Tarikh (al-Tabari) 899
Some matters that occurred between the Messenger ﷺ and the Jews, Christians, and hypocrites in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah
تَحَيُّرِهِمْ فِي مُدَّةِ مُكْثِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ لَمَّا سَمِعُوا الْحُرُوفَ الْمُقَطَّعَةَ فِي أَوَائِلِ السُّوَرِ قَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ- فِيمَا ذُكِرَ لِي عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَجَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ رِئَابٍ- "إِنَّ أَبَا يَاسِرِ بْنَ أَخْطَبَ مَرَّ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَهُوَ يَتْلُو فَاتِحَةَ الْبَقَرَةِ الم ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ [الْبَقَرَةِ 1، 2]، فَأَتَى أَخَاهُ حُيَيَّ بْنَ أَخْطَبَ فِي رِجَالٍ مِنْ يَهُودَ، فَقَالَ: تَعَلَّمُوا، وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ مُحَمَّدًا يَتْلُو فِيمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ: الم ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ، فَقَالُوا: أَنْتَ سَمِعْتَهُ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. فَمَشَى حُيَيُّ بْنُ أَخْطَبَ فِي أُولَئِكَ النَّفَرِ مِنْ يَهُودَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَقَالُوا لَهُ: "يَا مُحَمَّدُ، أَلَمْ يُذْكَرْ لَنَا أَنَّكَ تَتْلُو فِيمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْكَ الم ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "بَلَى". قَالُوا: "أَجَاءَكَ بِهَا جِبْرِيلُ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: "نَعَمْ". قَالُوا: "لَقَدْ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ قَبْلَكَ أَنْبِيَاءَ أَنْبِيَاءَ مَا نَعْلَمُهُ بَيَّنَ لِنَبِيٍّ مِنْهُمْ مَا مُدَّةُ مُلْكِهِ وَمَا أَجَلُ أُمَّتِهِ غَيْرِكَ". فَقَامَ حُيَيُّ بْنُ أَخْطَبَ، وَأَقْبَلَ عَلَى مَنْ مَعَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ: "الْأَلِفُ وَاحِدَةٌ وَاللَّامُ ثَلَاثُونَ وَالْمِيمُ أَرْبَعُونَ، فَهَذِهِ إِحْدَى وَسَبْعُونَ سَنَةً، أَفَتَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ [نَبِيٍّ] إِنَّمَا مُدَّةُ مُلْكِهِ وَأَجَلُ أُمَّتِهِ إِحْدَى وَسَبْعُونَ سَنَةً" ؟ ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ: "يَا مُحَمَّدُ هَلْ مَعَ هَذَا غَيْرُهُ" ؟ قَالَ: "نَعَمْ" قَالَ: مَاذَا؟ قَالَ: المص [الْأَعْرَافِ 1] قَالَ: هَذَا أَثْقَلُ وَأَطْوَلُ: الْأَلِفُ وَاحِدَةٌ وَاللَّامُ ثَلَاثُونَ وَالْمِيمُ أَرْبَعُونَ وَالصَّادُ تِسْعُونَ، فَهَذِهِ إِحْدَى وَسِتُّونَ وَمِائَةُ سَنَةٍ، هَلْ مَعَ هَذَا يَا مُحَمَّدُ غَيْرُهُ" ؟ قَالَ: "نَعَمْ". [قَالَ: وَمَا ذَاكَ؟] قَالَ: الر [يُوسُفَ: 1] قَالَ: "هَذِهِ أَثْقَلُ وَأَطْوَلُ: الْأَلِفُ وَاحِدَةٌ وَاللَّامُ ثَلَاثُونَ وَالرَّاءُ مِائَتَانِ، فَهَذِهِ إِحْدَى وَثَلَاثُونَ وَمِائَتَا سَنَةٍ فَهَلْ مَعَ هَذَا غَيْرُهُ يَا مُحَمَّدُ" ؟ قَالَ: "نَعَمْ" المر [الرَّعْدِ 1]. قَالَ: "هَذِهِ وَاللَّهِ أَثْقَلُ وَأَطْوَلُ: الْأَلِفُ وَاحِدَةٌ وَاللَّامُ ثَلَاثُونَ وَالْمِيمُ أَرْبَعُونَ وَالرَّاءُ مِائَتَانِ، فَهَذِهِ إِحْدَى وَسَبْعُونَ وَمِائَتَا سَنَةٍ". ثُمَّ قَالَ: "لَقَدْ لُبِّسَ عَلَيْنَا أَمْرُكَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ حَتَّى مَا نَدْرِي أَقَلِيلًا أُعْطِيتَ أَمْ كَثِيرًا". ثُمَّ قَامُوا عَنْهُ، فَقَالَ أَبُو يَاسِرٍ لِأَخِيهِ وَلِمَنْ مَعَهُ مِنَ الْأَحْبَارِ: "مَا يُدْرِيكُمْ لَعَلَّهُ قَدْ جُمِعَ هَذَا كُلُّهُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ: إِحْدَى وَسَبْعُونَ [وَإِحْدَى وَسِتُّونَ وَمِائَةٌ]، وَإِحْدَى وَثَلَاثُونَ وَمِائَتَانِ، وَإِحْدَى وَسَبْعُونَ وَمِائَتَانِ، فَذَلِكَ سَبْعُمِائَةٍ وَأَرْبَعٌ وَثَلَاثُونَ". فَقَالُوا: لَقَدْ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَا أَمْرُهُ. فَيَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ هَذِهِ الْآيَاتِ نَزَلَتْ فِيهِمْ: هُوَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْهُ آيَاتٌ مُحْكَمَاتٌ هُنَّ أُمُّ الْكِتَابَ وَأُخَرُ مُتَشَابِهَاتٌ [آلِ عِمْرَانَ 7]. [قَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ]: "وَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ مَنْ لَا أَتَّهِمُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ يَذْكُرُ أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْآيَاتِ أُنْزِلَتْ فِي أَهْلِ نَجْرَانَ حِينَ قَدِمُوا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِيَسْأَلُوهُ عَنْ عِيسَى بْنِ مَرْيَمَ. وَقَدْ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ بْنِ سَهْلِ بْنِ حُنَيْفٍ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْآيَاتِ إِنَّمَا أُنْزِلْنَ فِي نَفَرٍ مِنْ يَهُودَ وَلَمْ يُفَسِّرْ ذَلِكَ لِي، فَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ أَيَّ ذَلِكَ كَانَ". قَالَ السُّهَيْلِيُّ: "وَهَذَا الْقَوْلُ مِنْ أَخْبَارِ يَهُودَ، وَمَا تَأَوَّلُوهُ مِنْ مَعَانِي هَذِهِ الْحُرُوفِ مُحْتَمَلٌ حَتَّى الْآنَ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنْ بَعْضِ مَا دَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ هَذِهِ الْحُرُوفُ الْمُقَطَّعَةُ، فَإِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَمْ يُكَذِّبْهُمْ، فِيمَا قَالُوا مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلَا صَدَّقَهُمْ. وَقَالَ فِي حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ: "لَا تُصَدِّقُوا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ وَلَا تُكَذِّبُوهُمْ، وَقُولُوا آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِرَسُولِهِ" . وَإِذَا كَانَ فِي حَدِّ الِاحْتِمَالِ وَجَبَ، أَيْ يُفْحَصُ عَنْهُ فِي الشَّرِيعَةِ، هَلْ يُشِيرُ إِلَى كِتَابٍ أَوْ سُنَّةٍ؟ فَوَجَدْنَا فِي التَّنْزِيلِ وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِمَّا تَعُدُّونَ [الْحَجِّ 47] وَوَجَدْنَا فِي حَدِيثِ زَمْلٍ الْخُزَاعِيِّ حِينَ قَصَّ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ رُؤْيَا قَالَ فِيهَا: "رَأَيْتُكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَلَى مِنْبَرٍ لَهُ سَبْعُ دَرَجَاتٍ، وَإِلَى جَنْبِكَ نَاقَةٌ عَجْفَاءُ كَأَنَّكَ تَبْعَثُهَا". فَفَسَّرَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ النَّاقَةَ بِقِيَامِ السَّاعَةِ الَّتِي أَنْذَرَ بِهَا، وَقَالَ فِي الْمِنْبَرِ وَدَرَجَاتِهِ: "الدُّنْيَا سَبْعَةُ آلَافِ سَنَةٍ، بُعِثْتُ فِي آخِرِهَا أَلْفًا" وَالْحَدِيثُ وَإِنْ كَانَ ضَعِيفَ الْإِسْنَادِ، فَقَدْ رُوِيَ مَوْقُوفًا عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ مِنْ طُرُقٍ صِحَاحٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: "الدُّنْيَا سَبْعَةُ أَيَّامٍ، كُلُّ يَوْمٍ مِنْهَا أَلْفُ سَنَةٍ"، وَبُعِثَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي آخِرِ يَوْمٍ مِنْهَا، وَقَدْ مَضَتْ [مِنْهُ] سِنُونَ أَوْ قَالَ مِئُونَ: [قَالَ السُّهَيْلِيُّ]: وَلَكِنْ إِذَا قُلْنَا: أَنَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ بُعِثَ فِي الْأَلْفِ الْأَخِيرَةِ بَعْدَ مَا مَضَتْ مِنْهُ سِنُونَ، وَنَظَرْنَا بَعْدُ إِلَى الْحُرُوفِ الْمُقَطَّعَةِ فِي أَوَائِلِ السُّوَرِ وَجَدْنَاهَا أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ حَرْفًا يَجْمَعُهَا قَوْلُكَ: "أَلَمْ يَسْطَعْ نَصُّ حَقٍّ كُرِهْ"، ثُمَّ نَأْخُذُ الْعَدَدَ عَلَى حِسَابِ أَبِي جَادٍ، فَنَجِدُ "ق" مِائَةً وَ "ر" مِائَتَيْنِ وَ "س" ثَلَاثَمِائَةٍ، فَهَذِهِ سِتُّمِائَةٍ، وَ "ع" سَبْعِينَ، وَ "ص" سِتِّينَ، فَهَذِهِ سَبْعُمِائَةٍ وَثَلَاثُونَ، وَ "ن" خَمْسِينَ وَ "ك" عِشْرِينَ، فَهَذِهِ ثَمَانِمِائَةٍ وَ "م" أَرْبَعِينَ وَ "ل" ثَلَاثِينَ، فَهَذِهِ ثَمَانِمِائَةٍ وَسَبْعُونَ، وَ "ي" عَشَرَةً وَ "ط" تِسْعَةً وَ "ا" وَاحِدًا، فَهَذِهِ ثَمَانِمِائَةٍ وَتِسْعُونَ، وَ "ح" ثَمَانِيَةً وَ "هـ-" خَمْسَةً، فَهَذِهِ تِسْعُمِائَةٍ وَثَلَاثَةٌ. وَلَمْ يُسَمِّ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي أَوَائِلِ السُّوَرِ إِلَّا هَذِهِ الْحُرُوفَ، فَلَيْسَ يَبْعُدُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنْ بَعْضِ مُقْتَضَيَاتِهَا وَبَعْضِ فَوَائِدِهَا الْإِشَارَةُ إِلَى هَذَا الْعَدَدِ مِنَ السِّنِينَ، لِمَا قَدَّمْنَاهُ فِي حَدِيثِ الْأَلْفِ السَّابِعِ الَّذِي بُعِثَ فِيهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ. غَيْرَ أَنَّ الْحِسَابَ يُحْتَمَلُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنْ مَبْعَثِهِ أَوْ مِنْ وَفَاتِهِ أَوْ مِنْ هِجْرَتِهِ، وَكُلٌّ قَرِيبٌ بَعْضُهُ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، فَقَدْ جَاءَتْ أَشْرَاطُ السَّاعَةِ، وَلَكِنْ لَا تَأْتِيكُمْ إِلَّا بَغْتَةً. وَقَدْ رُوِيَ أَنَّ الْمُتَوَكِّلَ الْعَبَّاسِيَّ سَأَلَ جَعْفَرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَاضِيَ، وَهُوَ عَبَّاسِيٌّ أَيْضًا، عَمَّا بَقِيَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، فَحَدَّثَهُ بِحَدِيثٍ رَفَعَهُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: "إِنْ أَحْسَنَتْ أُمَّتِي فَبَقَاؤُهَا يَوْمٌ مِنْ أَيَّامِ الْآخِرَةِ وَذَلِكَ أَلْفُ سَنَةٍ، وَإِنْ أَسَاءَتْ فَنِصْفُ يَوْمٍ"، فَفِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ تَتْمِيمٌ لِلْحَدِيثِ الْمُتَقَدِّمِ وَبَيَانٌ لَهُ، إِذْ قَدِ انْقَضَتِ الْخَمْسُمِائَةٍ وَالْأُمَّةُ بَاقِيَةٌ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ" ومَا ذَكَرَهُ فِي عَدَدِ الْحُرُوفِ مَبْنِيٌّ عَلَى طَرِيقَةِ الْمَغَارِبَةِ: السِّينُ بِثَلَاثِمِائَةٍ، وَالصَّادُ بِسِتِّينَ، وَعِنْدَ الْمَشَارِقَةِ: السِّينُ سِتُّونَ وَالصَّادُ تِسْعُونَ. فَيَكُونُ الْمِقْدَارُ عِنْدَهُمْ سِتَّمِائَةٍ وَثَلَاثَةً وَتِسْعِينَ، وَقَدْ مَضَتْ وَزِيَادَةٌ عَلَيْهَا، فَإِنَّهُ فِي سَنَةِ خَمْسٍ وَثَلَاثِينَ وَتِسْعِمِائَةٍ، فَالْجُمْلَةُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْحَيْثِيَّةِ بَاطِلَةٌ. وقد ثَبَتَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ الزَّجْرُ عَنْ عَدَدِ أَبِي جَادٍ، وَالْإِشَارَةُ إِلَى أَنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ جُمْلَةِ السِّحْرِ. قَالَ الْحَافِظُ: "وَلَيْسَ بِبَعِيدٍ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا أَصْلَ لَهُ فِي الشَّرِيعَةِ". وقَالَ الْقَاضِي أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ الْعَرَبِيِّ شَيْخُ السُّهَيْلِيِّ فِي قَوْلِهِ ﷺ: "بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَالسَّاعَةُ كَهَاتَيْنِ" ، وَأَشَارَ بِالسَّبَّابَةِ وَالْوُسْطَى. قِيلَ: الْوُسْطَى تَزِيدُ عَلَى السَّبَّابَةِ بِنِصْفِ سُبْعِ إِصْبَعٍ، وَكَذَلِكَ الْبَاقِي مِنَ الْبَعْثَةِ إِلَى قِيَامِ السَّاعَةِ". قَالَ "وَهَذَا بَعِيدٌ، وَلَا يُعْلَمُ مِقْدَارُ الدُّنْيَا، فَكَيْفَ يَتَحَصَّلُ لَنَا نِصْفُ سُبْعِ أَمَدٍ مَجْهُولٍ؟ فَالصَّوَابُ الْإِعْرَاضُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ". وَقَالَ الْقَاضِي فِي "الْإِكْمَالِ": "حَاوَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ فِي تَأْوِيلِهِ أَنَّ نِسْبَةَ مَا بَيْنَ الْإِصْبَعَيْنِ كَنِسْبَةِ مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا إِلَى مَا مَضَى، وَأَنَّ جُمْلَتَهَا سَبْعَةُ آلَافِ سَنَةٍ، وَاسْتَنَدَ إِلَى أَخْبَارٍ لَا تَصِحُّ، وَذَكَرَ مَا أَخْرَجَهُ أَبُو دَاوُدَ فِي تَأَخُّرِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ نِصْفَ يَوْمٍ، وَفَسَّرَهُ بِخَمْسِمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ، فَيُؤْخَذُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ نِصْفُ سُبْعٍ، وَهُوَ قَرِيبٌ مِمَّا يَلِي السَّبَّابَةَ وَالْوُسْطَى فِي الطُّولِ". قَالَ: "وَقَدْ ظَهَرَ عَدَمُ صِحَّةِ ذَلِكَ لِوُقُوعِ خِلَافِهِ وَمُجَاوَزَةِ هَذَا الْمِقْدَارِ، وَلَوْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ ثَابِتًا لَمْ يَقَعْ خِلَافُهُ". انْتَهَى. وَقَدِ انْضَافَ إِلَى ذَلِكَ مُنْذُ عَهْدِ الْقَاضِي إِلَى هَذَا الْحِينِ نَحْوُ الْأَرْبَعِمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ الْعَرَبِيِّ أَيْضًا فِي فَوَائِدِ رِحْلَتِهِ: "وَمِنَ الْبَاطِلِ عِلْمُ الْحُرُوفِ الْمُقَطَّعَةِ فِي أَوَائِلِ السُّوَرِ، وَقَدْ تَحَصَّلَ لِي فِيهَا عِشْرُونَ قَوْلًا وَأَزْيَدُ، وَلَا أَعْرِفُ أَحَدًا يَحْكُمُ عَلَيْهَا بِعِلْمٍ، وَلَا يَصِلُ فِيهَا إِلَى فَهْمٍ" إِلَى آخِرِ مَا ذَكَرَهُ. وَقَدْ ذَكَرْتُهُ مَعَ فَوَائِدَ أُخْرَى فِي الْكَلَامِ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْحُرُوفِ فِي كِتَابِي: "الْقَوْلُ الْجَامِعُ الْوَجِيزُ الْخَادِمُ لِلْقُرْآنِ الْعَزِيزِ". لَا تُوجَدُ مَجْمُوعَةً فِي غَيْرِهِ. وقَالَ الْحَافِظُ: "وَأَمَّا عَدَدُ الْحُرُوفِ، فَإِنَّمَا جَاءَ عَنْ بَعْضِ الْيَهُودِ، وَعَلَى تَقْدِيرِ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَا ذُكِرَ فِي عَدَدِ الْحُرُوفِ، فَلْيُحْمَلْ عَلَى جَمِيعِ الْحُرُوفِ الْوَارِدَةِ وَلَا يُحْذَفُ الْمُكَرَّرُ، فَإِنَّهُ مَا مِنْ حَرْفٍ إِلَّا وَلَهُ سِرٌّ يَخُصُّهُ، أَوْ يُقْتَصَرُ عَلَى حَذْفِ الْمُكَرَّرِ مِنْ أَسْمَاءِ السُّوَرِ وَلَوْ تَكَرَّرَتِ الْحُرُوفُ فِيهَا، فَإِنَّ السُّوَرَ الَّتِي ابْتُدِئَتْ بِذَلِكَ تِسْعٌ وَعِشْرُونَ سُورَةً، وَعَدَدُ حُرُوفِ الْجَمِيعِ ثَمَانِيَةٌ وَسِتُّونَ حَرْفًا وَهِيَ: الم: سِتَّةٌ، وَحم: سَبْعَةٌ، وَالر: خَمْسَةٌ، وَطسم: اثْنَتَانِ وَالمص وَكهيعص وَطه وَطس وَيس وَص وَق وَن. فَإِذَا حُذِفَ مَا كُرِّرَ مِنَ السُّوَرِ وَهِيَ خَمْسٌ مِنْ الم وَسِتٌّ مِنْ حم، وَأَرْبَعٌ مِنْ الر وَوَاحِدَةٌ مِنْ طسم، بَقِيَ أَرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ سُورَةً عَدَدُ حُرُوفِهَا ثَمَانِيَةٌ وَثَلَاثُونَ حَرْفًا. فَإِذَا حَسَبْتَ عَدَدَهَا بِالْجُمَّلِ الْمَغْرِبِيِّ بَلَغَتْ أَلْفَيْنِ وَسِتَّمِائَةٍ وَأَرْبَعَةً وَعِشْرِينَ، وَأَمَّا بِالْجُمَّلِ الْمَشْرِقِيِّ فَتَبْلُغُ أَلْفًا وَسَبْعَمِائَةٍ وَأَرْبَعَةً وَخَمْسِينَ. قَالَ الْحَافِظُ: "وَلَمْ أَذْكُرْ لِيُعْتَمَدَ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنَّمَا لِيُتَبَيَّنَ أَنَّ الَّذِي جَنَحَ إِلَيْهِ السُّهَيْلِيُّ لَا يَنْبَغِي الِاعْتِمَادُ عَلَيْهِ لِشِدَّةِ التَّخَالُفِ فِيهِ". وفِي جَامِعِ مَعْمَرٍ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ وَعِكْرِمَةَ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ [الْمَعَارِجِ 4] لَا يَدْرِي كَمْ مَضَى وَلَا كَمْ بَقِيَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.
Translation
✧ Their confusion about the duration of this community's stay when they heard the disconnected letters at the beginnings of the surahs Ibn Isḥāq said—according to what was mentioned to me on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAbbās and Jābir b. ʿAbd Allāh b. Riʾāb—"Abū Yāsir b. Akhṭab passed by the Messenger of God ﷺ while he was reciting the opening of al-Baqarah: Alif Lām Mīm. That is the Book, in which there is no doubt, a guidance for the God-fearing [al-Baqarah 1, 2]. He went to his brother Ḥuyayy b. Akhṭab among a group of Jews and said: 'Learn, by God, I heard Muḥammad reciting among what was revealed to him: Alif Lām Mīm. That is the Book.' They said: 'You heard him?' He said: 'Yes.' So Ḥuyayy b. Akhṭab walked with that group of Jews to the Messenger of God ﷺ, and they said to him: 'O Muḥammad, has it not been mentioned to us that you recite among what was revealed to you: Alif Lām Mīm. That is the Book?' The Messenger of God ﷺ said: 'Yes.' They said: 'Did Gabriel bring it to you from God?' He said: 'Yes.' They said: 'God sent before you prophets, prophets—we do not know that He made clear to any prophet among them the duration of his kingdom or the term of his community, except you.' Then Ḥuyayy b. Akhṭab stood up and turned to those with him and said to them: 'The alif is one, the lām is thirty, and the mīm is forty, so these are seventy-one years. Will you enter the religion of a prophet whose kingdom's duration and whose community's term is only seventy-one years?' Then he turned to the Messenger of God ﷺ and said: 'O Muḥammad, is there anything else with this?' He said: 'Yes.' He said: 'What?' He said: 'Alif Lām Mīm Ṣād [al-Aʿrāf 1].' He said: 'This is heavier and longer: the alif is one, the lām is thirty, the mīm is forty, and the ṣād is ninety, so these are one hundred sixty-one years. Is there anything else with this, O Muḥammad?' He said: 'Yes.' He said: 'And what is that?' He said: 'Alif Lām Rā [Yūsuf 1].' He said: 'This is heavier and longer: the alif is one, the lām is thirty, and the rāʾ is two hundred, so these are two hundred thirty-one years. Is there anything else with this, O Muḥammad?' He said: 'Yes.' 