Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/323)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

rejoice in what has been revealed to you,” namely, the Quran. “But among the factions”—that is, the disbelievers who banded together against the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—namely the Jews and Christians, “are those who reject part of it.” This is the view of Mujahid and Qatadah (1).

Others said: At first, the name al-Rahman (the Most Merciful) was mentioned only rarely in the Quran. When Abdullah ibn Salam and his companions embraced Islam, they were distressed by the infrequency of its mention in the Quran, despite its frequent mention in the Torah. Then, when Allah repeated its mention in the Quran, they rejoiced in it. So Allah, Mighty and Majestic is He, revealed: “Those to whom We have given the Book rejoice in what has been revealed to you, but among the factions are those who reject part of it” (2)—meaning, the polytheists of Mecca. When the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—wrote in the treaty document, “In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful,” they said, “We know of no Rahman except the Rahman of al-Yamamah,” by which they meant Musaylimah the Liar. Thereupon Allah, Exalted is He, revealed: “Yet they disbelieve in the mention of the Most Merciful” (al-Anbiya 21:36), and: “Yet they disbelieve in the Most Merciful” (al-Ra'd 13:30). He said “part of it” only because they did not deny the mention of Allah, but they denied the mention of al-Rahman (the Most Merciful).

“Say,” O Muhammad, “I have only been commanded to worship Allah and not associate anything with Him. To Him I call, and to Him is my return”—that is, my final return.

“And thus We have sent it down as an Arabic judgment. But if you were to follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you would have no protector or defender against Allah. (37) Indeed, We sent messengers before you and gave them wives and offspring. No messenger could bring a sign except by Allah’s permission. For every appointed term there is a decree. (38)”

“And thus We have sent it down as an Arabic judgment.” That is: just as We sent down to you, O Muhammad, the Book—which the factions rejected—so too We sent down the judgment and the religion in Arabic. It is ascribed to the Arabs because it was revealed in their language, yet the factions denied it. It was also said that the meaning of the verse is: just as the Books were sent down to the messengers in their respective languages, so We have sent down to you the Book as an Arabic judgment.

“But if you were to follow their desires” in matters of religion. It was also said: in the matter of the direction of prayer. “After the knowledge that has come to you, you would have no protector or defender against Allah”—that is, no helper or guardian.

His saying, Exalted is He: “Indeed, We sent messengers before you”: It is related that the Jews—or, according to another report, the polytheists—said:

(1) See al-Tabari, 16:473; al-Durr al-Manthur, 4:658. (2) Mentioned by al-Mawardi and preferred by al-Zamakhshari. See al-Bahr al-Muhit, 5:396; al-Muharrar al-Wajiz, 8:179. (3) See above the commentary on verse 30 of the surah, p. 318.

﴿يَفْرَحُونَ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ﴾ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ، ﴿وَمِنَ الْأَحْزَابِ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْكُفَّارَ الَّذِينَ تَحَزَّبُوا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَهُمُ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى، ﴿مَنْ يُنْكِرُ بَعْضَهُ﴾ هَذَا قَوْلُ مُجَاهِدٍ وَقَتَادَةَ (١) . وَقَالَ الْآخَرُونَ: كَانَ ذِكْرُ الرَّحْمَنِ قَلِيلًا فِي الْقُرْآنِ فِي الِابْتِدَاءِ فلما أسلم ١٩١/ب عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ وَأَصْحَابُهُ سَاءَهُمْ قِلَّةُ ذَكْرِهِ فِي الْقُرْآنِ مَعَ كَثْرَةِ ذِكْرِهِ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ، فَلَمَّا كَرَّرَ اللَّهُ ذِكْرَهُ فِي الْقُرْآنِ فَرِحُوا بِهِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷾: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَفْرَحُونَ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمِنَ الْأَحْزَابِ مَنْ يُنْكِرُ بَعْضَهُ﴾ (٢) يَعْنِي: مُشْرِكِي مَكَّةَ حِينَ كَتَبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي كِتَابِ الصُّلْحِ: بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ، قَالُوا: مَا نَعْرِفُ الرحمن إلا رحمن الْيَمَامَةِ، يَعْنُونَ مُسَيْلِمَةَ الْكَذَّابَ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷿ (٣) ﴿وَهُمْ بِذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَنِ هُمْ كَافِرُونَ﴾ (الْأَنْبِيَاءُ -٣٦) ﴿وَهُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ بِالرَّحْمَنِ﴾ (الرَّعْدُ -٣٠) . وَإِنَّمَا قَالَ "بَعْضَهُ" لِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا لَا يُنْكِرُونَ ذِكْرَ اللَّهِ وَيُنْكِرُونَ ذِكْرَ الرَّحْمَنِ. ﴿قُلْ﴾ يَا مُحَمَّدُ، ﴿إِنَّمَا أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ وَلَا أُشْرِكَ بِهِ إِلَيْهِ أَدْعُو وَإِلَيْهِ مَآبِ﴾ أَيْ: مَرْجِعِي. ﴿وَكَذَلِكَ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ حُكْمًا عَرَبِيًّا وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ بَعْدَمَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا وَاقٍ (٣٧) وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ أَزْوَاجًا وَذُرِّيَّةً وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ بِآيَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ لِكُلِّ أَجَلٍ كِتَابٌ (٣٨) ﴾ . ﴿وَكَذَلِكَ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ حُكْمًا عَرَبِيًّا﴾ يَقُولُ: كَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ، فَأَنْكَرَهُ الْأَحْزَابُ، كَذَلِكَ أَنْزَلْنَا الْحَكَمَ وَالدِّينَ عَرَبِيًّا. نُسِبَ إِلَى الْعَرَبِ لِأَنَّهُ نَزَلَ بِلُغَتِهِمْ فَكَذَّبَ بِهِ الْأَحْزَابُ. وَقِيلَ: نَظْمُ الْآيَةِ: كَمَا أُنْزِلَتِ الْكُتُبُ عَلَى الرُّسُلِ بِلُغَاتِهِمْ، فَكَذَلِكَ أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ حُكْمًا عَرَبِيًّا. ﴿وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ﴾ فِي الْمِلَّةِ. وَقِيلَ: فِي الْقِبْلَةِ، ﴿بَعْدَمَا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍّ وَلَا وَاقٍ﴾ يَعْنِي: مِنْ نَاصِرٍ وَلَا حَافِظٍ. قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلًا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ﴾ رُوِيَ أَنَّ الْيَهُودَ، -وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ الْمُشْرِكِينَ-قَالُوا:

(١) انظر: الطبري: ١٦ / ٤٧٣، الدر المنثور: ٤ / ٦٥٨. (٢) ذكره الماوردي واختاره الزمخشري. انظر: البحر المحيط: ٥ / ٣٩٦، المحرر الوجيز: ٨ / ١٧٩. (٣) انظر فيما سبق تفسير الآية (٣٠) من السورة ص (٣١٨) .