Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (6/263)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

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What the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger ﷺ establish without doubt—and what reason itself confirms—is that Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was foretold by the prophets who came before him. The followers of those prophets are aware of this, yet most of them conceal and hide it.

Allah the Exalted says:
“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find written for them in the Torah and the Gospel—he commands them to what is right and forbids them what is wrong; he makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil; he relieves them of their burden and the shackles that were upon them. So those who believe in him, honor him, support him, and follow the light sent down with him—it is they who will prosper. Say, ‘O mankind, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all—He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no god but He; He gives life and causes death.’ So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.” (al-Aʿrāf 7:157-158)

He also says:
“And those to whom We gave the Scripture know that it has been sent down from your Lord in truth.” (al-Anʿām 6:114)

And He says:
“Those to whom We gave the Scripture recognize him just as they recognize their own sons; yet a group of them knowingly conceal the truth.” (al-Baqarah 2:146)

And He says:
“Say to those who were given the Scripture and to the unlettered, ‘Have you submitted?’ If they submit, they are rightly guided; but if they turn away, your duty is only to convey.” (Āl ʿImrān 3:20)

He, Exalted is He, further says:
“This is a proclamation for mankind, so that they may be warned by it.” (Ibrāhīm 14:52)

“ … that I may warn you thereby, and whoever it reaches.” (al-Anʿām 6:19)

“Whoever from the factions disbelieves in it—then the Fire.” (Hūd 11:17)

“ … so that he may warn whoever is alive and that the word may be fulfilled against the disbelievers.” (Yā-Sīn 36:70)

In these verses Allah mentions that the Prophet was sent to the unlettered Arabs, to the People of the Book, and to all mankind—Arabs and non-Arabs alike. Everyone to whom the Qur’an reaches has been given due warning.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “By Him in Whose hand is my soul, no one of this community—whether Jew or Christian—hears of me and then does not believe in me except that he will enter the Fire.” Narrated by Muslim (1).

In the two Ṣaḥīḥs it is related: “I have been given five things that were not given to any prophet before me: I was aided by awe, striking fear into the enemy a month’s journey away; spoils of war were made lawful for me, whereas they were not lawful for anyone before me; the whole earth has been made a place of prayer and a means of purification for me; I was granted intercession; and every prophet was sent only to his own people, whereas I have been sent to all mankind.” (2)

For its recitation, see al-Fath (12/393). (1) It is narrated by Muslim in his Sahih, hadith no. 153 in the Book of Faith, chapter on the obligation to believe in the message of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to all people and the abrogation of other creeds by his own. Ahmad also records it in his Musnad (2/350) from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), in the wording: “By the One in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul, no one from this Ummah—whether Jew or Christian—dies without believing in what I was sent with, except that he will be among the companions of the Fire.” (2) It is recorded by al-Bukhari in his Sahih as hadith no. 335 in the chapter on tayammum at its beginning, and as no. 438 in the Book of Prayer, chapter “The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘I have been given …’.”

[فصل] فالذي يقطعُ به كتابُ الله وسنّة رسولهِ، ومن حيث المعنى: أن رسولَ الله ﷺ قد بشَّرت به الأنبياء قبلَه، وأتباعُ الأنبياء يعلمون ذلك، ولكنَّ أكثرَهم يكتمون ذلك ويُخفونه. قال الله تعالى: ﴿الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِنْدَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِهِ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَاتَّبَعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ مَعَهُ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (١٥٧) قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ الَّذِي يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَكَلِمَاتِهِ وَاتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ﴾ [الأعراف: ١٥٧ - ١٥٨] . وقال تعالى: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ مُنَزَّلٌ مِنْ رَبِّكَ بِالْحَقِّ﴾ [الأنعام: ١١٤] وقال تعالى: ﴿الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِنْهُمْ لَيَكْتُمُونَ الْحَقَّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾ [البقرة: ١٤٦] وقال تعالى: ﴿وَقُلْ لِلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَالْأُمِّيِّينَ أَأَسْلَمْتُمْ فَإِنْ أَسْلَمُوا فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا وَإِنْ تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَاغُ﴾ [آل عمران: ٢٠] ، وقال تعالى: ﴿هَذَا بَلَاَغٌ لِّلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنذَرُواْ بِهِ﴾ [إبراهيم: ٥٢] وقال تعالى: ﴿لِأُنْذِرَكُمْ بِهِ وَمَن بَلغَ﴾ [الأنعام: ١٩] وقال تعالى ﴿وَمَنْ يَكْفُرْ بِهِ مِنَ الْأَحْزَابِ فَالنَّارُ﴾ [هود: ١٧] وقال تعالى: ﴿لِيُنْذِرَ مَنْ كَانَ حَيًّا وَيَحِقَّ الْقَوْلُ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ﴾ [يس: ٧٠] . فذكر تعالى بعثته إلى الأمّيينَ وأهلِ الكتاب وسائرِ الخلق من عربهم وعجمهم، فكل من بلغَه القرآنُ فهو نذير له، قال ﷺ : "والذي نفسي بيده لا يسمعُ بي أحدٌ من هذه الأمة يهوديّ ولا نصرانيّ ولا يُؤمن بي إلا دخلَ النار " . رواه مسلم (١) . وفي الصحيحين: " أعطيت خمسًا لم يُعطَهن أحد من الأنبياء قبلي: نُصِرتُ بالرُّعب مسيرةَ شهرٍ، وأُحِلَّت لي الغنائمُ ولم تحلَّ لأحدٍ قبلي، وجُعلت لي الأرضُ مَسجدًا وطَهورًا، وأُعطيت الشفاعةَ، وكان النبيُّ يُبعثُ إلى قومه وبُعثت إلى الناس عامّة " (٢) .

= قراءتها. الفتح (١٢/ ٣٩٣). (١) رواه مسلم في صحيحه رقم (١٥٣) في الإيمان، باب وجوب الإيمان برسالة نبينا محمد ﷺ إلى جميع الناس ونسخ الملل بملته، وأحمد في المسند (٢/ ٣٥٠) من حديث أبي هريرة ﵁ ، بلفظ: " والذي نفس محمد بيده، لا يسمع بي أحد من هذه الأمة، يهودي ولا نصراني، ثم يموت ولم يؤمن بالذي أُرسلت به، إلا كان من أصحاب النار ". (٢) رواه البخاري في صحيحه رقم (٣٣٥) في التيمم في أوله، ورقم (٤٣٨) في الصلاة، باب قول النبي ﷺ : جعلت =