Tarikh (al-Tabari) 726
The Prophet's ﷺ open proclamation to his people and their response
تَحَيُّرُ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ فِيمَا يَصِفُ بِهِ الْقُرْآنَ [ اجْتِمَاعُهُ بِنَفَرِ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ لِيَبِيتُوا ضِدَّ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَاتِّفَاقُ قُرَيْشٍ أَنْ يَصِفُوا الرَّسُولَ ﷺ بِالسَّاحِرِ، وَمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِمْ ] ثُمَّ إنَّ الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ الْمُغِيرَةِ اجْتَمَعَ إلَيْهِ نَفَرٌ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ، وَكَانَ ذَا سِنٍّ فِيهِمْ، وَقَدْ حَضَرَ الْمَوْسِمَ فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: يَا مَعْشَرَ قُرَيْشٍ، إنَّهُ قَدْ حَضَرَ هَذَا الْمَوْسِمُ، وَإِنَّ وُفُودَ الْعَرَبِ سَتَقْدَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ فِيهِ، وَقَدْ سَمِعُوا بِأَمْرِ صَاحِبِكُمْ هَذَا، فَأَجْمِعُوا فِيهِ رَأْيًا وَاحِدًا، وَلَا تَخْتَلِفُوا فَيُكَذِّبَ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا، وَيَرُدَّ قَوْلُكُمْ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا؛ قَالُوا: فَأَنْتَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ شَمْسٍ، فَقُلْ وَأَقِمْ لَنَا رَأْيًا نَقُولُ بِهِ، قَالَ: بَلْ أَنْتُمْ فَقُولُوا أَسْمَعْ؛ قَالُوا: نَقُولُ كَاهِنٌ، قَالَ: لَا وَاَللَّهِ مَا هُوَ بِكَاهِنِ، لَقَدْ رَأَيْنَا الْكُهَّانَ فَمَا هُوَ بِزَمْزَمَةِ الْكَاهِنِ وَلَا سَجْعِهِ؛ قَالُوا: فَنَقُولُ: مَجْنُونٌ، قَالَ: مَا هُوَ بِمَجْنُونِ لَقَدْ رَأَيْنَا الْجُنُونَ وَعَرَفْنَاهُ، فَمَا هُوَ بِخَنْقِهِ، وَلَا تَخَالُجِهِ، وَلَا وَسْوَسَتِهِ، قَالُوا: فَنَقُولُ: شَاعِرٌ؛ قَالَ: مَا هُوَ بِشَاعِرِ، لَقَدْ عَرَفْنَا الشِّعْرَ كُلَّهُ رَجَزَهُ وَهَزَجَهُ وَقَرِيضَهُ وَمَقْبُوضَهُ وَمَبْسُوطَهُ، فَمَا هُوَ بِالشِّعْرِ؛ قَالُوا: فَنَقُولُ: سَاحِرٌ؛ قَالَ: مَا هُوَ بِسَاحِرِ، لَقَدْ رَأَيْنَا السُّحَّارَ وَسِحْرَهُمْ، فَمَا هُوَ بِنَفْثِهِمْ وَلَا عَقْدِهِمْ؛ قَالُوا: فَمَا نَقُولُ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ شَمْسٍ ؟ قَالَ: وَاَللَّهِ إنَّ لِقَوْلِهِ لَحَلَاوَةً، وَإِنَّ أَصْلَهُ لَعَذِقٌ، وَإِنَّ فَرْعَهُ لَجُنَاةٌ - قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: وَيُقَالُ لَغَدِقٌ - وَمَا أَنْتُمْ بِقَائِلِينَ مِنْ هَذَا شَيْئًا إلَّا عُرِفَ أَنَّهُ بَاطِلٌ، وَإِنَّ أَقْرَبَ الْقَوْلِ فِيهِ لَأَنْ تَقُولُوا سَاحِرٌ، جَاءَ بِقَوْلٍ هُوَ سِحْرٌ يُفَرِّقُ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَأَبِيهِ، وَبَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَأَخِيهِ، وَبَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجَتِهِ، وَبَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَعَشِيرَتِهِ. فَتُفَرِّقُوا عَنْهُ بِذَلِكَ، فَجَعَلُوا يَجْلِسُونَ بِسُبُلِ النَّاسِ حِينَ قَدِمُوا الْمَوْسِمَ، لَا يَمُرُّ بِهِمْ أَحَدٌ إلَّا حَذَّرُوهُ إيَّاهُ، وَذَكَرُوا لَهُمْ أَمْرَهُ. فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ وَفِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ: ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ مَالًا مَمْدُودًا وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا وَمَهَّدْتُ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ كَلَّا إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا أَيْ خَصِيمًا. قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: عَنِيدٌ: مُعَانِدٌ مُخَالِفٌ. قَالَ رُؤْبَةُ بْنُ الْعَجَّاجِ: وَنَحْنُ ضَرَّابُونَ رَأْسَ الْعُنَّدِ وَهَذَا الْبَيْتُ فِي أُرْجُوزَةٍ لَهُ. سَأُرْهِقُهُ صَعُودًا إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ ثُمَّ نَظَرَ ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: بَسَرَ: كَرَّهَ وَجْهَهُ. قَالَ الْعَجَّاجُ: مُضَبَّرُ اللَّحْيَيْنِ بَسْرًا مِنْهَسَا يَصِفُ كَرَاهِيَةَ وَجْهِهِ. وَهَذَا الْبَيْتُ فِي أُرْجُوزَةٍ لَهُ: ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ فَقَالَ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ [ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِي النَّفَرِ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا مَعَ الْمُغِيرَةِ ] قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: وَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: فِي النَّفَرِ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا مَعَهُ يُصَنِّفُونَ الْقَوْلَ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَفِيمَا جَاءَ بِهِ مِنْ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: كَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَى الْمُقْتَسِمِينَ الَّذِينَ جَعَلُوا الْقُرْآنَ عِضِينَ فَوَرَبِّكَ لَنَسْأَلَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ . قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: وَاحِدَةُ الْعِضِينَ: عِضَةٌ، يَقُولُ: عَضَّوْهُ: فَرَّقُوهُ. قَالَ رُؤْبَةُ بْنُ الْعَجَّاجِ: وَلَيْسَ دِينُ اللَّهِ بِالْمُعَضَّى وَهَذَا الْبَيْتُ فِي أُرْجُوزَةٍ لَهُ. [ تَفَرُّقُ النَّفَرِ فِي قُرَيْشٍ يُشَوِّهُونَ رِسَالَةَ الرَّسُولِ ﷺ ] قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: فَجَعَلَ أُولَئِكَ النَّفَرُ يَقُولُونَ ذَلِكَ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِمَنْ لَقُوا مِنْ النَّاسِ، وَصَدَرَتْ الْعَرَبُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْمَوْسِمِ بِأَمْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَانْتَشَرَ ذِكْرُهُ فِي بِلَادِ الْعَرَبِ كُلِّهَا.
