Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/134)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

chaste women of adultery; do not flee from the battlefield; and you Jews in particular must not violate the Sabbath.” So the two men kissed his hand and said, “We bear witness that you are a prophet.” He said, “Then what prevents you from following me?” They said, “David supplicated to his Lord that a prophet should never cease to be among his descendants, and we fear that, if we follow you, the Jews will kill us.” (1)

“Ask,” O Muhammad, “the Children of Israel when Moses came to them.” It is possible that the address is directed to him while someone else is intended; and it is also possible that Allah addressed him, peace and blessings be upon him, and commanded him to ask them so that their falsehood before their own people might become clear.

“Then Pharaoh said to him, ‘Moses, I indeed think that you are bewitched.’” That is, afflicted by sorcery—they have cast a spell upon you—according to al-Kalbi.

Ibn Abbas said: “Deceived.”

It was also said: turned away from the truth.

Al-Farra and Abu Ubaydah said: “A sorcerer,” with the passive form used in place of the active.

Muhammad ibn Jarir said: “Given knowledge of sorcery; thus, these marvels that you perform are the result of your magic.” (2)

Moses said, “You certainly know that none has sent down these as enlightening proofs except the Lord of the heavens and the earth. And I indeed think, Pharaoh, that you are doomed.” (102)

“Moses said, ‘You certainly know.’” The majority recited it with the final ta vowelled with a fatḥah, addressing Pharaoh. Al-Kisa’i recited it with a dammah, and this is also narrated from Ali, who said: “That wicked man did not know that Moses was upon the truth; had he known, he would have believed. Rather, it was Moses who knew.” (3)

Ibn Abbas said: Pharaoh knew it, but he stubbornly resisted. Allah, Exalted is He, says: “They rejected them, though their souls were convinced of them, out of wrongdoing and arrogance.” (al-Naml, 14)

This recitation, with the final ta vowelled with a fatḥah, is sounder in meaning, and it is the recitation of most of the Quran reciters, because Moses would not argue against Pharaoh on the basis of his own knowledge. Nor is the recitation with the final ta vowelled with a dammah authentically established from Ali, for it was narrated from Ali by an unknown man of Murad; and none of the Quran reciters besides al-Kisa’i adopted it. (4)

(1) Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, in Tafsir, Surah al-Isra, 8:580, who said: “This is a sound, authentic hadith”; by al-Nasai, in Prohibition of Bloodshed, chapter: Sorcery, 7:111-112; by Imam Ahmad in al-Musnad, 4:239-240; and by al-Tabari in Tafsir, 15:172. Ibn Majah also narrated, in abridged form, from Safwan ibn Assal that a group of Jews kissed the Prophet's hands and feet. Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir stated (3:68): “It is a problematic hadith. There is some weakness in Abdullah ibn Salamah's retention, and scholars have criticized him. Perhaps he confused the nine signs with the Ten Commandments, which are commandments in the Torah and have no connection to the establishment of proof against Pharaoh. And Allah knows best.” (2) Tafsir al-Tabari, 15:174. (3) Al-Tabari said: “However, the reading followed by the reciters of the major cities is contrary to it, and in our view it is not permissible to depart from the decisive evidence when they have unanimously agreed upon a recitation.” Tafsir, 15:174. (4) Ibn al-Jawzi likewise stated in Zad al-Masir (5:94): “The first reading, with the ta pronounced with fathah, is more correct, since it is the choice of the majority. Moreover, Moses had shown miracles that necessarily made Pharaoh aware of his truthfulness, yet Pharaoh responded only with excuses and evasion. It is as though Moses said: ‘You certainly know, through evidence and proof, that these’—meaning the signs—‘were sent down.’”

الْمُحْصَنَةَ وَلَا تَفِرُّوا مِنَ الزَّحْفِ وَعَلَيْكُمْ خَاصَّةَ الْيَهُودِ أَنْ لَا تَعْدُوا فِي السَّبْتِ فَقَبَّلَا يَدَهُ وَقَالَا نَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ نَبِيٌّ قَالَ: فَمَا يَمْنَعُكُمْ أَنْ تَتَّبِعُونِي؟ قَالَا إِنَّ دَاوُدَ دَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنْ لَا يَزَالَ فِي ذُرِّيَّتِهِ نَبِيٌّ وَإِنَّا نَخَافُ إِنْ تَبِعْنَاكَ أَنْ يَقْتُلَنَا الْيَهُودُ (١) . ﴿فَاسْأَلْ﴾ يَا مُحَمَّدُ ﴿بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِذْ جَاءَهُمْ﴾ مُوسَى يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْخِطَابُ مَعَهُ وَالْمُرَادُ غَيْرُهُ وَيَجُوزُ أَنْ يَكُونَ خَاطَبَهُ ﵇ وَأَمَرَهُ بِالسُّؤَالِ لِيَتَبَيَّنَ كَذِبَهُمْ مَعَ قَوْمِهِمْ. ﴿فَقَالَ لَهُ فِرْعَوْنُ إِنِّي لَأَظُنُّكَ يَا مُوسَى مَسْحُورًا﴾ أَيْ: مَطْبُوبًا سَحَرُوكَ قَالَهُ الْكَلْبِيُّ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: مَخْدُوعًا. وَقِيلَ مَصْرُوفًا عَنِ الْحَقِّ. وَقَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ وَأَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ: سَاحِرًا فَوَضَعَ الْمَفْعُولَ مَوْضِعَ الْفَاعِلِ. وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ: مُعْطًى عِلْمُ السِّحْرِ فَهَذِهِ الْعَجَائِبُ الَّتِي تَفْعَلُهَا مِنْ سِحْرِكَ (٢) . ﴿قَالَ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا أَنْزَلَ هَؤُلَاءِ إِلَّا رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ بَصَائِرَ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّكَ يَا فِرْعَوْنُ مَثْبُورًا (١٠٢) ﴾ ﴿قَالَ﴾ مُوسَى ﴿لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ﴾ قَرَأَ الْعَامَّةُ بِفَتْحِ التَّاءِ خِطَابًا لِفِرْعَوْنَ وَقَرَأَ الْكِسَائِيُّ بِضَمِّ التَّاءِ وَيُرْوَى ذَلِكَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ وَقَالَ: لَمْ يَعْلَمِ الْخَبِيثُ أَنَّ مُوسَى عَلَى الْحَقِّ وَلَوْ عَلِمَ لَآمَنَ وَلَكِنْ مُوسَى هُوَ الَّذِي عَلِمَ (٣) قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: عَلِمَهُ فِرْعَوْنُ وَلَكِنَّهُ عَانَدَ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: "وَجَحَدُوا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَا أَنْفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَعُلُوًّا" (النَّمْلُ-١٤) . وَهَذِهِ الْقِرَاءَةُ وَهِيَ نَصْبُ التَّاءِ أَصَحُّ فِي الْمَعْنَى وَعَلَيْهِ أَكْثَرُ الْقُرَّاءِ لِأَنَّ مُوسَى لَا يَحْتَجُّ عَلَيْهِ بِعِلْمِ نَفْسِهِ وَلَا يَثْبُتُ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رَفْعُ التَّاءِ لِأَنَّهُ رُوِيَ عَنْ رَجُلٍ مَنْ مُرَادٍ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الرَّجُلَ مَجْهُولٌ وَلَمْ يَتَمَسَّكْ بِهَا أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْقُرَّاءِ غَيْرَ الْكِسَائِيُّ (٤) .

(١) أخرجه الترمذي في التفسير سورة الإسراء: ٨ / ٥٨٠، وقال: "هذا حديث حسن صحيح" والنسائي في تحريم الدم باب السحر: ٧ / ١١١-١١٢ والإمام أحمد في المسند: ٤ / ٢٣٩-٢٤٠، والطبري في التفسير: ١٥ / ١٧٢، وأخرجه ابن ماجه مختصرا عن صفوان بن عسال أن قوما من اليهود قبلوا يد النبي ﷺ ورجليه. قال الحافظ ابن كثير: (٣ / ٦٨) : "وهو حديث مشكل وعبد الله بن سلمة في حفظه شيء وقد تكلموا فيه ولعله اشتبه عليه التسع الآيات بالعشر الكلمات فإنها وصايا في التوراة لا تعلق لها بقيام الحجة على فرعون والله أعلم". (٢) تفسير الطبري: ١٥ / ١٧٤. (٣) قال الطبري: غير أن القراءة التي عليها قراء الأمصار خلافها وغير جائز عندنا خلاف الحجة فيما جاءت به من القراءة مجمعة عليه". التفسير: ١٥ / ١٧٤. (٤) وكذلك قال ابن الجوزي في "زاد المسير": (٥ / ٩٤) : "والقراءة الأولى -بفتح التاء- أصح لاختيار الجمهور ولأنه قد أبان موسى من المعجزات ما أوجب علم فرعون بصدقه فلم يرد إلا بالتعلل والمدافعة فكأنه قال: لقد علمت بالدليل والحجة "ما أنزل هؤلاء" يعني الآيات".