Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/123)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“This is nothing but the custom of the former peoples.” (137)

“And do you build structures?” Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Buildings.” Mujahid said: “Lofty palaces.” Al-Kalbi related that they are fortresses. Qatadah said: “Water reservoirs, meaning cisterns; the singular is maṣnaʿah (a reservoir).” (1) “So that you may live forever,” that is, as though you would remain in them forever. The meaning is that they built these structures solidly, as though they would never die.

“And when you strike, you strike as tyrants”: that is, when you seize and assault, you kill with the sword and strike with the whip. A tyrant is one who kills and strikes in anger.

“So fear Allah and obey me. Fear Him who has supplied you with what you know”: that is, He has given you the good things that you know. Then He mentioned what He had given them, saying: “He has supplied you with livestock and children, and gardens and springs,” that is, orchards and rivers.

51/b

“Indeed, I fear for you”—Ibn ‘Abbas said: “If you disobey me”—“the punishment of a tremendous Day.” “They said, ‘It is all the same to us,’” that is, it is equal to us, “whether you admonish us or are not among those who admonish.” Admonition is speech that softens the heart by mentioning promise and warning. Al-Kalbi said: “Whether you forbid us or are not among those who forbid us.”

“This” means, “What is this?” “is nothing but the khuluq (custom) of the former peoples.” Ibn Kathir, Abu Ja‘far, Abu ‘Amr, al-Kisa’i, and Ya‘qub recited it as khalq (fabrication), with an a-vowel on the first letter and the second letter unvowelled; that is, the invention and lies of the former peoples. The evidence for this reading is His saying:

(1) Al-Tabari said (19:95-96): “The correct view is that masana' is the plural of masna'ah, and the Arabs call every building a masna'ah. It may have referred to palaces and fortified strongholds, or to water reservoirs. There is no report that decisively establishes which of these it was, nor can this be known through reason. Thus, the correct position is to say only what Allah has said: they used to build masana'.”

﴿إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا خُلُقُ الْأَوَّلِينَ (١٣٧) ﴾ ﴿وَتَتَّخِذُونَ مَصَانِعَ﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: أَبْنِيَةً. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: قُصُورًا مُشَيَّدَةً. وَعَنِ الْكَلْبِيِّ: أَنَّهَا الْحُصُونُ. وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: مَآخِذُ الْمَاءِ، يَعْنِي الْحِيَاضَ، وَاحِدَتُهَا مَصْنَعَةٌ (١) ﴿لَعَلَّكُمْ تَخْلُدُونَ﴾ أَيْ: كَأَنَّكُمْ تَبْقُونَ فِيهَا خَالِدِينَ. وَالْمَعْنَى: أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَسْتَوْثِقُونَ الْمَصَانِعَ كَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَمُوتُونَ. ﴿وَإِذَا بَطَشْتُمْ﴾ أَخَذْتُمْ وَسَطَوْتُمْ، ﴿بَطَشْتُمْ جَبَّارِينَ﴾ قَتْلًا بِالسَّيْفِ وَضَرْبًا بِالسَّوْطِ، "وَالْجَبَّارُ": الَّذِي يَقْتُلُ وَيَضْرِبُ عَلَى الْغَضَبِ. ﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُونِ﴾ . ﴿وَاتَّقُوا الَّذِي أَمَدَّكُمْ بِمَا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾ أَيْ: أَعْطَاكُمْ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ مَا تَعْلَمُونَ، ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ مَا أَعْطَاهُمْ فَقَالَ: ﴿أَمَدَّكُمْ بِأَنْعَامٍ وَبَنِينَ﴾ ﴿وَجَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ﴾ أَيْ: بساتين وأنهار. ٥١/ب ﴿إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: إِنْ عَصَيْتُمُونِي، ﴿عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ﴾ ﴿قَالُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْنَا﴾ أَيْ: مُسْتَوٍ عِنْدَنَا، ﴿أَوَعَظْتَ أَمْ لَمْ تَكُنْ مِنَ الْوَاعِظِينَ﴾ الْوَعْظُ كَلَامٌ يُلِينُ الْقَلْبَ بِذِكْرِ الْوَعْدِ وَالْوَعِيدِ. قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: نَهَيْتَنَا أَمْ لَمْ تَكُنْ مِنَ النَّاهِينَ لَنَا. ﴿إِنْ هَذَا﴾ مَا هَذَا، ﴿إِلَّا خُلُقُ الْأَوَّلِينَ﴾ قَرَأَ ابْنُ كَثِيرٍ، وَأَبُو جَعْفَرٍ، وَأَبُو عَمْرٍو، وَالْكِسَائِيُّ، وَيَعْقُوبُ: "خَلْقُ" بِفَتْحِ الْخَاءِ وَسُكُونِ اللَّامِ، أَيْ: اخْتِلَاقُ الْأَوَّلِينَ وَكَذِبُهُمْ دَلِيلُ هَذِهِ الْقِرَاءَةِ قَوْلُهُ

(١) قال الطبري: (١٩ / ٩٥-٩٦) : "والصواب من القول في ذلك أن يقال: إن المصانع جمع مصنعة، والعرب تسمي كل بناء مصنعة، وجائز أن يكون ذلك البناء كان قصورا، وحصونا مشيدة، وجائز أن يكون كان مآخذ للماء، ولا خبر يقطع العذر بأي ذلك كان، ولا هو مما يدرك من جهة العقل. فالصواب أن يقال فيه ما قال الله: إنهم كانوا يتخذون مصانع".