Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/125)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“When Our clear verses are recited to them, those who do not expect to meet Us say, ‘Bring us a Quran other than this, or alter it.’ Say, ‘It is not for me to alter it of my own accord. I follow only what is revealed to me. Indeed, if I were to disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a tremendous Day.’ (15) Say, ‘Had Allah willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. I lived among you for a lifetime before it. Will you not then understand?’ (16)”

“Then We made you successors”—that is, successors—“in the earth after them,” that is, after the generations whom We destroyed, “so that We might see how you act,” although He knows best about them. We have related from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Indeed, this world is sweet and green, and Allah will make you successors in it; then He will see how you act.” (1)

His words, exalted is He: “When Our clear verses are recited to them”: Qatadah (2) said: This refers to the polytheists of Mecca. Muqatil (3) said: They were five men: Abd Allah ibn Umayyah al-Makhzumi, al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, Mikraz ibn Hafs, Amr ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi Qays al-Amiri, and al-As ibn Amir ibn Hashim.

“Those who do not expect to meet Us” were those mentioned above. They said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: If you want us to believe in you, then “bring us a Quran other than this,” one which does not call for abandoning the worship of al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat, and which does not condemn them. If Allah has not revealed it, then compose it yourself, of your own accord. “Or alter it”: replace a verse of punishment with a verse of mercy, or what is forbidden with what is lawful, or what is lawful with what is forbidden.

“Say,” O Muhammad, to them: “It is not for me to alter it of my own accord,” that is, by myself. “I follow only what is revealed to me”: I follow only what is revealed to me regarding what I command you to do and what I forbid you from doing. “Indeed, if I were to disobey my Lord, I fear the punishment of a tremendous Day.”

“Say, ‘Had Allah willed, I would not have recited it to you’”: that is, had Allah willed, He would not have sent down the Quran to me. “Nor would He have made it known to you”: that is, Allah would not have informed you of it. Al-Bazzi narrated from Ibn Kathir the reading wa-la adrākum bihi (“and He would have made you know it”) in the shortened form, rendering it affirmative; that is, He would have taught you

(1) Muslim narrated it in Kitab al-Riqaq (The Book of Heart-Softening Reports), in the chapter “Most of the Inhabitants of Paradise Are the Poor,” no. 2742, 4:2098; and the compiler cited it in Sharh al-Sunnah, 9:12. (2) In al-Wahidi’s Asbab al-Nuzul (Occasions of Revelation), p. 305: Mujahid. See also al-Durr al-Manthur, 4:347. (3) Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 305.

﴿وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ قَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا ائْتِ بِقُرْآنٍ غَيْرِ هَذَا أَوْ بَدِّلْهُ قُلْ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أُبَدِّلَهُ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ نَفْسِي إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَى إِلَيَّ إِنِّي أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّي عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ (١٥) قُلْ لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا تَلَوْتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَا أَدْرَاكُمْ بِهِ فَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِيكُمْ عُمُرًا مِنْ قَبْلِهِ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ (١٦) ﴾ . ﴿ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ خَلَائِفَ﴾ أَيْ: خُلَفَاءَ، ﴿فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ﴾ أَيْ: مِنْ بَعْدِ الْقُرُونِ الَّتِي أَهْلَكْنَاهُمْ، ﴿لِنَنْظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ. وَرَوَيْنَا عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ ﵁ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: "أَلَا إِنَّ هَذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حُلْوَةٌ خَضِرَةٌ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ مُسْتَخْلِفُكُمْ فِيهَا، فَنَاظِرٌ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ" (١) . قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَإِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ﴾ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ (٢) : يَعْنِي مُشْرِكِي مَكَّةَ. وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ (٣) هَمْ خَمْسَةُ نَفَرٍ: عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أُمَيَّةَ الْمَخْزُومِيُّ، وَالْوَلِيدُ بْنُ الْمُغِيرَةِ، وَمِكْرَزُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، وَعَمْرُو بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي قَيْسٍ الْعَامِرِيُّ، والعاصُ بْنُ عَامِرِ بْنِ هَاشِمٍ. ﴿قَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَاءَنَا﴾ هَمُ السَّابِقُ ذِكْرُهُمْ قَالُوا لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ: إِنْ كُنْتَ تُرِيدُ أَنْ نُؤْمِنَ بِكَ ﴿ائْتِ بِقُرْآنٍ غَيْرِ هَذَا﴾ لَيْسَ فِيهِ تَرْكُ عِبَادَةِ اللَّاتَ وَالْعُزَّى وَمَنَاةَ، وَلَيْسَ فِيهِ عَيْبُهَا، وَإِنْ لَمْ يُنْزِلْهَا اللَّهُ فَقُلْ أَنْتَ مِنْ عِنْدِ نَفْسِكَ، ﴿أَوْ بَدِّلْهُ﴾ فَاجْعَلْ مَكَانَ آيَةِ عَذَابٍ آيَةَ رَحْمَةٍ، أَوْ مَكَانَ حَرَامٍ حَلَالًا أَوْ مَكَانَ حَلَّالٍ حَرَامًا، ﴿قُلْ﴾ لَهُمْ يَا مُحَمَّدُ، ﴿مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أُبَدِّلَهُ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ نَفْسِي﴾ مِنْ قِبَلِ نَفْسِي ﴿إِنْ أَتَّبِعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَى إِلَيَّ﴾ أَيْ: مَا أَتْبَعُ إِلَّا مَا يُوحَى إِلَيَّ فِيمَا آمُرُكُمْ بِهِ وَأَنْهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ، ﴿إِنِّي أَخَافُ إِنْ عَصَيْتُ رَبِّي عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ﴾ . ﴿قُلْ لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا تَلَوْتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ يَعْنِي: لَوْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَا أَنْزَلَ الْقُرْآنَ عَلَيَّ. ﴿وَلَا أَدْرَاكُمْ بِهِ﴾ أَيْ: وَلَا أَعْلَمَكُمُ اللَّهُ. قَرَأَ الْبَزِّيُّ عَنْ ابْنِ كَثِيرٍ: "وَلَأَدْرَاكُمْ بِهِ" بِالْقَصْرِ بِهِ عَلَى الْإِيجَابِ، يُرِيدُ: وَلَا عَلَّمَكُمْ

(١) أخرجه مسلم في الرقاق، باب أكثر أهل الجنة الفقراء ... برقم (٢٧٤٢) : ٤ / ٢٠٩٨، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ٩ / ١٢. (٢) في أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٣٠٥) : مجاهد. وانظر: الدر المنثور: ٤ / ٣٤٧. (٣) أسباب النزول ص (٣٠٥) .