ch .a comp.act believer, 319, )24 (believer's he.i.rt!
387, 389, 397, )98: 400. 360, 379, 380, 15 You did lay o n those before us!',
Rc.i.dings), 121 bre.i.st, 319, 322, )23, )24, 325-7; five
414 , ·• 6,42.5,426 '402, 404,413, knowledge: 'ii /im, 62; 'and h ad iaught him kinds o f light , J.22); 'Burning from a
2o6- 2o 8 ; people w ho earn God 's .anger,
1,i b~~:. •:o, 454, 461·, :~:· 4,~'. 438, «1 , ··1, ~d i 50-- i, 156, 157; s,c also Judaism
knowledge from Our pre~cncc', 276,
288; 'but only men of understanding
blessed tree, an olive nci1hcr of thC' E.ist
'<.!!l.t.1, 19- 20 • ""'
!'. a , sec struggle really heed', .246; concealed
norof1he West', 321,322, 313- 4. Jl/
8: faith, 322,324; gl.i.u/zujiija, 321, J.l3,
Jlllll, 3- 4. 89, 11 7,225, 3-45, 4-47, 448; 'I knowledge. 289; 'God testifies ... and

558 559
 TABARi INDEX

~::\ 'G~ gui~c-s to .1-fo li ght w ho m
\1 ... ,33 1 : Godts thc- U ght of
:he !1c-avcns and ihc e;i nl,', 317- 18, 320-
can .sec: it', 34-4- s; ' Wh: tand h~ scarce
\, 3 J. P.4 (God Is the manager of the
11
~::~:~:: ; the eard1. 317- ,8) ; God's
The :ight (Si"irat al-Nu;\al~o ~isbcliever
· 3 7,3 18,320; lamp 32
t.21·~25, 327, 3.z8, 332; 'Ligh~ up~:23 ,
ig lt, 3H, 323,324,331; lumin ;m cc
;,:!h~;·}; ~;"isba1.t. 321. 323. 32s; ·
1
G od sleep?', 168-9; Egy pt, 286 ;
~o it and find s it nau ht' Mrdman rcctler, 197,292, 303, 308, fo rge tfulness, 277,279, .z81, 284, 293 - 4:
When he ho lds o ut 'fu
j ]40, 341 - 2; 3li, 354-5. 374,384 ,393,397.418, 422-
knowledge, 276, 277- 8, 27~8 1. 282.
~- 435, 44.z, 450, 456, 457; R ocks o f
286,289; N ight j o urney, 382- 3; prayer
d ue: ' 340, J4T - 2. s pays hun his ~\u;i', z5: sUra revealed in, 80. 375, 469
for . 298; reward, 370-1; rock where
mnn· (r.i/111111), 10.z , 107, 210; 'And h ave
Moses took refuge, 273; ' We gave
;;.d God.is Aw.ire of~~a/!h;4S/; mercy on m', 211, .z13- 15; the
M oses the Book: so be no t in doubt of
Y 8enrf1Ce nt /a/- Ral1miilr, 101 - 10, 119- 21,
m eeting h im', 282- 3; sec also The Cave
sove reignty of t h h e ongs the
cuth', 347 ; ' and t: ~;ve_ns and the
161,162,411 (li nguis1ic/gramma1 ica\
mosque, 19, 24, 25, 27,333, 400-40 1, 421,

niclw, 319, 321- 2

2
of die E :ISI 110 ; ~?;~:~3 ~: 'neithe r
est, 328-30;
Pro;i !
320-1. 323 : 1 1 ~~~:a\::a~cncc,
~19- 20, 321 (Prophet Muhamm;id·
ient,32 1): ~r' :in 20 .
325,33 1; \ hining s;;a!· ~232.z, 323,324.
2 c. _223
f.i t 3_26 , 32 7: 'Tlw si1~ilii~Jc :/~~~
g I is as a ni cbc wherein is a Ian ,
319~23: 'whose oil would l , ip,
f
~utcomc', 347; Arabic IS the final
lmgui stid gramn . I anguage,
1\sue~. 101- 102, 105); 'Despair no1
of the mercy o f God', 468- 70, 472,
472; 'In houses which God has allowed
to be raised up', 332- 3, 336; prayer, BJ,
473- 4; Dl\'ine Att ribute, 109 , 265; God
:Have you not sc::1~!:;a:s~ues. 3!6--,; 1s merciful an d He loves the merciful, 336,363
Of e;ach He knows his od ... 'HS; Mothe r of the Book, 56,395.402; The
. prai se', -'7 prayer and its 265; H ereafter, 103, 104; hope of God's
s 345 mercy, 368; the Merciful/al-Ro!1im, Family of ' lmrin (3:7). 216-27, 233- 4:
o (l_tadd). 19, 5S; lookout/ mu11 l '
ILmlit The Opening (t), 85-6, 88
ao, 19, SS 101-10. 119-21, 161,162,354.393, 448 ,
474 (linguist ic/grammatical issues, Mu' adh b. Jabal, 367, 368, 382
al-Mu' afli b. ' Imr:in, 335
10.z); Prophet Mul, ammad, 'full of
Magians, 2J6 Mu' alla b. Asad, 373

~:t::~
(on its own) thou h fi a most glow mercy', 262. 265,266; rn!1m, 310-11;
Mahdi b. Maymi"in, 66 Mu'ammal, S9, 392,408,413,438,445
323. 3.z , BO- I g no ire !ouched ii', tcmpoul world, 103, 104; universal
4 b. Khid:isb al-'falaqanT, 140-1 mercy , 103. 104 Mu' awiya b. Ahi SaliQ, 175
Tlic- ~•ght {Surat al-Nur . .z4:36-8
and co1ut;ancy in ra . ). 33 2-g:
':md His N P 'yer · 336, 337-8; ~-
a,,
A~a~, 65, 208, 240
· Dmar,36 5
menage (God's message), 1, 2. 8,414; clarity
of, l)"-10; language, 10, 11
Mu' awiya b. Salib., 74, 77 , 141, 167, 176, 188,
201,220,228,237. 26o, 265,269,317,
320, 321,323,332,334, ]JS, 337,338,
334: 'and ::::~ remembered therein',
338; Ar.r.b~ ian g t he allns tax (~<1kiir)', Ma 1111~~ 1;~
u 8, 150, 156, 167-g, 175, 183,
2 • .z, 206, .Z21' 230, 232, 233, 236,
Mc~~~ngcrs, 1-3 , 9, 103, 163- 4, 223, 414- 15;
Coin for 1hem a similitude : The 341, JSJ, 363,376,385,391,416,423.
426, 427. 437, 44--2, 453 , 4SS
grammatical ,i ss~u~gc, lmgui siic/ people of the city ... ', 403 _ 405 ; T he
bestows ifi cs, 335, 337-8; 'God /~· 259, 264, 267, 269, 274-, 278, .z79, Cow (2:285), 186, 196 ; langu age , Mub:irnk b . Fa<;l:ila, 112
wit hout ~c;~~•,~ ~':.who~~ H t· will ,
M
9 ' 295, 305-307, 309, 310, 313 ,
~33- 4. 336, 342, 343, 352 387 •
I0; 'Lo! we h ave been sent 10 you' Mubarak b. Sa' id, 141

3:i2-3; ' In house) ::1~~f ·dn}i°uses'. mub1odi', sec heretic

1
404- 405; 'Never came there to th;m
1 M::i;~r, 170 , 378, 438, 470 , a Messenger but they did mock him!', Mughira., 18, 37. 39, 185
a owed to be raised u , o ia.s l ~r b. ;al-Mu' tamir, 368
4i6; rejection of, 386; '(The people of Mughirn b. Shu' ba, 370-1
v.:11 0111 neit her mere! P · ~33- 4; men Man, ur h . Zadhan, 428
dist ract from re, iandise nor sale th e city) said, We augur ill of you .. . •, Mui}ammad b. 'Abd All:ih b. 'Abd al-
martyr, 139, LJ2- 3 J:lakam, 234, 239, 243
BS, 336, )39· ~;m ~r.r.nce of God', M:;irwan, 427, 441 4oo; ' They said, You arc but mortals
like us ... ' , 4o5; truthfulness of, 7; 'We Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah b. Abi Makhlad, .z3
reco111~n~e th~m ;o~ la t God may Marw;in b. Safib.. 381, 382
make no divhion between any of H is Mui1ammad b . 'Abd All:ih b. Bazf, 175, 329
they did ... ',339·'Th ih~bt-nofwhat al- Marwazi, Mub.amrnad b. 'AII b. al-Hasan Messengers, 197-8; 'When We sent to Mu~:i.mmad b. 'Ajl:in, 31
prai~e to Hun, n~or n.Crein do offer h. Sbaqiq, 6.z ·
them two ... ', 404 Muhammad b . 'Amr, 18, 37.z
lJS-6; 'who fear a da1:g~ and evenings',
Mary, mo ther of Jesus, 57, 71, 98, 101, 103, Michael, 24, 30, 36 , 38 Mu~arnmad b . 'Amr b . al-}:½asan, 100
eyes will be . , } when hcan~ and 2 17,224,403
Mihr:i.n, 19,118,140,151, 156 Mu}:iamrnad b. Bishr, 6o. 365
The ~iglu {SUr:n :~r~~:g: 3~9
~:: ~:nab . Mul_1ammad, 312 al-MinhaJ, 293 Mui}ammad b . :i.1-l;lusayn, 77
,and God is swif1 a; r: ·39- ~o)., 339- 45; Mubanunad b . al-l;lusayn al-Baghdadi. 469,
A11d he for whom G ckon1ng , 34 1; al-Mas~~::.•::- 378 ,380,381, 470 ~i_n~_:il b. 'Amr, 371
appo1111ed 1 I od h as not mph b . al- l-:l:i.ri1h, 168 474. 47S
M:;iiar b . Tahm:in, 233 Miqsam, 180, 181 Mul).ammad b.Ja' far, n-8, 66, 80-1 . 150,
hgln', hs; /~~1~olra~i rn ther~ is no
Maym ~n b. Ahr Sh:;ibib, J68 M~q,sa1n Abo.'\-Q!sim, 409 155 . 180,336, ]SJ. 367,369,377,391,
~1a m1nauca\ iisue~ g u a,ge, hnguh tic/
Maynrnn b. Miluin 14 1 ~l~a_rb . Kid:i.m,98, 101,103.3 14 394,428.433
; ;~: d1~bcl1eve. th;i!~o~et for iho~e Mecca 468 4 ' Mul:iammad b . J;i' far b. a\-Zubayr, 222- 3,
to;
Ke, 339- i are a\ a 9 - iswar b. Makhr.una, .zo
40 Mecc~n ;:;;~r:~:r;:~~·. :~:·}5~ ; ~e Moon (SO.rat al-~mar. s 4), 282 227- 8, 235,237.240, 246,252
Jt<r-44 : 'layers ~/~' • disbdiever
422 - J , 435, 450-1; 'M otlier of the 0\eS , 2• IOO, i98, 219,223, 267-315; ' and Mu}:iamm:i.d b. Ju}:iada. n. 31. 171
a )",rna] \q_ . . ', hl.~14;•~~1s\~ ~ll a va~, ., Mu}:iammad b . Ka' b al-QEra~i. 186, 268,434,
ic comc\ vi llages', 86, 227 We appointed him as a guide for
Mcdin;a, 231; Emigr.nion to, 468, 470-1; the Ch ildren of Israel', 383; ' Docs 446, 447- 8, 449

