Qisas al-Anbiya by Ibn Kathir (قصص الأنبياء لابن كثير) — Page 17

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

مُخْلَفَاءَ الأَرْضِ

Successors on the earth (15).

فَأَخْبَرَهُمْ بِذَلِكَ عَلَى سَبِيلِ التَّنْوِيهِ بِخَلْقِ آدَمَ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ ، كَمَا يُخْبَرُ بِالأَمْرِ الْعَظِيمِ قَبْلَ كَوْنِهِ ، فَقَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ سَائِلِينَ عَلَى وَجْهِ الِاسْتِكْشَافِ وَالِاسْتِعْلَامِ عَنْ وَجْهِ الْحِكْمَةِ لَا عَلَى وَجْهِ الِاعْتِرَاضِ وَالتَّنَقُّصِ لِبَنِي آدَمَ وَالْحَسَدِ لَهُمْ ، كَمَا قَدْ يَتَوَهَّمُهُ بَعْضُ جَهَلَةِ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ ، قَالُوا : أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ

He informed them of that by way of highlighting the creation of Adam and his descendants, just as one is informed of a great matter before it occurs; so the angels asked, by way of seeking discovery and knowledge regarding the aspect of wisdom, not by way of objection, belittling the children of Adam, or envy toward them, as some ignorant commentators might imagine, saying: 'Will You place therein those who will cause corruption therein and shed blood?' (16)

قِيلَ عَلِمُوا أَنَّ ذَلِكَ كَائِنٌ بِمَا رَأَوْا مِمَّنْ كَانَ قَبْلَ آدَمَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْبَنِّ (١٧) قَالَهُ قَتَادَةُ

It is said that they knew that would happen because of what they had seen from those who were before Adam, from the Jinn and the Jinn-kind (17); Qatadah said this.

وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ (١٨) : كَانَتِ الْجِنُّ قَبْلَ آدَمَ بِأَلْفَيْ عَامٍ فَسَفَكُوا الدِّمَاءَ ، فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِمْ جُنْدًا مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَطَرَدُوهُمْ إِلَى جَزَائِرِ الْبُحُورِ

Abdullah ibn Umar (18) said: 'The Jinn were before Adam by two thousand years, and they shed blood, so Allah sent an army of angels to them, and they drove them to the islands of the seas.'

وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ نَحْوُهُ

And from Ibn Abbas is the like of it.

وَعَنِ الْحَسَنِ أُلْهِمُوا ذَلِكَ

And from al-Hasan, they were inspired with that.

وَقِيلَ : لِمَا اطَّلَعُوا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ اللَّوْحِ الْمَحْفُوظِ ، فَقِيلَ أَطْلَعَهُمْ عَلَيْهِ هَارُوتُ وَمَارُوتُ عَنْ مَلَكٍ فَوْقَهُمَا يُقَالُ لَهُ السِّجِلُّ

And it is said: because they looked upon the Preserved Tablet, and it is said that Harut and Marut informed them of it from an angel above them called al-Sijill.

رَوَاهُ ابْنُ أَبِي حَاتِمٍ (١٩) عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الْبَاقِرِ

Ibn Abi Hatim (19) narrated it from Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (20).

وَقِيلَ : لِأَنَّهُمْ عَلِمُوا أَنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا يُخْلَقُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا مَنْ يَكُونُ بِهَذِهِ الْمَثَابَةِ غَالِبًا

And it is said: because they knew that the earth is only created from that which is usually of this status.

وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ (٢١) أَيْ نَعْبُدُكَ دَائِمًا لَا يَعْصِيكَ مِنَّا أَحَدٌ ، فَإِنْ كَانَ الْمُرَادُ بِخَلْقِ هَؤُلَاءِ أَنْ يَعْبُدُوكَ فَهَا نَحْنُ لَا نَفْتُرُ لَيْلًا وَلَا نَهَارًا

'And we glorify You with Your praise and sanctify You' (21), meaning: we worship You constantly, and none of us disobeys You; so if the intent of creating these is that they should worship You, then here we are, we do not tire night or day.

قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ أَيْ أَعْلَمُ مِنَ الْمَصْلَحَةِ الرَّاجِحَةِ فِي خَلْقِ

He said: 'Indeed, I know that which you do not know,' meaning: I know of the overriding interest in the creation of...

