Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/372)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“And We adorned it”—that is, the heaven—with the sun, the moon, and the stars—“for those who look.”

“And We have guarded it against every accursed devil, except one who steals a hearing, whereupon he is pursued by a clear burning flame.”

“And We have guarded it against every accursed devil”: that is, one who is pelted. It is also said: one who is cursed.

Ibn Abbas said: “The devils were not barred from the heavens; they would enter them, obtain their news, and cast it to the soothsayers. When Jesus, peace be upon him, was born, 196/a, they were barred from three heavens; and when Muhammad, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, was born, they were barred from all the heavens. Thus, none of them seeking to steal a hearing is spared being struck by a burning flame. When they were prevented from those stations, they mentioned this to Iblis, and he said (1), ‘Something momentous has occurred on earth.’ So he sent them out, and they found the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, reciting the Quran. They said, ‘By Allah, this is what has happened.’” (2)

“Except one who steals a hearing”: rather, whoever steals a hearing “is pursued by a clear burning flame.” A burning flame is a blaze of fire.

This is because the devils climb upon one another up to the lowest heaven and steal a hearing from the angels. They are then pelted with stars, which never miss. Some of them are killed; others have their face, side, hand, or whatever else Allah wills burned; and others are deprived of their senses, becoming ghouls that lead people astray in the wilderness. (3)

Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Nuaymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Ismail narrated to us; al-Humaydi narrated to us; Sufyan narrated to us; Amr narrated to us, saying: I heard Ikrimah say: I heard Abu Hurayrah say: The Prophet of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When Allah decrees a matter in heaven, the angels beat their wings

(1) In manuscript B: “they said.” (2) Cited from him by Abu Hayyan in al-Bahr al-Muhit, 5:449, and Ibn al-Jawzi in Zad al-Masir, 4:389; both omit the words: “Thus, not one of them ...” and so forth. See also: Tafsir al-Qurtubi, 10:12; al-Durr al-Manthur, 8:303. (3) Scholars differed as to whether the shihab (flaming meteor) kills or not. Ibn Abbas said: “The shihab wounds, burns, and incapacitates, but does not kill.” Al-Hasan and a group of scholars held that it kills. According to this latter view, there are two opinions as to whether they are killed by the flaming meteors before transmitting to other jinn what they have eavesdropped from the heavenly discourse: first, that they are killed before conveying to others what they have eavesdropped. On this view, reports from heaven do not reach anyone other than the prophets, which is why divination ceased. Second, they are killed after conveying what they have eavesdropped to other jinn; this is why they do not return to eavesdropping. Had it not reached the others, eavesdropping would have ceased, as would the burning by the flaming meteors. This was mentioned by al-Mawardi. Al-Qurtubi said: “The first view is more correct.” See: Tafsir al-Qurtubi, 10:11.

﴿وَزَيَّنَّاهَا﴾ أَيِ: السَّمَاءَ بِالشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِ وَالنُّجُومِ ﴿لِلنَّاظِرِينَ﴾ . ﴿وَحَفِظْنَاهَا مِنْ كُلِ شَيْطَانٍ رَجِيمٍ (١٧) إِلَّا مَنِ اسْتَرَقَ السَّمْعَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ مُبِينٌ (١٨) ﴾ . ﴿وَحَفِظْنَاهَا مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ رَجِيمٍ﴾ مَرْجُومٍ. وَقِيلَ: مَلْعُونٍ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: كَانَتِ الشَّيَاطِينُ لَا يحجبون عن السموات وَكَانُوا يَدْخَلُونَهَا، وَيَأْتُونَ بِأَخْبَارِهَا فَيُلْقُونَ عَلَى الْكَهَنَةِ، فَلَمَّا وُلِدَ عِيسَى ﵇ ١٩٦/أمُنِعُوا مِنْ ثَلَاثِ سَمَوَاتٍ، فَلَمَّا وُلِدَ مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ منعوا من السموات أَجْمَعَ، فَمَا مِنْهُمْ مَنْ أَحَدٍ يُرِيدُ اسْتِرَاقَ السَّمْعِ إِلَّا رُمِيَ بِشِهَابٍ، فَلَمَّا مُنِعُوا مِنْ تِلْكَ الْمَقَاعِدِ ذَكَرُوا ذَلِكَ لِإِبْلِيسَ، فَقَالَ (١) لَقَدْ حَدَثَ فِي الْأَرْضِ حَدَثٌ، قَالَ: فَبَعَثَهُمْ فَوَجَدُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَتْلُو الْقُرْآنَ، فَقَالُوا: هَذَا وَاللَّهِ مَا حَدَثَ (٢) . ﴿إِلَّا مَنِ اسْتَرَقَ السَّمْعَ﴾ لَكِنَّ مَنِ اسْتَرَقَ السَّمْعَ ﴿فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ مُبِينٌ﴾ وَالشِّهَابُ: الشُّعْلَةُ مِنَ النَّارِ. وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ يَرْكَبُ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا، وَيَسْتَرِقُونَ السَّمْعَ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ، فَيُرْمَوْنَ بِالْكَوَاكِبِ فَلَا تُخْطِئُ أَبَدًا، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَقْتُلُهُ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تُحْرِقُ وَجْهَهُ أَوْ جَنْبَهُ أَوْ يَدَهُ أَوْ حَيْثُ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ تَخْبِلُهُ فَيَصِيرُ غُولًا يُضِلُّ النَّاسَ فِي الْبَوَادِي (٣) . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النُّعَيْمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحُمَيْدِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرٌو، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ عِكْرِمَةَ يَقُولُ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: "إِذَا قَضَى اللَّهُ الْأَمْرَ فِي السَّمَاءِ ضَرَبَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ بِأَجْنِحَتِهَا

(١) في "ب" فقالوا. (٢) نقله عنه أبو حيان في البحر المحيط: ٥ / ٤٤٩ وابن الجوزي في زاد المسير ٤ / ٣٨٩، كلاهما دون قوله: فما منهم من أحد ... إلخ وانظر: تفسير القرطبي: ١٠ / ١٢، الدر المنثور: ٨ / ٣٠٣. (٣) اختلف في الشهاب، هل يقتل أم لا؟ فقال ابن عباس: الشهاب يجرح ويحرق ويخبل ولا يقتل. وقال الحسن وطائفة: يقتل. فعلى هذا القول في قتلهم بالشهب قبل إلقاء السمع إلى الجن قولان: أحدهما - أنهم يقتلون قبل إلقائهم ما استرقوه من السمع إلى غيرهم؛ فعلى هذا لا تصل أخبار السماء إلى غير الأنبياء، ولذلك انقطعت الكهانة. والثاني: أنهم يقتلون بعد إلقائهم ما استرقوه إلى غيرهم من الجن، ولذلك ما يعودون إلى استراقه، ولو لم يصل لانقطع الاستراق وانقطع الإحراق. ذكره الماوردي. قال القرطبي: والقول الأول أصح. انظر: تفسير القرطبي: (١٠ / ١١) .