560 56 1
 TABAR! INDEX
Mu):iamnud b. Khalaf al 'A 1- Prophet Mu\:iammad, 457,461; rajaz,
365, 368 - sq;i ani, 78,2 12, Muslim b . 'Abd al-Rat,. -
Muslim b. al-B _ tnan, 112, 118 lknthctnt , the Merciful', 11g-2 1. 87- 8, 139, 173- 4, 364; siiras, names of,
Mu):iamm:ad b. Khalid b 'Ath Mu' t amir, 401 aim, 172,426 • 150, 155 1ti1, 161; 1:4 ' K.ing of the Day of
Mul:iammad b. Khilid b. Khi ".:'a, 65 81 - 2; see also Arabic language
JuJgcment', 120, 121- 8, 159, 161 , 162;
Mul:iammad b M - .
Mu):iammad b: M:;;~r dash. u,
al-Tfisi, 371
MuJ:iammad b. al- Mui;d~t J I , 289
lJ 2
M 23~, 372, 424,
Ufarnfb. Tartf
::1
al-Mu' t.a.rnir b. Sula m -
an al-Taynu, 29, 192
• 4-45 '
1:5 'You alont we worship ; You alo ne
wtA~k fo rhelp". 114, 115, 12$ , 126,
polytheism (shirk), 2, 3, 1o6, 170,238,251,
258-00, 262,349, 3S9, 360,367,397,
403, .µo, 428- 33 passim. 436,437,
1 1 08- 34, 136, 137, 159 , 161 (repetition of
Mul_i;rnunad h. al-Mufa
MuJ:iamnud b.
, 382
Mu$'ab,Q,;:'• t5
Mul.1.1mmad b. Ni fi ' al B '_ ,8 , t 50, 155
mutashoibih, see a~~t 7 , 370
al-Muthanna b. lbri~i::.ut4;er:es
~· 172, 175, 176, 183- ; \/· 166, 167,
'You ;i.\one/ in•iika'. 132- 4; ' You alone
wt worship" , 12 5, 118-9; ' You alone we
451, 4SS , 4-57, 473; 'And they say,
When comes this victory, if you
are truthful?', 388-9; The Cave (18),
Mul,1amnud b R b" - at ri , 297 ' 207, 212 , 215 220 ' 6-go, 201,
i~l for hdp". 129-30, 134); 1 :6 'Guide 315- 16; 'O My sernnts whose excesses
Mul,amm.id b: Sa~a~:~~- ~ilabr, 141 229, 235, 237, 240· • 221. 222, 228, m on the \traight path' , 134- 42; t :7 have gone against themselves!', 468---,0,
Mul:iammad b. Shu' a ·b 4 - al-Nib' • 243,252, 26o, 263,265 'The r~th of those whom You have 473; 'seeking (to cause) dissension',
Mu):iammad h. Sirin,\ b. ShabUr, 208
igha, of Banu Dhub - favoured ... •• 142- 59 ; Aubic language, 234-S, 236; 'So withdraw from them.
Mu):i;i.mmad b. Tha,...'T 99 N d 138, 144, 147-8 yan, 83 , 89, 116, lmguistic/grammatical issue~ , 113, 125- and await', 390; 'They cannot help
Mul:i:.inunad b ' Uh • 75,259, 264
: - b. Shumay I, 369 7, 131- 4. 143-9, 152-s, 157-8; bomuila, them, though they be hosts made ready
Mul:iammad b.· ' Um;~ al- Mui)i ribi, 369 86. Jl()-21; G abriel, 111-12, us, n7,
;;~s.
N afi .21,65 23 23 for them', 460-1; see also association;
~~l~:ribi, SJ, 70, 161, 379, J8o, 424, 462 N i fi ' b. Mil~k :• 9,471,472 126. 129, 134, 140; interpretation of the
Nafi' b 'U . 75 ido1/idolatry
m, clt'u verse~ nlmc\ of, 85-8; Mother of the Book/
praise (rasbi~). 113; 'All praise belongs to
Mujihid b. Jahr, i1-s 31 Na?' b: 00 2
Ya;;~\; • 13 ~r'.in', 85-6, 88; recited in every God', m-19; 'and glorify the praise of
151, 156, 166, 17~ l '37, 70, 77 , 100, 118. NaJda al-Khuridni prayer, 85, 87; 'the Opening of the
190, 194,206,222. ::.s
180, 183-4 , t86. Na1r b. 'Abd Ait-h • 256
Nai r b. 'Abd I a al- Awdi, 332
Book' , 85-8 ; 'the Seven Oft-repeated',
their Lord', 363; Creation, 346; "Glory
bC' to Him Who created all the pairs. '
2.45 , 252,255. 259·, 268. 235, 240,244, 85 , 86-8; unnecessary le ngth in, 159, 420; 'Of each He knows his prayer
2QJ. 305, 312- 13, 318, ;-:~270, 273-5, Na$r b. 'Ali al~J-a~;::xin al-Awd.i, 333 t6o- 1; see also Day of Judgement; and its praise', 345--,; praise is a form
33J- 4, ]4 1, ]46, 35 1-61 4 5: 329, ]]I, Nawf, 279, 282 • 400, 429, ,«I guidance ; path of prayer, 335 , 345; saying 'All praise
379"-80, 387,389,392 pau1111, 366,368, Nawwas b. Sim' an al-An - - belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds'
404,409.413, 414- 15 ·:1:7- 8. 400, 402, No~h. 223: N oah's shi µn, r41 hbtinc , 105 is a Divine command, 111-12, HS, 126;
4--29,43 1,438"""9,441~ •~4-6pa.1Sitn, ~u,aym al-'Anbari, 31~• 427-9 Pmdi~e. 447 ; sec also Garden 'Therefore, Glory to Him in Whose
M ·- 4_61, 462, 469
UJaiid, 47
5 passim, 450, 454,
al~r::,: ;· ~amrn id, 46, 243
n · a1-f:{irith, n6
path. _322 ; 'But that you worship Mc? This
1~ a straight path', 450; 'Guide us on
hand is the dominion over all rhings',
466-7 ; 'Therein do offer praise to Him,
Muqitilb H _ th e straight path', 134-42; Islam as mornings and evenings', 335-6
Mum
228
al-H;,~J~:~· ~:;
• • 141, 150, 156,221
Oath of Divine Ple
obedience 186 asure, 231 , 232
the st raight path. 140-1, 392; • ... nor pnycr, 161-2; 'and constancy in prayer': 336,
of those w ho go astray', 152----9; ' ...
The i,i h, 15)6, 347,475; alms tax, 338 ;
w:h:;?a~~):20-
337-8; Children of Adam/humanity,
Murtib . ~ari I not of those who earn Your anger', 346; Companions of the Prophet, 365;
1
MUsi b. 'Abel al~iai i~5 say, , 32~; 'They t44- 52. 15 5 (not/ghayri, 14-4----9; people extra pnyer, 364- 5; iqami'l-111la1, ~31
M~s~ b. Abi l:iabib tnan al-MaHUqi, 140 to God e obey· -- , 198-200;
10 1 1
who c:arn God's anger, 14g-51, 155; 8; 'men whom neither merchandise
b. D:iwUd, 2; 11 2 obligatory c~m!'a~J;-- ' 43, ~47, 474 syntax. 149); 'On a straight path', nor sale distract from remembrance
uu b. Harlin al- Ha - no soul be '. 49, 58; God obligates 392-3 ; ~r' an as the straight path, 140; of God', )35, 336--7: mid-afternoon
156, 166, 167, '7~n~ani, 128,14 1, 150, 184-,, I 2yond Its scope', 181, 183 , religion of God as the straight path prayerl'tllr, 235-6: morning prayer.
202, 203,206, 2~ :i•
176,187, 201 - burde n 9 . 200-201, 202, 214; 'O Lord,
I us not beyond what we have 140-1; 'so that they should struggle
335
-6; Moses, 298; mosque, 33~· 33 •
6
Mus/37. 244, 248"""9 , J.uS,229,23 4, for the way', 454; 'The path of those 363; night-time prayer/111l.iif al- at4rrW,
~;e ;;~e~igth c_o bear!', 208-10; 'Pardon whom You have favoured', 141- 4, 145- 364-6, 367 ; obligator)' prayer. 87, 204-.
b. ~ •sal- H
Mos~ b. Sahl al- . a<;lr_anu, 206 The O ' . give us• 21l; see also command
6 ; 'the straight path', 138-,4-2 (command 205,210,333, 33S4• 339• 363; •~f ~ach
M0s.i b. ' Uba. R.ainli , 24 3
J:t
~:.::.~g (S~rat al-Fitilµ, 1), 81 , m-& ; to ask for , 134, 140, 142); sec also anger; He It.nows his prayer and iu praiSt · .
1
MuJ' ab b. Th~i;; 186 of the ,belong,, to God, Lord _ mr:i.y; guidance; The Opening (1) 34-5--7: The Opening (1). 85, 87; praue
~~~aylima the: Li~;s~,214 ,2 5-6 6
o·.
ds, 87, 111-19, i20, u.3,
' 1 1 • 162
pauc:nce, 322; The Cave: (18), 277,279,281,183, is a form ofpra.yer, ]JS, 34-5; Prophet
345
us:
M af, ~c: codex , ~. 43, 105, 409 (de6nitearticleal- 111 • Mu\:lammad. z98, 367: 1alat, 33~•_ ;
284-5, 187, 289-90. 293. 1g6
ushish 70 ; 11; :c;;runand to say it, 111 - u: spending the night in praycr/q1yam
Musl11n. ~.z 12
Wo~lds': ~;b,
11
::5= :7; 'Lord of the
2
peace (al- J.al.iim), 9<>-7, 98; 'a greeting of
peace', 445-0
Pious Predeces~ors , 16, 32, 33. 36, 69, 70-3
a/-layl. 366, 367,368; sunit"t pnyer. 6 .
36,4.-5: supercrog.i,tof)" pn)•er, 87, 3 j ,
worlds/a/- 'oila,! ;n , ; 11~;:):~\; .;:-~~
pot-try. 8, 64; pre-Islamic poetry, 12 5;

563
 supplication, 5, 173,202,2 12,367;
tulrajjud prayer. 366; 'Therei n do offer
pr.i.nc to Him , mornings and evenings',
TABA R!
335-6; ti nnn g, 205. 337; sec also
invocation: rcml'lllbr.i.nce
prc•hl:m1ic tHllC' S, 26. 27, 106- 107. 125,262,
469-70
proh1bnio11, 33, 37, 38, 39, 48, 131, 163, 199,
257,475; see also the- forbidden
proof(l110".:1), 1,431 , 543
Prophc-1 Mu~anunad, 2,215,223, 315;
dc;i.r c-xpo~ition, 8; death, 22, 47,
48; du r:u io n of the- Proph('t and hi s
community, 224, u6, 229-30, 234,
236,237; 'full of mercy', 262,265 ,266 ;
Gabriel, 65, 90; God's uniq ue gift to,
2- 3; he.an , 32 1; language of, 10, 34;
Th e Light (25:35), 319-20, 321: 'Lo!
you arc among those scm ', 392; Night
Journey, ?-8, 382-3 : 'Now there has
