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

Volume 1 · Page 479

Translation · EN

AI translation

of creation, such as beasts, birds, and all other types of species when among them are the names of human beings and angels, for they use pronouns for them with what we described of hāʾ and nūn or hāʾ and alif. And sometimes they use pronouns for them, when that is the case (1), with hāʾ and mīm, as He—exalted be His praise—said: {And Allah created every creature from water; of them are some that creep upon their bellies, and of them are some that walk upon two feet, and of them are some that walk upon four} [Surah al-Nūr: 45], using pronouns for them with hāʾ and mīm, while they are different categories containing humans and others. And that, although permissible, what is dominant and widespread in the speech of the Arabs is what we described: expressing the pronoun for the names of the kinds of species—when mixed—with hāʾ and alif or hāʾ and nūn. Therefore I say: The most proper interpretation of the verse is that the names which He taught Adam were the names of the individual entities of the sons of Adam and the names of the angels, even though what Ibn ʿAbbās said is permissible following the example of what came in the Book of Allah in His statement: “And Allah created every creature from water; of them are some that creep upon their bellies...” the verse. And it has been mentioned that in the reading of Ibn Masʿūd it is: “thumma ʿaraḍahunna”, and in the reading of Ubayy it is: “thumma ʿaraḍahā”. (2)

And perhaps Ibn ʿAbbās interpreted what he interpreted of his statement: “He taught him the name of everything, even the silent wind and the small silent wind,” according to the recitation of Ubayy, for according to what has reached us, he used to recite according to the recitation of Ubayy. And the interpretation of Ibn ʿAbbās—based on what is reported from Ubayy’s recitation—is not objectionable, but rather it is authentic and widespread in the speech of the Arabs, along the lines of what I described previously.

The discourse regarding the interpretation of the statement of the Exalted: ﴿THEN HE PRESENTED THEM TO THE ANGELS﴾

Abū Jaʿfar said: We have previously mentioned the interpretation that is most proper for the verse, according to our recitation and the orthography of our Muṣḥaf, and that His statement: “Then He presented them,” pointing to the sons of Adam and the angels,

Notes

(1) In the printed edition: "Since it was..." and it is an error.
(2) See Tafsir Ibn Kathir 1:132 in commenting on the words of al-Tabari.

This translation was produced with AI assistance and is part of an ongoing human-review process. Found a mistake? Use the feedback option in the reader menu.

Arabic (Source)

من الخلق كالبهائم والطير وسائر أصناف الأمم وفيها أسماءُ بني آدم والملائكة، فإنها تكنى عنها بما وصفنا من الهاء والنون أو الهاء والألف. وربما كنَتْ عنها، إذا كان كذلك (١) بالهاء والميم، كما قال جل ثناؤه: (وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَ كُلَّ دَابَّةٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَمْشِي عَلَى بَطْنِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَمْشِي عَلَى رِجْلَيْنِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَمْشِي عَلَى أَرْبَعٍ) [سورة النور: ٤٥] ، فكنى عنها بالهاء والميم، وهي أصناف مختلفة فيها الآدمي وغيره. وذلك، وإن كان جائزًا، فإن الغالب المستفيض في كلام العرب ما وَصفنا، من إخراجهم كنايةَ أسماء أجناس الأمم - إذا اختلطت - بالهاء والألف أو الهاء والنون. فلذلك قلتُ: أولى بتأويل الآية أن تكون الأسماء التي علَّمها آدمَ أسماء أعيان بني آدم وأسماء الملائكة، وإن كان ما قال ابن عباس جائزًا على مثال ما جاء في كتاب الله من قوله:"والله خَلق كل دابة من ماء فمنهم من يمشي على بَطنه" الآية. وقد ذكر أنها في حرف ابن مسعود:"ثم عَرضهن"، وأنها في حرف أبَيّ:"ثم عَرضَها". (٢)ولعل ابن عباس تأول ما تأول من قوله: علمه اسم كل شيء حتى الفسوة والفسيَّة، على قراءة أبيّ، فإنه فيما بلغنا كان يقرأ قراءة أبيّ. وتأويل ابن عباس - على ما حُكي عن أبيّ من قراءته - غيرُ مستنكر، بل هو صحيح مستفيض في كلام العرب، على نحو ما تقدم وصفي ذلك.* * *القول في تأويل قوله تعالى: ﴿ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلائِكَةِ﴾قال أبو جعفر: قد تقدم ذكرنا التأويل الذي هو أولى بالآية، على قراءتنا ورَسم مُصْحفنا، وأن قوله:"ثم عَرَضهم"، بالدلالة على بني آدم والملائكة،

Notes

(١) في المطبوعة: "إذ كان. . . " وهو خطأ.(٢) انظر تفسير ابن كثير ١: ١٣٢ في التعقيب على كلام الطبري.