Tafsir al-Uthaymin Juz Amma - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (346)

Tafsir al-Uthaymin Juz AmmaIbn al-'Uthaymin

his person, because the hands are the instruments of work and movement, taking and giving, and the like. The epithet Abū Lahab is perfectly suited to his condition and ultimate fate. The correspondence lies in the fact that this man will be in a fiercely blazing Fire, flaring up with tremendous flames—entirely befitting his condition and final fate. The poet says:

Rarely do your eyes behold a man with an epithet
without finding its meaning in him, if you ponder his epithet.

When Suhayl ibn Amr approached during the events of the Hudaybiyah campaign, the Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—said, “This is Suhayl ibn Amr, and I can only see that your affair has been made easy for you.” (1) This was because the name corresponded to what occurred.

Allah, Glorious and Majestic, says:

“His wealth did not avail him.”

Here, the word mā may be interrogative, in which case the meaning is: “What did his wealth and what he earned avail him?” The answer is: nothing. It may also be negative, meaning that neither his wealth nor what he earned availed him in any way. The two meanings necessarily entail one another: his wealth and what he earned availed him nothing.

Ordinarily, however, wealth is beneficial. A person can use wealth to ransom himself if an enemy overpowers him: he may say, “I will give you such-and-such an amount of money, so release me,” and the enemy will release him, although he may demand either a large or a small sum. If a person falls ill, his wealth benefits him; and if he grows hungry, his wealth benefits him. Wealth is therefore beneficial, yet any benefit that does not save its possessor from the Fire is no true benefit. Hence He says:

“His wealth did not avail him”

—that is, it availed him nothing against Allah.

Regarding His words, “nor what he earned,” it has been said that this refers to the children he fathered. It is as though He said: “Neither his wealth nor his children availed him.” This is like Noah’s words:

“And they followed those whose wealth and children increased them only in loss.” [Nūh: 21]

Thus, they interpreted “nor what he earned” as referring to his children. They supported this interpretation with the Prophet’s words—peace and blessings be upon him: “Indeed, the finest food you consume is that which comes from your own earnings, and your children are among your earnings.” (2)

(1) Recorded by al-Bukhārī in the Book of Conditions, chapter on conditions in jihad, no. 2731. (2) Recorded by al-Tirmidhī in the Book of Legal Judgments, chapter on what has been narrated concerning a father taking from his child’s wealth, no. 1385. He said: “This is a hasan sahīh hadith.”

ذاته؛ لأن اليدين هما آلتا العمل والحركة، والأخذ والعطاء وما أشبه ذلك. وهذا اللقب أبو لهب، لقب مناسب تماماً لحاله ومآله، وجه المناسبة أن هذا الرجل سوف يكون في نار تلظى، تتلظى لهباً عظيماً مطابقة لحاله ومآله. يقول الشاعر: قل إن أبصرت عيناك ذا لقب إلا ومعناه إن فكرت في لقبه ولما أقبل سهيل بن عمرو في قصة غزوة الحديبية قال الرسول ﷺ: «هذا سهيل بن عمرو، وما أراه إلا سهل لكم من أمركم» (١) ، لأن الاسم مطابق للفعل. يقول الله ﷿: ﴿ما أغنى عنه ماله﴾ «ما» هذه يحتمل أن تكون استفهامية والمعنى: أي شيء أغنى عنه ماله وما كسب؟ والجواب: لا شيء، ويحتمل أن تكون (ما) نافية. أي ما أغنى عنه، أي لم يغنِ عنه ماله وما كسب شيئاً، وكلا المعنيين متلازمان، ومعناهما: أن ماله وما كسب لم يغنِ عنه شيئاً، مع أن العادة أن المال ينفع، فالمال يفدي به الآنسان نفسه لو تسلط عليه عدو وقال: أنا أعطيك كذا وكذا من المال وأطلقني، يطلقه، لكن قد يطلب مالاً كثيراً أو قليلاً، ولو مرض انتفع بماله، ولو جاع انتفع بماله، فالمال ينفع، لكن النفع الذي لا ينجي صاحبه من النار، ليس بنفع. ولهذا قال: ﴿ما أغنى عنه ماله﴾ . يعني من الله شيئاً قوله: ﴿وما كسب﴾ قيل المعنى: وما كسب من الولد. كأنه قال: ما أغنى عنه ماله وولده. كقول نوح: ﴿واتبعوا من لم يزده ماله وولده إلا خساراً﴾ [نوح: ٢١] . فجعلوا قوله: ﴿وما كسب﴾ يعني بذلك الولد. وأيدوا هذا القول بقول النبي ﷺ: «إن أطيب ما أكلتم من كسبكم، وإن أولادكم من كسبكم» (٢) .

(١) أخرجه البخاري كتاب الشروط باب الشروط في الجهاد (٢٧٣١) . (٢) أخرجه الترمزي كتاب الأحكام باب ما جاء أن الوالد يأخذ من مال ولده (١٣٨٥) وقال: حديث حسن صحيح.