Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/284)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Do they then feel secure from a sweeping punishment from Allah coming upon them, or from the Hour coming upon them suddenly while they are unaware? Say, ‘This is my way: I call to Allah upon clear knowledge—I and those who follow me. Glory be to Allah! And I am not of those who associate partners with Him.’” (107–108)

“Do they then feel secure from a sweeping punishment from Allah coming upon them?” That is, an all-enveloping punishment. Mujahid said: “A punishment that covers them,” similar to His saying, Most High: “On the Day when the punishment will envelop them from above them”—to the end of the verse (al-Ankabut 55). Qatadah said: “A devastating blow.” Al-Dahhak said: This refers to thunderbolts and calamities.

“Or from the Hour coming upon them suddenly”—unexpectedly—“while they are unaware” of its arrival. Ibn Abbas said: “The Blast will suddenly overtake people while they are in their marketplaces.”

“Say,” O Muhammad, “this”—this call to which I summon people, and this way upon which I stand—“is my way”: my sunnah and my methodology. Muqatil said: “My religion,” similar to His saying: “Call to the way of your Lord” (al-Nahl 125), meaning, to His religion. “I call to Allah upon clear knowledge,” that is, upon certainty. Clear knowledge is the understanding by which one distinguishes truth from falsehood. “I and those who follow me”: that is, whoever believes in me and affirms my truth likewise calls to Allah. This is the view of al-Kalbi and Ibn Zayd. They said: It is incumbent upon whoever follows him to call to that to which he called, and to remind others through the Quran (1).

It was also said that the statement ends with His words, “I call to Allah,” after which a new statement begins: “Upon clear knowledge, I and those who follow me.” That is, “I am upon clear knowledge from my Lord, as is everyone who follows me.”

Ibn Abbas said: This means the Companions of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. They were upon the finest way and the most upright guidance: the mine of knowledge, the treasure of faith, and the army of the Most Merciful.

(1) See al-Tabari, Tafsir, 16:293. Calling to Allah means calling people to believe in Him and in what His messengers brought: affirming as true what they conveyed and obeying what they commanded. This includes calling to the two testimonies of faith, establishing prayer, giving zakah, fasting Ramadan, and making pilgrimage to the House; believing in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, resurrection after death, and divine decree, both its good and its evil; and worshipping one's Lord as though one sees Him. These three levels—Islam, iman (faith), and ihsan (spiritual excellence)—are all included in the religion, as stated in the authentic hadith: “This was Jibril; he came to teach you your religion,” after he had asked about these three matters. Thus, calling to Allah is to call a person to His religion, whose foundation is worshipping Him alone, without partner, for which Allah sent His messengers and revealed His books. The messengers are united upon the religion that encompasses the foundational matters of belief and practice. The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, fulfilled this call to Allah by His permission; he did not legislate a religion that Allah had not authorized. This is further clarified by the fact that Allah sometimes mentions that He commanded him to call to Allah, and at other times to call to His path. For one who calls others to something must have two things in mind: first, the intended objective; and second, the means and path leading to that objective. Hence, the call is mentioned at times as being to Allah and at times as being to His path, for He, exalted is He, is the One worshipped and intended by this call. See Ibn Taymiyyah, Daqaiq al-Tafsir, 3:284 ff.

