Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/237)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Ibn Ishaq said: They said this only as a plot against her, so that she would show them Joseph; for his handsomeness and beauty had been described to them.

It was also said that she had confided her secret to them and asked them to keep it concealed, but they disclosed it; hence it was called plotting.

“As for her sending for them”: Wahb said: She prepared a banquet and invited forty women, among them those who had reproached her. “And she prepared for them a muttaka’”—that is, something upon which to recline.

Ibn Abbas, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, al-Hasan, Qatadah, and Mujahid said: A muttaka’ means food. It was called a muttaka’ because, when people sit down to eat, they recline upon cushions; thus food was figuratively called a muttaka’. It is said, “We reclined at so-and-so’s,” meaning, “We ate.” (1) It is also said that a muttaka’ is that upon which one reclines for drinking, conversation, or eating. (2) In an irregular recitation, it is read as matka’, with the letter ta’ unvowelled.

They differed regarding its meaning. Ibn Abbas said: “[It is citron. Mujahid is also reported to have said the same. It was also said:] (3) It is the Abyssinian word for citron.”

Al-Dahhak said: It is rabāward. (4)

Ikrimah said: It is anything that is cut with a knife.

Abu Zayd al-Ansari said: Everything cut with a knife is called matk by the Arabs. Matk and batk, with mim and ba’, mean cutting. Thus, she adorned [the banquet with varieties of] (5) fruits and foods, set out cushions, and invited the women.

“And she gave each one of them a knife”—that is, she gave them each a knife, and they were eating meat, slicing it with the knives.

“And she said” to Joseph, “Come out before them.” She had seated him in another room, and Joseph then came out before them.

Ikrimah said: Joseph’s superiority over people in beauty was like the superiority of the full moon over all the other stars.

It is reported from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “On the night I was taken by night to heaven, I saw Joseph like the full moon.” (6)

Ishaq ibn Abi Farwah said: Whenever Joseph walked through the lanes of Egypt, the radiance of his face could be seen upon the walls.

(1) In manuscript “A”: atimuna. (2) In manuscript “A”: for a drink, a conversation, or a meal. (3) Omitted from manuscript “A”. (4) In manuscript “B”: al-zamawrad. (5) In manuscript “B”: a house furnished with various kinds. (6) Ibn Hajar said in al-Kafi al-Shaf (p. 89): “Al-Tha'labi narrated it through Abu Harun al-Abdi, from Abu Sa'id. Al-Hakim, al-Bayhaqi in al-Dala'il, and Ibn Mardawayh also transmitted it at length through this route. Abu Harun al-Abdi is weak.”

قَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ إِنَّمَا قُلْنَ ذَلِكَ مَكْرًا بِهَا لِتُرِيَهُنَّ يُوسُفَ، وَكَانَ يُوصَفُ لَهُنَّ حُسْنُهُ وَجَمَالُهُ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّهَا أَفْشَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ سَرَّهَا وَاسْتَكْتَمَتْهُنَّ فَأَفْشَيْنَ ذَلِكَ، فَلِذَلِكَ سَمَّاهُ مَكْرًا. ﴿أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهِنَّ﴾ قَالَ وَهْبٌ: اتَّخَذَتْ مَأْدُبَةً، وَدَعَتْ أَرْبَعِينَ امْرَأَةً، مِنْهُنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ اللَّاتِي عَيَّرْنَهَا. ﴿وَأَعْتَدَتْ﴾ أَيْ: أَعَدَّتْ، ﴿لَهُنَّ مُتَّكَأً﴾ أَيْ: مَا يُتَّكَأُ عَلَيْهِ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَسَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ وَالْحَسَنُ وَقَتَادَةُ وَمُجَاهِدٌ: مُتَّكَأً أَيْ: طَعَامًا، سَمَّاهُ مُتَّكَأً لِأَنَّ أَهْلَ الطَّعَامِ إِذَا جَلَسُوا يَتَّكِئُونَ عَلَى الْوَسَائِدِ، فَسَمَّى الطَّعَامَ مُتَّكَأً عَلَى الِاسْتِعَارَةِ. يُقَالُ: اتَّكَأْنَا عِنْدَ فُلَانٍ أَيْ: طَعِمْنَا (١) . وَيُقَالُ: الْمُتَّكَأُ مَا اتَّكَأْتَ عَلَيْهِ لِلشُّرْبِ أَوِ الْحَدِيثِ أَوِ الطَّعَامِ (٢) ، وَيُقْرَأُ فِي الشَّوَاذِّ مَتْكَأً بِسُكُونِ التَّاءِ. وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي مَعْنَاهُ: فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: [هُوَ الْأُتْرُجُّ. وَيُرْوَى عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ مِثْلُهُ. وَقِيلَ] (٣) هُوَ الْأُتْرُجُّ بِالْحَبَشَةِ. وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: هُوَ الرَّبَاوَرْدُ (٤) . وَقَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ: هُوَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ يُقْطَعُ بِالسِّكِّينِ. وَقَالَ أَبُو زَيْدٍ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ: كُلُّ مَا يُجَزُّ بِالسِّكِّينِ فَهُوَ عِنْدَ الْعَرَبِ مُتْكٌ، وَالْمُتْكُ وَالْبُتْكُ بِالْمِيمِ وَالْبَاءِ: الْقَطْعُ، فَزَيَّنَتْ [الْمَأْدُبَةَ بِأَلْوَانِ] (٥) الْفَوَاكِهِ وَالْأَطْعِمَةِ، وَوَضَعَتِ الْوَسَائِدَ وَدَعَتِ النِّسْوَةَ. ﴿وَآتَتْ﴾ وَأَعْطَتْ، ﴿كُلَّ وَاحِدَةٍ مِنْهُنَّ سِكِّينًا﴾ فَكُنَّ يَأْكُلْنَ اللَّحْمَ حَزَّا بِالسِّكِّينِ. ﴿وَقَالَتْ﴾ لِيُوسُفَ، ﴿اخْرُجْ عَلَيْهِنَّ﴾ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهَا كَانَتْ أَجْلَسَتْهُ فِي مَجْلِسٍ آخَرَ، فَخَرَجَ عَلَيْهِنَّ يُوسُفُ. قَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ: كَانَ فَضْلُ يُوسُفَ عَلَى النَّاسِ فِي الْحُسْنِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ عَلَى سَائِرِ النُّجُومِ. وَرُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "رَأَيْتُ لَيْلَةَ أُسَرِيَ بِي إِلَى السَّمَاءِ يُوسُفَ كَالْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ" (٦) . قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ أَبِي فَرْوَةَ: كَانَ يُوسُفُ إِذَا سَارَ فِي أَزِقَّةِ مِصْرَ يُرَى تَلَأْلُؤُ وَجْهِهِ عَلَى الْجُدْرَانِ.

(١) في "أ": أطعمنا. (٢) في "أ": لشراب أو لحديث أو لطعام. (٣) ساقط من "أ". (٤) في "ب": الزماورد. (٥) في "ب": بيتا بأنواع. (٦) قال ابن حجر في "الكافي الشاف" ص (٨٩) : "رواه الثعلبي من رواية أبي هارون العبدي عن أبي سعيد. وأخرجه الحاكم والبيهقي في الدلائل، وابن مردويه من هذا الوجه مطولا، وأبو هارون العبدي ضعيف".