ثُمَّ قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ ذلِكَ جَزَيْناهُمْ بِما كَفَرُوا وَ هَلْ نُجازِي إِلَّا الْكَفُورَ Then Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic Said: That was our Retaliation due to their committing Kufr; and do We Retaliate except for the Kufr? [34:17] ’.
[44] Esoteric explanation عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ زَيْدٍ الشَّحَّامِ قَالَ دَخَلَ قَتَادَةُ بْنُ دِعَامَةَ عَلَى أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) فَقَالَ يَا قَتَادَةُ أَنْتَ فَقِيهُ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ فَقَالَ هَكَذَا يَزْعُمُونَ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ تُفَسِّرُ الْقُرْآنَ فَقَالَ لَهُ قَتَادَةُ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) بِعِلْمٍ تُفَسِّرُهُ أَمْ بِجَهْلٍ قَالَ لَا بِعِلْمٍ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ (عليه السلام) فَإِنْ كُنْتَ تُفَسِّرُهُ بِعِلْمٍ فَأَنْتَ أَنْتَ وَ أَنَا أَسْأَلُكَ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ سَلْ A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Khalid, from his father, from Muhammad Bin Sinan, from Zayd Al-Shahaam who said: Qatada Bin Da’ama came up to Abu Ja’far -asws , so he -asws said: ‘O Qatada!
Are you a Faqih (Jurist) of the people of Basra?’ He said, ‘That is what they are alleging’. Abu Ja’far -asws said: ‘It has reached me -asws that you are explaining the Quran’. Qatada said to him -asws , ‘Yes’. So Abu Ja’far -asws said to him: ‘You are explaining it by knowledge or by ignorance?’ He said, ‘No, by knowledge’. So Abu Ja’far -asws said to him: ‘So if you are explaining by knowledge, so ‘you are’ ‘who you are’ and I -asws would like to ask you’. Qatada said, ‘Ask’.
قَالَ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِي سَبَإٍ وَ قَدَّرْنا فِيهَا السَّيْرَ سِيرُوا فِيها لَيالِيَ وَ أَيَّاماً آمِنِينَ He -asws said: ‘Inform me -asws about the Words of Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic in (the Chapter 34) Saba : And We Made between them and the towns which We had Blessed therein, apparent towns, and We Apportioned the travelling therein: “Travel in these during nights and days in security” [34:18] .
فَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ ذَلِكَ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ بِزَادٍ حَلَالٍ وَ رَاحِلَةٍ وَ كِرَاءٍ حَلَالٍ يُرِيدُ هَذَا الْبَيْتَ كَانَ آمِناً حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ Qatada said, ‘That is for the one who goes out from his house with lawful provisions, and a camel rented lawfully intending this House (Kabah). He would be safe until he returns back to his family’.