Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/85)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“See how We have given some of them more than others; yet the Hereafter holds greater ranks and greater favour. (21) Do not set up another god beside Allah, lest you become blameworthy and forsaken. (22) Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you show kindness to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, do not say even ‘uff’—an expression of annoyance—to them, nor rebuke them; rather, speak to them with respectful words. (23)”

“See,” O Muhammad, “how We have given some of them more than others” in provision and righteous deeds (1)—that is, those who seek the immediate life and those who seek the Hereafter—“yet the Hereafter holds greater ranks and greater favour.”

“Do not set up another god beside Allah”: the address is directed to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, while others are intended. It was also said that its meaning is: Do not, O man, set up another god beside Allah (2), “lest you become blameworthy and forsaken”—blameworthy, with none to praise you, and forsaken, with none to support you.

His words, exalted is He, “Your Lord has decreed,” mean: Your Lord has commanded. This was stated by Ibn Abbas, Qatadah, and al-Hasan. Al-Rabi ibn Anas said: “Your Lord has made it obligatory.” Mujahid said: “Your Lord has enjoined.” It is related that al-Dahhak ibn Muzahim recited, “Your Lord has enjoined,” and said: “They joined the letter waw to the letter sad, and it became qaf.” (3)

“That you worship none but Him, and that you show kindness to your parents”: that is, He commanded kindness towards one’s parents, dutifulness to them, and compassion for them.

“If either or both of them reach old age with you”: Hamzah and al-Kisa'i read it with an alif, in the dual form. According to this reading, His words, “either of them or both of them,” form a new sentence, like His saying, “Then many of them became blind and deaf” (al-Ma'idah 5:71), and His saying, “Those who did wrong concealed their secret counsel” (al-Anbiya' 21:3); “those who did wrong” is the subject. The remaining readers recited “reach” in the singular form.

(1) Omitted from manuscript “A.” (2) Omitted from manuscript “A.” (3) Ibn al-Jawzi states in Zad al-Masir, 5/22: “This contradicts the established scholarly consensus and should therefore not be given any consideration.” The report was narrated by Ahmad ibn Mani from Ibn Abbas with a weak chain, due to the weakness of Furat ibn al-Saib. Al-Tabari also narrated it in his Tafsir, 15/63, from al-Dahhak; its chain includes Abu Ishaq al-Kufi, namely Abdullah ibn Maysarah al-Harithi, whom Ibn Main, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Nasai, and al-Daraqutni declared weak. Hisham, the narrator from this Abu Ishaq, although trustworthy, is described as having practiced tadlis (concealing an intermediary in transmission), and he narrated this report using an ambiguous transmission formula. See al-Matalib al-Aliyah, 3/348; Zad al-Masir, cited above, note (1).

﴿انْظُرْ كَيْفَ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَلَلْآخِرَةُ أَكْبَرُ دَرَجَاتٍ وَأَكْبَرُ تَفْضِيلًا (٢١) لَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ فَتَقْعُدَ مَذْمُومًا مَخْذُولًا (٢٢) وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُلْ لَهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا (٢٣) ﴾ ﴿انْظُرْ﴾ يَا مُحَمَّدُ ﴿كَيْفَ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ﴾ فِي الرِّزْقِ وَالْعَمَلِ [الصَّالِحِ] (١) يَعْنِي: طَالِبَ الْعَاجِلَةِ وَطَالِبَ الْآخِرَةِ، ﴿وَلَلْآخِرَةُ أَكْبَرُ دَرَجَاتٍ وَأَكْبَرُ تَفْضِيلًا﴾ ﴿لَا تَجْعَلْ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ﴾ الْخِطَابُ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَالْمُرَادُ غَيْرُهُ. وَقِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ لَا تَجْعَلْ أَيُّهَا الْإِنْسَانُ [مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ] (٢) ﴿فَتَقْعُدَ مَذْمُومًا مَخْذُولًا﴾ مَذْمُومًا مِنْ غَيْرِ حَمْدٍ مَخْذُولًا مِنْ غَيْرِ نَصْرٍ. قَوْلُهُ ﷿ ﴿وَقَضَى رَبُّكَ﴾ وَأَمَرَ رَبُّكَ قَالَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَقَتَادَةُ وَالْحَسَنُ. قَالَ الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ: وَأَوْجَبَ رَبُّكَ. قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: وَأَوْصَى رَبُّكَ. وَحُكِيَ عَنِ الضَّحَاكِ بْنِ مُزَاحِمٍ أَنَّهُ قَرَأَ وَوَصَّى رَبُّكَ. وَقَالَ: إِنَّهُمْ أَلْصَقُوا الْوَاوَ بِالصَّادِّ فَصَارَتْ قَافًا (٣) . ﴿أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا﴾ أَيْ: وَأَمَرَ بِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا بِرًّا بِهِمَا وَعَطْفًا عَلَيْهِمَا. ﴿إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ الْكِبَرَ﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ والكسائي بِالْأَلِفِ عَلَى التَّثْنِيَةِ فَعَلَى هَذَا قَوْلُهُ: ﴿أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا﴾ كَلَامٌ مُسْتَأْنَفٌ كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: "ثُمَّ عَمُوا وَصَمُّوا كَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ" (الْمَائِدَةِ-٧١) وَقَوْلِهِ: "وَأَسَرُّوا النَّجْوَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا" (الْأَنْبِيَاءِ-٣) وَقَوْلُهُ: "الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا" ابْتِدَاءٌ وَقَرَأَ الْبَاقُونَ " يَبْلُغَنَّ " عَلَى التَّوْحِيدِ.

(١) ساقط من "أ". (٢) ساقط من "أ". (٣) قال ابن الجوزي في "زاد المسير" (٥ / ٢٢) : وهذا خلاف ما انعقد عليه الإجماع، فلا يلتفت إليه والخبر رواه أحمد بن منيع عن ابن عباس بسند ضعيف لضعف فرات بن السائب ورواه الطبري في التفسير: (١٥ / ٦٣) عن الضحاك وفي سنده أبو إسحاق الكوفي وهو عبد الله بن ميسرة الحارثي ضعفه ابن معين وأحمد بن حنبل والنسائي والدارقطني.. وهشام الراوي عن أبي إسحاق هذا -وإن كان ثقة- موصوف بالتدليس وقد عنعن في هذا الخبر. انظر: المطالب العالية ٣ / ٣٤٨، زاد المسير، الموضع السابق، تعليق (١) .