HISTORY OF TABARI
VOLUME 2
TARIKH WA RASUL AL MULK
Concerning Those Who Said That:
According to al-Muthanna-Ishaq-Muhammad b. Harb-Ibn Luhay` ah-Ibn Hubayrah-Hanash -Ibn `Abbas : As for His saying, "And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands and he fulfilled them ," [255. Id.] six of the commands are in the person and four are in the cultic stations . Those which are in the person are shaving the pubic hair, circumcision , plucking the armpit, paring the nails , trimming the mustache , and bathing on Friday . The four which are in the cultic stations are walking around the Ka'bah , running between al-Safi and al - Marwah, stoning the pillars, and hurrying.
Others have said that the commands consisted of His saying, "I have appointed you a leader for mankind," [256. Id] and of the rituals of the pilgrimage.
Concerning Those Who Said That:
According to Abu Kurayb- Ibn Idris-Isma 'il b. Abi Khalid-Abu Salih: When God said, "And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands and he fulfiled them," the commands He meant include the words, "I have appointed you a leader for mankind," and the verses of the rituals.
According to Abu al-Sa'ib--Ibn Idris-Ismail b. Abi Khalid-Abu Salih, the client of Umm Hani': When God said, "And when his Lord tried Abraham with commands ," those commands included the words, " I have appointed you a leader for mankind," the verses of the rituals , and the words, "And when Ibrahim a.s was raising the foundations of the House. [257. Ibid., 2:127.]
According to Muhammad b. 'Amr-Abu `Asim- `Isa b. Abi Najili-Mujahid: Regarding His words, "And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands and he fulfilled them," God said to Ibrahim a.s, "I am trying you with a command . What is it?" Ibrahim a.s said, "You are appointing me a leader for mankind." God said, "Yes." Ibrahim a.s asked, "And what of my offspring? " God said, "My covenant does not include wrongdoers." [258. Ibid., 2:124.] Then Abraham said, "You will make this House a resort for mankind." [259. Ibid., 2:125.] God said, "Yes." Ibrahim a.s said, "And You will make this town a sanctuary." God said, "Yes." Abraham said, " You will make us submissive unto You, and will make of our offspring a nation submissive unto You." God said, "Yes." Ibrahim a.s said, "You will show us our ways of worship, and You will relent toward us." [260. Ibid., 2:128.] God said, "Yes." Ibrahim a.s said, "And You will bestow fruits upon the people, upon those of them that believe. " [261. Ibid., 2:126.] God said, "Yes."
According to al-Qasim-al-Husayn-Iiajjaj-Ibn Jurayj -Mujahid: A similar story. In Jurayj said: Both Mujahid and Ikrimah agree on this.
According to Ibn Waki'-his father-Sufyan-Ibn Abi Najih-Mujahid: The quote, "And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands and he fulfilled them," means that Ibrahim a.s was tested with the commands in the verses which come after that one. God said, " Verily I am appointing you a leader for mankind." Abraham asked, "And my offspring?" God said, "My covenant does not include wrongdoers."
According to al-Muthanna b. Ibrahim-Abu Hudhayfah -Shibl-Ibn Abi Na": Ikrimah told me this, and when I repeated it to Mujahid he did not disapprove of it.
According to Musa b. Harun-`Amr b. Hammad-Asbat-al-Suddi: Those commands with which Ibrahim a.s was tested were: "Our Lord! Accept from us. You, only You, are the Hearer, the Knower. Our Lord! Make us submissive to You and make of our seed a nation submissive to You . And show us our ways of worship and relent toward us. You, only You, are the Relenting, the Merciful . Our Lord! Raise up in their midst a messenger." [262. Ibid., 2:127-129.]
I relate the following according to `Ammar b. al-Hasan -`Abdallah b. Abi Ja` far-his father-al-Rabi': Regarding God's word "And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands," the commands were His word "I have appointed you a leader for mankind ," and His Word " And when We made the House a resort for mankind and a sanctuary," and His word "Take as your place of worship where Ibrahim a.s stood," and His word " We imposed a duty on Abraham and Ishmael , etc.," and His word " And when Abraham was raising the foundation of the House , etc." All of these were among the commands with which Abraham was tested.
