Tarikh (al-Tabari) 361
the accounts of past peoples from the Israelites and others
قَالَ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ: هَذَا مَثَلٌ مَضْرُوبٌ وَلَا يَلْزَمُ أَنْ يَكُونَ وَاقِعًا. وَالْجُمْهُورُ أَنَّهُ أَمْرٌ قَدْ وَقَعَ، وَقَوْلُهُ: وَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ مَثَلًا يَعْنِي لِكُفَّارِ قُرَيْشٍ، فِي عَدَمِ اجْتِمَاعِهِمْ بِالضُّعَفَاءِ وَالْفُقَرَاءِ، وَازْدِرَائِهِمْ بِهِمْ، وَافْتِخَارِهِمْ عَلَيْهِمْ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: وَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ مَثَلًا أَصْحَابَ الْقَرْيَةِ إِذْ جَاءَهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ [ يس: 13 ]. وَالْمَشْهُورُ أَنَّ هَذَيْنِ كَانَا رَجُلَيْنِ مُصْطَحِبَيْنِ، وَكَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا مُؤْمِنًا وَالْآخِرُ كَافِرًا، وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِكُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا مَالٌ، فَأَنْفَقَ الْمُؤْمِنُ مَالَهُ فِي طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ وَمَرْضَاتِهِ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِهِ، وَأَمَّا الْكَافِرُ فَإِنَّهُ اتَّخَذَ لَهُ بُسْتَانَيْنِ، وَهُمَا الْجَنَّتَانِ الْمَذْكُورَتَانِ فِي الْآيَةِ، عَلَى الصِّفَةِ وَالنَّعْتِ الْمَذْكُورِ ; فِيهِمَا أَعْنَابٌ، وَنَخْلٌ تَحُفُّ تِلْكَ الْأَعْنَابَ وَالزُّرُوعُ فِي خِلَالِ ذَلِكَ، وَالْأَنْهَارُ سَارِحَةٌ هَاهُنَا وَهَاهُنَا لِلسَّقْيِ وَالتَّنَزُّهِ، وَقَدِ اسْتَوْسَقَتْ فِيهِمَا الثِّمَارُ، وَاضْطَرَبَتْ فِيهِمَا الْأَنْهَارُ، وَابْتَهَجَتِ الزُّرُوعُ وَالثِّمَارُ، وَافْتَخَرَ مَالِكُهُمَا عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِ الْفَقِيرِ قَائِلًا لَهُ: أَنَا أَكْثَرُ مِنْكَ مَالًا وَأَعَزُّ نَفَرًا أَيْ: وَأَمْنَعُ جَنَابًا. وَمُرَادُهُ أَنَّهُ خَيْرٌ مِنْهُ، وَمَعْنَاهُ، مَاذَا أَغْنَى عَنْكَ إِنْفَاقُكَ مَا كُنْتَ تَمْلِكُهُ فِي الْوَجْهِ الَّذِي صَرَفْتَهُ فِيهِ ؟ كَانَ الْأَوْلَى بِكَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَ كَمَا فَعَلْتُ لِتَكَوْنَ مِثْلِي. فَافْتَخَرَ عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ وَدَخَلَ جَنَّتَهُ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ لِنَفْسِهِ أَيْ: وَهُوَ عَلَى غَيْرِ طَرِيقَةٍ مَرْضِيَّةٍ قَالَ مَا أَظُنُّ أَنْ تَبِيدَ هَذِهِ أَبَدًا وَذَلِكَ لِمَا رَأَى مِنِ اتِّسَاعِ أَرْضِهَا، وَكَثْرَةِ مَائِهَا وَحُسْنِ نَبَاتِ أَشْجَارِهَا ; وَلَوْ قَدْ بَادَتْ كُلُّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَشْجَارِ لَاسْتَخْلَفَ مَكَانَهَا أَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا، وَزُرُوعُهَا دَارَّةٌ لِكَثْرَةِ مِيَاهِهَا. ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَمَا أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً فَوَثِقَ بِزَهْرَةِ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا الْفَانِيَةِ، وَكَذَّبَ بِوُجُودِ الْآخِرَةِ الْبَاقِيَةِ الدَّائِمَةِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَلَئِنْ رُدِدْتُ إِلَى رَبِّي لَأَجِدَنَّ خَيْرًا مِنْهَا مُنْقَلَبًا أَيْ: وَلَئِنْ كَانَ ثَمَّ آخِرَةٌ وَمَعَادٌ فَلَأَجِدَنَّ هُنَاكَ خَيْرًا مِنْ هَذَا. وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهُ اغْتَرَّ بِدُنْيَاهُ، وَاعْتَقَدَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يُعْطِهِ ذَلِكَ فِيهَا إِلَّا لِحُبِّهِ لَهُ وَحَظْوَتِهِ عِنْدَهُ، كَمَا قَالَ الْعَاصِ بْنُ وَائِلٍ فِيمَا قَصَّ اللَّهُ مِنْ خَبَرِهِ وَخَبَرِ خَبَّابِ بْنِ الْأَرَتِّ فِي قَوْلِهِ: أَفَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ بِآيَاتِنَا وَقَالَ لَأُوتَيَنَّ مَالًا وَوَلَدًا أَطَّلَعَ الْغَيْبَ أَمِ اتَّخَذَ عِنْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ عَهْدًا [ مَرْيَمَ: 77، 78 ]. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى إِخْبَارًا عَنِ الْإِنْسَانِ إِذَا أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ لَيَقُولَنَّ هَذَا لِي وَمَا أَظُنُّ السَّاعَةَ قَائِمَةً وَلَئِنْ رُجِعْتُ إِلَى رَبِّي إِنَّ لِي عِنْدَهُ لَلْحُسْنَى [ فُصِّلَتْ: 50 ]. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: فَلَنُنَبِّئَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِنْ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ [ فُصِّلَتْ: 50 ]. وَقَالَ قَارُونُ إِنَّمَا أُوتِيتُهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عِنْدِي [ الْقَصَصِ: 78 ]. أَيْ لِعِلْمِ اللَّهِ فِيَّ أَنِّي أَسْتَحِقُّهُ. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعًا وَلَا يُسْأَلُ عَنْ ذُنُوبِهِمُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ [ الْقَصَصِ: 78 ]. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: وَمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ بِالَّتِي تُقَرِّبُكُمْ عِنْدَنَا زُلْفَى إِلَّا مَنْ آمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ جَزَاءُ الضِّعْفِ بِمَا عَمِلُوا وَهُمْ فِي الْغُرُفَاتِ آمِنُونَ [ سَبَأٍ: 37 ]. وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: أَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّمَا نُمِدُّهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ مَالٍ وَبَنِينَ نُسَارِعُ لَهُمْ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ بَلْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ [ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ: 55، 56 ].
