| Tafsir at-Tabari |
Tafsir of Surah An`aam (6) Verse 102 |
| Author: Ibn Jarir at-Tabari |
| Source: Tafsir at-Tabari |
| Article ID : TFS030003 [31715] |
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This then is Allaah your Lord. There is no diety but He, the Creator Of
everything. So serve Him, for He is Guardian over everything. The vision (of
men) reaches Him not, but He reaches the vision (of men). (Quran
6:102)
... The exegetes disagree concerning the meaning of Allaah's words
The vision (al-absar) (of men) reaches (tudrikuhu) Him not, but
He reaches the vision (of men). Some exegetes maintain that the meaning is
as follows: The vision (of men) does not fully grasp (ahata) him, but will be grasped by him.
To be cited (as authorities) for this view are (the following):...
Yunus ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Hakam has related to us on
the basis of (a chain of authorities going back to) Khalid ibn 'Abd ar-Rahman
and Abu 'Arfaja the following quotation from 'Atiyya al-'Aufi concerning Allaah's
words: 'Upon that day (of resurrection) there will be radiant faces, gazing
(naziratun) upon their Lord' (Sura 75:22) 'They shall gaze upon
Allaah, yet their vision shall not reach him because of his greatness, while his
vision shall reach them. This is mentioned in Allaah's words: "The vision (of
men) reaches Him not, but He reaches the visionThe proponents of this view give reasons for their
interpretation by saying that Allaah has said: 'And We brought the Children of
Israel over the sea; and Pharaoh and his hosts followed them insolently and
impetuously until when the drowning reached him (adrakahu), he said: "I believe that there is no
Allaah but He in whom the Children of Israel believe. I am of those that
surrender"' (Sura 10:90).
Here, so they say, Allaah ascribes to the drowning the
characteristic that it reached the Pharaoh. There is no doubt, however, that the
drowning is not ascribed the characteristic that it saw the Pharaoh, and (there
is no doubt) that it belongs among those things of which one cannot ascribe the
characteristic that it sees anything. They continue by saying that it is far
from one's thoughts that Allaah's words 'the vision (of men) reaches Him not' have
the meaning 'does not see him', since one thing may reach something else without
seeing it.
Thus, Allaah says in his
proclamation concerning the story of Moses and his companions when the people of
Pharaoh approached: 'And when the two hosts sighted each other, the companions
of Moses said: "We are reached (la-mudrakuna) !"' (Sura 26:61).
Allaah had told his prophet Moses that they would not be reached, as it is said:
'Also, We revealed to Moses:"Go with My servants (out of the land of the Pharaoh)! And
strike (with your staff) for them a dry path in the sea, fearing not being
reached (darak), neither being afraid"' (Sura
20:77/79).The proponents of this view say (further) that since one thing can see
something else without reaching it and can reach it without seeing it, then
interpreting Allaah's words 'the vision (of men) reaches Him not' to mean 'the
vision does not see him' gives an entirely isolated meaning, and that the
(actual) meaning of these words is:'the vision apprehends him not', since it is
impossible for it to apprehend him. Since the believers and the inhabitants of
paradise, so they say, see their Lord with their vision, although their vision
does not reach him, this means that it will not apprehend him since it is
impossible to ascribe to Allaah the characteristic that anything can apprehend
him.