According to Muhammad b. Sa'd -his father-his paternal uncle-his father-his father-Ibn 'Abbas: Regarding God's word, " And when his Lord tried Abraham with commands," those commands included, the words "I have appointed you a leader for mankind," and "And when Ibrahim a.s was raising the foundations of the House ." They also included the verses regarding the acts of worship and the standing-place which He appointed for Ibrahim a.s, and the sustenance which He provided for the dweller of the House . Muhammad was sent among the seed of the two of them.
There are also those who have said that the commands specifically referred to the acts of the pilgrimage.
Concerning Those Who Said That:
According to Ibn Bashshar-Salm b. Qutaybah-'Amr b. Nabhan-Qatadah -Ibn 'Abbas : Regarding God's word, "And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands ," those commands were the acts of the pilgrimage.
According to Bishr b. Mu'adh-Yazid-Said-Qatadah -Ibn 'Abbas : Regarding His word, "And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands ," those were the ritual acts.
I relate ( the following according to)-'Ammar b . al-Hasan -Ibn Abi ja'far-his father-Ibn 'Abbas: The commands with which Ibrahim a.s was tested were the ritual acts.
According to Ahmad b. Ishaq al-Ahwazi-Abu Ahmad alZubayri-Isra'il-Abu Ishaq -al-Tamimi-Ibn ' Abbas: God's word, " And when his Lord tried Abraham with commands and he fulfilled them," refers to the acts of the pilgrimage.
According to Ibn al - Muthanna-al-Himmani -Sharik-Abu Ishaq-al-Tamimi-Ibn ' Abbas : A similar version. According to al-Hasan b. Yahya -'Abd al - Razzag-Ma'mar -Qatadah -Ibn'Abbas : God tested him with the ritual acts.
According to Ibn Bashshar -Salm b . Qutaybah-YUnus b. Abi Ishaq-al - Sha`bi: In the quote, " And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands," those commands included circumcision.
According to Ibn Humayd -Yahya b . Wadih-Yunus b. Abi Ishaq-al - Sha`bi : Something similar.
According to Ahmad b . Ishaq -Abu Ahmad: When Abu Ishaq asked al-Sha ` bi about God ' s word, " And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands ," al-Sha`bi said, "One of them is circumcision , 0 Abu Ishaq!"
Others have said that the commands were six tests: the star, the moon, the sun, the fire, emigration, and circumcision, and that Abraham was tested with all of them and remained steadfast in faith through all of them.
Concerning Those Who Said That:
According to Ya `qub b . Ibrahim-Ibn ` Ulayyah-Abu Raja': I asked al-Hasan about the quote , " And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands and he fulfilled them ." Al-Hasan said, " He tested him with the star and was satisfied with him; He tested him with the moon and was satisfied with him; He tested him with the sun and was satisfied with him ; He tested him with fire and was satisfied with him ; He tested him with emigration; and He tested him with circumcision."
According to Bishr-Yazid b. Zuray`- Said-Qatadah-alHasan : When God tested Abraham with a command, he was steadfast in obeying it. He tested him with the star, the sun, and the moon, and he did well with those and knew that his Lord is eternal and He will not cease. Then he turned his face to the One Who created the heavens and the earth , as one upright by nature ; he was not one of those who attributed partners to God . Then He tested him with emigration , and he left his land and took his people to Syria, journeying to God. Before the emigration He tested him with fire and he was steadfast, and He tested him with the sacrifice of his son and with circumcision, and he was steadfast.
According to al-Hasan b. Yahya-'Abd al-Razzaq-Ma'mar -someone-al-Hasan: His word, "And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commmands," means He tested him with the star, the sun , and the moon.
According to Ibn Bashshar-Salm b. Qutaybah-Abu Hilal-al-Hasan : The quote "And when his Lord tried Ibrahim a.s with commands," means He tested him with the star, the sun, and the moon, and found him steadfast.
According to Ahmad b. Ishaq al-Mukhtar-Ghassan b. alRabi'-'Abdal-Rahman namely Ibn Thawban-'Abdallah b. al-Fadl-'Abd al-Rahman al-A'raj-Abu Hurayrah-the Messenger of God: Ibrahim a.s was circumcised after eighty years, in al-Qadum.
