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

Volume 1 · Page 61

Translation · EN

AI translation

In God's—majestic is His praise—negation of that concerning the ruling of His Book lies the clearest evidence that He did not send down His Book upon the tongue of Muḥammad, Peace and blessings of God be upon him, except with a single ruling agreed upon among all His creation, not with differing rulings among them.

And in the correctness of this being so lies that which invalidates the claim of whoever claimed contrary to our view regarding the interpretation of the statement of the Prophet, Peace and blessings of God be upon him: "The Qur'an was revealed according to seven modes," to those who disputed before him when they differed in their recitation. This is because he, Peace and blessings of God be upon him, commanded all of them to remain firm upon their recitation, approved the recitation of every reciter among them—despite its being contrary to the recitation of his opponents and adversaries in it—and validated it. Had that validation from him been regarding differing meanings, and had his statement, Peace and blessings of God be upon him: "The Qur'an was revealed according to seven modes," been a Notification from him to them that it was revealed in seven different aspects and seven distinct meanings, that would have been an affirmation of the contradiction that God negated from His Book, and a negation of the harmony He made obligatory for it. Furthermore, the establishment of proof that the Prophet, Peace and blessings of God be upon him, never passed two differing rulings on one single matter at one single time, nor permitted that for his nation, dispenses with multiplying proofs that such is negated from the Book of God.

And in the negation of that from the Book of God lies the necessary correctness of the view we expressed regarding the meaning of the statement of the Prophet, Peace and blessings of God be upon him: "The Qur'an was revealed according to seven modes," when the disputants brought their dispute to him concerning their differing in the recitation of what they recited of the Qur'an, as well as the invalidity of the interpretation of whoever opposed our view in that regard.

And all the more so, since those who disputed in what they disputed regarding their recitation and sought judgment from the Prophet, Peace and blessings of God be upon him—it was not rejected by any of them that God, majestic is His praise, commands His servants in His Book and Revelation with whatever He wills, prohibits whatever He wills, promises reward for whatever He loves of acts of obedience to Him, warns against acts of disobedience to Him, decrees for His Prophet and admonishes him therein (1), and sets forth parables in it for His servants—such that one would dispute with

Notes

(1) In the printed edition "and argues for His Prophet," instead of "and decrees." In one of the manuscripts "and admonishes," without the pronoun and without "concerning it." As for the other, it does not have "and admonishes him concerning it," but rather "and decrees for His Prophet—peace and blessings of God be upon him." And "he decreed the matter": decided it, i.e., decrees for His Prophet and writes for him and against him.

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Arabic (Source)

وفي نفْي الله جلّ ثناؤه ذلك عن حُكْم كتابه، أوضحُ الدليل على أنه لم ينزل كتابه على لسان محمد ﷺ إلا بحكمٍ واحدٍ متفق في جميع خلقه، لا بأحكام فيهم مختلفة.وفي صحة كون ذلك كذلك، ما يبطل دعوى من ادَّعى خلاف قولنا في تأويل قول النبي ﷺ: "أنزل القرآن على سبعة أحرف" للذين تخاصموا إليه عند اختلافهم في قراءتهم. لأنه ﷺ قد أمرَ جميعهم بالثبوت على قراءته، ورضى قراءة كل قارئ منهم - على خلافها قراءةَ خصومه ومنازعيه فيها- وصوَّبها. ولو كان ذلك منه تصويبًا فيما اختلفت فيه المعاني، وكان قولُه ﷺ: "أنزل القرآن على سبعة أحرف" إعلامًا منه لهم أنه نزل بسبعة أوجُهٍ مختلفة، وسبعة معان مفترقة - كان ذلك إثباتًا لما قد نفى الله عن كتابه من الاختلاف، ونفيًا لما قد أوجب له من الائتلاف. مع أنّ في قيام الحجة بأن النبي ﷺ لم يقض في شيء واحد في وقت واحد بحكمين مختلفين، ولا أذن بذلك لأمته - ما يُغْنى عن الإكثار في الدلالة على أن ذلك منفيٌّ عن كتاب الله.وفي انتفاء ذلك عن كتاب الله، وجوبُ صحة القول الذي قلناه، في معنى قول النبي ﷺ: "أنزل القرآن على سبعة أحرف"، عند اختصام المختصمين إليه فيما اختلفوا فيه من تلاوة ما تلَوْه من القرآن، وفسادِ تأويل قول من خالف قولنا في ذلك.وأحْرى أنّ الذين تمارَوْا فيما تمارَوْا فيه من قراءتهم فاحتكموا إلى النبي ﷺ، لم يكن منكَرًا عند أحد منهم أن يأمرَ الله عبادَه جلّ ثناؤه في كتابه وتنزيله بما شاء، وينهى عما شاء، ويعِدَ فيما أحبَّ من طاعاته، ويوعِدَ على معاصيه، ويحْتِمَ لنبيه ويعظه فيه (١) ويضربَ فيه لعباده الأمثال- فيُخاصمَ

Notes

(١) في المطبوعة "ويحتج لنبيه"، بدل "ويحتم". وفي إحدى المخطوطات "ويعظ"، بغير الضمير وبغير "فيه". وأما الأخرى فليس فيها "ويعظه فيه"، بل "ويحتم لنبيه ﷺ". و "حتم الأمر": قضاه، أي: يقضى لنبيه ويكتب له وعليه.