Tarikh (al-Tabari) 213
The story of Moses the one who spoke with Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)
وَذَكَرُوا أَنَّهُمْ لَمَّا جَاوَزُوا الْبَحْرَ، وَذَهَبُوا قَاصِدِينَ إِلَى بِلَادِ الشَّامِ، مَكَثُوا ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ، لَا يَجِدُونَ مَاءً، فَتَكَلَّمَ مَنْ تَكَلَّمَ مِنْهُمْ بِسَبَبِ ذَلِكَ، فَوَجَدُوا مَاءً زُعَاقًا أُجَاجًا، لَمْ يَسْتَطِيعُوا شُرْبَهُ، فَأَمَرَ اللَّهُ مُوسَى، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، فَأَخَذَ خَشَبَةً فَوَضَعَهَا فِيهِ، فَحَلَا وَسَاغَ شُرْبُهُ، وَعَلَّمَهُ الرَّبُّ هُنَالِكَ فَرَائِضَ وَسُنَنًا، وَوَصَّاهُ وَصَايَا كَثِيرَةً. وَقَدْ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي كِتَابِهِ الْعَزِيزِ، الْمُهَيْمِنِ عَلَى مَا عَدَاهُ مِنَ الْكُتُبِ ثُمَّ سَارُوا فَأَتَوْا عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْبُدُونَ الْأَصْنَامَ فَقَالُوا يَا مُوسَى اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَاطِلٌ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ قَالُوا هَذَا الْجَهْلَ وَالضَّلَالَ، وَقَدْ عَايَنُوا مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ، مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَى صِدْقِ مَا جَاءَهُمْ بِهِ رَسُولُ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُمْ مَرُّوا عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْبُدُونَ أَصْنَامًا، قِيلَ: كَانَتْ عَلَى صُوَرِ الْبَقَرِ. فَكَأَنَّهُمْ سَأَلُوهُمْ: لِمَ يَعْبُدُونَهَا، فَزَعَمُوا لَهُمْ أَنَّهَا تَنْفَعُهُمْ وَتَضُرُّهُمْ، وَيَسْتَرْزِقُونَ بِهَا عِنْدَ الضَّرُورَاتِ، فَكَأَنَّ بَعْضَ الْجُهَّالِ مِنْهُمْ صَدَّقُوهُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ، فَسَأَلُوا نَبِيَّهُمُ الْكَلِيمَ الْكَرِيمَ الْعَظِيمَ، أَنْ يَجْعَلَ لَهُمْ آلِهَةً كَمَا لِأُولَئِكَ آلِهَةٌ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ مُبَيِّنًا لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ: إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَاطِلٌ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ. ثُمَّ ذَكَّرَهُمْ نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ، فِي تَفْضِيلِهِ إِيَّاهُمْ عَلَى عَالِمِي زَمَانِهِمْ بِالْعِلْمِ، وَالشَّرْعِ، وَالرَّسُولِ الَّذِي بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِهِمْ، وَمَا أَحْسَنَ بِهِ إِلَيْهِمْ، وَمَا امْتَنَّ بِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ، مِنْ إِنْجَائِهِمْ مِنْ قَبْضَةِ فِرْعَوْنَ الْجَبَّارِ الْعَنِيدِ، وَإِهْلَاكِهِ إِيَّاهُ وَهُمْ يَنْظُرُونَ، وَتَوْرِيثِهِ إِيَّاهُمْ مَا كَانَ فِرْعَوْنُ وَمَلَؤُهُ يَجْمَعُونَهُ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالسَّعَادَةِ، وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْرِشُونَ، وَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُ لَا تَصْلُحُ الْعِبَادَةُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ وَحْدَهُ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ; لِأَنَّهُ الْخَالِقُ الرَّازِقُ الْقَهَّارُ، وَلَيْسَ كُلُّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ سَأَلَ هَذَا السُّؤَالَ، بَلِ الضَّمِيرُ عَائِدٌ عَلَى الْجِنْسِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: وَجَاوَزْنَا بِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَهُمْ قَالُوا يَامُوسَى اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ أَيْ; قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ كَمَا فِي قَوْلِهِ: وَحَشَرْنَاهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا وَعُرِضُوا عَلَى رَبِّكَ صَفًّا لَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّنْ نَجْعَلَ لَكُمْ مَوْعِدًا [ الْكَهْفِ: 47، 48 ]. فَالَّذِينَ زَعَمُوا هَذَا بَعْضُ النَّاسِ، لَا كُلُّهُمْ. وَقَدْ قَالَ الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ بسنده عَنْ أَبِي وَاقِدٍ اللَّيْثِيِّ، قَالَ: خَرَجْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، قَبْلَ حُنَيْنٍ، فَمَرَرْنَا بِسِدْرَةٍ فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، اجْعَلْ لَنَا ذَاتَ أَنْوَاطٍ، كَمَا لِلْكُفَّارِ ذَاتُ أَنْوَاطٍ. وَكَانَ الْكَفَّارُ يَنُوطُونَ سِلَاحَهُمْ بِسِدْرَةٍ، وَيَعْكُفُونَ حَوْلَهَا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، هَذَا كَمَا قَالَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ لِمُوسَى: اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ. إِنَّكُمْ تَرْكَبُونَ سُنَنَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ
Translation
✧ They mentioned that when they had crossed the sea and went on their way toward the lands of Syria, they remained there for three days without finding water. Some of them spoke because of that, and they found water that was bitter and salty, which they could not drink. So Allah commanded Moses ﷺ, and he took a piece of wood and placed it in it, and it became sweet and its drinking was pleasant. There the Lord taught him obligations and sunnahs and enjoined upon him many commandments. Allah the Exalted has said in His Mighty Book, which is dominant over all other books: Then they journeyed on and came upon a people who worshipped idols. They said, “O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods.” He said, “Indeed, you are a people who are ignorant. Indeed, as for these, what they are engaged in is destined for destruction, and vain is what they have been doing.” They said this out of ignorance and misguidance, even though they had witnessed of Allah’s signs and His power what showed them the truthfulness of what the Messenger of the Lord of Majesty and Honor had brought them. That is because they passed by a people who worshipped idols—it is said they were in the shape of cows. It was as if they asked them why they worshipped them, and they claimed to them that they benefited them and harmed them, and that they sought provision through them in times of necessity. It was as if some of the ignorant among them believed them in that, so they asked their prophet, the noble, generous, and great spokesman, to make for them gods just as those had gods. He said to them, making clear to them that they did not understand and were not guided: “Indeed, as for these, what they are engaged in is destined for destruction, and vain is what they have been doing.” Then he reminded them of Allah’s favor upon them, in that He had preferred them over the people of their time through knowledge, law, and the messenger who was among them, and how well He had treated them and what blessings He had bestowed upon them, in saving them from the grip of Pharaoh, the mighty tyrant and obstinate one, and destroying him while they were looking on, and making them inherit what Pharaoh and his chiefs had been amassing of wealth and happiness and what they had been constructing. And he made clear to them that worship is not proper except for Allah alone, with no partner, because He is the Creator, the Provider, the Subduer. Not all of the Children of Israel asked this question; rather, the pronoun refers to the kind in His saying: “And We brought the Children of Israel across the sea, and they came upon a people devoted to idols they had. They said, ‘O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods’” — that is, some of them said it, as in His saying: “And We will gather them and not leave out any one of them, and they will be presented before your Lord in rows: ‘You have certainly come to Us just as We created you the first time. But you claimed that We would never make for you an appointment.’” [al-Kahf: 47, 48]. Those who claimed this were some of the people, not all of them. Imam Ahmad said with his chain of transmission on the authority of Abu Wāqid al-Laythī, who said: We went out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ before Hunayn, and we passed by a lote tree. I said: “O Messenger of Allah, make for us a Dhāt Anwāṭ just as the disbelievers have a Dhāt Anwāṭ.” The disbelievers used to hang their weapons on a lote tree and stay around it in worship. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah is greater! This is just as the Children of Israel said to Moses: ‘Make for us a god just as they have gods.’ Indeed, you are following the ways of those who came before you.”
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.