Two accounts have come down to us from the Prophet on the subject of the commands with which Abraham was tested.z One of them is according to Abu Kurayb-al-Hasan b. 'Atiyyah-Isra 'il-Ja'far b . al-Zubayr-al-Qasim-Abu Umamah -tzhe Messenger of God: Do you know what debt was meant by the quote, "And Ibrahim a.s who paid his debt? [263. Ibid., 53:37. ] They said, "God and His Messenger knows best." He said, "He paid the duty of each day, four prostrations during the day."
The other one is according to Abu Kurayb-Rishdin b. Said -Zabban b. Fa'id-Sahl b. Mu'adh b. Anas-his father: The Messenger of God used to say, "Should I not tell you why God named Ibrahim a.s His friend who paid his debt? It was because, whenever it was morning and whenever night came, he used to say, 'So glory be to God when you enter the night and when you enter the morning ...' and so on to the end of the verse. " [264. Ibid., 30:17-18.]
When God realized Ibrahim's a.s steadfastness of faith through all the tests He gave him, his fulfilling of all the duties which He laid upon him, and his preferring obedience to Him in everything over anything else, He took him as His friend and appointed him a leader for all those of His creatures who were to come after him. He chose him as messenger to His creation and appointed for his descendants prophecy, scripture, and mission. He singled them out with revealed scriptures and profound wisdom. He appointed from among them authorities and leaders, chiefs and sovereigns. Whenever one noble passed from among them, He would replace him with a lofty lord and preserved for them mention among the last. All the nations take Ibrahim a.s as a friend, and extol him, and speak of his excellence as an honor to him from God in this world. The esteem which God has stored up for Abraham in the hereafter is more splendid and tremendous than anyone can describe.
Let us now return to the account of the enemy of God and of Ibrahim a.s, who refused to believe in what Abraham had brought from God and who rejected Abraham's counsel out of ignorance and error about God's indulgence with him.
Nimrod b. Cush [265. The story of the children of Cush and Nimrod is given by Kiss 1, 128-136: Tha'labi, Qisas, 84-85, is closer to the account given here.]
b. Canaan b. Ham b. Noah, and what happened to him in this world when he rebelled against his Lord, even though God was forbearing with him and did not make haste to punish him for his unbelief in Him and for his attempt to burn His friend Ibrahim a.s for calling upon him (Nimrod) to believe only in God and to abandon his gods and idols. Nimrod's arrogance and rebelliousness against his Lord went on for a long time-some say for four hundred years-in spite of God's forbearance with him. The proofs of Himself which God advanced to Nimrod and the examples which He showed him only made Nimrod persist in his transgression. As some have mentioned, God punished him in this world. This punishment, which extended over a span of time as long as that during which God had been forbearing with him, was carried out by means of the weakest of His creatures-a gnat to which God gave dominion over Nimrod.
Accounts Which Have Reached Us about Him
Concerning what I have mentioned about his ignorance and the vengeance which God set in motion against him, according to al-Hasan b . Yahya-'Abd al- Razzaq-Ma` mar-Zayd b. Aslam: The first tyrant on earth was Nimrod . People used to go to him seeking provisions of food . When they came to him he would ask them, " Who is your lord?" They would say, "You." When Ibrahim a.s came to him, he asked him, "Who is your lord?" Abraham answered, "My Lord is He Who gives life and causes death ." Nimrod told him, "I give life and cause death." Ibrahim a.s said , " God brings the sun from the East ; so cause it to rise in the West ." " Thus was the disbeliever abashed." [266. Qur'an, 2:258.] So he sent Ibrahim a.s away without food.
Ibrahim a.s went back to his family . On the way he passed a dust- colored sand dune and said to himself , " Let me take some of this and bring it to my family , to make them feel better when I come to them ." So he took some of it to bring to his family . He put his baggage down and slept. His wife arose, went to his baggage and opened it , and found there the best food anyone had ever seen . So she prepared some of it and presented it to him. To his knowledge the family had no food, so he asked, " From where did this come ?" She answered, "From the food which you brought." So he knew that God had supplied it to him, and he praised God.
Then God sent an angel to the tyrant, saying, " Believe in Me and I will leave you in your realm." Nimrod said, " Is there any lord besides me?" The angel came a second time and said the same, and again Nimrod refused . And he came a third time, and yet again Nimrod refused . So the angel said to him, "Gather your assembly in three days ." The tyrant gathered his assembly, and God gave a command to the angel and he unleashed upon them a swarm of gnats . The sun was blotted out by their numbers . God sent the gnats against them, and they ate their flesh and drank their blood , and nothing but their bones was left.
