Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/67)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

was related ⦗160b⦘ from ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, may Allah be pleased with him: he returned alms that had been brought from Khurasan to Syria to their original place in Khurasan.

“Among them are those who abuse the Prophet and say, ‘He is all ear.’ Say, ‘He is an ear of goodness for you: he believes in Allah and trusts the believers, and he is a mercy to those among you who believe.’ As for those who abuse the Messenger of Allah, theirs is a painful punishment.” (61)

The words, “Among them are those who abuse the Prophet and say, ‘He is all ear,’” were revealed concerning a group of hypocrites who used to harm the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and say what was improper. Some of them said, “Do not do this, for we fear that what you say may reach him and bring harm upon us.” But al-Jullas ibn Suwayd, who was among them, said, “Rather, we will say whatever we wish, then go to him and deny what we said, swearing an oath, and he will believe whatever we say. Muhammad is merely all ear.” (1)

That is, he was an attentive listener. It is said of a man that he is “all ear” when he listens to and accepts everything said to him. This derives from the verb adhina, meaning “to listen.” It has also been said that it means that he has a receptive ear.

Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar said: This was revealed concerning a hypocrite called Nabtal ibn al-Harith. He was a man with dark lips, dishevelled hair, red eyes, dark cheeks, and a hideous appearance. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever wishes to look at Satan, let him look at Nabtal ibn al-Harith.” He used to relay reports of the Prophet’s words to the hypocrites. He was told, “Do not do this.” But he said, “Muhammad is merely all ear: whoever tells him anything, he believes him. We may say whatever we wish, then go to him and swear by Allah, and he will believe us.” So Allah, Most High, sent down this verse. (2)

Regarding His saying, “Say, ‘He is an ear of goodness for you,’” the majority recited it in the genitive construction, meaning: one who listens to what is good and wholesome for you, not one who listens to evil and corruption. Al-A‘mash and al-Burjumi, reporting from Abu Bakr, recited both words in the nominative and indefinite form: “An ear is goodness for you,” meaning that his listening to you and believing you is better for you than his declaring you liars and refusing to accept what you say.

Then Allah declared them liars, saying, “He believes in Allah”; that is, it is not as they claim. Rather, he believes in Allah. “And he trusts the believers,” meaning that he regards the believers as truthful and accepts what they say, not what the hypocrites say. The expressions amintuhu and amintu lahu both mean, “I deemed him truthful.”

Regarding “and a mercy,” Hamzah recited it in the genitive, in the sense of: an ear of goodness for you and an ear of mercy. The others recited it in the nominative: he is an ear of goodness, and he is a mercy “to those among you who believe,” because he was the means by which the believers came to faith. “As for those who abuse the Messenger of Allah, theirs is a painful punishment.”

(1) Al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 286; Sirat Ibn Hisham, 1:521. (2) Ibn Ishaq mentions it in a disconnected report, 1:521. See also al-Tabari, 14:324; Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 286; and al-Durr al-Manthur, 4:227.

