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Al-‘Awfi narrated from him that they are the sons of a man’s wife who are not his own sons. (1)
“And He has provided you with wholesome things”: that is, blessings and lawful provisions. “Do they then believe in falsehood”—meaning idols—“and deny Allah’s favor?” That is, monotheism and Islam.
It was also said: “Falsehood” refers to Satan, who commanded them to prohibit the bahirah and the sa’ibah; while “Allah’s favor” means what Allah has made lawful for them, which they deny by rejecting its lawfulness.
(1) After citing the reports concerning the interpretation of the verse, al-Tabari said (14:146-147): “The soundest view in this matter, in my opinion, is that Allah informed His servants, thereby making them aware of His blessings upon them in giving them spouses and children. He said: ‘Allah has made for you spouses from among yourselves, and from your spouses He has made for you children and hafadah.’ Thus, He informed them that He made for them, through their spouses, children and hafadah. In Arabic usage, hafadah is the plural of hafid. A hafid is one who is swift and unburdened in service and work; hafd means swiftness in work. Since hafadah has the meaning we have mentioned—those who hasten to serve a man and readily carry out such service—and since Allah informed us that among His blessings upon us is that He has given us hafadah to serve us, then our children and spouses, who may serve us and others, our sons-in-law, who are the husbands of our daughters, and our slave servants, when they serve us, all rightly bear the name hafadah. Allah has not indicated, either by the apparent meaning of His revelation, on the tongue of His Messenger, or by rational proof, that He intended one particular class of hafadah rather than another. Since He has bestowed all of this upon us, we have no right to restrict the term to one particular class of hafadah rather than its general meaning, except for that which the Ummah has unanimously agreed is excluded. Accordingly, each of the views we have related from those we have mentioned has a valid aspect and an interpretive basis. Nevertheless, the view we have chosen is closer to what is correct, for the reasons and proofs we have explained.”
وَرَوَى الْعَوْفِيُّ عَنْهُ: أَنَّهُمْ بَنُو امْرَأَةِ الرَّجُلِ لَيْسُوا مِنْهُ (١) .
﴿وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ﴾ مِنَ النِّعَمِ وَالْحَلَالِ، ﴿أَفَبِالْبَاطِلِ﴾ يَعْنِي الْأَصْنَامَ، ﴿يُؤْمِنُونَ وَبِنِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ هُمْ يَكْفُرُونَ﴾ ؟ يَعْنِي التَّوْحِيدَ وَالْإِسْلَامَ.
وَقِيلَ: "الْبَاطِلُ": الشَّيْطَانُ، أَمَرَهُمْ بِتَحْرِيمِ الْبَحِيرَةِ، وَالسَّائِبَةِ، وَ"بِنِعْمَةِ اللَّهِ" أَيْ: بِمَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ "يَكْفُرُونَ": يَجْحَدُونَ تَحْلِيلَهُ.
(١) بعد أن ساق الطبري ﵀ الروايات في تفسير الآية قال: (١٤ / ١٤٦-١٤٧) : "والصواب من القول في ذلك عندي أن يقال: إن الله تعالى أخبر عباده معرفهم نعمه عليهم، فيما جعل لهم من الأزواج والبنين، فقال تعالى: "والله جعل لكم من أنفسكم أزواجا وجعل لكم من أزواجكم بنين وحفدة"، فأعلمهم أنه جعل لهم من أزواجهم بنين وحفدة. والحفدة في كلام العرب: جمع حافد.. والحافد في كلامهم: هو المتخفف في الخدمة والعمل. والحفد: خفة العمل. وإذا كان معنى الحفدة ما ذكرنا من أنهم المسرعون في خدمة الرجل، المتخففون فيها، وكان الله -تعالى ذكره- أخبرنا أن مما أنعم به علينا أن جعل لنا حفدة تحفد لنا، وكان أولادنا وأزواجنا الذين يصلحون للخدمة منا ومن غيرنا، وأختاننا الذين هم أزواج بناتنا، من أزواجنا وخدمنا من مماليكنا، إذا كانوا يحفدوننا، فيستحقون اسم حفدة. ولم يكن الله تعالى دل بظاهر تنزيله، ولا على لسان رسوله ﷺ، ولا بحجة عقل، على أنه عنى بذلك نوعا من الحفدة، دون نوع منهم، وكان قد أنعم بكل ذلك علينا = لم يكن لنا أن نوجه ذلك إلى خاص من الحفدة دون عام، إلا ما اجتمعت الأمة عليه أنه غير داخل فيهم. وإذا كان ذلك كذلك؛ فلكل الأقوال -التي ذكرنا عمن ذكرنا- وجه في الصحة، ومخرج في التأويل. وإن كان أولى بالصواب من القول ما اخترنا، لما بينا من الدليل".