Tarikh (al-Tabari) 3
Creation of the heavens and the earth
الْقَوْلُ فِي ابْتِدَاءِ الْخَلْقِ، وَمَا كَانَ أَوَّلَهُ وَاخْتَلَفُوا هَلْ كَانَ قَبْلَ خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ شَيْءٌ مَخْلُوقٌ قَبْلَهُمَا ؟ فَذَهَبَ طَوَائِفُ مِنَ الْمُتَكَلِّمِينَ إِلَى أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَبْلَهُمَا شَيْءٌ، وَأَنَّهُمَا خُلِقَتَا مِنَ الْعَدَمِ الْمَحْضِ. وَقَالَ آخَرُونَ بَلْ كَانَ قَبْلَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَخْلُوقَاتٌ أُخَرُ لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ. [ هُودٍ: 7 ]. الْآيَةَ. وَفِي حَدِيثِ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ كَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ قَبْلَهُ شَيْءٌ، وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ، وَكَتَبَ فِي الذِّكْرِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ، ثُمَّ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ. وَقَالَ الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ بسنده عن أَبِي رَزِينٍ لَقِيطِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ الْعُقَيْلِيِّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيْنَ كَانَ رَبُّنَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ ؟ قَالَ: كَانَ فِي عَمَاءٍ مَا فَوْقَهُ هَوَاءٌ وَمَا تَحْتَهُ هَوَاءٌ، ثُمَّ خَلَقَ عَرْشَهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ. وَهُوَ الْغَمَامُ الَّذِي ذَكَرَهُ اللَّهُ فِي قَوْلِهِ: هَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي ظُلَلٍ مِنَ الْغَمَامِ. قُلْتُ -ابن الأثير- هَذَا فِيهِ نَظَرٌ، لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ تَقَدَّمَ أَنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الْقَلَمُ، وَقَالَ لَهُ: اكْتُبْ. فَجَرَى فِي تِلْكَ السَّاعَةِ. ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ فِي أَوَّلِ هَذَا الْفَصْلِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ بَعْدَ الْقَلَمِ، وَبَعْدَ أَنْ جَرَى بِمَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ سَحَابًا، وَمِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ الْكِتَابَةَ لَا بُدَّ فِيهَا مِنْ آلَةٍ يُكْتَبُ بِهَا، وَهُوَ الْقَلَمُ، وَمِنْ شَيْءٍ يُكْتَبُ فِيهِ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُعَبَّرُ عَنْهُ هَهُنَا بِاللَّوْحِ الْمَحْفُوظِ. وَكَانَ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَذْكُرَ اللَّوْحَ الْمَحْفُوظَ ثَانِيًا لِلْقَلَمِ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. وَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنْ يَكُونَ تَرَكَ ذِكْرَهُ لِأَنَّهُ مَعْلُومٌ مِنْ مَفْهُومِ اللَّفْظِ بِطَرِيقَةِ الْمُلَازَمَةِ. وَاخْتَلَفَ هَؤُلَاءِ فِي أَيِّهَا خَلَقَ أَوَّلًا ؟ فَقَالَ قَائِلُونَ: خَلَقَ الْقَلَمَ قَبْلَ هَذِهِ الْأَشْيَاءِ كُلِّهَا، وَهَذَا هُوَ اخْتِيَارُ ابْنِ جَرِيرٍ وَابْنِ الْجَوْزِيِّ وَغَيْرِهِمَا قَالَ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ: وَبَعْدَ الْقَلَمِ السَّحَابَ الرَّقِيقَ وَاحْتَجُّوا بِالْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي رَوَاهُ الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ وَأَبُو دَاوُدَ وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ، عَنْ عُبَادَةَ بْنِ الصَّامِتِ ؓ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْقَلَمُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ اكْتُبْ فَجَرَى فِي تِلْكَ السَّاعَةِ بِمَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ. لَفْظُ أَحْمَدَ، وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ: حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ، وَالَّذِي عَلَيْهِ الْجُمْهُورُ فِيمَا نَقَلَهُ الْحَافِظُ أَبُو الْعَلَاءِ الْهَمَذَانِيُّ وَغَيْرُهُ ; أَنَّ الْعَرْشَ مَخْلُوقٌ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ. وَهَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي رَوَاهُ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الضَّحَّاكِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ كَمَا دَلَّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ الْحَدِيثُ الَّذِي رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ فِي صَحِيحِهِ بسنده عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: كَتَبَ اللَّهُ مَقَادِيرَ الْخَلَائِقِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِخَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ قَالَ: وَعَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ. قَالُوا: فَهَذَا التَّقْدِيرُ هُوَ كِتَابَتُهُ بِالْقَلَمِ الْمَقَادِيرَ، وَقَدْ دَلَّ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ بَعْدَ خَلْقِ الْعَرْشِ، فَثَبَتَ تَقَدُّمُ خَلْقِ الْعَرْشِ عَلَى الْقَلَمِ الَّذِي كَتَبَ بِهِ الْمَقَادِيرَ كَمَا ذَهَبَ إِلَى ذَلِكَ الْجَمَاهِيرُ. وَيُحْمَلُ حَدِيثُ الْقَلَمِ عَلَى أَنَّهُ أَوَّلُ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ مِنْ هَذَا الْعَالَمِ، وَيُؤَيِّدُ هَذَا مَا رَوَاهُ الْبُخَارِيُّ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصِيْنٍ قَالَ: قَالَ أَهْلُ الْيَمَنِ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ: جِئْنَاكَ لِنَتَفَقَّهَ فِي الدِّينِ وَلِنَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ أَوَّلِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ ؟ فَقَالَ: كَانَ اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْءٌ قَبْلَهُ. وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: مَعَهُ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: غَيْرُهُ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ وَكَتَبَ فِي الذِّكْرِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ وَخَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ. وَفِي لَفْظٍ ثُمَّ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ. فَسَأَلُوهُ عَنِ ابْتِدَاءِ خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَلِهَذَا قَالُوا جِئْنَاكَ نَسْأَلُكَ عَنْ أَوَّلِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ، فَأَجَابَهُمْ عَمَّا سَأَلُوا فَقَطْ، وَلِهَذَا لَمْ يُخْبِرْهُمْ بِخَلْقِ الْعَرْشِ كَمَا أَخْبَرَ بِهِ فِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي رَزِينٍ الْمُتَقَدِّمِ. قَالَ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ: وَقَالَ آخَرُونَ: بَلْ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْمَاءَ قَبْلَ الْعَرْشِ رَوَاهُ السُّدِّيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي مَالِكٍ، وَعَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَعَنْ مُرَّةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، وَعَنْ نَاسٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالُوا: إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ، وَلَمْ يَخْلُقْ شَيْئًا غَيْرَ مَا خَلَقَ قَبْلَ الْمَاءِ، وَحَكَى ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْحَاقَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: أَوَّلُ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ النُّورُ وَالظُّلْمَةُ، ثُمَّ مَيَّزَ بَيْنَهُمَا فَجَعَلَ الظُّلْمَةَ لَيْلًا أَسْوَدَ مُظْلِمًا، وَجَعَلَ النُّورَ نَهَارًا مُضِيئًا مُبْصِرًا قَالَ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ: وَقَدْ قِيلَ إِنَّ الَّذِي خَلَقَ رَبُّنَا بَعْدَ الْقَلَمِ الْكُرْسِيُّ، ثُمَّ خَلَقَ بَعْدَ الْكُرْسِيِّ الْعَرْشَ، ثُمَّ خَلَقَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ الْهَوَاءَ وَالظُّلْمَةَ، ثُمَّ خَلَقَ الْمَاءَ فَوَضَعَ عَرْشَهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ. وَاللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ وَقَوْلُ مَنْ قَالَ: إِنَّ الْمَاءَ خُلِقَ قَبْلَ الْعَرْشِ أَوْلَى بِالصَّوَابِ؛ لِحَدِيثِ أَبِي رَزِينٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَقَدْ قِيلَ: إِنَّ الْمَاءَ كَانَ عَلَى مَتْنِ الرِّيحِ حِينَ خُلِقَ الْعَرْشُ ; قَالَهُ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ كَذَلِكَ فَقَدْ خُلِقَا قَبْلَ الْعَرْشِ.
