Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/173)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Or do they say, ‘He has fabricated it’? Say, ‘If I have fabricated it, then upon me is the burden of my sin; but I am innocent of the sins you commit.’ (35)

“And it was revealed to Noah: ‘None of your people will believe except those who have already believed. So do not grieve over what they have been doing. (36) Build the Ark under Our watchful eyes and according to Our revelation, and do not plead with Me concerning those who have wronged; they will surely be drowned.’” (37)

“Or do they say, ‘He has fabricated it’?” Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: This refers to Noah, peace be upon him. Muqatil said: It refers to Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. “Say, ‘If I have fabricated it, then upon me is the burden of my sin’”—that is, my sin and the evil consequence of my offence. Sinning is the commission of a sin. “But I am innocent of the sins you commit”: I will not be held accountable for your sins.

Allah the Exalted says: “And it was revealed to Noah: ‘None of your people will believe except those who have already believed.’” Al-Dahhak narrated from Ibn Abbas that Noah’s people used to beat Noah, peace be upon him, until he collapsed. They would wrap him in a felt covering and cast him into the depths of a house, thinking that he had died; then, on the following day, he would emerge and call them to Allah.

It is related that an elderly man among them came leaning upon a staff, accompanied by his son. He said, “My son, do not let this mad old man deceive you.” The son said to him, “Father, let me have the staff.” He took the staff from his father and struck Noah so severely that he inflicted upon him a dreadful head wound. Then Allah revealed to him: “None of your people will believe except those who have already believed.” “So do not grieve,” that is, do not be sorrowful, “over what they have been doing,” for I shall destroy them and save you from them. At that point Noah prayed against them, saying, “My Lord, do not leave upon the earth a single inhabitant from among the disbelievers.” (Noah 26)

Muhammad ibn Ishaq related from Ubayd ibn Umayr al-Laythi that it had reached him that they used to assault Noah and strangle him until he lost consciousness. Whenever he regained consciousness, he would say, “My Lord, forgive my people, for they do not know.” Then, when they persisted in disobedience, their persecution of him became severe, and he watched generation after generation pass, with no generation coming except that it was more wicked than the one before it. Indeed, the later ones among them would say, “This man was like this among our fathers and grandfathers: mad, and they accepted nothing from him.” So he complained to Allah the Exalted, saying, 174/b, “My Lord, indeed I have called my people night and day,” until he said, “My Lord, do not leave upon the earth a single inhabitant from among the disbelievers.” Then Allah the Exalted revealed to him:

“Build the Ark under Our watchful eyes.” Ibn Abbas said: within Our sight. Muqatil said: with Our knowledge. It was also said: under Our protection.

(1) Labad means wool. It is said, “He has neither sabad nor labad,” meaning that he has neither hair nor wool; that is, he possesses neither little nor much. (2) Al-Suyuti attributed it to Ishaq ibn Bishr and Ibn Asakir, on the authority of Ibn Abbas, 4:417. Reports uniquely transmitted by Ibn Asakir and those like him are weak. (3) See al-Tabari, 15:313-314. It is also found in al-Tabari’s Tarikh, 1:92-93.

