Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/238)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

the stars (1) and calculation. “Indeed, he was a man of utmost truthfulness, a prophet. And We raised him to a high station (57).”

“And We raised him to a high station”: it was said that this means Paradise. It was also said that it refers to the elevation of his rank in this world.

It was also said that he was raised to the fourth heaven (2).

Anas ibn Malik narrated from Malik ibn Sa'sa'ah that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saw Idris in the fourth heaven on the night of the Ascension (3).

According to what Ka'b and others related, the reason Idris was raised to heaven (4) was that one day he set out on some errand and was struck by the blazing heat of the sun. He said, “My Lord, I have walked for one day; so what of the one who carries it for a journey of five hundred years in a single day? O Allah, lighten its weight and heat for him.” (5)

When morning came, the angel found a lightness in the sun and its heat unlike anything he had known before. He said (6), “My Lord, what have You decreed concerning it?” He said, “My servant Idris asked Me to lessen its burden and heat for you, so I answered him.”

The angel said, “My Lord, establish a bond of close friendship between him and me.” So he was granted permission, until he came to Idris. Idris asked him, “I have been told that you are among the most honored of the angels and have the greatest influence with the Angel of Death. Therefore, intercede with him on my behalf, that he may delay my appointed term, so that I may increase in gratitude and worship.”

The angel said, “Allah does not delay a soul once its appointed term has come. But I will speak to him.” He then raised Idris to heaven and placed him where the sun rises. Then he went to the Angel of Death and said, “I have a request of you: a friend of mine from the children of Adam has asked me to intercede with you, that you delay his appointed term.”

He replied, “That is not up to me. But, if you wish, I can inform him of his appointed term, so that he may make preparations for himself.” The angel said, “Yes.”

So he looked in his register and said, “You have spoken to me concerning a man whom I do not see as ever dying.” The angel said, “How can that be?” He replied, “I find that he is to die only where the sun rises.” The angel said, “I came to you after leaving him there.” He said, “Go, for you will find him only after he has died. By Allah, nothing remained of Idris's appointed term.” The angel returned and found him dead (7).

(1) Added from manuscript B. (2) Omitted from manuscript A. (3) An excerpt from a lengthy hadith recorded by al-Bukhari, 7:201-202, and Muslim, 1:149-151. Its source documentation has already been given in Surah al-Isra. (4) The text within square brackets is omitted from manuscript A. (5) That is, the angel entrusted with the sun. (6) That is, the angel entrusted with it. (7) Al-Qurtubi cited this report in his Tafsir, 11:118, and Ibn al-Jawzi in Zad al-Masir, 5:243. Ibn al-Jawzi said: “This meaning is reported from Ibn Abbas, Kab al-Ahbar, and others.” Ibn Kathir commented on these and similar reports that they contain strange and objectionable material, and that they are among the Israiliyyat narratives transmitted from Kab al-Ahbar. See Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 3:127.

