Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (2/60)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

Abū Bakr exclaimed, “A flute of Satan in the house of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?”
The Prophet replied, “Leave them alone, Abū Bakr, for every nation has its festival, and this is our festival.” (1)

Thus, tambourine-playing is sanctioned for us on wedding days and on the return of those who have been away, as established elsewhere. Allah knows best.

They also report that after crossing the sea and setting out toward the land of Syria, the Children of Israel went three days without finding water. Some among them began to complain, and when they finally came upon water it was briny and bitter, unfit to drink. Allah therefore commanded Moses, who cast a piece of wood into the water; it immediately turned sweet and palatable. There, the Lord taught him statutes and ordinances and entrusted him with many commands.

Allah the Exalted says in His mighty Book, which dominates all previous scriptures:

“And We carried the Children of Israel across the sea; then they came upon a people devoted to their idols. They said, ‘O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods.’ He said, ‘You are indeed an ignorant people. Surely what these people are engaged in will be destroyed, and all they are doing is false.’”
(al-Aʿrāf 138–139)

The scholars say: Such ignorance and misguidance—despite their having witnessed the signs of Allah and His power that pointed to the truth brought by the Messenger of Majesty and Honor—occurred when they passed by a people who worshipped idols, said to be in the shape of cattle. It was as though they asked the idolaters why they worshipped them, and were told that the idols benefited them, granted them victory, and provided them sustenance in times of need. Some of the simple-minded among them believed this and asked their noble, honored Prophet—he who spoke with Allah—to appoint for them gods as those people had gods. He answered, making clear their lack of understanding and guidance: “Surely what these people are engaged in will be destroyed, and all they are doing is false.”

He then reminded them of Allah’s favor: that He had preferred them over all others of their era through knowledge, revealed law, and the Messenger in their midst; that He had saved them from the grasp of Pharaoh the arrogant tyrant, destroyed him before their very eyes, and made them heirs to what Pharaoh and his chiefs had amassed of wealth and comfort—“and whatever they had trellised.” He explained that worship is fitting only for Allah alone, without partner, for He is the Creator, the Provider, the Subduer.

Not every member of the Children of Israel made this request; rather, the pronoun is generic in the verse, “We carried the Children of Israel across the sea… they said, ‘O Moses…’”—meaning that only some of them spoke, just as in His words, “We shall gather them and leave none of them behind. They will be presented before your Lord in ranks: ‘Indeed you have come to Us as We created you the first time…’” (al-Kahf 47–48). Those who voiced this claim were but a portion of the people, not all. Imām Aḥmad said: “Ḥaddathanā…”

(1) Narrated by al-Bukhārī (no. 952) in al-ʿEidayn, chapter “The Sunna of the Two ʿEids for the People of Islam,” and by Ibn Mājah (no. 1898) in al-Nikāḥ, chapter “Singing and the Tambourine.” (2) In manuscripts B and T: as above; in A: “zahaqan.” “Zaʿāq” water: a thick, bitter water intolerable to drink. “Ujjāj” water: saline; some say intensely bitter. (3) In T: “wa tadurruhum” (“and it harms them”). A marginal note in B likewise reads “wa tadurruhum.” (4) In B: “kama qalā baʿḍuhum fī qawlihi” (“as some have said regarding his statement”). (5) In his Musnad (Vol. 5, p. 218).

الشيطان في بيت رسول الله ﷺ ؟ فقال: "دَعْهُنَّ يا أبا بَكْرٍ، فإِنَّ لِكُلِّ قَوْمٍ عِيْدًا، وَهذا عِيْدُنا" (١) . وهكذا يُشرع عندنا في الأعراس، ولقُدُوم الغُيَّاب، كما هو مقرر في موضعه. والله أعلم. وذكروا أنّهم لما جاوزوا البحر، وذهبوا قاصدين إلى بلاد الشام، مكثوا ثلاثة أيام لا يجدون ماءً، فتكلَّم من تكلَّم منهم بسبب ذلك، فوجدوا ماءً زعاقًا أُجاجًا (٢) لم يستطيعوا شربه، فأمر الله موسى فأخذ خشبةً فوضعها فيه فحَلا وساغ شربه. وعلَّمه الربُّ هنالك فرائضَ وسننًا، ووصاه وصايا كثيرةً. وقد قال الله تعالى في كتابه العزيز المهيمن على ما عداه من الكتب: ﴿وَجَاوَزْنَا بِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَهُمْ قَالُوا يَامُوسَى اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ (١٣٨) إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَاطِلٌ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾ [الأعراف: ١٣٨ - ١٣٩] . قالوا: هذا الجهل والضلال وقد عاينوا من آيات الله وقدرته ما دلَّهم على ما جاءهم به رسول ذي الجلال والإكرام، وذلك أَنَّهم مَرُّوا على قوم يعبدون أصنامًا، قيل: كانت على صور البقر، فكأنهم سألوهم لِمَ يعبدونها؟ فزعموا لهم أنها تنفعهم وتنصرهم (٣) ويسترزقون بها عند الضرورات، فكأن بعض الجهَّال منهم صدَّقوهم في ذلك، فسألوا نبيَّهم الكليم الكريم العظيم أن يجعل لهم آلهة كما لأولئك آلهة، فقال لهم مبيِّنًا لهم أنهم لا يعقلون ولا يهتدون: ﴿إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَاطِلٌ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾. ثم ذكَّرهم نعمة الله عليهم في تفضيله إيَّاهم على عالمي زمانهم بالعلم، والشرع، والرسول الذي بين أظهرهم وما أحسن به إليهم، وما امتن به عليهم من إنجائهم من قبضة فرعون الجبّار العنيد، وإهلاكه إياه وهم ينظرون، وتوريثه إياهم ما كان فرعون وملؤه يجمعونه من الأموال والسعادة، ﴿وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْرِشُونَ﴾ وبيَّن لهم أنَّه لا تصلح العبادة إلا لله وحده لا شريك له، لأنَّه الخالق الرازق القهَّار، وليس كلّ بني إسرائيل سأل هذا السؤال، بل الضمير عائد على الجنس في قوله: ﴿وَجَاوَزْنَا بِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَهُمْ قَالُوا يَامُوسَى اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ﴾ أي قال بعضهم كما في قوله (٤) : ﴿وَحَشَرْنَاهُمْ فَلَمْ نُغَادِرْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا (٤٧) وَعُرِضُوا عَلَى رَبِّكَ صَفًّا لَقَدْ جِئْتُمُونَا كَمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ بَلْ زَعَمْتُمْ أَلَّنْ نَجْعَلَ لَكُمْ مَوْعِدًا﴾ [الكهف: ٤٧ - ٤٨] فالذين زعموا هذا بعضُ الناس لا كلُّهم، وقد قال الإمام أحمد (٥) : حَدَّثَنَا

(١) أخرجه البخاري (٩٥٢) في العيدين، باب: سنة العيدين لأهل الإسلام، وابن ماجه (١٨٩٨)، في النكاح، باب الغناء والدف. (٢) كذا في ب، وط. وفي أ: زهاقا. وماء زعاق: مرٌّ غليظ لا يطاق شربه. وماءٌ أُجاج: ملح. وقيل شديد المرارة. (٣) في ط: وتضرهم. وكتب في حاشية ب لعله: وتضرهم. (٤) في ب: كما قال بعضهم في قوله. (٥) في مسنده (٥/ ٢١٨).