Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/195)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“So we desired that their Lord should replace him for them with one better than him in purity and nearer in affection. (81) And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and beneath it was a treasure belonging to them. Their father had been righteous, so your Lord intended that they should reach full maturity and bring out their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. I did not do it of my own accord. That is the explanation of what you could not patiently bear. (82)”

“So we desired that their Lord should replace him for them”: Abu Jaʿfar, Nafiʿ, and Abu ʿAmr recited the verb here, as well as in Surahs al-Tahrim and al-Qalam, with a doubled consonant; the others recited it without doubling. Both are valid Arabic forms. Some distinguished between them, saying: “replacement by alteration” means changing a thing, or changing its condition, while the thing itself remains; whereas “replacement by substitution” means removing a thing and putting another in its place.

“One better than him in purity”: that is, in righteousness and God-consciousness. “And nearer in affection”: Ibn ʿAmir, Abu Jaʿfar, and Yaʿqub recited it with a final vowel u, while the rest recited it with the final consonant unvowelled; that is, more tender in mercy. It was also said that it relates to kinship and family ties. Qatadah said: that is, more dutiful in maintaining family ties and more devoted to his parents. (1)

Al-Kalbi said: Allah replaced him for them with a girl, whom one of the prophets married. She bore him a prophet, through whom Allah guided one of the nations.

It is related from Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad, from his father, that he said: Allah replaced him for them with a girl who gave birth to seventy prophets. (2)

Ibn Jurayj said: He replaced him for them with a boy. (3)

Mutarrif said: His parents rejoiced over him when he was born and grieved over him when he was killed. Yet had he remained alive, their ruin would have resulted from him. So let a person be content with Allah’s decree, for Allah’s decree for the believer in what he dislikes is better for him than His decree in what he loves.

His saying, exalted is He: “And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city”: their names were Asram and Sarim. “And beneath it was a treasure belonging to them”: they differed concerning the nature of that treasure. It is narrated from Abu al-Dardaʾ, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he said: “It was gold and silver.” (4)

(1) Al-Tabari said: “There is no basis for [interpreting it as] blood kinship in this context, because the slain boy was the one in whose place his parents were given a child. Thus, that child’s kinship to his parents and closeness to him through the womb are the same.” (16:4) (2) Ibn Atiyyah said: “This is far-fetched. A multitude of prophets is known only among the Children of Israel, whereas this woman was not one of them.” (Al-Bahr al-Muhit, 6:155) (3) See these views in al-Tabari, 16:3-4; Zad al-Masir, 5:180. Al-Tabari inclined to the view that the verse means that Allah replaced the boy with a girl for his parents. (4) Reported by al-Tirmidhi in his Tafsir of Surat al-Kahf, 8:600, and by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, 2:369. It was also reported by al-Bukhari in his Tarikh and by al-Tabarani (Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 8:601). Yazid ibn Yusuf al-Sanani is weak; al-Dhahabi said, “Abandoned.” Nevertheless, his hadith is closer in meaning to the interpretation of al-kanz (the treasure).

