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

Volume 1 · Page 357

Translation · EN

AI translation

meaning thereby their backs. This was permissible in my view only because there is an indication in the speech showing that the plural is intended, so its indication of the intended meaning and the singular word 'hearing' conveying the meaning of a plural rendered its pluralization unnecessary (1). If He had treated sight as He treated hearing, or treated hearing as He treated sight—in terms of pluralization and singularization—it would have been eloquent and correct, for the reason we mentioned, just as the poet said:

Eat in part of your belly and you will remain chaste ... for indeed our time is a time of hunger (2)

Thus he singularized 'belly' when the intended meaning was 'bellies', for the reason we described.

The commentary on the interpretation of His statement, Exalted be His praise: ﴿Indeed, Allah is over all things competent (20)﴾

Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah—Exalted be His mention—described Himself with competence over all things in this place only because He warned the hypocrites of His force and assault, and informed them that He encompasses them, and that He is competent to take away their hearing and their sight. Then He said: So fear Me, O hypocrites, and beware of deceiving Me and deceiving My Messenger and those who believe in Me, lest I bring My retribution upon you, for I am over that and over other things competent. And the meaning of 'qadīr' (competent) is 'qādir' (able), just as the meaning of 'ʿalīm' (all-knowing) is 'ʿālim' (knowing), according to what I described in what

Notes

(1) In the printed edition: "So in it was an indication of what was intended by it, and the singular sense of hearing fulfilled the sense of a plural, rendering a plural unnecessary," which is meaningless phrasing. In the manuscript: "... regarding what was intended by it... the singular sense...", and its reading was corrected as you see. His expression "rendering its plural unnecessary (mughniyan ʿan jimāʿihi)" means: from its plural (jamʿihi); al-Ṭabarī frequently uses jimāʿ in place of jamʿ, as preceded and as will come.
(2) The verse is among the verses of Sībawayh whose author is unknown; Sībawayh (1/108), al-Khizāna (3/379–381); see Amālī Ibn al-Shajarī (1/311, 2/35, 38, 343), and his narration is: "in half of your belly." In the manuscript: "you live (taʿīshū)" instead of "you refrain (taʿiffū)", which is a narration mentioned by the author of al-Khizāna. The narration of all of them is "for indeed your time..."

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Arabic (Source)

يراد به أدْبارُهم. وإنما جاز ذلك عندي، لأن في الكلام ما يَدُلّ على أنه مُرادٌ به الجمع، فكان في دلالته على المراد منه، وأداء معنى الواحد من السمع عن معنى جماعة، مُغنيًا عن جِمَاعه (١) . ولو فعل بالبصر نظيرَ الذي فعل بالسمع، أو فعل بالسمع نظير الذي فعل بالأبصار -من الجمع والتوحيد- كان فصيحًا صحيحًا، لما ذكرنا من العلة، كما قال الشاعر:كُلُوا فِي بَعْضِ بَطْنِكُمُ تَعِفُّوا ... فَإِنَّ زَمَانَنَا زَمَنٌ خَمِيصُ (٢)فوحّد البطن، والمرادُ منه البطون، لما وصفنا من العلة.* * *القول في تأويل قوله جل ثناؤه: ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (٢٠) ﴾قال أبو جعفر: وإنما وَصف الله نفسه جلّ ذكره بالقدرة على كل شيء في هذا الموضع، لأنه حذَّر المنافقين بأسه وسطوته، وأخبرهم أنه بهم مُحيطٌ، وعلى إذهاب أسماعهم وأبصارهم قَديرٌ. ثم قال: فاتقوني أيُّها المنافقون، واحذرُوا خِداعي وخداعَ رسولي وأهلِ الإيمان بي، لا أحِلَّ بكم نقمتي، فإني على ذلك وعلى غيره من الأشياء قدير. ومعنى"قدير" قادر، كما معنى"عليم" عالم، على ما وصفتُ فيما

Notes

(١) في المطبوعة: "فكان فيه دلالة على المراد منه، وأدى معنى الواحد من السمع عن معنى جماعة، مغنيًا عن جماعة"، وهو كلام لا معنى له. وفي المخطوطة: ". . على المراد منه واوا معنى الواحد. . "، وقد صححت قراءتها كما ترى. وقوله" مغنيًا عن جماعه" أي عن جمعه، والطبري يكثر استعمال"جماع" مكان جمع، كما مضى وكما سيأتي.(٢) البيت من أبيات سيبويه التي لا يعلم قائلها، سيبويه ١: ١٠٨، والخزانة ٣: ٣٧٩ - ٣٨١، وانظر أمالي ابن الشجري ١: ٣١١، ٢: ٣٥، ٣٨، ٣٤٣، وروايته: "في نصف بطنكم". وفي المخطوطة: "تعيشوا"، مكان"تعفوا"، وهي رواية ذكرها صاحب الخزانة. وروايتهم جميعًا "فإن زمانكم. . ".