Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/386)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

for an exception following a negation affirms, while an exception following an affirmation negates. Thus, Lot’s wife was excluded from those to be saved and was consequently joined to those who would perish.

Abu Bakr recited qadarna (“We decreed”) here and in Surah al-Naml with an ungeminated dāl, while the rest recited it with gemination.

“When the messengers came to the family of Lot, (61) he said, ‘You are surely unfamiliar people.’ (62) They said, ‘Rather, we have brought you that concerning which they used to doubt. (63) And we have come to you with the truth, and indeed we are truthful. (64) So set out with your family in a portion of the night, and follow behind them. Let none of you look back, but proceed where you are commanded.’ (65) And We made this decree known to him: the last remnant of these people would be cut off by morning. (66)

“He said”: Lot said to them, “You are surely unfamiliar people”—that is, I do not know you.

“They said, ‘Rather, we have brought you that concerning which they used to doubt’”: that is, they doubted that it would befall them—the punishment—because he had been warning them of the punishment, but they did not believe him.

“And we have come to you with the truth”: with certainty. It was also said: with the punishment. “And indeed we are truthful.”

“So set out with your family in a portion of the night, and follow behind them”: that is, walk behind them. “Let none of you look back,” so that they would not be terrified by the punishment when it descended upon their people.

It was also said that Allah made this a sign by which those of Lot’s family who would be saved could be identified.

“But proceed where you are commanded.” Ibn Abbas said: This means Syria. Muqatil said: It means Zughar (1). It was also said: the Jordan.

“And We made this decree known to him”: that is, We conveyed this matter to Lot’s family; in other words, We finalized the matter concerning Lot’s people with which We had been commanded, and informed him: “the last remnant of these people”—as indicated by Abdullah’s recitation, “And We said to him: indeed, the last remnant of these people”—meaning, their very root—“would be cut off”: utterly exterminated, “by morning”: when they entered upon the morning.

(1) In manuscript B: Zu'ar, with an unpointed, vowelless ayn and an initial fathah; it is a place in the Hijaz. Yaqut al-Hamawi states in Mujam al-Buldan, 3/142-143: “Zughar,” with a dotted ghayn, following the pattern of Zufar: a village on the outskirts of Syria. It is the place meant by Abu Duad al-Iyadi in his verse: “Like the Zugharite writing, its covering is of gleaming gold.” It is also said that Zughar was the name of a daughter of Lot, peace be upon him, who settled in this village, which was consequently named after her. Hatim al-Ta'i said: “May the Lord of mankind water, with abundant rain and a steady downpour, the southern slopes of al-Sarah, from Ma'ab to Zu'ar.” Zughar is mentioned in the hadith of al-Jassasah, recorded by Muslim in Kitab al-Fitan, no. 2942, 4/2261-2264.

وَالِاسْتِثْنَاءُ مِنَ النَّفْيِ إِثْبَاتٌ، وَمِنَ الْإِثْبَاتِ نَفْيٌ، فَاسْتَثْنَى امْرَأَةَ لُوطٍ مِنَ النَّاجِينَ فَكَانَتْ مُلْحَقَةً بِالْهَالِكِينَ. قَرَأَ أَبُو بكر "قدرنا" هاهنا وَفِي سُورَةِ النَّمْلِ بِتَخْفِيفِ الدَّالِ. وَالْبَاقُونَ بِتَشْدِيدِهَا. ﴿فَلَمَّا جَاءَ آلَ لُوطٍ الْمُرْسَلُونَ (٦١) قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ مُنْكَرُونَ (٦٢) قَالُوا بَلْ جِئْنَاكَ بِمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ (٦٣) وَأَتَيْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ (٦٤) فَأَسْرِ بِأَهْلِكَ بِقِطْعٍ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ وَاتَّبِعْ أَدْبَارَهُمْ وَلَا يَلْتَفِتْ مِنْكُمْ أَحَدٌ وَامْضُوا حَيْثُ تُؤْمَرُونَ (٦٥) وَقَضَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ الْأَمْرَ أَنَّ دَابِرَ هَؤُلَاءِ مَقْطُوعٌ مُصْبِحِينَ (٦٦) ﴾ ﴿قَالَ﴾ لُوطٌ لَهُمْ ﴿إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ مُنْكَرُونَ﴾ أَيْ: أَنَا لَا أَعْرِفُكُمْ. ﴿قَالُوا بَلْ جِئْنَاكَ بِمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ﴾ أَيْ: يَشُكُّونَ فِي أَنَّهُ نَازِلٌ بِهِمْ، وَهُوَ الْعَذَابُ، لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ يُوعِدُهُمْ بِالْعَذَابِ وَلَا يُصَدِّقُونَهُ. ﴿وَأَتَيْنَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ﴾ بِالْيَقِينِ. وَقِيلَ: بِالْعَذَابِ ﴿وَإِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ﴾ ﴿فَأَسْرِ بِأَهْلِكَ بِقِطْعٍ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ وَاتَّبِعْ أَدْبَارَهُمْ﴾ أَيْ: سِرْ خَلْفَهُمْ ﴿وَلَا يَلْتَفِتْ مِنْكُمْ أَحَدٌ﴾ حَتَّى لَا يَرْتَاعُوا مِنَ الْعَذَابِ إِذَا نَزَلَ بِقَوْمِهِمْ. وَقِيلَ: جَعَلَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ عَلَامَةً لِمَنْ يَنْجُو مِنْ آلِ لُوطٍ. ﴿وَامْضُوا حَيْثُ تُؤْمَرُونَ﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: يَعْنِي الشَّامَ. وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: يَعْنِي زُغَرَ (١) وَقِيلَ: الْأُرْدُنُ. ﴿وَقَضَيْنَا إِلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ الْأَمْرَ﴾ أَيْ: فَرَغْنَا إِلَى آلِ لُوطٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الْأَمْرِ، أَيْ: أَحْكَمْنَا الْأَمْرَ الَّذِي أُمِرْنَا فِي قَوْمِ لُوطٍ، وَأَخْبَرْنَاهُ: ﴿أَنَّ دَابِرَ هَؤُلَاءِ﴾ يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ قِرَاءَةُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: وَقُلْنَا لَهُ إِنَّ دَابِرَ هَؤُلَاءِ، يَعْنِي: أَصْلَهُمْ، ﴿مَقْطُوعٌ﴾ مُسْتَأْصَلٌ، ﴿مُصْبِحِينَ﴾ إِذَا دَخَلُوا فِي الصُّبْحِ.

(١) في "ب" "زعر" - بالعين المهملة الساكنة، أوله مفتوح - موضع بالحجاز، قال ياقوت الحموي في "معجم البلدان" (٣ / ١٤٢-١٤٣) "زغر" بالغين المعجمة، بوزن زُفَر - قرية بمشارف الشام وإياها عنى أبو دؤاد الإيادي حيث قال: ككتابة الزغري غَشَّا ... ها من الذهب الدُّلامص وقيل: "زغر" اسم بنت لوط، ﵇، نزلت بهذه القرية فسميت باسمها؛ وقال حاتم الطائي: سقى الله رب الناس سحًا وديمة ... جنوب السراة من مآبٍ إلى زُعَر وجاء ذكر "زغر" في حديث الجساسة، الذي أخرجه مسلم في الفتن برقم (٢٩٤٢) ٤ / ٢٢٦١-٢٢٦٤.