Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (6/270)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

so recite, then, whatever is easy of the Qur’an. He knew that some of you would be sick, others journeying through the land seeking Allah’s bounty, and still others fighting in the path of Allah.” (73:20)

It is well known that jihād was not ordained until Madinah, after the Hijrah.

The Exalted likewise says in the sūrah that opens with “The Hour has drawn near” – a Makkan revelation –:
“Or do they say, ‘We are a united host bound to prevail’? The host shall be routed, and they will turn and flee.” (54:44–45)
This came to pass on the Day of Badr: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited the verse as he emerged from the shelter, cast a handful of pebbles at the enemy, and victory and triumph were granted. Thus the event confirmed the prophecy.

He, exalted be He, also said:
“Perish the hands of Abū Lahab, and perish he! Wealth and whatever he earned will avail him nothing. He will burn in a flaming Fire, and his wife, the carrier of firewood, will have around her neck a rope of twisted fibre.” (111:1–5)
Here Allah foretold that His uncle, ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib—nicknamed Abū Lahab—would enter the Fire together with his wife. Allah decreed that both died upon their idolatry, never embracing Islam, not even outwardly. This is one of the resplendent proofs of prophethood.

He further said:
“Say: If mankind and the jinn were to band together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce its like, even if they backed one another with all their strength.” (17:88)
And in Sūrat al-Baqarah:
“If you are in doubt about what We have sent down upon Our servant, then produce a single sūrah like it, and call upon your witnesses other than Allah, if you are truthful. But if you do not—and you will never do so…” (2:23–24)
Thus He declared that if all created beings were to unite, aiding and supporting one another in order to produce anything comparable to this Qur’an—in its eloquence, clarity, sweetness, the soundness of its rulings, the exposition of what is lawful and unlawful, and every other facet of its inimitability—they would be incapable of it. They could not produce ten sūrahs like it, indeed not even a single sūrah. He also affirmed that they will never be able to do so at any time to come, for the particle lan conveys perpetual negation. Such a challenge, such categorical assertion, can issue only from one who is utterly certain of what he proclaims, fully aware of what he says, and convinced that no one can oppose him or bring forth the like of what he has conveyed from his Lord, exalted is He.

And He, exalted be He, said:
“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession in the land as He granted it to those before them; He will surely establish for them the religion He has chosen for them, and will surely replace their fear with security…” (24:55)
And that is precisely what happened: Allah empowered this religion, made it manifest, elevated it, and spread it to every horizon, granting it decisive authority. Many of the early scholars interpreted this verse as referring to the caliphate of al-Ṣiddīq; he is certainly included, yet the promise is not limited to him but embraces him and others alike, as the authentic ḥadith states: “When Caesar perishes there will be no Caesar after him; when Chosroes perishes there will be no Chosroes after him. By Him in whose hand is my soul, we shall indeed spend their treasures in the path of Allah.” And that is exactly what transpired during the reigns of the three caliphs—Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān, may Allah be pleased with them all.

(1) As it appears in the original, though properly one should say wa-lan to negate a verb in the future tense. (2) Muslim, Sahih, no. 2918, in the chapter “al-Fitan wa Ashrat al-Sa‘ah” (Tribulations and Signs of the Hour). Its wording is: “And Khosrau has died, so there will be no Khosrau after him; and when Caesar perishes...” The remainder of the narration is the same.

فَاقْرَءُوا مَا تَيَسَّرَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ عَلِمَ أَنْ سَيَكُونُ مِنْكُمْ مَرْضَى وَآخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَآخَرُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ﴾ [المزمل: ٢٠] ومعلوم أن الجهاد لم يُشرع إلا بالمدينة بعد الهجرة. وقال تعالى في سورة اقتربت -وهي مكية- ﴿أَمْ يَقُولُونَ نَحْنُ جَمِيعٌ مُنْتَصِرٌ (٤٤) سَيُهْزَمُ الْجَمْعُ وَيُوَلُّونَ الدُّبُرَ﴾ [القمر: ٤٤ - ٤٥] ووقعَ هذا يوم بدر، وقد تلاها رسولُ الله ﷺ وهو خارجٌ من العريش، ورماهم بقبضةٍ من الحَصبَاء فكان النصرُ والطفرُ، وهذا مِصداقُ ذاك. وقال تعالى: ﴿تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ (١) مَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ (٢) سَيَصْلَى نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ (٣) وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ (٤) فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِنْ مَسَدٍ﴾ [المسد: ١ - ٥] فأخبرَ أن عمَّه عبد العزى بن عبد المطلب -المُلقب بأبي لَهب- سيدخلُ النار هو وامرأته، فقدَّر الله – Exalté soit-Il – أنهما ماتا على شركهما لم يُسلما، حتى ولا ظاهرًا، وهذا من دلائل النبوة الباهرة. وقال تعالى: ﴿قُلْ لَئِنِ اجْتَمَعَتِ الْإِنْسُ وَالْجِنُّ عَلَى أَنْ يَأْتُوا بِمِثْلِ هَذَا الْقُرْآنِ لَا يَأْتُونَ بِمِثْلِهِ وَلَوْ كَانَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ ظَهِيرًا﴾ [الإسراء: ٨٨] وقال تعالى في سورة البقرة: ﴿وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِنْ مِثْلِهِ وَادْعُوا شُهَدَاءَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ (٢٣) فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلُوا وَلَنْ تَفْعَلُوا﴾ الآية [البقرة: ٢٣ - ٢٤] ، فأخبرَ أن جميعَ الخليقة لو اجتمعوا، وتعاضَدُوا وتناصَروا وتعاونوا على أن يأتوا بمثل هذا القرآن في فصاحتِه وبلاغتِه، وحلاوتِه وإحكام أحكامِه، وبيان حَلاله وحَرامه، وغير ذلك من وجوه إعجازه، لما استطاعوا ذلك، ولما قَدَروا عليه ولا على عَشرِ سورٍ منه، بل ولا سورةٍ، وأخبرَ أنهم لن يفعلوا ذلك أبدأ، ولن لنفي التابيد (١) في المستقبل، ومثل هذا التحدّي، وهذا القطع، وهذا الإخبار الجازم، لا يصدرُ إلا عن واثقٍ بما يُخبر به، عالمٍ بما يَقوله، قاطع أن أحدًا لا يُمكنه أن يعارضَه، ولا يأتي بمثل ما جاءبه عن ربه – Exalté soit-Il – . وقال تعالى: ﴿وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا﴾ [النور: ٥٥] الآية، وهكذا وقع سواء بسواء، مَكَّنَ الله هذا الدين وأظهره، وأعلاه ونشرَه في سائر الآفاق، وأنفذَه وأمضاه، وقد فسَّرَ كثيرٌ من السلف هذه الآية بخلافة الصديق، ولا شك في دخوله فيها، ولكن لا تختصُّ به، بل تعمُّه كما تعمُّ غيرَه، كما ثبت في الصحيح " إذا هلكَ قيصرُ فلا قيصرَ بعدَه، وإذا هلك كسرى فلا كسرى بعدَه، والذي نفسي بيده لننفقن كنوزَهما في سبيل الله " (٢) وقد كان ذلك فى زمن الخلفاء الثلاثة أبى بكر وعمر وعثمان (رضي الله عنها) وأرضاهم.

(١) كذا في الأصل، والصحيح أن يقال: ولن لنفي الفعل في المستقبل. (٢) رواه مسلم في " صحيحه " رقم (٢٩١٨) في الفتن وأشراط الساعة، ولفظه: " وقد مات كسرى فلا كسرى بعدَه، وإذا هلك قيصر " وتتمته سواء.