The king was as before, however; none of that befell him. But God sent to him a single gnat which entered his nostril and went on beating the inside of his head with hammers for four hunzdred years. The most merciful to him of his friends was he who bunched up his hands and beat Nimrod's head with them.
He had been a tyrant for four hundred years and God punished him for four hundred years-just as long as he had reigned and then He caused him to die. He was the one who built a tower to heaven, only to have God strike at its foundations-it was about this that God said, "So God struck at the foundations of their building." [267. Ibid ., 56:26 . See the building of the tower by Nimrod in the aggadic account, Ginzberg, Legends, I, 578-181.]
According to Musa b. Harun-`Amr b. Ilammad-Asbat- al-Suddi-Abu Malik and Abu Salih-Ibn `Abbas andMurrah-Ibn Mas`nd and-some of the companions of the Prophet: The one who argued with Ibrahim a.s about his Lord gave orders that Ibrahim a.s be sent out of the city, and he was sent out. He met Lot, the son of his brother, at the gate and called upon him, and he believed in him. Ibrahim a.s said, "I am a fugitive unto my Lord. " [268. Qur'an, 29:26.]
Nimrod had vowed to seek out Ibrahim's a.s God. He took four eagle fledgelings and nurtured them on meat and wine so that they grew up tough and strong. Then he tied them to a chest and sat in that chest. He suspended a piece of meat over them, and they flew up trying to reach it. When they had risen high in the sky, Nimrod looked down and beheld the earth. He saw the mountains crawling below like creeping ants . When they had risen still higher he looked down again and saw the earth with a sea surrounding it, as though it were a sphere in water. After climbing still higher for a long time, he came into a region of darkness and could not see what was above him, nor what was below him. He became frightened and threw the meat down, and the eagles followed it, darting downwards. When the mountains saw them coming near, darting down, and heard their noise, they became afraid and almost moved from their places, but did not do so. As God says, "Verily they have plot ted their plot, and their plot is with God, even if their plot were one whereby the mountains should be moved. [ 269. Ibid., 14:46.] The reading of Ibn Masud has it, "though their plot were almost one."
They took off from Jerusalem and they fell down in the Mountain of Smoke. When Nimrod saw that this method would accomplish nothing, he began building the tower. He built it taller and taller until, when it reached heaven, he went up to the top to look, in his pride, at the God of Ibrahim a.s. Then he voided excrement though he had not done so. God seized his building by its foundations and the roof fell down upon them, "and doom came upon them whence they knew not" [270. Ibid., 16:26.] from their place of safety. And He took them from the foundations of the building, and it was demolished. Then it fell, and on that day the languages of mankind became confused from fright , and mankind came to speak seventy-three languages. Before that th only language had been Syriac. It was thus called Babel.
According to Ibn Waki'-Abu Dawud al-Irafari-Ya'-qub-IIafs b. Humayd or Ja'far-Sa'id b. Jubayr: "Even if their plot were one whereby the mountains should be moved. [271. Ibid., 14:46. That is, it would still count for nothing against God.]
Nimrod, master of the eagles , ordered a chest brought. He was placed in it, and placed another man in it with him. Then he commanded the eagles and they carried them aloft. When they had risen to a great height, Nimrod asked his companion, "What do you see?" He answered, "I see the water and the island"-meaning the world. After they had climbed higher, he again asked his companion, "What do you see?" He answered, "We are only growing farther from heaven." And Nimrod said, "Descend!"
Someone else has said: A voice proclaimed, "0 tyrant, where do you want to go?" The mountains heard the rustling of the eagles and thought it was something from heaven, and would have moved, for that is His Word, "Even if their plot were one whereby the mountains should be moved."
According to al-Hasan b. Muhammad-Muhammad b. Abi 'Ad!-Shu'bah-Abu Ishaq-'Abd al-Rahman b. Daniyal-'Ali: Regarding the verse " even if their plot were one whereby the mountains should be moved," the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord took two small eagles and raised them until they became tough, strong, and mature . Then he tied a foot of each one of them to a chest by a string . He starved them, and sat in the chest with another man. Then he raised a staff in the chest, with meat at its top end, and the eagles ascended. Nimrod began saying to his companion , "Look! What do you see?" He described what he saw , finally saying , " I see the world as though it were insects." Then he said " Aim!" And he aimed it and they descended . And this is His word , " even if their plot were one whereby the mountains should be moved." Abu Ishaq said : Thus in the reading of 'Abdallah, it is , "Though their plot were almost...."
