Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/204)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

bodies, with which they cover themselves and shield themselves from heat and cold. Each of them has two enormous ears: he uses one as bedding and the other as a covering; he spends the summer in one and the winter in the other. They mate as beasts do, wherever they meet.

When Dhul-Qarnayn witnessed this, he turned to the space between the two mountain-sides and measured the distance between them. A foundation was excavated for him until it reached water. He filled it with rock, and its mortar was molten copper, which was poured over it, until it became like a vein of mountain beneath the earth. (1)

Allah Most High says: “They said, ‘O Dhul-Qarnayn, indeed Gog and Magog are corrupters in the land.’” Al-Kalbi said: Their corruption consisted in their coming out to their land in the days of spring, leaving nothing green therein without consuming it, nor anything dry without carrying it away and bringing it into their own land. The people had suffered severe harm and killing at their hands.

It was also said: Their corruption was that they used to eat people.

And it was said: Its meaning is that they will spread corruption in the land when they emerge. (3)

“Shall we assign you a payment?” Hamzah and al-Kisa’i recited kharājan (a tribute) with an alif, while the others recited kharjan (a payment) without an alif. Both are linguistic variants with the same meaning: a stipulated sum and compensation from our wealth.

Abu ‘Amr said: Kharj is that which you give voluntarily, whereas kharāj is that which you are obliged to pay. It was also said: Kharāj applies to land, while kharj applies to persons. One says: “Pay the personal levy upon your head and the land tax of your city.”

“On condition that you place a barrier between us and them”—that is, an obstruction so that they cannot reach us.

He said, “That with which my Lord has established me is better. So assist me with strength, and I will place between you and them a fortified barrier.” (95)

Dhul-Qarnayn said to them: “That with which my Lord has established me.” Ibn Kathir recited makkannanī with two clearly pronounced nuns, while the others recited it with one nun bearing a shaddah, by assimilation. That is: what my Lord has empowered me to do is better than your payment. “So assist me with strength”: that is, I do not want wealth; rather, assist me with your bodies and your strength. “I will place between you and them a fortified barrier”—that is, a barrier. They said, “What is this strength?” He said: “Laborers, craftsmen skilled in building and workmanship, and equipment.” They said, “And what is that sign?” He said:

(1) Al-Tabari narrated it from Wahb ibn Munabbih, 16:17-21. Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir commented on it in his Tafsir, 3:105: “Ibn Jarir mentions here a strange, lengthy, and remarkable report concerning Dhu al-Qarnayn’s travels, his construction of the barrier, and what happened to him. It contains excessive length, strangeness, and objectionable material concerning their forms, descriptions, height, the shortness of some of them, and their ears. Ibn Abi Hatim also narrated, on this subject, strange reports from his father whose chains of transmission are unsound. And Allah knows best.” (2) Omitted from manuscript “A.” (3) This is the view preferred by Al-Tabari, 16:22.