come to you a M essenger from amo ng
yo undvcs'. 262- 3, 265-<>: poetry, 457,
461; pr.u se from God, 200; prayer, 298,
367; proplmhood , 2, 3, 8 (denial of/
doubt . 106, 124 , 194, 198,340,389,461;
proof of, 16o); ~r'an, el ucidation of,
17 ; ~ r'in, revelat ion of. 3, 10, 22, 90;
~r';in, seven wo rdings, 18- 19, 20-1,
22 - 33, 34-5 ; ~r';inic interpreution,
65 (i n1erpret :uion k nown by 1he
Prophe1, 57, 58, 61, 67, 72): submission
to, 35; 'The Messenger bdievt"s in that
wluch has ht.>cn sen , down . .. ·. 196:
'This h no 1<-'a than a Rt"rnindcr ... ',
45 8; truthfulness of, 8
Propliet). 78""'9, 89, 1.p- 3, ;
232
propl1ethood, 195; set, also Prophet
Mul,1an1111.id
pro~trat 1011, 76, 79, 153, 36),
42 1
Pronr.r.11011 (SGr.r.t al-Sajda, 32:i-9), 8-s8;
34
'and He beg.in the creation of nun frolll
d.iy', 357, 3S8; angd, 35 1, 3S3; Ar.1bic
b.nguage, lingu1s1ic/gra rnma1 ical issues,
349, 3S6, 358; 'Cod it h Whocre.i ted
~'.e hcavc-,h and die earth.,.•, )SO; ' He
irect, Ilic: cornnund from the heaven
to the- eanh; tl1t·11 it a!.Cends Hnn
111 10
a ~ay', H 1- 4: ' Lmle thanks do you
gwc1' BB: ·or dc-spi1>t"d flmd '. 357- 8;
'Or say they, He (Mubanunad) has
inve n~ed i~ ?. .. ·. ~49; 'p.erhaps they 111ay
- ;· . ' Lo! We sh all r equite
INDEX
• . I for ive whom He wi ll a nd
He .w 1l g He will', 180, r82, 185,
,m cnl~o~.r. ~:::; 'No soul kno , ~s pumsh whom . 'If you go no t
be g uided. 349; Such IS the Knower
of the invisible and the visible .. . ', 3H:
ihc ~u1h) , 3hidde n for the m of JO)',,
what 1s kcptfor w ha1 they u sed to do• '
188, 189, ',.:ii
~~~1t' you with a painful
'The revelatio n of the Book of which forth H e . 2 6-7· the inevitable,
there is n o doubt is from the Lord of l'a ~c":a.:~1at pe rhaps they '.nay rct~rn • punishment• s · - 8o (being
3(~ 74:T hconl •(uuc) bchcvcr s .. . ' I r punishment, 377 I
the Wo rlds'. 348-g; 'Then He fashiont•d 377; owe d 378-9; droug ll ,
him and breathed into him of Bis JSO-~: , , re n~t alike·. 375; ' \ t lic_r J
Spirit . .. ·, 358 ; 'whereof the tneasurc is 36~ \~';~1:i;
Lo rd in fear and ho~c. 364,
slain by the s':o:i shmcnt. 379; fixed
37?; ~arthlyn~lties, 378; tribulation
one tho usand years by your reckoning', c2:..368-9; •,.vhen they arc ~enun~e: .
:z
cnnunal pc ral world, 377- 8, 380);
351 - 4; 'Who made aU things good 3f I . fall down prostratmg ... • 3 3, of the. tcm1:rsc of puni shment as one
which He crea ted ', 354-'7 ; ' Will \'OU ?Wthi;::bodies forsake their b~~:;: recastmg a o, , ; the se'.zurc,
31 36
nor then remcrnber?', 350-1 ; 'Ya'u have to their Lord', 364- 8 , 37o, 37~• •er1 of mc.rcy, 21: ;he smoke. 377; taste
not , beside H im, a protecting friend or 1 377; sm, 4~0. • 62 363; temporal
bc-1,cvcr: _disbelicv~r~ Ga:~ ~ ~• ~)~; _
intercessor', 350, 351 2 3 82 1
Prostution (Surat al-Sad~d 'n~ places they God's puntsh; c;;;~s; ~vitness's
Prostration (SGrat al-Sajda, 32:10-14),
90· 'amid w hose we mg . Our world, 151, 3 3ftestimony, 179
358-63; 'and afterward to your Lord . ,lk' 386· 'and believed firmly m concealment
O
o· 'one better in
yo u will be returned ', 36o-1; 'And if
We had so willed, We could have given
385~ 'And they say,
:~;11 / , '7:Fu~;. c:~;~s purity, 325,32 6 , 327• 33 '
purity', 309,3 10
chis victory. if you arc trut . • "de
every soul its guidance ... ', 362; Anbic
9: 'and We appointed hin~ as a .g~~abic
language, linguisric/granunatic.al issues,
for the Chi\drc~ °.f lsr::~~:~~al issues, ~bi~a. 6o - b in J29
359; 'Could you but sec when the
languagc. lingms.uc:gr in forth crops Q!h11s b. Ab1 2,a ~dar), 130--1, 136. is,.
g uilty .. .', 361-2; 'Lo! We forget you', ~daris {People o
384, 385-<>, 39o; brmg g • 88· 'Have
362, 363 ; 'Nay, but they are disbdicvers of which their cattle cat••· , 3 • 236, 381- 2 db Mu{ .ab. 11 2.
in the meeting w ith their Lord', 36o;
Resurrection, 358--6(); 'So taste (rhe they no t seen how W,c 1 ;:t~ :~;t::,
1 in
to the barren land.··,· 3 -<>.' 'Lo!
al-Q!rqas3ni, MuQamma .
e vil of your deeds) .. . ', 362 ; 'Taste
the doom of inuuonality', 363; 'The
a guidance for them,• 385. •Lo,
our at-ols~: b. <Abd al-RaQ:a,;~~~ 402. 404,
al-Q!sim b. Ahr Bazza. 3 '
that there arc signs! • 386 • ·y
angel of death w ill gather you'. 36o-1;
'When we arc lost in the canh. how Lord will ~udgc be.twee~ .~:::c:
Rcsurrecuon Day,, 385.' 'Sa . On the
:vil
1 413. 414, 424
Q!s1m b Bishr, 3?s3an 100, 119, 128, ,.p, 143,
can we then be recreated?', 3S8--6o, 361 al-Q!s1m b al-H o ,189, 191,201.202, 207,
Prostr.r,tion (S11rat al- Sajda, 32:15-22), they be reprieved, 39o, . I Y· f those
day of the victory the fa.it 1 0 I , 150-1, 156, 17 ;44, 255,259,268, 26<;,
363- 82; 'A welcome (in reward) fo r who disbelieve will not avail t iem, d 208, 228, 2 35, , , 302, 305,
what they used to do·, 376; 'And as for 2 291 295
389-90; 'So withdraw from them, a:n 270,271,274, 7S, 8 319,323, J24, 329,
those who do evil. their retreat is the 307, 309-10, 312, JI '
await', 390; 'We appointed f~on~ : :. g
Fire ... ', 376 ; 'and glorify the praise of 333,334.341, 344. ~4:5 2JJ
ihem leaders who guided ... ·~ 3no: in
their Lord', 363: 'and spend of w hat a\-~sun b ~ul,..am~;1: 74: 75, 78, 118, 128,
'We gave Moses the.B~ok:2s~ . ~when
We have bestowed on them', 364, 368, do ubt of meeting hm~ • 28 _ 3.·•will ~tida b Dt a;;~ .191.- 3. 1()6, 201 - 202,
373 ; 'And they arc no t arrogant', 36 3; they became stea~~as~/84 s. 167, 175, • 0-1., 245 ,256,259,
'And vcril r We m~kc them t~Sle t~:ho they not then sccS • 3 1.o6. 208, 21.1,/3 .mm, _8, 29 1,295.
287
lowe r punishment. 376-80; And 159 , 86,389, 1,63- 4, 266---7 pa ocr-, pamm. 3.p.,
Psalms of D avid , 54, 7 -:~ •• 5
docs greater wrong tha~ he w?o ~s •
reminded of the revcl,mons. •• , 3 1 •
Ar.r, bic l.inguage, ling uistic/gnmnutic:al
::~ly315 3
We m:ke ~c 1,
taste the lower pumshment ' 37. 8:
2()6, 299. 30s-~~:. \55, 358. 300-s
2
343. 348- 5 pa
417
pa5.srm, 421 - 39
pa5.sm1, 373, 375- 1.-66paJ,mn, 469 474
pau,m. 445, 449. 45
inuc~. 364,374,375; 'before the greater 'be fo re the grea1er pumshmcnt~:::u
~·s b Abi Hiznn , 189
pu nisluncm', 380; 'But as for th osc who "before the pumshment co1n:5are', 469,
~ys b al-Rabi" ' u8, 369
hdicv<' ;md do good work~, for .t~J:~e suddenly, when you arc una comes
an: the Gardem o f Retreat, 375,
who is a believer equal to him w ho is
475, ' bcfo~c ~h~:t;;; ~•:~c: hdpcd'.
1
qisf, see justlCC II f h ~r';i.n is good. 475
QEr'~•dc~~-: h:u:. ~25 : 'By the fbwle n
f:areo/God\ pumshmcnt, 368,
 TABAR!
~r'in!', 392 ; dear c-xposition, 10,
151}-(,o; consulting the ~r'in, 4:
;u God's guidance, 4, 1.2; as God's
wi sdom, 4; a healing and sufficie nt
messagt-, 12, 21, 25, 26, 30, J I , 36, 51- 2,
53; incongruity, God's negation of,
H: h there p•n of the ~ r'an t hat is
better than another part of it?, 475;
knowledge, s : The Light (2);:Js). 320,
322,323,324,325.33 1: mcmoriz.ition
of, 5, 204 : pr2ctict': of, 62, 68; as
protection from Satan , 4, 51- 2;
quarrelling over th e ~r'in, 18, 19, 31,
B - 4, H, 40, 232- 4, 236; superiority
to all previous Books, 159-61; 'This is
no lc-ss than a Rcntindcr •nd a ~ t 'in
making pb.in', 458: sec .ilso the entries
below for ~r'in; An.hie l;i.nguagc ;,md
the ~r'an; aya; sUra
~ r'in, nimcs of, 73-85 , 392; the Book/
al-ltitab, 73, 78, 21<>; the C ritcrion /a l-
Fw rqa", 8, 73, 77-8, 382: the ~r·an,
73-'7 {'recitation' u me;ining of
•~r'in', 73 - 4, 76--7): the ~minder/
11l-dhikr , 73, 78,400; 'Yi' Sin'. 392
~r'in, rc-vebtion of, t6o; 'A revc\nion of
the Mighty, the Merciful', 393; ftn;i\
vcnc-s of the- ~r'an to come down,
266; firn Iiira rc-vc.1.led, 90: G;ibnd, 22:
