Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/301)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

His saying, Most High: “And recite to them the account of the one to whom We gave Our signs, but who cast them off”—to the end of the verse. They differed concerning him. Ibn Abbas (1) said: “He was Bal‘am ibn Ba‘ura’.” Mujahid (1) said: “Bal‘am ibn Ba‘ir.” ‘Atiyyah narrated from Ibn Abbas (1) that he was from the Children of Israel. It is also narrated from ‘Ali ibn Abi Talhah, may Allah have mercy on him, that he was one of the Canaanites, from the city of the giants (2). Muqatil said: “He was from the city of Balqa.”

His story—as mentioned by Ibn Abbas, Ibn Ishaq, al-Suddi, and others (3)—was that when Moses set out to fight the giants and encamped in the land of the Canaanites in Syria, Bal‘am’s people came to him. He possessed the Greatest Name of Allah, and they said: “Moses is a formidable man, and he has a large army with him. He has come to drive us from our land, kill us, and give it to the Children of Israel. You are a man whose supplication is answered, so go out and ask Allah to turn them away from us.”

He replied: “Woe to you! He is Allah’s Prophet, and the angels and believers are with him. How can I supplicate against them when I know from Allah what I know? If I do this, I shall lose both my worldly life and my Hereafter.” But they kept returning to him and pressing him, until he said: “I will first consult my Lord.” He would not invoke Allah until he had seen in a dream what he was commanded to do. So he sought his Lord’s counsel concerning supplicating against them, and he was told in a dream: “Do not supplicate against them.” He then said to his people: “I have consulted my Lord, and I have been forbidden.”

They gave him a gift, which he accepted. Then they returned to him again, and he said: “I will first consult my Lord.” So he consulted Him, but nothing was revealed to him. He said: “I have consulted Him, but no answer has come to me.” They said: “Had your Lord disliked your supplicating against them, He would have forbidden you, just as He forbade you the first time.” They continued imploring him until they tempted him and he yielded to the temptation.

He then mounted a she-donkey and headed toward a mountain overlooking the camp of the Children of Israel, called Husban. After he had ridden it only a short distance, it lay down beneath him. He dismounted and beat it until he wounded it, whereupon it rose and he mounted it again. It went only a short distance before it lay down once more. He treated it as before, and it rose. He mounted it again, but it had gone only a short distance when it lay down. He beat it until he wounded it, and Allah permitted it to speak, so it spoke to him as proof against him. It said: “Woe to you, Bal‘am! Where are you taking me? Do you not see the angels before me, turning me back from this direction? Are you taking me to the Prophet of Allah and the believers, in order to supplicate against them?”

Yet he did not desist. So Allah allowed it to proceed, and it went on until it brought him to the top of Mount Husban. There he began to supplicate against them; but whenever he supplicated against them in any matter, Allah turned his tongue against his own people, and whenever he supplicated for his people’s good, Allah turned his tongue toward the Children of Israel. His people said to him: “Bal‘am, do you realize what you are doing? You are supplicating for them against us!” He replied: “This is beyond my control; it is something by which Allah has overpowered me.” Then his tongue protruded and fell upon his chest.

He said to them: “Now I have lost both my worldly life and my Hereafter. Nothing remains but cunning and stratagem. I shall devise a plot and scheme for you: beautify the women, adorn them, and provide them with...”

(1) See: al-Tabari, 13:254; al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul (Occasions of Revelation), p. 261; al-Durr al-Manthur, 3:608-609. (2) Al-Tabari, 13:254-255. (3) See: al-Tabari, 13:264-267; Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2:267-268; al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, 1:322, where he states: “What Ibn Ishaq mentioned concerning the story of Balaam is sound; more than one of the Salaf related it.”

قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِي آتَيْنَاهُ آيَاتِنَا فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا﴾ الْآيَةَ. اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ، قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ (١) : هُوَ بَلْعَمُ بْنُ بَاعُورَاءَ. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ (١) : بَلْعَامُ بْنُ بَاعِرَ. وَقَالَ عَطِيَّةُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ (١) : كَانَ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ. وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ ﵁ أَنَّهُ كَانَ مَنْ الْكَنْعَانِيِّينَ مِنْ مَدِينَةِ الْجَبَّارِينَ (٢) وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: هُوَ مِنْ مَدِينَةِ بَلْقَا. وَكَانَتْ قِصَّتُهُ -عَلَى مَا ذَكَرَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ وَالسُّدِّيُّ وَغَيْرُهُمْ - (٣) أَنْ مُوسَى لَمَّا قَصَدَ حَرْبَ الْجَبَّارِينَ وَنَزَلَ أَرْضَ بَنِي كَنْعَانَ مِنْ أَرْضِ الشَّامِ أَتَى قَوْمُ بَلْعَمَ إِلَى بَلْعَمَ -وَكَانَ عِنْدَهُ اسْمُ اللَّهِ الْأَعْظَمُ -فَقَالُوا: إِنَّ مُوسَى رَجُلٌ حَدِيدٌ وَمَعَهُ جُنْدٌ كَثِيرٌ، وَإِنَّهُ جَاءَ يُخْرِجُنَا مِنْ بِلَادِنَا وَيَقْتُلُنَا وَيُحِلُّهَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، وَأَنْتَ رَجُلٌ مُجَابُ الدَّعْوَةِ، فَاخْرُجْ فَادْعُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يَرُدَّهُمْ عَنَّا، فَقَالَ: وَيْلَكُمْ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ وَمَعَهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كَيْفَ أَدْعُو عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَنَا أَعْلَمُ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا أَعْلَمُ، وَإِنِّي إِنْ فَعَلْتُ هَذَا ذَهَبَتْ دُنْيَايَ وَآخِرَتِي، فَرَاجَعُوهُ وَأَلَحُّوا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ: حَتَّى أُؤَامِرَ رَبِّي، وَكَانَ لَا يَدْعُوهُ حَتَّى يَنْظُرَ مَا يُؤْمَرُ بِهِ فِي الْمَنَامِ فَآمَرَ فِي الدُّعَاءِ عَلَيْهِمْ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ فِي الْمَنَامِ لَا تَدْعُ عَلَيْهِمْ، فَقَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ: إِنِّي قَدْ آمَرْتُ رَبِّي وَإِنِّي قَدْ نُهِيتُ فَأَهْدَوْا إِلَيْهِ هَدِيَّةً فَقَبِلَهَا، ثُمَّ رَاجَعُوهُ فَقَالَ: حَتَّى أُؤَامِرَ، فَآمَرَ، فَلَمْ يُوحَ إِلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ، فَقَالَ: قَدْ آمَرْتُ فَلَمْ يُجَزْ إِلَيَّ شَيْءٌ، فَقَالُوا: لَوْ كَرِهَ رَبُّكَ أَنْ تَدْعُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَنَهَاكَ كَمَا نَهَاكَ فِي الْمَرَّةِ الْأُولَى، فَلَمْ يَزَالُوا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ إِلَيْهِ حَتَّى فَتَنُوهُ فَافْتَتَنَ فَرَكِبَ أَتَانًا لَهُ مُتَوَجِّهًا إِلَى جَبَلٍ يُطْلِعُهُ عَلَى عَسْكَرِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ يُقَالُ لَهُ حُسْبَانُ، فلما سار ١٤٠/ب عَلَيْهَا غَيْرَ كَثِيرٍ رَبَضَتْ بِهِ، فَنَزَلَ عَنْهَا فَضَرَبَهَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَذْلَقَهَا قَامَتْ فَرَكِبَهَا، فَلَمْ تَسِرْ بِهِ كَثِيرًا حَتَّى رَبَضَتْ، فَفَعَلَ بِهَا مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ فَقَامَتْ، فَرَكِبَهَا فَلَمْ تَسِرْ بِهِ كَثِيرًا حَتَّى رَبَضَتْ، فَضَرَبَهَا حَتَّى أَذْلَقَهَا، أَذِنَ اللَّهُ لَهَا بِالْكَلَامِ فَكَلَّمَتْهُ حُجَّةً عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَتْ: وَيْحَكَ يَا بَلْعَمُ أَيْنَ تَذْهَبُ بِي؟ أَلَا تَرَى الْمَلَائِكَةَ أَمَامِي تَرُدُّنِي عَنْ وَجْهِي هَذَا؟ أَتَذْهَبُ بِي إِلَى نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ تَدْعُو عَلَيْهِمْ؟ فَلَمْ يَنْزِعْ، فَخَلَّى اللَّهُ سَبِيلَهَا فَانْطَلَقَتْ حَتَّى إِذَا أَشْرَفَتْ بِهِ عَلَى جَبَلِ حُسْبَانَ جَعَلَ يَدْعُو عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا يَدْعُو عَلَيْهِمْ بِشَيْءٍ إِلَّا صَرَفَ اللَّهُ بِهِ لِسَانَهُ إِلَى قَوْمِهِ، وَلَا يَدْعُو لِقَوْمِهِ بِخَيْرٍ إِلَّا صَرَفَ اللَّهُ بِهِ لِسَانَهُ إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ. فَقَالَ لَهُ قَوْمُهُ: يَا بَلْعَمُ أَتَدْرِي مَاذَا تَصْنَعُ إِنَّمَا تَدْعُو لَهُمْ عَلَيْنَا؟! فَقَالَ: هَذَا مَا لَا أَمْلِكُهُ، هَذَا شَيْءٌ قَدْ غَلَبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ، فَانْدَلَعَ لِسَانُهُ فَوَقَعَ عَلَى صَدْرِهِ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: قَدْ ذَهَبَتِ الْآنَ مِنِّي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةُ فَلَمْ يَبْقَ إِلَّا الْمَكْرُ وَالْحِيلَةُ، فَسَأَمْكُرُ لَكُمْ وَأَحْتَالُ، جَمِّلُوا النِّسَاءَ وَزَيِّنُوهُنَّ وَأَعْطُوهُنَّ

(١) انظر: الطبري: ١٣ / ٢٥٤، أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٢٦١) ، الدر المنثور: ٣ / ٦٠٨-٦٠٩. (٢) الطبري: ١٣ / ٢٥٤-٢٥٥. (٣) انظر: الطبري: ١٣ / ٢٦٤-٢٦٧، تفسير ابن كثير: ٢ / ٢٦٧-٢٦٨، البداية والنهاية: ١ / ٣٢٢ وقال: "هذا الذي ذكره ابن إسحاق في قصة بلعام صحيح قد ذكره غير واحد من السلف".