Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (3/345)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Al-Dahhak said: He comes between the disbeliever and obedience, and between the believer and disobedience.

Mujahid said: He comes between a person and his heart, so that he neither understands nor knows what he is doing.

Al-Suddi said: He comes between a person and his heart, so that he is unable either to believe or to disbelieve except by His permission.

It was also said: When the people were called to fight while they were in a state of weakness, they entertained misgivings and their hearts were troubled. They were therefore told: Fight in the way of Allah, and know that Allah comes between a person and his heart: He replaces fear with security and cowardice with courage. “And that to Him you will be gathered,” whereupon He will recompense you for your deeds.

Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Salihi informed us; Ahmad ibn al-Hasan al-Hiri narrated to us; Hajib ibn Ahmad al-Tusi narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Hammad narrated to us; Abu Mu'awiyah narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Abu Sufyan, from Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, would frequently say, “O Turner of hearts, keep my heart steadfast upon Your religion.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, we have believed in you and in what you have brought. Do you fear for us?” He said, “Hearts are between two of Allah’s fingers, and He turns them as He wills.” (1)

“And beware of a trial”—a test and affliction—“that will not afflict...” The phrase “that will not afflict” is not a straightforward conditional apodosis, for had it been one, the emphatic nūn would not have occurred in it. Rather, it is [a negation] (2), though it carries an element of conditional consequence, like His saying, Most High: “O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Solomon and his troops crush you, unaware.” (Al-Naml, 27:18) Its intended sense is: Beware of a trial which, if you do not guard against it, will afflict you. It is like someone saying, “Get down from the mount, lest it throw you.” This is a response to a command expressed in the form of a prohibition; its meaning is: If you get down, it will not throw you.

The exegetes said: This verse was revealed concerning the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Its meaning is: Beware of a trial that will afflict both the wrongdoer and the one who has not done wrong.

Al-Hasan said: It was revealed concerning Ali, Ammar, Talhah, and al-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with them. Al-Zubayr said: “For a long time we recited this verse without thinking that we were among those intended by it; then, behold, we were the ones meant by it”—referring to what took place on the Day of the Camel. (3)

(1) Narrated with this wording by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 3:112, 257; and by al-Tirmidhi, with the addition, “as He wills,” in al-Qadar, “Chapter on What Has Been Related Concerning Hearts Being Between Two Fingers of the Most Merciful,” 6:349. Muslim also narrated it on the authority of Abd Allah ibn Amr, in al-Qadar, “Chapter on Allah Most High Directing Hearts as He Wills,” no. 2654, 4:2045. It is also mentioned by al-Baghawi in Masabih al-Sunnah, 1:141. (2) In manuscript A: “a prohibition.” (3) Al-Tabari, Tafsir, 13:472-473. It states: “It was revealed concerning Ali, Ammar, and Talhah.”

وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْكَافِرِ وَالطَّاعَةِ، وَيَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَالْمَعْصِيَةِ. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ فَلَا يَعْقِلُ وَلَا يَدْرِي مَا يَعْمَلُ. وَقَالَ السُّدِّيُّ: يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْإِنْسَانِ وَقَلْبِهِ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يُؤْمِنَ وَلَا أَنْ يَكْفُرَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ أَنَّ الْقَوْمَ لَمَّا دُعُوا إِلَى الْقِتَالِ فِي حَالَةِ الضَّعْفِ سَاءَتْ ظُنُونُهُمْ وَاخْتَلَجَتْ صُدُورُهُمْ فَقِيلَ لَهُمْ: قَاتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ فَيُبَدِّلُ الْخَوْفَ أَمْنًا وَالْجُبْنَ جُرْأَةً. ﴿وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ﴾ فَيَجْزِيكُمْ بِأَعْمَالِكُمْ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِيُّ، أَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الْحِيرِيُّ، أَنَا حَاجِبُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الطُّوسِيُّ، أَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَمَّادٍ، ثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ﵁ قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ يُكْثِرُ أَنْ يَقُولَ: "يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكِ"، قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ آمَنَّا بِكَ وَبِمَا جِئْتَ بِهِ فَهَلْ تَخَافُ عَلَيْنَا؟ قَالَ: "الْقُلُوبُ بَيْنَ أُصْبُعَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ اللَّهِ يُقَلِّبُهَا" (١) . ﴿وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً﴾ اخْتِبَارًا وَبَلَاءً ﴿لَا تُصِيبَنَّ﴾ قَوْلُهُ: "لَا تُصِيبَنَّ" لَيْسَ بِجَزَاءٍ مَحْضٍ، وَلَوْ كَانَ جَزَاءً لَمْ تَدْخُلْ فِيهِ النُّونُ، لَكِنَّهُ [نَفْيٌ] (٢) وَفِيهِ طَرَفٌ مِنَ الْجَزَاءِ كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: "يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ" (النَّمْلُ -١٨) وَتَقْدِيرُهُ وَاتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً إِنْ لَمْ تَتَّقُوهَا أَصَابَتْكُمْ، فَهُوَ كَقَوْلِ الْقَائِلِ: انْزِلْ عَنِ الدَّابَّةِ لَا تَطْرَحَنَّكَ، فَهَذَا جَوَابُ الْأَمْرِ بِلَفْظِ النَّهْيِ، مَعْنَاهُ إِنْ تَنْزِلْ لَا تَطْرَحْكَ. قَالَ الْمُفَسِّرُونَ: نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ فِي أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَمَعْنَاهُ: اتَّقُوا فِتْنَةً تُصِيبُ الظَّالِمَ وَغَيْرَ الظَّالِمِ. قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: نَزَلَتْ فِي عَلِيٍّ وَعَمَّارٍ وَطَلْحَةَ وَالزُّبَيْرِ ﵃. قَالَ الزُّبَيْرُ: لَقَدْ قَرَأْنَا هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ زَمَانًا وَمَا أَرَانَا مِنْ أَهْلِهَا فَإِذَا نَحْنُ الْمَعْنِيُّونَ بِهَا، يَعْنِي مَا كَانَ يَوْمَ الْجَمَلِ (٣) .

(١) أخرجه بهذا اللفظ: الإمام أحمد في المسند: ٣ / ١١٢، ٢٥٧، والترمذي بزيادة "كيف شاء" في القدر، باب ما جاء أن القلوب بين أصبعين من أصابع الرحمن: ٦ / ٣٤٩، وأخرجه مسلم من رواية عبد الله بن عمرو، في القدر، باب تصريف الله تعالى القلوب كيف شاء برقم (٢٦٥٤) : ٤ / ٢٠٤٥. وذكره البغوي في مصابيح السنة: ١ / ١٤١. (٢) في "أ" (نهي) . (٣) تفسير الطبري: ١٣ / ٤٧٢ - ٤٧٣ وفيه: نزلت في علي وعمار وطلحة. . .