Al-Tafsīr al-Qayyim - Ibn al-Qayyim - (480)

Al-Tafsīr al-QayyimIbn al-Qayyim

This is one of the finest examples of analogy: tearing a brother’s honour to shreds is likened to tearing his flesh apart.

Since the backbiter tears his brother’s honour to shreds in his absence, he is like someone cutting up his flesh when his soul has departed from him in death.

Since the person being backbitten cannot defend himself, being absent from the gathering where he is disparaged, he is like a dead person whose flesh is cut up while he is powerless to defend himself.

Brotherhood calls for mutual compassion, maintaining ties, and supporting one another. When the backbiter instead makes it an occasion for the very opposite—disparagement, faultfinding, and attacks on his brother’s honour—this is like cutting up his brother’s flesh, although brotherhood requires him to protect his brother, safeguard him, and defend him.

Since the backbiter takes pleasure in violating his brother’s honour, entertaining himself by backbiting and disparaging him and relishing it, he is likened to someone who eats his brother’s flesh after cutting it up.

Since the backbiter loves this and delights in it, he is likened to someone who loves eating his dead brother’s flesh. Loving to do so goes beyond merely eating it, just as eating it goes beyond tearing it apart.

Reflect on this comparison and analogy, how aptly it is placed, and how precisely the abstract reality corresponds to the sensory image. Reflect, too, on His declaration that they detest eating their dead brother’s flesh, His description of them in these terms toward the end of the verse, and His reproach at its beginning that any one of them should love such a thing. Since this is naturally abhorrent to them, how can they love its equal and counterpart?

Thus, He uses what they detest as an argument against what they love. He likens what they love to what they find most abhorrent and from which they recoil most strongly.

Reason, sound human nature, and wisdom therefore require them to recoil just as strongly from its counterpart and likeness. And success comes through Allah.

وهذا من أحسن القياس التمثيلي. فإنه شبه تمزيق عرض الأخ بتمزيق لحمه. ولما كان المغتاب يمزق عرض أخيه في غيبته كان بمنزلة من يقطع لحمه في حال غيبة روحه عنه بالموت. ولما كان المغتاب عاجزا عن دفعه عن نفسه بكونه غائبا عن مجلس ذمه كان بمنزلة الميت الذي يقطع لحمه ولا يستطيع أن يدفع عن نفسه. ولما كان مقتضى الأخوة التراحم والتواصل والتناصر، فعلق عليها المغتاب ضد مقتضاها من الذم والعيب والطعن: كان ذلك نظير تقطيع لحم أخيه، والأخوة تقتضي حفظه وصيانته والذب عنه. ولما كان المغتاب متمتعا بعرض أخيه، متفكها بغيبته وذمه، متحليا بذلك شبّه بآكل لحم أخيه بعد تقطيعه. ولما كان المغتاب محبا لذلك معجبا به: شبه بمن يحب أكل لحم أخيه ميتا ومحبته لذلك قدر زائد على مجرد أكله، كما أن أكله قدر زائد على تمزيقه. فتأمل هذا التشبيه والتمثيل، وحسن موقعه، ومطابقة المعقول فيه للمحسوس وتأمل إخباره عنهم بكراهة أكل لحم الأخ ميتا، ووصفهم بذلك في آخر الآية، والإنكار عليهم في أولها: أن يحب أحدهم ذلك، فكما أن هذا مكروه في طباعهم، فكيف يحبون ما هو مثله ونظيره؟. فأحتج عليهم بما كرهوه على ما أحبوه. وشبه لهم ما يحبونه بما هو أكره شيء إليهم، وهم أشد شيء نفرة عنه. فلهذا يوجب العقل والفطرة والحكمة: أن يكونوا أشد شيء نفرة عما هو نظيره ومشبهه. وبالله التوفيق.