'He ii is Who h;i1 sem down to you
the Book', 216, 220- 1, 233- 4; Medina,
siifll rc-ve.Jed in , 80, 375, 461,); Prophet
Mul,.;irnmad, 3, 10, 22 , 90: the ~r'i n
Cl.me down from ~vc-n g:i.tcs of thc-
G;irden, 26, 33, 52--6: 'The revd.1.tion of
the Book of wluch there is no doubt is
from the- Lord of the Worlds'. 348-g
~r'in , rhetoric;il devices, 10- 11: ellipsis,
0
.• . I I , 9 I , 11 5. 14 3- 4, 198, 246, 449-So;
inversion, 11, 120, 132,3 ,
44 357
.iho Ar.r.bic h.nguage, li nguistic/
gr.r,mm:n1c;il h~ucs; similnudc
~t'in, ~ven wording~. 18- , o- , _ ;
19 2
l.ngd, 24, 26; conununn y, _ 1, 22 56
8 42 3
4 - so: Conip.anions of the Prophet,
1 l7, 40-- i, 42, 48; d1~grccmc m over,
B,
1>-) i, 33- s, 40-- i, 46--f; doubt, -24, 26,
27
2 knowledge of, 56-g ; .ambiguous
· 1>"-)o. 13, 40, 49; each ruding is
nd
goad a bc;iutiful, 20 ; euablishmem
INDEX
22-3 435. 442, 450, 456,
of ;i si ngle wording, 43-4, 48~ , 56 6 -9· d ear p:lSsagcs/ 393,397,418, 4£ b ~arrison cities, 47,
(oblitcr:i.tion of o ther six wordings, fot :r3en1~n J!n\~m of the Pro~hct, 457; reciters~ 3~ 5~ 393,407,415, ~35-6,
48~); exterior :,Upcct , 19, ss: G;ibrid, .-.~J.m<!' 4• c_ . ~orrcct interpretatio n. 292,295, 33~. S rian recite r, 393,
22- J, 24, 2.5, 27- 8, JO, 31- 2, 36, ]8; a 61-3. 67. 72 3, , speech and 44 2,451, 45 • Yummarian/reci~cr;_
hc.i.ling and sufficient message in c;ich ;:- 3{Arabic ix:et_r~~und l,1adi1hs, 72);
2 sec ;i\so Basr~n g. / 'tcr · ~ r i ntc
wording, 2.1, 25, 26, JO, 31, J6, 51- 2, bngu~gr,_7 ; ~ 11:~\·\cdgc of, 62, 63- 5~ Kufan gratnm.i.nan rco •
S3; interior .i.spect, 19, ss; lirnit/~dJ, rncouragmg G d intcrpreuuon recitation _
19, 55: Mich::i.cl, 24, 30, 36, 38; Muslim 6S : Ga~nd, 65, 67;-t 5;, 67, 71,
~r'inic verse, sec ;:a349, 36o, 379,386,431 ;
community, 4-2-3, 48-so; Prophet on\y known by. 57 . ·ntcrpretation the ~ raysh, 12, 25 I
MuQ.i.nun:ad, 18-19, 20-1, 22- 33, 34- 5; :H-6 {'~one k1:o;vs2~t;,' 238- 41, language, so-
2
qu:1.rrelling over, 19, 33-4, JS, 40, « -5, si'"r Go<l. 34, 3 : _lbn 'Abbas,
4~ (qu;irrelling over the wordings
of the ~r'an is disbelief, 18, 31 , 48,
145) ; hidden mea~m~• ;i
norance
~tal'i, 472
~rra,325
62-3, 70: impcr~umb\ ct,~arf, 19, 55;
50); the ~r'in a.me down from seven of. 59,. 67; mtenor aspe f the ~r'an, 151 156. 164,166,
ga.tes of the Gnden, 26, 33, 52-.s; al-Rah{ b. An.i.s, 118~4:~o. 3;8, 319, 322-3,
knowmg2 ~~i~::g;:c~ee:cssors, 69, 168, 172, 176, l •
rcc.i.sring the me.i.ning of, 21, Jo, 31, 36:
rejecting one wording, 22, 38, 39, 40, ~::_5,~,;ro'i1ibitcd ifb.i.scd on unaid;d
46, 48; relinquishing the t r:i.nsrnission rm;n, oo- 2; Prophet Mu~::i.~;a ;, a\-R.i.3b4__!
1
,b3~ubymin,
·
23, 191
of all seven rc.i.dings, 49-50; as seven 65(interpreutio~ ~nown y,ffe~ng 5 ra~ma, sec mer7nur'inic recitation, 22
languages, 32, ]J, 39-4-2, 50-1, H; R.i.ma4an, 205, ""-!:
61 , 67, 72); reframm~ fro;~. scholar,
;is seven manners, 33, 37, 39, 52-3; ~r'inic imetprctl.tton, 5 • . RawQ b . .i.l-Q!sim::3~8
Successors, 40, 41, 42; <Uthmin b.
:!~?• Rawwid b. al-J;rra . , 8 319,312,323,341,
:~:~:~~s
mtcrpremion kn~:n ~~~•i- 2; a\-Rizi, AbUJ;i far. 3;1,
<Afiln, 48, 49; vari:i.tions in wordings 0 5
sh;ire ;i common meaning .i.nd lega.) ~;;:~:: :~rses: dear verses; 3,43, 34-4. 377, 3 2 2,42. 33.2, 339, 36o
ruling, 36, 41, 4-2; 'Whoever recites
~r'inic co~entny . each re.i.ding ttrompcnsc, 1.28, l:~t~ci,stic ;cligio_n , 474~od
t he ~r'an .i.ccording to one w ording, ~ r'rmic re;iding (11! 11 wa), 34 , . u\ar rc\igion, 26o; mo 20 226; rcligton of
2
do not ch.i.nge it to .i.nother one', h good and buu1iful, 20: trrcg. pi\\:m of, ~17, th 0-t; religious
asthcstraightp;i 14
]~; see .i.lso Arabic langu.i.~ .i.nd the reading, 198,242, 3o5, 416'. 473 ' .
~r'in; ~r'an, writing of; ~r'inic recitation without hardshi~, 31 • knowledge, 285, 3.23 94-5 98, 277,
recitation; wordings remembu~cc}::~t:~~lr~men:~r~dr
unorthodox ~r·a~~c
~r'in, writing of, 43-4; Abu Bakr .i.1- 334; . 'men whom nett e
146-,: vni.ln~8~~-as:~c also ~r'an,
Siddiq, 43 - 4, 46, 47-8; cst.i.blishment 4 the rem , 3~4' nor s;ilc distract from
of ;i single wording, 43-,4, 48--9, 56 ::~:~•~.~•r!~ng;; ~r'i nic recitation; mcrch.i.nd,sc f God', 335. 336---7. l
(obliter:i.tion of other six wordings, rcmcmbr~~~c :citation, 334; see l. so
wordin~s ._ , , 92;
48~); l:hf;;i, w ife of the Prophet, 44, 48d therein',
54 339;~ra~1cr.a er
~t'inic rec1t;ition (rilawa),
4 6, 47 ; ' Um;ir b . .i.1-Khanab, 43- 4,
'and ~is N ame rem::it:~t, follow invocat::;; ir:rc and ~;:r t~:se who
265,471; ' Uthtnan b. •Aff'an, 4-4-?, 48.
49 ; Z;iyd b. Thibit, 43-6, ,47; written
314; a_n d _wh,en We -6 ; dis;igrcement repcn:::;~cst of Mecc.:•.
~~:;ther will they
; see its reat;it1on, 74, 7~ex hcation/ h;ivc left hl~, 47; :that perhaps t:~rd
o n - nimal skins, palm boughs, leafless O\'er, 1()-22, 24, 33.' P _following
be reprieve~• :~ 1 ; 'Turn to you
p:1.lm branches,«, 47; sec also codex recitation dhtinction, ~4 ~ • ; ~orJ,
2 40 m;1y return, ,3 468--9, 474 6 80 ;i6o;
~r'anic commentny (tafsir): disapprov- 1 the teachings on, 19 • 2. R am;i43.n, 22;
of, 65; explic.i.tion/recit;ition exterior ;ispcct, l9, ~5 • f •~r'an', 73- repcnta{;~~; a\-Tawb\t~ ci;tries
distinction, 54; four types of, 59 ; sec 'recit;ition' ;is meamn~ :e ;i\so ~r'an. Rcpc:~:::tion, 2s6;:~:: s
t~!~isticl
aha ~r'inic interprct.i.rion
~r'anic imcrpret;ition (ra'wi!): .i.cqumng
_. 4, 76-?; re"".'ud .for~!,'anic rc;iding:
seven wordmgs , fo;
below 0::~-Tawba.
Rcpcntanc~ ~r2,bic b.ngu;ige'. Byzantium • .
~r'anic reciter H .. i reciter, 294,
~ t'inic tecitcr, 86 , 9 2: !Jl.: z53-5, tical issues, 2St•elieve, what ;i1\~
•o y~;.~:~ camp:i.ign, l S3,
p:i.s!>l.ges/mujma! ,4, 67; :i.pp.i.rent - 8, 354-5,
mc:1.ning/-?llhiruhu, 4, 10, 173, .234, 354, 327 reciter,
326; Mecc;in rccit~r;J~d:nan
3S6, 367,415,439, 4S7i ;irgumenu 422- 3, 435 , 450-i , -S , 374,384, you .. .', 2SJ-4,
197, 292, 303, 3°8, p.7 ' 354
566
s67
 TABAR!
INDEX
255; 'T ;ikC' }'OU pleasure in the life of
the temporal world rathc-r !11:111 in th e exception , will be brought before Us',
'liJal -Jur.i.yri. 150. 155. 156. 401
2 . "ur'anic interprcta~ion,
scho\ar, 4S , ~ _ . k owlcdge,243; tie
5?•,
/s'~~:
Hl·rC':1.ftcr ... ·,2 54- 5 417- 18 ; rejection of, 36o; Resurrection 55 - ' riisikhut1 m n
Repentance {Sllr:u ;r,] -Tawha, 9: 39), 255--,; D ay, 36o, 417; 'to Him you will be S1 iJ 1\-Maq~u ri , ~ev~n Oft-repeated', 86
abrogat ion. 256: Byza ntium, 255; ' If brought back', 467 \J iJ \,. l\·b rpna. b ibn al- Musayyah, scribe, 38- 9, 44, 189,471
you go no t forth H e w ill affl ict you rewa rd (kardma), 36o; ·A wdcorne (in reward) \; it\ t,. 1\-Musayp • ~ee
w i1h a pl infu\ punishmcm". lS½; for what the y u sed to do', 376; good Sl kl Shababa. 28
Sh a' bi. 47- 8, 66, 70--1, i50.
,55 ' i81 , 185 , ,86,
T abuk c:unpa.ign, 256 deed, 339. 369--74, 37.S, 376, 440; 511 .tb al-lbbi,.17- S
· t h U m.\r ;il -Sakfmi. i 12 187,370
R.rpcm ancc- (Sl11.11 al-Tawba, 9: 40), 257- (11: greatest rew:ird for the People of the
::1b: Vain-ab. Sa' id al- Umawi, 19 Sha.bib, n8 , 233,378
Abu B:.i. kr al-Siddiq, 258-6o; angel. Ga.rdcn, 370- 1; lowest reward for the
Shabib b. Sa(id, 233
26o: 'If you help him not ... ', 2 57-8 , People of the G::i.rdcn, 370-1; Moses, ; /-s.i!.im, ~rr peace 2 o 246,252,271,
259; 'th en God caused H i~ tranquility 1:.lhma. 222 , 22.7, 228 ,237, 4 , I 5liahado, see testimony
to drsccnd upon him ... ', 26o- 1; 'when
370--1; 'No soul knows what is kept
hidden for thC""tn of joy, as a reward ... ', . 215, 281. 285. 293,302,307,3 13, 3 s.. Shahr b. 1:lawshab, 368