حُكي ١٦٠/ب عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ ﵁ أَنَّهُ رَدَّ صَدَقَةً حُمِلَتْ مِنْ خُرَاسَانَ إِلَى الشَّامِ إِلَى مَكَانِهَا مِنْ خُرَاسَانَ. ﴿وَمِنْهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ النَّبِيَّ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ أُذُنٌ قُلْ أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ لَكُمْ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَيُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (٦١) ﴾ . ﴿وَمِنْهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ النَّبِيَّ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ أُذُنٌ﴾ نَزَلَتْ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ كَانُوا يُؤْذُونَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ، وَيَقُولُونَ مَا لَا يَنْبَغِي، فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: لَا تَفْعَلُوا، فَإِنَّا نَخَافُ أَنْ يَبْلُغَهُ مَا تَقُولُونَ فَيَقَعُ بِنَا. فَقَالَ الْجُلَاسُ بْنُ سُوَيْدٍ مِنْهُمْ: بَلْ نَقُولُ مَا شِئْنَا، ثُمَّ نَأْتِيهِ فَنُنْكِرُ مَا قُلْنَا، وَنَحْلِفُ فَيُصَدِّقُنَا بِمَا نَقُولُ، فَإِنَّمَا مُحَمَّدٌ أُذُنٌ (١) أَيْ: أُذُنٌ سَامِعَةٌ، يُقَالُ: فَلَانٌ أُذُنٌ وأُذُنَةٌ عَلَى وَزْن فُعُلَةٍ إِذَا كَانَ يَسْمَعُ كُلَّ مَا قِيلَ لَهُ وَيَقْبَلُهُ. وَأَصْلُهُ مِنْ أَذِنَ يَأْذَنُ أُذُنًا أَيِ: اسْتَمَعَ. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ أُذُنٌ أَيْ: ذُو أُذُنٍ سَامِعَةٍ. وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ: نَزَلَتْ فِي رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ يُقَالُ لَهُ نَبْتَلُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ، وَكَانَ رَجُلًا أَذْلَمَ، ثَائِرَ شَعْرِ الرَّأْسِ، أَحْمَرَ الْعَيْنَيْنِ، أَسْفَعَ الْخَدَّيْنِ، مُشَوَّهَ الْخِلْقَةِ، وَقَدْ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: "مَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى الشَّيْطَانِ فَلْيَنْظُرْ إِلَى نَبْتَلَ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ"، وَكَانَ يَنِمُّ حَدِيثَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِلَى الْمُنَافِقِينَ، فَقِيلَ لَهُ: لَا تَفْعَلْ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا مُحَمَّدٌ أُذُنٌ فَمَنْ حَدَّثَهُ شَيْئًا صَدَقَهُ، فَنَقُولُ مَا شِئْنَا، ثُمَّ نَأْتِيهِ وَنَحْلِفُ بِاللَّهِ فَيُصَدِّقُنَا. فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ (٢) . قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿قُلْ أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ لَكُمْ﴾ قَرَأَهُ الْعَامَّةُ بِالْإِضَافَةِ، أَيْ: مُسْتَمِعُ خَيْرٍ وَصَلَاحٍ لَكُمْ، لَا مُسْتَمِعَ شَرٍّ وَفَسَادٍ. وَقَرَأَ الْأَعْمَشُ والبُرْجُمِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ: ﴿أُذُنٌ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ﴾ مَرْفُوعَيْنِ مُنَوَّنَيْنِ، يَعْنِي: أَنْ يَسْمَعَ مِنْكُمْ وَيُصَدِّقَكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَنْ يُكَذِّبَكُمْ وَلَا يَقْبَلُ قَوْلَكُمْ، ثُمَّ كَذَّبَهُمْ فَقَالَ: ﴿يُؤْمِنَّ بِاللَّهِ﴾ أَيْ: لَا بَلْ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ، ﴿وَيُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ أَيْ: يُصَدِّقُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَيَقْبَلُ مِنْهُمْ لَا مِنَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ. يُقَالُ: أَمِنْتُهُ وَأَمِنْتُ لَهُ بِمَعْنَى صَدَّقْتُهُ. ﴿وَرَحْمَةٌ﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ: " وَرَحْمَةٍ " بِالْخَفْضِ عَلَى مَعْنَى أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ لَكُمْ، وَأُذُنُ رَحْمَةٍ، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ: "وَرَحْمَةٌ" بِالرَّفْعِ، أَيْ: هُوَ أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ، وَهُوَ رَحْمَةٌ ﴿لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ﴾ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ سَبَبَ إِيمَانِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. ﴿وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ﴾ .

(١) أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٢٨٦) ، سيرة ابن هشام: ١ / ٥٢١. (٢) ذكره ابن إسحاق بلاغا: ١ / ٥٢١، وانظر: الطبري: ١٤ / ٣٢٤، أسباب النزول ص (٢٨٦) والدر المنثور: ٤ / ٢٢٧.