Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/220)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Then, when they took him away and resolved to put him into the depths of the well, We inspired him: ‘You will surely inform them of this deed of theirs while they are unaware.’” (15)

“Send him with us tomorrow” to the open country, “so that he may roam freely and play.” Abu Amr and Ibn Amir recited both verbs in the first-person plural—nartaʿ (“that we may roam freely”) and nalʿab (“and play”)—with the final consonant of nartaʿ in the jussive form. The Kufan reciters read both in the third-person singular—yartaʿ (“that he may roam freely”) and yalʿab (“and play”)—with the final consonant of yartaʿ in the jussive form, referring to Joseph. Yaqub recited nartaʿ in the first-person plural and yalʿab in the third-person singular.

Ratʿ means having free scope for enjoyment and pleasure. One says that a man indulges freely in his wealth when he spends it on his desires. That is, “We will enjoy ourselves, eat and drink, amuse ourselves, and be active.”

The people of the Hijaz recited yartaʿ with an i-vowel on its middle consonant. It is a form on the yaftaʿilu pattern (1), derived from tending livestock.

Ibn Kathir then recited both verbs in the first-person plural; that is, “We will keep watch over one another, and some of us will protect the others.”

Abu Jafar and Nafi recited them in the third-person singular, reporting about Joseph: that he would tend the livestock as we tend them.

“And we will surely guard him well.” 180/a

Jacob said to them, “Indeed, it grieves me that you should take him away,” meaning, your taking him away saddens me. Here, grief is the pain felt in the heart at being separated from one who is loved. “And I fear that the wolf may eat him while you are heedless of him.” This was because Jacob had seen in a dream that a wolf attacked Joseph, and he feared this; hence, he made this statement (2).

They said, “If the wolf were to eat him while we are a strong band”—that is, ten men—“then we would surely be losers,” meaning feeble and incapable.

Then, when they took him away and resolved—that is, determined—to put him, meaning to cast him, into the depths of the well, and “We inspired him”

(1) In manuscript A: taf'il (causative verbal form). (2) Ibn Atiyya regarded this view as weak, since if Jacob had seen this, it would have constituted revelation. Either he would have acted upon its apparent meaning, which did not occur, or, due to his knowledge of dream interpretation, he would have recognized the meaning of such a vision and would have stated his concern explicitly. Unless, that is, his words, “I fear that the wolf may devour him,” mean: “I fear that something like what I saw concerning the wolf may befall him”; but this is far-fetched. Likewise, al-Rabi ibn Duba al-Fazari said: “I fear the wolf if I pass by it alone, and I fear the wind and rain.” He singled it out because it was the common beast of his region. It is also possible that Jacob singled it out because of Joseph’s young age; that is, he feared for him even from this relatively insignificant creature, let alone from what was more dangerous. Al-Rabi likewise singled it out in the preceding verse because of its insignificance and weakness among animals. See: Al-Muharrar al-Wajiz, 4:450-451; Al-Bahr al-Muhit, 5:286.

﴿فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُوا بِهِ وَأَجْمَعُوا أَنْ يَجْعَلُوهُ فِي غَيَابَةِ الْجُبِّ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ لَتُنَبِّئَنَّهُمْ بِأَمْرِهِمْ هَذَا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ (١٥) ﴾ . ﴿أَرْسِلْهُ مَعَنَا غَدًا﴾ إِلَى الصَّحْرَاءِ، ﴿يَرْتَعْ وَيَلْعَبْ﴾ قَرَأَ أَبُو عَمْرٍو، وَابْنُ عَامِرٍ، بِالنُّونِ فِيهِمَا وَجَزْمِ الْعَيْنِ مِنْ "نَرْتَعْ" وَقَرَأَ أَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ بِالْيَاءِ فِيهِمَا وَجَزْمِ الْعَيْنِ مِنْ "يَرْتَعْ" يَعْنِي يُوسُفَ، وَقَرَأَ يَعْقُوبُ: "نَرْتَعْ" بِالنُّونِ "وَيَلْعَبْ" بِالْيَاءِ. وَالرَّتْعُ هُوَ: الِاتِّسَاعُ فِي الْمَلَاذِ. يُقَالُ: رَتَعَ فُلَانٌ فِي مَالِهِ إِذَا أَنْفَقَهُ فِي شَهَوَاتِهِ، يُرِيدُ وَنَتَنَعَّمُ وَنَأْكُلُ وَنَشْرَبُ وَنَلْهُو وَنَنْشَطُ. وَقَرَأَ أَهْلُ الْحِجَازِ: ﴿يَرْتَعْ﴾ بِكَسْرِ الْعَيْنِ، وَهُوَ [يَفْتَعِلُ] (١) مِنَ الرَّعْيِ. ثُمَّ ابْنُ كَثِيرٍ قَرَأَ بِالنُّونِ فِيهِمَا أَيْ: نَتَحَارَسُ وَيَحْفَظُ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا. وَقَرَأَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ وَنَافِعٌ بِالْيَاءِ إِخْبَارًا عَنْ يُوسُفَ، أَيْ: يَرْعَى الْمَاشِيَةَ كَمَا نَرْعَى نَحْنُ. ﴿وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ﴾ ١٨٠/أ ﴿قَالَ﴾ لَهُمْ يَعْقُوبُ، ﴿إِنِّي لَيَحْزُنُنِي أَنْ تَذْهَبُوا بِهِ﴾ أَيْ: يُحْزِنُنِي ذَهَابُكُمْ بِهِ، وَالْحُزْنُ هَا هُنَا: أَلَمُ الْقَلْبِ بِفِرَاقِ الْمَحْبُوبِ، ﴿وَأَخَافُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَأَنْتُمْ عَنْهُ غَافِلُونَ﴾ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ يَعْقُوبَ كَانَ رَأَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنَّ ذِئْبًا شَدَّ عَلَى يُوسُفَ، فَكَانَ يَخَافُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، فَمِنْ ثَمَّ قَالَ هَذِهِ الْمَقَالَةَ (٢) . ﴿قَالُوا لَئِنْ أَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ﴾ عَشَرَةٌ، ﴿إِنَّا إِذًا لَخَاسِرُونَ﴾ عَجَزَةٌ ضُعَفَاءُ. ﴿فَلَمَّا ذَهَبُوا بِهِ وَأَجْمَعُوا﴾ أَيْ: عَزَمُوا، ﴿أَنْ يَجْعَلُوهُ﴾ يُلْقُوهُ، ﴿فِي غَيَابَةِ الْجُبِّ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ﴾

(١) في "أ": تفعيل. (٢) ضعف ابن عطية هذا القول، لأن يعقوب لو رأى ذلك لكان وحيا، فإما أن يخرج على وجهه وذلك لم يكن، وإما أن يعرف يعقوب لمعرفته بالعبارة مثل هذا المرئي، فكان يتشكاه بعينه، اللهم إلا أن يكون قوله "أخاف أن يأكله الذئب" بمعنى أخاف أن يصيبه مثل ما رأيت من أمر الذئب، وهذا بعيد. وكذلك يقول الربيع بن ضبع الفزاري: والذئبَ أخشاه إن مَرَرْتُ به ... وَحْدِي وأَخْشَى الريحَ والمطرا إنما خصصه لأنه كان حيوان قطره العادي. ويحتمل أن يخصصه يعقوب ﵇ لصغر سن يوسف، أي: أخاف عليه هذا الحقير فما فوقه. وكذلك خصصه الربيع في البيت السابق لحقارته وضعفه في الحيوان. انظر: المحرر الوجيز: ٤ / ٤٥٠-٤٥١، البحر المحيط: ٥ / ٢٨٦.