Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/353)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“And she who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our spirit, and made her and her son a sign for all people. Indeed, this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord; so worship Me.” (21:91–92)

“So We answered him and granted him John” as a son, “and made his wife fit for him”—that is, We made her able to bear children after she had been barren. This was stated by most Qur’an commentators. Some said that she had been ill-tempered, so He set her right for him by granting her good character.

“Indeed, they”—meaning the prophets mentioned in this surah—“were swift in doing good, and they would call upon Us in hope,” seeking, “and fear,” out of fear: hoping for Allah’s mercy and fearing Allah’s punishment. “And they were humble before Us,” that is, submissive. Qatadah said: “They were obedient to Allah’s command.” Mujahid said: “Humility is the abiding fear within the heart.”

“And she who guarded her chastity,” that is, she preserved herself from what is unlawful. He meant Mary, the daughter of Imran. “We breathed into her of Our spirit,” meaning that We commanded Gabriel, and he breathed into the opening of her garment; through that breath, We brought the Messiah into being in her womb. The spirit was attributed to Him as an honor bestowed upon Jesus. “And made her and her son a sign for all people,” that is, an indication of Our perfect power to create a child without a father. He did not say “two signs,” although they were two signs, because the meaning is: We made their condition and affair a single sign; and because the sign present in them both was one: she gave birth to him without a male.

His saying, exalted is He, “Indeed, this community of yours,” means: your creed and your religion; “one community,” meaning one religion, namely Islam. Thus, all religions other than Islam are invalidated. The original meaning of community is a group united upon a single purpose. The revealed law was therefore called one community because its adherents are united upon one purpose. The phrase “one community” occurs in the accusative by way of grammatical discontinuation. “And I am your Lord; so worship Me.”

“But they divided their affair among themselves. All shall return to Us. Whoever does righteous deeds while he is a believer, there shall be no denial of his effort; and We are surely recording it for him. It is forbidden for a town that We have destroyed that they should return, until Gog and Magog are let loose, and they rush down from every elevation.” (21:93–96)

“But they divided their affair among themselves,” that is, they differed concerning religion and became sects and factions. Al-Kalbi said: “They divided their religion among themselves” (1): some of them curse others, and some dissociate themselves from others. Here, division means fragmentation. “All shall return to Us,” and We shall recompense them according to their deeds.

(1) The text in parentheses is omitted in manuscript B.

﴿وَالَّتِي أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهَا مِنْ رُوحِنَا وَجَعَلْنَاهَا وَابْنَهَا آيَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ (٩١) إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ (٩٢) ﴾ ﴿فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ يَحْيَى﴾ وَلَدًا ﴿وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجَهُ﴾ أَيْ جَعَلْنَاهَا وَلُودًا بَعْدَ مَا كَانَتْ عَقِيمًا، قَالَهُ أَكْثَرُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: كَانَتْ سَيِّئَةَ الْخُلُقِ فَأَصْلَحَهَا لَهُ بِأَنْ رَزْقَهَا حُسْنَ الْخُلُقِ. ﴿إِنَّهُمْ﴾ يَعْنِي الْأَنْبِيَاءَ الَّذِينَ سَمَّاهُمْ فِي هَذِهِ السُّورَةِ، ﴿كَانُوا يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا﴾ طَمَعًا، ﴿وَرَهَبًا﴾ خَوْفًا، رَغبًا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ، وَرَهبًا مِنْ عَذَابِ اللَّهِ، ﴿وَكَانُوا لَنَا خَاشِعِينَ﴾ أَيْ مُتَوَاضِعِينَ، قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: ذُلِّلَا لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ. قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: الْخُشُوعُ هُوَ الْخَوْفُ اللَّازِمُ فِي الْقَلْبِ. ﴿وَالَّتِي أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا﴾ حَفِظَتْ مِنَ الْحَرَامِ، وَأَرَادَ مَرْيَمَ بِنْتَ عِمْرَانَ، ﴿فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهَا مِنْ رُوحِنَا﴾ أَيْ أَمَرْنَا جِبْرَائِيلَ حَتَّى نَفَخَ فِي جَيْبِ دِرْعِهَا، وَأَحْدَثْنَا بِذَلِكَ النَّفْخَ الْمَسِيحَ فِي بَطْنِهَا، وَأَضَافَ الرُّوحَ إِلَيْهِ تَشْرِيفًا لِعِيسَى ﵇، ﴿وَجَعَلْنَاهَا وَابْنَهَا آيَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ﴾ أَيْ دَلَالَةٍ عَلَى كَمَالِ قُدْرَتِنَا عَلَى خَلْقِ وَلَدٍ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَبٍ، وَلَمْ يَقُلْ آيَتَيْنِ وَهُمَا آيَتَانِ لِأَنَّ مَعْنَى الْكَلَامِ وَجَعَلْنَا شَأْنَهُمَا وَأَمْرَهُمَا آيَةً وَلِأَنَّ الْآيَةَ كَانَتْ فِيهِمَا وَاحِدَةً، وَهِيَ أَنَّهَا أَتَتْ بِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ فَحْلٍ. قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ﴾ أَيْ مِلَّتُكُمْ وَدِينُكُمْ، ﴿أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً﴾ أَيْ دِينًا وَاحِدًا وَهُوَ الْإِسْلَامُ، فَأُبْطِلُ مَا سِوَى الْإِسْلَامِ مِنَ الْأَدْيَانِ، وَأَصْلُ الْأُمَّةِ الْجَمَاعَةُ الَّتِي هِيَ عَلَى مَقْصِدٍ وَاحِدٍ فَجُعِلَتِ الشَّرِيعَةُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً لِاجْتِمَاعِ أَهْلِهَا عَلَى مَقْصِدٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَنَصَبَ أُمَّةً عَلَى الْقَطْعِ. ﴿وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ﴾ ﴿وَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ (٩٣) فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَا كُفْرَانَ لِسَعْيِهِ وَإِنَّا لَهُ كَاتِبُونَ (٩٤) وَحَرَامٌ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَاهَا أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ (٩٥) حَتَّى إِذَا فُتِحَتْ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ وَهُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ حَدَبٍ يَنْسِلُونَ (٩٦) ﴾ ﴿وَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ﴾ أَيِ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي الدِّينِ فَصَارُوا فِرَقًا وَأَحْزَابًا، قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: [فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ] (١) يَلْعَنُ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا وَيَتَبَرَّأُ بَعْضُهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، وَالتَّقَطُّعُ هَاهُنَا بِمَعْنَى التَّقْطِيعِ، ﴿كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ﴾ فَنَجْزِيهِمْ بِأَعْمَالِهِمْ.

(١) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "ب".