This is what is mentioned of the story of Nimrod b. Cush b. Canaan.
Some say that this Nimrod b . Cush b. Canaan was the king of the entire earth, east and west. This is a statement which scholars familiar with the biographies of kings and with the accounts of the past reject . This is because they accept the fact that Ibrahim a.s was born during the era of al-Dahhak b. Andarmasb, ( concerning whom we have given some accounts above) , and that at that time this al- Dahhak was the king of all the earth. One of those who knew about the era of al-Dahhak, who was uncertain about the extent of Nimrod ' s power, said that he did not know the truth of the matter even though certain accounts had been related to him on the subject . These accounts said that there were four kings who ruled the whole world, two unbelievers and two believers . The unbelievers were Nimrod and Nechuchadnezzar, while the believers were Sulaimann a.s b . Daud a.s and Alexander. Those chroniclers who speak of the matter say that it was al-Dahhak who was king of the earth, east and west, during Abraham ' s time , and that Nimrod and al-Dahhak were the same person. Scholars expert in the accounts of the forebears and in knowledge of the affairs of the peoples of ancient times have a different view , because according to them it is well known that Nimrod was of Nabatean origin, whereas al-Dahhak was of Persian origin. On the other hand, scholars expert in the accounts of past generations and ancient nations have mentioned that al-Dahhak placed the Sawad and its surroundings to the right and the left under the rule of Nimrod, and made him and his descendants governors there. Al-Dahhak traveled around a great deal from country to country, but his homeland and that of his grandparents was Danbawand and the mountains of Tabaristan. It was there that Afaridhun shot at him when he overcame him and bound him in iron.
In the same way, Nebuchadnezzar was warlord of the lands [272. According to Yaqut , Mu'jam, I, 298 , Asbahbudhan was the generic title of the rulers of Tabaristan just as Kisra was used for the rulers of Fars and Qaysar for those of Byzantium . It was also the name of a town in Daylam in which the ruler resided, two miles from the ( Caspian) sea. Asbahbadh was a title meaning " lord of the army " (sipah= army, badh = lord) or warlord.] extending from al-Ahwaz to the land of the Byz 'antines lying west of the Tigris, before Luhrasb [273. Luhrasb/Luhrasp, the fourteenth king to rule over Iran in the Shahnameh. He was the father of Gushtasp, during whose reign Zoroaster appeared; see Wolff, Glossar.] ruled there. This was because Luhrasb was busied with fighting the Turks. He built Balkh [274. Balkh , a city in Khurisan (today Afghanistan), built by Luhrasp, captured by the Arabs under the Caliph 'Uthman r.a; Yaqut, Mu'jam, I, 713f] to keep them at bay, it is said, and he had to stay there for a long time to fight them.
Anyone who was not knowledgeable about the affairs of these people, or about how long they lived, and who was overconfident of his knowledge about the region- about, for example, who appointed whom-might very well think that they (Nimrod and Nebuchadnezzar) were kings in their own right. But no one who is learned in the history of mankind and of ancient kings- as far as we know-would claim that any Nabatean was king in his own right over so much as a foot of ground, much less king of all the world. Scholars of scripture and men learned in the accounts of past generations assert, and anyone who has troubled to look at historical books must agree, that Nimrod's rule over the region of Babylon on behalf of al-Azdahaq Biwarasb lasted four hundred years, and that his authority was passed on to a man of Nimrod's stock after he died. This man was named Nabat b. Qa`ud, and he ruled for one hundred years. After him rule over the region of Babylon passed to Dawas b. Nabat, who ruled for eighty years; after him to Balish b. Dawas, who ruled for one hundred and twenty years; and finally to Nimrod b. Balish, who ruled for a year and a few months . [275. These names-not of Iranian origin -have not been identified.] That makes seven hundred and one years and a few months-all during the reign of al-Dahhak. After Afaridhun overthrew al-Azdahaq and became the supreme ruler, he slew Nimrod b. Balish and drove the Nabateans away into exile. He killed a great number of Nabateans because of their support for Biwarasb and for the deeds of Nimrod and his sons . Some scholars claim that even before Biwarasb died he had already become alienated from Nimrod's line and no longer looked upon them (with favor) as he had.
