Tarikh (al-Tabari) 354
the accounts of past peoples from the Israelites and others
وَكَانَتْ عِدَّتُهُمْ، فِيمَا ذَكَرَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ، سَبْعَةً وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ، وَقَالَ: إِنَّا مِنَ الْقَلِيلِ الَّذِينَ تَعْلَمُونَهُمْ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: كَانُوا ثَمَانِيَةً، فَعَلَى قَوْلِهِ يَكُونُ تَاسِعُهُمْ كَلْبَهُمْ. قَالَ تَعَالَى: سَيَقُولُونَ ثَلَاثَةٌ رَابِعُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ خَمْسَةٌ سَادِسُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ رَجْمًا بِالْغَيْبِ وَيَقُولُونَ سَبْعَةٌ وَثَامِنُهُمْ كَلْبُهُمْ فَذَكَرَ اخْتِلَافَ النَّاسِ فِي كَمِّيَّتِهِمْ، فَحَكَى ثَلَاثَةَ أَقْوَالٍ وَضَعَّفَ الْأَوَّلَيْنِ، وَقَرَّرَ الثَّالِثَ، فَدَلَّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ ; إِذْ لَوْ قِيلَ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ لَحَكَاهُ وَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ هَذَا الثَّالِثُ هُوَ الصَّحِيحَ لَوَهَّاهُ، فَدَلَّ عَلَى مَا قُلْنَاهُ، وَلَمَّا كَانَ النِّزَاعُ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا لَا طَائِلَ تَحْتَهُ وَلَا جَدْوَى عِنْدَهُ، أَرْشَدَ نَبِيَّهُ ﷺ، إِلَى الْأَدَبِ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْحَالِ، إِذَا اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فِيهِ أَنْ يَقُولَ: اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. وَلِهَذَا قَالَ: قُلْ رَبِّي أَعْلَمُ بِعِدَّتِهِمْ وَقَوْلُهُ: مَا يَعْلَمُهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ أَيْ: مِنَ النَّاسِ فَلَا تُمَارِ فِيهِمْ إِلَّا مِرَاءً ظَاهِرًا أَيْ سَهْلًا، وَلَا تَتَكَلَّفْ إِعْمَالَ الْجِدَالِ فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا الْحَالِ، وَلَا تَسْتَفْتِ فِي أَمْرِهِمْ أَحَدًا مِنَ الرِّجَالِ; وَلِهَذَا أَبْهَمَ تَعَالَى عِدَّتَهُمْ فِي أَوَّلِ الْقِصَّةِ فَقَالَ: إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ فِي تَعْيِينِ عِدَّتِهِمْ كَبِيرُ فَائِدَةٍ لَذَكَرَهَا عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ. وقيل أن أَسْمَاءُ الْفِتْيَةِ: مَكْسِلْمِينْيَا وَيَمْلِيخَا وَمَرْطُوسْ وَنِيرُوِيسْ وَكَسْطُومَسْ وَدَيْنَمُوسْ وَرِيطُوفَسْ وَقَالُوسْ وَمَخْسِيلْمِينْيَا، وَهَذِهِ تِسْعَةُ أَسْمَاءٍ
Translation
✧ Their number, as Ibn ʿAbbās mentioned, was seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. He said: We are among the few who know them. Ibn Isḥāq said: They were eight, so according to his statement, the ninth of them was their dog. The Almighty said: They will say, “Three, the fourth of them being their dog,” and they will say, “Five, the sixth of them being their dog,” guessing at the unseen; and they will say, “Seven, and the eighth of them is their dog.” Thus He mentioned the disagreement of the people concerning their number, relating three statements, deeming the first two weak and affirming the third, which indicates that it is the truth; for if anything else had been said, He would have related it, and if this third statement were not the correct one, He would have deemed it weak. This indicates what we have stated. Since disputing about such a matter has no benefit or usefulness, He directed His Prophet ﷺ to proper conduct in such a situation when people differ about it: to say, “God knows best.” For this reason He said: Say, “My Lord knows best their number.” And His saying: None knows them except a few, that is, among the people. So do not dispute about them except with an outward dispute, meaning an easy one, and do not burden yourself with engaging in argumentation in such a situation, and do not consult anyone among men about their affair. For this reason the Almighty left their number unspecified at the beginning of the story, saying: Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord. Had there been great benefit in specifying their number, the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed would have mentioned it. It was said that the names of the youths were: Makslīmīnyā, Yamlīkhā, Marṭūs, Nīrūwīs, Kasṭūmas, Daynamūs, Rīṭūfas, Qālūs, and Makhsīlmīnyā—these are nine names.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.