Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/258)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Allah is Witness over what we say.” It was also said: He is the Guardian.

Ka‘b said: When Jacob said, “Allah is the best Guardian,” Allah, exalted is He, said: “By My might, I shall surely restore both of them to you, after you placed your trust in Me.”

“And he said, ‘O my sons, do not enter through one gate, but enter through separate gates. Yet I cannot avail you against Allah in any way. Judgment belongs to Allah alone. In Him I place my trust, and in Him let those who trust place their trust.’ (67) And when they entered as their father had instructed them, it did not avail them against Allah in any way, except to fulfil a need in Jacob’s heart. Indeed, he possessed knowledge because of what We had taught him, but most people do not know. (68)”

“And he said”—that is, Jacob said to them when they wished to depart from him—“O my sons, do not enter through one gate, but enter through separate gates.” This was because he feared the evil eye for them, since they had been granted beauty, strength, and tall stature, and they were the sons of one man. He therefore instructed them to enter separately, lest they be afflicted by the evil eye; for the evil eye is real (1). It is related in a report: “The evil eye can bring a man to the grave and a camel to the cooking pot” (2).

It is reported from Ibrahim al-Nakha‘i that he said this because he hoped that, by dispersing, they might see Joseph. But the first view is more correct.

Then he said: “Yet I cannot avail you against Allah in any way.” That is, if Allah has decreed something concerning you, it will befall you whether you are together or apart. What has been decreed must come to pass, and caution does not ward off divine decree. “Judgment belongs to Allah alone”: this was Jacob’s entrusting of his affairs to Allah. “In Him I place my trust”: that is, I rely upon Him. “And in Him let those who trust place their trust.”

“And when they entered as their father had instructed them”: that is, through separate gates. It was also said that the city was al-Farama, which had four gates, and they entered it through its gates. “It did not avail them”: that is, it did not ward off anything from them against Allah. Allah, exalted is He, confirmed Jacob in what he had said. “Except to fulfil a need”: that is, a desire “in Jacob’s heart, which he fulfilled.” He feared for them with the concern of a father for his sons, and he acted accordingly. “Indeed, he”—meaning Jacob, peace be upon him—“possessed knowledge”: that is, he acted as he did out of knowledge, not ignorance, “because of what We had taught him”: that is, because We had taught him. It was also said: Indeed, he acted in accordance with what he knew.

(1) For a detailed discussion, see al-Qurtubi’s Tafsir, 9:226-228. (2) A weak hadith, narrated by Abu Nu'aym in Hilyat al-Awliya, 7:90, on the authority of Jabir; by Ibn 'Adi in al-Kamil, on the authority of Abu Dharr, 6:2403; and by Ibn Hibban in al-Majruhin, 2:107. Al-Sakhawi graded it weak in al-Maqasid al-Hasanah, while al-Dhahabi referred to it as munkar (rejected). Shaykh al-Albani graded it hasan (sound) in al-Silsilah al-Sahihah, 3:250. See also Kashf al-Khafa, 2:99-100.