﴿أَفَأَمِنُوا أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَاشِيَةٌ مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ (١٠٧) قُلْ هَذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (١٠٨) ﴾ . ﴿أَفَأَمِنُوا أَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمْ غَاشِيَةٌ مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ﴾ أَيْ: عُقُوبَةٌ مُجَلَّلَةٌ. قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: عَذَابٌ يَغْشَاهُمْ، نَظِيرُهُ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: "يَوْمَ يَغْشَاهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ" الْآيَةَ ﴿الْعَنْكَبُوتِ -٥٥﴾ . قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: وَقِيعَةٌ. وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: يَعْنِي الصَّوَاعِقَ وَالْقَوَارِعَ. ﴿أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُمُ السَّاعَةُ بَغْتَةً﴾ فَجْأَةً، ﴿وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ﴾ بِقِيَامِهَا. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: تَهِيجُ الصَّيْحَةُ بِالنَّاسِ وَهُمْ فِي أَسْوَاقِهِمْ. ﴿قُلْ﴾ يَا مُحَمَّدُ، ﴿هَذِهِ﴾ الدَّعْوَةُ الَّتِي أَدْعُو إِلَيْهَا وَالطَّرِيقَةُ الَّتِي أَنَا عَلَيْهَا، ﴿سَبِيلِي﴾ سُنَّتِي وَمِنْهَاجِي. وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: دِينِي، نَظِيرُهُ قَوْلُهُ: ﴿ادْعُ إِلَى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ﴾ (النَّحْلِ -١٢٥) أَيْ: إِلَى دِينِهِ. ﴿أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ﴾ عَلَى يَقِينٍ. وَالْبَصِيرَةُ: هِيَ الْمَعْرِفَةُ الَّتِي تُمَيِّزُ بِهَا بَيْنَ الْحَقِّ وَالْبَاطِلِ، ﴿أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي﴾ أَيْ: وَمَنْ آمَنَ بِي وَصَدَّقَنِي أَيْضًا يَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ. هَذَا قَوْلُ الْكَلْبِيِّ وَابْنِ زَيْدٍ، قَالُوا: حَقٌّ عَلَى مَنِ اتَّبَعَهُ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ إِلَى مَا دَعَا إِلَيْهِ، وَيُذَكِّرَ بِالْقُرْآنِ (١) . وَقِيلَ: تَمَّ الْكَلَامُ عِنْدَ قَوْلِهِ: ﴿أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ﴾ ثُمَّ اسْتَأْنَفَ: ﴿عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي﴾ يَقُولُ: إِنِّي عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّي، وَكُلُّ مَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: يَعْنِي أَصْحَابَ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ كَانُوا عَلَى أَحْسَنِ طَرِيقَةٍ وَأَقْصَدِ هِدَايَةٍ، مَعْدِنَ الْعِلْمِ، وَكَنْزَ الْإِيمَانِ وَجُنْدَ الرَّحْمَنِ.

(١) انظر: تفسير الطبري: ١٦ / ٢٩٣. والدعوة إلى الله هي الدعوة إلى الإيمان به، وبما جاءت به رسله، بتصديقهم فيما أخبروا به، وطاعتهم فيما أمروا؛ وذلك يتضمن الدعوة إلى الشهادتين، وإقام الصلاة، وإيتاء الزكاة، وصوم رمضان، وحج البيت، والدعوة إلى الإيمان بالله، وملائكته، وكتبه، ورسله، والبعث بعد الموت، والإيمان بالقدر خيره وشره، والدعوة إلى أن يعبد العبد ربه كأنه يراه. وهذه الدرجات الثلاث التي هي: "الإسلام" و"الإيمان" و"الإحسان" داخلة في الديين، كما قال في الحديث الصحيح: "هذا جبريل جاءكم يعلمكم دينكم" بعد أن أجابه عن هذه الثلاث.. فالدعوة إلى الله تكون بدعوة العبد إلى دينه، وأصل ذلك: عبادته وحده لا شريك له، كما بعث الله بذلك رسله وأنزل به كتبه.. فالرسل متفقون في الدين الجامع للأصول الاعتقادية والعملية. والرسول ﷺ قام بهذه الدعوة إلى الله، وهي بإذنه سبحانه، لم يشرع دينا لم يأذن به الله، ومما يبين ذلك: أنه سبحانه يذكر أنه أمره بالدعوة إلى الله تارة، وتارة بالدعوة إلى سبيله، إذْ قد عُلِم أن الداعي الذي يدعو غيره إلى أمر لا بد له فيما يدعوه إليه من أمرين: أحدهما: المقصود المراد، والثاني: الوسيلة والطريق الموصل إلى المقصود، فلهذا يذكر الدعوة تارة إلى الله وتارة إلى سبيله، فإنه سبحانه هو المعبود المقصود بالدعوة. انظر: دقائق التفسير، لابن تيمية: ٣ / ٢٨٤ وما بعدها.