thC' two of thcrn were in th e cave ... ',
258-<>o
R.e1><:mancc- (SU rat al-Tawba, 9 : 12 8-g),
45. 262-6; foul verses of the ~r'in
10 conic down, 266; 'fu ll of mercy',
262,265.266: 'God suffices me', 264,
265-6; 'grievo u s to him is h ow you
~uffcr', 262-3, 265: "He i ~ Lord of the
T rcmcndom Throne', 264-6; ' In Him
I h:ive pm my trust', 264,266; 'Now
there ha~ com e to yo u a M essenger
from among yo u rselves', 262- 3, 265-6;
'd1ere is no god save Him', 264, 265-6
R esurrect ion, 435: realizing the
Re \urrection. 124-5; rejection of,
358-<>o, 387; Ya' Sin (36:45- 58), 4 33-48
Ya' Sin (36:77-82), 462-6; set•
piusit11;
al~o Resurrect io n Day
R.e\urrecu on D ay, 128, 189, 192- 3, 237,322,
1 Sim5k b. l:farb, 15~ .. '.!~d he hu coined
34 ,3 43, J6o, 373,375.380, 390,4 17,
436,440, 449: the day of 1\ie "ictory,
389; greater punidunent , 380: H o rn,
4J6; ' Lo! yo ur Lo rd will j udge bctwt•en
thc111 on R.esurrecu on Day', 385:
reJccu on of, J6o, 433 ,451; the R e turn,
36o, 41 7: reward, 369: 'Thi s d ay We
\cal up thei r rnou1 hs .. . •, _ ; 'who
451 3
fcu
1 a d:iy w hen heans and eye\ will bl'
Urning', ]}9; 'W l1 0 pay~ lum his due',
J4o; sec :i\\o Resurr ection
ilic R.ciurn, 194 , 199; 'and afterward 10 yo ur
1Lord yo u wi\\ be- n:t urned'. J6o-t; 'and
°Cod I \ the fi11al o uico e•,
0 111
347
'. Hun you will be brougln back', 6 :
anJ to Who 111 )'ou will bc- brough t4 7
bad. ?', 4li , 412; "But all , witho ut
;~1:
36c.r74; 'So that God m:ay recompense 1 passim. 416,469, 47 Shalom, Messenger, 404 356
S1hn~~~·- ~~; b. ' Abd al-Rahman b. Sharik, 23, 6o, 71,259.355.
them for the best of what the y did . .. ·,
339; 'To him bear tidings of forgiveness Awf.52 sl1ayfiit1, sec Satan 2.28, 235,240, 252
and a rich rcw:ud', 399-400 S•hm~ b. al-Fa.QI, 375 Shibi, 170, 190, 222 '
the righteous, 140, 142- 3 Sllin1a b. Janda\ al-Sa' di, 107 41
Sh.imr, 319, 32.~, ~ . I theism
R..ishdin b . sa<d. 22- 3 Sibma b. Kuhayl, 171 shirk, sec assoc1at1on, y-16 433- 4, 436,
nil,, sec Spi rit Slhm;i b. Nubay~. 221, 244 Shout (iayba), 38. 414. 4 S •
rulings (J.11,d,1d), s. 22, 54, 67, 81,217,226; ~ilih , Proph et. 223 _ 439"""40
legal ruling, 69: single ruling, 34 SihlJ b. Mism;ir al-Marw:m, 161 Shu' ayb, Prophet, 223
Sihh b. Muslim. 66. 7 1 Shu' ayb b. al-l:labbab, 38
SaOO'is, 230,236 Silil). b. Na~r al-Kh uz:i' i, 51 Shu' ayb al-Jaba'i, 2?5~0~. 70, 81, 150, 155.
Sa' d b. Jsbaq b . Ka' b b. ' Ujr.i, 161 6
Shu' ba, 2 1- 8 , 3 • S • ' 29,336,353,
Sadiq, Messenger, 404 ;~~~:::·t'Abd Allah b . ' Umar. 65, 184,336 313 3
180,266,297,312, 391·, 394,401, 4-26,
SadCtq, Messenger, 404 Silim;i\-Aftas,371 367,369.370, 377,
Safwan b . 'Amr, 371 Silimb. ' Umar,333 428,441
Safwan b. Mul.iriz, 192-3 Sallam b . Abi Muit , 373 Shun.yh b. ' Ubayd, 453
Sahl b . Musa al-R.azi, 141,371 Sal\im b . Sa.bur, 208 Shutay~ b. Sha.kal, 470 oo
Sahl b . Sa' d, 373 Sal\im b. Silirn al-Khuz:i' i, 208 Sim:ii.k, 329, 352, 353, 394, 4
Sahl b. YCtmf, 80, 373 S:ilm b. 'Abd al-Ral).man al-Nakha<i, 71
S:a' id b . Abi 'Aruba, 51, 75, 118, 175, 186, 193 , Salm b. ~tayba. 12
196,201,208,2 13,221,232, 245,256, Sa\U\i, 112 simili;ud~:::;~i~ude ... •. 464- 5 ;_ ~:iGr:~ul
IOf f j 64-5,
259,263,264,267,271,273,275,276, al-Sui b. Ya\:l ya. al-Taminli, 103 consid~ra~i~n oe: /~; ~u,manity', 3~1
287,291,295,296,299, 305,307,3 10, S:i\ a' :i b . SGQ:in, 47-S . 'and none coins suruhtu~. God conceals the s1~s of
314,315, 348- 51, 355,357, 36o, 362 , Satan (shQyian), 2, 21, 27,326, 460 • , sin, 161, 192, _408, 4~ •-4,2 11,452;majorsm,
363-6, 368,373, 375-81, 383-4, 386, but Satan cau~cd me to forget· 273 • the believer, 93 . minor sin, 192, 194;
2
:!:._~:
92,194. 47 • 47 3 •
388 , 390, 392, 394, 39?-400, 4o 2- 4o 3, 280, 282-3 , 287; 'Did I no1 charg~ you, 1
_ (intentional
205
406, 407- 17, 421-31, 433, 436----9, 4-45, 0 ~ons of Adam, that yo u wo~sh1p not missing t~e
11
wrongdoing
449, 452-62, 465 , 466,469,474 Satan .. . ', 449-50; 'Had yo~ t :n ~:d wrong1omg. nee, .2os); •0 My serv.mts
Sa' Id b. 'Amir, 66 ~e n~c?', 451; 'l seek prot~ct~on m 92 om of 1gnora ne against
Sa' id b . 'Arnr al-SakUni, 207 from the accursed S;itan · 8 -90, ' whose exc~scs have ~e !llOSt expansh-e
Sa' id b. Bashir, 71, 78 94 ; ~r'an as protection;r~:e~~~=- then~selvc:~:~ : ; ! f the Cl!:!r':in, 471);
Sa' id b.Jubayr, 11 , 12, 37, 6o, 63 , 70, 7 1, 4, 51 -2 ; raji'."• -~; rebel, 9.' s!,a fii11, and mclusi , . unishment
; 'and 79- 80, 81, 118, 171, 173, 181- 2• 184 · 212' sec 2.ho forgi\"ene;t: :ncere worship.
prote~tion/im adha.' ~!:i':'' rill~$ of, . sinceri1y :alms1ax, 33 •
213,214,271,274,278,279, 281• 282• 111canmg of, 89""<)0, ~y: the has4
293- 4 , 29 5,297,298, 302-3o3, 3o5, 307• 28--i) . 51- 2, 183 , 201.202: ~titude', 450
322,404, 45°
led l~tr.ly of yo u a great mu skeptichm, 194
308, 309, 3u, 312- 14pas.sim, 319,320,
HS , 371. 426, 427- 8, 463
~:;
1

