Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/101)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Ibn Abbas and Mujahid said: They are Jesus, his mother, Ezra, the angels, the sun, the moon, and the stars. “They seek”: that is, they seek from their Lord “the means of nearness,” meaning closeness to Him. It was also said that the means of nearness is the highest rank; that is, they humbly beseech Allah, seeking the highest rank.

It was also said that the means of nearness is everything by which one draws close to Allah, exalted is He.

His saying, “Which of them is nearer,” means: they consider which of them is nearer to Allah and seek nearness through him. Al-Zajjaj said: Whichever of them is nearer seeks the means of nearness to Allah, exalted is He, and draws close to Him through righteous deeds. “And they hope for His mercy”—that is, His Paradise—“and fear His punishment. Indeed, the punishment of your Lord is ever to be feared”: that is, one must guard against it.

Abdullah ibn Masud said: This verse was revealed concerning a group of Arabs who worshipped a group among the jinn. The jinn then embraced Islam, while the people who had worshipped them did not know of their Islam and persisted in worshipping them. So Allah reproached them and revealed this verse. (1)

Ibn Masud recited it: “Those whom you invoke,” using the second-person form.

“And there is no city but that We will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection or punish it with a severe punishment. That has ever been inscribed in the Book.” (58)

“And there is no city”: that is, there is no city “but that We will destroy it before the Day of Resurrection”—meaning, devastate it and destroy its inhabitants—“or punish it with a severe punishment,” through various kinds of punishment, if they disbelieve and disobey. Muqatil and others said: “We will destroy it” applies to the believers, through death, while “or punish it” applies to the disbelievers, through various kinds of punishment.

Abdullah ibn Masud said: “When fornication and usury become widespread in a town, Allah permits its destruction.” (2)

“That has ever been inscribed in the Book”: that is, in the Preserved Tablet; “inscribed” means written.

Ubadah ibn al-Samit said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “Indeed, the first thing Allah created was the Pen. He then said, ‘Write.’ It said, ‘What shall I write?’ He said, ‘The decree: whatever has been and whatever will be until eternity.’” (3)

(1) See Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Tafsir, chapter “Those whom they invoke seek a means of access to their Lord,” 8:398; al-Durr al-Manthur, 5:305. (2) Reported by al-Tabari, 15:107. (3) Reported by Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Sunnah, chapter on qadar (divine decree), 7:69; and by al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Qadar, chapter on what has been narrated concerning contentment with the divine decree, 6:368-369, where he said, “This is a gharib hadith”; and in his Tafsir of Surah Nun, 9:233, where he said, “This is a hasan sahih gharib hadith.” It was also reported by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 5:317, and by al-Tayalisi in his Musnad, p. 79. Al-Tayalisi’s version contains Abd al-Wahid ibn Sulaym, who is weak; however, the hadith has supporting chains that strengthen it. Al-Albani graded it authentic in his commentary on al-Mishkat, 1:34.

قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَمُجَاهِدٌ: وَهُمْ عِيسَى وَأُمُّهُ وَعُزَيْرٌ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ وَالنُّجُومُ "يَبْتَغُونَ" أَيْ يَطْلُبُونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمُ "الْوَسِيلَةَ" أَيِ الْقُرْبَةَ. وَقِيلَ: الْوَسِيلَةُ الدَّرَجَةُ الْعُلْيَا أَيْ: يَتَضَرَّعُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ فِي طَلَبِ الدَّرَجَةِ الْعُلْيَا. وَقِيلَ: الْوَسِيلَةُ كُلُّ مَا يُتَقَرَّبُ بِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى. وَقَوْلُهُ: ﴿أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ﴾ مَعْنَاهُ: يَنْظُرُونَ أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ فَيَتَوَسَّلُونَ بِهِ وَقَالَ الزَّجَّاجُ: أَيُّهُمْ أَقْرَبُ يَبْتَغِي الْوَسِيلَةَ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَيَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيْهِ بِالْعَمَلِ الصَّالِحِ ﴿وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتَهُ﴾ جَنَّتَهُ ﴿وَيَخَافُونَ عَذَابَهُ إِنَّ عَذَابَ رَبِّكَ كَانَ مَحْذُورًا﴾ أَيْ يُطْلَبُ مِنْهُ الْحَذَرُ. وَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: نَزَلَتِ الْآيَةُ فِي نَفَرٍ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ نَفَرًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَأَسْلَمَ الْجِنِّيُّونَ وَلَمْ يَعْلَمِ الْإِنْسُ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَهُمْ بِإِسْلَامِهِمْ فَتَمْسَّكُوا بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ فَعَيَّرَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَأَنْزَلَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ (١) . وَقَرَأَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ " أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ " بِالتَّاءِ. ﴿وَإِنْ مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ إِلَّا نَحْنُ مُهْلِكُوهَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُوهَا عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا كَانَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْكِتَابِ مَسْطُورًا (٥٨) ﴾ ﴿وَإِنْ مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ﴾ وَمَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ ﴿إِلَّا نَحْنُ مُهْلِكُوهَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ﴾ أي: مخربوها ومهلكوها أَهْلَهَا ﴿أَوْ مُعَذِّبُوهَا عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا﴾ بِأَنْوَاعِ الْعَذَابِ إِذَا كَفَرُوا وَعَصَوْا وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ وَغَيْرُهُ: مُهْلِكُوهَا فِي حَقِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِالْإِمَاتَةِ وَمُعَذِّبُوهَا فِي حَقِّ الْكُفَّارِ بِأَنْوَاعِ الْعَذَابِ. قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: إِذَا ظَهَرَ الزِّنَا وَالرِّبَا فِي قَرْيَةٍ أَذِنَ اللَّهُ فِي هَلَاكِهَا (٢) . ﴿كَانَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْكِتَابِ﴾ فِي اللَّوْحِ الْمَحْفُوظِ ﴿مَسْطُورًا﴾ مَكْتُوبًا. قَالَ عُبَادَةُ بْنُ الصَّامِتِ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: "إِنَّ أَوَّلَ مَا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْقَلَمُ فَقَالَ اكْتُبْ فَقَالَ مَا أَكْتُبُ؟ قَالَ الْقَدَرُ وَمَا كَانَ وَمَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ إِلَى الْأَبَدِ" (٣) .

(١) انظر: صحيح البخاري كتاب التفسير باب "أولئك الذين يدعون يبتغون إلى ربهم الوسيلة": ٨ / ٣٩٨، الدر المنثور: ٥ / ٣٠٥. (٢) أخرجه الطبري: ١٥ / ١٠٧. (٣) أخرجه أبو داود في السنة باب في القدر: ٧ / ٦٩ والترمذي في القدر باب ما جاء في الرضا بالقضاء: ٦ / ٣٦٨-٣٦٩ وقال: "هذا حديث غريب" وفي تفسير سورة "ن": ٩ / ٢٣٣ وقال: "هذا حديث حسن صحيح غريب"، وأخرجه الإمام أحمد في "المسند": ٥ / ٣١٧ والطيالسي في مسنده ص (٧٩) وفيه عند الطيالسي: عبد الواحد بن سليم وهو ضعيف وله طرق يتقوى بها، وصححه الألباني في تعليقه على المشكاة: ١ / ٣٤.