لَاnotيَعْرِفُ،he knows
He does not know,
فَقَدْfor indeedوَضَعَهَاhe placed themفِيinمَوَاضِعِplaces ofالْغُرَرِ1riskوَعَلَىand uponأَعْظَمِthe greatestالْخَطَرِdanger
He placed them in positions of risk and in the greatest danger.
وَقَدْand indeedصَارَhe becameفِيinمَعْنَىthe sense ofالْمُودِعِ،the depositor
He has become in the position of a depositor,
وَصَارَand becameالْمُكْتَرِيthe lesseeفِيinمَوْضِعِthe place ofالْمُودِعِthe depositor
and the lessee became in the position of a depositor.
ثُمَّthenلَيْسَتِis notالْخِيَانَةُtreacheryوَسُوءُand badالْوِلَايَةِstewardshipإِلَىtoشَيْءٍanyمِنَofالْوَدَائِعِthe depositsأَسْرَعَfasterمِنْهَاthan itالدُّورُhouses
Treachery and bad stewardship are not faster in anything than in houses.
وَأَيْضًاand alsoأَنَّthatأَصْلَحَthe most righteous ofالسُّكَّانِthe inhabitantsحَالًاcondition
Also, the best of the inhabitants,
مِنْone whoإِذَاwhenوَجَدَhe foundفِيinالدَّارِthe houseمَرَمَّةًrepairفَفَوَّضُواthey delegatedإِلَيْهِto himالنَّفَقَةَthe expense
When he finds a repair needed in the house, they delegate the expense to him,
وَأَنْand thatيَكُونَit beذَلِكَthatمَحْسُوبًاcountedعِنْدَatالْأَهِلَّةِ،the new moons
and that it be counted at the new moons (i.e., due dates).
الَّذِيwhoيُشَفِّفُmakes thinفِيinالْبِنَاءِ2the buildingوَيَزِيدُand increasesفِيinالْحِسَابِthe account
Who cheats in the building and increases the account.
فَمَاso whatظَنُّكَyour opinionبِقَوْمٍof a peopleهَؤُلَاءِtheseأَصْلَحُهُمْtheir bestوَهُمْwhile theyخِيَارُهُمْtheir chosen ones
So what do you think of a people whose best are like this, while they are their chosen ones?
وَأَنْتُمْand youأَيْضًاalsoرُبَّمَاperhapsأَكْرَيْتُمْ3you rented outمُسْتَغَلَّاتِthe income properties ofغَيْرِكُمْ،others
And you also perhaps rented out the income properties of others,
بِأَكْثَرَfor moreمِمَّاthan whatأَكْتَرَيْتُمُوهَاyou rented themمِنْهُfrom him
for more than you rented them from him.
فَسِيرُواso dealفِينَاwith usكَسِيرَتِكُمْlike your dealingفِيهِمْ،with them
So deal with us as you deal with them,
وَأَعْطُونَاand give usمِنْofأَنْفُسِكُمْyour selvesمِثْلَlikeمَاwhatتُرِيدُونَهُyou wantمِنْهُمْfrom them
and give us of yourselves what you want from them.
وَرُبَّمَاand perhapsبَنَيْتُمْyou builtفِيinالْأَرْضِ،the land
And perhaps you build on the land,
فَإِذَاand whenصَارَbecomesالْبِنَاءُthe buildingبِنْيَانَكُمْyour construction(وَإِنْ(even ifكَانَتِwasالْأَرْضُthe landلِغَيْرِكُمْ)for others)
And when the building becomes your construction (even if the land belongs to others),
ادَّعَيْتُمُyou claimedالشَّرِكَةَ،partnership
you claim partnership,
وَجَعَلْتُمُوهُand you made itكَالْإِجَارَةِ،like a lease
and you treat it like a lease,
وَحَتَّىand untilتُصَيِّرُوهُyou make itكَتِلَادِlike inherited property ofمَالٍwealthأَوْorمُوَرَّثِinheritance ofسَلَفٍpredecessor
until you make it like inherited property or a legacy of a predecessor.
وَجُرْمُand a crimeآخَرُ،another
And another crime,
هُوَit isأَنَّكُمْthat youأَهْلَكْتُمْdestroyedأُصُولَthe capitals ofأَمْوَالِنَا،our wealth
that you destroyed the capitals of our wealth,
وَأَخْرَبْتُمْand you ruinedغَلَّاتِنَا،our revenues
and ruined our revenues,
وَحَطَطْتُمْand you loweredبِسُوءِby badمُعَامَلَتِكُمْyour dealingأَثْمَانَthe prices ofدُورِنَاour housesوَمُسْتَغَلَّاتِنَا،and our income properties
and you lowered the prices of our houses and income properties by your bad dealing,
حَتَّىuntilغَلَّاتُthe revenues ofالدُّورِhousesمِنْfromأَعْيُنِthe eyes ofالْمَيَاسِيرِ4the wealthyوَأَهْلِand people ofالثَّرْوَةِ،fortune
until house revenues are [coveted] by the eyes of the wealthy and people of fortune,
وَمِنْand fromأَعْيُنِthe eyes ofالْعَوَامِّthe common peopleوَالْحَشْوَةِ،and the rabble
and by the eyes of the common people and the rabble.
