16
“And He is severe in might.” Ali said: “Severe in His seizure.” (1)
Ibn Abbas said: “Severe in power.” (2)
Al-Hasan said: “Severe in wrath.” (3)
Mujahid said: “Severe in strength.” (4)
Abu Ubaydah said: “Severe in punishment.”
It was also said: “Severe in stratagem.”
Al-miḥāl and al-mumāḥalah mean mutual scheming and striving to overcome one another. ⦗189b⦘
(1) Reported by al-Tabari, 16:396. Shaykh Mahmud Shakir commented, 16:392: “This is a rejected chain of transmission.”
(2) Al-Tabari, 16:396.
(3) Al-Suyuti attributed it to Abu al-Shaykh, from Ikrimah. See al-Durr al-Manthur, 4:627. Al-Tabari narrated from Ikrimah, who said: “No thunderbolt struck Arbad.” Al-Tabari also narrated from al-Hasan concerning the interpretation of the verse: “It means destruction.” He said: “When He inflicts punishment, it is severe.” I do not think that the interpretation cited by the author can authentically be attributed to al-Hasan, since we found the contrary in al-Tabari; moreover, Allah, exalted is He, is not appropriately described in such terms. Allah knows best.
(4) See al-Tabari, the previous reference.
﴿وَهُوَ شَدِيدُ الْمِحَالِ﴾ قَالَ عَلِيٌّ ﵁: شَدِيدُ الْأَخْذِ (١) .
وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: شَدِيدُ الْحَوْلِ (٢) .
وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: شَدِيدُ الْحِقْدِ (٣) .
وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: شَدِيدُ القوة (٤) .
وقال ١٨٩/ب أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ: شَدِيدُ الْعُقُوبَةِ.
وَقِيلَ: شَدِيدُ الْمَكْرِ.
وَالْمِحَالُ وَالْمُمَاحَلَةُ: الْمُمَاكَرَةُ وَالْمُغَالَبَةُ.
(١) أخرجه الطبري: ١٦ / ٣٩٦. وقال الشيخ محمود شاكر: ١٦ / ٣٩٢: وهذا إسناد منكر.
(٢) الطبري: ١٦ / ٣٩٦.
(٣) نسبه السيوطي لأبي الشيخ عن عكرمة الدر المنثور: ٤ / ٦٢٧. وأخرج الطبري عن عكرمة قال: ما أصاب أربد من الصاعقة. وأخرج الطبري أيضا عن الحسن في تفسير الآية: يعني الهلاك. قال: إذا محل فهو شديد. وما إخال هذا التفسير الذي ذكره المصنف يصح عن الحسن ﵀؛ لأننا وجدنا خلافه في الطبري، والله ﷾ لا يليق وصفه بهذا. والله أعلم.
(٤) انظر الطبري: المرجع السابق.