Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/349)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

of Allah?” He replied, “Yes. You wore me out, so I did what you see in order to provoke you to anger, but Allah protected you.” He was thus named Dhul-Kifl because he undertook an obligation and fulfilled it. (1)

It is also said that Iblis came to him and said, “I have a debtor who keeps delaying payment to me, and I would like you to accompany me and recover my due from him.” So he went with him, but when they reached the market, he left him and departed. It is also related that he apologized to Dhul-Kifl, saying, “My companion has fled.”

It is also said that Dhul-Kifl was a man who pledged to perform one hundred units of prayer every night, 21/b until Allah took his soul, and he fulfilled his pledge.

They differed as to whether he was a prophet. Some said that he was a prophet. (2) It was also said that he was Elijah, and it was said that he was Zachariah. Abu Musa said, “He was not a prophet; rather, he was a righteous servant.” (3)

“And We admitted them into Our mercy; indeed, they were among the righteous. (86) And Dhul-Nun, when he went off in anger, thinking that We would not constrain him. Then he called out in the depths of darkness: ‘There is no god but You. Glory be to You! Indeed, I was among the wrongdoers.’ (87)”

“And We admitted them into Our mercy” means the prophethood with which Allah blessed them, and the reward He granted them in Paradise. “Indeed, they were among the righteous.” His statement, exalted is He, “And Dhul-Nun,” means: mention the Man of the Fish, who was Jonah son of Matta. As for His statement, “when he went off in anger,” they differed concerning its meaning.

Al-Dahhak said: He left in anger with his people. This was also the narration of al-Awfi and others from Ibn Abbas, who said: Jonah and his people lived in Palestine. A king attacked them and took nine and a half tribes captive, leaving one and a half tribes behind. Allah revealed to the prophet Isaiah: “Go to King Hezekiah and tell him to send forth a strong prophet, for I shall cast terror (4) into the hearts of those people until they send the Children of Israel with him.” The king asked him, “Whom do you suggest?” There were five prophets in his realm, and Jonah said, “He is strong and trustworthy.” So the king summoned Jonah and ordered him to set out. Jonah said to him, “Has Allah commanded you to send me out?” He replied, “No.” He said, “Has He named me to you?” He replied, “No.” Jonah said, “There are other strong prophets here besides me.” But they continued to insist.

(1) Reported by al-Tabari, 17:74. (2) Ibn Kathir said, 3:191: “As for Dhu al-Kifl, the apparent meaning of the context is that he was only mentioned alongside the prophets because he was himself a prophet. Others said that he was merely a righteous man, a just king, and an equitable judge. Ibn Jarir withheld judgment on the matter; Allah knows best.” Ibn Jarir said, 17:73: “As for Dhu al-Kifl, he was a man who undertook from one of the people—either a prophet or a king among the righteous kings—some duty, which he then carried out after him. Allah therefore praised him for fulfilling what he had undertaken and included him among His servants, commending his patience in obeying Allah. The reports transmitted from the early scholars support what we have said concerning him.” (3) Reported by al-Tabari, 17:75. (4) Omitted from manuscript A.

اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ أَعْيَيْتَنِي فَفَعَلْتُ مَا تَرَى لِأُغْضِبَكَ فَعَصَمَكَ اللَّهُ، فَسُمِّيَ ذَا الْكِفْلِ لِأَنَّهُ تَكَفَّلَ بِأَمْرٍ فَوَفَّى بِهِ (١) . وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ إِبْلِيسَ جَاءَهُ وَقَالَ: إِنَّ لِي غَرِيمًا يَمْطُلُنِي فَأُحِبُّ أَنْ تَقُومَ مَعِي وَتَسْتَوْفِي حَقِّي مِنْهُ، فَانْطَلَقَ مَعَهُ حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ فِي السُّوقِ خَلَّاهُ وَذَهَبَ. وَرُوِيَ: أَنَّهُ اعْتَذَرَ إِلَيْهِ. وَقَالَ: إِنَّ صَاحِبِي هَرَبَ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ ذَا الْكِفْلِ رَجُلٌ كَفَلَ أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ مائة ركعة ٢١/ب إِلَى أَنْ يَقْبِضَهُ اللَّهُ فَوَفَّى بِهِ. وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي أَنَّهُ كَانَ نَبِيًّا، فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: كَانَ نَبِيًّا (٢) . وَقِيلَ: هُوَ إِلْيَاسُ. وَقِيلَ: زَكَرِيَّا. وَقَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى: لَمْ يَكُنْ نَبِيًّا وَلَكِنْ كَانَ عَبْدًا صَالِحًا (٣) . ﴿وَأَدْخَلْنَاهُمْ فِي رَحْمَتِنَا إِنَّهُمْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (٨٦) وَذَا النُّونِ إِذْ ذَهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ نَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَى فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ (٨٧) ﴾ ﴿وَأَدْخَلْنَاهُمْ فِي رَحْمَتِنَا﴾ يَعْنِي مَا أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ وَصَيَّرَهُمْ إِلَيْهِ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِنَ الثَّوَابِ، ﴿إِنَّهُمْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَذَا النُّونِ﴾ أَيْ: اذْكُرْ صَاحِبَ الْحُوتِ وَهُوَ يُونُسُ بْنُ مَتَّى، ﴿إِذْ ذَهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا﴾ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي مَعْنَاهُ. فَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: مُغَاضِبًا لِقَوْمِهِ، وَهُوَ رِوَايَةُ الْعَوْفِيِّ وَغَيْرِهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ: كَانَ يُونُسُ وَقَوْمُهُ يَسْكُنُونَ فِلَسْطِينَ فَغَزَاهُمْ مَلِكٌ فَسَبَى مِنْهُمْ تِسْعَةَ أَسْبَاطٍ ونصفا وبقي سبطا وَنِصْفٌ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى شَعْيَاءَ النَّبِيِّ أَنْ سِرْ إِلَى حِزْقِيلَ الْمَلِكِ، وَقُلْ لَهُ حَتَّى يُوَجِّهَ نَبِيًّا قَوِيًّا فَإِنِّي أُلْقِي [الرُّعْبَ] (٤) فِي قُلُوبِ أُولَئِكَ حَتَّى يُرْسِلُوا مَعَهُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ الْمَلِكُ فَمَنْ تَرَى، وَكَانَ فِي مَمْلَكَتِهِ خَمْسَةٌ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، فَقَالَ يُونُسُ: إِنَّهُ قَوِيٌّ أَمِينٌ فَدَعَا الْمَلِكُ يُونُسَ فَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ يُونُسُ: هَلْ أَمَرَكَ اللَّهُ بِإِخْرَاجِي؟ قَالَ: لَا قَالَ: فَهَلْ سَمَّانِي لَكَ؟ قَالَ: لَا قَالَ: فَهَاهُنَا غَيْرِي أَنْبِيَاءٌ أَقْوِيَاءُ فَأَلَحُّوا

(١) أخرجه الطبري: ١٧ / ٧٤. (٢) قال ابن كثير: ٣ / ١٩١ (. . . وأما ذو الكفل فالظاهر من السياق أنه ما قرن مع الأنبياء إلا وهو نبي، وقال آخرون: إنما كان رجلا صالحا وكان ملكا عادلا وحكما مقسطا، وتوقف ابن جرير في ذلك فالله أعلم) . وقال ابن جرير: ١٧ / ٧٣ ( ... وبذي الكفل: رجلا تكفل من بعض الناس، إما من نبي وإما من ملك من صالحي الملوك بعمل من الأعمال، فقام به من بعده، فأثنى الله عليه حسن وفائه بما تكفل به، وجعله من المعدودين في عباده، مع حمد صبره على طاعة الله، والذي قلنا في أمره جاءت الأخبار عن سلف العلماء) . (٣) أخرجه الطبري: ١٧ / ٧٥. (٤) ساقط من "أ".