Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/243)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“You worship nothing besides Him but mere names that you and your forefathers have given them. Allah has sent down no authority for them. Judgment belongs to Allah alone. He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the upright religion, but most people do not know. (40)

“My fellow prisoners, as for one of you, he will pour wine for his master; but as for the other, he will be crucified, and birds will eat from his head. The matter concerning which you both inquire has been decreed. (41)

“And he said to the one whom he knew would be saved of the two: ‘Mention me to your master.’ But Satan caused him to forget to mention him to his master, so he remained in prison for several years. (42)”

“You worship nothing besides Him”: that is, besides Allah. Although the address began with two people, the plural form is used because he intended all the inmates of the prison and everyone in a condition like theirs among the people of polytheism (1). “But mere names that you and your forefathers have given them”: that is, names such as gods and lords, devoid of any real meaning; those names have no true reality. “Allah has sent down no authority for them”: that is, no proof or evidence. “Judgment belongs to Allah alone”: that is, judgment, command, and prohibition belong only to Allah. “He has commanded that you worship none but Him. That is the upright religion”: that is, the straight religion. “But most people do not know.” He then interpreted their dreams, saying: “My fellow prisoners, as for one of you.”

“My fellow prisoners, as for one of you”—namely, the cupbearer—“he will pour wine for his master,” meaning the king (2). The three clusters represented the three days that he would remain in prison; then, after three days (3), the king would summon him and restore him to the position he had previously held. “But as for the other”—meaning the food-bearer—the king would summon him after three days. The three baskets represented the three days (4) that he would remain in prison; then he would bring him out: “he will be crucified, and birds will eat from his head.”

Ibn Mas'ud said: When they heard Joseph’s words, they said, “We did not see anything; we were only joking.” Joseph said: “The matter concerning which you both inquire has been decreed” (5). That is, the matter about which you are asking has been settled, and Allah’s decree concerning you both—which I have informed you of—has become binding, whether you saw the dreams or did not see them.

“And he said”—that is, Joseph at that point—“to the one whom he knew would be saved of the two,” namely the cupbearer: “Mention me to your master,” meaning your master, the king, and tell him: “There is a young man in prison who has been confined unjustly, and whose imprisonment has been long.”

(1) Omitted from manuscript "B". (2) The text within parentheses is omitted from manuscript "B". (3) In manuscript "B": three. (4) In manuscript "B": three. (5) Al-Suyuti, in Al-Durr al-Manthur, 4:540, attributed it to Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn Jarir, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Abu al-Shaykh.

﴿مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (٤٠) يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ خَمْرًا وَأَمَّا الْآخَرُ فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِنْ رَأْسِهِ قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ الَّذِي فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ (٤١) وَقَالَ لِلَّذِي ظَنَّ أَنَّهُ نَاجٍ مِنْهُمَا اذْكُرْنِي عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ فَأَنْسَاهُ الشَّيْطَانُ ذِكْرَ رَبِّهِ فَلَبِثَ فِي السِّجْنِ بِضْعَ سِنِينَ (٤٢) ﴾ . ﴿مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ﴾ أَيْ: مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ، وَإِنَّمَا ذُكِرَ بِلَفْظِ الْجَمْعِ وَقَدِ ابْتَدَأَ الْخِطَابَ لِلِاثْنَيْنِ لِأَنَّهُ أَرَادَ جَمِيعَ أَهْلِ السِّجْنِ، وَكُلَّ مَنْ هُوَ عَلَى مِثْلِ حَالِهِمَا مِنْ [أَهْلِ] (١) الشِّرْكِ، ﴿إِلَّا أَسْمَاءً سَمَّيْتُمُوهَا﴾ آلِهَةً وَأَرْبَابًا خَالِيَةً عَنِ الْمَعْنَى لَا حَقِيقَةَ لِتِلْكَ الْأَسْمَاءِ، ﴿أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ﴾ حُجَّةٍ وَبُرْهَانٍ، ﴿إِنِ الْحُكْمُ﴾ مَا الْقَضَاءُ وَالْأَمْرُ وَالنَّهْيُ، ﴿إِلَّا لِلَّهِ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ﴾ الْمُسْتَقِيمُ، ﴿وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ﴾ ثُمَّ فَسَّرَ رُؤْيَاهُمَا فَقَالَ: ﴿يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا﴾ . ﴿يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَمَّا أَحَدُكُمَا﴾ وَهُوَ صَاحِبُ الشَّرَابِ، ﴿فَيَسْقِي رَبَّهُ﴾ [يَعْنِي الْمَلِكَ] (٢) ﴿خَمْرًا﴾ وَالْعَنَاقِيدُ الثَّلَاثَةُ ثَلَاثَةُ أَيَّامٍ يَبْقَى فِي السِّجْنِ ثُمَّ يَدْعُوهُ الْمَلِكُ بَعْدَ الثَّلَاثَةِ (٣) أَيَّامٍ، وَيَرُدُّهُ إِلَى مَنْزِلَتِهِ الَّتِي كَانَ عَلَيْهَا، ﴿وَأَمَّا الْآخَرُ﴾ يَعْنِي: صَاحِبَ الطَّعَامِ فَيَدْعُوهُ الْمَلِكُ بَعْدَ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامِ، وَالسِّلَالُ الثَّلَاثُ الثَّلَاثَةُ (٤) أَيَّامٍ يَبْقَى فِي السِّجْنِ، ثُمَّ يُخْرِجُهُ، ﴿فَيُصْلَبُ فَتَأْكُلُ الطَّيْرُ مِنْ رَأْسِهِ﴾ . قَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: لَمَّا سَمِعَا قَوْلَ يُوسُفَ قَالَا مَا رَأَيْنَا شَيْئًا إِنَّمَا كُنَّا نَلْعَبُ، قَالَ يُوسُفُ: ﴿قُضِيَ الْأَمْرُ الَّذِي فِيهِ تَسْتَفْتِيَانِ﴾ (٥) ، أَيْ: فُرِغَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ الَّذِي عَنْهُ تَسْأَلَانِ، وَوَجَبَ حُكْمُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمَا الَّذِي أَخْبَرْتُكُمَا بِهِ، رَأَيْتُمَا أَوْ لَمْ تَرَيَا. ﴿وَقَالَ﴾ يَعْنِي: يُوسُفَ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ، ﴿لِلَّذِي ظَنَّ﴾ عَلِمَ ﴿أَنَّهُ نَاجٍ مِنْهُمَا﴾ وَهُوَ السَّاقِي، ﴿اذْكُرْنِي عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ﴾ يَعْنِي: سَيِّدَكَ الْمَلِكَ، وَقُلْ لَهُ: إِنَّ فِي السِّجْنِ غُلَامًا مَحْبُوسًا ظُلْمًا طَالَ حَبْسُهُ.

(١) ساقط من "ب". (٢) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "ب". (٣) في "ب": ثلاثة. (٤) في "ب": ثلاثة. (٥) عزاه السيوطي في الدر المنثور: (٤ / ٥٤٠) لابن أبي شيبة وابن جرير وابن أبي حاتم وأبي الشيخ.