Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (2/70)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

He asked for no food. When the month was complete he took the bark of a tree, chewed it to sweeten his breath, and Allah commanded him to fast another ten nights, so that the total became forty. Hence the authentic ḥadīth states: “The odor that issues from the mouth of a fasting person is more pleasing to Allah than the scent of musk.”

When Moses resolved to depart he appointed over the community of the Children of Israel his brother Aaron—beloved, honored, and noble, his full brother on both his mother’s and father’s side and his minister in calling people to Allah—as his deputy. He instructed him and laid upon him his charge, and this in no way detracts from Moses’ exalted rank in prophethood.

Allah, Exalted is He, says: “And when Moses came at Our appointed time…”—that is, at the exact moment he had been ordered to come—“and his Lord spoke to him,” meaning that Allah spoke to him from behind a veil yet made him hear His words, calling him, confiding in him, drawing him near and bringing him close. This is a lofty station, an impregnable stronghold, a noble rank, an elevated position. May Allah’s blessings be ever renewed upon him, and His peace be upon him in this world and the next.

Granted this lofty status and elevated rank, and having heard the divine address, he sought the lifting of the veil. He said to the Magnificent One whom eyes cannot encompass, the One of overwhelming proof: “My Lord, show me, that I may look at You.” He replied, “You will never see Me.” The Almighty then clarified that Moses could not withstand His self-disclosure, for even the mountain—greater and stronger in substance and more firmly rooted than any human being—cannot remain when the Most Merciful manifests Himself.

Thus He said: “But look at the mountain; if it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me.”

The earlier scriptures relate that Allah said to him: “O Moses, no living thing can see Me without dying, and no dry (lifeless) thing without crumbling.”

In the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections it is reported from Abū Mūsā, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): “His veil is light.” In another wording: “Fire; if He were to lift it, the splendor of His Face would burn everything His sight reaches of His creation.”

Ibn ʿAbbās, commenting on the verse “Vision perceives Him not” (al-Anʿām 6:103), said: “That is His light—His very light; when He manifests Himself to something, nothing can stand before it.” For this reason the Most High said: “When his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He leveled it, and Moses fell unconscious; and when he revived, he said, ‘Glory be to You! I repent to You, and I am the first of the believers.’”

(1) Bark of each tree: its outer cover. (2) On his phrase “the hadith is an addition by Ṭ.” In B it reads: “the hadith is firmly established concerning that khulūf….” (3) Reported by al-Bukhārī under no. 1894 in Al-Sawm, chapter “The Virtue of Fasting”; no. 1904 in the same work, chapter “Should the Fasting Person Say ‘I am Fasting’ When Insulted?”; no. 5927 in Al-Libās, chapter “What Should Be Mentioned with Musk”; no. 7492 in Al-Tawḥīd, chapter “His Saying: ‘They wish to change the words of Allah’ (Qur’an 4:46)”; and no. 7538 in Al-Tawḥīd, chapter “Mentioning the Prophet (peace be upon him) and His Narration from His Lord.” Also reported by Muslim under no. 1151 in Al-Sawm, chapter “The Virtue of Fasting.” (4) In B: “and his commanding and his forbidding.” (5) In B: “yaddahdahu.” Al-dahdhaha means “rolling.” (6) Reported by Muslim (179) in Al-Īmān, chapter “On His (peace be upon him) Statement: ‘Allah Does Not Sleep.’” It does not appear in al-Bukhārī, contrary to the author’s remark concerning the two Ṣaḥīḥs.

بطعام، فلما كَمُلَ الشهر أخذ لِحاء شجرةٍ (١) فمضغه ليطيب ريح فمه، فأمر اللّه أن يُمْسِك عشرًا أخرى فصارت أربعين ليلةً. ولهذا ثبت في الحديث (٢) أن خُلُوف فم الصائم أطيب عند اللّه من ريح المسك (٣) . فلما عزم على الذهاب استخلف على شعب بني إسرائيل أخاه هارون المحبّب المبجّل الجليل، وهو ابن أمّه وأبيه ووزيره في الدعوة إلى مُصْطَفِيه، فوصّاه وأمره (٤) ، وليس في هذا لِعُلُوّ منزلته في نبوته منافاةٌ. قال اللّه تعالى: ﴿وَلَمَّا جَاءَ مُوسَى لِمِيقَاتِنَا﴾ أي: في الوقت الذي أُمِر بالمجيء فيه، ﴿وَكَلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ﴾ أي: كلّمه اللّه من وراء الحجاب إلا أنّه أسمعه الخطابَ، فناداه، وناجاه، وقرّبه، وأدناه، وهذا مقامٌ رفيعٌ، ومعقلٌ منغٌ، ومنصبٌ شريفٌ، ومنزلٌ منيفٌ، فصلوات اللّه عليه تَتْرى، وسلامه عليه في الدنيا والأخرى. ولما أُعطي هذه المنزلةَ العليَّة، والمرتبة السّنية، وسمع الخطاب، سأل رفعَ الحجاب، فقال للعظيم الذي لا تُدركه الأبصارُ، القويِّ البرهان: ﴿قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِي أَنْظُرْ إِلَيْكَ قَالَ لَنْ تَرَانِي﴾. ثم بيّن تعالى أنّه لا يستطيع أن يثبت عند تجَلِّيه (تعالى) ، لأن الجبل الذي هو أقوى وأكبر ذاتًا، وأشد ثباتًا من الإنسان لا يثبت عند التجلّي من الرحمن. ولهذا قال: ﴿وَلَكِنِ انْظُرْ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُ فَسَوْفَ تَرَانِي﴾. وفي الكتب المتقدّمة أن اللّه تعالى قال له: يا موسى إنّه لا يراني حيٌّ إلا ماتَ، ولا يابسٌ إلا تَدَهْدَه (٥) . وفي الصحيحين (٦) : عن أبي موسى، عن رسول اللّه ﷺ أنّه قال: "حِجَابُهُ النُّوْرُ" . وفي رواية: "النار. لَوْ كَشَفَه لأَحْرَقَتْ سُبُحاتُ وَجْهِهِ ما انْتَهَى إلَيْهِ بَصَره من خلقه" . وقال ابن عباس في قوله تعالى ﴿لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ﴾ [الأنعام: ١٠٣] ذاك نورُه الذي هو نورُه، إذا تجلّى لشيءٍ لا يقوم له شيء، ولهذا قال تعالى: ﴿فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا وَخَرَّ مُوسَى صَعِقًا فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَانَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾.

(١) لحاء كل شجرة: قشرها. (٢) قوله: الحديث زيادة من ط. وفي ب: ثبت الحديث في أن خلوف … (٣) أخرجه البخاري: برقم (١٨٩٤) في الصوم، باب فضل الصوم. و (١٩٠٤) باب هل يقول الصائم إني صائم إذا شتم، و (٥٩٢٧) في اللباس، باب ما يذكر في المسك، و (٧٤٩٢) في التوحيد، باب قوله تعالى: ﴿يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُبَدِّلُوا كَلَامَ اللَّهِ﴾ و (٧٥٣٨) في التوحيد، باب ذكر النبي ﷺ وروايته عن ربه. ومسلم برقم (١١٥١) في الصيام، باب فضل الصيام. (٤) في ب: وأمره ونهاه. (٥) في ب: يَدَّهده. والدهدهة: الدحرجة. (٦) أخرجه مسلم (١٧٩) في الإيمان، باب في قوله (عليه السلام) : إن الله لا ينام، ولم يرد في البخاري خلافًا لقول المؤلف وفي الصحيحين.