Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/113)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

So the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, encamped three miles from Medina—or, according to another report, at Dhu al-Hulayfah—until his Companions could gather around him and he could set out. Then Allah revealed this verse. “The land” here refers to Medina. (1)

Mujahid and Qatada said: “The land” means the land of Mecca, and the verse is Meccan. The idolaters intended to drive him out of it, but Allah restrained them from him until He commanded him to emigrate; so he left of his own accord. This interpretation is more fitting to the verse, since what precedes it speaks of the people of Mecca and the surah is Meccan. (2)

It was also said: They were all the disbelievers, who sought to drive him from the land of the Arabs through their united opposition and concerted action against him. But Allah, exalted is He, protected His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and they did not attain what they had hoped for. To drive out means to harass and disturb swiftly.

“And then they would not have remained after you”—that is, after you. Ibn Amir, Hamzah, al-Kisa'i, Hafs, and Ya'qub recited it as “in your absence,” in consideration of Allah Most High’s saying: “Those who remained behind rejoiced at their staying behind the Messenger of Allah” (al-Tawbah 9:81). Both readings have the same meaning. (3) “Except for a little while”: that is, they would have remained after you only a little while, until they perished. According to the first view, this means for the remainder of their lives; according to the second, it means the period between the Prophet’s departure for Medina and their being killed at Badr.

“The established way concerning those messengers We sent before you; and you will find no change in Our established way.” (77)

His saying, exalted is He, “The established way concerning those messengers We sent before you,” means: according to Our established way; the comparative particle has been omitted, making the phrase accusative. Allah’s established way regarding the messengers, when nations deny them, is that He does not punish those nations as long as their prophet remains among them. Once their prophet departs from among them, He punishes them.

“And you will find no change in Our established way”: that is, no alteration.

(1) Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar states in al-Kafi al-Shaf, p. 101: “I did not find it. Al-Suhayli mentioned it in al-Rawd al-Unuf, from Abd al-Majid ibn Bahram, from Shahr ibn Hawshab, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Ghanm ...” Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir states, 3:54: “It was said that it was revealed concerning the Jews, when they advised the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to settle in Syria, the land of the prophets, and to leave Medina. This view is weak, since this verse is Makkan, whereas residence in Medina came later. It was also said that it was revealed at Tabuk, but its soundness is questionable.” Al-Bayhaqi narrated, through al-Hakim, from al-Asamm, from Ahmad ibn Abd al-Jabbar al-Ataridi, from Yunus ibn Bukayr, from Abd al-Hamid ibn Bahram, from Shahr ibn Hawshab, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Ghanm ...—and he related the story—then said: “This chain of transmission requires scrutiny. More likely, it is unsound, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not campaign to Tabuk at the advice of the Jews; rather, he campaigned in obedience to Allah's saying: ‘O believers, fight those disbelievers who are nearest to you ...’” See Tafsir al-Qurtubi, 10:301; Asbab al-Nuzul by al-Wahidi, p. 336. The author, may Allah have mercy on him, nevertheless preferred the following report over this one. (2) This is also the view preferred by al-Tabari in his Tafsir, 15:133, and by al-Qurtubi. See Asbab al-Nuzul by al-Wahidi, p. 336. (3) That is, the meaning of khilafak and khalfak is the same. Ibn Kathir, Nafi, Abu Amr, and a transmission from Asim recited it according to the second reading, khalfak. The author's wording suggests that the original text contains an omission, but this is not so, since the reading recorded in the manuscript is the second reading, khalfak. See Zad al-Masir, 5:70.

فَعَسْكَرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَلَى ثَلَاثَةِ أَمْيَالٍ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: إِلَى ذِي الْحُلَيْفَةِ حَتَّى يَجْتَمِعَ إِلَيْهِ أَصْحَابُهُ وَيَخْرُجَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ وَ"الْأَرْضُ" هَاهُنَا هِيَ الْمَدِينَةُ (١) . وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ وَقَتَادَةُ: "الْأَرْضُ" أَرْضُ مَكَّةَ وَالْآيَةُ مَكِّيَّةٌ هَمَّ الْمُشْرِكُونَ أَنْ يُخْرِجُوهُ مِنْهَا فَكَفَّهُمُ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ حَتَّى أَمَرَهُ بِالْهِجْرَةِ فَخَرَجَ بِنَفْسِهِ وَهَذَا أَلْيَقُ بِالْآيَةِ لِأَنَّ مَا قَبْلَهَا خَبَرٌ عَنْ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ وَالسُّورَةُ مَكِّيَّةٌ (٢) . وَقِيلَ: هُمُ الْكُفَّارُ كُلُّهُمُ أَرَادُوا أَنْ يَسْتَفِزُّوهُ مِنْ أَرْضِ الْعَرَبِ بِاجْتِمَاعِهِمْ وَتَظَاهُرِهِمْ عَلَيْهِ فَمَنَعَ اللَّهُ ﷿ رَسُولَهُ ﷺ وَلَمْ يَنَالُوا مِنْهُ مَا أَمَّلُوا وَالِاسْتِفْزَازُ هُوَ الْإِزْعَاجُ بِسُرْعَةٍ. ﴿وَإِذًا لَا يَلْبَثُونَ خِلَافَكَ﴾ أَيْ بَعْدَكَ وَقَرَأَ ابْنُ عَامِرٍ وَحَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ وَحَفْصٌ وَيَعْقُوبُ ﴿خِلَافَكَ﴾ اعْتِبَارًا بِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: "فَرِحَ الْمُخَلَّفُونَ بِمَقْعَدِهِمْ خِلَافَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ" (التَّوْبَةِ-٨١) وَمَعْنَاهُمَا وَاحِدٌ (٣) . ﴿إِلَّا قَلِيلًا﴾ أَيْ: لَا يَلْبَثُونَ بِعَدَكَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا حَتَّى يَهْلَكُوا فَعَلَى هَذَا الْقَوْلِ الْأَوَّلِ: مُدَّةُ حَيَاتِهِمْ وَعَلَى الثَّانِي: مَا بَيْنَ خُرُوجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ إِلَى أَنْ قُتِلُوا بِبَدْرٍ. ﴿سُنَّةَ مَنْ قَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنْ رُسُلِنَا وَلَا تَجِدُ لِسُنَّتِنَا تَحْوِيلًا (٧٧) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿سُنَّةَ مَنْ قَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنْ رُسُلِنَا﴾ أَيْ: كَسُنَّتِنَا فَانْتَصَبَ بِحَذْفِ الْكَافِ وَسُنَّةُ اللَّهِ فِي الرُّسُلِ إِذَا كَذَّبَتْهُمُ الْأُمَمُ أَنْ لَا يُعَذِّبَهُمْ مَا دَامَ نَبِيُّهُمْ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِهِمْ فَإِذَا خَرَجَ نَبِيُّهُمْ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَظْهُرِهِمْ عَذَّبَهُمْ. ﴿وَلَا تَجِدُ لِسُنَّتِنَا تَحْوِيلًا﴾ أَيْ تَبْدِيلًا.

(١) قال الحافظ ابن حجر في "الكافي الشاف" ص (١٠١) : "لم أجده وذكره السهيلي في "الروض الأنف" عن عبد المجيد بن بهرام عن شهر بن حوشب عن عبد الرحمن بن غنم ... ". وقال الحافظ ابن كثير: (٣ / ٥٤) : قيل نزلت في اليهود إذ أشاروا على رسول الله ﷺ بسكنى الشام بلاد الأنبياء وترك سكنى المدينة. وهذا القول ضعيف لأن هذه الآية مكية وسكنى المدينة بعد ذلك وقيل: إنها نزلت بتبوك وفي صحته نظر. وروى البيهقي عن الحاكم عن الأصم عن أحمد بن عبد الجبار العطاردي عن يونس بن بكير عن عبد الحميد بن بهرام عن شهر بن حوشب عن عبد الرحمن بن غنم.. -وساق القصة- ثم قال: "وفي هذا الإسناد نظر والأظهر أن هذا ليس بصحيح فإن النبي ﷺ لم يغز تبوك عن قول اليهود وإنما غزاها امتثالا لقوله تعالى: "يا أيها الذين آمنوا قاتلوا الذين يلونكم من الكفار" ... وانظر: تفسير القرطبي: ١٠ / ٣٠١ أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٣٣٦) هذا وقد رجح المصنف ﵀ الرواية الآتية على هذه الرواية. (٢) وهو ما رجحه الطبري في تفسيره: ١٥ / ١٣٣، والقرطبي وانظر: أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٣٣٦) . (٣) أي معنى: "خلافك" و"خلفك" وبالثانية قرأ ابن كثير ونافع وأبو عمرو عن عاصم وسياق المصنف يوحي أن في الأصل سقطا وليس كذلك لأن المثبت في النسخة الخطية القراءة الثانية "خلفك". وانظر: زاد المسير: ٥ / ٧٠.