Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/32)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

which have no inhabitants? Then Allah, exalted is He, revealed:

“It is no sin for you to enter uninhabited houses in which there is some benefit for you. And Allah knows what you reveal and what you conceal. (29) Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their private parts. That is purer for them. Surely Allah is All-Aware of what they do. (30)”

His saying, exalted is He, “It is no sin for you to enter uninhabited houses,” means: without seeking permission. “In which there is some benefit for you,” that is, some utility for you.

They differed concerning these houses. Qatadah said: They are inns, houses, and dwellings built for travellers, so that they may take shelter in them and store their belongings there. It is permissible to enter them without seeking permission, and the benefit they provide lies in lodging, storing one’s belongings, and protection from heat and cold.

Ibn Zayd said: They are the houses and shops of merchants in the marketplaces, which people enter for buying and selling; this is the benefit referred to. Ibrahim al-Nakhai said: No permission is required for the shops in the marketplace. When Ibn Sirin came to a shop in the market, he would say, “Peace be upon you. May I enter?” Then he would go in.

Ata said: They are ruined houses, and the benefit is relieving oneself in them by urinating or defecating. It was also said: They are all houses that have no occupants, since seeking permission was prescribed only so that one might not see something private. If this is not feared, one may enter without seeking permission. “And Allah knows what you reveal and what you conceal.”

His saying, exalted is He, “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze,” means: from looking at what it is not lawful to look at. It was said that the word “from” is supplementary; that is, “let them lower their gaze.” It was also said that it retains its meaning, because believers have not been commanded to lower their gaze entirely, for it is not obligatory to avert one’s gaze from what it is lawful to look at. Rather, they have been commanded to lower their gaze from that which it is not lawful to look at.

“And guard their private parts” from what is unlawful. Abu al-Aliyah said: Every occurrence in the Quran of guarding one’s private parts refers to guarding against fornication and what is unlawful, except in this passage, where it means concealing them so that another person’s gaze does not fall upon them. “That,” meaning lowering the gaze and guarding the private parts, “is purer for them,” that is, better and more wholesome for them. “Surely Allah is All-Aware of what they do,” meaning, He knows what they do.

It is narrated from Buraydah that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Ali: “O Ali, do not follow one glance with another, for the first is excused for you, but the second is not.” (3)

(1) Mentioned by al-Wahidi in Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 375; see also al-Qurtubi, 12:213. (2) These views are mentioned by al-Tabari, 18:113-116. (3) Recorded by Abu Dawud in al-Nikah (Marriage), chapter: “What is enjoined regarding lowering the gaze,” 3:70; by al-Tirmidhi in al-Adab (Etiquette), chapter: “What has been related concerning the sudden glance,” 8:61. He said: “This is a hasan gharib hadith; we know it only through the narration of Sharik.” It was also recorded by al-Darimi in al-Riqaq, chapter: “On guarding one’s hearing,” 2:298; and declared authentic by al-Hakim, 2:194, according to Muslim’s criteria, with al-Dhahabi concurring. It was also recorded by Imam Ahmad, 5:353, 357, and cited by the author in Sharh al-Sunnah, 9:23.

