Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/156)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“And when you have withdrawn from them and from all that they worship besides Allah, take refuge in the cave. Your Lord will spread out for you of His mercy and will make your affair easy for you.” (16)

“We relate to you [We recite to you] (1) their account”—the account of the Companions of the Cave—“in truth,” that is, truthfully. “They were young men” means youths “who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance,” in faith and insight.

“And We strengthened their hearts,” that is, We fortified them with patience and steadfastness, and strengthened them by the light of faith, until they patiently endured leaving the homeland of their people and forsaking the honour and abundant comfort in which they had lived. They fled with their religion to the cave.

“When they stood forth” before Decius, when he reproached them for abandoning the worship of idols, “they said, ‘Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth. Never shall we call upon any god besides Him.’” They said this because their people worshipped idols. “‘For then we would indeed have uttered an enormity,’” meaning: if we were to call upon another besides Allah, we would indeed have uttered an enormity. Ibn Abbas said: “An injustice.” Qatadah said: “A lie.” The root meaning of shatat and ishtitat is to exceed the proper bounds and to go to excess.

“These people of ours,” meaning the inhabitants of their town, “have taken gods besides Him,” that is, besides Allah—meaning idols, which they worship. “Why do they not”—that is, why do they not bring—“clear proof for them,” meaning for their worship: a clear argument which demonstrates and makes plain that idols do not deserve worship apart from Allah. (2) “And who is more unjust than one who fabricates a lie against Allah,” claiming that He has a partner and a child?

Then some of them said to the others: “And when you have withdrawn from them,” meaning their people, (3) “and from all that they worship besides Allah.” Ibn Masud recited: “and from all that they worship apart from Allah.” As for the well-known recitation, its meaning is that they worshipped Allah and worshipped—

(1) Omitted from manuscript A. (2) Omitted from manuscript B. (3) In manuscript B: “your people.”

﴿وَإِذِ اعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ فَأْوُوا إِلَى الْكَهْفِ يَنْشُرْ لَكُمْ رَبُّكُمْ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيُهَيِّئْ لَكُمْ مِنْ أَمْرِكُمْ مِرْفَقًا (١٦) ﴾ ﴿نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ﴾ [نَقْرَأُ عَلَيْكَ] (١) ﴿نَبَأَهُمْ﴾ خَبَرَ أَصْحَابِ الْكَهْفِ ﴿بِالْحَقِّ﴾ بِالصِّدْقِ ﴿إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ﴾ شُبَّانٌ ﴿آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَزِدْنَاهُمْ هُدًى﴾ إِيمَانًا وَبَصِيرَةً. ﴿وَرَبَطْنَا﴾ شَدَدْنَا ﴿عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ﴾ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالتَّثْبِيتِ وَقَوَّيْنَاهُمْ بِنُورِ الْإِيمَانِ حَتَّى صَبَرُوا عَلَى هِجْرَانِ دَارِ قَوْمِهِمْ وَمُفَارَقَةِ مَا كَانُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الْعِزِّ وَخِصْبِ الْعَيْشِ وَفَرُّوا بِدِينِهِمْ إِلَى الْكَهْفِ ﴿إِذْ قَامُوا﴾ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ دِقْيَانُوسَ حِينَ عَاتَبَهُمْ عَلَى تَرْكِ عِبَادَةِ الصَّنَمِ ﴿فَقَالُوا رَبُّنَا رَبُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ لَنْ نَدْعُوَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِلَهًا﴾ قَالُوا ذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ قَوْمَهُمْ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ الْأَوْثَانَ ﴿لَقَدْ قُلْنَا إِذًا شَطَطًا﴾ يَعْنِي: إِنْ دَعَوْنَا غَيْرَ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ قُلْنَا إِذًا شَطَطًا، قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: جَوْرًا. وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: كَذِبًا. وَأَصْلُ الشَّطَطِ وَالْإِشْطَاطِ مُجَاوَزَةُ الْقَدْرِ وَالْإِفْرَاطُ. ﴿هَؤُلَاءِ قَوْمُنَا﴾ يَعْنِي: أَهْلَ بَلَدِهِمْ ﴿اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِهِ﴾ أَيْ: مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ ﴿آلِهَةً﴾ يَعْنِي: الْأَصْنَامَ يَعْبُدُونَهَا ﴿لَوْلَا﴾ أَيْ: هَلَّا ﴿يَأْتُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ﴾ أَيْ: عَلَى عِبَادَتِهِمْ ﴿بِسُلْطَانٍ بَيِّنٍ﴾ بِحُجَّةٍ وَاضِحَةٍ تُبَيِّنُ وَتُوَضِّحُ أَنَّ الْأَصْنَامَ لَا تَسْتَحِقُّ الْعِبَادَةَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ] (٢) ﴿فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا﴾ وَزَعْمَ أَنَّ لَهُ شَرِيكًا وَوَلَدًا. ثُمَّ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ: ﴿وَإِذِ اعْتَزَلْتُمُوهُمْ﴾ يَعْنِي قَوْمَهُمْ (٣) ﴿وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ﴾ قَرَأَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ "وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ" وَأَمَّا الْقِرَاءَةُ الْمَعْرُوفَةُ فَمَعْنَاهَا: أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَ اللَّهَ وَيَعْبُدُونَ

(١) ساقط من "أ". (٢) ساقط من "ب". (٣) في "ب": قومكم.