Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/263)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

himself, saying: “We have not sent down the Quran to you to cause you distress.” It was also said: When the polytheists saw how earnestly he devoted himself to worship, they said, “O Muhammad, the Quran was only sent down to you for your misery.” So this was revealed: “We have not sent down the Quran to you to cause you distress” (1)—that is, to make you suffer hardship and fatigue. Linguistically, the root meaning of misery is toil.

“Rather, it is a reminder for those who fear Allah—a revelation sent down from Him Who created the earth and the lofty heavens: the Most Merciful, Who rose over the Throne. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens, all that is on the earth, all that is between them, and all that lies beneath the moist soil.”

“Rather, it is a reminder for those who fear Allah”—that is, rather, We sent it down as an admonition for those who fear Allah. It was also said that the meaning is: We have not sent down the Quran to you to cause you distress; We sent it down only as a reminder for those who fear Allah. (2)

The phrase “a revelation sent down” is in apposition to the words “a reminder.” “From Him Who created the earth”—that is, from Allah, Who created the earth—“and the lofty heavens,” meaning the high and elevated heavens. It is the plural of “the highest,” just as “greatest” has the plural “greatest ones,” and “smallest” has the plural “smallest ones.” “The Most Merciful rose over the Throne.” “To Him belongs all that is in the heavens, all that is on the earth, and all that is between them,” meaning the air, “and all that lies beneath the moist soil.” Moist soil is damp earth. Al-Dahhak said: It means whatever lies beyond the moist soil.

Ibn ‘Abbas said: The earths are upon the back of the Nun, and the Nun is upon a sea, its head and tail meeting beneath the Throne. The sea is upon a green rock, from which the sky derives its greenness. This is the rock Allah mentioned in the story of Luqman: “even if it be within a rock.” The rock is upon the horn of a bull, and the bull is upon the moist soil. None knows what lies beneath the moist soil except Allah, Exalted is He. That bull has its mouth open; when Allah, Exalted is He, makes the seas one sea, they flow into the belly of that bull, and when they enter its belly, they dry up. (3)

(1) See Tafsir al-Tabari, 16:137; Asbab al-Nuzul by al-Wahidi, p. 351; al-Qurtubi, 11:167. (2) Omitted from manuscript B. (3) Al-Qurtubi cited this report, 11:169-170. This report is among the Israiliyyat (narrations of Israelite origin) upon which no reliance should be placed in interpreting the Book of Allah Most High, even if its attribution to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, were sound; for the soundness of its attribution to him does not mean that it is factually true, since it was received from the Israiliyyat. See also what al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote in his Tafsir, 4:401-402.

نَفْسِهِ فَقَالَ: ﴿مَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقَى﴾ وَقِيلَ: لَمَّا رَأَى الْمُشْرِكُونَ اجْتِهَادَهُ فِي الْعِبَادَةِ قَالُوا مَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنُ يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِلَّا لِشَقَائِكَ، فَنَزَلَتْ ﴿مَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقَى﴾ (١) أَيْ لِتَتَعَنَّى وَتَتْعَبَ، وَأَصْلُ الشَّقَاءِ فِي اللُّغَةِ الْعَنَاءُ. ﴿إِلَّا تَذْكِرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَى (٣) تَنْزِيلًا مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ وَالسَّمَاوَاتِ الْعُلَا (٤) الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى (٥) لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَمَا تَحْتَ الثَّرَى (٦) ﴾ ﴿إِلَّا تَذْكِرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَى﴾ [أَيْ لَكِنْ أَنْزَلْنَاهُ عِظَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَى. وَقِيلَ: تَقْدِيرُهُ مَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقَى مَا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ إِلَّا تَذْكِرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَى] (٢) . ﴿تَنْزِيلًا﴾ بَدَلٌ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ "تَذْكِرَةً" ﴿مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ﴾ أَيْ: مِنَ اللَّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْأَرْضَ، ﴿وَالسَّمَاوَاتِ الْعُلَا﴾ يَعْنِي: الْعَالِيَةَ الرَّفِيعَةَ، وَهِيَ جَمْعُ الْعُلْيَا كَقَوْلِهِ: كُبْرَى وَكُبَرُ، وَصُغْرَى وَصُغَرُ. ﴿الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى﴾ . ﴿لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا﴾ يَعْنِي الْهَوَاءَ، ﴿وَمَا تَحْتَ الثَّرَى﴾ وَالثَّرَى هُوَ: التُّرَابُ النَّدِيُّ. قَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: يَعْنِي مَا وَرَاءَ الثَّرَى مِنْ شَيْءٍ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: إِنَّ الْأَرَضِينَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ النُّونِ، وَالنُّونُ عَلَى بَحْرٍ، وَرَأْسُهُ وَذَنَبُهُ يَلْتَقِيَانِ تَحْتَ الْعَرْشِ، وَالْبَحْرُ عَلَى صَخْرَةٍ خَضْرَاءَ، خُضْرَةُ السَّمَاءِ مِنْهَا، وَهِيَ الصَّخْرَةُ الَّتِي ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ فِي قِصَّةِ لُقْمَانَ "فَتَكُنْ فِي صَخْرَةٍ" وَالصَّخْرَةُ عَلَى قَرْنِ ثَوْرٍ، وَالثَّوْرُ عَلَى الثَّرَى، وَمَا تَحْتَ الثَّرَى لَا يَعْلَمُهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ ﷿، وَذَلِكَ الثَّوْرُ فَاتِحٌ فَاهُ فَإِذَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ ﷿ الْبِحَارَ بَحْرًا وَاحِدًا سَالَتْ فِي جَوْفِ ذَلِكَ الثَّوْرِ، فَإِذَا وَقَعَتْ فِي جَوْفِهِ يَبِسَتْ (٣) .

(١) انظر: تفسير الطبري: ١٦ / ١٣٧، أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٣٥١) - القرطبي: ١١ / ١٦٧. (٢) ساقط من "ب". (٣) ذكر هذه الرواية القرطبي: ١١ / ١٦٩ - ١٧٠. وهذه الرواية من الإسرائيليات التي لا يعول عليها في تفسير كتاب الله تعالى، ولو صحت نسبتها لابن عباس ﵄، لأن صحة نسبتها إليه لا تعني صحتها في واقع الأمر لأنها متلقاة من الإسرائيليات. وانظر ما كتبه الحافظ ابن كثير ﵀ في التفسير: ٤ / ٤٠١ - ٤٠٢.