Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/68)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“They swear by Allah to please you, while Allah and His Messenger have a greater right that they should please Him, if they are believers. (62) Do they not know that whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger will have the Fire of Hell, abiding therein forever? That is the supreme disgrace. (63) The hypocrites fear lest a surah be sent down concerning them, informing them of what is in their hearts. Say, ‘Mock as you will: Allah will surely bring to light what you fear.’ (64)”

Regarding His saying, “They swear by Allah to please you,” Qatadah and al-Suddi said: A group of hypocrites, among whom were al-Jullas ibn Suwayd and Wadi'ah ibn Thabit, gathered together and spoke disparagingly of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. They said, “If what Muhammad says is true, then we are worse than donkeys.” A young man of the Ansar named ‘Amir ibn Qays was with them. They treated him with contempt and made this remark. The young man became angry and said, “By Allah, what Muhammad says is true, and you are worse than donkeys.” Then he went to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and informed him. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, summoned them and questioned them, but they swore that ‘Amir was lying. ‘Amir swore that they were lying, yet the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, believed them. So ‘Amir began to supplicate, saying, “O Allah, vindicate the truthful one and expose the liar.” Then Allah, Most High, revealed this verse. (1)

Muqatil and al-Kalbi said: It was revealed concerning a group of hypocrites who had remained behind from the expedition of Tabuk. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, returned, they came to him offering excuses and swearing oaths. So Allah, Most High, revealed this verse: “They swear by Allah to please you, while Allah and His Messenger have a greater right that they should please Him, if they are believers.”

Regarding His saying, “Do they not know that whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger,” that is, whoever acts contrary to Allah and His Messenger, setting himself on one side apart from Allah and His Messenger: “he will have the Fire of Hell, abiding therein forever. That is the supreme disgrace”; that is, the immense humiliation.

“The hypocrites fear,” that is, the hypocrites dread, “lest a surah be sent down concerning them,” that is, sent down upon the believers, “informing them of what is in their hearts”; namely, the envy and hostility towards the believers that was in the hearts of the hypocrites. They would speak secretly among themselves and fear being exposed by the revelation of the Quran concerning them.

Qatadah said: This surah is called the Exposer, the Scatterer, and the Stirrer, for it brought to light their shameful deeds and their faults.

‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: Allah, Most High, revealed the names of seventy hypocrites, together with the names of their fathers. Then He abrogated the mention of their names as a mercy to the believers, lest some of them reproach others, since their children were believers.

(1) See al-Durr al-Manthur, 4:228; Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 287; and al-Tabari, 14:329.

﴿يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَكُمْ لِيُرْضُوكُمْ وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ يُرْضُوهُ إِنْ كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ (٦٢) أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ مَنْ يُحَادِدِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَأَنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا فِيهَا ذَلِكَ الْخِزْيُ الْعَظِيمُ (٦٣) يَحْذَرُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ أَنْ تُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُورَةٌ تُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ قُلِ اسْتَهْزِئُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُخْرِجٌ مَا تَحْذَرُونَ (٦٤) ﴾ . ﴿يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَكُمْ لِيُرْضُوكُمْ﴾ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ وَالسُّدِّيُّ: اجْتَمَعَ نَاسٌ مِنَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ فِيهِمْ الْجُلَاسُ بْنُ سُوِيدٍ، وَوَدِيعَةُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ، فَوَقَعُوا فِي النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، وَقَالُوا: إِنْ كَانَ مَا يَقُولُ مُحَمَّدٌ حُقًّا فَنَحْنُ شَرٌّ مِنَ الْحَمِيرِ، وَكَانَ عِنْدَهُمْ غُلَامٌ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ يُقَالُ لَهُ عَامِرُ بْنُ قَيْسٍ، فَحَقَّرُوهُ وَقَالُوا هَذِهِ الْمَقَالَةَ، فَغَضِبَ الْغُلَامُ وَقَالَ: وَاللَّهِ إِنَّ مَا يَقُولُ مُحَمَّدٌ حُقٌّ وَأَنْتُمْ شَرٌّ مِنَ الْحَمِيرِ، ثُمَّ أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَأَخْبَرَهُ، فَدَعَاهُمْ وَسَأَلَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَحَلَفُوا أَنَّ عَامِرًا كَذَّابٌ. وَحَلَفَ عَامِرٌ أَنَّهُمْ كَذَبَةٌ فَصَدَّقَهُمُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ، فَجَعَلَ عَامِرٌ يَدْعُو وَيَقُولُ: اللَّهُمَّ صَدِّقِ الصَّادِقَ وَكَذِّبِ الْكَاذِبَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ (١) . وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ وَالْكَلْبِيُّ: نَزَلَتْ فِي رَهْطٍ مِنَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ تَخَلَّفُوا عَنْ غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ، فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَتَوْهُ يَعْتَذِرُونَ إِلَيْهِ وَيَحْلِفُونَ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ" ﴿يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللَّهِ لَكُمْ لِيُرْضُوكُمْ وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَقُّ أَنْ يُرْضُوهُ إِنْ كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ . ﴿أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ مَنْ يُحَادِدِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ﴾ يُخَالِفُ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أَنْ يَكُونُوا فِي جَانِبٍ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، ﴿فَأَنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدًا فِيهَا ذَلِكَ الْخِزْيُ الْعَظِيمُ﴾ أَيِ: الْفَضِيحَةُ الْعَظِيمَةُ. ﴿يَحْذَرُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ﴾ أَيْ: يَخْشَى الْمُنَافِقُونَ، ﴿أَنْ تُنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ﴾ أَيْ: تُنَزَّلُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، ﴿سُورَةٌ تُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ﴾ أَيْ: بِمَا فِي قُلُوبِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ مِنَ الْحَسَدِ وَالْعَدَاوَةِ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ، كَانُوا يَقُولُونَ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَيُسِرُّونَ وَيَخَافُونَ الْفَضِيحَةَ بِنُزُولِ الْقُرْآنِ فِي شَأْنِهِمْ. قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: هَذِهِ السُّورَةُ تُسَمَّى الْفَاضِحَةَ وَالْمُبَعْثِرَةَ وَالْمُثِيرَةَ، أَثَارَتْ مَخَازِيَهُمْ وَمَثَالِبَهُمْ. قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄: أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى ذِكْرَ سَبْعِينَ رَجُلًا مِنَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ وَأَسْمَاءِ آبَائِهِمْ ثُمَّ نَسَخَ ذِكْرَ الْأَسْمَاءِ رَحْمَةً لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ، لِئَلَّا يُعَيِّرُ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا، لِأَنَّ أَوْلَادَهُمْ كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ.

(١) انظر: الدر المنثور: ٤ / ٢٢٨، أسباب النزول ص: (٢٨٧) ، الطبري: ١٤ / ٣٢٩.