Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/307)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

one, so what is the matter with this man that he calls upon two? Allah, Exalted is He, then revealed: “To Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them.” The expression “most beautiful” is the feminine form of “most beautiful,” just as “greatest” and “smallest” are; so call upon Him by them.

Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Salihi informed us; Abu al-Husayn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Bishran informed us; Abu Ali Ismail ibn Muhammad al-Saffar informed us; Ahmad ibn Mansur al-Muradi informed us; Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us; Mamar narrated to us, from Hammam ibn Munabbih, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “Allah has ninety-nine names—one hundred less one. Whoever enumerates them will enter Paradise. He is One, and He loves what is odd.” (1)

“And leave those who deviate concerning His names.” Hamzah read “they deviate” in the active form, with the initial ya and the ha both carrying the a-vowel in every occurrence; al-Kisa'i agreed with him in Surah al-Nahl. The remaining reciters read it with u on the ya and i on the ha. The meaning of deviation is turning away from [the intended course] (2). It is said: alhada, yulhidu, and ilhad; or lahada, yalhadu, and luhud—when someone inclines away. Yaqub ibn al-Sikkit said: “Deviation is departing from the truth and introducing into it what does not belong to it. One says: ‘He deviates in religion,’ using either form; and this is the form read by Hamzah.”

“And leave those who deviate concerning His names”: they are the polytheists, who altered the Names of Allah Most High from what they truly are. They gave these names to their idols, adding and subtracting: they derived al-Lat from Allah, al-Uzza from al-Aziz, and Manat from al-Mannan. This was the view of Ibn Abbas and Mujahid.

It was also said that it means their calling the idols gods. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that “they deviate concerning His names” means: they tell lies concerning them. The scholars of meanings said: Deviation concerning the Names of Allah is to name Him with something by which He has not named Himself, and which neither the Book of Allah nor the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, has stated.

In summary, the Names of Allah Most High are restricted to what is established by revelation. ⦗141/b⦘ Thus, He is called al-Jawad (the Most Generous), but He is not called sakhiyy (generous), even though it has the same meaning as al-Jawad. He is called al-Rahim (the Most Merciful), but not rafiq (gentle); and He is called al-Alim (the All-Knowing), but not aqil (intelligent). Allah Most High says: “They seek to deceive Allah, but He deceives them.” [al-Nisa 142] And He says: “They planned, and Allah planned.” [Al Imran 54] Thus, one should not say in supplication, “O Deceiver” or “O Schemer.” Rather, He is invoked by the Names established through revelation, in a manner of reverence: “O Allah, O All-Merciful, O Most Merciful, O Mighty, O Generous,” and the like. “They will be recompensed for what they used to do”—in the Hereafter.

(1) Reported by al-Bukhari in Kitab al-Da'awat, chapter: “Allah Has One Hundred Names Less One,” 11:214; also in Kitab al-Shurut and Kitab al-Tawhid; and by Muslim in Kitab al-Dhikr wa al-Du'a', chapter: “The Names of Allah Most High and the Merit of Enumerating Them,” no. 2677, 4:2062; and by the author in Sharh al-Sunnah, 5:30. (2) In manuscript B: “the intended meaning.”

وَاحِدًا، فَمَا بَالُ هَذَا يَدْعُو اثْنَيْنِ؟ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷿: "وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا". وَالْحُسْنَى تَأْنِيثُ الْأَحْسَنِ كَالْكُبْرَى وَالصُّغْرَى، فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا. أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِيُّ، أَنَا أَبُو الْحُسَيْنِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بَشْرَانَ، أَنَا أَبُو عَلِيٍّ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّفَّارُ، أَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ الْمُرَادِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: "إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا، مِائَةً إِلَّا وَاحِدًا، مَنْ أَحْصَاهَا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ إِنَّهُ وِتْرٌ يُحِبُّ الْوِتْرَ" (١) . ﴿وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ: "يَلْحَدُونَ" -بِفَتْحِ الْيَاءِ وَالْحَاءِ حَيْثُ كَانَ -وَافَقَهُ الْكِسَائِيُّ فِي النَّحْلِ، وَالْبَاقُونَ بِضَمِّ الْيَاءِ وَكَسْرِ الْحَاءِ، وَمَعْنَى الْإِلْحَادِ هُوَ: الْمَيْلُ عَنِ [الْمَقْصِدِ] (٢) يُقَالُ: أَلْحَدَ يُلْحِدُ إِلْحَادًا، وَلَحَدَ يَلْحَدُ لُحُودًا: إِذَا مَالَ. قَالَ يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ السُّكَيْتِ: الْإِلْحَادُ هُوَ الْعُدُولُ عَنِ الْحَقِّ، وَإِدْخَالُ مَا لَيْسَ مِنْهُ فِيهِ، يُقَالُ: أَلْحَدَ فِي الدِّينِ، وَلَحَدَ، وَبِهِ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ. ﴿وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ﴾ هُمُ الْمُشْرِكُونَ عَدَلُوا بِأَسْمَاءِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَمَّا هِيَ عَلَيْهِ، فَسَمُّوا بِهَا أَوْثَانَهُمْ فَزَادُوا وَنَقَصُوا، فَاشْتَقُّوا اللَّاتَ مِنَ "اللَّهِ" وَالْعُزَّى مِنَ "الْعُزَيْزِ"، وَمَنَاةَ مِنَ "الْمَنَّانِ"، هَذَا قَوْلُ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَمُجَاهِدٍ. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ تَسْمِيَتُهُمُ الْأَصْنَامَ آلِهَةً. وَرُوِيَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ أَيْ يَكْذِبُونَ. وَقَالَ أَهْلُ الْمَعَانِي: الْإِلْحَادُ فِي أَسْمَاءِ اللَّهِ: تَسْمِيَتُهُ بِمَا لَمْ يُسَمَّ بِهِ، وَلَمْ يَنْطِقْ بِهِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ وَلَا سُنَّةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ. وَجُمْلَتُهُ: أَنَّ أَسْمَاءَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى على التوقيف ١٤١/ب فَإِنَّهُ يُسَمَّى جَوَادًا وَلَا يُسَمَّى سَخِيًّا، وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي مَعْنَى الْجَوَادِ، وَيُسَمَّى رَحِيمًا وَلَا يُسَمَّى رَفِيقًا، وَيُسَمَّى عَالِمًا وَلَا يُسَمَّى عَاقِلًا وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: "يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ خَادِعُهُمْ" (النِّسَاءِ ١٤٢) وَقَالَ عَزَّ مِنْ قَائِلٍ: "وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ" (آلُ عِمْرَانَ-٥٤) ، وَلَا يُقَالُ فِي الدُّعَاءِ: يَا مُخَادِعُ، يَا مَكَّارُ، بَلْ يُدْعَى بِأَسْمَائِهِ الَّتِي وَرَدَ بِهَا التَّوْقِيفُ عَلَى وَجْهِ التَّعْظِيمِ، فَيُقَالُ: يَا اللَّهُ، يَا رَحْمَنُ، يَا رَحِيمُ، يَا عَزِيزُ، يَا كَرِيمُ وَنَحْوَ ذَلِكَ. ﴿سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ﴾ فِي الْآخِرَةِ.

(١) أخرجه البخاري في الدعوات، باب لله مائة اسم غير واحد:١١ / ٢١٤ وفي الشروط، وفي التوحيد، ومسلم في الذكر والدعاء، باب في أسماء الله تعالى وفضل من أحصاها، برقم (٢٦٧٧) :٤ / ٢٠٦٢، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ٥ / ٣٠. (٢) في "ب": (القصد) .