Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/197)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

They said, “O Shu'ayb, we do not understand much of what you say, and indeed we see you as weak among us. Were it not for your clan, we would surely have stoned you to death, and you are not mighty against us.” (91)

He said, “O my people, is my clan mightier to you than Allah, while you have cast Him behind your backs? Indeed, my Lord encompasses all that you do. (92)

“And, O my people, continue acting according to your position; indeed, I too am acting. You will come to know to whom will come a punishment that will disgrace him, and who is the liar. And wait; indeed, I am waiting with you.” (93)

Then, when Our command came, We saved Shu'ayb and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us; and the Blast seized those who had wronged, so they lay dead in their homes. (94)

“They said, ‘O Shu'ayb, we do not understand’: that is, we do not comprehend ‘much of what you say, and indeed we see you as weak among us.’ This was because he was blind, and they meant weakness of sight. (1) ‘Were it not for your clan’: that is, your kinsmen. He enjoyed the protection of his people. ‘We would surely have stoned you to death’: that is, we would have killed you. Stoning is the most hideous form of killing. ‘And you are not mighty against us’: that is, in our estimation.

‘O my people, is my clan mightier to you than Allah?’ That is, does the standing of my clan inspire greater awe in you than Allah? In other words, if you refrain from killing me out of regard for my clan, then it is more fitting that you protect me out of regard for Allah. ‘While you have cast Him behind your backs’: that is, you have cast Allah’s command behind your backs and abandoned it. ‘Indeed, my Lord encompasses all that you do.’

‘And, O my people, continue acting according to your position’: that is, according to your composure and secure standing. It is said, “So-and-so acts according to his position,” when he acts with composure and confidence. ‘Indeed, I too am acting’: according to my own secure standing. ‘You will come to know’ which of us has wronged himself and erred in his conduct. This is the meaning of His saying: ‘to whom will come a punishment that will disgrace him’: that is, humiliate him; ‘and who is the liar.’ It has been said that “who” is in the accusative position, meaning: you will come to know the liar. It has also been said that it is in the nominative position; its intended meaning is: whoever is a liar will come to know his own lie and taste the evil consequence of his affair. ‘And wait’: that is, await the punishment. ‘Indeed, I am waiting with you’: that is, waiting.

‘Then, when Our command came, We saved Shu'ayb and those who believed with him by a mercy from Us; and the Blast seized those who had wronged.’ It has been said that Gabriel, peace be upon him, cried out at them with a single cry, and their souls departed. It has also been said that a blast came upon them from the sky and destroyed them. ‘So they lay dead in their homes’: that is, dead.

(1) Ibn Atiyyah said: “This is weak and cannot serve as evidence for the weakness of his eyesight or body. What they apparently meant by ‘weak’ was that he lacked the ability and power to defend himself, while his disbelieving clan showed regard for him.” Abu Ruq said: “Allah did not send any prophet who was blind or afflicted with a disabling chronic condition.” See al-Muharrar al-Wajiz, 7:384; al-Bahr al-Muhit, 5:256.

