Tafsir Al-Qurtubi - Al-Qurtubi - (1/60)

Tafsir Al-QurtubiAl-Qurtubi

Rabiʿah said, “Those two surahs were brought forward, and the Qur’an was compiled knowingly by the people who arranged it. They were unanimously aware of what they were doing, and that is a matter we accept and about which we do not inquire further.

Suneid reported: Muʿtamir related to us from Sallām ibn Miskīn, from Qatādah, who said that Ibn Masʿūd declared:

‘Whoever among you seeks someone to emulate, let him emulate the Companions of the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—for they were the most righteous of this community in heart, the deepest in knowledge, the least pretentious, the most upright in guidance, and the best in conduct. Allah chose them for the companionship of His Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and for the establishment of His religion. Recognize their virtue and follow in their footsteps, for they were upon sound guidance.’

A number of scholars have said: “The arrangement of the Qur’an’s surahs in the order found in our codices was by explicit instruction from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Any reports of differing orders in the codices of Ubayy, ʿAlī, and Ibn ʿAbd Allāh occurred before the final presentation; afterwards the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—set the order for them when he had not done so previously.”

Yūnus narrated from Ibn Wahb who said, “I heard Mālik say, ‘The Qur’an was arranged only in the order in which they used to hear it from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.’”

Abū Bakr al-Anbārī stated in his book al-Radd:

“Allah, exalted is He, sent down the Qur’an in one whole to the lowest heaven, then revealed it piecemeal to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—over twenty years. A surah would descend because of a particular event, and a verse as an answer to someone who asked; and Gabriel would show the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—the exact position of the surah and of the verse. Thus the arrangement of the surahs is like the arrangement of the verses and letters: all of it is from Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets—peace be upon him—from the Lord of all worlds. Whoever pushes back a surah that has been set forward, or advances one that has been set later, is like someone who corrupts the order of the verses and alters the letters and words. Hence no argument can be raised against the people of truth because al-Baqarah precedes al-Anʿām even though al-Anʿām was revealed earlier, for this sequence was taken from the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him. He used to say, ‘Place this surah in such-and-such position in the Qur’an,’ and Gabriel, peace be upon him, would point out the places of the verses.”

Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥubāb narrated to us: Abū Hishām told us; Abū Bakr ʿAyyāsh narrated from Abū Isḥāq, from al-Barāʾ, who said, “The last part revealed from the Qur’an was: ‘They ask you for a ruling; say: Allah gives you a ruling concerning kalālah’ (Q.4:176).”

Ibn ʿAbbās said, “The last verse revealed from the Qur’an was: ‘And be mindful of a Day when you will be returned to Allah; then every soul will be paid in full for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged’ (Q.2:281).”

ربيعة: قال قُدِّمَتَا وَأُلِّفَ الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ مِمَّنْ أَلَّفَهُ، وقد اجتمعوا على علم بِذَلِكَ، فَهَذَا مِمَّا نَنْتَهِي إِلَيْهِ، وَلَا نَسْأَلُ عنه. وقد ذكر سنيد قال حدثنا معتمر عَنْ سَلَّامِ بْنِ مِسْكِينٍ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ قَالَ قَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: مَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ مُتَأَسِّيًا فَلْيَتَأَسَّ بِأَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا أَبَرَّ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ قُلُوبًا، وأعمقها علما، وأقلها تكلفا، وأقومها هديا، وأحسنها حَالًا، اخْتَارَهُمُ اللَّهُ لِصُحْبَةِ نَبِيِّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَإِقَامَةِ دِينِهِ، فَاعْرِفُوا لَهُمْ فَضْلَهُمْ، وَاتَّبِعُوهُمْ فِي آثَارِهِمْ، فَإِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا عَلَى الْهُدَى الْمُسْتَقِيمِ. وَقَالَ قَوْمٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ: إِنَّ تَأْلِيفَ سُوَرِ الْقُرْآنِ عَلَى مَا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ في مصاحفنا كَانَ عَنْ تَوْقِيفٍ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَأَمَّا مَا رُوِيَ مِنَ اخْتِلَافِ مُصْحَفِ أُبَيٍّ وَعَلِيٍّ وَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّمَا كَانَ قَبْلَ الْعَرْضِ الْأَخِيرِ، وَأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَتَّبَ لَهُمْ تَأْلِيفَ السُّوَرِ بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ. رَوَى يُونُسُ عَنِ ابْنِ وَهْبٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ مَالِكًا يقول: إنما ألف القرآن على ما كانوا يَسْمَعُونَهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَذَكَرَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْأَنْبَارِيُّ فِي كِتَابِ الرَّدِّ: أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَنْزَلَ الْقُرْآنَ جُمْلَةً إِلَى سَمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، ثُمَّ فَرَّقَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً، وَكَانَتِ السُّورَةُ تَنْزِلُ فِي أَمْرٍ يَحْدُثُ، وَالْآيَةُ جَوَابًا لِمُسْتَخْبِرٍ يَسْأَلُ، وَيُوقِفُ جِبْرِيلُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى موضع السُّورَةِ وَالْآيَةِ، فَاتِّسَاقُ السُّوَرِ كَاتِّسَاقِ الْآيَاتِ وَالْحُرُوفِ، فَكُلُّهُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ خَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّينَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، عَنْ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، فَمَنْ أَخَّرَ سُورَةً مُقَدَّمَةً أَوْ قَدَّمَ أُخْرَى مُؤَخَّرَةً فَهُوَ كَمَنْ أَفْسَدَ نَظْمَ الْآيَاتِ، وَغَيَّرَ الْحُرُوفَ وَالْكَلِمَاتِ، وَلَا حُجَّةَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْحَقِّ فِي تَقْدِيمِ الْبَقَرَةِ عَلَى الْأَنْعَامِ، وَالْأَنْعَامُ نَزَلَتْ قَبْلَ الْبَقَرَةِ لِأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أُخِذَ عَنْهُ هَذَا التَّرْتِيبُ، وَهُوَ كَانَ يَقُولُ: " ضَعُوا هَذِهِ السُّورَةَ مَوْضِعَ كَذَا وَكَذَا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ" . وَكَانَ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ يَقِفُ عَلَى مَكَانِ الْآيَاتِ. حَدَّثَنَا حَسَنُ بْنُ الْحُبَابِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو هِشَامٍ حدثنا أبو بكر عَيَّاشِ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ قَالَ: آخَرُ مَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ: " يَسْتَفْتُونَكَ قُلِ اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِي الْكَلالَةِ «١» " . عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: آخَرُ مَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ: " وَاتَّقُوا يَوْماً تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ تُوَفَّى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لا يُظْلَمُونَ" .

(١). آخر سورة" النساء".