Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/256)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“He said, ‘Should I entrust him to you except as I entrusted his brother to you before? Yet Allah is the best Guardian, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.’” (64)

“And when they returned to their father, they said, ‘O our father!’” They said: “We have come to the most excellent of men. He accommodated us and honored us with such generosity that, even had he been one of Jacob’s own sons, he could not have honored us as he did.”

Jacob said to them: “When you come to the king of Egypt, convey to him my greetings, and say to him: ‘Our father invokes blessings for you and prays for you in return for the favor you have shown us.’” Then he said: “Where is Simeon?” They replied: “The king of Egypt has kept him as a hostage,” and they told him the story.

He said to them: “Why did you tell him?” They replied: “He detained us and said, ‘You are spies’—because we spoke to him in the Hebrew language.” They related the story to him and said: “O our father,

‘Further measure has been denied us.’” Al-Hasan said: Its meaning is that further measure will be denied us (1) if you do not send our brother with us.

It was also said that he gave each of them a camel-load in his own name, but denied them the measure allotted to Benjamin. What is meant by “measure” is food, because it is measured out.

“So send our brother, Benjamin, with us, that we may receive our measure.” Hamzah and al-Kisa’i recited it as “that he may receive his measure,” with a yā’, meaning: that he may receive his own measure, just as we receive ours. The others recited it as “that we may receive our measure,” with a nūn, meaning: that we may receive it (2); that is, the food. It was also said: that we may receive his measure for him. “And we shall surely guard him.”

He said: “Should I entrust him to you except as I entrusted his brother, Joseph, to you before?” That is: How can I entrust him to you when you did to Joseph what you did? “Yet Allah is the best Guardian.” Hamzah, al-Kisa’i, and Hafs recited it as “the best guardian,” with an alif, as an explanatory accusative, just as one says, “He is better as a man.” The others recited it as “the best in guarding,” without an alif, as a verbal noun—meaning: the best of you in guarding. He says: His protection is better than your protection. “And He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.”

(1) Omitted in manuscript B. (2) The text within the parentheses is omitted in manuscript B.

﴿قَالَ هَلْ آمَنُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا كَمَا أَمِنْتُكُمْ عَلَى أَخِيهِ مِنْ قَبْلُ فَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًا وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ (٦٤) ﴾ . ﴿فَلَمَّا رَجَعُوا إِلَى أَبِيهِمْ قَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا﴾ إِنَّا قَدِمْنَا عَلَى خَيْرِ رَجُلٍ، أَنْزَلَنَا وَأَكْرَمَنَا كَرَامَةً لَوْ كَانَ رَجُلًا مِنْ أَوْلَادِ يَعْقُوبَ مَا أَكْرَمَنَا كَرَامَتَهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ يَعْقُوبُ: إِذَا أَتَيْتُمْ مَلِكَ مِصْرَ فَأَقْرِئُوهُ مِنِّي السَّلَامَ، وَقُولُوا لَهُ: إِنَّ أَبَانَا يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكَ وَيَدْعُو لَكَ بِمَا أَوْلَيْتَنَا، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَيْنَ شَمْعُونُ؟ قَالُوا: ارْتَهَنَهُ مَلِكُ مِصْرَ، وَأَخْبَرُوهُ بِالْقِصَّةِ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: وَلِمَ أَخْبَرْتُمُوهُ؟ قَالُوا: إِنَّهُ أَخَذَنَا وَقَالَ أَنْتُمْ جَوَاسِيسُ -حَيْثُ كَلَّمْنَاهُ بِلِسَانِ الْعِبْرَانِيَّةِ-وَقَصُّوا عَلَيْهِ الْقِصَّةَ، وَقَالُوا يَا أَبَانَا: ﴿مُنِعَ مِنَّا الْكَيْلُ﴾ [قَالَ الْحَسَنُ: مَعْنَاهُ يُمْنَعُ مِنَّا الْكَيْلُ] (١) إِنْ لَمْ تَحْمِلْ أَخَانَا مَعَنَا. وَقِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ أَعْطَى بِاسْمِ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ حِمْلًا وَمَنْعَ مِنَّا الْكَيْلَ لِبِنْيَامِينَ، وَالْمُرَادُ بِالْكَيْلِ: الطَّعَامُ، لِأَنَّهُ يُكَالُ. ﴿فَأَرْسِلْ مَعَنَا أَخَانَا﴾ بِنْيَامِينَ، ﴿نَكْتَلْ﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ: ﴿يَكْتَلْ﴾ بِالْيَاءِ، يَعْنِي: يَكْتَلْ لِنَفْسِهِ كَمَا نَحْنُ نَكْتَالُ، [وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ: ﴿نَكْتَلْ﴾ بِالنُّونِ، يَعْنِي: نَكْتَلْ نَحْنُ] (٢) وَهُوَ الطَّعَامُ. وَقِيلَ: نَكْتَلْ لَهُ، ﴿وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ﴾ . ﴿قَالَ هَلْ آمَنُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا كَمَا أَمِنْتُكُمْ عَلَى أَخِيهِ﴾ يُوسُفَ ﴿مِنْ قَبْلُ﴾ أَيْ: كَيْفَ آمَنُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَقَدْ فَعَلْتُمْ بِيُوسُفَ مَا فَعَلْتُمْ؟ ﴿فَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًا﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ وَحَفْصٌ: ﴿حَافِظًا﴾ بِالْأَلْفِ عَلَى التَّفْسِيرِ، كَمَا يُقَالُ: هُوَ خَيْرٌ رَجُلًا وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ: ﴿حِفْظًا﴾ بِغَيْرِ أَلْفٍ عَلَى الْمَصْدَرِ، يَعْنِي: خَيْرُكُمْ حِفْظًا، يَقُولُ: حِفْظُهُ خَيْرٌ مِنْ حِفْظِكُمْ. ﴿وَهُوَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ﴾

(١) ساقط من "ب". (٢) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "ب".