Translation
✧ The discussion on the beginning of creation, and what was its first: They differed whether there was, before the creation of the heavens and the earth, any created thing prior to them? Groups of the mutakallimūn (speculative theologians) went to the view that there was nothing before them, and that they were created from pure nothingness. Others said: Rather, there were other created things before the heavens and the earth, because of the saying of the Most High: “And He it is who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and His Throne was upon the water” [Hūd: 7], to the end of the verse. And in the ḥadīth of ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn: “As God was, and there was nothing before Him, and His Throne was upon the water, and He wrote in the Remembrance all things, then He created the heavens and the earth.” Al-Imām Aḥmad said with his chain of transmission from Abū Razīn Laqīṭ b. ʿĀmir al-ʿUqaylī that he said: “O Messenger of God, where was our Lord before He created the heavens and the earth?” He said: “He was in a cloud (ʿamāʾ); above it was air and below it was air, then He created His Throne upon the water.” And it is the cloud (ghamām) which God mentioned in His saying: “Do they wait for naught but that God should come to them in the shadows of the clouds.” I say – Ibn al-Athīr – this requires scrutiny, because it has been mentioned earlier that the first thing God Almighty created was the Pen, and He said to it: “Write.” So it flowed in that hour. Then he mentioned at the beginning of this section that God created, after the Pen and after it flowed with what is to be, a cloud. It is known that writing necessarily requires an instrument with which to write, which is the Pen, and something in which to write, which is what is expressed here as the Preserved Tablet. It would have been appropriate to mention the Preserved Tablet second after the Pen, and God knows best. It is possible that its mention was omitted because it is known from the import of the expression by way of entailment. These differed as to which of them He created first? Some said: He created the Pen before all these things, and this is the choice of Ibn Jarīr and Ibn al-Jawzī and others. Ibn Jarīr said: And after the Pen, the thin cloud. They argued with the ḥadīth narrated by al-Imām Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī, from ʿUbāda b. al-Ṣāmit ؓ who said: The Messenger of God ﷺ said: “The first thing God created was the Pen, then He said to it: ‘Write,’ so it flowed in that hour with what is to be until the Day of Resurrection.” This is the wording of Aḥmad. Al-Tirmidhī said: ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ gharīb. The view held by the majority, as transmitted by al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Hamadhānī and others, is that the Throne was created before that. This is what Ibn Jarīr narrated from the path of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, from Ibn ʿAbbās, as indicated by the ḥadīth narrated by Muslim in his Ṣaḥīḥ with his chain from ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ who said: I heard the Messenger of God ﷺ say: “God wrote the decrees of the creatures fifty thousand years before He created the heavens and the earth.” He said: “And His Throne was upon the water.” They said: So this decree is His writing of the decrees with the Pen. This ḥadīth indicates that that was after the creation of the Throne, so the priority of the creation of the Throne over the Pen with which He wrote the decrees is established, as the majority held. The ḥadīth of the Pen is interpreted as meaning that it is the first of the created things of this world. This is supported by what al-Bukhārī narrated from ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn who said: The people of Yemen said to the Messenger of God ﷺ: “We have come to you to gain understanding in the religion and to ask you about the beginning of this matter?” He said: “God was, and there was nothing before Him – in one narration: with Him; in another: other than Him – and His Throne was upon the water, and He wrote in the Remembrance all things, and He created the heavens and the earth.” In one wording: “Then He created the heavens and the earth.” They asked him about the beginning of the creation of the heavens and the earth, and for this reason they said: “We have come to ask you about the beginning of this matter.” So he answered them only about what they asked, and for this reason he did not inform them of the creation of the Throne as he informed in the preceding ḥadīth of Abū Razīn. Ibn Jarīr said: Others said: Rather, God Almighty created the water before the Throne. Al-Suddī narrated it from Abū Mālik, and from Abū Ṣāliḥ, from Ibn ʿAbbās, and from Murra, from Ibn Masʿūd, and from people among the Companions of the Messenger of God ﷺ who said: God's Throne was upon the water, and He created nothing other than what He created before the water. Ibn Jarīr related from Muḥammad b. Isḥāq that he said: The first thing God Almighty created was light and darkness, then He separated them and made darkness a black, dark night and made light a bright, visible day. Ibn Jarīr said: It has also been said that what our Lord created after the Pen was the Footstool (kursī), then He created after the Footstool the Throne, then after that He created air and darkness, then He created water and placed His Throne upon the water. And God, glorified and exalted be He, knows best. The saying of those who said that water was created before the Throne is more correct, because of the ḥadīth of Abū Razīn from the Prophet ﷺ. It has also been said that the water was upon the back of the wind when the Throne was created; this was said by Saʿīd b. Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbās. If it was so, then they were both created before the Throne.
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