;;;;bsu~~~akani, 29, 185, 187, 336 ::;h~':!;tt~. i 6o, 348, 458

;68
 TABAR!
Sf)('ech, 11, 15; God's spet'ch, 9; ~r'in,
superiority of spec-ch, see also dear
exposition
10;
Spirit (ni~). 1, 66, 174,229,358; Gabriel,
Truthful Spi rit, 372
The Spoils (Sll r.u al-Anfal , 8), 80
struggle (jihaaJ, 254,2 55; ' If you go n ot
forth He will afflict you with :i painful
punishmcm', 256"--]; 'so that they
should st ruggle for the way', 453, 454
submi u ion, 35, SJ, 112. 165,205, 247~, 310;
'and submit to Him .. .', 4684], 474- 5;
'You :i.lo n(' we worship; You alon e we
ask for help', 12841
succ('u/ gr:mting success (rawfiq}, 103, 134-5,
1]6, 1]9, ]JI
SucceHors, 86, 257; ~r'in, seven wordings.
40, 41, 42 ; GEr'inic interpretation ,
"9,7]
al-Suddi, lsmi ' Il b. 'Abd al-Rabman, 71, 77,
128,141, 150, 166,167, 170, 17 1, 181,187,
201 , 202, 206, 209, 2 1], 221, 228 , 229,
234,237,244,248,263,378,380,381,
403,428,429,470,474,475
Sufyan b. l;luuyn, 184
Sufyan al-Thawn, 19, 59, 6o, 62, 66, 70, 81,
11 8,1 40, 151, IS6, 172, 180,181, 184, 186,
213 - 14, 215,244 ,245, ) 12, 313,319,324,
JJS, 352,365,368,369, 378- 81 pallim,
392,401 , 402,403,408, 413- 14 , 425,
428,429,438
Sufyan b. ' U yayna, sec lbn ' U yayna, Sufyan
Suhayl, 61
Suhayl b. Abi Sali1_1, 112
Sulayman b. 'Abd Allah b. Murra, 6o
Sulayman b. 'Abd al-Jabba, , 71. 329, 427
Sulayrnin b. Bilal, Jo-1, 366
Sulaym:in b. Barb, 373
Sulayman b. l:fumayd , 447-8
Sulaym:5.n b. Sund, 13
Suhyman b. ' Unur b. Khalid al-RaqciT, 317,
'°'
Sunna, 3,91
1uppo1ition (-tatm), 61, 123
111,a, 19, 62, 16o, 161 ; beginning with
di1eonncctcd Arabic lcncn, 81,213,
l24 - ~, 216, 227, 229-]0, 236,348,
391- 2; d1v11ionsifM,ul, 82: final vches
lo come down , 266 ; fint 1llr<1 revcalcd,
570
INDEX
M - i 19 u 8 , 143, 151, 156,
' Ubayd All>h b. us , , •3 J4I 343, 379,
90; hamza, 82, 83; legal verse, 57. 67; ,t 1tr .mtnpretation;~r'an ic 172,318,319, 322, 3 ' •
meaning of the word siira , Bi-3; the
• wtrtp!Ctlt10,:, . 113, I l l, 122, 123. 114 ,
Al\~~~-
most ex pansive and inclusive verse of 380,414 < mar 21 , 28-9, 65
~;,:inl world, 6· the Bcncftccnt /
the ~r'an, 471; plural form of the ' Ub,yd ~usur°al-Jub,yri, 70
))9, HI•
361, J:stinction, 103- 104;
word sllra , 82-3; poetry, 82, 83- 4; ' Ubayd Al a _· Muhammad, i8, 441
the Meroful . the temporal
repeated verses within a single sllra, ' Ubayd b. Asbai b~ 86
i89 i90, i91, 215,
119-20; sec also dya; sUras, names of
sUra s, n am es of, 78-84; 'Arabic Ones/
God n.lh i~_:ic:o;~:~: that which is
wo1ld. 19 I , . ' \ concealed this
' Ubayd b . Sulayman, t
222,295,352,359,
;66,
;25, .4 27, 428
b(forc them, 170, \d' ,
r;,
~rabiyy', 79; 'O ft-d ivided Ones/ Ubayda b. Rabi'a, 369 3 r1,1ujm 3g-40,
for )·ou in ihe temporal ;o~ow,cr193
tmefa,,af, 79, Bi; 'Oft-repeated Ones/ Ubayy b. Ka<b, 20, 23- 3 2 27; , 27g-80,
199 ; pumshment, 151, 3 ( f the
mathiini', 78, 79, 80-- 1, 88 (the entire
punishment as tribu\att~~;ake you 44-5. 52,266,171, 7 297 298, 3o8, 318,
~ r'an is 'oft-rcpca1cd', 81, 88; ' Seven
temporal world , 377-3), \ 282, 285, 289, 293-~4 3;7, 438
Oft-rcpea1r-d', 85, 86-8; 'We have 319, 322-3, 341 , 343 '
plusure in the life of the tempora
given you seven of the oft -repeated', Ub,yy b. Khahf, 462-3
world', 254-5 • d G d's Word is
81); 'One Hundrr-ds/mi'in ', 78, 79, Bo,
81, 88; poetry on, 81 - 2; 'Seven Long t~ttmony{shahad.:z),_3 l3; ~;he ~ow (2:255), Ubulla, 299 al 'A - 240 4-4-7-8
1hc uppermoSl • 260 • ·s no ' Umar b. 'Abd - a:':'a-1.'33, 39, 55-6, 89,
O ncs/fuwtlf, 78, 79, Bo. 81; sec alsosu,a
6J 168· 'God testifies that there~ ' Umar b. al-Khan , . nur'li.n, writing of,
SUrat Al-' lmran (3), sec The Family of
' lmran ~oduv; Him, as do the angels ... ' 247- 139. 141 , 154, 173, "<.:.!
SUrat al-An' am (6), sec Cattle y
9 , i so. 2s1-2. Rcn1-ntancc
•
r-
(9: 128-9),
od vc Him, 43-4, l~5~t6hufra, 313
SUr21 al-An(;il (8), sec The Spoils 264, 265-6; 'There _ is ~o go-t'whcthcr :~:::•;a~ub.:ammad, 11 2
SUm al-A' rif (7), sec The H cighu the Mighty, the Wisc' 2_5. • r h earts
you make known what is m you 2
Sum al-Baqara (2), sec The Cow <um~ra•~ ~hi Haf~a. 39 8
SUr2t al-F:itiba (r), sec T he Opening or hide it. . .', 180-t
Tiu.bit, 259,319,373 :~:~: b~ Gha;iyya, 43, 46
SUrat al- Furqin (25), sec al-Furqin
SUrat Hud (11), see Hud Thibn al-Buniini, 401 ' Umira b. ' Utmyr~~-Q!tirni, 93
Sum al-Kahf ( 18). sec The Cave Th,mud, 386, 395, 417 ' Umayr b .. Allih. 191
Th1wb:in, 472 o, , ; avv:i bmt A 165-6
Sum al-M;i'ida (5), see The Table Spread Um , r b Abi al-Salt, Sg-<JO,
Sum al-Nab! (16), sec Bees the Throne, 45, 177, 26 ~, 2~• 35 rd 371 of the434 Umayya b. Kha.lid. 297
SGrat al-Nis;i' (4), sec Women Foomool, 171-2; H7 15 Lo-6· 'His ~::~: b·. Shibi, 169
SUnt al- Nur (24), sec The Light Tremendous Throne , 264 , • .
SUm al- ~1m.r (54), sec The Moon Throne was upon the w.it cr' 37d1 His Umm AyyUb, 23
UmmHani',59 .
Surat al-Sajda (32), sec Prostration kursi, 172-3 ; 'Th en He mountc
SUrat al-Tawba (9), sec Repentance Throne', 350 •- rue umma, see commu;i;~-4, 55, 469:
SUrat Ya' Sin (36), sec Ya' Sin riLi1.1•Q, lCC ~r'inic recitation; ~ r a the u~law~~;;i~l; ignorance of, 59
Surat YGnus (10), sec YUnus
SGr2t al-Zumar (39), see The Companies
reading
~l-T1rmidhi, Al,.mad b. al-}:lasan, ; 4
82
! the U
l:~n, 223,283, 29()
h alid, 22-3, 52
' Uqayl b. ,Kbd :al-Ghafir, 373
Syria, 231,329; Syrian reciter, 393 Tonh, 78-<J, IS?, 286,288, 3~h: 39?-8
' Uqb.:a b. ,1mir, 453
truth, 455; b.:am~g from t~cMcssengers,
al-TabaTi, Abu Ja' far Muhammad b. Jarir, 1 tr uthfulness : believer, 322 • . Prophet ' Uqb.:a bb al-Na2Zal, 367
The Table Spread (Sllrat al-Ma'ida, 5). 79
Tabuk campaign, 253,255,256
7; People of Truth, 385 ,
Mubamm.:ad,8
: urw: b. :al-Zub.:ayr, 20, 23~ Q!!r':in,
Urw - . b 'A.flan, 80, 13~• I ording, -48,
1afiir, ~cc explanation: ~r':inic commentary ' Uth:t:blishmcnt o.f _a ;:te;;-,, 48, 49
Talq b. Ghannam, 70,263 ' Ubada b. Nusayy, 282 . Q2r'in, v,rrittn
49, b Ghiyith, 429
Talq b. Habib, 66 'lJbada b. al-~a"!it, 2 5 Ua.h. _ • 1. 275
22 3 27 : urh~~ b~ H.:ayiham, 329
Tanfa b. al-'Abd, 129 , 137 \Jbayd A.\l;ih b . Abd A -h b ' Utb.:a b.
tasbi~. see praise '\Jbayd Allah b. 'Abd Alla . Uthm_ :al-M.:akki ,-,o . w, 117,
Ma~' ud 188. 289 ' U1hm.:an S ' id 90. 91, 94, 99, 105 150, 156
tasmiya, sec invocation
' Uth:~; ~~/128', 129. 134, 140· 142 '
tawfiq, lee success/gnnting success ' Ub.:ayd Allah b. A.bi Y.:az"id , 23 .:al-Firyi bi, 21
Ubayd Allah b. Mu\).amm.:ad
57 1
 INDEX
TA BARI . of 43 3- 5, 436. 437. 440;
H o rn , blow m gh o~t. and b e hold them
' Utlim in b. Unur , 428 hngui111c/gnn~n; at :~;~ ~s;~;:i·o~::,~:t· ' It is but o n e S r before U s!' , 4 39'"'"40;_
' Uthmin b. Z ufar. 103 'Bllt all . ~, 1\:ou s·. ,p 7- 18: 'for brought t oget h ~ n of the sign s of the tr
Ya' Sin (SL1r:1.1 Y;a' Sin , 36: 1- 11), 391 -400; 'A i 1~.
'Never cam e as g h did turn aw ay
revelatio n of the M ight y, the Merciful', ~ l,rnught ~~:1\d I no t wonh ip Him
virtur, 153, .243, 2-44, 312 Lord t o them. butt ey . 433- 40
393; 'Alrc.ad y has the judgement (for \\hltomr C'atcd m e . . .' , 41 0-- 11. 412; . 1' 1- 2. Resurrecti on.
t heir infidelity) proved true . .. ', 395: '-' ho \iAs er . ' H ave they frot1:' l~ •. ;l:;n th~y wi ll n o t be ab_lc to
W i drl-Q!r:i, 150, 156 \h\.i1'h. Muri ,411 - 1 S, . We
'and have covered them so th:u t hey pt1ss1m , • 6 . ' they v ie on
Wahb b. Munabbih. 403, 407 ,408, 410 ,411, sec no r', 398-i]; 'And We have set a bar n01 ~ en how many ge'.1crat '.~;lt was m ake a bequc,st ... '. wait but one