'Alif Lām Mīm Rā [al-Raʿd 1].' He said: 'This, by God, is heavier and longer: the alif is one, the lām is thirty, the mīm is forty, and the rāʾ is two hundred, so these are two hundred seventy-one years.' Then he said: 'Your affair has been made ambiguous to us, O Muḥammad, so that we do not know whether you have been given little or much.' Then they rose from him, and Abū Yāsir said to his brother and to those with him from the rabbis: 'What lets you know? Perhaps all of this has been combined for Muḥammad: seventy-one, one hundred sixty-one, two hundred thirty-one, and two hundred seventy-one—so that is seven hundred thirty-four.' They said: 'His affair has become obscure to us.' They claim that these verses were revealed concerning them: It is He who sent down upon you the Book; among its verses are clear ones—they are the Mother of the Book—and others ambiguous [Āl ʿImrān 7]. Ibn Isḥāq said: "And I heard someone I do not suspect among the people of knowledge mention that these verses were revealed concerning the people of Najrān when they came to the Messenger of God ﷺ to ask him about Jesus son of Mary. And Muḥammad b. Abī Umāmah b. Sahl b. Ḥunayf narrated to me that he heard that these verses were revealed only concerning a group of Jews, but he did not explain that to me. So God knows best which of those it was." Al-Suhaylī said: "This statement is from the reports of the Jews, and what they interpreted from the meanings of these letters remains possible even now to be part of what these disconnected letters indicated, for the Messenger of God ﷺ neither called them liars in what they said about that nor confirmed them. And he said in another hadith: 'Do not believe the People of the Book and do not call them liars, but say: We believe in God and in His Messenger.' And when it is in the realm of possibility, it is obligatory—that is, to examine it in the Shariah—does it point to a Book or a Sunnah? We found in the revelation: And indeed a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of what you count [al-Ḥajj 47]. And we found in the hadith of Zaml al-Khuzāʿī, when he related to the Messenger of God ﷺ a vision in which he said: 'I saw you, O Messenger of God, upon a pulpit with seven steps, and beside you a lean camel, as if you were dispatching it.' The Prophet ﷺ interpreted the camel for him as the coming of the Hour about which he had warned, and he said about the pulpit and its steps: 'The world is seven thousand years; I was sent in the last of them: a thousand.' And although the hadith is weak in isnad, it has been narrated in mawqūf form from Ibn ʿAbbās through sound routes that he said: 'The world is seven days, each day of them a thousand years,' and the Messenger of God