Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/201)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

It was also said: “Except as your Lord wills” refers, for both groups, to the span of their lives in this world and their confinement in the barzakh between death and resurrection, before they reach Paradise or the Fire. That is, they will abide forever in Paradise or the Fire, apart from this period.

It was also said that “except as your Lord wills” means: apart from what your Lord wills—that is, abiding therein as long as the heavens and the earth endure, apart from what your Lord wills (1): namely, an additional duration beyond the measure of the heavens’ and earth’s endurance. This is what abiding forever therein means. It is like saying, “I owe so-and-so one thousand, apart from the two thousand,” meaning: besides the two thousand previously mentioned.

It was also said that “except” has the meaning of “and”: that is, your Lord has willed that these people abide forever in the Fire and those people abide forever in Paradise. This is like His saying: “So that the people will have no argument against you, nor will those who have wronged.” (al-Baqarah 150)

It was also said that its meaning is: Even if your Lord willed, He could bring them out of it; but He does not will to do so, for He has decreed that they shall abide therein forever.

Al-Farra’ said: This is an exception Allah has mentioned but will not carry out, like your saying, “By Allah, I shall strike you unless I see otherwise,” while you are resolved to strike him. (2)

“Indeed, your Lord is Doer of whatever He wills.”

“And as for those who were blessed, they will be in Paradise, abiding therein as long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills—an uninterrupted gift.” (108)

Regarding His saying, “And as for those who were blessed”: Hamzah, al-Kisa’i, and Hafs read it as “were granted blessedness,” with a u-vowel on the first consonant [and an i-vowel on the second], meaning that they were granted felicity. The forms “was blessed” and “was granted blessedness” have one and the same meaning. The others read it with an a-vowel on the first consonant, by analogy with “were wretched.”

“As long as the heavens and the earth endure, except as your Lord wills”: Al-Dahhak said: “Except for the time they remained in the Fire until they were admitted into Paradise.” Qatadah said: “Allah knows best the meaning of His exception.”

“An uninterrupted gift”: that is, one that will not be cut off. Ibn Zayd said: Allah, exalted is He, has informed us of what He wills for the people of Paradise, saying, “an uninterrupted gift”; but He has not informed us of what He wills for the people of the Fire.

(1) Omitted in manuscript B. (2) Al-Tabari said: “The soundest interpretation of this verse is the view we cited from Qatada and al-Dahhak: namely, that this is an exception concerning the people of tawhid (monotheism) among those guilty of major sins. They will enter the Fire, abiding therein forever, except insofar as He wills that they remain there for less than that; then He will bring them out and admit them into Paradise. We deemed this view the soundest because Allah, exalted is His praise, has threatened the people of shirk (associating partners with Allah) with eternal abiding in the Fire, and the reports from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, unanimously affirm this. Thus, the exception cannot concern the people of shirk. Moreover, reports from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, have been mass-transmitted that Allah will admit into the Fire some believers on account of sins they committed, then bring them out of it and admit them into Paradise. Therefore, in light of the authentic reports mentioned, the exception cannot refer to the people of tawhid before their entering it. Were we to understand it as such an exception, we would be adopting the view of those who say, ‘No sinful transgressor enters Paradise, and no believer enters the Fire.’ This contradicts the position of the scholars and the reports transmitted from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Since these two interpretations are invalid, no view held by the authoritative scholars remains except the third one”—that is, this preponderant view. See al-Tabari, 15:484-485.