'"
Wahb b . R.:islud . 317
before t hem 2nd :t bar behind them'
397- 8; An.hie lang u age, ling uistic/ •
.lr1troycd bcfo_rc
l,ut onc Shout, 4 1 S
th~:~:
·.
~i\\v;ls said (t o
. 'L ,
t o thei r L~.r ~. !!~
.seize them'. 433- 4;
Shout, w tc l h ' h h Beneficent did
Wahb b . Sulaym :in , 295, 307 \um). Enter ,he Garden, 412- 13. c:r·

W:il.u hi b. l:brb, 469
Wa'1l b. Da-.,-ud . 28 1- 2,
W:ikl . 26-7, 70. 14 3,2 13
Wak.i b . al-Ja rril_1, 181
al-Wa\id b. Kathir, 161
al-W:r.lid h. Mu~lim, 66, 233, 37 1
W;i.\id b . Uqba, 375
al-Walid b . :al-WaliJ. 47 1
gr:i.nunatic:,,) issues, 393, 394-5 ; 'By
1he Aawless ClBr'an!', 392; ' Lo ! you
44 1
are am ong t hose sent', 392 ; 'On a
st raig ht path', 392- 3; 'so that they arc
m ade stiff-necked ', 396-7; 'w they
:uc heedless', 394, 395; 'That you may
warn a fo lk whose fathen were not
w2rned', 394- 5; ' To him bc:.r tidings
of forgive ness and a rich rcw2rd', 399-
~:;~~t
'This ~s ~hat~ .;h:neit is s:.id to the n'!.
l ha,·e bd1t\'cd in your Lo rd. so_h ,
mc1'. 411 - 12; 'Shal\ l t;lkc gods Ill place pronus; which is before you ... •
of \.11111?', 411; 'Then truly \ sh o uld b e Bcwar_ ' Whe n will this promise be
1
mtrror manifest'. 411; 'We sent not 43 0- • , . 'while they are
fulfill e.d .. ;, 43:::Woc upon us! Wh_o
down ;igaimt his pe~ple a~~e r_ 1.1::ld
dispu~mg • 43/ron~ our pl2ce of sleep?.
1
hos1 from hC'avcn. ·· •, 4 ~~t ~ , Lord has
ibt my pcoplt' kncv. Tl

forgwC'n me .. .", 41 3
)
.
has r.uscd u s
437-8, 439; 'Yo~ ar~
.
in;
o thin g o the r

th:.n error °;a~fcst '. 43-8) 440-8; 'a

Warqa', 212. 269,270,273, 275,291. 312,33 1,
334,34 1, 346,3 55,358, 361,379 , 380.
387,389,397,398,400,402,404, 4 13,
414,4 16, 4.25, 4.26, 4 29,431, 438,44 1,
443 , 4 50. 454 - 46 1, 462 , 469
Yi' Sin (SUr.111 Yii' Sin, 36: u - 21), 400-10 ;
W;i.rqf h . ' Umar, 269,273,275,29 1,305,
312,325 ,33 1,333,334,341,346,355,
358,359,361, ]66, 379, 380,387, 389,
397,398, 400, 402, 404,413,414,4 16,
4--2 5, 426,429, 431,4 38, 439,44 1,443,
450, 454, 461 , 462 , 469
Wii~il b. Hayyiin. 18
al-Wii\ifi, Mul.lilrmmd b. Yazid. 25,387
W;,ithila b. al-Ascp' , 78, 79
WomC'n (Slln1 al-Nisii', 4). 79
word111g1 (ah rufl harj), 22, 37: St'C' also
language': ~r':in. )t'VC'n wordi ngs:
~r'iimc rC'c1ta11on
world ( ii/am), 11 7- 19, 123- 4
wonhip, 100, 119,3 47; Alliili, '1hC' O nt' Who
1) wonh1ppcd', 99- 101. 109; 'burni ng
fro m a biC'S\C'd treC'', 322: ' But that you
wo r~hip Mt? Thh is a \tr.ught path',
450: dut t o Cod alo nC', i6c)-,o, 250 ,
JS ! , 474: 'For what cau~C' d 1o uld J 1101
wor)\up 1-lim Who h:i.) CrC':uC'd lllC' ... ·.
400 : •we have pu c on their necks fetters
reaching up to the chins ... ', 395-<i,
397 ; 'Whcc her you warn them or you
warn them no t .. .', 399 ; •ya· Sin', 391-:2
'And all things We h;;ivc kept in ;;i dear
register', 402; 'and their footp rints',
400-402 : 'And there cam e from t he
utterm ost part of the city a man
tu nn ing', 408- 409 (l;labTb b. Muri.
408- 10); 'and who are rightly guided'.
410; 'Coin for them a similitude :
people of die ci t y . . .', 403 - 404; ' If you
desist not, w e shall surely stone you',
4o6: 'ls it because you arc reminded?',
407- 408; 'Lo! we h2ve been sent to
yo u', 404- 405; 'Lo! We it is Who bring
1he dc:i.d to life . .. ·, 400,401; 'Nay,
but yo u arc frow2rd fo lk !', 4o8; 'O
rn y people , fo llow those who h2vc
been sent!', 410; ' (The people of the
cil)') said. We augur iJI of you ... •,
4o6; "T hey said, You arc but morrals
like m ... ·, 405: 'They s:tid, Your evtl
augury is w ith you! .. .', 406--407;
'When We sent to rhcm two .. .', 404
Yi' Sin (SUr.i.t Yi' Sin, 36:33- 4o) , 4t<r 26 •,
ya,' Sin (S\lr:lt Y;i Sm, ~!·~:atc~tent from
'A \Jgll fo r them is the dead C;lrth .. ·•
greeting of pcac~, _ . Arabic
Al9 'A sign for them 1s the night rd 1 445 8
::a Merciful Lo . ' . ~atical
~20--l. 'And for the moon We have
language, linguuuc/gra -6· 'from
ippoimcd stations .. .', .µ 2-4; 'A n d
the sun runs on to a resting-place for d,,
issu es, 442 • « 3 444 '
8
~!n
;anopicd
4-2 i- 2: Arabic language, linguiSt ic/ a Merciful Lo~ ' 44 '. Resurrection
11 ••
gnmmatical issues, 419"""20, 42 1 , 4 22 • beds r ecli_n.~~;i!~: :he fruit and
42 'Glory be to Him Who creat ed
6: Da~, 4~0, 11) that they request', 445;
~heirs is (a hei r wives, in pleasant
;i\\ thC' pain .. .'. 420 ; 'It is not for the
They a~d t . 'This day 11 0 soul is
1un 1o overtake the moon, nor docs th c
sh ;;ide ... . 443-4, , . 'Truly cbc
nigh t o utstrip the day'. 424-5; 'Th at
h thC' ord:i.ining of the Mighty , the wronge~ anyt~it~1~· G;r~~- this d ay a rc
compamons O
o- (happily/
All-knowing·. 422; 'That they may cat ,
h appily e mployed. 44 J
of the fruit thereof .. .'. 419"""20; 'Th ey
Aoat C'ach in a sphere' , 4-26; 'Will they fii kih~ " • 36 : 59- -67), 44 9""56:
1101, then. give thanks?' , 420 ya· s1,n ~Sdu;:~y~e wiilcd. We verily c~uld
Yr Sin (Surat Y;i' Sin , 36:41 - 4), 4-26--3o; A 1• their place ... •
'and :i.s comfort for a while', 430: have fi.x.cd ; ;
11 1
:i,
1
~e willed, W ~ ve ril y.
'And h ave c reated fo r them of th c like 455-6, A u enchcd thcircycs1ght.. . : •
thereof whereon they ridC'', 428-9 ; could h ave .q bic language, \ingu1mc/
45 3-5 , 45_7· ti: ues . 449, 450- 1; 'Burn
'And if WC' will . We drown them. all d
there is no help for them', 429-3o; gram~nau~a d v for chat which you .
thcrcm tins, a, . "But th;;it you worsh ip
No:i.h\ ship. 427 -<;: 'We carried their
disbelieve~. 451, . ht th', 450 : 'Did I
ofEpring in the laden ship', 4 2 7 .
M c?Thisu :r.iisor!:of Adam. that
Yi' Sin (SUnt Y;i' Sin , 36:45-54), 430-4-o,