ﷺ was sent in the last day of them, and some years—or he said: hundreds—of it have passed. Al-Suhaylī said: 'But if we say that he (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent in the last thousand after some years of it had passed, and then look at the disconnected letters at the beginnings of the surahs, we find them fourteen letters, combined by your saying: "a-l-m y-s-ṭ-ʿ n-ṣ ḥ-q k-r-h". Then we take the numerical value according to the abjad reckoning, and we find "q" is one hundred, "r" two hundred, "s" three hundred—so these are six hundred; and "ʿ" seventy, "ṣ" sixty—so these are seven hundred thirty; and "n" fifty, "k" twenty—so these are eight hundred; and "m" forty, "l" thirty—so these are eight hundred seventy; and "y" ten, "ṭ" nine, "a" one—so these are eight hundred ninety; and "ḥ" eight, "h" five—so these are nine hundred three. And God (Mighty and Majestic) has not named in the openings of the surahs except these letters, so it is not far-fetched that among some of their requirements and some of their benefits is an indication of this number of years, because of what we have presented in the hadith of the seventh thousand in which the Messenger of God ﷺ was sent. However, the calculation could be from his mission or from his death or from his migration, and each is close to the others. The signs of the Hour have come, but it will not come to you except suddenly. It has been narrated that al-Mutawakkil al-ʿAbbāsī asked Jaʿfar b. ʿAbd al-Wāḥid the judge, who was also an ʿAbbāsid, about what remained of the world, and he narrated to him a hadith which he raised to the Messenger of God ﷺ that he said: 'If my community does good, its remaining is a day from the days of the Hereafter, which is a thousand years; and if it does evil, half a day.' In this hadith there is a completion and clarification of the preceding hadith, since the five hundred have elapsed and the community is still remaining, praise be to God." What he mentioned about the number of letters is based on the Maghribi method: the sīn is three hundred and the ṣād is sixty. According to the Easterners: the sīn is sixty and the ṣād is ninety. So the amount according to them would be six hundred ninety-three, and that has passed with more besides, for it was in the year nine hundred thirty-five, so the total from this perspective is invalid. It has been established from Ibn ʿAbbās the prohibition of the abjad reckoning and the indication that it is part of magic. Al-Ḥāfiẓ said: 'That is not far-fetched, for it has no basis in the Shariah.' And the judge Abū Bakr b. al-ʿArabī, the shaykh of al-Suhaylī, said regarding the saying of the Prophet ﷺ: 'I and the Hour were sent like these two,' and he gestured with the index and middle fingers. It was said: 'The middle finger exceeds the index by half of a seventh of a finger, and likewise what remains from the mission to the establishment of the Hour.' He said: 'This is far-fetched, and the duration of the world is not known, so