Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/315)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“We never sent a messenger before you without revealing to him: ‘There is no god worthy of worship except Me, so worship Me alone.’ (25) And they say, ‘The Most Merciful has taken a child.’ Exalted is He! Rather, they are honoured servants, (26) who do not speak before He speaks, and who act only by His command. (27) He knows what lies before them and what lies behind them, and they do not intercede except for those with whom He is pleased; and they are in awe of Him. (28) Whoever among them says, ‘I am a god besides Him,’ We will recompense him with Hell. Thus do We recompense the wrongdoers. (29)”

“We never sent a messenger before you without revealing to him”: Hamzah, al-Kisa’i, and Hafs from Asim recited it as nuhi ilayhi (“We reveal to him”), with the nun and a kasrah on the ha, in the plural of majesty, in keeping with His saying, “We never sent.” The others recited it as yuha ilayhi (“it is revealed to him”), with the ya and a fathah on the ha, in the passive voice. “There is no god worthy of worship except Me, so worship Me alone”: that is, affirm My oneness.

His saying, “And they say, ‘The Most Merciful has taken a child,’” was revealed concerning Khuza'ah, who said, “The angels are Allah’s daughters.” “Exalted is He!” He declared Himself far above what they said. “Rather, they are servants”—that is, they, meaning the angels, are servants—“honoured” servants, “who do not speak before He speaks”: they do not speak ahead of Him, and they say nothing except what He commands them to say. “And who act only by His command”: this means that they do not disobey Him, whether in word or deed.

“He knows what lies before them and what lies behind them”: that is, what they have done and what they will do. It is also said: what was before their creation and what will be after their creation. “And they do not intercede except for those with whom He is pleased.” Ibn Abbas said: that is, for whoever says, “There is no god worthy of worship except Allah.” Mujahid said: for whoever He is pleased with (1). “And they are in awe of Him”: they fear Him and do not feel secure from His plan.

“Whoever among them says, ‘I am a god besides Him’”: Qatadah said that this refers to Iblis, when he called people to worship himself and commanded obedience to himself. For none of the angels ever said, “I am a god besides Allah.” “We will recompense him with Hell. Thus do We recompense the wrongdoers”: those who assign divinity and worship to what is not entitled to them.

(1) Al-Tabari mentioned both views: 17/16-17.

﴿وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ (٢٥) وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَلَدًا سُبْحَانَهُ بَلْ عِبَادٌ مُكْرَمُونَ (٢٦) لَا يَسْبِقُونَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ وَهُمْ بِأَمْرِهِ يَعْمَلُونَ (٢٧) يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ارْتَضَى وَهُمْ مِنْ خَشْيَتِهِ مُشْفِقُونَ (٢٨) وَمَنْ يَقُلْ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّي إِلَهٌ مِنْ دُونِهِ فَذَلِكَ نَجْزِيهِ جَهَنَّمَ كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الظَّالِمِينَ (٢٩) ﴾ ﴿وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ وَحَفْصٌ عَنْ عَاصِمٍ نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ بِالنُّونِ وَكَسْرِ الْحَاءِ عَلَى التَّعْظِيمِ، لِقَوْلِهِ ﴿وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا﴾ وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِالْيَاءِ وَفَتْحِ الْحَاءِ عَلَى الْفِعْلِ الْمَجْهُولِ، ﴿أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ﴾ وَحِّدُونِ. قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَقَالُوا اتَّخَذَ الرَّحْمَنُ وَلَدًا﴾ نَزَلَتْ فِي خُزَاعَةَ حَيْثُ قَالُوا: الْمَلَائِكَةُ بَنَاتُ اللَّهِ، ﴿سُبْحَانَهُ﴾ نَزَّهَ نَفْسَهُ عَمَّا قَالُوا، ﴿بَلْ عِبَادٌ﴾ أَيْ هُمْ عِبَادٌ، يَعْنِي الْمَلَائِكَةَ، ﴿مُكْرَمُونَ﴾ ﴿لَا يَسْبِقُونَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ﴾ لَا يَتَقَدَّمُونَهُ بِالْقَوْلِ وَلَا يَتَكَلَّمُونَ إِلَّا بِمَا يَأْمُرُهُمْ بِهِ، ﴿وَهُمْ بِأَمْرِهِ يَعْمَلُونَ﴾ مَعْنَاهُ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يُخَالِفُونَهُ قَوْلًا وَلَا عَمَلًا. ﴿يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ﴾ أَيْ مَا عَمِلُوا وَمَا هُمْ عَامِلُونَ. وَقِيلَ: مَا كَانَ قَبْلَ خَلْقِهِمْ وَمَا يَكُونُ بَعْدَ خَلْقِهِمْ ﴿وَلَا يَشْفَعُونَ إِلَّا لِمَنِ ارْتَضَى﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: أَيْ لِمَنْ قَالَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: أَيْ لِمَنْ رَضِيَ عَنْهُ (١) ﴿وَهُمْ مِنْ خَشْيَتِهِ مُشْفِقُونَ﴾ خَائِفُونَ لَا يَأْمَنُونَ مَكْرَهُ. ﴿وَمَنْ يَقُلْ مِنْهُمْ إِنِّي إِلَهٌ مِنْ دُونِهِ﴾ قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: عَنَى بِهِ إِبْلِيسَ حِينَ دَعَا إِلَى عِبَادَةِ نَفْسِهِ وَأَمَرَ بِطَاعَةِ نَفْسِهِ، فَإِنَّ أَحَدًا مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ لَمْ يَقُلْ إِنِّي إِلَهٌ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ ﴿فَذَلِكَ نَجْزِيهِ جَهَنَّمَ كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الظَّالِمِينَ﴾ الْوَاضِعِينَ الْإِلَهِيَّةَ وَالْعِبَادَةَ فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعِهَا.

(١) ذكر القولين الطبري: ١٧ / ١٦ - ١٧.