النُّجُومِ (١) وَالْحِسَابِ، ﴿إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَبِيًّا﴾ ﴿وَرَفَعْنَاهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا (٥٧) ﴾ ﴿وَرَفَعْنَاهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا﴾ قِيلَ: يَعْنِي الْجَنَّةَ. وَقِيلَ: هِيَ الرِّفْعَةُ بِعُلُوِّ الرُّتْبَةِ فِي الدُّنْيَا. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ أَنَّهُ رُفِعَ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الرَّابِعَةِ (٢) . رَوَى أَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ صَعْصَعَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ رَأَى إِدْرِيسَ فِي السَّمَاءِ الرَّابِعَةِ لَيْلَةَ الْمِعْرَاجِ (٣) . وَكَانَ سَبَبُ رَفْعِ إِدْرِيسَ [إِلَى السَّمَاءِ] (٤) عَلَى مَا قَالَهُ كَعْبٌ وَغَيْرُهُ: أَنَّهُ سَارَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فِي حَاجَةٍ فَأَصَابَهُ وَهَجُ الشَّمْسِ فَقَالَ: يَا رَبِّ أَنَا مَشَيْتُ يَوْمًا فَكَيْفَ بِمَنْ يَحْمِلُهَا مَسِيرَةَ خَمْسِمِائَةِ عَامٍ فِي يَوْمٍ وَاحِدٍ! اللَّهُمَّ خَفِّفْ عَنْهُ مِنْ ثِقَلِهَا وَحَرِّهَا (٥) فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ الْمَلَكُ وَجَدَ مِنْ خِفَّةِ الشَّمْسِ وَحَرِّهَا مَا لَمْ يَعْرِفْ فَقَالَ (٦) يَا رَبِّ مَا الَّذِي قَضَيْتَ فِيهِ؟ فَقَالَ: إِنْ عَبْدِي إِدْرِيسَ سَأَلَنِي أَنْ أُخَفِّفَ عَنْكَ حِمْلَهَا وَحَرَّهَا فَأَجَبْتُهُ، فَقَالَ: رَبِّ اجْعَلْ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ خُلَّةً، فَأَذِنَ لَهُ حَتَّى أَتَى إِدْرِيسَ فَكَانَ يَسْأَلُهُ إِدْرِيسُ فَقَالَ لَهُ: إِنِّي أُخْبِرْتُ أَنَّكَ أَكْرَمُ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَأَمْكَنُهُمْ عِنْدَ مَلَكِ الْمَوْتِ، فَاشْفَعْ لِي إِلَيْهِ لِيُؤَخِّرَ أَجْلِي فَأَزْدَادَ شُكْرًا وَعِبَادَةً، فَقَالَ الْمَلَكُ: لَا يُؤَخِّرُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِذَا جَاءَ أَجْلُهَا، وَأَنَا مُكَلِّمُهُ فَرَفَعَهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَوَضَعَهُ عِنْدَ مَطْلِعِ الشَّمْسِ، ثُمَّ أَتَى مَلَكَ الْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ لِي حَاجَةٌ إِلَيْكَ؛ صَدِيقٌ لِي مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ تَشَفَّعَ بِي إِلَيْكَ لِتُؤَخِّرَ أَجَلَهُ، قَالَ: لَيْسَ ذَلِكَ إِلَيَّ وَلَكِنْ إِنْ أَحْبَبْتَ أَعْلَمْتُهُ أَجَلَهُ فَيُقَدِّمُ لِنَفْسِهِ قَالَ: نَعَمْ فَنَظَرَ فِي دِيوَانِهِ فَقَالَ: إِنَّكَ كَلَّمْتَنِي فِي إِنْسَانٍ مَا أَرَاهُ يَمُوتُ أَبَدًا، قَالَ: وَكَيْفَ؟ قَالَ: لَا أَجِدُهُ يَمُوتُ إِلَّا عِنْدَ مَطْلِعِ الشَّمْسِ قَالَ فَإِنِّي أَتَيْتُكَ وَتَرَكْتُهُ هُنَاكَ قَالَ: فَانْطَلِقْ فَلَا أَرَاكَ تَجِدُهُ إِلَّا وَقَدْ مَاتَ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا بَقِيَ مِنْ أَجَلِ إِدْرِيسَ شَيْءٌ فَرَجَعَ الْمَلَكُ فَوَجَدَهُ مَيِّتًا (٧) .

(١) زيادة من "ب". (٢) ساقط من "أ". (٣) قطعة من حديث طويل أخرجه البخاري: ٧ / ٢٠١-٢٠٢، ومسلم: ١ / ١٤٩-١٥١. وقد تقدم تخريجه في سورة الإسراء. (٤) ما بين المعكوفين ساقط من "أ". (٥) يعني به الملك الموكل بالشمس. (٦) أي: الملك الموكل بها. (٧) ساق هذه الرواية القرطبي في التفسير: ١١ / ١١٨، وابن الجوزي في "زاد المسير": (٥ / ٢٤٣) وقال: وهذا المعنى مروي عن ابن عباس وكعب في آخرين. وعقب ابن كثير على هذه الروايات وأمثالها بأن فيها غرابة ونكارة، وهي من أخبار كعب الأحبار من الإسرائيليات. انظر: تفسير ابن كثير: ٣ / ١٢٧.