Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/244)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

I remain held back.” Then Allah revealed: “And we do not descend except by the command of your Lord.” And He revealed: “By the morning brightness, and by the night when it grows still: your Lord has neither forsaken you nor detested you.” (1)

“To Him belongs all that lies before us, all that lies behind us, and all that is between them”: that is, He has knowledge of all that lies before us. The scholars differed regarding this. Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, Qatadah, and Muqatil said: “What lies before us” refers to the affairs of the Hereafter—reward and punishment; “what lies behind us” is what has passed of this worldly life; and “what is between them” is what will occur from the present time until the Hour is established. (2)

It was also said that “what lies before us” is what remains of this worldly life; “what lies behind us” is what has passed of it; and “what is between them” is the period between the two trumpet blasts, which is forty years.

It was also said that “what lies before us” is what remains of this worldly life; “what lies behind us” is what has passed of it; and “what is between them” is the span of our lives.

It was also said that “what lies before us” is what comes after we die; “what lies behind us” is what was before we were created; and “what is between them” is the span of life. (3)

It was also said that “what lies before us” is the earth when we intend to descend to it; “what lies behind us” is heaven when we descend from it; and “what is between them” is the air. That is, all of this belongs to Allah, so we have no power over anything except by His command.

“And your Lord is never forgetful”: that is, He does not forget. In other words, your Lord has not forsaken you; for one who forgets is one who abandons.

(1) Reported by al-Tabari, 16:103-104; and by Ibn Ishaq, 1:300-301 (Sirat Ibn Hisham). Ibn Hajar, in al-Kafi al-Shaf, p. 107, attributed it to Abu Nuaym in al-Dala'il, and stated: “Al-Tha'labi cited it from Ikrimah and al-Dahhak.” See also al-Durr al-Manthur, 5:530; Tafsir al-Qurtubi, 11:128; and al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 348. (2) See al-Durr al-Manthur, 5:531. (3) See Zad al-Masir, 5:531.

احْتَبَسْتُ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ: ﴿وَمَا نَتَنَزَّلُ إِلَّا بِأَمْرِ رَبِّكَ﴾ وأَنْزَلَ: "وَالضُّحَى وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَى مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَى" (١) . ﴿لَهُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا وَمَا خَلْفَنَا وَمَا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ﴾ أَيْ: لَهُ عِلْمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا. وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ: فَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ وَقَتَادَةُ وَمُقَاتِلٌ: ﴿مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا﴾ مِنْ أَمْرِ الْآخِرَةِ وَالثَّوَابِ وَالْعِقَابِ ﴿وَمَا خَلْفَنَا﴾ مَا مَضَى مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ﴿وَمَا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ﴾ مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَقْتِ إِلَى قِيَامِ السَّاعَةِ (٢) . وَقِيلَ ﴿مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا﴾ مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ﴿وَمَا خَلْفَنَا﴾ مَا مَضَى مِنْهَا ﴿وَمَا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ﴾ أَيْ: مَا بَيْنَ النَّفْخَتَيْنِ وَبَيْنَهُمَا أَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً. وَقِيلَ: ﴿مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا﴾ مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا ﴿وَمَا خَلْفَنَا﴾ مَا مَضَى مِنْهَا ﴿وَمَا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ﴾ مُدَّةُ حَيَاتِنَا. وَقِيلَ: ﴿مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا﴾ بَعْدَ أَنْ نَمُوتَ ﴿وَمَا خَلْفَنَا﴾ قَبْلَ أَنْ نُخْلَقَ ﴿وَمَا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ﴾ مُدَّةُ الْحَيَاةِ (٣) . وَقِيلَ: ﴿مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا﴾ الْأَرْضُ إِذَا أَرَدْنَا النُزُولَ إِلَيْهَا ﴿وَمَا خَلْفَنَا﴾ السَّمَاءُ إِذَا نَزَلْنَا مِنْهَا ﴿وَمَا بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ﴾ الْهَوَاءُ يُرِيدُ: أَنَّ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ لِلَّهِ ﷿ فَلَا نَقْدِرُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ إِلَّا بِأَمْرِهِ. ﴿وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ نَسِيًّا﴾ أَيْ: نَاسِيًا يَقُولُ: مَا نَسِيَكَ رَبُّكَ أَيْ: مَا تَرَكَكَ وَالنَّاسِي التَّارِكُ.

(١) أخرجه الطبري: ١٦ / ١٠٣-١٠٤، وابن إسحاق: ١ / ٣٠٠-٣٠١ (سيرة ابن هشام) وعزاه اين حجر في الكافي الشاف ص (١٠٧) لأبي نعيم في الدلائل، وقال: وذكره الثعلبي عن عكرمة والضحاك. وانظر: الدر المنثور: ٥ / ٥٣٠، تفسير القرطبي: ١١ / ١٢٨، أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٣٤٨) . (٢) انظر: الدر المنثور: ٥ / ٥٣١. (٣) انظر: زاد المسير: ٥ / ٥٣١.