Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/130)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“For those who do good is the finest reward and more besides. Neither gloom nor disgrace will cover their faces. They are the people of Paradise; they will remain there forever.” (26)

His words, exalted is He, “For those who do good is the finest reward and more besides”: that is, those who do righteous deeds in this world shall have the finest reward, which is Paradise, and more besides, which is beholding the Noble Face of Allah. This was the view of a group of the Companions, including Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Hudhayfah, Abu Musa, and Ubadah ibn al-Samit; and it was also the view of al-Hasan, Ikrimah, Ata, Muqatil, al-Dahhak, and al-Suddi.

Abu Sa'id Ahmad ibn [Muhammad ibn] al-Abbas al-Humaydi informed us (1), Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Abd Allah al-Hafiz informed us, Abu al-Abbas Muhammad ibn Yaqub dictated to us, Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-San'ani narrated to us, al-Aswad ibn Amir narrated to us, Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us from Thabit—meaning al-Bunani—from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from Suhayb, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, recited this verse: “For those who do good is the finest reward and more besides.” He said:

“When the people of Paradise enter Paradise and the people of the Fire enter the Fire, a caller will call out: ‘O people of Paradise, Allah has made you a promise which He wishes to fulfil for you.’ They will say, ‘What is this promise? (2) Has He not made our scales weighty, brightened our faces, admitted us into Paradise, and saved us from the Fire?’ He said: Then the veil will be lifted, and they will look upon the Face of Allah, glorified and exalted is He. He said: Nothing they have been given will be more beloved to them than looking upon Him.” (3)

It was also narrated from Ibn Abbas that the finest reward means that a good deed is recompensed with its like, while the increase means its multiplication from tenfold up to seven hundredfold. (4) Mujahid said: “The finest reward is one good deed for another like it, and the increase is forgiveness and divine pleasure.” (5)

“And neither will cover”: that is, neither will overshadow, “their faces any gloom”: dust, the plural of qatrah. Ibn Abbas and Qatada said: It means blackness of the face. “Nor disgrace”: that is, humiliation. Qatada said: “Dejection.” Ibn Abi Layla said: “This is after they have looked upon their Lord.” “They are the people of Paradise; they will remain there forever.”

(1) Omitted in manuscript B. (2) In manuscript B: “the appointed time.” (3) Narrated by Muslim in Kitab al-Iman, chapter: Affirming that the believers will see their Lord in the Hereafter, nos. 181-182, 1:163; and by the author in Sharh al-Sunnah, 15:230. (4) Narrated by al-Tabari from Ibn Abbas, 15:70. (5) Al-Tabari, 15:71. He said: “The soundest view is that Allah, exalted is He, promised His servants who do good, in return for their good deeds, al-husna (the finest reward): that He would reward their obedience to Him with Paradise and make their faces radiant. Along with al-husna, He promised them ziyadah (an increase) beyond it. This increase beyond admitting them to Paradise includes honoring them with the vision of Him, granting them chambers made of pearls, and increasing them in forgiveness and pleasure. All of this is among the additional gifts Allah bestows upon them beyond al-husna, which He has appointed for the people of His Gardens. Our Lord, majestic is His praise, left general, in His statement, ‘and an increase,’ the various increases beyond al-husna, without specifying one to the exclusion of another. It is not beyond Allah’s bounty to combine all of this for them; rather, all of it will be theirs, if Allah wills. Therefore, the soundest view is that it should be understood generally, just as He, mighty is His mention, stated it generally.”

