Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/146)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

a pronoun referring to the matter and affair; that is, the matter is: I am the One worshipped. (1)

“Throw down your staff.” But when he saw it moving like a small snake, he turned and fled without looking back. “O Moses, do not be afraid: the messengers do not fear in My presence (10), except one who has done wrong, then replaced evil with good; for I am All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (11)

Then He showed Moses a sign of His power, saying: “Throw down your staff.” When he saw it “moving,” that is, stirring, “like a small snake”—the small serpent whose movements are especially rapid—“he turned and fled,” running away in fear, “without looking back,” that is, without returning. One says that someone “turned back” when he returns; everyone who returns has turned back. Qatadah said: He did not even look back.

Then Allah, exalted is He, said: “O Moses, do not be afraid: the messengers do not fear in My presence.” That is, when I grant them safety, they do not fear. As for the fear that is a requisite of faith, it never leaves them. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “I am the one among you with the greatest fear of Allah.” (2)

His saying, “Except one who has done wrong, then replaced evil with good; for I am All-Forgiving, Most Merciful,” has been understood in different ways. It was said that this alludes to Moses’s fear after he killed the Copt; then he repented and said, “My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me,” and He forgave him. Ibn Jurayj said: Allah Most High said to Moses: “I caused you fear only because of your killing a soul.”

He also said: The meaning of the verse is that Allah does not cause the Prophets to fear except on account of a sin committed by one of them. If one of them commits it, He causes him to fear until he repents. According to this interpretation, the exception is valid, and the statement concerning the messengers ends with the words, “except one who has done wrong.” Then a new statement begins concerning the condition of all people who do wrong. The verse contains an omitted phrase whose meaning is understood from the wording itself. Its implied meaning is: Whoever has done wrong, then replaced evil with good, then I am All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (3)

Some scholars said: This is not an exception from among the messengers, since wrongdoing is not possible for them. Rather, it is an exception from an omitted clause in the statement. Its meaning is: “The messengers do not fear in My presence; rather, fear concerns others among the wrongdoers, except one who has done wrong and then repented.” This is a disjunctive exception, (4) meaning: Rather, whoever among the rest of mankind has done wrong has cause to fear; but if he repents and replaces evil with good, then Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful—meaning that Allah forgives him and removes his fear from him. (5)

(1) See al-Tibyan by al-Ukbari, 2:1005; Zad al-Masir, 7:156. (2) Part of a hadith narrated by al-Bukhari in The Book of Marriage, the chapter on encouragement to marry, 9:104; and by Muslim in The Book of Fasting, the chapter explaining that kissing while fasting is not prohibited, no. 1108, 2:779, with the wording: “By Allah, I am surely the most God-fearing among you and the most fearful of Him.” (3) This is the view preferred by al-Tabari, 19:137. (4) Omitted from manuscript A. (5) Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, endorsing this view, said (3:358): “This is a disconnected exception, and it contains great glad tidings for humankind: whoever was engaged in evil deeds, then desisted, returned, repented, and turned back to Allah, Allah accepts his repentance. As He says: ‘Indeed, I am surely Most Forgiving to whoever repents, believes, does righteous deeds, and then remains rightly guided’; and He, Most High, says: ‘Whoever commits an evil deed or wrongs himself ...’ The verse. There are very many verses to this effect.” Abu Hayyan likewise preferred this view in al-Bahr al-Muhit.