﴿اللَّهُ عَلَى مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ﴾ شَاهِدٌ. وَقِيلَ: حَافَظٌ. قَالَ كَعْبٌ: لَمَّا قَالَ يَعْقُوبُ فَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ حَافِظًا، قَالَ اللَّهُ ﷿: وَعِزَّتِي لِأَرُدَّنَّ عَلَيْكَ كِلَيْهِمَا بَعْدَمَا تَوَكَّلْتَ عَلَيَّ. ﴿وَقَالَ يَا بَنِيَّ لَا تَدْخُلُوا مِنْ بَابٍ وَاحِدٍ وَادْخُلُوا مِنْ أَبْوَابٍ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ وَمَا أُغْنِي عَنْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَعَلَيْهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ (٦٧) وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمْ أَبُوهُمْ مَا كَانَ يُغْنِي عَنْهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا حَاجَةً فِي نَفْسِ يَعْقُوبَ قَضَاهَا وَإِنَّهُ لَذُو عِلْمٍ لِمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (٦٨) ﴾ . ﴿وَقَالَ﴾ لَهُمْ يَعْقُوبُ لَمَّا أَرَادُوا الْخُرُوجَ مِنْ عِنْدِهِ، ﴿يَا بَنِيَّ لَا تَدْخُلُوا مِنْ بَابٍ وَاحِدٍ وَادْخُلُوا مِنْ أَبْوَابٍ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ﴾ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ خَافَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْعَيْنَ؛ لِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا أُعْطُوا جَمَالًا وَقُوَّةً وَامْتِدَادَ قَامَةٍ، وَكَانُوا وَلَدَ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ، فَأَمَرَهُمْ أَنْ يَتَفَرَّقُوا فِي دُخُولِهِمْ لِئَلَّا يُصَابُوا بِالْعَيْنِ، فَإِنَّ الْعَيْنَ حَقٌّ (١) ، وَجَاءَ فِي الْأَثَرِ: "إِنَّ الْعَيْنَ تُدْخِلُ الرَّجُلَ الْقَبْرَ، وَالْجَمَلَ الْقِدْرَ" (٢) . وَعَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ النَّخَعِيِّ: أَنَّهُ قَالَ ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ يَرْجُو أَنْ يَرَوْا يُوسُفَ فِي التَّفَرُّقِ. وَالْأَوَّلُ أَصَحُّ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: ﴿وَمَا أُغْنِي عَنْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ﴾ مَعْنَاهُ: إِنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ قَضَى فِيكُمْ قَضَاءً فَيُصِيبُكُمْ مُجْتَمِعِينَ كُنْتُمْ أَوْ مُتَفَرِّقِينَ، فَإِنَّ الْمَقْدُورَ كَائِنٌ وَالْحَذَرَ لَا يَنْفَعُ مِنَ الْقَدَرِ، ﴿إِنِ الْحُكْمُ﴾ مَا الْحُكْمُ، ﴿إِلَّا لِلَّهِ﴾ هَذَا تَفْوِيضُ يَعْقُوبَ أُمُورَهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ، ﴿عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ﴾ اعْتَمَدْتُ، ﴿وَعَلَيْهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ﴾ . ﴿وَلَمَّا دَخَلُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُمْ أَبُوهُمْ﴾ أَيْ: مِنَ الْأَبْوَابِ الْمُتَفَرِّقَةِ. وَقِيلَ: كَانَتِ الْمَدِينَةُ مَدِينَةَ الْفَرْمَاءِ وَلَهَا أَرْبَعَةُ أَبْوَابٍ، فَدَخَلُوهَا مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا، ﴿مَا كَانَ يُغْنِي﴾ يَدْفَعُ ﴿عَنْهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ﴾ صَدَقَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَعْقُوبَ فِيمَا قَالَ، ﴿إِلَّا حَاجَةً﴾ مُرَادًا، ﴿فِي نَفْسِ يَعْقُوبَ قَضَاهَا﴾ أَشْفَقَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِشْفَاقَ الْآبَاءِ عَلَى أَبْنَائِهِمْ وَجَرَى الْأَمْرُ عَلَيْهِ، ﴿وَإِنَّهُ﴾ يَعْنِي: يَعْقُوبَ ﵇، ﴿لَذُو عِلْمٍ﴾ يَعْنِي: كَانَ يَعْمَلُ مَا يَعْمَلُ عَنْ عِلْمٍ لَا عَنْ جَهْلٍ، ﴿لِمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ﴾ أَيْ: لِتَعْلِيمِنَا إِيَّاهُ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّهُ لِعَامِلٍ بِمَا عَلِمَ.

(١) انظر تفصيلا في تفسير القرطبي: ٩ / ٢٢٦-٢٢٨. (٢) حديث ضعيف أخرجه أبو نعيم في الحلية (٧ / ٩٠) عن جابر ﵁، وابن عدي في الكامل عن أبي ذر: ٦ / ٢٤٠٣، وابن حبان في المجروحين: ٢ / ١٠٧ وقد ضعفه السخاوي في المقاصد الحسنة وقد أشار إليه الذهبي فقال: إنه منكر وحسنه الشيخ الألباني في الصحيحة ٣ / ٢٥٠، وانظر: كشف الخفاء: ٢ / ٩٩-١٠٠.