Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/354)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

as in His saying: “We opened for them the gates of every kind of thing.” (al-Anʿām 6:44)

Al-Hasan recited, “from every,” with tanwīn, taking “what” as a negative particle; that is, “from everything that you did not ask Him for.” In other words, He gave you things that you neither sought nor asked for. (1)

“And if you were to count Allah’s blessing”: that is, the blessings of Allah, “you could never enumerate them”; that is, you would not be able to count them or adequately give thanks for them.

“Indeed, man is most unjust and deeply ungrateful”: that is, he wrongs himself through disobedience and is ungrateful to his Lord, may He be exalted, for His blessings.

It was also said: The most unjust person is the one who thanks someone other than the one who bestowed the favor upon him, while the ungrateful person is the one who denies his benefactor.

“And when Abraham said, ‘My Lord, make this city secure, and keep me and my children from worshipping idols. My Lord, they have led many people astray. So whoever follows me is of me; and whoever disobeys me—then indeed, You are All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’” (35–36)

His saying, may He be exalted, “And when Abraham said, ‘My Lord, make this city’” means the Sacred Sanctuary; “secure,” that is, a place of safety in which people are granted security; “and keep me away,” that is, distance me, “and my children from worshipping idols.” One may say, jannabtuhu al-shay'a, ajnabtuhu janban, jannabtuhu tajniban, and ijtanabtuhu ijtinaban—all carrying the same meaning.

If it is asked: Abraham, peace be upon him, was safeguarded from worshipping idols, so how can this supplication be understood? Moreover, many of his descendants worshipped idols, so where is the answer to his supplication?

It is said: As for Abraham, peace be upon him, his supplication was for increased divine protection and steadfastness. As for his supplication for his children, he meant his direct offspring, none of whom worshipped an idol.

It was also said that his supplication was for those among his children who were believers. (2)

“My Lord, they have led many people astray”: that is, many people went astray through them, departing from the path of guidance until they worshipped them. This is an inverted construction, comparable to His saying: “It is only Satan who frightens you through his allies.” (Āl ʿImrān 3:175),

(1) See al-Tabari, Tafsir, 13:226. (2) Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Razi said: “It has been said that he asked this question only in a state of fear that distracted him from his knowledge of his infallibility from disbelief and the worship of idols. For the prophets, peace be upon them, are the most knowledgeable of people concerning Allah and therefore the most fearful of Him; thus, he is excused on account of this. It has also been said that Allah, exalted is He, in His wisdom and knowledge, does not test any prophet with disbelief, provided that he humbly supplicates his Lord and asks Him for this. Thus, He caused this question to be uttered on his tongue in order to establish the condition for infallibility.” See Masa'il al-Razi wa Ajwibatuha min Ghara'ib Ay al-Tanzil, p. 164. (3) Omitted in manuscript B.

نَظِيرُهُ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ أَبْوَابَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ﴾ (الْأَنْعَامِ -٤٤) . وَقَرَأَ الْحَسَنُ " مِنْ كُلٍّ " بِالتَّنْوِينِ ﴿مَا﴾ عَلَى النَّفْيِ يَعْنِي مِنْ كُلِّ مَا لَمْ تَسْأَلُوهُ، يَعْنِي: أَعْطَاكُمْ أَشْيَاءَ مَا طَلَبْتُمُوهَا وَلَا سَأَلْتُمُوهَا (١) . ﴿وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ﴾ أَيْ: نِعَمَ اللَّهِ، ﴿لَا تُحْصُوهَا﴾ أَيْ: لَا تُطِيقُوا عَدَّهَا وَلَا الْقِيَامَ بِشُكْرِهَا. ﴿إِنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ﴾ أَيْ: ظَالِمٌ لِنَفْسِهِ بِالْمَعْصِيَةِ، كَافِرٌ بِرَبِّهِ ﷿ فِي نِعْمَتِهِ. وَقِيلَ: الظَّلُومُ، الَّذِي يَشْكُرُ غَيْرَ مَنْ أَنْعَمَ عَلَيْهِ، وَالْكَافِرُ: مَنْ يَجْحَدُ مُنْعِمَهُ. ﴿وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِنًا وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِيَّ أَنْ نَعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ (٣٥) رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ فَمَنْ تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (٣٦) ﴾ . قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا الْبَلَدَ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْحَرَمَ، ﴿آمِنًا﴾ ذَا أَمْنٍ يُؤَمَّنُ فِيهِ، ﴿وَاجْنُبْنِي﴾ أَبْعِدْنِي، ﴿وَبَنِيَّ أَنْ نَعْبُدَ الْأَصْنَامَ﴾ يُقَالُ: جَنَّبْتُهُ الشَّيْءَ، وَأَجْنَبْتُهُ جَنْبًا، وَجَنَّبْتُهُ تَجْنِيبًا وَاجْتَنَبْتُهُ اجْتِنَابًا بِمَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ. فَإِنْ قِيلَ: قَدْ كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ ﵇ مَعْصُومًا مِنْ عِبَادَةِ الْأَصْنَامِ، فَكَيْفَ يَسْتَقِيمُ السُّؤَالُ؟ وَقَدْ عَبَدَ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ بَنِيهِ الْأَصْنَامَ فَأَيْنَ الْإِجَابَةُ؟ قِيلَ: الدُّعَاءُ فِي حَقِّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ﵇ لِزِيَادَةِ الْعِصْمَةِ وَالتَّثْبِيتِ، وَأَمَّا دُعَاؤُهُ لِبَنِيهِ: فَأَرَادَ بَنِيهِ مِنْ صُلْبِهِ، وَلَمْ يَعْبُدْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدٌ الصَّنَمَ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ دُعَاءَهُ لِمَنْ كَانَ مُؤْمِنًا مِنْ بَنِيهِ (٢) . ﴿رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ﴾ يَعْنِي ضَلَّ بِهِنَّ كَثِيرٌ [مِنَ النَّاسِ] (٣) عَنْ طَرِيقِ الْهُدَى حَتَّى عَبَدُوهُنَّ، وَهَذَا هُوَ الْمَقْلُوبُ، نَظِيرُهُ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّمَا ذَلِكُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ يُخَوِّفُ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ﴾ (آلِ عِمْرَانَ -١٧٥) ،

(١) انظر: تفسير الطبري ١٣ / ٢٢٦. (٢) وقال محمد بن أبي بكر الرازي قيل: "إنما سأل هذا السؤال في حالة خوف أذهله عن ذلك العلم -بالعصمة عن الكفر وعبادة الأصنام- لأن الأنبياء ﵈ أعلم الناس بالله، فيكونون أخوفهم منه، فيكون معذورا بسبب ذلك. وقيل: إن في حكمة الله تعالى وعلمه أن لا يبتلي نبيا من الأنبياء بالكفر، بشرط أن يكون متضرعا إلى ربه طالبا منه ذلك، فأجرى على لسانه هذا السؤال لتحقيق شرط العصمة". انظر: مسائل الرازي وأجوبتها من غرائب آي التنزيل، ص (١٦٤) . (٣) ساقط من "ب".