Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/55)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Surah al-Isra (The Night Journey)

Makkan; 111 verses. (1)

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

“Glory be to Him who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We might show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” (1)

“Glory be to Him who took His servant by night”: Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah) means declaring Allah, Most High, to be free of every imperfection and describing Him, in the strongest terms, as being free of every deficiency. The word subhan may also be used to express amazement. “Took His servant by night” means: He caused him to travel by night; likewise, sara bihi means that He caused him to travel by night. The servant was Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

“From the Sacred Mosque”: It was said that the Night Journey began from the mosque in Mecca. Qatadah narrated from Anas, from Malik ibn Sa'sa'ah, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “While I was in the Sacred Mosque, in al-Hijr, between sleep and wakefulness, Gabriel came to me with Buraq.” (2) He then related the hadith of the Ascension.

Others said that he was taken up from the house of Umm Hani, daughter of Abu Talib. (3) The meaning of His saying, “from the Sacred Mosque,” is:

(1) It is Makkan according to the majority view, and this is reported from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him. Al-Nahhas and Ibn Mardawayh narrated from him that he said: “Surat Bani Israil was revealed in Mecca.” Some held that it contains Madinan verses, also reporting this from Ibn Abbas, who said: “It is Makkan except for eight verses.” See al-Durr al-Manthur, 5:181; Zad al-Masir, 5:3. (2) It is narrated in the two Sahihs and elsewhere; its authentication will be cited shortly. (3) Ibn Ishaq narrated it in al-Sirah, saying: Muhammad ibn al-Sa'ib al-Kalbi narrated to me from Abu Salih Badhan, from Umm Hani bint Abi Talib. See Sirat Ibn Hisham, 1:402-403; and al-Tabari, Tafsir, 15:2. Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said, 3:23: “Al-Kalbi is utterly abandoned and discredited.” Al-Haythami said in Majma al-Zawa'id, 1:76: “Al-Tabarani narrated it in al-Kabir, and its chain contains Abd al-Ala ibn Abi al-Miswar, an abandoned liar.”

سُورَةُ الْإِسْرَاءِ مَكِّيَّةٌ وَهِيَ مِائَةٌ وَإِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ آيَةً (١) . ﷽ ﴿سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ (١) ﴾ ﴿سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا﴾ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ: تَنْزِيهُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى مِنْ كُلِّ سُوءٍ، وَوَصْفُهُ بِالْبَرَاءَةِ مَنْ كُلِّ نَقْصٍ عَلَى طَرِيقِ الْمُبَالَغَةِ، وَيَكُونُ "سُبْحَانَ" بِمَعْنَى التَّعَجُّبِ، "أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ" أَيْ: سَيَّرَهُ، وَكَذَلِكَ سَرَى بِهِ، وَالْعَبْدُ هُوَ: مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ. ﴿مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ﴾ قِيلَ: كَانَ الْإِسْرَاءُ مِنْ مَسْجِدِ مَكَّةَ، رَوَى قَتَادَةُ عَنْ أَنَسٍ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ صَعْصَعَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: "بَيْنَا أَنَا فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ فِي الْحِجْرِ بَيْنَ النَّائِمِ وَالْيَقْظَانِ إِذْ أَتَانِي جِبْرِيلُ بِالْبُرَاقِ" (٢) فَذَكَرَ حَدِيثَ الْمِعْرَاجِ. وَقَالَ قَوْمٌ: عُرِجَ بِهِ مِنْ دَارِ أُمِّ هَانِئٍ بِنْتِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (٣) وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: ﴿مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ﴾

(١) هي مكية في قول الجماعة، وهو مروي عن ابن عباس ﵁، فيما أخرجه عنه: النحاس، وابن مردويه، قال: "نزلت سورة بني إسرائيل بمكة". وقال بعضهم: فيها مدني، وهو مروي أيضا عن ابن عباس، حيث قال: هي مكية إلا ثمان آيات. انظر: الدر المنثور: ٥ / ١٨١، زاد المسير: ٥ / ٣. (٢) وهو مروي في الصحيحين وغيرهما، وسيأتي تخريجه قريبا. (٣) أخرجه ابن إسحاق في السيرة قال: حدثني محمد بن السائب الكلبي عن أبي صالح باذان، عن أم هانئ بنت أبي طالب. انظر سيرة ابن هشام: ١ / ٤٠٢-٤٠٣، والطبري في التفسير: ١٥ / ٢. قال الحافظ ابن كثير: (٣ / ٢٣) : الكلبي متروك بمرة ساقط. وقال الهيثمي في مجمع الزوائد: (١ / ٧٦) : "رواه الطبراني في الكبير، وفيه عبد الأعلى بن أبي المساور، متروك كذاب".