We will now return to the story of the events which took place during Abraham's days, including the story of
Lot b. Haran
b. Terah, son of Ibrahim's a.s brother, and his people-the people of Sodom [276. The biblical story of Lot is found in Gen 18-19, see Kisa 'i, 155-59; Tha'labi, Qisa.T, 90-94. See also Ginzberg , Legends, I, 245-57 for some aggadic accounts . In Islam, Lot is a prophet sent to the wicked people of Sodom, referred to in Muslim literature as "the folk of Lot." ] It is said that Lot traveled from the land of Babylon with his paternal uncle Ibrahim a.s, the Friend of the Merciful, believing in him and following his religion . They went to Syria as fugitives , and with them went Sarah bt. Nahor, who some say was siti Sarah bt. Hanal bt . Nahor . It is said that Ibrahim's a.s father Terah went with them, still opposing Ibraham's a.s religion and remaining an unbeliever . When they reached Harran Terah died, still an unbeliever . Ibrahim a.s, Lot, and siti Sarah went on to Syria and then to Egypt , which was then ruled by a Pharaoh . It is mentioned that this Pharaoh was Sinan b. 'Alwan b. 'Ubayd b. 'Uwayj b. ' Imlaq b . Lud b. Shem b . Noah. It is also said that he was a brother of al-Dahhak, who had appointed him governor of Egypt . I have already given some of the story of what happened between him and Abraham above. [277. See Tabari, I, 268-269]
After this, Ibraham a.s, Lot, and siti Sarah went back to Syria. It is said that Ibrahim a.s settled in Palestine and settled his nephew Lot in Jordan, and that God sent Lot to the people of Sodom.
The people of Sodom were disbelievers in God, and were also immoral, as God has said, "You commit lewdness such as no creature has done before you. For do you not come into males, and do you not cut the roads, and do you not commit abominations in your assemblies ? [278. Qur'an, 2928-29.] As has been said, " cutting the road" means that they committed lewdness with anyone who came into their town.
Concerning Those Who said That:
According to Yunus b. 'Abd al-A'la-Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd: As for God' s statement , "you cut the roads," the road is the way of the traveler. When the traveler, the son of the road, passed by them, they would block the road and perform with him that ugly deed.
As for what they did in their assemblies, scholars disagree about what it was. Some say that they used to shorten whoever passed by them. Others say that they used to break wind in their assemblies, while some said that they used to have intercourse with each other there. [279. Kisa'i gives only the Qur'anic statement above while Tha'labi Qisas, and Tabari repeat different views as to what these sins of Lot's folk really were . The account in Ginzberg, Legends, loc. cit ., lists "revolting orgies" and robbing wayfarers in a variety of ways , most of which involved some form of torture, including a procrustean bed which was either too short or too long. The hapless wayfarer was made to fit the bed by force, which often resulted in his death . It is this latter practice which is probably meant here by "they used to shorten whoever passed by them."]
Concerning those who said that they used to shorten whoever passed by them, Ibn Humayd heard the following from-Yahya b. Wadih-'Umar b. Abi Za'idah-'Ikrimah: Concerning His statement, "You commit abominations in your assemblies," it means that they used to molest wayfarers, shortening those who passed by them.
According to Ibn Waki'-his father -'Imran b. Zayd-'Ikrimah: ( It means ) cutting (the road) off.
According to Musa b. Harlin-'Amr b. HammadAsbat-al-Suddi-Abu Malik and Abu $alih-Ibn 'Abbas and Murrah al-Hamdani -Ibn Masud and some of the companions of the Messenger of God: The quote, "And you commit abominations in your assemblies ," means they would shorten everyone who passed by them, and that was the abomination. As for those who said they used to break wind in their assemblies , 'Abd al-Rahman b. al-Aswad al-Zifari heard the following from Muhammad b. Rabi'ah-Rawh b. Ghutayf al Thaqafi-'Amr b. al-Mus'ab-'Urwah b. al-Zubayr-'A'ishah: About His statement, " And you commit abominations in your assemblies ," the abomination was breaking wind.
