Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (1/113)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

made His angels prostrate to you, and taught you the names of all things…(1) and he went on to relate the remainder of the ḥadīth.

“Then He presented them to the angels and said, ‘Tell Me the names of these, if you are truthful’ (al-Baqarah 2:31).

Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said: When Allah willed to create Adam, the angels said, ‘Our Lord never creates a creature but that we are more knowledgeable than it.’ So they were tested with this, and that is His saying: ‘if you are truthful’ (al-Baqarah 2:31).

Another explanation has been given, which we have expanded upon in the Tafsīr.(2)

They replied, ‘Glory be to You! We possess no knowledge except what You have taught us; indeed, You alone are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise’ (al-Baqarah 2:32)—meaning: Exalted are You! No one can encompass any part of Your knowledge without Your teaching, just as He says: ‘They do not encompass anything of His knowledge except what He wills’ (al-Baqarah 2:255).

‘He said, “O Adam, inform them of their names.” When he had informed them of their names, He said, “Did I not tell you that I know the unseen of the heavens and the earth, and that I know what you reveal and what you conceal?”’ (al-Baqarah 2:33)—that is, I know what is hidden just as I know what is manifest.

It has been said that ‘what you reveal’ refers to their statement, ‘Will You place upon it one who spreads corruption therein?’ and that ‘what you concealed’ refers to Iblīs when he harboured arrogance toward Adam (peace be upon him). This was the view of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, Mujāhid, al-Suddī, al-Ḍaḥḥāk and al-Thawrī, and it was preferred by Ibn Jarīr.(3)(4)

Abū al-ʿĀliyah, al-Rabīʿ, al-Ḥasan and Qatādah said that ‘what you concealed’ is their remark, ‘Our Lord will not create any being but that we are more knowledgeable than it and more honoured in His sight.’

‘And when We said to the angels, “Prostrate yourselves before Adam,” they all prostrated except Iblīs—he refused and was arrogant’ (al-Baqarah 2:34). This was an immense honour that Allah, exalted be He, granted Adam: He created him with His own Hand and breathed into him of His Spirit, as He says, ‘When I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My Spirit, fall down before him in prostration’ (al-Ḥijr 15:29).

Thus, Adam received four special distinctions: Allah fashioned him with His noble Hand; breathed into him of His Spirit; commanded His angels to prostrate to him; and taught him the names of all things.

For that reason Moses, the one who spoke with Allah, when he and Adam met in the Highest Assembly and debated—as will be mentioned—said to him, ‘You are Adam, father of humankind, whom Allah created with His Hand, breathed into you of His Spirit, made His angels prostrate to you, and taught you the names of all things.’ The people gathered on the Day of Resurrection will say the same, as has been related and will appear again, God willing.

And He says in another verse: ‘Indeed, We created you, then fashioned you; then We said to the angels, “Prostrate yourselves before Adam,” so they all prostrated except Iblīs; he…’

(1) Recorded by al-Bukhari in his Sahih al-Bukhari (no. 7410) under the chapter on al-Tawhid (Monotheism), and by Muslim in his Sahih Muslim (no. 193) under the chapter on al-Iman (Faith). (2) Tafsir Ibn Kathir, vol. 1, p. 95. (3) Tafsir al-Tabari, vol. 1, p. 259; Tafsir Ibn Kathir, vol. 1, p. 96; and al-Ightirar. (4) Tafsir al-Tabari, vol. 5, p. 441.

ملائكته، وعلَّمك أسماءَ كلِّ شيء. . . . " (١) وذكرَ تمام الحديث. ﴿ثُمَّ عَرَضَهُمْ عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَقَالَ أَنْبِئُونِي بِأَسْمَاءِ هَؤُلَاءِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ﴾ [البقرة: ٣١] قال الحسن البصري: لما أراد اللَّه خلقَ آدمَ قالتِ الملائكةُ: لا يخلقُ ربُّنا خَلْقًا إلا كنَّا أعلم منه، فابتلوا بهذه. وذلك قوله: ﴿إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ﴾ [البقرة: ٣١] . وقيل: غير ذلك، كما بسطناه في "التفسير" (٢) . قالوا ﴿سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ﴾ [البقرة: ٣٢] أي: سبحانك أن يُحيطَ أحدٌ بشيء من علمك من غير تعليمكَ، كما قال: ﴿وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ﴾ [البقرة: ٢٥٥] . ﴿قَالَ يَاآدَمُ أَنْبِئْهُمْ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ فَلَمَّا أَنْبَأَهُمْ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ قَالَ أَلَمْ أَقُلْ لَكُمْ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ غَيْبَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ٣٣] أي: أعلم السر كما أعلم العلانية. وقيل: إن المراد بقوله: ﴿وَأَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ﴾ ما قالوا: ﴿أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَنْ يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا﴾ وبقوله: ﴿وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ﴾ المراد بهذا الكلام إبليس، حين أسرَّ الكِبْرَ (٣) على آدم (عليه السلام) ، قاله سعيدُ بن جُبير ومجاهد والسُّدِّي والضَّحَّاك والثوري، واختاره ابنُ جرير (٤) . وقال أبو العالية والربيع والحسن وقتادة ﴿وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَكْتُمُونَ﴾ قولهم: لن يخلقَ ربُّنا خلقًا إلا كنا أعلم منه، وأكرم عليه منه. وقوله ﴿وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ أَبَى وَاسْتَكْبَرَ﴾ [البقرة: ٣٤] هذا إكرامٌ عظيم من اللَّه تعالى لآدمَ، حين خلقَه بيده، ونفخَ فيه من روحه، كما قال: ﴿فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِي فَقَعُوا لَهُ سَاجِدِينَ﴾ [الحجر: ٢٩] فهذه أربع تشريفات: خَلْقهُ له بيده الكريمة، ونَفْخُه فيه من روحه، وأمْرُهُ ملائكتَه بالسجود له، وتعليمُه أسماءَ الأشياء. ولهذا قال له موسى الكليمُ حين اجتمعَ هو وإيَّاه في الملأ الأعلى وتناظرا، كما سيأتي: أنت آدم أبو البشر، الذي خلقكَ اللَّه بيده، ونفخَ فيك من رُوحه، وأسجدَ لكَ ملائكتَه، وعلَّمكَ أسماءَ كل شيء. وهكذا يقولُ أهلُ المحشر يومَ القيامة كما تقدَّم وكما سيأتي إن شاء اللَّه تعالى. وقال في الآية الأخرى: ﴿وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَاكُمْ ثُمَّ صَوَّرْنَاكُمْ ثُمَّ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ فَسَجَدُوا إِلَّا إِبْلِيسَ لَمْ

(١) أخرجه البخاري في صحيحه (٧٤١٠) في التوحيد، ومسلم (١٩٣) في الإيمان. (٢) تفسير ابن كثير (١/ ٩٥). (٣) في تفسير الطبري (١/ ٢٥٩) وعند ابن كثير (١/ ٩٦) والاغترار. (٤) تفسير الطبري (٥/ ٤٤١).