how could we obtain half of a seventh of an unknown span? The correct view is to turn away from that.' And the judge said in al-Ikmāl: 'Some attempted in its interpretation that the ratio between the two fingers is like the ratio of what remains of the world to what has passed, and that its total is seven thousand years, and he relied on reports that are not sound, and he mentioned what Abū Dāwūd transmitted about this community's delay of half a day, and he interpreted it as five hundred years, so half of a seventh is taken from that, which is close to what follows the index and middle fingers in length.' He said: 'The invalidity of that has become apparent because its contradiction has occurred and this amount has been exceeded, and if that were established, its contradiction would not have occurred.' End. And since the time of the judge until now, about four hundred years have been added. Ibn al-ʿArabī also said in the benefits of his journey: 'Among the false things is the science of the disconnected letters at the beginnings of the surahs, and I have obtained in it twenty or more statements, and I do not know anyone who judges them with knowledge or reaches understanding in them,' until the end of what he mentioned. I have mentioned it with other benefits in the discussion of these letters in my book: 'Al-Qawl al-Jāmiʿ al-Wajīz al-Khādim lil-Qurʾān al-ʿAzīz.' It is not found collected elsewhere. Al-Ḥāfiẓ said: 'As for the number of letters, it only came from some of the Jews, and assuming that what is mentioned about the number of letters is considered, it should be applied to all the letters that occur without omitting the repeated ones, for there is no letter that does not have its own secret, or one may confine to omitting repetition from the names of the surahs even if the letters are repeated in them, for the surahs that begin with that are twenty-nine surahs, and the number of letters of all of them is sixty-eight letters, namely: alif-lām-mīm: six; ḥā-mīm: seven; alif-lām-rā: five; ṭā-sīn-mīm: two; and alif-lām-mīm-ṣād, kāf-hā-yā-ʿayn-ṣād, ṭā-hā, ṭā-sīn, yā-sīn, ṣād, qāf, and nūn. If one omits what is repeated among the surahs, namely five of alif-lām-mīm, six of ḥā-mīm, four of alif-lām-rā, and one of ṭā-sīn-mīm, there remain fourteen surahs whose letters number thirty-eight letters. If you calculate their number with the Maghribi gematria, they amount to two thousand six hundred twenty-four; as for the Eastern gematria, they amount to one thousand seven hundred fifty-four. Al-Ḥāfiẓ said: 'And I did not mention this to be relied upon, but only to make clear that what al-Suhaylī inclined to should not be relied upon because of the extreme discrepancy in it.' And in Jāmiʿ Maʿmar from Mujāhid and ʿIkrimah regarding the saying of the Exalted: In a day whose measure is fifty thousand years [al-Maʿārij 4]: No one knows how much has passed or how much remains except God (Mighty and Majestic).'
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.