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them, then recited to them ten surahs of the Quran that had been revealed in Mecca. He commanded them to perform the prayer and give zakah, and instructed them to remain where they were. They had been observing the Sabbath, so he commanded them to hold the Friday congregational prayer and abandon the Sabbath. (1)
It was also said: They were those Jews who embraced Islam during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. (2) The first view is sounder. (3)
(1) See al-Durr al-Manthur, 3/586; Ruh al-Ma'ani by al-Alusi, 9/84.
(2) See al-Bahr al-Muhit, 4/406.
(3) The reports cited by the author, may Allah have mercy on him, in his interpretation of the verse are Isra'iliyyat (reports derived from Jewish and Christian sources). Even if their chains of transmission to their original narrators were sound, they cannot be used as evidence in such matters of the unseen, for which there is no textual proof in the Quran or Sunnah. Ibn Atiyyah regarded them as unlikely in his al-Muharrar al-Wajiz, 6/109. Al-Alusi said in Ruh al-Ma'ani, 9/85: “Ibn al-Khazin declared this account weak. I do not regard it as anything at all, and I do not think you will find for it a chain upon which one can rely, even if you sought a tunnel through the earth or a ladder into the sky.”
For this reason, we cite here the substance of what Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his commentary on the noble verse: “Allah, Exalted is He, informs us that among the Children of Israel is a group that follows the truth and establishes justice by it, as He, Exalted is He, says: ‘Among the People of the Book is a community standing firm, reciting the verses of Allah during the hours of the night while they prostrate’; and He says: ‘Indeed, among the People of the Book are those who believe in Allah and in what was sent down to you and what was sent down to them, humbly submissive to Allah. They do not exchange the verses of Allah for a small price. Those will have their reward with their Lord. Indeed, Allah is swift in reckoning.’” He then referred to Ibn Jarir's report and said: “Ibn Jarir mentioned an extraordinary report in his commentary on it.”
Ibn Atiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, likewise stated in his commentary on the verse: “It may mean a description of the righteous, God-fearing believers among the Children of Israel during the time of Moses, peace be upon him, and thereafter. Or it may mean the group among the Children of Israel who believed in Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, in order to encourage all of them to believe.” See al-Muharrar al-Wajiz, 6/108-109; al-Isra'iliyyat wa al-Mawdu'at by Abu Shahbah, pp. 291-292.
مُوسَى وَعَلَيْهِمْ، ثُمَّ أَقْرَأَهُمْ عَشْرَ سُوَرٍ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ أُنْزِلَتْ بِمَكَّةَ، وَأَمَرَهُمْ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ، وَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يُقِيمُوا مَكَانَهُمْ، وَكَانُوا يَسْبِتُونَ، فَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يُجَمِّعُوا وَيَتْرُكُوا السَّبْتَ (١) .
وَقِيلَ: هُمُ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا مِنَ الْيَهُودِ فِي زَمَنِ النَّبِيِّ (٢) ﷺ. وَالْأَوَّلُ أَصَحُّ (٣) .
(١) انظر: الدر المنثور: ٣ / ٥٨٦، روح المعاني للآلوسي: ٩ / ٨٤.
(٢) انظر: البحر المحيط: ٤ / ٤٠٦.
(٣) هذه الروايات التي ساقها المصنف ﵀ في تفسير الآية، من الإسرائيليات التي لو صح سندها إلى قائليها فإنه لا يحتج بها في هذه الأمور الغيبية التي لا نص عليها في الكتاب والسنة وقد استبعدها ابن عطية في تفسيره "المحرر الوجيز": ٦ / ١٠٩. وقال الآلوسي في روح المعاني: ٩ / ٨٥ "وضعّف هذه الحكاية ابن الخازن، وأنا لا أراها شيئا، ولا أظنك تجد لها سندا يعوّل عليه ولو ابتغيت نفقا في الأرض أو سلما في السماء". ولهذا نثبت هنا خلاصة ما قاله ابن كثير ﵀ في تفسير الآية الكريمة: "يقول الله تعالى مخبرا عن بني إسرائيل أن منهم طائفة يتبعون الحق ويعدلون به، كما قال تعالى: "من أهل الكتاب أمة قائمة يتلون آيات الله آناء الليل وهم يسجدون" وقال تعالى: "وإن من أهل الكتاب لمن يؤمن بالله وما أنزل إليكم وما أنزل إليهم خاشعين لله لا يشترون بآيات الله ثمنا قليلا أولئك لهم أجرهم عند ربهم، إن الله سريع الحساب" ... ثم أشار إلى رواية ابن جرير وقال: "وقد ذكر ابن جرير في تفسيرها خبرا عجيبا". وكذلك أبدى ابن عطية ﵀ رأيه في تفسير الآية فقال: يحتمل أن يريد به وصف المؤمنين المتقين من بني إسرائيل، على عهد موسى ﵇ وما والاه من الزمن.. ويحتمل: أن يريد الجماعة التي آمنت بمحمد، ﷺ، من بني إسرائيل، على جهة الاستجلاب لإيمان جميعهم". انظر: المحرر الوجيز: ٦ / ١٠٨-١٠٩، الإسرائيليات والموضوعات لأبي شهبة ص (٢٩١-٢٩٢) .