As for those who said they had intercourse with each other in their assemblies, [280. Thus giving rise to the use of the term Inti to mean sodomite, pederast, and liwdF for sodomy, pederasty. See Lane, VII, 2082; Wehr, 883.] Ibn Waki' and Ibn Humayd heard from Jarzr-Mansur-Mujahid: Regarding His statement, "And you commit abominations in your assemblies," they used to have intercourse with each other in their assemblies.
According to Sulayman b. 'Abd al-Jabbar-Thabit b. Muhammad al-Laythi-Fudayl b. 'Iyad-Mansur b. al-Mu'tamir -Mujahid: Concerning His statement, "And you commit abominations in your assemblies," they used to have sexual intercourse with one another in the assembly.
According to Ibn Humayd-Hakkam-'Amr-Mansur-Mujahid: The same.
According to Ibn Waki'-his father-Sufyan-Mansur-Mujahid: They used to have intercourse with men in their assemblies.
According to Muhammad b. 'Amr-Abu 'Asim-'Isa and al-Harith-al-Hasan-Warga', together-Ibn Abi NajihMujahid: In the quote, "And you commit abominations in your assemblies," the assemblies and the abominations were their intercourse with men.
According to Bishr-Yazid-Said-Qatadah: God's statement, "And you commit abominations in your assemblies," means they used to commit lewdness in their meetings.
According to Yunus-Ibn Wahb-Ibn Zayd: Concerning God's statement, "And you commit abominations in your meetings," their meetings were the assemblies, and the abomination was their disgusting act which they would perform. They would accost a rider and seize him and mount him. Ibn Zayd quoted, "Will you commit lewdness while you are in misfortune?" and "Such as no one has done before you in both worlds." [281. Qur'an, 29:28]
According to Ibn Waki'-Ismail b. 'Ulayyah-Ibn Abi Najih-'Amr b. Dinar: God's statement, "Such as no one did before you in both worlds," refers to the fact that no male jumped upon a male before the people of Lot.
Abu Ja'far spoke correctly about this matter, relaying the statement: By the abomination which they would commit in their meetings, God meant that in their assemblies they used to cut off anyone who passed them and mock him. The account of this comes from the Messenger of God, related by Abu Kurayb and Ibn Waki'-Abu Usamah-Hatim b. Abi Saqhirah-Simak b. Harb-Abu Salih, the client of Umm Hani'-Umm Hani'-the Messenger of God: Regarding the statement, "And you commit abominations in your assemblies," they would cut off wayfarers and mock them, and that was the abomination they committed.
According to Ahmad b. 'Abdah al-Dabbi- . Sulayman b. Hayyan-Abu Yunus al-Qushayri-Simak b. Harb-Abu Salih-Umm Hani': I asked the Prophet about God's statement, "And you commit abominations in your assemblies." And he said, "They used to cut off wayfarers and mock them."
According to al-Rabi' b. Sulayman-Asad b. MusaSa'id b. Zayd-Hatim b. Abi Saqhirah-Simak b. Harb Badham Abi Salih., the client of Umm Hani'-Umm Hani': I asked the Prophet about this verse, " And they commit abominations in their assemblies ." And he said, "They would sit on the road and cut off wayfarers and mock them."
Lot called on them to worship God. By God's command he tried to prohibit them from doing those things which God disliked such as brigandage , committing lewd acts, and entering males in the posteriors . Because they persisted in doing those things and refused to repent of them , he threatened them with painful doom. But his threats did not restrain them, and his admonitions only increased their perseverence , insolence, and provocation of punishment from God. They rejected his admonitions, saying to him, " Bring God ' s doom upon us, if you are telling the truth ! " [282. Ibid ., 29:29.] At length Lot asked his Lord for help against them, since the matter was dragging on and on, as was their persistence in sinfulness . Then God-when he wanted to disgrace them and destroy them and help His messenger Lot against against them-sent Gabriel and two other angels. It has been said that the two other angels were Michael and Israfil, and that they came in the form of young men. [283. The Jewish accounts say that each angel had a task: Mikail a.s to bring the tidings of Ishaq's a.s birth, Jibril a.s to destroy the sinful cities, and Raphael ( here, Isrifil a.s ) to save Lot . See Ginzberg, Legends, V:237, n.154.]
Concerning Those Who Said That:
According to Musa b . Harun-' Amr b. Hammad-Asbat. -al-Suddi-Abu Malik and Abu Salih -Ibn `Abbas and Murrah al -Hamdani-Ibn Masud and some of the companions of the Prophet : God sent the angels to destroy the people of Lot.
