Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/91)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Do not go near unlawful sexual intercourse. It is truly a shameful deed and an evil way. And do not take the life which Allah has made sacred, except with legal right. If anyone is killed unjustly, We have given his heir authority; but let him not exceed the limits in taking life, for he has been granted help.” (32–33)

“Do not go near unlawful sexual intercourse. It is truly a shameful deed and an evil way.” “And do not take the life which Allah has made sacred, except with legal right.” The cases in which a life may lawfully be taken are indicated by what we have narrated: the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “The blood of a Muslim person is not lawful except in one of three cases: a man who disbelieves after having believed, commits adultery after having been married, or kills a person who had not killed another; he is then killed for it.” (1)

“If anyone is killed unjustly, We have given his heir authority”: that is, power and legal authority over the killer, allowing him to have him put to death. This was stated by Mujahid. Al-Dahhak said: His authority consists in his having a choice: if he wishes, he may exact legal retaliation from him; if he wishes, he may accept blood money; and if he wishes, he may pardon him.

“But let him not exceed the limits in taking life.” Hamzah and al-Kisa’i recited it, “Do not exceed the limits,” with the second-person form, addressing the heir of the slain person. The others recited it with the third-person form: that is, the heir must not exceed the limits in taking life.

They differed concerning this excess which is prohibited. Ibn Abbas and most commentators said that it means that he must not kill anyone other than the killer. For in the Age of Ignorance, when one of their people was killed, they would not be satisfied with killing his killer until they had killed someone of higher standing than him.

Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: If the killer is one person, he must not kill a group in place of one person. When the slain person was a man of rank, the people of the Age of Ignorance would not be satisfied with killing the killer [alone] (2) until they had killed a group of his relatives along with him.

Qatadah said: It means that he must not mutilate the killer. (3)

“For he has been granted help.” According to Mujahid, the pronoun refers back to the slain person in His saying, “If anyone is killed unjustly.” That is, the slain person is granted help in this world through the legal requirement of retaliation against his killer, and in the Hereafter through the expiation of his sins and the punishment of his killer with the Fire.

Qatadah said: The pronoun refers to the heir of the slain person. Its meaning is that he is granted help against the killer by exacting either legal retaliation from him or blood money.

(1) Abu Dawud narrated it in Kitab al-Diyat (Blood Money), chapter: “The Imam Orders Pardon in Cases of Bloodshed,” 6:301, on the authority of Abu Umamah; al-Tirmidhi in Kitab al-Fitan (Tribulations), chapter: “The Blood of a Muslim Is Not Lawful Except in One of Three Cases,” 3:373, and he said: “A hasan hadith”; Ibn Majah in Kitab al-Hudud (Prescribed Punishments), chapter: “The Blood of a Muslim Is Not Lawful Except in Three Cases,” no. 2533, 2:847; and the author in Sharh al-Sunnah, 10:148. Al-Bukhari and Muslim also narrated a similar report from Ibn Masud. (2) Added from manuscript “B.” (3) These interpretations of the verse are all sound. They fall within the meaning of the verse and its prohibition of excess in killing. And Allah knows best.

﴿وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنَا إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَاءَ سَبِيلًا (٣٢) وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَمَنْ قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا لِوَلِيِّهِ سُلْطَانًا فَلَا يُسْرِفْ فِي الْقَتْلِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مَنْصُورًا (٣٣) ﴾ ﴿وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الزِّنَا إِنَّهُ كَانَ فَاحِشَةً وَسَاءَ سَبِيلًا﴾ ﴿وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ﴾ وَحَقُّهَا مَا رُوِّينَا أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ: "لَا يَحِلُّ دَمُ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ إِلَّا بِإِحْدَى ثَلَاثٍ: رَجُلٌ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ إِيمَانِهِ أَوْ زَنَى بَعْدَ إِحْصَانِهِ أَوْ قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ فَيُقْتَلُ بِهَا" (١) . ﴿وَمَنْ قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا فَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا لِوَلِيِّهِ سُلْطَانًا﴾ أَيْ: قُوَّةً وَوِلَايَةً عَلَى الْقَاتِلِ بِالْقَتْلِ قَالَهُ مُجَاهِدٌ وَقَالَ الضَّحَاكُ: سُلْطَانُهُ هُوَ أَنَّهُ يَتَخَيَّرُ فَإِنْ شَاءَ اسْتَقَادَ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ شَاءَ أَخَذَ الدِّيَةَ وَإِنْ شَاءَ عَفَا. ﴿فَلَا يُسْرِفْ فِي الْقَتْلِ﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ: " فَلَا تُسْرِفْ " بِالتَّاءِ يُخَاطِبُ وَلِيَ الْقَتِيلِ وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ: بِالْيَاءِ عَلَى الْغَائِبِ أَيْ: لَا يُسْرِفُ الْوَلِيُّ فِي الْقَتْلِ. وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي هَذَا الْإِسْرَافِ الَّذِي مُنِعَ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ، وَأَكْثَرُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ: مَعْنَاهُ لَا يَقْتُلُ غَيْرَ الْقَاتِلِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ إِذَا قُتِلَ مِنْهُمْ قَتِيلٌ لَا يَرْضَوْنَ بِقَتْلِ قَاتِلِهِ حَتَّى يَقْتُلُوا أَشْرَفَ مِنْهُ. وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ: إِذَا كَانَ الْقَاتِلُ وَاحِدًا فَلَا يَقْتُلْ جَمَاعَةً بَدَلَ وَاحِدٍ وَكَانَ أَهْلُ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ إِذَا كَانَ الْمَقْتُولُ شَرِيفًا لَا يَرْضَوْنَ بِقَتْلِ الْقَاتِلِ [وَحْدَهُ] (٢) حَتَّى يَقْتُلُوا مَعَهُ جَمَاعَةً مِنْ أَقْرِبَائِهِ. وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: مَعْنَاهُ لَا يُمَثِّلُ بِالْقَاتِلِ (٣) . ﴿إِنَّهُ كَانَ مَنْصُورًا﴾ فَالْهَاءُ رَاجِعَةٌ إِلَى الْمَقْتُولِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: ﴿وَمَنْ قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا﴾ يَعْنِي: إِنَّ الْمَقْتُولَ مَنْصُورٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا بِإِيجَابِ الْقَوَدِ عَلَى قَاتِلِهِ وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ بِتَكْفِيرِ خَطَايَاهُ وَإِيجَابِ النَّارِ لِقَاتِلِهِ هَذَا قَوْلُ مُجَاهِدٍ. وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: الْهَاءُ رَاجِعَةٌ إِلَى وَلِيِّ الْمَقْتُولِ مَعْنَاهُ: أَنَّهُ مَنْصُورٌ عَلَى الْقَاتِلِ بِاسْتِيفَاءِ الْقَصَاصِ مِنْهُ أَوِ الدِّيَةِ.

(١) أخرجه أبو داود في الديات باب الإمام يأمر بالعفو في الدم: ٦ / ٣٠١، عن أبي أمامة والترمذي في الفتن باب ما جاء لا يحل دم امرئ مسلم إلا بإحدى ثلاث: ٣ / ٣٧٣، وقال: حديث حسن وابن ماجه في الحدود باب لا يحل دم امرئ مسلم إلا في ثلاث برقم (٢٥٣٣) : ٢ / ٨٤٧، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٠ / ١٤٨. وأخرج الشيخان عن ابن مسعود نحوه. (٢) زيادة من "ب". (٣) وهذه الأوجه في تأويل الآية غير خارجة عن الصواب وكلها تندرج في معنى الآية وفي النهي عن الإسراف في القتل. والله أعلم.