﴿قَالُوا يَا شُعَيْبُ مَا نَفْقَهُ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا تَقُولُ وَإِنَّا لَنَرَاكَ فِينَا ضَعِيفًا وَلَوْلَا رَهْطُكَ لَرَجَمْنَاكَ وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْنَا بِعَزِيزٍ (٩١) قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ أَرَهْطِي أَعَزُّ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاتَّخَذْتُمُوهُ وَرَاءَكُمْ ظِهْرِيًّا إِنَّ رَبِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ (٩٢) وَيَا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمْ إِنِّي عَامِلٌ سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ مَنْ يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ وَمَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ وَارْتَقِبُوا إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ (٩٣) وَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ (٩٤) ﴾ . ﴿قَالُوا يَا شُعَيْبُ مَا نَفْقَهُ﴾ مَا نَفْهَمُ، ﴿كَثِيرًا مِمَّا تَقُولُ وَإِنَّا لَنَرَاكَ فِينَا ضَعِيفًا﴾ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ ضَرِيرَ الْبَصَرِ، فَأَرَادُوا ضَعْفَ الْبَصَرِ (١) ، ﴿وَلَوْلَا رَهْطُكَ﴾ عَشِيرَتُكَ وَكَانَ فِي مَنَعَةٍ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ، ﴿لَرَجَمْنَاكَ﴾ لَقَتَلْنَاكَ. وَالرَّجْمُ: أَقْبَحُ الْقَتْلِ. ﴿وَمَا أَنْتَ عَلَيْنَا﴾ عِنْدَنَا، ﴿بِعَزِيزٍ﴾ . ﴿يَا قَوْمِ أَرَهْطِي أَعَزُّ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ﴾ أَيْ: مَكَانُ رَهْطِي أَهْيَبُ عِنْدَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ، أَيْ: إِنْ تَرَكْتُمْ قَتْلِي لِمَكَانِ رَهْطِي فَالْأَوْلَى أَنْ تَحْفَظُونِي فِي اللَّهِ. ﴿وَاتَّخَذْتُمُوهُ وَرَاءَكُمْ ظِهْرِيًّا﴾ أَيْ: نَبَذْتُمْ أَمْرَ اللَّهِ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِكُمْ وَتَرَكْتُمُوهُ، ﴿إِنَّ رَبِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ مُحِيطٌ﴾ . ﴿وَيَا قَوْمِ اعْمَلُوا عَلَى مَكَانَتِكُمْ﴾ أَيْ: عَلَى تُؤَدَتِكُمْ وَتَمَكُّنِكُمْ. يُقَالُ: فُلَانٌ يَعْمَلُ عَلَى مَكَانَتِهِ إِذَا عَمِلَ عَلَى تُؤَدَةٍ وَتَمَكُّنٍ. ﴿إِنِّي عَامِلٌ﴾ عَلَى تَمَكُّنِي، ﴿سَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ﴾ أَيَّنَا الْجَانِي عَلَى نَفْسِهِ، وَالْمُخْطِئُ فِي فِعْلِهِ، فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ: ﴿مَنْ يَأْتِيهِ عَذَابٌ يُخْزِيهِ﴾ يُذِلُّهُ ﴿وَمَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ﴾ قِيلَ: "مَنْ" فِي مَحَلِّ النَّصْبِ، أَيْ: فَسَوْفَ تَعْلَمُونَ الْكَاذِبَ. وَقِيلَ: مَحَلُّهُ رَفْعٌ، تَقْدِيرُهُ: وَمَنْ هُوَ كَاذِبٌ يَعْلَمُ كَذِبَهُ وَيَذُوقُ وَبَالَ أَمْرِهِ. ﴿وَارْتَقِبُوا﴾ وَانْتَظِرُوا الْعَذَابَ ﴿إِنِّي مَعَكُمْ رَقِيبٌ﴾ مُنْتَظِرٌ. ﴿وَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّيْحَةُ﴾ قِيلَ: إِنَّ جِبْرِيلَ ﵇ صَاحَ بِهِمْ صَيْحَةً فَخَرَجَتْ أَرْوَاحُهُمْ. وَقِيلَ: أَتَتْهُمْ صَيْحَةٌ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُمْ. ﴿فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ﴾ مَيِّتِينَ.

(١) قال ابن عطية ﵀: وهذا ضعيف لا تقوم عليه حجة، بضعف بصره أو بدنه، والظاهر من قولهم: "ضعيفا" أنه ضعيف الانتصار والقدرة، وأن رهطه الكفرة كانوا يراعون فيه. وقال أبو روق: إن الله لم يبعث نبيا أعمى، ولا نبيا به زمانة. انظر: المحرر الوجيز: ٧ / ٣٨٤، البحر المحيط: ٥ / ٢٥٦.