لَيْسَ فِيهَا سَاكِنٌ؟ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ ﷿: ﴿لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ مَسْكُونَةٍ فِيهَا مَتَاعٌ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا تَكْتُمُونَ (٢٩) قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذَلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ (٣٠) ﴾ ﴿لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَدْخُلُوا بُيُوتًا غَيْرَ مَسْكُونَةٍ﴾ (١) ، أَيْ: بِغَيْرِ اسْتِئْذَانٍ، ﴿فِيهَا مَتَاعٌ لَكُمْ﴾ يَعْنِي مَنْفَعَةً لَكُمْ. وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي هَذِهِ الْبُيُوتِ، فَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: هِيَ الْخَانَاتُ وَالْبُيُوتُ وَالْمَنَازِلُ الْمَبْنِيَّةُ لِلسَّابِلَةِ ليأووا إليها ويؤوا أَمْتِعَتَهُمْ إِلَيْهَا، جَازَ دُخُولُهَا بِغَيْرِ اسْتِئْذَانِ، وَالْمَنْفَعَةُ فِيهَا بِالْنُزُولِ وَإِيوَاءِ الْمَتَاعِ وَالِاتِّقَاءِ مِنَ الْحَرِّ وَالْبَرْدِ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ: هِيَ بُيُوتُ التُّجَّارِ وَحَوَانِيتُهُمُ الَّتِي بِالْأَسْوَاقِ يَدْخُلُونَهَا لِلْبَيْعِ وَالشِّرَاءِ وَهُوَ الْمَنْفَعَةُ. وَقَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ النَّخَعِيُّ: لَيْسَ عَلَى حَوَانِيتِ السُّوقِ إِذْنٌ. وَكَانَ ابْنُ سِيرِينَ إِذَا جَاءَ إِلَى حَانُوتِ السُّوقِ يَقُولُ: السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَأَدْخُلُ؟ ثُمَّ يَلِجُ. وَقَالَ عَطَاءٌ: هِيَ الْبُيُوتُ الْخَرِبَةُ، وَالْمَتَاعُ هُوَ قَضَاءُ الْحَاجَةِ فِيهَا مِنَ الْبَوْلِ وَالْغَائِطِ. وقيل: هي جمع الْبُيُوتِ الَّتِي لَا سَاكِنَ لَهَا لِأَنَّ الِاسْتِئْذَانَ إِنَّمَا جَاءَ لِئَلَّا يُطَّلَعَ عَلَى عَوْرَةٍ فَإِنْ لَمْ يُخَفْ ذَلِكَ فَلَهُ الدُّخُولُ بِغَيْرِ اسْتِئْذَانٍ (٢) ، ﴿وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُبْدُونَ وَمَا تَكْتُمُونَ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ﴾ أَيْ: عَنْ النَّظَرِ إِلَى مَا لَا يَحِلُّ النَّظَرُ إِلَيْهِ. وَقِيلَ: "مِنْ" صِلَةٌ أَيْ: يَغُضُّوا أَبْصَارَهُمْ. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ ثَابِتٌ لِأَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ غَيْرُ مَأْمُورِينَ بِغَضِّ الْبَصَرِ أَصْلًا لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَجِبُ الْغَضُّ عَمَّا يَحِلُّ النَّظَرُ إِلَيْهِ، وَإِنَّمَا أُمِرُوا بِأَنْ يَغُضُّوا عَمَّا لَا يَحِلُّ النَّظَرَ إِلَيْهِ، ﴿وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ﴾ عَمَّا لَا يَحِلُّ، قَالَ أَبُو الْعَالِيَةِ: كُلُّ مَا فِي الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ حِفْظِ الْفَرْجِ فَهُوَ عَنِ الزِّنَا وَالْحَرَامِ، إِلَّا فِي هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ فَإِنَّهُ أَرَادَ بِهِ الِاسْتِتَارَ حَتَّى لَا يَقَعَ بَصَرُ الْغَيْرِ عَلَيْهِ، ﴿ذَلِكَ﴾ أَيْ: غَضُّ الْبَصَرِ وَحِفْظُ الْفَرْجِ، ﴿أَزْكَى لَهُمْ﴾ أَيْ: خَيْرٌ لَهُمْ وَأَطْهَرُ، ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ﴾ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ، رُوِيَ عَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَعَلِيٍّ: "يَا عَلَيُّ لَا تُتْبِعِ النَّظْرَةَ النَّظْرَةَ فَإِنَّ لَكَ الْأُولَى وَلَيْسَتْ لَكَ الْآخِرَةُ" (٣) .

(١) ذكره الواحدي في أسباب النزول ص ٣٧٥ وانظر: القرطبي: ١٢ / ٢١٣. (٢) ذكره هذه الأقوال الطبري: ١٨ / ١١٣-١١٦. (٣) أخرجه أبو داود في النكاح، باب: ما يؤمر به من غض البصر: ٣ / ٧٠ والترمذي في الأدب، باب: ما جاء في نظرة المفاجأة: ٨ / ٦١ وقال: هذا حديث حسن غريب لا نعرفه إلا من حديث شريك، والدارمي في الرقاق باب: في حفظ السمع: ٢ / ٢٩٨ وصححه الحاكم: ٢ / ١٩٤ على شرط مسلم ووافقه الذهبي، والإمام أحمد: ٥ / ٣٥٣، ٣٥٧ وذكره المصنف في شرح السنة: ٩ / ٢٣.