Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/53)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Indeed, your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way, and He knows best those who are rightly guided.”

“And if you punish, then punish with the like of that with which you were harmed. But if you are patient, it is surely better for those who are patient.” (126)

“And if you punish, then punish with the like of that with which you were harmed.” These verses were revealed in Medina concerning the martyrs of Uhud (1). When the Muslims saw what the polytheists had done to their slain on the day of Uhud—disembowelling them and heinously mutilating them, such that not one of the slain Muslims was spared mutilation except Hanzalah ibn al-Rahib; for his father, Abu Amir al-Rahib, was with Abu Sufyan, and so they left Hanzalah alone—the Muslims said upon seeing this: “If Allah grants us victory over them, we shall certainly surpass what they have done, and we shall mutilate them in a manner that no Arab has ever inflicted upon another.”

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then stood over his uncle Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib. They had cut off his nose and ears, severed his genitals, and ripped open his abdomen. Hind bint Utbah took a piece of his liver and chewed it; then she attempted to swallow it in order to eat it, but it did not remain in her stomach before she cast it out. When this reached the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, he said: “Had she eaten it, she would never have entered the Fire. Hamzah is too honored by Allah Most High for Him to admit any part of his body into the Fire.”

When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, looked at his uncle Hamzah, he saw something more painful to his heart than anything he had ever seen. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “May Allah have mercy upon you. For, as far as I knew, you were ever one who did good deeds and maintained ties of kinship. Were it not for the grief that would be felt for you after you, I would be pleased to leave you until you were raised among diverse multitudes. By Allah, if Allah grants me victory over them, I shall certainly mutilate seventy of them in your place.” Thereupon Allah Most High revealed: “And if you punish, then punish with the like of that with which you were harmed.”

“But if you are patient, it is surely better for those who are patient”: that is, if you pardon, it is surely better for those who pardon. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Rather, we shall be patient.” He refrained from what he had intended and expiated for his oath. (2)

(1) Ibn Atiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “The exegetes unanimously hold that this verse is Madinan, revealed concerning the mutilation of Hamza, may Allah be pleased with him, on the day of Uhud. This is reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and in the books of Prophetic biography. Al-Nahhas, however, held that it is Makkan.” See Tafsir al-Qurtubi, 10:201. (2) Al-Wahidi related this report from the exegetes in Asbab al-Nuzul, pp. 329-330, without providing a chain of transmission. Al-Khazin did likewise in his Tafsir, 4:131. This account contains both sound and weak material. Among the reports concerning it is that of Ubayy ibn Kab, who said: “On the day of Uhud, sixty-four men of the Ansar and six of the Muhajirun, including Hamza, were killed and mutilated. The Ansar said, ‘If we inflict upon them a day like this, we shall do still more to them.’ Then, on the day of the Conquest of Makkah, Allah revealed: ‘If you punish, then punish with the like of that with which you were afflicted; but if you are patient, it is indeed better for those who are patient.’ A man said, ‘There will be no Quraysh after today.’ The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, ‘Spare the people, except for four.’” Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it in al-Tafsir, 8:559-560, and declared it a sound, uncommon hadith. It was also transmitted by Ibn Hibban, as cited in Mawarid al-Zaman, p. 411; by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, 2:359, 446, who judged it authentic, with al-Dhahabi agreeing; by al-Tabarani in al-Kabir, 3:157; and by Abdullah, the son of Imam Ahmad, in Zawaid al-Musnad, 5:135. Al-Suyuti also attributed it to al-Nasai, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Mardawayh, and al-Bayhaqi in al-Dalail. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar referred to this report and stated in Fath al-Bari, 7:372: “These chains strengthen one another.” Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani also narrated, through a chain containing weakness, from Abu Hurayrah that, when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saw that Hamza had been mutilated, he said: “May Allah have mercy on you...” as mentioned in the compiler’s text. See Fath al-Bari, 7:371; Tabaqat Ibn Sad, 3:12-13; Sirat Ibn Hisham, 2:91, 95-96; Imta al-Asma by al-Maqrizi, p. 153; Asbab al-Nuzul by al-Wahidi, pp. 329-331, which contains the full accounts of all the reports; and al-Durr al-Manthur, 5:178-179; Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 2:592.

