Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/135)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Shall I tell you upon whom the devils descend? They descend upon every lying sinner. They pass on what they hear, but most of them are liars. And the poets are followed by those who go astray. Do you not see how they wander aimlessly through every valley?” (221–225)

“Shall I tell you”—that is, shall I inform you—“upon whom the devils descend?” This answers their claim: “A devil has descended upon him.” He then clarifies: “They descend,” that is, they repeatedly descend, “upon every lying sinner”: every inveterate liar and wicked person. Qatadah said: They are the soothsayers. The jinn steal a hearing, then pass it on to their human allies. This is the meaning of His saying: “They pass on what they hear.”

“They pass on what they hear”—that is, they listen to the angels while remaining stationed, then convey it to the soothsayers. “But most of them are liars,” because they mingle it with many lies.

His saying: “And the poets are followed by those who go astray.” The scholars of exegesis said: What is meant is the poets among the disbelievers who used to satirize the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Muqatil mentioned their names, saying: Among them were Abdullah ibn al-Zibara al-Sahmi, Hubayrah ibn Abi Wahb al-Makhzumi, Mushafi ibn Abd Manaf, Abu Izzah ibn Abdullah al-Jumahi, and Umayyah ibn Abi al-Salt al-Thaqafi. They spoke falsehood and vain things, saying, “We say the like of what Muhammad says.” They composed poetry, and misguided people from among their people gathered around them, listening to their verses when they satirized the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Companions, and transmitting their poetry and the like. (1)

His saying: “And the poets are followed by those who go astray”: they are the transmitters who relate the satirical verses [against the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and (2) the Muslims]. Qatadah and Mujahid said: Those who go astray are the devils. Al-Dahhak said: During the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, two men exchanged satirical verses, one of them from the Ansar and the other from another people. With each of them were misguided men from his people—that is, the foolish—and so this verse was revealed. This was also narrated by Atiyyah from Ibn Abbas. (3)

“Do you not see how they wander aimlessly through every valley”—[every valley of speech] (4)—straying and turning away from the path of truth. One who wanders aimlessly is one who goes wherever he pleases, with no destination in mind.

(1) See Zad al-Masir, 6:150. (2) The text in parentheses is omitted in manuscript “A.” (3) Al-Tabari, 19:127. Al-Suyuti also attributed it to Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn Mardawayh, on the authority of Ibn Abbas. (4) The text in parentheses is omitted in manuscript “A.”

﴿هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ عَلَى مَنْ تَنَزَّلُ الشَّيَاطِينُ (٢٢١) تَنَزَّلُ عَلَى كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ أَثِيمٍ (٢٢٢) يُلْقُونَ السَّمْعَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ كَاذِبُونَ (٢٢٣) وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ (٢٢٤) أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي كُلِّ وَادٍ يَهِيمُونَ (٢٢٥) ﴾ ﴿هَلْ أُنَبِّئُكُمْ﴾ أُخْبِرُكُمْ، ﴿عَلَى مَنْ تَنَزَّلُ الشَّيَاطِينُ﴾ هَذَا جَوَابُ قَوْلِهِمْ: تَنَزَّلَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْطَانٌ، ثُمَّ بَيَّنَ فَقَالَ: ﴿تَنَزَّلُ﴾ أَيْ: تَتَنَزَّلُ، ﴿عَلَى كُلِّ أَفَّاكٍ﴾ كَذَّابٍ، ﴿أَثِيمٍ﴾ فَاجِرٍ، قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: هُمُ الْكَهَنَةُ، يَسْتَرِقُ الْجِنُّ السَّمْعَ ثُمَّ يُلْقُونَ إِلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِمْ مِنَ الْإِنْسِ. وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿يُلْقُونَ السَّمْعَ﴾ ﴿يُلْقُونَ السَّمْعَ﴾ أَيْ: يَسْتَمِعُونَ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ مُسْتَقِرِّينَ، فَيُلْقُونَ إِلَى الْكَهَنَةِ، ﴿وَأَكْثَرُهُمْ كَاذِبُونَ﴾ لِأَنَّهُمْ يَخْلِطُونَ بِهِ كَذِبًا كَثِيرًا. قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ﴾ قَالَ أَهْلُ التَّفْسِيرِ: أَرَادَ شُعَرَاءَ الْكُفَّارِ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَهْجُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَذَكَرَ مُقَاتِلٌ أَسْمَاءَهُمْ، فَقَالَ: مِنْهُمْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الزِّبَعْرَى السَّهْمِيُّ، وَهُبَيْرَةُ بْنُ أَبِي وَهْبٍ الْمَخْزُومِيُّ، وَمُشَافِعُ بْنُ عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ. وَأَبُو عَزَّةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْجُمَحِيُّ، وَأُمَيَّةُ بْنُ أَبِي الصَّلْتِ الثَّقَفِيُّ، تَكَلَّمُوا بِالْكَذِبِ وَبِالْبَاطِلِ، وَقَالُوا: نَحْنُ نَقُولُ مِثْلَ مَا يَقُولُ مُحَمَّدٌ. وَقَالُوا الشِّعْرَ، وَاجْتَمَعَ إِلَيْهِمْ غُوَاةٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهِمْ يَسْتَمِعُونَ أَشْعَارَهُمْ حِينَ يَهْجُونَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَأَصْحَابَهُ، وَيَرْوُونَ عَنْهُمْ وَذَلِكَ (١) . قَوْلُهُ: ﴿وَالشُّعَرَاءُ يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ﴾ هم الرواة الذين يروون هجاء [النبي ﷺ و (٢) المسلمين. وقال قتادة ومجاهد: الغاوون هم الشياطين. وقال الضحاك: تهاجى رجلان على عهد رسول الله ﷺ أحدهما من الأنصار والآخر من قَوْمٍ آخَرِينَ، وَمَعَ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا غُوَاةٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ، وَهُمُ السُّفَهَاءُ فَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ. وَهِيَ رِوَايَةُ عَطِيَّةَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ (٣) . ﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي كُلِّ وَادٍ﴾ [مِنْ أَوْدِيَةِ الْكَلَامِ] (٤) ﴿يَهِيمُونَ﴾ جَائِرُونَ وَعَنْ طَرِيقِ الْحَقِّ حَائِدُونَ، وَالْهَائِمُ: الذَّاهِبُ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ لَا مَقْصِدَ لَهُ.

(١) انظر: زاد المسير: ٦ / ١٥٠. (٢) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ". (٣) الطبري: ١٩ / ١٢٧، وعزاه السيوطي أيضا لابن أبي حاتم وابن مردويه عن ابن عباس. (٤) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ".