Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/339)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Their messengers said to them, ‘We are no more than human beings like yourselves, but Allah bestows His favour upon whichever of His servants He wills. It is not for us to bring you a clear proof except by Allah’s permission. And in Allah let the believers place their trust.’ (11)

‘And why should we not place our trust in Allah, when He has guided us in our ways? We shall surely bear patiently whatever harm you cause us. And in Allah let those who place their trust do so.’ (12)

Those who disbelieved said to their messengers, ‘We shall surely drive you out of our land, unless you return to our religion.’ So their Lord revealed to them, ‘We shall surely destroy the wrongdoers, (13) and We shall surely settle you in the land after them. That is for whoever fears standing before Me and fears My warning.’ (14)

“Their messengers said to them, ‘We are no more than human beings like yourselves, but Allah bestows His favour upon whichever of His servants He wills’”—with prophethood and wisdom—“‘and it is not for us to bring you a clear proof except by Allah’s permission. And in Allah let the believers place their trust.’” (1)

“‘And why should we not place our trust in Allah,’” when we know that we can attain nothing except by His decree and predestination, “‘when He has guided us in our ways’”—He has made right guidance clear to us and enabled us to perceive the path of salvation. “‘We shall surely bear patiently’:” the lam is the particle of an oath; its intended sense is: By Allah, we shall surely bear patiently—“‘whatever harm you cause us. And in Allah let those who place their trust do so.’”

“Those who disbelieved said to their messengers, ‘We shall surely drive you out of our land, unless you return to our religion’”: that is, unless you return, or until you return, to our religion. (2)

“So their Lord revealed to them, ‘We shall surely destroy the wrongdoers.’

“‘And We shall surely settle you in the land after them’”: that is, after their destruction.

(1) That is: We could not bring you any proof or evidence for what we call you to except by Allah's permission; that is, except by Allah's command to us to do so. “And let the believers put their trust in Allah” means: Let whoever believes in Him and obeys Him place his trust and confidence in Allah. We indeed trust in Him and rely upon Him. See: Tafsir al-Tabari, 16:538. (2) Al-Razi said: If it is asked, how could they say to their messengers, “or you shall return ...,” when the messengers had never followed the religion of the disbelievers? The answer may be given in several ways. First, in Arabic usage, the verb “to return” is often used to mean “to become.” They say, “So-and-so has come to speak with me again,” and “So-and-so has acquired wealth,” and similar expressions. An example is Allah's saying: “until it became like an old curved palm stalk.” Second, they addressed the messengers in this way on the basis of their false assumption and belief that the messengers had initially followed the religions of their people and then departed from them. Third, they addressed each messenger together with those who believed in him, allowing the plural group to predominate over the individual in their wording. See: Masa'il al-Razi wa-Ajwibatuh min Ghara'ib Ay al-Tanzil, p. 159.

﴿قَالَتْ لَهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ إِنْ نَحْنُ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَمُنُّ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَمَا كَانَ لَنَا أَنْ نَأْتِيَكُمْ بِسُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ (١١) وَمَا لَنَا أَلَّا نَتَوَكَّلَ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَقَدْ هَدَانَا سُبُلَنَا وَلَنَصْبِرَنَّ عَلَى مَا آذَيْتُمُونَا وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ (١٢) وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِرُسُلِهِمْ لَنُخْرِجَنَّكُمْ مِنْ أَرْضِنَا أَوْ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِي مِلَّتِنَا فَأَوْحَى إِلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ لَنُهْلِكَنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ (١٣) وَلَنُسْكِنَنَّكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامِي وَخَافَ وَعِيدِ (١٤) ﴾ . ﴿قَالَتْ لَهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ إِنْ نَحْنُ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَمُنُّ عَلَى مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ﴾ بِالنُّبُوَّةِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ، ﴿وَمَا كَانَ لَنَا أَنْ نَأْتِيَكُمْ بِسُلْطَانٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ﴾ (١) . ﴿وَمَا لَنَا أَلَّا نَتَوَكَّلَ عَلَى اللَّهِ﴾ وَقَدْ عَرَفْنَا أَنْ لَا نَنَالَ شَيْئًا إِلَّا بِقَضَائِهِ وَقَدَرِهِ، ﴿وَقَدْ هَدَانَا سُبُلَنَا﴾ بَيَّنَ لَنَا الرُّشْدَ، وَبَصَّرَنَا طَرِيقَ النَّجَاةِ. ﴿وَلَنَصْبِرَنَّ﴾ اللَّامُ لَامُ الْقَسَمِ، مَجَازُهُ: وَاللَّهِ لِنَصْبِرَنَّ، ﴿عَلَى مَا آذَيْتُمُونَا وَعَلَى اللَّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ﴾ . ﴿وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِرُسُلِهِمْ لَنُخْرِجَنَّكُمْ مِنْ أَرْضِنَا أَوْ لَتَعُودُنَّ فِي مِلَّتِنَا﴾ يَعْنُونَ: إِلَّا أَنْ تَرْجِعُوا، أَوْ حَتَّى تَرْجِعُوا إِلَى دِينِنَا (٢) . ﴿فَأَوْحَى إِلَيْهِمْ رَبُّهُمْ لَنُهْلِكَنَّ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾ . ﴿وَلَنُسْكِنَنَّكُمُ الْأَرْضَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ﴾ أَيْ: مِنْ بَعْدِ هَلَاكِهِمْ.

(١) أي: وما كان لنا أن نأتيكم بحجة وبرهان على ما ندعوكم إليه "إلا بإذن الله"، يقول: إلا بأمر الله لنا بذلك "وعلى الله فليتوكل المؤمنون" يقول: وبالله فليثق به مَنْ آمن به وأطاعه، فإنا به نثق، وعليه نتوكل. انظر: تفسير الطبري: ١٦ / ٥٣٨. (٢) قال الرازي: فإن قيل: كيف قالوا لرسلهم "أو لتعودن ... " والرسل لم يكونوا على ملة الكفار قط ... فالجواب من وجوه: الأول: أن العَوْد في كلام العرب يستعمل كثيرا بمعنى الصيرورة، يقولون: عاد فلان يكلمني، وعاد لفلان مال، وأشباه ذلك. ومنه قوله تعالى: "حتى عاد كالعرجون القديم". الثاني: أنهم خاطبوا الرسل بذلك بناء على زعمهم الفاسد واعتقادهم أن الرسل كانوا أولا على ملل قومهم، ثم انتقلوا عنها. الثالث: أنهم خاطبوا كل رسول ومَنْ آمن به، فغلبوا في الخطاب الجماعة على الواحد. انظر: مسائل الرازي وأجوبتها من غرائب آي التنزيل ص (١٥٩) .