Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (1/164)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Those to whom We gave the Scripture recognize him as they recognize their own sons. Yet a group among them knowingly conceal the truth. (146) The truth is from your Lord, so do not be among those who doubt. (147) For every community there is a direction toward which it turns; so vie with one another in good deeds. Wherever you may be, Allah will bring you all together. Indeed, Allah is powerful over all things. (148) And wherever you set out from, turn your face toward the Sacred Mosque. This is indeed the truth from your Lord, and Allah is not unaware of what you do. (149)”

Allah Most High says: “Those to whom We gave the Scripture”—meaning the believing People of the Scripture: Abdullah ibn Salam and his companions—“recognize him,” meaning that they recognize Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “as they recognize their own sons” among the boys.

Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Abdullah ibn Salam: “Allah has revealed to His Prophet, ‘Those to whom We gave the Scripture recognize him as they recognize their own sons.’ How certain is this recognition?”

Abdullah replied: “O Umar, when I saw him, I recognized him just as I recognize my son; indeed, my recognition of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is stronger than my recognition of my son.”

Umar asked, “How is that?”

He said, “I bear witness that he is truly the Messenger of Allah, sent by Allah Most High. Allah has described him in our Scripture, whereas I do not know what women may have done.”

Umar said, “May Allah grant you success, O Ibn Salam. You have spoken the truth.” (1)

“Yet a group among them knowingly conceal the truth”—that is, the description of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the matter of the Ka‘bah—“while they know.”

Then He says: “The truth is from your Lord”: that is, “[It is] the truth from your Lord,” with “the truth” as the predicate of an implied subject. It has also been said that it is in the nominative through an implied verb: “The truth has come to you from your Lord.” “So do not be among those who doubt,” that is, those who are uncertain.

Allah Most High says: “For every community there is a direction”—that is, every religious community has a qiblah. A direction is that toward which one turns. “Toward which it turns,” that is, which it faces and toward which it turns. One says, “I turned toward it,” when I faced it, and, “I turned away from it,” when I turned my back on it. (2) Mujahid said: “It turns its face toward it.” Al-Akhfash said that “he” refers to Allah—meaning that Allah directs the communities toward their respective qiblahs. Ibn Amir recited it as “toward which he is directed,” meaning that the one facing it is directed toward it.

“So vie with one another in good deeds,” that is, in righteous acts. It means: hasten to acts of obedience; what is intended is hastening to accept it. “Wherever you may be”—you and the People of the Scripture—“Allah will bring you all together” on the Day of Resurrection and recompense you for your deeds. “Indeed, Allah is powerful over all things.”

Allah Most High says: “And wherever you set out from, turn your face toward the Sacred Mosque. This is indeed the truth from your Lord, and Allah is not unaware of what you do.”

(1) Al-Tha'labi narrated it on the authority of Ibn Abbas. Its chain includes al-Kalbi, who was a liar. See Al-Fath al-Samawi, 1:195. See also al-Wahidi, al-Wasit, 1:215; and his Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 40. (2) Manuscript A reads: alayhi ("upon him").

﴿الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِنْهُمْ لَيَكْتُمُونَ الْحَقَّ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ (١٤٦) الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ (١٤٧) وَلِكُلٍّ وِجْهَةٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يَأْتِ بِكُمُ اللَّهُ جَمِيعًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (١٤٨) وَمِنْ حَيْثُ خَرَجْتَ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَإِنَّهُ لَلْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ (١٤٩) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ﴾ يَعْنِي مُؤْمِنِي أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ سَلَامٍ وَأَصْحَابَهُ ﴿يَعْرِفُونَهُ﴾ يَعْنِي يَعْرِفُونَ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ ﴿كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ﴾ مِنْ بَيْنِ الصِّبْيَانِ، قَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلَامٍ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَنْزَلَ عَلَى نَبِيِّهِ ﴿الَّذِينَ آتَيْنَاهُمُ الْكِتَابَ يَعْرِفُونَهُ كَمَا يَعْرِفُونَ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ﴾ فَكَيْفَ هَذِهِ الْمَعْرِفَةُ؟ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ: يَا عُمَرُ لَقَدْ عَرَفْتُهُ حِينَ رَأَيْتُهُ كَمَا عَرَفْتُ ابْنِي وَمَعْرِفَتِي بِمُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ أَشَدُّ مِنْ مَعْرِفَتِي بِابْنِي، فَقَالَ عُمَرُ: كَيْفَ ذَلِكَ؟ فَقَالَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَقَدْ نَعَتَهُ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِنَا وَلَا أَدْرِي مَا تَصْنَعُ النِّسَاءُ، فَقَالَ عُمَرُ وَفَّقَكَ اللَّهُ يَا ابْنَ سَلَامٍ فَقَدْ صَدَقْتَ (١) ﴿وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِنْهُمْ لَيَكْتُمُونَ الْحَقَّ﴾ يَعْنِي صِفَةَ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ وَأَمْرَ الْكَعْبَةِ ﴿وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ﴾ ثُمَّ قَالَ ﴿الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ﴾ أَيْ هَذَا الْحَقُّ خَبَرُ مُبْتَدَأٍ مُضْمَرٍ وَقِيلَ رُفِعَ بِإِضْمَارِ فِعْلٍ أَيْ جَاءَكَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ ﴿فَلَا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ﴾ الشَّاكِّينَ. قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلِكُلٍّ وِجْهَةٌ﴾ أَيْ لِأَهْلِ كُلِّ مِلَّةٍ قِبْلَةٌ وَالْوِجْهَةُ اسْمٌ لِلْمُتَوَجَّهِ إِلَيْهِ ﴿هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا﴾ أَيْ مُسْتَقْبِلُهَا وَمُقْبِلٌ إِلَيْهَا يُقَالُ: وَلَّيْتُهُ وَوَلَّيْتُ إِلَيْهِ: إِذَا أَقْبَلْتُ إِلَيْهِ (٢) ، وَوَلَّيْتُ عَنْهُ إِذَا أَدْبَرْتُ عَنْهُ. قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا وَجْهَهُ، وَقَالَ الْأَخْفَشُ، هُوَ كِنَايَةٌ عَنِ اللَّهِ ﷿ يَعْنِي اللَّهُ مُوَلِّي الْأُمَمِ إِلَى قِبْلَتِهِمْ وَقَرَأَ ابْنُ عَامِرٍ: مُوَلَّاهَا، أَيِ: الْمُسْتَقْبِلُ مَصْرُوفٌ إِلَيْهَا ﴿فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ﴾ أَيْ إِلَى الْخَيِّرَاتِ، يُرِيدُ: بَادَرُوا بِالطَّاعَاتِ، وَالْمُرَادُ الْمُبَادَرَةُ إِلَى الْقَبُولِ ﴿أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا﴾ أَنْتُمْ وَأَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ ﴿يَأْتِ بِكُمُ اللَّهُ جَمِيعًا﴾ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَيَجْزِيكُمْ بِأَعْمَالِكُمْ ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ﴾ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى ﴿وَمِنْ حَيْثُ خَرَجْتَ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ وَإِنَّهُ لَلْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾

(١) أخرجه الثعلبي من حديث ابن عباس. وفيه الكلبي وهو كذاب الفتح السماوي ١ / ١٩٥. انظر: الوسيط للواحدي: ١ / ٢١٥، أسباب النزول له أيضا ص ٤٠. (٢) وفي "أ" عليه.