410- 11 , 41 2; liumiln y, 1.29 ; in a )J11glc
nunntrlluiif, n: ,i nccn: wonhip, 122
4o4, 4SO: 'You alonC' we wor\lup ; Yo ~
•.~:~}~~:r~::~\~:f;:::::•.
Y:i' Sin (St1r.11 Yi' Stn , 36:22-31}, 4-10-_1,8 : d· not chargc:- ·-, 01~t Saun ... •. 441)"-50;
'A li , 1h r anguish for the ~rvanu. , 4 1 • :!~~nd ?'
0
ll w~r: ':\~e~ no sense?', 45 1 ; •~m,·

alont wc a\lc for hdp', 11 4, 11 5, 125, 'A nd lo! they were extinct', 416; 'aod, when it is \aid to them . Spc 11 <l of th ;lt rad ~:urselves ;;ipart , O yo u guilt y,
126
' ll&- 34, lJ(,, 1)7, 159 , 161 to Who m you will be brought b.ack? • bount y .. .', 4 32; Arabic bnguage, S· tl~::2ay!'. 449 : Rt'surrcction Day.
411,4 12; angel, 415; An.bk langu:i.ge, lmguistic/gramm;nic.1\ issues, 43S, 43 .

572 573 \
 TABAR!
451- 2; ·so that they sho uld struggle
fo r the way'. 4 54 ; 'Then how could
they h ave seen ?', 45-4-5 ; 'This day We
~al up their mouths ... ', 45 1-3; 'Th.is
is Gehenna w h ich you wen· promised',
449, 451; 'Ye r he has led ast ray of you a
grc:u multitude', 450
v~:
Yi' Sin (Sfl rat Sin, 36:68-"76), 456-62;
'A nd have subdued them to them .. .',
459-00; 'and that the word m ;ay be
fulfill ed against the disbdicvcrs', 458-9 ;
'And thcy h:wc taken (ot her) gods
beside God .. .', 46o; 'And We h ave
not taught him (Mubamm:i.d) poC'tr)'.
nor is ii proper fo r him', 457; Arabic
b.nguagc, linguistic/ gnmmati.cal issues,
456; 'Benefits and drinks h::ivc they
from them', 46o; 'Have they not seen
how Wc have created for the m of Our
handiwork the cattle', 459; "Have they
then no ~cnsc?', 4 57; 'He whom wc
bri ng to old age, We reverse him in
crc:nion', 456; 'Lo! We know w hat they
co ncul and what they proclaim', 462;
'So let no t their speech grieve you', 461;
'They cannot help them, t ho ugh they
be ham made ready for them', 46o-1;
'This is no less than a R eminder and a
~r'in m aking plain', 45 8; 'To warn
whosoever lives', 458; ' Will they not
then give- thanks?', 46o
Yi' Sin (Sllr.t Yi' Sin, 36:77-82), 462-8 ;
'and behold! you kindle fro m it',
465; 'And he has coined fo r Us a
similitude .. .', 464-5; 'and to Him
you will be brought back', 467; Arabic
language, ling uistic/grammatical
t)sucs, 465, 466; 'But yes, for H e- is
tht" All -knovdng C reator', 466; 'H as
no t m an seen that We have cre.i.ted
him ... ?', 462- 4: 'He is Knowe r of
every creation'. 465; 'He will revive
them W ho produced them .i.t the first',
464- 5; 'h no t H e Who created the
heavem .i.nd the earth .i.ble to create the
hke of them ?', 465--(); Resurrection,
462--(); 'Therefore, G lo ry to Him in
Whose hand 1s the dominion over all
things', 466---,; 'when H e wilh a thing,
574
is o nly that H e says to it, Be! and it is'
466; 'Who has appointed for you 6rt' '
from the green trees', 465; 'Who will
revive these bones when they ha~
rotted away?', 462-5, 466; 'Yet lo! he is
an open opponent', 464
Y:1.}:iyi b. Abi Bukayr, 173
Ya!Jy:i b . Abi Talib, 167, 175, 181, 185, 189,
191,207,208,2 13 , 221 , 24 5
Ya}:i yi b . Adam , 23-4, 279, 294
Yabyi b . 'Awf, 141
Yal:i)'a b . Ayyub. 25
Ya}:iyi b . OiwUd al-Wasili, 37, 70
Yal:iyi b . al-I;>urays, 268
Ya!J y:i b . l:;-lammid, 368
Yah.yi b. lbr:ihim, 62
Yal_iyi b. al-Jazzir, 3n
Ya}:i~ b. al-Muhallab. 293, 3.29, 427
Yai) yl al-'l!ni n, 403 , 413, 4-28, 452
Yai)yi b. R i 6 ' , 168
Yal_iyi b. Sa' id, 377
Ya}:iy:i b. Sa' id al-An1-l ri. 65--(), 364, 366
Yal_iyi b. Sa' id al-~Hin, 6o, So, 403, 413- i4,
4.28,45.2
Ya!J~ b. Sa' id al-Umawi. 19,471
Yal,yi b. Silil:i , 105
Yal,yi b. Sayfi, 365
Yal_ty:i b . Tall_ta al-YarbG' i, 6o
Ya}:iyi b. 'Uthmin b . S:ilil:i, 74, 77
Yal;ly:i b. W:i1;1il_i. 175, 239, 256, 4.24
Yal:iyi b. al-Yamin, 319, ]20, 323
Ya]:iyi b. Ya' m.ar, 2.26, .298
Ya' l:i b. Muslim. 295
Y.i.' qub b. 'A1-im , 309
Ya' qub b . Ibr:ihim b. Jubayr al-Wisifi• .259
Ya' qub al-~mmi. 12, ]19
Yazdid, 372
Yazid, 167, 181 , 185 , 189, 191, 201, 208 • 213 '
221,245,256,391
Yazid b . Abi l;labib, 182-3
Yazid b. Abi Yazid, 66
Yazid b . Abi Ziyad, 180, 181
Yazid b . al-A1-amm, 4-24
Yazidal-Firisi,80
Yazid b. H l rUn, 184, .234
Yazid b . Hubib. 377
Yazid b. K.hu1-ayfa. 30
Yaztd b. al+Wa.lid, 37
Yazid b. Z ur.iy' , 75, JJ 8, 1n , 181 · 185'
INDEX
YOnu s b . ' Ubayd, 427, 4$2
I I 201. 207,208, 21 ), .ll l, 232, 24$,
YUnus al-' Uqayl, 22
2~~. 2$9, 2.63, 264. 267, 271. 2:3• : ~· YUnus b. Ya zid. 183,289
276,281. 291. 29s. 2¢ • .299. 3 s~ 162. YUsuf (Joseph. Pro phet), l.lS
310,3 14, ] I S, 348- 51, 3S5, 357, 3 8~
363--0, 368. 373, 375- ~
388 390 392. 394, 397 4 po
;!
8 3-~i~. ~02-
.
Yusuf b . 'Abd al-A' li, 46_
YUsufb. Khilid al-Samu, t7S
Yusuf b . Mihrin, l.l , 266
403: 400·. 407- 17 passim, 421 - 3~:-:•m,
433. 436--9 [HISSitn, 445. 449, 4S
f"l" im. 465, 466, 469, 474 Zachariah, Prophet, ]26d b M a mUn, 24
al-Za' farin1, Mu}:iamma . y
Ycmm, 387: Abyan, 387 6 471
zahr • sec exterior aspect
Yllnus, 20, 38--(), 47, 233 , 23 ' 401 •
Yfinus (SGrat Yllnus, IO}, 79 Zi'ida, 2s - b Abi Zi'ida, 387,472
Zakariyyi b . Yal:iya .
Yllnus b . 'Abel al-A' li, 20--3, zs, 28, 30--1,
I~ I~;
38"""9, 47, $2, 59, 65, 85, 89,
143, 151, 156---7, 168, 172, 175 • I •
zakOt, see under alms
zann, see supposition
:~~4-4.
186---7, 198,202,207,208,211,223,227,
Z.ayd b. Artm,/)"~:~. 172,320.331, 339,469
239, 240, 259""""60. 267, 269, 272, Zayd b. Al,H,mb, _bo,30 35--0, t61, 256,365,368
Zaydb.a- . u a• '
313, ]20, 324, ]29, 331-3. 339, 34 8
Zayd .i.l-Cl!nir' 19-20
353-4, 361-2, 366, 379-80, 388, 3 9, 6
Z ayd b. Rufay' ' 281-2
398, 400, 401, 402, 404, 428"""9, 434, •; I
Zayd b. Th:ibit, 20, 43--0, 47,401
439, 441, 445, 447-8 , 454, 459, 469-7 •
Zirr b. }:lubaysh, 19, 25
474 Ziy:id b. Khaytha.ma, 368
YUnus al-Ayli, 2.2
Zubayd, 21-2
Yllnu~ b. Bukayr, 7°
Zuhra, 161
Yllnus b . Mul:i.i.mmad, 266
i86.
575
. ~-\ . "
' . ,,
.._,, \'
,, ,.
.,