﴿فَأَرَدْنَا أَنْ يُبْدِلَهُمَا رَبُّهُمَا خَيْرًا مِنْهُ زَكَاةً وَأَقْرَبَ رُحْمًا (٨١) وَأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَامَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنْزٌ لَهُمَا وَكَانَ أَبُوهُمَا صَالِحًا فَأَرَادَ رَبُّكَ أَنْ يَبْلُغَا أَشُدَّهُمَا وَيَسْتَخْرِجَا كَنْزَهُمَا رَحْمَةً مِنْ رَبِّكَ وَمَا فَعَلْتُهُ عَنْ أَمْرِي ذَلِكَ تَأْوِيلُ مَا لَمْ تَسْطِعْ عَلَيْهِ صَبْرًا (٨٢) ﴾ ﴿فَأَرَدْنَا أَنْ يُبْدِلَهُمَا﴾ قَرَأَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ وَنَافِعٌ وَأَبُو عَمْرٍو: بِالتَّشْدِيدِ هَاهُنَا وَفِي سُورَةِ "التَّحْرِيمِ" وَ"الْقَلَمِ" وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِالتَّخْفِيفِ وَهُمَا لُغَتَانِ وَفَرَّقَ بَعْضُهُمْ فَقَالَ: "التَّبْدِيلُ": تَغْيِيرُ الشَّيْءِ أَوْ تَغْيِيرُ حَالِهِ وَعَيْنُ الشَّيْءِ قَائِمٌ وَ"الْإِبْدَالُ": رَفْعُ الشَّيْءِ وَوَضْعُ شَيْءٍ آخَرَ مَكَانَهُ ﴿رَبُّهُمَا خَيْرًا مِنْهُ زَكَاةً﴾ أَيْ صَلَاحًا وَتَقْوَى ﴿وَأَقْرَبَ رُحْمًا﴾ قَرَأَ ابْنُ عَامِرٍ وَأَبُو جَعْفَرٍ وَيَعْقُوبُ: بِضَمِّ الْحَاءِ وَالْبَاقُونَ بِجَزْمِهَا أَيْ: عَطْفًا مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ مِنَ الرَّحِمِ وَالْقَرَابَةِ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: أَيْ أَوْصَلُ لِلرَّحِمِ وَأَبَرُّ بِوَالِدَيْهِ (١) . قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: أَبْدَلَهُمَا اللَّهُ جَارِيَةً فَتَزَوَّجَهَا نَبِيٌّ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ فَوَلَدَتْ لَهُ نَبِيًّا فَهَدَى اللَّهُ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِنَ الْأُمَمِ. وَعَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: أَبْدَلَهُمَا اللَّهُ جَارِيَةً وَلَدَتْ سَبْعِينَ نَبِيًّا (٢) . وَقَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ: أَبْدَلَهُمَا بِغُلَامٍ (٣) . قَالَ مُطَرِّفٌ: فَرِحَ بِهِ أَبَوَاهُ حِينَ وُلِدَ وَحَزِنَا عَلَيْهِ حِينَ قُتِلَ. وَلَوْ بَقِيَ لَكَانَ فِيهِ هَلَاكُهُمَا فَلْيَرْضَ امْرُؤٌ بِقَضَاءِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَإِنَّ قَضَاءَ اللَّهِ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ فِيمَا يَكْرَهُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ قَضَائِهِ فِيمَا يُحِبُّ. قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَأَمَّا الْجِدَارُ فَكَانَ لِغُلَامَيْنِ يَتِيمَيْنِ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ﴾ وَكَانَ اسْمُهُمَا أَصْرَمُ وَصَرِيمٌ ﴿وَكَانَ تَحْتَهُ كَنْزٌ لَهُمَا﴾ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي ذَلِكَ الْكَنْزِ رُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: "كَانَ ذَهَبًا وَفِضَّةً" (٤) .

(١) قال الطبري: (١٦ / ٤) "ولا وجه للرحم في هذا الموضع لأن المقتول كان الذي أبدل منه والديه ولدا لأبوي المقتول، فقرابتهما من والديه وقربهما منه في الرحم سواء". (٢) قال ابن عطية: وهذا بعيد ولا تعرف كثرة الأنبياء إلا في بني إسرائيل ولم تكن هذه المرأة منهم. (البحر المحيط:٦ / ١٥٥) . (٣) انظر هذه الأقوال في الطبري: ١٦ / ٣-٤، زاد المسير: ٥ / ١٨٠ وقد مال الطبري إلى أن المقصود بالآية أن الله تعالى أبدلهما بالغلام جارية. (٤) أخرجه الترمذي في تفسير سورة الكهف: ٨ / ٦٠٠، والحاكم في المستدرك ٢ / ٣٦٩، وأخرجه البخاري في تاريخه والطبراني (تحفة الأحوزي: ٨ / ٦٠١) ويزيد بن يوسف الصنعاني ضعيف قال الذهبي: "متروك" وإن كان حديثه أشبه بمعنى الكنز.