﴿إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ﴾ ﴿وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُمْ بِهِ وَلَئِنْ صَبَرْتُمْ لَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لِلصَّابِرِينَ (١٢٦) ﴾ ﴿وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا عُوقِبْتُمْ بِهِ﴾ هَذِهِ الْآيَاتُ نَزَلَتْ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فِي شُهَدَاءِ أُحُدٍ (١) وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ لَمَّا رَأَوْا مَا فَعَلَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ بِقَتْلَاهُمْ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ، مِنْ تَبْقِيرِ الْبُطُونِ، وَالْمُثْلَةِ السَّيِّئَةِ -حَتَّى لَمَّ يَبْقَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ قَتْلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ إِلَّا مُثِّلَ بِهِ غَيْرَ حَنْظَلَةَ بْنِ الرَّاهِبِ فَإِنَّ أَبَاهُ أَبَا عَامِرٍ الرَّاهِبَ كَانَ مَعَ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، فَتَرَكُوا حَنْظَلَةَ لِذَلِكَ-فَقَالَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ حِينَ رَأَوْا ذَلِكَ: لَئِنْ أَظْهَرَنَا اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ لَنَزِيدَنَّ عَلَى صَنِيعِهِمْ، وَلَنُمَثِّلَنَّ بِهِمْ مُثْلَةً لَمْ يَفْعَلْهَا أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ بِأَحَدٍ، فَوَقَفَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى عَمِّهِ حَمْزَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ وَقَدْ جَدَعُوا أَنْفَهُ وَأُذُنَهُ، وَقَطَعُوا مَذَاكِيرَهُ وَبَقَرُوا بَطْنَهُ، وَأَخَذَتْ هِنْدُ بِنْتُ عُتْبَةَ قِطْعَةً مِنْ كَبِدِهِ فَمَضَغَتْهَا، ثُمَّ اسْتَرْطَبَتْهَا لِتَأْكُلَهَا فَلَمْ تَلْبَثْ فِي بَطْنِهَا حَتَّى رَمَتْ بِهَا فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ: أَمَا إِنَّهَا لَوْ أَكَلَتْهُ لَمْ تَدْخُلِ النَّارَ أَبَدًا، حَمْزَةُ أَكْرَمُ عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مِنْ أَنْ يُدْخِلَ شَيْئًا مِنْ جَسَدِهِ النَّارَ فَلَمَّا نَظَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَى عَمِّهِ حَمْزَةَ، وَنَظَرَ إِلَى شَيْءٍ لَمْ يَنْظُرْ إِلَى شَيْءٍ قَطُّ كَانَ أَوْجَعَ لِقَلْبِهِ مِنْهُ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: "رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكَ فَإِنَّكَ مَا عَلِمْتُ مَا كُنْتَ إِلَّا فَاعِلًا لِلْخَيْرَاتِ، وَصُولًا لِلرَّحِمِ، وَلَوْلَا حُزْنٌ مِنْ بَعْدِكَ عَلَيْكَ لَسَرَّنِي أَنْ أَدَعَكَ حَتَّى تُحْشَرَ مِنْ أَفْوَاجٍ شَتَّى، أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ أَظْفَرَنِي اللَّهُ بِهِمْ لَأُمَثِّلَنَّ بِسَبْعِينَ مِنْهُمْ مَكَانَكَ"، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَإِنْ عَاقَبْتُمْ فَعَاقِبُوا﴾ الْآيَةَ. ﴿وَلَئِنْ صَبَرْتُمْ لَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لِلصَّابِرِينَ﴾ أَيْ: وَلَئِنْ عَفَوْتُمْ لَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لِلْعَافِينَ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: بَلْ نَصْبِرُ، وَأَمْسَكَ عَمَّا أَرَادَ وَكَفَّرَ عَنْ يَمِينِهِ (٢) .

(١) قال ابن عطية: (٤ / ٥٤٦) : أطبق أهل التفسير أن هذه الآية مدنية نزلت في شأن التمثيل بحمزة، ﵁، في يوم أحد. ووقع ذلك في صحيح البخاري، وفي كتب السير، وذهب النحاس إلى أنها مكية. وانظر: تفسير القرطبي: ١٠ / ٢٠١. (٢) هذه الرواية ساقها الواحدي في أسباب النزول ص (٣٢٩-٣٣٠) عن المفسرين ولم يذكر لها إسنادا، وكذلك فعل الخازن في تفسيره: (٤ / ١٣١) ، وفي هذا السياق ما هو صحيح ومنه ما هو ضعيف؛ وإليك بعض الروايات في ذلك: عن أبي بن كعب قال: لما كان يوم أحد أصيب من الأنصار أربعة وستون رجلا، ومن المهاجرين ستة منهم حمزة، فمثلوا بهم، فقالت الأنصار: لئن أصبنا منهم يوما مثل هذا لنربين عليهم. قال: فلما كان يوم فتح مكة فأنزل الله تعالى: "وإن عاقبتم فعاقبوا بمثل ما عوقبتم به ولئن صبرتم لهو خير للصابرين"، فقال رجل: لا قريش بعد اليوم. فقال رسول الله ﷺ: كفوا عن القوم إلا أربعة". أخرجه الترمذي في التفسير: ٨ / ٥٥٩-٥٦٠ وقال: هذا حديث حسن غريب، وأخرجه ابن حبان، كما في موارد الظمآن ص (٤١١) ، وصححه الحاكم في المستدرك: ٢ / ٣٥٩ و٤٤٦، ووافقه الذهبي، والطبراني في الكبير: ٣ / ١٥٧، وعبد الله ابن الإمام أحمد في زوائد المسند: ٥ / ١٣٥، وعزاه السيوطي للنسائي، وابن المنذر، وابن مردويه، والبيهقي في الدلائل. وأشار الحافظ ابن حجر إلى هذه الرواية وقال في الفتح (٧ / ٣٧٢) : "وهذه طرق يقوي بعضها بعضا". وروى البزار والطبراني بإسناد فيه ضعف عن أبي هريرة أن النبي ﷺ لما رأى حمزة قد مثل به قال: رحمة الله عليك.. -كما جاء في سياق المصنف- انظر: فتح الباري: ٧ / ٣٧١، وراجع: طبقات ابن سعد: ٣ / ١٢-١٣، سيرة ابن هشام: ٢ / ٩١، ٩٥-٩٦، إمتاع الأسماع للمقريزي ص (١٥٣) ، أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٣٢٩-٣٣١) وفيه سياق الروايات كلها، وكذلك الدر المنثور: ٥ / ١٧٨-١٧٩، تفسير ابن كثير: ٢ / ٥٩٢.