Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/271)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“And ease for me my task; and untie the knot from my tongue, so that they may understand my speech. And appoint for me a minister from my family: Aaron, my brother. Strengthen me through him, and make him share in my task.”

“And ease for me my task,” that is: make easy for me what You have commanded me to do in conveying the message to Pharaoh. “And untie the knot from my tongue.” This was because, when Moses was a small child in Pharaoh’s care, he once struck Pharaoh and seized his beard. Pharaoh said to his wife Asiya, “This is my enemy,” and intended to kill him. But Asiya said, “He is only a child; he has neither understanding nor discernment.”

Another report relates that, when Moses’s mother had weaned him, she returned him, and Moses grew up in the care of Pharaoh and his wife Asiya, who raised him and adopted him as a son. One day, while he was playing before Pharaoh and holding a sceptre with which he was playing, he raised it and struck Pharaoh on the head. Pharaoh became enraged and took the blow as an evil omen, to the point that he intended to kill him. Asiya said, “O King, he is a small child without understanding; test him, if you wish.” She then brought two basins: one containing live coals and the other jewels, and placed them before Moses. He wished to take the jewels, but Gabriel took Moses’s hand and placed it upon the fire. He took a live coal and put it in his mouth, burning his tongue and leaving him with an impediment. (1)

“So that they may understand my speech.” That is, untie the knot so that they may understand what I say. “And appoint for me a minister”—a helper and supporter—“from my family.” A minister is one who assists and supports you, bearing some of the burden of your work. He then clarified who he meant: “Aaron, my brother.” Aaron was four years older than Moses. He was more eloquent in speech, more handsome and more comely, and fairer in complexion. Moses was dark-complexioned, aquiline-nosed, and curly-haired.

“Strengthen me through him,” that is, strengthen my back through him. “And make him share in my task,” meaning, in prophethood and in conveying the message. Ibn Amir recited “I will strengthen” with the initial alif pronounced with a fatḥah, and “I will make him share” with it pronounced with a ḍammah, as a response, reporting Moses’s words; that is, “I will do that.” The remaining reciters read both as a supplication.

(1) This is part of the Hadith al-Futun, narrated from Ibn Abbas as a mawquf report (a statement ending with Ibn Abbas). Al-Tabari transmitted it in his Tafsir, 16:164-167. Al-Haythami attributed it to Abu Ya'la and said: “Its narrators are those of the Sahih, apart from Asbagh ibn Zayd and al-Qasim ibn Abi Ayyub, both of whom are trustworthy.” Ibn Kathir said: “Al-Nasa'i narrated it in al-Sunan al-Kubra, and Abu Ja'far Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim included it in their respective Tafsirs, all through the hadith of Yazid ibn Harun. It is mawquf, being from the words of Ibn Abbas; only a small portion of it is marfu (attributed to the Prophet). It appears that Ibn Abbas received it from what was permitted to be transmitted of the Isra'iliyyat from Ka'b al-Ahbar or others. Allah knows best. I also heard our shaykh, the hadith master Abu al-Hajjaj al-Mizzi, say the same.” See: Majma' al-Zawa'id, 7:66; Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 3:154; and Tafsir al-Nasa'i, 1:646-747.

