Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/274)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

the tribe of Lakhm, and they were encamped at al-Raqqah. When the Children of Israel saw this, they said: “O Moses, make for us a god”—that is, an image which we may worship—“just as they have gods.” This did not signify that the Children of Israel doubted Allah’s oneness. Rather, what they meant was: Make for us something that we may venerate and, through venerating it, draw nearer to Allah. They assumed that this would not harm their religion, owing to the depth of their ignorance. Moses said: “Indeed, you are a people ignorant” of Allah’s greatness.

“Indeed, these people—the way of life to which they are devoted is doomed to ruin”: that is, destroyed; destruction is the meaning of tabtīr. “And all that they have been doing is futile.”

Moses said: “Should I seek for you a god other than Allah, when He has favored you above all peoples?” That is, above the peoples of your own time.

Abu Sa'id Abdullah ibn Ahmad al-Tahiri informed us: my grandfather, Abu Sahl Abd al-Samad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Bazzar, informed us; Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya al-Udhafiri informed us; Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Dayri informed us; Abd al-Razzaq informed us; Ma'mar informed us, from al-Zuhri, from Sinan ibn Abi Sinan al-Dayli, from Abu Waqid al-Laythi, who said:

We set out with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, toward Hunayn and passed by a lote tree. We said, “O Messenger of Allah, appoint for us a Dhat Anwat, just as the disbelievers have a Dhat Anwat.” The disbelievers used to hang their weapons on a lote tree around which they would remain devoted. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Allah is Most Great! This is like what the Children of Israel said to Moses: ‘Make for us a god just as they have gods.’ You will surely follow the ways of those before you.” (1)

“And remember when We saved you from Pharaoh’s people, who afflicted you with dreadful torment, slaughtering your sons and sparing your women. In that was a great trial from your Lord. (141) And We appointed for Moses thirty nights and completed them with ten; thus the term set by his Lord was completed as forty nights. And Moses said to his brother Aaron, ‘Take my place among my people, set things right, and do not follow the way of those who spread corruption.’ (142)”

Regarding His saying: “And remember when We saved you”: Ibn Amir recited it as “We saved you,” and this is likewise how it appears in the codices of the people of Syria. “From Pharaoh’s people, who afflicted you with dreadful torment, slaughtering your sons”: Nafi‘ recited it as “they killed your sons,” without intensification, deriving from killing; the other reciters read it with intensification, indicating repeated slaughter. “And sparing your women. In that was a great trial from your Lord.”

(1) Recorded by al-Tirmidhi, Abwab al-Fitan (Chapters on Tribulations), chapter: “You will surely follow the ways of those before you,” 6:407-408; he declared it hasan sahih (sound and authentic). Also recorded by Ibn Ishaq, al-Sirah, 4:84-85; al-Tayalisi, al-Musnad, no. 1346; Ibn Abi Asim, al-Sunnah, 1:37; Ibn Hibban, no. 1835 in Mawarid al-Zam'an; and Imam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 5:218. See also al-Nahj al-Sadid fi Takhrij Ahadith Taysir al-Aziz al-Hamid, pp. 64-65.

لَخْمٍ وَكَانُوا نُزُولًا بِالرِّقَّةِ، فَقَالَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ لَمَّا رَأَوْا ذَلِكَ: ﴿قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا﴾ أَيْ: مِثَالًا نَعْبُدُهُ ﴿كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ﴾ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ شَكًّا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فِي وَحْدَانِيَّةِ اللَّهِ، وَإِنَّمَا مَعْنَاهُ: اجْعَلْ لَنَا شَيْئًا نُعَظِّمُهُ وَنَتَقَرَّبُ بِتَعْظِيمِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ ﷿ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّ ذَلِكَ لَا يَضُرُّ الدِّيَانَةَ وَكَانَ ذَلِكَ لِشِدَّةِ جَهْلِهِمْ. ﴿قَالَ﴾ مُوسَى ﴿إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ﴾ عَظَمَةَ اللَّهِ. ﴿إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ﴾ مُهْلَكٌ، ﴿مَا هُمْ فِيهِ﴾ وَالتَّتْبِيرُ الْإِهْلَاكُ، ﴿وَبَاطِلٌ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾ ﴿قَالَ﴾ يَعْنِي مُوسَى ﴿أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِيكُمْ﴾ أَيْ: أَبْغِي لَكُمْ وَأَطْلُبُ، ﴿إِلَهًا وَهُوَ فَضَّلَكُمْ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ﴾ أَيْ: عَلَى عَالَمَيْ زَمَانِكُمْ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الطَّاهِرِيُّ، أَنَا جَدِّي أَبُو سَهْلٍ عَبْدُ الصَّمَدِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْبَزَّارُ، أَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا الْعُذَافِرِيُّ، أَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الدَّيْرِيُّ أَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ سِنَانِ بْنِ أَبِي سِنَانٍ الدِّيلِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي وَاقَدٍ اللَّيْثِيِّ، قَالَ: خَرَجْنَا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قِبَلَ حُنَيْنٍ، فَمَرَرْنَا بِسِدْرَةٍ، فَقُلْنَا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ اجْعَلْ لَنَا ذَاتَ أَنْوَاطٍ كَمَا كَانَ لِلْكُفَّارِ ذَاتُ أَنْوَاطٍ، وَكَانَ الْكُفَّارُ يَنُوطُونَ سِلَاحَهُمْ بِسِدْرَةٍ يَعْكُفُونَ حَوْلَهَا، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، هَذَا كَمَا قَالَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ لِمُوسَى "اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ إِنَّكُمْ تَرْكَبُونَ سُنَنَ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ" (١) . ﴿وَإِذْ أَنْجَيْنَاكُمْ مِنَ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ يُقَتِّلُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ وَفِي ذَلِكُمْ بَلَاءٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ (١٤١) وَوَاعَدْنَا مُوسَى ثَلَاثِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَتْمَمْنَاهَا بِعَشْرٍ فَتَمَّ مِيقَاتُ رَبِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً وَقَالَ مُوسَى لِأَخِيهِ هَارُونَ اخْلُفْنِي فِي قَوْمِي وَأَصْلِحْ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ (١٤٢) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَإِذْ أَنْجَيْنَاكُمْ﴾ قَرَأَ ابْنُ عَامِرٍ "أَنْجَاكُمْ" وَكَذَلِكَ هُوَ فِي مَصَاحِفِ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ، ﴿مِنَ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ يُقَتِّلُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ﴾ قَرَأَ نَافِعٌ "يَقْتُلُونَ" خَفِيفَةً، مِنَ الْقَتْلِ، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِالتَّشْدِيدِ عَلَى التَّكْثِيرِ مِنَ التَّقْتِيلِ، ﴿وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ وَفِي ذَلِكُمْ بَلَاءٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ﴾

(١) أخرجه الترمذي في أبواب الفتن، باب لتركبن سنن من كان قبلكم: ٦ / ٤٠٧-٤٠٨ وقال: هذا حديث حسن صحيح. وابن إسحاق في السيرة: ٤ / ٨٤-٨٥، والطيالسي في مسنده برقم (١٣٤٦) ، وابن أبي عاصم في السنة: ١ / ٣٧، وابن حبان برقم (١٨٣٥) من موارد الظمآن، والإمام أحمد في المسند: ٥ / ٢١٨. وانظر: النهج السديد في تخريج أحاديث تيسير العزيز الحميد ص٦٤-٦٥.