Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (2/314)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

Abraham, the Close Friend of the Most-Merciful, went out to welcome him. When the two met, the Friend prayed for him and offered him a number of counsels.

It is also said that a horse was brought for him to ride, but he declared, “I will not mount an animal in a land where the Friend is present.” Allah therefore made the clouds subservient to him, and Abraham gave him the glad tidings of that; thereafter the clouds would carry him whenever he desired (1).

Concerning the Almighty’s words: “Then he followed a course until, when he reached the region between the two barriers, he found beside them a people who could scarcely understand speech” (18:92)—meaning that they were ignorant and uncouth. It is said that they were the Turks, cousins of Gog and Magog. They told Dhu l-Qarnayn that those two tribes had attacked them, spread corruption in their land, and cut off their roads. They offered him ḥaml—that is, tribute—on the condition that he place a rampart between them and their foes to bar their approach. He refused to take the tribute (2), content with the abundant wealth Allah had already bestowed upon him.

“He said, ‘What my Lord has empowered me with is better.’” He then asked them to muster men and tools so that he might build for them a barrier—the rampart between the two mountains—through whose pass Gog and Magog alone could come; the rest of the surrounding area consisted of drowning seas and towering mountains. He constructed it, just as Allah, exalted is He, relates, out of iron and qaṭr—that is, molten copper. Some said it was lead, but the first view is correct. Thus he substituted iron blocks for bricks and molten copper for mortar.

For this reason the Most High says: “So they were unable to scale it”—that is, to climb over it with ladders or anything else—“nor could they pierce it,” meaning with picks, axes, or the like; He paired the easier matter with what was easier, and the harder with what was harder.

He added, “This is a mercy from my Lord,” meaning that Allah ordained its existence as a mercy to His servants, preventing those people from attacking their neighbors in that region. “But when the promise of my Lord comes”—the moment He has decreed for their emergence at the end of time—“He will level it,” making it flush with the ground; and this must inevitably occur. Hence He says, “and my Lord’s promise is ever true.”

Similarly, the Exalted says: “Until, when Gog and Magog are let loose and they sweep down from every slope, and the true promise draws near…” (21:96–97).

Thus He also says here: “On that day We shall leave them surging against one another”—that is, the day the barrier is opened, according to the sound view (3)—“and the Trumpet will be blown, whereupon We shall gather them all together.”

We have already cited the reports concerning the emergence of Gog and Magog in the Tafsīr (4), and, God willing, we shall reproduce them in the Book of Tribulations and Portents of this work when we reach it, by Allah’s power and might, and by His good grace, assistance, and guidance (5).

(1) Mukhtasar Tarikh Dimashq, vol. 8, p. 217. (2) In manuscript B, the letter ‘ayn is omitted. (3) At al-Tabari there are several opinions on the exegesis of this verse; see his Tafsir, vol. 16, pp. 23–25. (4) Tafsir Ibn Kathir, vol. 3, p. 195, on the interpretation of the verse in Surah al-Anbiyya: “Until, when Gog and Magog are released, and they, from every elevation, descend.” (5) In manuscript B, it adds wa-innahul-mustaʿān (and He is the One whose help is sought).

إبراهيمُ الخليل بقدومه تلقّاه، فلما اجتمعا دعا له الخليل، ووصّاه بوصايا، ويقال: إنه جيء. بفرس ليركبها فقال: لا أركبُ في بلد فيه الخليل، فسخَّر اللهُ له السحابَ، وبشّره إبراهيم بذلك، فكانت تحمله إذا أراد (١) . وقوله تعالى: ﴿ثُمَّ أَتْبَعَ سَبَبًا (٩٢) حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغَ بَيْنَ السَّدَّيْنِ وَجَدَ مِنْ دُونِهِمَا قَوْمًا لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ قَوْلًا﴾ يعني غُشما. يُقال: إنهم هم التُّركُ أبناء عم يأجوج ومأجوج، فذكروا له أن هاتين القبيلتين قد تعدوا عليهم وأفسدوا في بلادهم وقطعوا السُّبُل عليهم، وبذلوا له حَمْلا، وهو الخراج (على أن يقيم بينهم وبينهم حاجزًا يمنعهم من الوصول إليهم فامتنع من أخذ الخراج (٢) اكتفاءً بما أعطاه الله تعالى من الأموال الجزيلة. ﴿قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّي فِيهِ رَبِّي خَيْرٌ﴾ ثمّ طلب منهم أن يجمعوا له رجالًا وآلاتٍ ليبني بينهم وبينهم سدًا، وهو الردم بين الجبلين، وكانوا لا يستطيعون الخروج إليهم إلا من بينهما، وبقية ذلك بحارٌ مُغرِقة وجبالٌ شاهقةٌ، فبناه كما قال الله تعالى من الحديد والقَطر، وهو النحاس المذاب، وقيل: الرصاص، والصحيح الأول، فجعل بَدَل اللَّبِن حديدًا، وبدلَ الطِّين نحاسًا، ولهذا قال تعالى: ﴿فَمَا اسْطَاعُوا أَنْ يَظْهَرُوهُ﴾ أي يَعلو عليه بسلالم ولا غيرها ﴿وَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا لَهُ نَقْبًا﴾ أي بمعاول ولا فؤوس ولا غيرها، فقابل الأسهلَ بالأسهل، والأشد بالأشد. ﴿قَالَ هَذَا رَحْمَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّي﴾ أي: قَدَّرَ اللّهُ وجودَه ليكون رحمةً منه بعباده أن يمنع بسببه عدوان هؤلاء القوم على مَن جاورهم في تلك المحلة ﴿فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ رَبِّي﴾ أي: الوقت الذي قدّر خروجهم على الناس في آخر الزمان ﴿جَعَلَهُ دَكَّاءَ﴾ أي: مُساويًا للأرض، ولا بد من كون هذا، ولهذا قال: ﴿وَكَانَ وَعْدُ رَبِّي حَقًّا﴾. كما قال تعالى: ﴿حَتَّى إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنْسِلُونَ (٩٦) وَاقْتَرَبَ الْوَعْدُ الْحَقُّ﴾ الآية [الأنبياء: ٩٦ - ٩٧] . ولذا قال هاهُنا: ﴿وَتَرَكْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ يَمُوجُ فِي بَعْضٍ﴾ يَعني يوم فتح السدِّ على الصحيح (٣) ﴿وَنُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَجَمَعْنَاهُمْ جَمْعًا﴾. وقد أوردنا الأحاديث المرويّة في خروج يأجوج ومأجوج في "التفسير" (٤) ، وسنوردها إن شاء الله في كتاب الفتن والملاحم من كتابنا هذا إذا انتهينا إليه بحول الله وقوته وحسن توفيقه ومعونته وهدايته (٥) .

(١) مختصر تاريخ دمشق (٨/ ٢١٧). (٢) سقطت من ب بنقلة عين. (٣) عند الطبري أقوال متعددة في تفسير هذه الآية، تفسيره (١٦/ ٢٣ - ٢٥). (٤) تفسير ابن كثير (٣/ ١٩٥)، عند تفسير قوله تعالى في سورة الأنبياء: ﴿حَتَّى إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنْسِلُونَ﴾. (٥) زاد في ب: وإنه المستعان.