They arrived, walking, in the shape of young men, and they alighted with Abraham and sought hospitality from him. We have already mentioned what happened between them and Ibrahim a.s in the account of Ibrahim a.s and siti Sarah . When his awe left Ibrahim a.s and he heard the news ( of Ishaq ' s a.s birth) , the messengers told him why they had come to him, and told him that God had sent them to destroy the people of Lot . Ibrahim a.s argued and disputed with them, as God has said , " And when the awe departed from Abraham, and the glad news reached him, he pleaded with Us on behalf of the folk of Lot. " [284. Qur'an, 11:74.]
About his arguing with them about that, we have heard from Ibn Humayd-Ya'qub al-Qummi-Ja' far- Sa 'id: He pleaded with Us on behalf of the folk of Lot.
When Jibril a.s and those with him came to Ibrahim a.s, theysaid to him, "We are about to destroy the people of that township, for its people are wrongdoers. " [285. Ibid., 29:31.] Ibrahim a.s said to them, "Will you destroy a town in which there are four hundred believers?" They said, "No." He said, "Will you then destroy a town in which there are three hundred believers?" They said, "No." He said, "Then will you destroy a town in which there are two hundred believers?" They said, "No." He said, "Then will you destroy a town in which there are one hundred believers?" They said, "No." He said, "Then will you destroy a town in which there are forty believers?" They said, "No." He said, "Then will you destroy a town in which there are fourteen believers?" They said, "No." Abraham. had counted fourteen believers in Sodom, including Lot's wife, so he left off the argument and felt reassured. [286. For the aggadic rendering of Ibrahim's a.s bargaining with God and the numbers agreed upon , see Ginzberg, Legends, I, 251 -52; V, 239 , n. 164.]
According to Abu Kurayb- al-Himmani-al-A'mash-alMinhal-Said b. Jubayr-Ibn 'Abbas: The angel said to Ibrahim a.s that if there were five in the city who prayed, he would remove the punishment from them.
According to Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Ali-Muhammad b. Thawr-Ma'mar-Qatadah: Concerning the statement, "He pleaded with us for the folk of Lot," it has reached us that he said to them on that day, "Do you think that there are fifty Muslims among the people of Sodom?" They said, "If there are fifty among them, we will not punish them." He said, "And forty?" They said, "Nor if there are forty." He said, "And thirty?" They said, "Nor if there are thirty." Until he reached ten, and they said, "And even if there are ten." He said, "There is no nation that does not have ten good people in it." When the messengers told Abraham about the condition of the people of Lot, he said to them, "Lot is there." (Tabari: He said this out of concern for Lot's safety in case Sodom were destroyed.) And the messengers said, "We are best aware of who is there. We are to deliver him and his household, all but his wife, who is one of those who is to stay behind."2" Then the messengers of God moved on toward Sodom, the town of the people of Lot. It is mentioned that when they reached it, they met Lot at a plot of his land where he was working, and that at the stream they met Lot's daughter who was drawing water.
Concerning Those Who Say They Met Lot
According to Bishr b . Mu'adh-Yazid-Said-Qatadah Hudhayfah : When the messengers came to Lot, they reached him while he was working on a plot of his land . They had been told-but God knows best-"Do not destroy them until Lot bears witness against them ." They went to Lot and said, "We seek hospitality from you tonight ." So he took them with him.
Presently, after they had been walking for an hour , he turned to them and said, " Do you not know what the people of this town do? By God ! I do not know of any people on the face of the earth more wicked than they are." He went on with them, and later said the same thing to them once again. When an evil old woman, Lot's wife, saw the approaching messengers, she went off to give notice to the people of Sodom.
According to Ibn Humayd -al-Hakam b . Bashir-'Amr b. Qays al- Mula'i -Said b. Bashir- Qatadah : The angels came to Lot while he was in one of his fields , and God said to the angels, "If Lot bears witness against the people of Sodom four times, I give you leave to destroy them ." So they said, "0 Lot! We want your hospitality tonight ." He said, "Have you not zheard about them? " (That is, about the people of Sodom.) They asked, " What about them ?" He said, " I bear witness by God, this is the worst town on earth in its deeds ." He said that four times , thus bearing witness against them four times . Then the angels entered his dwelling with him.
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