Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/239)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

They differed as to whether he is alive in heaven or dead. Some said that he is dead, while others said that he is alive (1). They said: Four of the prophets are living: two on earth—al-Khidr and Elijah—and two in heaven—Idris and Jesus.

Wahb said: Each day, as much worship was raised for Idris as was raised for all the people of the earth in his time. The angels were amazed by him, and the Angel of Death longed to meet him. So he asked his Lord—exalted and glorified is He—for permission to visit him, and he was granted permission. He came to him in the form of a man. Idris used to fast continually, and when it was time for him to break his fast, he invited him to share his food, but he refused to eat with him. He did this for three nights, and Idris found it strange. On the third night, Idris said to him, “I wish to know who you are.” He replied, “I am the Angel of Death. I asked my Lord for permission to accompany you.”

Idris said, “I have a request of you.” He asked, “What is it?” Idris said, “Take my soul.” Allah then revealed to him, “Take his soul.” So he took his soul, and Allah restored it to him after an hour. The Angel of Death asked him, “Why did you ask for your soul to be taken?” Idris replied, “So that I might experience the anguish and distress of death, and thus be better prepared for it.”

Then Idris said to him, “I have another request of you.” He asked, “What is it?” Idris said, “Raise me to heaven so that I may look upon it, Paradise, and Hell.” Allah granted permission for him to be raised. When he drew near to Hell, Idris said, “I have another request.” He asked, “What do you want?” Idris said, “Ask Malik to open its gates for me, so that I may enter it.” So he did so. Then Idris said, “Now that you have shown me Hell, show me Paradise.”

So he took him to Paradise and asked that it be opened. Then Allah revealed to him, “Take his soul.” So he took his soul, and Allah restored it to him after an hour. The Angel of Death said to him, “What is the point of—” Then its gates were opened, and he admitted him into Paradise. The Angel of Death then said, “Leave, so that you may return to your dwelling-place.” But he clung to a tree and said, “I will not leave it.”

Allah then sent a wise angel to arbitrate between them. The angel said to him, “Why will you not leave?” He replied, “Because Allah Most High has said, ‘Every soul shall taste death’ (Al Imran:185), and I have tasted it. And He has said, ‘There is none of you except that he will come to it’ (Maryam:71), and I have entered it. And He has said, ‘Nor will they be removed from it’ (al-Hijr:48), so I shall not leave.” Allah then revealed to the Angel of Death: “By My permission he entered Paradise, and by My command he is not to leave it.” Thus, he remains alive there. This is the meaning of His saying, “And We raised him to a high station” (2).

“Those are the ones upon whom Allah bestowed His favor from among the prophets: from the descendants of Adam, and from those whom We carried with Noah, and from the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and from those whom We guided and chose. Whenever the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell down in prostration and weeping (58).”

“Those upon whom Allah bestowed His favor from among the prophets, from the descendants of Adam”: namely, Idris and Noah. “And from those whom We carried with Noah”: that is, from the descendants of those whom We carried with Noah in the Ark; referring to Abraham, for he was descended from Shem, the son of Noah. “And from the descendants of Abraham”: referring to Ishmael, Isaac, and Jacob.

(1) The first view is the one that accords with the reports. The second is narrated from Mujahid, who said: “Idris was raised and did not die, just as Jesus was raised.” If he meant that Idris has not died until now, this is open to question. But if he meant that Idris was raised alive to heaven and then died there, this does not contradict what has preceded from Kab al-Ahbar. And Allah knows best. See Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, 1:100. (2) See al-Durr al-Manthur, 5:519-523; Zad al-Masir, 5:241-242. This report is among the Israiliyyat narratives, as Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, indicated.

وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي أَنَّهُ حَيٌّ فِي السَّمَاءِ أَمْ مَيِّتٌ؟ فَقَالَ قَوْمٌ: هُوَ مَيِّتٌ وَقَالَ قَوْمٌ: هُوَ حَيٌّ (١) وَقَالُوا: أَرْبَعَةٌ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ فِي الْأَحْيَاءِ اثْنَانِ فِي الْأَرْضِ: الْخَضِرُ وَإِلْيَاسُ وَاثْنَانِ فِي السَّمَاءِ: إِدْرِيسُ وَعِيسَى. وَقَالَ وَهْبٌ: كَانَ يُرْفَعُ لِإِدْرِيسَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ مِنَ الْعِبَادَةِ مِثْلَ مَا يُرْفَعُ لِجَمِيعِ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ فِي زَمَانِهِ فَعَجِبَ مِنْهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَاشْتَاقَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ، فَاسْتَأْذَنَ رَبَّهُ ﷿ فِي زِيَارَتِهِ، فَأَذِنَ لَهُ فَأَتَاهُ فِي صُورَةِ بَنِي آدَمَ وَكَانَ إِدْرِيسُ يَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ فَلَمَّا كَانَ وَقْتُ إِفْطَارِهِ دَعَاهُ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَأْكُلَ مَعَهُ، فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ ثَلَاثَ لَيَالٍ فَأَنْكَرَهُ إِدْرِيسُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ اللَّيْلَةَ الثَّالِثَةَ: إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَعْلَمَ مَنْ أَنْتَ؟ فَقَالَ: أَنَا مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ اسْتَأْذَنْتُ رَبِّي أَنْ أَصْحَبَكَ، قَالَ: فَلِي إِلَيْكَ حَاجَةٌ، قَالَ: وَمَا هِيَ؟ قَالَ: تَقْبِضُ رُوحِي، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ أَنِ اقْبِضْ رَوْحَهُ فَقَبَضَ رَوْحَهُ وَرَدَّهَا اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ بَعْدَ سَاعَةٍ، قَالَ لَهُ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ: مَا فِي سُؤَالِكَ مِنْ قَبْضِ الرُّوحِ؟ قَالَ لِأَذُوقَ كَرْبَ الْمَوْتِ وَغَمَّهُ لِأَكُونَ أَشَدَّ اسْتِعْدَادًا لَهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ إِدْرِيسُ لَهُ: إِنَّ لِي إِلَيْكَ حَاجَةً أُخْرَى، قَالَ: وَمَا هِيَ؟ قَالَ: تَرْفَعُنِي إِلَى السَّمَاءِ لِأَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهَا وَإِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَالنَّارِ، فَأَذِنَ اللَّهُ فِي رَفْعِهِ، فَلَمَّا قَرُبَ مِنَ النَّارِ قَالَ لِي حَاجَةٌ أُخْرَى، قَالَ: وَمَا تُرِيدُ؟ قَالَ: تَسْأَلُ مَالِكًا حَتَّى يَفْتَحَ لِي أَبْوَابَهَا فَأَرِدُهَا فَفَعَلَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: فَمَا أَرَيْتَنِي النَّارَ فَأَرِنِي الْجَنَّةَ. فَذَهَبَ بِهِ إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ فَاسْتَفْتَحَ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ أَنِ اقْبِضْ رُوحَهُ، فَقَبَضَ رُوحَهُ وَرَدَّهَا اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ بَعْدَ سَاعَةٍ، قَالَ لَهُ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ: مَا فِي فَفُتِحَتْ أَبْوَابُهَا فَأَدْخَلَهُ الْجَنَّةَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ: اخْرُجْ لِتَعُودَ إِلَى مَقَرِّكَ، فَتَعَلَّقَ بِشَجَرَةٍ وَقَالَ: لَا أَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا، فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ مَلَكًا حَكِيمًا بَيْنَهُمَا فَقَالَ لَهُ الْمَلَكُ: مَا لَكَ لَا تَخْرُجُ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَالَ: "كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ" (آلِ عِمْرَانَ:١٨٥) وَقَدْ ذُقْتُهُ، وَقَالَ: "وَإِنْ مِنْكُمْ إِلَّا وَارِدُهَا" (مَرْيَمَ:٧١) ، وَقَدْ وَرَدْتُهَا، وَقَالَ: "وَمَا هُمْ مِنْهَا بِمُخْرَجِينَ" (الحِجْرِ:٤٨) فَلَسْتُ أَخْرَجُ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى مَلَكِ الْمَوْتِ بِإِذْنِي دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ وَبِأَمْرِي لَا يَخْرُجُ فَهُوَ حَيٌّ هُنَاكَ، ذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَرَفَعْنَاهُ مَكَانًا عَلِيًّا﴾ (٢) . ﴿أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ آدَمَ وَمِمَّنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْرَائِيلَ وَمِمَّنْ هَدَيْنَا وَاجْتَبَيْنَا إِذَا تُتْلَى عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُ الرَّحْمَنِ خَرُّوا سُجَّدًا وَبُكِيًّا (٥٨) ﴾ ﴿أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ آدَمَ﴾ أَيْ: إِدْرِيسَ وَنُوحًا ﴿وَمِمَّنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ﴾ أَيْ: وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ مَنْ حَمَلْنَا مَعَ نُوحٍ فِي السَّفِينَةِ، يُرِيدُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ؛ لِأَنَّهُ وُلِدَ مِنْ سَامِ بْنِ نُوحٍ ﴿وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ﴾ يُرِيدُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ.

(١) القول الأول هو الذي يتفق مع الروايات، والثاني مروي عن مجاهد قال: إدريس رفع ولم يمت، كما رفع عيسى. فإن أراد: أنه لم يمت إلى الآن ففي هذا نظر، وإن أراد أنه رفع حيا إلى السماء ثم قبض هناك، فلا ينافي ما تقدم عن كعب الأحبار، والله أعلم. انظر: "البداية والنهاية" لابن كثير: ١ / ١٠٠. (٢) انظر: "الدر المنثور": ٥ / ٥١٩-٥٢٣، "زاد المسير": ٥ / ٢٤١-٢٤٢. وهذا الخبر من الإسرائيليات وقد أشار إلى ذلك ابن كثير ﵀.