﴿لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَى وَزِيَادَةٌ وَلَا يَرْهَقُ وُجُوهَهُمْ قَتَرٌ وَلَا ذِلَّةٌ أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ (٢٦) ﴾ . قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَى وَزِيَادَةٌ﴾ أَيْ: لِلَّذِينِ أَحْسَنُوا الْعَمَلَ فِي الدُّنْيَا الْحُسْنَى، وَهِيَ الْجَنَّةُ، وَزِيَادَةٌ: وَهِيَ النَّظَرُ إِلَى وَجْهِ اللَّهِ الْكَرِيمِ، هَذَا قَوْلُ جَمَاعَةٍ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ، مِنْهُمْ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ ﵁، وَحُذَيْفَةُ، وَأَبُو مُوسَى، وَعُبَادَةُ بْنُ الصَّامِتِ ﵃، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ الْحَسَنِ، وَعِكْرِمَةَ وَعَطَاءٍ، وَمُقَاتِلٍ، وَالضَّحَّاكِ، وَالسُّدِّيِّ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ [مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ] (١) الْعَبَّاسِ الْحُمَيْدِيُّ، أَنْبَأَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحَافِظُ، أَنْبَأَنَا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ إِمْلَاءً، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ الصَّنْعَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْأُسُودُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ ثَابِتٍ -يَعْنِي الْبُنَانِيَّ-عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي لَيْلَى، عَنْ صُهَيْبٍ ﵁ قَالَ: قَرَأَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ: ﴿لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا الْحُسْنَى وَزِيَادَةٌ﴾ قَالَ: إِذَا دَخَلَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَهْلُ النَّارِ النَّارَ نَادَى مُنَادٍ: يَا أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ إِنَّ لَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مَوْعِدًا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُنْجِزَكُمُوهُ، قَالُوا: مَا هَذَا الْمَوْعُودُ؟ (٢) أَلَمْ يُثَقِّلْ مَوَازِينَنَا، وَيُبَيِّضْ وُجُوهَنَا، وَيُدْخِلْنَا الْجَنَّةَ، ويُجِرْنَا مِنَ النَّارِ؟ قَالَ: فَيُرْفَعُ الْحِجَابُ فَيَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى وَجْهِ اللَّهِ ﷿. قَالَ: فَمَا أُعْطُوا شَيْئًا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّظَرِ إِلَيْهِ" (٣) . وَرُوِيَ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: أَنَّ الْحُسْنَى هِيَ: أَنَّ الْحَسَنَةَ بِمِثْلِهَا وَالزِّيَادَةَ هِيَ التَّضْعِيفُ عَشْرَ أَمْثَالِهَا إِلَى سَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ (٤) . وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: الْحُسْنَى: حَسَنَةٌ مِثْلُ حَسَنَةٍ، وَالزِّيَادَةُ الْمَغْفِرَةُ وَالرِّضْوَانُ (٥) . ﴿وَلَا يَرْهَقُ﴾ لَا يَغْشَى ﴿وُجُوهَهُمْ قَتَرٌ﴾ غُبَارٌ، جَمْعُ قَتْرَةٍ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَقَتَادَةُ: سَوَادُ الْوَجْهِ، ﴿وَلَا ذِلَّةٌ﴾ هَوَانٌ. قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: كَآبَةٌ. قَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي لَيْلَى: هَذَا بُعْدُ نَظَرِهِمْ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ. ﴿أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ﴾ .

(١) ساقط من "ب". (٢) في "ب": (الموعد) . (٣) أخرجه مسلم في الإيمان، باب إثبات رؤية المؤمنين في الآخرة ربهم ﷾، برقم (١٨١-١٨٢) : ١ / ١٦٣، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٥ / ٢٣٠. (٤) أخرجه الطبري عن ابن عباس: ١٥ / ٧٠. (٥) الطبري: ١٥ / ٧١. وقال ﵀: "وأولى الأقوال في ذلك بالصواب أن يقال: إن الله ﵎ وَعَد المحسنين من عباده على إحسانهم الحسنى، أن يجزيهم على طاعتهم إياه الجنة، وأن تبيضَّ وجوههم، ووعدهم مع الحسنى الزيادة عليها. ومن الزيادة على إدخالهم الجنة: أن يكرمهم بالنظر إليه، وأن يعطيهم غُرَفًا من لآلئ، وأن يزيدهم غفرانًا ورضوانًا. كل ذلك من زيادات عطاء الله إياهم على الحسنى التي جعلها الله لأهل جناته. وعمَّ ربنا جل ثناؤه بقوله: "وزيادة" الزيادات على "الحسنى" فلم يخصص منها شيئا دون شيء. وغير مُسْتَنْكَرٍ من فضل الله أن يجمع ذلك لهم، بل ذلك كله مجموع لهم إن شاء الله. فأولى الأقوال في ذلك بالصواب: أن يُعَمَّ، كما عمَّه عز ذكره".