وَحَتَّىand untilتَدَافَعُوكُمْthey repelled youبِكُلِّwith everyحِيلَةٍ،trick
And they repelled you with every trick,
وَصَرَّفُواand they directedأَمْوَالَهُمْtheir wealthفِيinكُلِّeveryوَجْهٍ،direction
and they directed their wealth in every direction.
وَحَتَّىand untilقَالَsaidعُبَيْدُUbaydاللهِAllahابْنُson ofالْحَسَنِ5al-Hasanقَوْلًاa sayingأَرْسَلَهُhe sent itمَثَلًا،as a proverb
And Ubayd Allah ibn al-Hasan said a saying that he made proverbial,
وَعَادَand it becameعَلَيْنَاagainst usحُجَّةًan argumentوَضَرَرًاand harm
and it became an argument and harm against us.
وَذَلِكَand thatأَنَّهُthat heقَالَ:said
That is, he said:
«غَلَّةُThe revenue ofالدَّارِthe houseمَسَكَةٌa stinginessوَغَلَّةُand the revenue ofالنَّخْلِthe palm treesكَفَافٌ6sufficiency
The revenue of a house is a meager thing, and the revenue of palm trees is just enough.
وَإِنَّمَاand onlyالْغَلَّةُthe revenueغَلَّةُis the revenue ofالزَّرْعِcultivationوَالنَّسُولَتَيْنِ7and the two crops»
The real revenue is the revenue of cultivation and the two crops.
وَإِنَّمَاand onlyجَرَّdrewذَلِكَthatعَلَيْنَاupon usحُسْنُgoodness ofاقْتِضَائِنَا،our demanding
What brought that upon us was our good way of demanding payment,
وَصَبْرُنَاand our patienceعَلَىuponسُوءِbadقَضَائِكُمْyour repayment
and our patience with your bad repayment.
وَأَنْتُمْand youتَقْطَعُونَهَاcut it offعَلَيْنَاfrom usوَهِيَwhile it isعَلَيْكُمْupon youمُجْمَلَةٌ،deferred
You withhold it from us even though it is due to you in full,
وَتُلْوُونَنَاand you turn us awayبِهَاwith itوَهِيَwhile it isعَلَيْكُمْupon youحَالَّةٌdue immediately
and you put us off even though it is due from you immediately.
فَصَارَتْso becameكَذَلِكَlikewiseغَلَّاتُthe revenues ofالدُّورِhouses(وَإِنْ(even ifكَانَتْthey wereأَكْثَرَmoreثَمَنًاin price
So it became likewise for house revenues, even if they are more valuable.
Footnotes
- 1.الْغُرَرُ: جَمْعُ غُرَّةٍ، وَهِيَ الْخَطَرُ. وَيُقَالُ: مَوْضِعُ الْغُرَرِ أَيْ مَوْضِعُ الْخَطَرِ.
Al-ghurar: plural of ghurra, meaning risk. It is said: a place of ghurar, i.e., a place of danger.
- 2.يُشَفِّفُ فِي الْبِنَاءِ: أَيْ يُرَقِّقُ الْجُدْرَانَ وَيُوَفِّرُ فِي الْمَوَادِّ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الْمَعْنَى يَغُشُّ فِي الْبِنَاءِ.
Yushaffif fi al-bina': i.e., he thins the walls and economizes in materials; it may mean he cheats in building.
- 3.أَكْرَيْتُمْ: مِنْ أَكْرَى، أَيْ آجَرْتُمْ. وَالْمُرَادُ أَنَّكُمْ تَسْتَأْجِرُونَ مِنَ الْأَصْحَابِ وَتُؤَجِّرُونَ بِأَكْثَرَ.
Akraytum: from akra, meaning you rented out. The meaning is that you rent from owners and sublease for more.
- 4.الْمَيَاسِيرُ: جَمْعُ مَيْسُورٍ أَوْ مُوسِرٍ، وَهُمُ الْأَغْنِيَاءُ.
Al-mayasir: plural of maysur or musir, meaning the wealthy.
- 5.عُبَيْدُ اللهِ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ: هُوَ عُبَيْدُ اللهِ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، كَانَ قَاضِيًا لِلْمُنْصُورِ.
Ubayd Allah ibn al-Hasan: He is Ubayd Allah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali, who was a judge for al-Mansur.
- 6.مَسَكَةٌ: أَيْ ضِيقٌ وَإِمْسَاكٌ، وَكَفَافٌ: أَيْ قَدْرُ الْحَاجَةِ.
Masaka: meaning tightness and withholding; kafaf: meaning the sufficiency of need.
- 7.النَّسُولَتَانِ: هُمَا النَّسْأَتَانِ، وَهُمَا زَرْعُ الْحَبِّ وَزَرْعُ النَّخْلِ؟ وَقِيلَ: هُمَا زَرْعٌ وَثَمَرٌ.
An-nasulatayn: they are the two productive crops, which are grain and dates? It is said they are crop and fruit.