Translation
✧ Al-Walīd b. al-Mughīrah's perplexity over how to describe the Qurʾān [His gathering with a group of Quraysh to conspire against the Prophet ﷺ and Quraysh's agreement to describe the Messenger ﷺ as a sorcerer, and what Allah revealed concerning them] Then al-Walīd b. al-Mughīrah, around whom a group of Quraysh gathered—he being elderly among them—and the pilgrimage season having arrived, said to them: "O assembly of Quraysh, this pilgrimage season has arrived, and delegations of Arabs will come to you during it, and they have heard of the matter of this companion of yours. So agree upon a single opinion regarding him and do not differ, lest some of you belie others and your statements refute one another." They said: "Then you, O Abū ʿAbd Shams, speak and establish for us an opinion that we may adopt." He said: "Rather you speak so that I may hear." They said: "We say he is a soothsayer." He said: "No, by Allah, he is not a soothsayer. We have seen the soothsayers, and he is not like the muttering of a soothsayer or his rhymed prose." They said: "Then we say he is possessed." He said: "He is not possessed. We have seen madness and know it, and he is not like its choking, its twitching, or its whispering." They said: "Then we say he is a poet." He said: "He is not a poet. We have known poetry in all its forms—its rajaz, its hazaj, its qarīḍ, its maqbūḍ, and its mabsūṭ—and it is not poetry." They said: "Then we say he is a sorcerer." He said: "He is not a sorcerer. We have seen sorcerers and their sorcery, and he is not like their blowing or their knot-tying." They said: "Then what shall we say, O Abū ʿAbd Shams?" He said: "By Allah, his speech has sweetness, its root is like a laden palm (or, as Ibn Hishām notes, it is also said 'luxuriant'), and its branches bear fruit. Whatever of these things you say will be recognized as false. The closest statement about him is to say he is a sorcerer; he has brought a speech that is sorcery, by which he separates a man from his father, a man from his brother, a man from his wife, and a man from his clan." So they dispersed from him with that. They began sitting along the people's paths when they arrived for the pilgrimage season, and no one passed by them but they warned him against him and mentioned his affair to them. Then Allah, exalted is He, revealed concerning al-Walīd b. al-Mughīrah and that matter: "Leave Me with him whom I created alone, and gave him abundant wealth, and sons present, and spread out for him a smooth life. Then he desires that I should add more. No! Indeed, he was obstinate towards Our signs"—meaning contentious. Ibn Hishām said: ʿanīd means stubborn, opposing. Ruʾbah b. al-ʿAjjāj said: We are strikers of the heads of the stubborn. This verse is in one of his rajaz poems. "I will burden him with a steep ascent. Indeed, he thought and determined. So may he be killed, how he determined. Then may he be killed, how he determined. Then he looked, then he frowned and grimaced." Ibn Hishām said: basara means he wrinkled his face. Al-ʿAjjāj said: Tight-jawed, grimacing, voracious, describing his face's displeasure. This verse is in one of his rajaz poems: "Then he turned his back and was arrogant, and said: This is nothing but magic transmitted; this is nothing but the word of a human." [What Allah revealed concerning the group who were with al-Mughīrah] Ibn Isḥāq said: Allah, exalted is He, revealed concerning the group who were with him, sorting out statements about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and about what he brought from Allah, exalted is He: "As We sent down upon the dividers, who made the Qurʾān into parts. So by your Lord, We will surely question them all about what they used to do." Ibn Hishām said: The singular of ʿiḍīn is ʿiḍah, meaning they dismembered it, that is, they divided it. Ruʾbah b. al-ʿAjjāj said: The religion of Allah is not to be dismembered. This verse is in one of his rajaz poems. [The group's dispersal among Quraysh, disfiguring the message of the Messenger ﷺ] Ibn Isḥāq said: Those men began saying that about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to whomever they met among the people, and the Arabs departed from that pilgrimage season with knowledge of the affair of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and his mention spread throughout all the lands of the Arabs.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.