Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/83)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“When We intend to destroy a town, We command its affluent people, but they defiantly disobey therein; then the decree against it comes due, and We destroy it utterly.” (16)

Concerning His statement, Exalted is He, “When We intend to destroy a town, We command its affluent people”: Mujahid recited it as ammarnā, with the consonant doubled; that is, “We placed its wicked people in authority, and they disobeyed.” Al-Hasan, Qatadah, and Ya‘qub recited it as āmarnā, with lengthening; that is, “We multiplied them.”

The remaining reciters read it as amarnā, without lengthening or consonantal doubling; that is, “We commanded them to obey, but they disobeyed.” It may also mean, “We made them rulers,” and it may mean, “We multiplied them.” It is said, “Allah multiplied them,” meaning that Allah made them numerous. In the hadith: “The best wealth is a fertile mare” (1)—that is, one with many offspring (2). Similarly, an expression is used of a people when they become numerous. This is not derived from the word meaning “command,” for Allah does not command indecency.

Abu ‘Ubaydah preferred the recitation of the majority and said: “This is because all three meanings are combined in it”—namely, command, authority, and multiplicity.

“Its affluent people”: those who live in luxury and its wealthy people. “But they defiantly disobey therein; then the decree against it comes due”: that is, punishment becomes incumbent upon it. “And We destroy it utterly”: that is, We lay it waste and destroy those within it.

‘Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn ‘Abd Allah al-Nu‘aymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf related to us; Muhammad ibn Isma‘il related to us; Yahya ibn Bakr related to us; al-Layth related from ‘Uqayl, from Ibn Shihab, from ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, that Zaynab bint Abi Salamah told him, from Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan, from Zaynab bint Jahsh, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, came in to her in alarm, saying: “There is no god but Allah. Woe to the Arabs from an evil that has drawn near! Today, an opening like this has been made in the barrier of Gog and Magog”—and he formed a circle with his thumb and the finger next to it. Zaynab said: I asked, “Messenger of Allah, shall we be destroyed while righteous people are among us?” He replied: “Yes, when wickedness becomes widespread.” (3)

(1) Recorded by Ibn Sad in al-Tabaqat, 7:56 (al-Tahrir edition, Egypt); Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 3:468; al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan, 10:64; and the compiler of Sharh al-Sunnah, 10:387. Ibn Hajar stated in al-Kafi al-Shaf, p. 98: “It was narrated by Abd ibn Humayd, Ishaq, Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Harith, al-Tabarani, and Abu Ubayd, through Muslim ibn Badil, from Iyas ibn Zuhayr, from Suwayd ibn Hubayrah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.” Al-Haythami said, 5:258: “It was narrated by Ahmad and al-Tabarani, and the narrators in Ahmad’s chain are trustworthy.” (2) This was stated by Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam, may Allah have mercy on him, in his work al-Gharib. See Ibn Kathir, 3:34; al-Bayhaqi, 10:64. (3) Recorded by al-Bukhari in the Book of Tribulations, chapter: Gog and Magog, 13:106; Muslim in the Book of Tribulations and the Signs of the Hour, chapter: The Approach of Tribulations and the Opening of the Barrier of Gog and Magog, no. 2880, 4:2207; and the compiler of Sharh al-Sunnah, 14:397.

﴿وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَا أَنْ نُهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا فَفَسَقُوا فِيهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا الْقَوْلُ فَدَمَّرْنَاهَا تَدْمِيرًا (١٦) ﴾ ﴿وَإِذَا أَرَدْنَا أَنْ نُهْلِكَ قَرْيَةً أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا﴾ قَرَأَ مُجَاهِدٌ: " أَمَّرْنَا " بِالتَّشْدِيدِ أَيْ: سَلَّطْنَا شِرَارَهَا فَعَصَوْا وَقَرَأَ الْحَسَنُ وَقَتَادَةُ وَيَعْقُوبُ " آمَرْنَا " بِالْمَدِّ أَيْ: أَكْثَرْنَا. وَقَرَأَ الْبَاقُونَ مَقْصُورًا مُخَفَّفًا أَيْ: أَمَرْنَاهُمْ بِالطَّاعَةِ فَعَصَوْا وَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَعْنَاهُ جَعَلْنَاهُمْ أُمَرَاءَ وَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنْ تَكُونَ بِمَعْنَى أَكْثَرْنَا يُقَالُ: أَمَّرَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَيْ كَثَّرَهُمُ اللَّهُ. وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ: "خَيْرُ الْمَالِ مُهْرَةٌ مَأْمُورَةٌ" (١) أَيْ كَثِيرَةُ النَّسْلِ (٢) . وَيُقَالُ: مِنْهُ أَمَرَ الْقَوْمُ يَأْمُرُونَ أَمْرًا إِذَا كَثُرُوا وَلَيْسَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ بِمَعْنَى الْفِعْلِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ. وَاخْتَارَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ قِرَاءَةَ الْعَامَّةِ وَقَالَ: لِأَنَّ الْمَعَانِيَ الثَّلَاثَةَ تَجْتَمِعُ فِيهَا يَعْنِي الْأَمْرَ وَالْإِمَارَةَ وَالْكَثْرَةَ. ﴿مُتْرَفِيهَا﴾ مُنَعَّمِيهَا وَأَغْنِيَاءَهَا ﴿فَفَسَقُوا فِيهَا فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا الْقَوْلُ﴾ وَجَبَ عَلَيْهَا الْعَذَابُ ﴿فَدَمَّرْنَاهَا تَدْمِيرًا﴾ أَيْ: خَرَّبْنَاهَا وَأَهْلَكْنَا مَنْ فِيهَا. أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّعِيمِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ بَكْرٍ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ عَنْ عَقِيلٍ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ أَنَّ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتَ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ حَدَّثَتْهُ عَنْ أُمِّ حَبِيبَةَ بِنْتِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ عَنْ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ جَحْشٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا فَزِعًا وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: "لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَيْلٌ لِلْعَرَبِ مِنْ شَرٍّ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ فُتِحَ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ رَدْمِ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مِثْلُ هَذِهِ وَحَلَّقَ بِأُصْبُعِهِ الْإِبْهَامِ وَالَّتِي تَلِيهَا" قَالَتْ زَيْنَبُ فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَنَهْلَكُ وَفِينَا الصَّالِحُونَ؟ قَالَ: "نَعَمْ إِذَا كَثُرَ الْخَبَثُ" (٣) .

(١) أخرجه ابن سعد في الطبقات: ٧ / ٥٦ (طبعة التحرير بمصر) والإمام أحمد في المسند: ٣ / ٤٦٨، والبيهقي في السنن: ١٠ / ٦٤، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٠ / ٣٨٧. قال ابن حجر في الكافي الشاف ص (٩٨) : "رواه عبد بن حميد، وإسحاق، وابن أبي شيبة والحارث والطبراني وأبو عبيد، من رواية مسلم بن بديل عن إياس بن زهير عن سويد بن هبيرة عن النبي ﷺ". وقال الهيثمي: (٥ / ٢٥٨) : "رواه أحمد والطبراني ورجال أحمد ثقات". (٢) قاله أبو عبيد القاسم بن سلام ﵀ في كتابه "الغريب". انظر: ابن كثير ٣ / ٣٤، البيهقي: ١٠ / ٦٤. (٣) أخرجه البخاري في الفتن باب يأجوج ومأجوج: ١٣ / ١٠٦، ومسلم في الفتن وأشراط الساعة باب اقتراب الفتن وفتح ردم يأجوج ومأجوج برقم (٢٨٨٠) : ٤ / ٢٢٠٧، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٤ / ٣٩٧.