كِنَايَةٌ عَنِ الْأَمْرِ وَالشَّأْنِ، أَيِ: الْأَمْرُ وَالشَّأْنُ، أَيْ: الْمَعْبُودُ أَنَا (١) ﴿وَأَلْقِ عَصَاكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهَا تَهْتَزُّ كَأَنَّهَا جَانٌّ وَلَّى مُدْبِرًا وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ يَا مُوسَى لَا تَخَفْ إِنِّي لَا يَخَافُ لَدَيَّ الْمُرْسَلُونَ (١٠) إِلَّا مَنْ ظَلَمَ ثُمَّ بَدَّلَ حُسْنًا بَعْدَ سُوءٍ فَإِنِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (١١) ﴾ ثُمَّ أَرَى مُوسَى آيَةً عَلَى قُدْرَتِهِ، فَقَالَ: ﴿وَأَلْقِ عَصَاكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهَا تَهْتَزُّ﴾ تَتَحَرَّكُ، ﴿كَأَنَّهَا جَانٌّ﴾ وَهِيَ الْحَيَّةُ الصَّغِيرَةُ الَّتِي يَكْثُرُ اضْطِرَابُهَا، ﴿وَلَّى مُدْبِرًا﴾ هَرَبَ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ، ﴿وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ﴾ لَمْ يَرْجِعْ، يُقَالُ: عَقِبَ فُلَانٌ إِذَا رَجَعَ، وَكُلُّ رَاجِعٍ مُعَقِّبٌ. وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: وَلَمْ يَلْتَفِتْ، فَقَالَ اللَّهُ ﷿: ﴿يَا مُوسَى لَا تَخَفْ إِنِّي لَا يَخَافُ لَدَيَّ الْمُرْسَلُونَ﴾ يُرِيدُ إِذَا آمَّنْتُهُمْ لَا يَخَافُونَ، أَمَّا الْخَوْفُ الَّذِي هُوَ شَرْطُ الْإِيمَانِ فَلَا يُفَارِقُهُمْ، قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: "أَنَا أَخْشَاكُمْ لِلَّهِ" (٢) . وَقَوْلُهُ: ﴿إِلَّا مَنْ ظَلَمَ ثُمَّ بَدَّلَ حُسْنًا بَعْدَ سُوءٍ فَإِنِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ﴾ وَاخْتُلِفَ فِي هَذَا الِاسْتِثْنَاءِ، قِيلَ: هَذَا إِشَارَةٌ إِلَى أَنَّ مُوسَى حِينَ قَتَلَ الْقِبْطِيَّ خَافَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ تَابَ فَقَالَ: رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَغَفَرَ لَهُ. قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ: قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لِمُوسَى: إِنَّمَا أَخَفْتُكَ لِقَتْلِكَ النَّفْسَ. وَقَالَ: مَعْنَى الْآيَةِ: لَا يُخِيفُ اللَّهُ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ إِلَّا بِذَنْبٍ يُصِيبُهُ أَحَدُهُمْ، فَإِنْ أَصَابَهُ أَخَافَهُ حَتَّى يَتُوبَ، فَعَلَى هَذَا التَّأْوِيلِ يَكُونُ الِاسْتِثْنَاءُ صَحِيحًا وَتَنَاهَى الْخَبَرُ عَنِ الرُّسُلِ عِنْدَ قَوْلِهِ: ﴿إِلَّا مَنْ ظَلَمَ﴾ ثُمَّ ابْتَدَأَ الْخَبَرُ عَنْ حَالِ مَنْ ظَلَمَ مِنَ النَّاسِ كَافَّةً. وَفِي الْآيَةِ مَتْرُوكٌ اسْتُغْنِيَ عَنْ ذِكْرِهِ بِدَلَالَةِ الْكَلَامِ عَلَيْهِ، تَقْدِيرُهُ: فَمَنْ ظَلَمَ ثُمَّ بَدَّلَ حُسْنًا بَعْدَ سُوءٍ فَإِنِّي غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (٣) . وَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ: لَيْسَ هَذَا بِاسْتِثْنَاءٍ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِمُ الظُّلْمُ، بَلْ هُوَ اسْتِثْنَاءٌ مِنَ الْمَتْرُوكِ فِي الْكَلَامِ، مَعْنَاهُ: لَا يَخَافُ لَدَيَّ الْمُرْسَلُونَ، إِنَّمَا الْخَوْفُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِمْ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ، إِلَّا مَنْ ظَلَمَ ثُمَّ تَابَ، وَهَذَا مِنَ الِاسْتِثْنَاءِ الْمُنْقَطِعِ، مَعْنَاهُ (٤) لَكِنْ مَنْ ظَلَمَ مِنْ سَائِرِ النَّاسِ فَإِنَّهُ يَخَافُ، فَإِنْ تَابَ وَبَدَّلَ حُسْنًا بَعْدَ سُوءٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ، يَعْنِي يَغْفِرُ اللَّهُ لَهُ وَيُزِيلُ الْخَوْفَ عَنْهُ (٥) .

(١) راجع: التبيان للعكبري: ٢ / ١٠٠٥، زاد المسير: ٧ / ١٥٦. (٢) قطعة من حديث رواه البخاري في النكاح، باب الترغيب في النكاح ٩ / ١٠٤، ومسلم في الصيام، باب بيان أن القبلة في الصوم ليست محرمة برقم (١١٠٨) ٢ / ٧٧٩ بلفظ "أما والله إني لأتقاكم لله، وأخشاكم له". (٣) هذا القول هو الذي رجحه الطبري: ١٩ / ١٣٧. (٤) ساقط من "أ". (٥) قال الحافظ ابن كثير ﵀ معتمدا هذا القول (٣ / ٣٥٨) : "هذا استثناء منقطع، وفيه بشارة عظيمة للبشر، وذلك أن من كان على عمل سيئ ثم أقلع عنه ورجع وتاب وأناب، فإن الله يتوب عليه، كما قال: (وإني لغفار لمن تاب وآمن وعمل صالحا ثم اهتدى) ، وقال تعالى: (ومن يعمل سوءا أو يظلم نفسه..) الآية. والآيات في هذا كثيرة جدا". وكذلك رجحه أبو حيان في البحر المحيط.