Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/187)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“We have certainly suffered much fatigue in this journey of ours.” That is, weariness and hardship. This was because Moses was afflicted with hunger after they had passed beyond the rock, so that he would remember the fish and return to what he was seeking.

“He said, ‘Do you remember when we rested by the rock? I forgot the fish, and none but Satan made me forget to mention it. And it made its way into the sea in an amazing manner.’ (63) He said, ‘That is what we were seeking.’ So they turned back, retracing their footsteps.” (64)

His attendant said to him, having remembered: “Do you remember when we rested by the rock?” This was a rock at the appointed place. Ma‘qil ibn Ziyad said: “It was the rock below the River of Oil.” “I forgot the fish,” meaning: I left it behind and lost it. When Joshua saw what had happened to the fish, he rose to catch up with Moses and inform him, but forgot to tell him. They then continued for the rest of that day, until they prayed the noon prayer on the following day.

It was said that there is an implied phrase in the verse, its meaning being: “I forgot to tell you about the fish.” Then he said: “None but Satan made me forget to mention it”—that is, none but Satan made me forget to tell you about the fish. Hafs recited ansānihu; and in al-Fatḥ, ‘alayhu Allāh, with the pronoun hā’ bearing a dammah.

It was also said that its meaning is: He made me forget it so that I would not mention it.

“And it made its way into the sea in an amazing manner.” It was said that this was part of Joshua’s statement: the fish leapt into the sea and made a passage through it, and I was amazed by this astonishing occurrence.

It is narrated in the report: “The fish had a passage, while Moses and his attendant had cause for amazement.” (1)

It was also said that this was Moses’ response when Joshua told him, “It made its way into the sea.” Moses said to him: “Amazing!”—as though he had said, “How utterly astonishing!”

Ibn Zayd said: “What could be more amazing than a fish from which they had openly eaten, then which came to life after part of it had been eaten?” Moses said: “That is what we were seeking,” meaning, what we were looking for. “So they turned back, retracing their footsteps,” meaning: they returned, following the trail by which they had come. Then they found one of Our servants; it was said that he was an angel among the angels,

(1) In al-Bukhari's narration: "...and they found in the sea something like an archway, through which the fish had passed; it was a wonder to his servant, while for the fish it was a passage." Kitab al-Tafsir, chapter on "He said: Have you seen when we took refuge at the rock?" 8:423. (2) In manuscript B: "dahran" (a long time).

﴿لَقَدْ لَقِينَا مِنْ سَفَرِنَا هَذَا نَصَبًا﴾ أَيْ: تَعَبًا وَشِدَّةً وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ أُلْقِيَ عَلَى مُوسَى الْجُوعُ بَعْدَ مُجَاوَزَةِ الصَّخْرَةِ لِيَتَذَكَّرَ الْحُوتَ وَيَرْجِعَ إِلَى مَطْلَبِهِ. ﴿قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ وَمَا أَنْسَانِيهُ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا (٦٣) قَالَ ذَلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ فَارْتَدَّا عَلَى آثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا (٦٤) ﴾ ﴿قَالَ﴾ لَهُ فَتَاهَ وَتَذَكَّرَ ﴿أَرَأَيْتَ إِذْ أَوَيْنَا إِلَى الصَّخْرَةِ﴾ وَهِيَ صَخْرَةٌ كَانَتْ بِالْمَوْضِعِ الْمَوْعُودِ قَالَ مَعْقِلُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ: هِيَ الصَّخْرَةُ الَّتِي دُونَ نَهْرِ الزَّيْتِ ﴿فَإِنِّي نَسِيتُ الْحُوتَ﴾ أَيْ تَرَكْتُهُ وَفَقَدْتُهُ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ يُوشَعَ حِينَ رَأَى ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْحُوتِ قَامَ لِيُدْرِكَ مُوسَى فَيُخْبِرَهُ فَنَسِيَ أَنْ يُخْبِرَهُ فَمَكَثَا يَوْمَهُمَا حَتَّى صَلَّيَا الظُّهْرَ مِنَ الْغَدِ. قِيلَ فِي الْآيَةِ إِضْمَارٌ مَعْنَاهُ: نَسِيتُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَ لَكَ أَمْرَ الْحُوتِ ثُمَّ قَالَ: ﴿وَمَا أَنْسَانِيهُ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ أَذْكُرَهُ﴾ أي: وما أنسانيه أَنْ أَذْكُرَ لَكَ أَمْرَ الْحُوتِ إِلَّا الشَّيْطَانُ وَقَرَأَ حَفْصٌ: ﴿أَنْسَانِيهُ﴾ وَفِي الْفَتْحِ: ﴿عَلَيْهُ اللَّهَ﴾ بِضَمِّ الْهَاءِ. وَقِيلَ مَعْنَاهُ أَنْسَانِيهُ لِئَلَّا أَذْكُرَهُ. ﴿وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ عَجَبًا﴾ قِيلَ: هَذَا مِنْ قَوْلِ يُوشَعَ، وَيَقُولُ: طَفَرَ الْحُوتُ إِلَى الْبَحْرِ فَاتَّخَذَ فِيهِ مَسْلَكًا فَعَجِبْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ عَجَبًا. وَرُوِّينَا فِي الْخَبَرِ: كَانَ لِلْحُوتِ سَرَبًا وَلِمُوسَى وَفَتَاهُ عَجَبًا (١) . وَقِيلَ: هَذَا مِنْ قَوْلِ مُوسَى لَمَّا قَالَ لَهُ يُوشَعُ وَاتَّخَذَ سَبِيلَهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ قَالَ لَهُ مُوسَى: عَجَبًا كَأَنَّهُ قَالَ: أَعْجَبُ عَجَبًا. قَالَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ: أَيُّ شَيْءٍ أَعْجَبُ مِنْ حُوتٍ يُؤْكَلُ مِنْهُ جَهْرًا (٢) ثُمَّ صَارَ حَيًّا بَعْدَمَا أُكِلَ بَعْضُهُ؟. ﴿قَالَ﴾ مُوسَى ﴿ذَلِكَ مَا كُنَّا نَبْغِ﴾ أَيْ نَطْلُبُ ﴿فَارْتَدَّا عَلَى آثَارِهِمَا قَصَصًا﴾ أَيْ: رَجَعَا يَقُصَّانِ الْأَثَرَ الَّذِي جَاءَ مِنْهُ أَيْ: يَتْبَعَانِهِ فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا قِيلَ: كَانَ مَلَكًا مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ،

(١) في رواية البخاري: " ... فوجدا في البحر كالطاق ممر الحوت فكان لفتاه عجبا وللحوت سربا" كتاب التفسير باب "قال أرأيت إذ أوينا إلى الصخرة": ٨ / ٤٢٣. (٢) في "ب": دهرا.