Translation
✧ Some of the people said: This is a parable struck, and it is not necessary that it be real. The majority hold that it is a matter that actually occurred. His saying: And strike for them a parable means for the disbelievers of Quraysh, in their not associating with the weak and poor, their scorning them, and their boasting over them, as He, exalted is He, said: And strike for them a parable: the companions of the town, when the messengers came to it [Yā Sīn: 13]. The well-known view is that these two were two men who were companions, one of them a believer and the other a disbeliever. It is said that each of them had wealth. The believer spent his wealth in obedience to Allah and His good pleasure, seeking His countenance. As for the disbeliever, he took for himself two gardens, which are the two gardens mentioned in the verse, with the description and attribute mentioned: in them were grapevines, and palm trees surrounding those grapevines, and crops in the midst of that, and rivers flowing here and there for irrigation and enjoyment. The fruits in them were ripe and abundant, the rivers abounded, the crops and fruits rejoiced, and their owner boasted over his believing poor companion, saying to him: I am greater than you in wealth and mightier in manpower, that is, more inviolable in protection. His intent was that he was better than him, and its meaning: What did your spending of what you owned in the way you spent it avail you? It would have been more fitting for you to do as I did, so that you would be like me. So he boasted over his companion and entered his garden while wronging his soul, that is, while on a path not pleasing to Allah. He said: I do not think that this will ever perish. That was because of the vastness of its land, the abundance of its water, and the beauty of its trees' growth; and even if every one of these trees were to perish, something better than it would take its place, and its crops were abundant due to the abundance of its waters. Then he said: And I do not think the Hour will come. So he trusted in the splendor of the fleeting life of this world and denied the existence of the lasting, enduring Hereafter. Then he said: And if I am returned to my Lord, I will surely find better than this as a return, that is, if there is a Hereafter and a return, I will surely find there something better than this. That was because he was deceived by his worldly life and believed that Allah did not give him that in this world except because of His love for him and his favor with Him, as al-ʿĀṣ b. Wāʾil said in what Allah related of his story and the story of Khabbāb b. al-Aratt in His saying: Have you seen the one who disbelieved in Our verses and said: I will surely be given wealth and children. Has he looked into the unseen or taken a covenant with the Most Merciful? [Maryam: 77, 78]. And He, exalted is He, said, informing about man when Allah bestows blessings upon him: He will surely say: This is for me, and I do not think the Hour will come, and if I am returned to my Lord, indeed for me with Him will be the best [Fuṣṣilat: 50]. Allah, exalted is He, said: We will surely inform those who disbelieved of what they did, and We will surely make them taste a harsh punishment [Fuṣṣilat: 50]. And Qārūn said: I was only given it because of knowledge I possess [al-Qaṣaṣ: 78], that is, because of Allah's knowledge in me that I deserve it. Allah, exalted is He, said: Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him of the generations those who were stronger than him in power and greater in accumulation? And the criminals will not be asked about their sins [al-Qaṣaṣ: 78]. And He, exalted is He, said: And it is not your wealth or your children that bring you near to Us in nearness, except one who believes and does righteous deeds; for those there is double reward for what they did, and they will be in upper chambers secure [Sabaʾ: 37]. And He, exalted is He, said: Do they think that what We extend to them of wealth and children is [because] We hasten for them good things? Rather, they do not perceive [al-Muʾminūn: 55, 56].
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.