Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (4/391)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

It was also said: Because it is divided into two halves between Allah and His servant: one half is praise, and the other half is supplication, as narrated from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that Allah, Exalted is He, says: “I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves.” (1)

Al-Husayn (2) ibn al-Fadl said: It was called the Oft-Repeated because it was sent down twice: once in Mecca and once in Medina, each time accompanied by seventy thousand angels.

Mujahid said: It was called the Oft-Repeated because Allah, Exalted is He, singled it out and reserved it for this community, not giving it to anyone else. Abu Zayd al-Balkhi said: [It was called the Oft-Repeated] (3) because it turns the people of evil away from sinfulness, as in the Arab expression, “I turned my reins.”

It was also said: Because its opening is praise.

Sa‘id ibn Jubayr related from Ibn Abbas: The seven oft-repeated verses are the seven long surahs, the first of which is Surah al-Baqarah and the last of which is al-Anfal together with al-Tawbah. Some said that Surah Yunus should be counted in place of al-Anfal.

Abu Sa‘id Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Shurayhi informed us; [Abu Ishaq al-Tha‘labi informed us; Abu Muhammad al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Makhladi narrated to us]; (4) Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Hamdun ibn Khalid and Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Muslim informed us, saying: Hilal ibn al-‘Ala informed us; Hajjaj ibn Muhammad narrated to us from Ayyub ibn ‘Utbah, from Yahya ibn Kathir, from Shaddad ibn Abd Allah, from Abu Asma al-Rahbi, from Thawban, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Allah, Exalted is He, gave me the seven long surahs in place of the Torah; He gave me the mi’in, the surahs of approximately one hundred verses, in place of the Gospel; He gave me the oft-repeated surahs in place of the Psalms; and my Lord favored me with the Mufassal, the final division of the Quran.” (5)

Sa‘id ibn Jubayr related from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was given the seven long surahs, while Moses was given six. When he cast down the Tablets, two were taken up, and four remained. (6)

(1) Its continuation reads: “...and My servant shall have what he asks for. When the servant says, ‘All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,’ Allah Most High says, ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When he says, ‘The Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has extolled Me.’ When he says, ‘Master of the Day of Recompense,’ He says, ‘My servant has glorified Me.’ When he says, ‘You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help,’ He says, ‘This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’ When he says, ‘Guide us to the straight path: the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have incurred wrath, nor of those who have gone astray,’ He says, ‘This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’” Recorded by Muslim in The Book of Prayer, chapter: “The obligation of reciting al-Fatihah in every rakah,” no. 395, 1:296; and by the author in Sharh al-Sunnah, 3:47. See above, 1:57. (2) In manuscript B: al-Hasan. (3) Omitted from manuscript B. (4) The text within parentheses is omitted from manuscript B. (5) Its source has been given above, 1:41, note 3. (6) See above, the commentary on the reports concerning Moses casting down the Tablets, 3:288, note 1.

وَقِيلَ: لِأَنَّهَا مَقْسُومَةٌ بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَبَيْنَ الْعَبْدِ نِصْفَيْنِ، نِصْفُهَا ثَنَاءٌ وَنِصْفُهَا دُعَاءٌ، كَمَا رُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ﵁ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: يَقُولُ اللَّهُ ﷿: "قَسَمْتُ الصَّلَاةَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ عَبْدِي نِصْفَيْنِ" (١) . وَقَالَ الْحُسَيْنُ (٢) بْنُ الْفَضْلِ: سُمِّيَتْ مَثَانِيَ لِأَنَّهَا نَزَلَتْ مَرَّتَيْنِ: مَرَّةً بِمَكَّةَ، وَمَرَّةً بِالْمَدِينَةِ، كُلَّ مَرَّةٍ مَعَهَا سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلِكٍ. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: سُمِّيَتْ مَثَانِيَ لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى اسْتَثْنَاهَا وَادَّخَرَهَا لِهَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ فَمَا أَعْطَاهَا غَيْرَهُمْ. وَقَالَ أَبُو زَيْدٍ الْبَلْخِيُّ: [سُمِّيَتْ مَثَانِيَ] (٣) لِأَنَّهَا تُثْنِي أَهْلَ الشَّرِّ عَنِ الْفِسْقِ، مِنْ قَوْلِ الْعَرَبِ: ثَنَيْتُ عَنَانِيَ. وَقِيلَ: لِأَنَّ أَوَّلَهَا ثَنَاءٌ. وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: إِنَّ السَّبْعَ الْمَثَانِيَ هِيَ السَّبْعُ الطِّوَالُ، أَوَّلُهَا سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ، وَآخِرُهَا الْأَنْفَالُ مَعَ التَّوْبَةِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: سُورَةَ يُونُسَ بَدَلَ الْأَنْفَالِ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الشُّرَيْحِيُّ، [أَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الثَّعْلَبِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمَخْلَدِيُّ] (٤) أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَمْدُونَ بْنِ خَالِدٍ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ قَالَا أَنْبَأَنَا هِلَالُ بْنُ الْعَلَاءِ، حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ كَثِيرٍ، عَنْ شَدَّادِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَبِي أَسْمَاءَ الرَّحْبِيِّ عَنْ ثَوْبَانَ ﵁ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: "إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَعْطَانِي السَّبْعَ الطِّوَالَ مَكَانَ التَّوْرَاةِ، وَأَعْطَانِي الْمِئِينَ مَكَانَ الْإِنْجِيلِ وَأَعْطَانِي مَكَانَ الزَّبُورِ الْمَثَانِيَ، وَفَضَّلَنِي رَبِّي بِالْمُفَصَّلِ" (٥) . وَعَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄ قَالَ: أُوتِيَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ السَّبْعَ الطِّوَالَ، وَأُعْطِيَ مُوسَى سِتًّا فَلَمَّا أَلْقَى الْأَلْوَاحَ رُفِعَ ثِنْتَانِ وَبَقِيَ أَرْبَعٌ (٦) .

(١) وتمامه: "..، ولعبدي ما سأل، فإذا قال العبد: (الحمد لله رب العالمين) قال الله تعالى: حمدني عبدي، وإذا قال: (الرحمن الرحيم) قال الله تعالى: أثنى عليَّ عبدي. وإذا قال: (مالك يوم الدين) قال: مجّدني عبدي، فإذا قال: (إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين) قال: هذا بيني وبين عبدي ولعبدي ما سأل، فإذا قال: (اهدنا الصراط المستقيم صراط الذين أنعمت عليهم غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين) قال: هذا لعبدي ولعبدي ما سأل". أخرجه مسلم في الصلاة، باب وجوب قراءة الفاتحة في كل ركعة ... برقم (٣٩٥) ١ / ٢٩٦، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ٣ / ٤٧، وانظر فيما سبق: ١ / ٥٧. (٢) في "ب" الحسن. (٣) ساقط من "ب". (٤) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "ب". (٥) تقدم تخريجه فيما سبق: ١ / ٤١، تعليق (٣) . (٦) انظر فيما سبق تعليقا على الروايات عن إلقاء موسى للألواح ٣ / ٢٨٨ تعليق (١) .