Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (1/12)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

Abū Naḍrah reported on the authority of Abū Saʿīd who said:

One day the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, led us in the afternoon prayer. When he had finished, he stood and delivered a sermon that continued until the sun set. He left nothing—of all that will take place up to the Day of Resurrection—without informing us of it. Whoever among us retained it, retained it, and whoever forgot it, forgot it. Among the things he said were:

“O people, this world is green and sweet, and Allah is appointing you as vice-gerents in it to see how you will act. So be wary of the world and be wary of women …”

He mentioned the remainder of the sermon in full until he said—when the sun was about to set:

“Indeed, what remains of this world in comparison to what has passed of it is like what remains of this day of yours compared to what has already elapsed of it.”

This wording is the version that has been soundly preserved, and Allah knows best.

Section

Allah the Exalted says in His Noble Book:

“Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is Guardian over everything.” (Sūrat al-Zumar, 39:62)

Accordingly, everything other than Him—exalted is He—is His creation: brought into being after not existing, originated after non-existence. From the Throne, which is the roof of all created things, down to what lies beneath the soil, and everything in between, whether inanimate or animate, all are His creation, His possession, and His servants, under His subjugation and power, governed by His disposal and will. As He says:

“He created the heavens and the earth and whatever lies between them in six days, then established Himself above the Throne.” (Sūrat al-Furqān, 25:59)

“He knows what penetrates the earth and what emerges from it, what descends from the sky and what ascends therein; and He is with you wherever you are.” (Sūrat al-Ḥadīd, 57:4)

All the scholars of Islam are unanimously agreed—no Muslim entertains any doubt—that Allah, exalted be He, created the heavens, the earth, and all that is between them in six days, as the mighty Qur’an affirms. They have differed, however, about these days: are they like the days we now experience, or is each day equal to a thousand years of your reckoning? Two opinions have been transmitted, as we explained in the Tafsīr, and we shall address the matter again in

(1) Narrated at length by Ahmad (Musnad Ahmad, 3/61). His isnad is weak due to its length, though supporting narrations exist for its beginning and its end. (2) The phrase “wa-llāh a‘lam” (“and Allah knows best”) is absent in manuscript B. After this hadith in manuscript B is inserted another with the same meaning, in which Imam Ahmad says: “Maki ibn Ibrahim narrated to us; Hashim [i.e. ibn Hashim] narrated from Umar ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad; from Muhammad ibn Ka‘b al-Quradhi; from al-Mughira ibn Shu‘ba, who said: ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood among us and informed us of what will occur in his community until the Day of Resurrection: whoever pays heed to it does so, and whoever neglects it neglects it.’” This appears in his Musnad (4/254) and is classified as sahih (authentic) according to its various chains and corroborating reports. (3) Both manuscripts A and B read: khashyatihi. (4) In the printed edition it reads al-Karīm; both words are omitted in manuscript B. (5) Allah says in His Glorious Book: “And indeed, a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of those which you count.” (Quran 22:47) (6) Tafsīr al-Qur’ān al-‘Aẓīm, vol. 3, p. 220, on the interpretation of the verse: “Indeed, your Lord is Allah, who created the heavens and the earth in six days…” (Quran 7:54).

أبي نَضْرَة، عن أبي سعيد قال: صلَّى بنا رسول اللَّه ﷺ صلاةَ العَصْرِ ذاتَ يومٍ بِنهارٍ، ثمَّ قام فَخطبنا إلى أنْ غَابَت الشمس، فلم يَدَعْ شَيْئًا مما يَكُون إلى يوم القيامة إلا حدَّثناهُ، حفِظ ذلكَ من حَفِظه، وَنسيَ ذلك من نَسِيه، فكان ممَّا قال: "يا أيها النَّاسُ؛ إنَّ الدُّنْيا خَضِرَة حُلْوة، وإنّ اللَّهَ مُسْتَخْلِفكمْ فيها فناظرٌ كيفَ تَعْملونَ، فاتَّقوا الدُّنْيا وَاتَّقوا النساءَ. . . " (١) . وذكر تمامها إلى أن قال: ثمَّ دَنتِ الشَّمْسُ أن تغرب فقال: "وإنَّ ما بقي من الدُّنيا فيمَا مَضَى [منها] مثلُ ما بقي من يومكم هذا فيما مضى منه" . وهذا هو المحفوظ. واللَّه أعلم (٢) . فَصْلٌ قال اللَّه تعالى في كتابه العزيز: ﴿اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكِيلٌ﴾ [الزمر: ٦٢] . فكل ما سواه تعالى مخلوق له، مرْبوب مدبَّر مكوَّن بعد أن لم يكن، محدث بعد عدمه فالعرش الذي هو سقف المخلوقات إلى ما تحت الثرى، وما بين ذلك من جمادٍ وناطق الجميعُ خَلْقهُ، وملكهُ وعَبيده، وتحت قَهْره وقُدرته، وتحت تصريفه ومشيئتة (٣) ﴿خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ﴾ [الفرقان: ٥٩] ، ﴿يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنْزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَمَا يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا وَهُوَ مَعَكُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُمْ﴾ [الحديد: ٤] . فقد أجمع علماء الإسلام قاطبةً، لا يشُكّ في ذلك مسلم، أنَّ اللَّه تعالى خَلَقَ السماوات والأرضَ، وما بينهما في ستة أيام، كما دل عليه القرآن العظيم (٤) واختلفوا في هذه الأيام: أهي كأيامنا هذه؟ أو كل يوم كألف سنة مما تعدّون (٥) ؟ على قولين، كما بيّنا ذلك في "التفسير" (٦) ، وسنتعرض لإيراده في

(١) رواه أحمد مطولًا (٣/ ٦١) وإسناده ضعيف بطوله، ولأوله وآخره شواهد. (٢) قوله: واللَّه أعلم؛ ليس في ب. وأدرج بعد هذا الحديث في نسخة (ب) حديث آخر في معناه، وقال الإمام أحمد: حدَّثنا مكي بن إبراهيم، حدَّثنا هاشم -يعني ابن هاشم- عن عمر بن إبراهيم بن محمد، عن محمد بن كعب القرظي، عن المغيرة بن شعبة أنه قال: قام فينا رسول اللَّه ﷺ مقامًا فأخبر بما يكون في أمته إلى يوم القيامة، وعاه من وعاه، ونسيه من نسيه، وهو في مسنده (٤/ ٢٥٤) وهو حديث صحيح بطرقه وشواهده. (٣) كذا في ب وفي أ: خشيته. (٤) في المطبوع: الكريم، وسقط اللفظان من ب. (٥) قال اللَّه تعالى في كتابه العظيم: ﴿وَإِنَّ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ مِمَّا تَعُدُّونَ﴾ [الحج: ٤٧]. (٦) تفسير القرآن العظيم (٣/ ٢٢٠) في تفسير قوله تعالى: ﴿إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ اللَّهُ الَّذِي خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ. . .﴾ [الأعراف: ٥٤].