﴿وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي (٢٦) وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِنْ لِسَانِي (٢٧) يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي (٢٨) وَاجْعَلْ لِي وَزِيرًا مِنْ أَهْلِي (٢٩) هَارُونَ أَخِي (٣٠) اشْدُدْ بِهِ أَزْرِي (٣١) وَأَشْرِكْهُ فِي أَمْرِي (٣٢) ﴾ ﴿وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي﴾ أَيْ: سَهِّلْ عَلَيَّ مَا أَمَرْتَنِي بِهِ مِنْ تَبْلِيغِ الرِّسَالَةِ إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ. ﴿وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِنْ لِسَانِي﴾ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ مُوسَى كَانَ فِي حَجْرِ فِرْعَوْنَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فِي صِغَرِهِ، فَلَطَمَ فِرْعَوْنَ لَطْمَةً وَأَخْذَ بِلِحْيَتِهِ، فَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ لِآسِيَةَ امْرَأَتِهِ: إِنَّ هَذَا عَدُوِّي وَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَقْتُلَهُ، فَقَالَتْ آسِيَةُ: إِنَّهُ صَبِيٌّ لَا يَعْقِلُ وَلَا يُمَيِّزُ. وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ أَنَّ أُمَّ مُوسَى لَمَّا فَطَمَتْهُ رَدَّتْهُ، فَنَشَأَ مُوسَى فِي حَجْرِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَامْرَأَتِهِ آسِيَةَ يُرَبِّيَانِهِ، وَاتَّخَذَاهُ وَلَدًا، فَبَيْنَمَا هُوَ يَلْعَبُ يَوْمًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ فِرْعَوْنَ وَبِيَدِهِ قَضِيبٌ يَلْعَبُ بِهِ إِذْ رَفَعَ الْقَضِيبَ فَضَرَبَ بِهِ رَأْسَ فِرْعَوْنَ، فَغَضِبَ فِرْعَوْنُ وَتَطَيَّرَ بِضَرْبِهِ، حَتَّى هَمَّ بِقَتْلِهِ، فَقَالَتْ آسِيَةُ: أَيُّهَا الْمَلِكُ إِنَّهُ صَغِيرٌ لَا يَعْقِلُ فَجَرِّبْهُ إِنْ شِئْتَ، وَجَاءَتْ بِطَشْتَيْنِ: فِي أَحَدِهِمَا الْجَمْرُ، وَفِي الْآخَرِ الْجَوَاهِرُ، فَوَضَعَتْهُمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ مُوسَى فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ الْجَوَاهِرَ، فَأَخَذَ جِبْرِيلُ بِيَدِ مُوسَى فَوَضَعَهَا عَلَى النَّارِ فَأَخَذَ جَمْرَةً فَوَضَعَهَا فِي فَمِهِ فَاحْتَرَقَ لِسَانُهُ وَصَارَتْ عَلَيْهِ عُقْدَةٌ (١) . ﴿يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي﴾ يَقُولُ: احْلُلِ الْعُقْدَةَ كَيْ يَفْقَهُوا كَلَامِي. ﴿وَاجْعَلْ لِي وَزِيرًا﴾ مُعِينًا وَظَهِيرًا، ﴿مِنْ أَهْلِي﴾ وَالْوَزِيرُ مَنْ يُوَازِرُكَ وَيُعِينُكَ وَيَتَحَمَّلُ عَنْكَ بَعْضَ ثِقَلِ عَمَلِكَ، ثُمَّ بَيَّنَ مَنْ هُوَ فَقَالَ: ﴿هَارُونَ أَخِي﴾ وَكَانَ هَارُونُ أَكْبَرَ مِنْ مُوسَى بِأَرْبَعِ سِنِينَ، وَكَانَ أَفْصَحَ مِنْهُ لِسَانًا وَأَجْمَلَ وَأَوْسَمَ، وَأَبْيَضَ اللَّوْنِ، وَكَانَ مُوسَى آدَمَ أَقْنَى جَعْدًا. ﴿اشْدُدْ بِهِ أَزْرِي﴾ قَوِّ بِهِ ظَهْرِي. ﴿وَأَشْرِكْهُ فِي أَمْرِي﴾ أَيْ: فِي النُّبُوَّةِ وَتَبْلِيغِ الرِّسَالَةِ، وَقَرَأَ ابْنُ عَامِرٍ "أَشْدُدْ" بِفَتْحِ الْأَلِفِ "وَأُشْرِكْهُ " بِضَمِّهَا عَلَى الْجَوَابِ، حِكَايَةً عَنْ مُوسَى، أَيْ: أَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ عَلَى الدُّعَاءِ.

(١) جزء من حديث "الفتون" عن ابن عباس موقوفا عليه، رواه الطبري في التفسير: ١٦ / ١٦٤ - ١٦٧، وعزاه الهيثمي لأبي يعلى، وقال: "رجاله رجال الصحيح غير أصبغ بن زيد، والقاسم بن أبي أيوب وهما ثقتان". وقال ابن كثير: "رواه النسائي في السنن الكبرى، وأخرجه أبو جعفر ابن جرير، وابن أبي حاتم في تفسيرهما، كلهم من حديث يزيد بن هارون، وهو موقوف من كلام ابن عباس، وليس فيه مرفوع إلا قليل منه، وكأنه تلقاه ابن عباس ﵄ مما أبيح نقله من الإسرائيليات عن كعب الأحبار أو غيره. والله أعلم، وسمعت شيخنا الحافظ أبا الحجاج المزي يقول ذلك أيضا". انظر: مجمع الزوائد: ٧ / ٦٦، وتفسير ابن كثير: ٣ / ١٥٤، وتفسير النسائي: ١ / ٦٤٦ - ٧٤٧.