وَقِيلَ: إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ مِنَ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ مِنْ تَعْمِيرِهِمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَاحْتِبَاسِهِمْ فِي الْبَرْزَخِ مَا بَيْنَ الْمَوْتِ وَالْبَعْثِ، قَبْلَ مَصِيرِهِمْ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ أَوِ النَّارِ. يَعْنِي: هُمْ خَالِدُونَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَوِ النَّارِ إِلَّا هَذَا الْمِقْدَارَ. وَقِيلَ: إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ: سِوَى مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ، [مَعْنَاهُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ما دامت السموات وَالْأَرْضُ سِوَى مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ] (١) . مِنَ الزِّيَادَةِ عَلَى قَدْرِ مدة بقاء السموات وَالْأَرْضِ، وَذَلِكَ هُوَ الْخُلُودُ فِيهَا، كَمَا تَقُولُ: لِفُلَانٍ عَلِيَّ أَلْفٌ إِلَّا الْأَلْفَيْنِ، أَيْ: سِوَى الْأَلْفَيْنِ اللَّتَيْنِ تَقَدَّمَتَا. وَقِيلَ: إِلَّا بِمَعْنَى الْوَاوِ، أَيْ: وَقَدْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ خُلُودَ هَؤُلَاءِ فِي النَّارِ وَهَؤُلَاءِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، كَقَوْلِهِ: ﴿لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَيْكُمْ حُجَّةٌ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا﴾ (الْبَقَرَةِ -١٥٠) ، أَيْ: وَلَا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا. وَقِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَأَخْرَجَهُمْ مِنْهَا وَلَكِنَّهُ لَا يَشَاءُ أَنَّهُ حُكْمٌ لَهُمْ بِالْخُلُودِ. قَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ: هَذَا الِاسْتِثْنَاءُ اسْتَثْنَاهُ اللَّهُ وَلَا يَفْعَلُهُ، كَقَوْلِكَ: وَاللَّهِ لَأَضْرِبَنَّكَ إِلَّا أَنْ أَرَى غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ، وَعَزِيمَتُكَ أَنْ تَضْرِبَهُ (٢) . ﴿إِنَّ رَبَّكَ فَعَّالٌ لِمَا يُرِيدُ﴾ . ﴿وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ سُعِدُوا فَفِي الْجَنَّةِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ عَطَاءً غَيْرَ مَجْذُوذٍ (١٠٨) ﴾ . ﴿وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ سُعِدُوا﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ وَحَفْصٌ ﴿سُعِدُوا﴾ بِضَمِّ السِّينِ [وَكَسْرِ الْعَيْنِ] ، أَيْ: رُزِقُوا السَّعَادَةَ، وَسُعِدَ وَأُسْعِدَ بِمَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ. وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِفَتْحِ السِّينِ قِيَاسًا عَلَى "شَقُوا". ﴿فَفِي الْجَنَّةِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا مَا دَامَتِ السَّموَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ رَبُّكَ﴾ قَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: إِلَّا مَا مَكَثُوا فِي النَّارِ حَتَّى أُدْخِلُوا الْجَنَّةَ. قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِثُنْيَاهُ. ﴿عَطَاءً غَيْرَ مَجْذُوذٍ﴾ أَيْ غَيْرَ مَقْطُوعٍ. قَالَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ: أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِالَّذِي يَشَاءُ لِأَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، فَقَالَ: ﴿عَطَاءً غَيْرَ مَجْذُوذٍ﴾ وَلَمْ يُخْبِرْنَا بِالَّذِي يَشَاءُ لِأَهْلِ النَّارِ.

(١) ساقط من (ب) . (٢) قال الطبري ﵀: وأولى الأقوال في تأويل هذه الآية بالصواب، القول الذي ذكرناه عن قتادة والضحاك: من أن ذلك استثناء في أهل التوحيد من أهل الكبائر، أنه يدخلهم النار خالدين فيها أبدا، إلا ما شاء من تركهم فيها أقل من ذلك، ثم يخرجهم فيدخلهم الجنة. وإنما قلنا ذلك أولى الأقوال بالصحة في ذلك: لأن الله جل ثناؤه أوعد أهل الشرك به الخلود في النار، وتظاهرت بذلك الأخبار عن رسول الله ﷺ، فغير جائز أن يكون استناء في أهل الشرك، وأن الأخبار قد تواترت عن رسول الله ﷺ أن الله يدخل قوما من أهل الإيمان بذنوب أصابوها النار، ثم يخرجهم منها فيدخلهم الجنة. فغير جائز أن يكون ذلك استثناء في أهل التوحيد قبل دخولها، مع صحة الأخبار عن رسول الله ﷺ بما ذكرنا = وإنا إن جعلناه استثناء في ذلك كنا قد دخلنا في قول من يقول: "لا يدخل الجنة فاسق، ولا النار مؤمن" وذلك خلاف مذهب أهل العلم، وما جاءت به الأخبار عن رسول الله ﷺ فإذا فسد هذان الوجهان، فلا قول قال به القدوة من أهل العلم، إلا الثالث -أي هذا الراجح- انظر: الطبري: ١٥ / ٤٨٤-٤٨٥.