Tafsir at-Tabari: Jami' al-Bayan - Dar al-Tarbiyah wa al-Turath Edition

Volume 1 · Page 271

Translation · EN

AI translation

and on plotting calamities against them—a group from the clans of the Helpers (Ansar) who had sheltered the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and supported him (1), and who had grown hardened in their polytheism and pre-Islamic ignorance (2), whose names have been named to us, though we disliked lengthening the book by mentioning their names and lineages—and they backed them in that secretly, not openly, out of fear for themselves of being killed or taken captive by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and his Companions, and out of inclination toward the Jews due to what they were upon of polytheism and poor insight regarding Islam. So whenever they met the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and the people of faith in him among his Companions, they said to them—out of fear for themselves—"We believe in Allah, in His Messenger, and in the Resurrection," giving them with their tongues the word of truth in order to ward off from themselves the judgment of Allah regarding those who hold the polytheism they persist upon, had they expressed with their tongues what they believed in of their polytheism. But when they met their brothers among the Jews and the people of polytheism and denial of Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) and what he brought, and were alone with them, they said: {Indeed, we are with you; we were only mocking}. So it is them that He, majestic is His mention, intended by His statement: {And among the people are some who say, "We believe in Allah and in the Last Day," but they are not believers}, meaning by His statement, exalted be He, reporting about them: "We believe in Allah"—we affirm truth in Allah (3).

And we have already demonstrated that the meaning of faith is affirmation of truth, in what preceded earlier in this book of ours (4).

And His statement: {And in the Last Day}, means: in the Resurrection on the Day of Resurrection. The Day of Resurrection was only named "the Last Day" because it is the last day, with no day after it other than it.

So if a questioner says: How can there not be a day after it, when there is no end to the Hereafter, nor destruction, nor cessation?

Notes

(1) Al-ghawā'il is the plural of ghā'ila: which is a calamity that destroys and ruins. Arāhiṭ is the plural of rahṭ, and rahṭ is a number from three to ten, containing no woman. He meant by them the small group from the clans of the Helpers (Ansar).
(2) In the printed edition: "ʿataw fī jāhiliyyatihim", and both are correct. ʿAsā al-shay'u yaʿsū: it became hard, tough, and thick through the passage of time; and ʿasā al-rajul: he grew old. Al-ʿāsī is the harsh/callous one, like al-ʿātī. And ʿatā yaʿtū carries its meaning. See what has passed on p. 36, commentary.
(3) In the printed edition: "and we believed in Allah", and the addition of the "and" (wāw) is an error.
(4) See what has passed on pp. 234–235.

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Arabic (Source)

وَبغْيِهم الغوائِل، قومٌ - من أرَاهط الأنصار الذين آوَوْا رسول الله ﷺ ونَصَروه (١) - وكانوا قد عَسَوْا في شركهم وجاهليِّتِهم (٢) قد سُمُّوا لنا بأسمائهم، كرهنا تطويل الكتاب بذكر أسمائهم وأنسابهم، وظاهروهم على ذلك في خَفاءٍ غير جِهارٍ، حذارَ القتل على أنفسهم، والسِّباءِ من رسول الله ﷺ وأصحابه، وركونًا إلى اليهود لما هم عليه من الشرك وسوء البصيرة بالإسلام. فكانوا إذا لَقُوا رسولَ الله ﷺ وأهل الإيمان به من أصحابه قالوا لهم -حِذارًا على أنفسهم-: إنا مؤمنون بالله وبرسوله وبالبَعْث، وأعطَوْهم بألسنتهم كلمةَ الحقِّ، ليدرأوا عن أنفسهم حُكم الله فيمن اعتقدَ ما هم عليه مقيمون من الشرك، لو أظهروا بألسنتهم ما هم معتقدوه من شركهم. وإذا لقُوا إخوانَهم من اليهود وأهل الشّركِ والتكذيب بمحمد ﷺ وبما جاء به، فخلَوْا بهم قَالُوا: (إِنَّا مَعَكُمْ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ) . فإياهم عَنَى جلّ ذكره بقوله: (وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَمَا هُمْ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ) ، يعني بقوله تعالى خبرًا عنهم: آمنّا بالله-: وصدّقنا بالله (٣) .وقد دللنا على أنّ معنى الإيمان: التصديق، فيما مضى قبل من كتابنا هذا (٤) .وقوله: (وَبِالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ) ، يعني: بالبعث يوم القيامة، وإنما سُمّى يومُ القيامة"اليومَ الآخر"، لأنه آخر يوم، لا يومَ بعده سواه.فإن قال قائل: وكيف لا يكون بعده يوم، ولا انقطاعَ للآخرة ولا فناء، ولا زوال؟

Notes

(١) الغوائل جمع غائلة: وهي: النائبة التي تغول وتهلك. وأراهط جمع رهط، والرهط: عدد يجمع من الثلاثة إلى العشرة، لا يكون فيهم امرأة. وعنى بهم العدد القليل من بطون الأنصار.(٢) في المطبوعة: "عتوا في جاهليتهم" وكلتاهما صواب. عسا الشيء يعسو: اشتد وصلب وغلظ من تقادم العهد عليه، وعسا الرجل: كبر. والعاسي: هو الجافي، ومثله العاتي. وعتا يعتو، في معناه. وانظر ما مضى ص: ٣٦، تعليق.(٣) في المطبوعة"وصدقنا بالله"، وزيادة الواو خطأ.(٤) انظر ما مضى ص: ٢٣٤ - ٢٣٥.