what was visited upon them. And know that enjoining good and forbidding evil does not cut off sustenance nor bring death closer.

[6572] Yazid al-Qaratisi informed me in what he wrote to me, Asbagh ibn al-Faraj narrated to us, he said: I heard 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam regarding Allah's saying: "Why do the rabbis and the learned men not forbid them," he said: These [rabbis and learned men] were such that when they did not forbid them, just as He said to them when they [the people] committed [sins], and that matter was as it was.

His saying, the Almighty: "...and their devouring of the unlawful. How wretched is what they have been doing."

[6573] My father narrated to us, Abu Salih narrated to us, Muhammad ibn Salih narrated to me, from 'Ali ibn Abi Talha, from Ibn 'Abbas regarding His saying: "...and their devouring of the unlawful. How wretched is what they have been doing," meaning: The rabbis, how wretched is what they were doing.

[6574] Abu Yazid al-Qaratisi informed me in what he wrote to me, Asbagh ibn al-Faraj narrated to us, he said: I heard 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Zayd ibn Aslam regarding His saying: "How wretched is what they have been doing," he said: "Yasn'un" (making/doing) and "Ya'malun" (working/doing) are one and the same.

His saying, the Almighty: "And the Jews said: The hand of Allah is chained."

[6575] Abu 'Abd Allah al-Zahrani narrated to us, Hafs ibn 'Umar al-'Adani narrated to us, al-Hakam ibn Aban narrated to us, from 'Ikrimah, he said: Ibn 'Abbas [said] regarding: "And the Jews said: The hand of Allah is chained," meaning: stingy.

[6576] My father narrated to us, Abu Salih, the scribe of al-Layth, narrated to us, Mu'awiyah ibn Salih narrated to me, from 'Ali ibn Abi Talha, from Ibn 'Abbas, regarding His saying: "And the Jews said: The hand of Allah is chained," he said: They do not mean a [literal] hand, for if the hand of Allah were bound, but rather they say: He is stingy, having withheld what He has—Exalted is Allah far above what they say—and it was narrated from 'Ikrimah and al-Dahhak similarly.

[6577] Al-Hajjaj ibn Hamzah narrated to us, Shababa narrated to us, Warqa' narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid, regarding His saying: "And the Jews said: The hand of Allah is chained," they said: Allah has burdened us with His saying: "O Children of Israel," until they brought His hand to His throat, and they lied.