سُورَةُ النَّمْلِ الْآيَةُ

(15) Surah al-Naml, verse: 62.

سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ الْآيَةُ

(16) Surah al-Baqarah, verse: 30.

لَعَلَّ الْمَقْصُودَ « الْحِنُّ » طَائِفَةٌ وَهُمْ مِنَ الْجِنِّ

(17) Perhaps the intended meaning is 'al-Hinn', a group, and they are from the Jinn.

عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ الْقُرَشِيُّ الْعَدَوِيُّ ت ٧٣هـ ) أُسْدُ الْغَابَةِ

(18) Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab al-Qurashi al-Adawi, died 73 AH (Usd al-Ghabah 3/140).

هُوَ : عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِدْرِيسَ بْنِ الْمُنْذِرِ التَّمِيمِيُّ، وَتُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ ٣٢٧ هـ ( تَذْكِرَةُ الْحُفَّاظِ ٨٢٩/٣ ، شَذَرَاتُ الذَّهَبِ ٣٠٨/٢ ، طَبَقَاتُ الْحُفَّاظِ

(19) He is: Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Idris ibn al-Mundhir al-Tamimi, and he died in the year 327 AH (Tadhkirat al-Huffaz 3/829, Shadharat al-Dhahab 2/308, Tabaqat al-Huffaz 345).

هُوَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ت سَنَةَ ١١٤ هـ ، ( طَبَقَاتُ الْحُفَّاظِ ص ٤٩ ، تَذْكِرَةُ الْحُفَّاظِ

(20) He is Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, died in the year 114 AH (Tabaqat al-Huffaz p. 49, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz 1/124).

سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ الْآيَةُ

(21) Surah al-Baqarah, verse: 30.

تَفْسِيرُ مُجَاهِدٍ ٧٢/١ وَتَفْسِيرُ الطَّبَرِيِّ

Tafsir Mujahid 1/72 and Tafsir al-Tabari 1/178.

Vocabulary · المفردات (22 verbs · 37 nouns)

• أَخْبَرَ — to inform
• قَالَ — to say
• سَأَلَ — to ask
• تَوَهَّمَ — to imagine
• جَعَلَ — to appoint
• أَفْسَدَ — to corrupt
• سَفَكَ — to shed
• عَلِمَ — to know
• رَأَى — to see
• كَانَ — to be
• بَعَثَ — to send
• طَرَدَ — to expel
• أَلْهَمَ — to inspire
• اِطَّلَعَ — to look into
• أَطْلَعَ — to reveal
• رَوَى — to narrate
• خَلَقَ — to create
• سَبَّحَ — to glorify
• قَدَّسَ — to sanctify
• عَبَدَ — to worship
• عَصَى — to disobey
• فَتَرَ — to slacken
• مُخْلَفٌ — successor
• أَرْضٌ — earth
• سَبِيلٌ — way
• تَنْوِيهٌ — mentioning
• خَلْقٌ — creation
• ذُرِّيَّةٌ — offspring
• أَمْرٌ — matter
• عَظِيمٌ — great
• كَوْنٌ — existence
• مَلَكٌ — angel
• وَجْهٌ — aspect
• اسْتِكْشَافٌ — inquiry
• اسْتِعْلَامٌ — seeking information
• حِكْمَةٌ — wisdom
• اعْتِرَاضٌ — objection
• تَنَقُّصٌ — belittlement
• حَسَدٌ — envy
• بَعْضٌ — some
• جَاهِلٌ — ignorant
• مُفَسِّرٌ — interpreter
• دَمٌ — blood
• كَائِنٌ — being
• جِنٌّ — jinn
• بِنٌّ — bin
• عَامٌ — year
• جُنْدٌ — soldier
• جَزِيرَةٌ — island
• بَحْرٌ — sea
• لَوْحٌ — tablet
• مَحْفُوظٌ — preserved
• سِجِلٌّ — record
• مَثَابَةٌ — status
• حَمْدٌ — praise
• لَيْلٌ — night
• نَهَارٌ — day
• مَصْلَحَةٌ — interest
• رَاجِحٌ — preponderant