Al-Tafsīr al-Qayyim - Ibn al-Qayyim - (497)

Al-Tafsīr al-QayyimIbn al-Qayyim

Ninth: He says, “One of sound form.” This means a beautiful, firmly constituted form. He thus describes the beauty of the form of the one who taught the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—and then continues the entire account about him in an unbroken sequence.

Tenth: If this were an account of the Lord Most High, the Quran would indicate that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—saw his Lord—glorified is He—twice: once on the horizon and once at the Lote Tree. Yet it is clear that, had this been the case, the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—would not have answered Abu Dharr’s question, “Did you see your Lord?” by saying, “Light—how could I see Him?”

How, then, could the Quran state that he saw Him twice, while the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—says, “How could I see Him?” This is more emphatic than saying, “I did not see Him,” since a simple negation merely states that the vision did not occur. His actual answer both negates it and conveys an element of rebuke towards the questioner. It is like asking a man, “Did such-and-such happen?” and receiving the reply, “How could that happen?”

Eleventh: There is no preceding mention of the Lord—majestic and exalted is He—to which the pronoun in His words, “Then he drew near and descended,” could refer. What the pronoun refers back to is not applicable to Him; rather, it pertains to His servant.

Twelfth: How could the pronoun refer to someone who has not been mentioned, rather than to the one who has been mentioned, when the latter is the more appropriate referent?

Thirteenth: “Your companion” has already been mentioned, followed by pronouns referring to him that are appropriate to him. Then He mentions one “mighty in power” and “of sound form,” followed by pronouns referring to him that are appropriate to him. The entire account concerns these two identified figures: the angelic messenger and the human messenger.

Fourteenth: He—glorified is He—states that the one who drew near and descended was on the highest horizon, which is the horizon of the sky—indeed, below it. He drew near to the earth and descended towards the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds—peace and blessings be upon him. By contrast, the Lord Most High’s drawing near and descending, as related in Sharīk’s hadith, was from above the Throne, not towards the earth.

التاسع: أنه قال: «ذو مرّة» والمرة: الخلق الحسن المحكم. فأخبر عن حسن خلق الذي علم النبي ﷺ، ثم ساق الخبر كله عنه نسقا واحدا العاشر: أنه لو كان خبرا عن الرب تعالى لكان القرآن قد دل على أن رسول الله ﷺ رأى ربه سبحانه مرتين: مرة بالأفق، ومرة عند السدرة. ومعلوم أن الأمر لو كان كذلك لم يقل النبي ﷺ لأبي ذر وقد سأله: هل رأيت ربك- قال: «نور، أنّى أراه؟» فكيف يخبر القرآن أنه رآه مرتين، ثم يقول رسول الله ﷺ: «أنى أراه» وهذا أبلغ من قوله: «لم أره» لأنه مع النفي يقتضي الإخبار عن عدم الرؤية فقط. وهذا يتضمن النفي وطرقا من الإنكار على السائل، كما إذا قال لرجل: هل كان كيت وكيت؟ فيقول: كيف يكون ذلك؟ الحادي عشر: أنه لم يتقدم للرب ﷻ ذكر يعود الضمير عليه في قوله: «ثم دنا فتدلى» والذي يعود الضمير عليه لا يصلح له، وإنما هو لعبده. الثاني عشر: أنه كيف يعود الضمير إلى ما لم يذكر، ويترك عوده إلى المذكور، مع كونه أولى به؟ الثالث عشر: أنه قد تقدم ذكر «صاحبكم» وأعاد عليه الضمائر التي تليق به. ثم ذكر بعده شديد القوى. ذا المرة. وأعاد عليه الضمائر التي تليق به. والخبر كله عن هذين المفسّرين، وهما الرسول الملكي، والرسول البشري. الرابع عشر: أنه سبحانه أخبر أن هذا الذي دنا فتدلّى: كان بالأفق الأعلى وهو أفق السماء، بل هو تحتها، وقد دنا من الأرض، فتدلى من رسول رب العالمين ﷺ، ودنو الرب تعالى وتدليه على ما في حديث شريك: كان من فوق العرش، لا إلى الأرض.