Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (5/425)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Even if We had mercy on them and removed the adversity afflicting them, they would persist in their transgression, wandering blindly. (75) We indeed seized them with punishment, yet they neither humbled themselves before their Lord nor supplicated Him. (76) Until, when We open for them a gate of severe punishment, they will be plunged into despair. (77) It is He who brought forth for you hearing, sight, and hearts; little are you grateful. (78) It is He who spread you throughout the earth, and to Him you will be gathered. (79) It is He who gives life and causes death, and to Him belongs the alternation of night and day. Will you not then understand? (80)”

“Even if We had mercy on them and removed the adversity afflicting them”—that is, drought and famine—“they would persist”: they would continue, “in their transgression, wandering blindly,” and would not desist from it.

“We indeed seized them with punishment.” This was when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, supplicated against Quraysh, asking that years like the years of Joseph be brought upon them. Famine then struck them, and Abu Sufyan came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, “I appeal to you by Allah and by the ties of kinship: do you not claim that you were sent as a mercy to all worlds?” He replied, “Yes.” Abu Sufyan said, “You have killed the fathers by the sword and the sons by hunger. So supplicate to Allah to remove this famine from us.” The Prophet supplicated, and it was removed from them. Allah then revealed this verse. (1)

“Yet they neither humbled themselves before their Lord”: that is, they neither submitted nor humbled themselves before their Lord. Its original sense is seeking stillness. “Nor supplicated”: that is, they did not humbly supplicate their Lord; rather, they continued in their rebellion.

“Until, when We open for them a gate of severe punishment”: Ibn Abbas said that this refers to the killing on the day of Badr. This was also the view of Mujahid. It was also said that it refers to death, and it was said that it refers to the coming of the Hour. “They will be plunged into despair”: despairing of every good.

“It is He who brought forth for you hearing”: that is, He created for you the faculty of hearing, “sight, and hearts,” so that you may hear, see, and understand. “Little are you grateful”: that is, you have not given thanks for these blessings.

“It is He who spread you throughout the earth”: that is, He created you, “and to Him you will be gathered”: you will be resurrected.

“It is He who gives life and causes death, and to Him belongs the alternation of night and day”: that is, His ordering of night and day through their increase and decrease. Al-Farra said: He made them different, succeeding one another and differing in darkness and light. “Will you not then understand” what you see of His handiwork and thereby take heed?

(1) See al-Tabari, 18:45; al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul (Occasions of Revelation), pp. 362-363; al-Durr al-Manthur, 6:111; and al-Sahih al-Musnad min Asbab al-Nuzul by Shaykh Muqbil ibn Hadi, p. 100.

﴿وَلَوْ رَحِمْنَاهُمْ وَكَشَفْنَا مَا بِهِمْ مِنْ ضُرٍّ لَلَجُّوا فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ (٧٥) وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِالْعَذَابِ فَمَا اسْتَكَانُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ وَمَا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ (٧٦) حَتَّى إِذَا فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَابًا ذَا عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ إِذَا هُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ (٧٧) وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنْشَأَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ قَلِيلًا مَا تَشْكُرُونَ (٧٨) وَهُوَ الَّذِي ذَرَأَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ (٧٩) وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَلَهُ اخْتِلَافُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ (٨٠) ﴾ ﴿وَلَوْ رَحِمْنَاهُمْ وَكَشَفْنَا مَا بِهِمْ مِنْ ضُرٍّ﴾ قَحْطٍ وَجُدُوبَةٍ ﴿لَلَجُّوا﴾ تَمَادَوْا، ﴿فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ﴾ وَلَمْ يُنْزَعُوا عَنْهُ. ﴿وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِالْعَذَابِ﴾ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ دَعَا عَلَى قُرَيْشٍ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ سِنِينَ كَسِنِّيِّ يُوسُفَ، فَأَصَابَهُمُ الْقَحْطُ، فَجَاءَ أَبُو سُفْيَانَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَقَالَ أَنْشُدُكَ اللَّهَ وَالرَّحِمَ، أَلَسْتَ تَزْعُمُ أَنَّكَ بُعِثْتَ رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ؟ فَقَالَ: بَلَى، فَقَالَ: قَدْ قَتَلْتَ الْآبَاءَ بِالسَّيْفِ وَالْأَبْنَاءَ بِالْجُوعِ، فَادْعُ اللَّهَ أَنَّ يَكْشِفَ عَنَّا هَذَا الْقَحْطَ، فَدَعَا فَكَشَفَ عَنْهُمْ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ (١) ﴿فَمَا اسْتَكَانُوا لِرَبِّهِمْ﴾ أَيْ: مَا خَضَعُوا وَمَا ذَلُّوا لِرَبِّهِمْ، وَأَصْلُهُ طَلَبُ السُّكُونِ، ﴿وَمَا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ﴾ أَيْ: لَمْ يَتَضَرَّعُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ بَلْ مَضَوْا عَلَى تَمَرُّدِهِمْ. ﴿حَتَّى إِذَا فَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَابًا ذَا عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: يَعْنِي الْقَتْلَ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ. وَهُوَ قَوْلُ مُجَاهِدٍ، وَقِيلَ: هُوَ الْمَوْتُ. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ قِيَامُ السَّاعَةِ، ﴿إِذَا هُمْ فِيهِ مُبْلِسُونَ﴾ آيِسُونَ مِنْ كُلِّ خَيْرٍ. ﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنْشَأَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ﴾ أَيْ: أَنْشَأَ لَكُمُ الْأَسْمَاعَ ﴿وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ﴾ لِتَسْمَعُوا وَتُبْصِرُوا وَتَعْقِلُوا، ﴿قَلِيلًا مَا تَشْكُرُونَ﴾ أَيْ: لَمْ تَشْكُرُوا هَذِهِ النِّعَمَ. ﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي ذَرَأَكُمْ﴾ خَلَقَكُمْ، ﴿فِي الْأَرْضِ وَإِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ﴾ تُبْعَثُونَ. ﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَلَهُ اخْتِلَافُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ﴾ أَيْ: تَدْبِيرُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ فِي الزِّيَادَةِ وَالنُّقْصَانِ، قَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ: جَعَلَهُمَا مُخْتَلِفَيْنِ، يَتَعَاقَبَانِ وَيَخْتَلِفَانِ فِي السَّوَادِ وَالْبَيَاضِ، ﴿أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ﴾ مَا تَرَوْنَ مِنْ صَنْعَةٍ فَتُعْتَبَرُونَ.

(١) انظر الطبري: ١٨ / ٤٥، أسباب النزول للواحدي ص ٣٦٢ - ٣٦٣، الدر المنثور: ٦ / ١١١، الصحيح المسند من أسباب النزول للشيخ مقبل بن هادي ص ١٠٠.