﴿أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ قُلْ إِنِ افْتَرَيْتُهُ فَعَلَيَّ إِجْرَامِي وَأَنَا بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا تُجْرِمُونَ (٣٥) وَأُوحِيَ إِلَى نُوحٍ أَنَّهُ لَنْ يُؤْمِنَ مِنْ قَوْمِكَ إِلَّا مَنْ قَدْ آمَنَ فَلَا تَبْتَئِسْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ (٣٦) وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا وَوَحْيِنَا وَلَا تُخَاطِبْنِي فِي الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا إِنَّهُمْ مُغْرَقُونَ (٣٧) ﴾ . ﴿أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄: يَعْنِي نُوحًا ﵇. وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: يَعْنِي مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ. ﴿قُلْ إِنِ افْتَرَيْتُهُ فَعَلَيَّ إِجْرَامِي﴾ أَيْ: إِثْمِي وَوَبَالُ جُرْمِي. وَالْإِجْرَامُ: كَسْبُ الذَّنْبِ. ﴿وَأَنَا بَرِيءٌ مِمَّا تُجْرِمُونَ﴾ لَا أُؤَاخِذُ بِذُنُوبِكُمْ. قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَأُوحِيَ إِلَى نُوحٍ أَنَّهُ لَنْ يُؤْمِنَ مِنْ قَوْمِكَ إِلَّا مَنْ قَدْ آمَنَ﴾ رَوَى الضَّحَّاكُ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: أَنَّ قَوْمَ نُوحٍ ﵇ كَانُوا يَضْرِبُونَ نُوحًا حَتَّى يَسْقُطَ، فَيُلْقُونَهُ فِي لَبَدٍ (١) وَيُلْقُونَهُ فِي قَعْرِ بَيْتٍ، يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُ قَدْ مَاتَ فَيَخْرُجُ فِي الْيَوْمِ الثَّانِي وَيَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى اللَّهِ ﷿. رُوِيَ أَنَّ شَيْخًا مِنْهُمْ جَاءَ يَتَوَكَّأُ عَلَى عَصَا، وَمَعَهُ ابْنُهُ، فَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ لَا يَغُرَّنَّكَ هَذَا الشَّيْخُ الْمَجْنُونُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا أَبَتِ أَمْكِنِّي مِنَ الْعَصَا، فَأَخَذَ الْعَصَا مِنْ أَبِيهِ، فَضَرَبَ نُوحًا حَتَّى شَجَّهُ شَجَّةً مُنْكَرَةً، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ ﷿ إِلَيْهِ (٢) ﴿أَنَّهُ لَنْ يُؤْمِنَ مِنْ قَوْمِكَ إِلَّا مَنْ قَدْ آمَنَ﴾ ﴿فَلَا تَبْتَئِسْ﴾ أَيْ: فَلَا تَحْزَنْ، ﴿بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ﴾ فَإِنِّي مُهْلِكُهُمْ وَمُنْقِذُكَ مِنْهُمْ فَحِينَئِذٍ دَعَا نوح عليهم: " فقال رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ دَيَّارًا " (نُوحٍ -٢٦) . وَحَكَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ اللَّيْثِيِّ أَنَّهُ بَلَغَهُ (٣) أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَبْطِشُونَ بِهِ فَيَخْنُقُونَهُ حَتَّى يُغْشَى عَلَيْهِ، فَإِذَا أَفَاقَ قَالَ: رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِقَوْمِي فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ، حَتَّى إِذَا تَمَادَوْا فِي الْمَعْصِيَةِ وَاشْتَدَّ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهُمُ الْبَلَاءُ، وَانْتَظَرَ الْجِيلَ بَعْدَ الْجِيلِ فَلَا يَأْتِي قَرْنٌ إِلَّا كَانَ أَخْبَثَ مِنَ الَّذِي قَبِلَهُ حَتَّى إِنْ كَانَ الْآخَرُ مِنْهُمْ لَيَقُولُ: قَدْ كَانَ هَذَا مَعَ آبَائِنَا وَأَجْدَادِنَا هَكَذَا مَجْنُونًا لَا يَقْبَلُونَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا، فَشَكَا إِلَى اللَّهِ تعالى فقال: ١٧٤/ب " رَبِّ إِنِّي دَعَوْتُ قَوْمِي لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا " إِلَى أَنْ قَالَ: " رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ مِنَ الْكَافِرِينَ دَيَّارًا "، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ: ﴿وَاصْنَعِ الْفُلْكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ بِمَرْأًى مِنَّا. وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: بِعِلْمِنَا. وَقِيلَ: بِحِفْظِنَا.

(١) اللَّبَد: الصوف، ويقال: ماله سَبَدٌ ولا لَبَدٌ: لا شعر له ولا صوف. أي: ماله قليل ولا كثير. (٢) عزاه السيوطي لإسحاق بن بشر وابن عساكر عن ابن عباس: ٤ / ٤١٧، وما ينفرد به ابن عساكر وأمثاله: ضعيف. (٣) انظر: الطبري: ١٥ / ٣١٣-٣١٤، وهو أيضا في التاريخ للطبري: ١ / ٩٢-٩٣.