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

Volume 1 · Page 586

Translation · EN

AI translation

and the favors upon the fathers are favors upon the sons, because the sons are from the fathers. And He, glorious be His mention, expressed His statement: {and that I preferred you over the worlds} in the form of a general statement, while He intends by it a specific meaning; because the meaning is: and indeed I preferred you over the world of those among whom you were and in your time (1). Like that which:-

868 - Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-Aʿlā al-Ṣanʿānī narrated to us, he said: Muḥammad b. Thawr narrated to us, from Maʿmar — and al-Ḥasan b. Yaḥyā narrated to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq narrated to us, he said: Maʿmar informed us — from Qatāda, {and that I preferred you over the worlds}, he said: He preferred them over the world of that time.

869 - al-Muthannā narrated to me, he said: Ādam narrated to us, he said: Abū Jaʿfar narrated to us, from al-Rabīʿ, from Abū al-ʿĀliya: {and that I preferred you over the worlds}, he said: By what they were given of kingship, messengers, and books, over the world of whoever was in that time, for every time has a world.

870 - al-Qāsim narrated to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn narrated to us, he said: Ḥajjāj narrated to me, from Ibn Jurayj, he said: Mujāhid said regarding His statement: {and that I preferred you over the worlds}, he said: Over those among whom they were.

871 - And Muḥammad b. ʿAmr narrated to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim narrated to us, he said: ʿĪsā narrated to us, from Ibn Abī Najīḥ, from Mujāhid, he said: Over those among whom they were.

872 - And Yūnus b. ʿAbd al-Aʿlā narrated to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: I asked Ibn Zayd about the statement of God: {and that I preferred you over the worlds}, he said: The world of the people of that time. And he recited the statement of God: {And We certainly chose them by knowledge over the worlds} [al-Dukhān: 32], he said: This is for whoever obeyed Him and followed His command, and there were monkeys among them, and they are the most hated of His creation to Him, and He said to this nation: {You are the best nation produced for mankind} [Āl ʿImrān: 110], he said:

Notes

(1) See 1: 143–146, then 151–152. It is said of anything in the middle and main part of something: "He is between our two backs (bayna ẓahraynā) and between our backs (bayna ẓahrānīnā)", on the supposition that he resides between the back of the one behind him and the back of the one in front of him, so he is flanked on both sides. Then it became widespread until it was used for residing among a people unconditionally. It is also said: "He is residing among them (bayna aẓhurihim)" with this meaning. It is also said: "I met him between the two backs of the night (bayna ẓahrānay al-layl)", that is, between the night prayer and dawn prayer; and according to this, measure the usage of this expression.

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Arabic (Source)

والنعم عند الآباء نعما عند الأبناء، لكون الأبناء من الآباء، وأخرج جل ذكره قوله: (وأني فضلتكم على العالمين) مخرج العموم، وهو يريد به خصوصا; لأن المعنى: وإني فضلتكم على عالم من كنتم بين ظهريه وفي زمانه (١) . كالذي:-٨٦٨- حدثنا به محمد بن عبد الأعلى الصنعاني، قال: حدثنا محمد بن ثور، عن معمر -وحدثنا الحسن بن يحيى، قال: حدثنا عبد الرزاق، قال: أخبرنا معمر- عن قتادة، (وأني فضلتكم على العالمين) قال: فضلهم على عالم ذلك الزمان.٨٦٩ - حدثني المثنى، قال: حدثنا آدم، قال: حدثنا أبو جعفر، عن الربيع، عن أبي العالية: (وأني فضلتكم على العالمين) قال: بما أعطوا من الملك والرسل والكتب، على عالم من كان في ذلك الزمان، فإن لكل زمان عالما.٨٧٠ - حدثنا القاسم، قال: حدثنا الحسين، قال: حدثني حجاج، عن ابن جريج، قال: قال مجاهد في قوله: (وأني فضلتكم على العالمين) قال: على من هم بين ظهرانيه.٨٧١ - وحدثني محمد بن عمرو، قال: حدثنا أبو عاصم، قال: حدثنا عيسى، عن ابن أبي نجيح، عن مجاهد، قال: على من هم بين ظهرانيه.٨٧٢ - وحدثني يونس بن عبد الأعلى، قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب، قال: سألت ابن زيد عن قول الله: (وأني فضلتكم على العالمين) ، قال: عالم أهل ذلك الزمان. وقرأ قول الله: (وَلَقَدِ اخْتَرْنَاهُمْ عَلَى عِلْمٍ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ) [الدخان: ٣٢] قال: هذه لمن أطاعه واتبع أمره، وقد كان فيهم القردة، وهم أبغض خلقه إليه، وقال لهذه الأمة: (كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ) [آل عمران: ١١٠] قال:

Notes

(١) انظر ١: ١٤٣ - ١٤٦، ثم ١٥١ - ١٥٢. يقال لكل ما كان في وسط شيء ومعظمه: "هو بين ظهرينا وظهرانينا" على تقدير أنه مقيم بين ظهر من وراءه وظهر من أمامه، فهو مكنوف من جانبيه، ثم كثر حتى استعمل في الإقامة بين القوم مطلقا. ويقال أيضًا: "هو بين أظهرهم مقيم" بهذا المعنى. ويقال أيضًا: " لقيته بين ظهراني الليل"، أي بين العشاء والفجر، وعلى هذا فقس استعمال هذه الكلمة.