Qisas al-Anbiya by Ibn Kathir (قصص الأنبياء لابن كثير) — Page 19

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى المَلَائِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنبِئُونِي بِأَسْمَاءِ هَؤُلَاءِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ.

Then He presented them to the angels and said, 'Inform Me of the names of these, if you are truthful.'

قَالَ الحَسَنُ البَصْرِيُّ: لَمَّا أَرَادَ اللهُ خَلْقَ آدَمَ، قَالَتِ المَلَائِكَةُ: لَا يَخْلُقُ رَبُّنَا خَلْقًا إِلَّا كُنَّا أَعْلَمَ مِنْهُ.

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: When Allah intended to create Adam, the angels said, 'Our Lord will not create any creature but that we will be more knowledgeable than it.'

فَابْتُلُوا بِهَذَا، وَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ: إِن كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ.

So they were tested with this, and that is the meaning of His saying: 'If you are truthful.'

وَقِيلَ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ كَمَا بَسَطْنَاهُ فِي التَّفْسِيرِ.

Other things have been said regarding this, as we have elaborated in the Tafsir.

قَالُوا: سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا إِنَّكَ أَنتَ العَلِيمُ الحَكِيمُ.

They said, "Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise."

أَيْ سُبْحَانَكَ أَنْ يُحِيطَ أَحَدٌ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِكَ مِنْ غَيْرِ تَعْلِيمِكَ، كَمَا قَالَ: وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ.

Meaning: Exalted are You that anyone should encompass anything of Your knowledge without Your teaching, just as He said: 'And they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills.'

قَالَ يَا آدَمُ أَنبِئْهُم بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ فَلَمَّا أَنبَأَهُم بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُل لَّكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ.

He said, "O Adam, inform them of their names." And when he had informed them of their names, He said, "Did I not tell you that I know the unseen [aspects] of the heavens and the earth? And I know what you reveal and what you have concealed."

أَيْ أَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ كَمَا أَعْلَمُ العَلَانِيَةَ.

Meaning: I know the secret just as I know the public.

وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ المُرَادَ بِقَوْلِهِ أَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ مَا قَالُوا: أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَبِقَوْلِهِ: وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ المُرَادُ بِهَذَا الكَلَامِ إِبْلِيسُ حِينَ أَسَرَّ الكِبْرَ وَالنَّفَاسَةَ عَلَى آدَمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، قَالَهُ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ وَمُجَاهِدٌ وَالسُّدِّيُّ وَالضَّحَّاكُ وَالثَّوْرِيُّ وَاخْتَارَهُ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ.

It has been said that the meaning of His saying 'I know what you reveal' is what they said: 'Will You place therein one who causes corruption therein?' And by His saying 'and what you have been concealing,' the intended meaning is Iblis when he harbored pride and envy toward Adam, peace be upon him. This was stated by Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Mujahid, al-Suddi, al-Dahhak, and al-Thawri, and it was chosen by Ibn Jarir.

وَقَالَ أَبُو العَالِيَةِ وَالرَّبِيعُ وَالحَسَنُ وَقَتَادَةُ: وَمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ قَوْلُهُمْ: لَنْ يَخْلُقَ رَبُّنَا خَلْقًا إِلَّا كُنَّا أَعْلَمَ مِنْهُ وَأَكْرَمَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهُ.

Abu al-'Aliyah, al-Rabi', al-Hasan, and Qatadah said: 'And what you have been concealing' refers to their saying: 'Our Lord will not create any creature but that we will be more knowledgeable than it and more honorable to Him than it.'

وَقَوْلُهُ: وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَى وَاسْتَكْبَرَ كُلُّ هَذَا إِكْرَامٌ عَظِيمٌ مِنَ اللهِ تَعَالَى لِآدَمَ حِينَ خَلَقَهُ بِيَدِهِ، وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِنْهُ.

And His saying: 'And when We said to the angels, Prostrate to Adam, so they prostrated, except Iblis, who refused and was arrogant'—all of this is a great honor from Allah the Exalted to Adam when He created him with His hand and breathed into him from His spirit.

Vocabulary · المفردات (20 verbs · 27 nouns)

• عَرَضَ — to present
• أَنبَأَ — to inform
• كَانَ — to be
• أَرَادَ — to want
• خَلَقَ — to create
• عَلِمَ — to know
• اِبْتَلَى — to test
• بَسَطَ — to explain
• أَحَاطَ — to encompass
• شَاءَ — to will
• أَبْدَى — to reveal
• كَتَمَ — to conceal
• جَعَلَ — to make
• أَفْسَدَ — to corrupt
• أَسَرَّ — to hide
• اِخْتَارَ — to choose
• سَجَدَ — to prostrate
• أَبَى — to refuse
• اِسْتَكْبَرَ — to be arrogant
• نَفَخَ — to blow
• مَلَك — angel
• اِسْم — name
• صَادِق — truthful (male)
• خَلْق — creation
• رَبّ — lord
• قَوْل — saying
• تَفْسِير — interpretation
• عِلْم — knowledge
• عَلِيم — all-knowing
• حَكِيم — wise (male)
• أَحَد — one
• شَيْء — thing
• تَعْلِيم — teaching
• غَيْب — unseen
• سَمَاء — sky
• أَرْض — earth
• سِرّ — secret
• عَلَانِيَة — publicity
• مُرَاد — intended meaning
• كَلَام — speech
• حِين — time
• كِبْر — arrogance
• نَفَاسَة — envy
• سَلَام — peace
• إِكْرَام — honor
• عَظِيم — great
• يَد — hand