Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/209)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Surah Yusuf

(Surah Yusuf, peace be upon him, is Meccan. (1))

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.

“Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the verses of the clear Book. Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran so that you may understand. We relate to you the finest of narratives through Our revealing to you this Quran, though before this you were among those unaware.”

“Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the verses of the clear Book”: that is, the Book whose lawful and unlawful matters, limits, and rulings are clear. Qatadah said: “By Allah, clear are its blessing, its guidance, and its right direction.” Thus, it derives from bāna, meaning “to become manifest.”

Al-Zajjaj said: “It makes truth distinct from falsehood and what is lawful from what is unlawful.” Thus, it derives from abāna, in the sense of “to make manifest.”

“Indeed, We have sent it down,” meaning the Book, “as an Arabic Quran so that you may understand”: that is, We sent it down in your language so that you may know its meanings and understand what it contains.

“We relate to you”: that is, We recite to you “the finest of narratives.” The narrator is one who follows (2) the traces and conveys an account exactly as it occurred.

That is, We set forth for you the accounts of the former nations and bygone generations in the finest manner.

(1) Ibn Abbas and Qatadah said: “It is Makkan, except for three verses at its beginning.” Al-Qurtubi reports from them: “except for four verses.” See Al-Bahr al-Muhit, 5/277; al-Qurtubi, 9/118. (2) In manuscript B: yatatabba'u (he traces/follows).

سُورَةِ يُوسُفَ (سُورَةُ يُوسُفَ ﵇ مَكِّيَّةٌ (١)) بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿الر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ (١) إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ (٢) نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ بِمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الْغَافِلِينَ (٣) ﴾ . ﴿الر تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ﴾ أَيِ: الْبَيِّنُ حَلَالُهُ وَحَرَامُهُ، وَحُدُودُهُ وَأَحْكَامُهُ. قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: مُبِينٌ -وَاللَّهِ-بَرَكَتُهُ وَهُدَاهُ وَرُشْدُهُ، فَهَذَا مِنْ بَانَ أَيْ: ظَهَرَ. وَقَالَ الزَّجَّاجُ: مُبَيِّنٌ الْحَقَّ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ وَالْحَلَّالَ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ، فَهَذَا مِنْ أَبَانَ بِمَعْنَى أَظْهَرَ. ﴿إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْكِتَابَ، ﴿قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ﴾ أَيْ: أَنْزَلْنَاهُ بِلُغَتِكُمْ، لِكَيْ تَعْلَمُوا مَعَانِيَهُ، وَتَفْهَمُوا مَا فِيهِ. ﴿نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ﴾ أَيْ: نَقْرَأُ عَلَيْكَ ﴿أَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ﴾ وَالْقَاصُّ هُوَ الَّذِي يَتْبَعُ (٢) الْآثَارَ وَيَأْتِي بِالْخَبَرِ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ. مَعْنَاهُ: نُبَيِّنُ لَكَ أَخْبَارَ الْأُمَمِ السَّالِفَةِ وَالْقُرُونِ الْمَاضِيَةِ أَحْسَنَ الْبَيَانِ.

(١) قال ابن عباس وقتادة: مكية، إلا ثلاث آيات من أولها، ونقل القرطبي عنهما: إلا أربع آيات. انظر: البحر المحيط: ٥ / ٢٧٧، القرطبي: ٩ / ١١٨. (٢) في "ب": يتتبع.