Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/326)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

and whoever He wills to remain, He confirms and returns to its owner. This is clarified by His saying, Most High: “Allah takes the souls at the time of their death” (al-Zumar 39:42). “With Him is the Mother of the Book”—that is, the original source of the Book: the Preserved Tablet, which is neither altered nor changed.

Ikrimah related from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with him—that they are two books: one book apart from the Mother of the Book, from which He effaces whatever He wills and confirms whatever He wills; and the Mother of the Book, from which nothing is changed.

Ata related from Ibn Abbas that he said: Allah, Most High, has a Preserved Tablet measuring a journey of five hundred years, made of a white pearl and having two covers of ruby. Every day, Allah has three hundred and sixty moments in which “Allah effaces what He wills and confirms what He wills, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.” Ibn Abbas asked Kab about the Mother of the Book, and he replied: “It is Allah’s knowledge of what He will create and what His creatures will do.” (1)

“Whether We show you some of what We promise them, or cause you to die, your duty is only to convey the message, and upon Us is the reckoning. (40) Have they not seen how We come upon the land, reducing it from its borders? Allah judges; none can reverse His judgment, and He is swift in reckoning. (41)”

“Whether We show you some of what We promise them”—that is, of the punishment before your death—“or cause you to die” before that, “your duty is only to convey the message”: nothing is required of you beyond this. “And upon Us is the reckoning”: that is, recompense on the Day of Resurrection.

His saying, Most High, “Have they not seen,” refers to the people of Mecca, who asked Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—for signs: “how We come upon the land, reducing it from its borders.” Most commentators hold that this refers to the conquest of the lands of polytheism, for whatever is added to the lands of Islam is thereby diminished from the lands of polytheism. That is, “Have they not seen how We come upon the land, reducing it from its borders,” opening it for Muhammad, land after land, around their own land? Will they not then take heed? This was the view of Ibn Abbas, Qatadah, and others. (2) (3)

(1) Al-Tabari preferred the view of al-Hasan and Mujahid among these opinions, because Allah, exalted is He, warned the polytheists who asked the Messenger, peace be upon him, for signs of punishment and threatened them with it, saying: “No messenger can bring a sign except by Allah’s permission. For every appointed term there is a decree.” He thus informed them that His decree concerning them had a fixed term recorded in a Book, and that they were being deferred until that term arrived. He then told them that, when it came, Allah brings about whatever He wills for one whose term has drawn near and whose provision has ended, or whose destruction, loss of status, or loss of wealth has become due. He decrees this among His creation, and that is His effacement. He confirms whatever He wills for one whose term, provision, and sustenance remain, leaving him as he is and not effacing him. A report from the Messenger, peace be upon him, conveys this meaning. Al-Tabari then cited the hadith of Abu al-Darda, whose documentation was given above. See Tafsir al-Tabari, 16:488-489. (2) In manuscript “B”: “lands.” (3) See al-Tabari, 16:493-494.

وَمَنْ أَرَادَ بَقَاءَهُ أَثْبَتَهُ وَرَدَّهُ إِلَى صَاحِبِهِ، بَيَانُهُ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا﴾ الْآيَةَ (الزُّمَرُ -٤٢) . ﴿وَعِنْدَهُ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ﴾ أَيْ: أَصْلُ الْكِتَابِ، وَهُوَ اللَّوْحُ الْمَحْفُوظُ الَّذِي لَا يُبَدَّلُ وَلَا يُغَيَّرُ. وَقَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄: هُمَا كِتَابَانِ: كِتَابٌ سِوَى أُمِّ الْكِتَابِ، يَمْحُو مِنْهُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَيُثْبِتُ، وَأُمُّ الْكِتَابِ الَّذِي لَا يُغَيَّرُ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ. وَعَنْ عَطَاءٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى لَوْحًا مَحْفُوظًا مَسِيرَةَ خَمْسِمِائَةِ عَامٍ، مِنْ دُرَّةٍ بَيْضَاءَ لَهَا دَفَّتَانِ مِنْ يَاقُوتٍ، لِلَّهِ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ ثَلَاثُمِائَةٍ وَسِتُّونَ لَحْظَةً ﴿يَمْحُو اللَّهُ مَا يَشَاءُ وَيُثْبِتُ وَعِنْدَهُ أُمُّ الْكِتَابِ﴾ وَسَأَلَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ كَعْبًا عَنْ أُمِّ الْكِتَابِ؟ فَقَالَ: عِلْمُ اللَّهِ، مَا هُوَ خَالِقٌ، وَمَا خَلْقُه عاملون (١) . ﴿وَإِنْ مَا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ الَّذِي نَعِدُهُمْ أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَاغُ وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ (٤٠) أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا نَأْتِي الْأَرْضَ نَنْقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا وَاللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ لَا مُعَقِّبَ لِحُكْمِهِ وَهُوَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ (٤١) ﴾ . ﴿وَإِمَّا نُرِيَنَّكَ بَعْضَ الَّذِي نَعِدُهُمْ﴾ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ قَبْلَ وَفَاتِكَ، ﴿أَوْ نَتَوَفَّيَنَّكَ﴾ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ، ﴿فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَاغُ﴾ لَيْسَ عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا ذَلِكَ، ﴿وَعَلَيْنَا الْحِسَابُ﴾ الْجَزَاءُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ. قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى ﴿أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا﴾ يَعْنِي: أَهْلَ مَكَّةَ، الَّذِينَ يَسْأَلُونَ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ الْآيَاتِ، ﴿أَنَّا نَأْتِي الْأَرْضَ نَنْقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا﴾ أَكْثَرُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ عَلَى أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ مِنْهُ فَتْحُ دِيَارِ (٢) الشِّرْكِ، فَإِنَّ مَا زَادَ فِي دِيَارِ الْإِسْلَامِ فَقَدْ نَقَصَ مِنْ دِيَارِ الشِّرْكِ، يَقُولُ: ﴿أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّا نَأْتِي الْأَرْضَ نَنْقُصُهَا مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا﴾ فَنَفْتَحُهَا لِمُحَمَّدٍ أَرْضًا بَعْدَ أَرْضٍ حَوَالَيْ أَرْضِهِمْ، أَفَلَا يَعْتَبِرُونَ؟ هَذَا قَوْلُ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ وَقَتَادَةَ وَجَمَاعَةٍ (٣) .

(١) ورجح الطبري من هذه الأقوال قول الحسن ومجاهد، لأن الله تعالى ذكره توعد المشركين الذين سألوا رسول الله ﷺ الآيات بالعقوبة، وتهددهم بها، وقال لهم: "وما كان لرسول أن يأتي بآية إلا بإذن الله لكل أجل كتاب"، يعلمهم بذلك أن لقضائه فيهم أجلا مثبتا في كتاب، هم مؤخرون إلى وقت مجيء ذلك الأجل. ثم قال لهم: فإذا جاء ذلك الأجل، يجيء الله بما شاء ممن قد دنا أجله وانقطع رزقه، أو حان هلاكه أو اتضاعه من رفعة أو هلاك مال، فيقضي ذلك في خلقه، فذلك محوه، ويثبت ما شاء ممن بقي أجله ورزقه وأكله، فيتركه على ما هو عليه فلا يمحوه. وبهذا المعنى جاء الأثر عن رسول الله ﷺ. ثم ساق حديث أبي الدرداء الذي سبق تخريجه آنفا. انظر: تفسير الطبري: (١٦ / ٤٨٨-٤٨٩) . (٢) في "ب": بلاد. (٣) انظر: الطبري: ١٦ / ٤٩٣-٤٩٤.