أَجْسَادِهِمْ مَا يُوَارِيهِمْ وَيَتَّقُونَ بِهِ مِنَ الْحَرِّ وَالْبَرْدِ وَلِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ أُذُنَانِ عَظِيمَتَانِ يَفْتَرِشُ إِحْدَاهُمَا وَيَلْتَحِفُ بِالْأُخْرَى يَصِيفُ فِي إِحْدَاهُمَا ويشتو في ٢٢٣/أالْأُخْرَى يَتَسَافَدُونَ تَسَافُدَ الْبَهَائِمِ حَيْثُ الْتَقَوْا، فَلَمَّا عَايَنَ ذَلِكَ ذُو الْقَرْنَيْنِ انْصَرَفَ إِلَى مَا بَيْنَ الصَّدَفَيْنِ فَقَاسَ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا فَحُفِرَ لَهُ الْأَسَاسُ حَتَّى بَلَغَ الْمَاءَ وَجَعَلَ حَشْوَهُ الصَّخْرَ وَطِينَهُ النُّحَاسَ يُذَابُ فَيَصُبُّ عَلَيْهِ فَصَارَ كَأَنَّهُ عِرْقٌ مِنْ جَبَلٍ تَحْتَ الْأَرْضِ (١) . قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿قَالُوا يَا ذَا الْقَرْنَيْنِ إِنَّ يَأْجُوجَ وَمَأْجُوجَ مُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾ قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: فَسَادُهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَخْرُجُونَ أَيَّامَ الرَّبِيعِ إِلَى أَرْضِهِمْ فَلَا يَدَعُونَ فِيهَا شَيْئًا أَخْضَرَ إِلَّا أَكَلُوهُ وَلَا شَيْئًا (٢) يَابِسًا إِلَّا احْتَمَلُوا وَأَدْخَلُوهُ أَرْضَهُمْ وَقَدْ لَقُوا مِنْهُمْ أَذًى شَدِيدًا وَقَتْلًا. وَقِيلَ: فَسَادُهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَأْكُلُونَ النَّاسَ. وَقِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ أَنَّهُمْ سَيُفْسِدُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ عِنْدَ خُرُوجِهِمْ (٣) . ﴿فَهَلْ نَجْعَلُ لَكَ خَرْجًا﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ " خَرَاجًا " بِالْأَلِفِ وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ ﴿خَرْجًا﴾ بِغَيْرِ أَلِفٍ وَهُمَا لُغَتَانِ بِمَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ أَيْ جُعْلًا وَأَجْرًا مِنْ أَمْوَالِنَا. وَقَالَ أَبُو عَمْرٍو: "الْخَرْجُ": مَا تَبَرَّعْتَ بِهِ و"الْخَرَاجُ": مَا لَزِمَكَ أَدَاؤُهُ. وَقِيلَ: "الْخَرَاجُ": عَلَى الْأَرْضِ و"الْخَرْجُ": عَلَى الرِّقَابِ. يُقَالُ: أَدِّ خَرْجَ رَأْسِكَ وَخَرَاجَ مَدِينَتِكَ. ﴿عَلَى أَنْ تَجْعَلَ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَهُمْ سَدًّا﴾ أَيْ حَاجِزًا فَلَا يَصِلُونَ إِلَيْنَا. ﴿قَالَ مَا مَكَّنِّي فِيهِ رَبِّي خَيْرٌ فَأَعِينُونِي بِقُوَّةٍ أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًا (٩٥) ﴾ ﴿قَالَ﴾ لَهُمْ ذُو الْقَرْنَيْنِ: ﴿مَا مَكَّنِّي فِيهِ﴾ قَرَأَ ابْنُ كَثِيرٍ " مَكَّنَنِي " بِنُونَيْنِ ظَاهِرَيْنِ، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِنُونٍ وَاحِدَةٍ مُشَدَّدَةٍ عَلَى الْإِدْغَامِ، أَيْ: مَا قَوَّانِي عَلَيْهِ ﴿رَبِّي خَيْرٌ﴾ مِنْ جُعْلِكُمْ ﴿فَأَعِينُونِي بِقُوَّةٍ﴾ مَعْنَاهُ: إِنِّي لَا أُرِيدُ الْمَالَ بَلْ أَعِينُونِي بِأَبْدَانِكُمْ وَقُوَّتِكُمْ ﴿أَجْعَلْ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُمْ رَدْمًا﴾ أَيْ: سَدًّا، قَالُوا وَمَا تِلْكَ الْقُوَّةُ؟ قَالَ: فَعَلَةٌ وَصُنَّاعٌ يُحْسِنُونَ الْبِنَاءَ وَالْعَمَلَ وَالْآلَةُ، قَالُوا: وما تلك الآية؟ قَالَ:

(١) أخرجه الطبري عن وهب بن منبه: ١٦ / ١٧-٢١، وعقب عليه الحافظ ابن كثير في التفسير: (٣ / ١٠٥) فقال: ذكر ابن جرير هنا أثرا غريبا طويلا عجيبا في سير ذي القرنين وبنائه السد وكيفية ما جرى له، وفيه طول وغرابة ونكارة، في أشكالهم وصفاتهم وطولهم وقصر بعضهم وآذانهم، وروى ابن أبي حاتم في ذلك عن أبيه أحاديث غريبة، لا تصح أسانيدها والله أعلم". (٢) ساقط من "أ". (٣) وهو رجحه الطبري: ١٦ / ٢٢.