Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/150)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Al-Suddi said: They are halted. It was also said: They are gathered together. The basic meaning of wazʿ is restraint and prevention.

Muhammad ibn Kaʿb al-Qurazi said: Solomon’s camp extended for one hundred farsakhs: twenty-five for the humans, twenty-five for the jinn, twenty-five for the wild beasts, and twenty-five for the birds. He had one thousand glass chambers upon wooden platforms, containing three hundred free wives (1) and seven hundred concubines. He would command the violent wind, and it would lift it up; then he would command the gentle wind, and it would carry it along. While he was travelling between heaven and earth, Allah revealed to him: “I have further increased your dominion: no creature will speak of anything without the wind bringing it to you and informing you of it.” (2)

“Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said, ‘O ants, enter your dwellings, lest Solomon and his soldiers crush you while they are unaware.’ (18)”

His saying, exalted is He: “Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants.” It is related from Wahb ibn Munabbih, from Kaʿb, who said: Whenever Solomon mounted, he would carry his family, servants, and retinue with him. He had established kitchens and bakeries (3), in which iron ovens and enormous cauldrons were carried; each cauldron could contain ten islands. He had also set up riding grounds for the animals before him. Thus the cooks would cook, the bakers would bake, and the animals would run ahead of him between heaven and earth, while the wind carried them through the air.

He travelled from Istakhr to Yemen and passed through the city of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Solomon said, “This is the land to which a Prophet will migrate at the end of time. Blessed is whoever believes in him, and blessed is whoever follows him.” He saw idols being worshipped around the House instead of Allah. When Solomon passed beyond the House, the House wept. 55/A Allah then revealed to the House, “What makes you weep?” It said, “My Lord, what makes me weep is that one of Your prophets and a people among Your devoted servants passed by me, yet they did not descend or pray at my side, while idols are being worshipped around me instead of You.”

Allah then revealed to it: “Do not weep, for I shall fill you with faces bowed in prostration; I shall send down within you a new Quran; I shall raise from you, at the end of time, a Prophet who is the most beloved of My prophets to Me; I shall place within you worshippers from among My creatures who will worship Me; and I shall make obligatory upon My servants a duty by which they will hasten to you as eagles hasten to their nests, and yearn for you as the she-camel yearns for her young and the dove for her egg. And I shall purify you of idols and of the worshippers of devils.” (4)

Solomon then continued on until he passed through Wadi al-Sadir, a valley in Ta’if, and came upon the Valley of the Ants. This is how Kaʿb described it: it was a valley in Ta’if. Qatada and Muqatil said: It was a land in Syria. It was also said: It was a valley inhabited by the jinn, and those ants were their mounts. (5)

(1) Meaning: lawfully married. (2) Al-Hakim recorded it in al-Mustadrak, 2:589, from Muhammad ibn Kab, who said: “It has reached us that Solomon…” Its chain is weak. (3) Omitted from manuscript “A.” (4) This report and others like it are Isra'iliyyat (Israelite reports) related by Wahb and Kab; there is no authentic textual evidence upon which an argument can be based. (5) Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said, 3:360: “What some exegetes have said—that this valley was in Syria or elsewhere, that this ant had wings like a fly, or similar claims—has no basis.”

وَقَالَ السُّدِّيُّ: يُوقَفُونَ. وَقِيلَ: يُجْمَعُونَ. وَأَصْلُ الْوَزْعِ الْكَفُّ وَالْمَنْعُ. قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَعْبٍ الْقُرَظِيُّ: كَانَ مُعَسْكَرُ سُلَيْمَانَ مِائَةَ فَرْسَخٍ، خَمْسَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ مِنْهَا لِلْإِنْسِ، وَخَمْسَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ لِلْجِنِّ، وَخَمْسَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ لِلْوَحْشِ، وَخَمْسَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ لِلطَّيْرِ، وَكَانَ لَهُ أَلْفُ بَيْتٍ مِنْ قَوَارِيرَ عَلَى الخشب، فيها ثلثمائة صَرِيحَةٍ (١) وَسَبْعُمِائَةٍ سِرِّيَّةٍ فَيَأْمُرُ الرِّيحَ الْعَاصِفَ فَتَرْفَعُهُ، وَيَأْمُرُ الرُّخَاءَ فَتَسِيرُ بِهِ، وَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يَسِيرُ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ: إِنِّي قَدْ زِدْتُ فِي مُلْكِكَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْخَلَائِقِ بِشَيْءٍ إِلَّا جَاءَتْ بِهِ الرِّيحُ، فَأَخْبَرَتْكَ (٢) . ﴿حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَوْا عَلَى وَادِي النَّمْلِ قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ (١٨) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿حَتَّى إِذَا أَتَوْا عَلَى وَادِي النَّمْلِ﴾ رُوِيَ عَنْ وَهْبِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ عَنْ كَعْبٍ قَالَ: كَانَ سُلَيْمَانُ إِذَا رَكِبَ حَمَلَ أَهْلَهُ وَخَدَمَهُ وَحَشَمَهُ، وَقَدِ اتَّخَذَ مَطَابِخَ وَمَخَابِزَ (٣) يَحْمِلُ فِيهَا تَنَانِيرَ الْحَدِيدِ وَقُدُورَ عِظَامٍ، يَسَعُ كُلُّ قِدْرٍ عَشَرَ جَزَائِرَ وَقَدِ اتَّخَذَ مَيَادِينَ لِلدَّوَابِّ أَمَامَهُ، فَيَطْبُخُ الطَّبَّاخُونَ، وَيَخْبِزُ الْخَبَّازُونَ، وَتَجْرِي الدَّوَابُّ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَالرِّيحُ تَهْوِي بِهِمْ، فَسَارَ مِنِ اصْطَخْرَ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ فَسَلَكَ مَدِينَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَقَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ: هَذِهِ دَارُ هِجْرَةِ نَبِيٍّ فِي آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ، طُوبَى لِمَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ وَطُوبَى لِمَنِ اتَّبَعَهُ، وَرَأَى حَوْلَ الْبَيْتِ أَصْنَامًا تُعْبَدُ مَنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَ سُلَيْمَانُ الْبَيْتَ بكى البيت، ٥٥/أفَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ مَا يُبْكِيكَ؟ فَقَالَ: يَا رَبِّ أَبْكَانِي أَنَّ هَذَا نَبِيٌّ مِنْ أَنْبِيَائِكَ وَقَوْمٌ مِنْ أَوْلِيَائِكَ مَرُّوا عَلَيَّ فَلَمْ يَهْبِطُوا وَلَمْ يُصَلُّوا عِنْدِي، وَالْأَصْنَامُ تُعْبَدُ حَوْلِي مِنْ دُونِكَ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ أَنْ لَا تَبْكِ، فَإِنِّي سَوْفَ أَمَلَؤُكَ وُجُوهًا سُجَّدًا، وَأُنْزِلُ فِيكَ قُرْآنًا جَدِيدًا وَأَبْعَثُ مِنْكَ نَبِيًّا فِي آخِرِ الزَّمَانِ أَحَبَّ أَنْبِيَائِي إِلَيَّ، وَأَجْعَلُ فِيكَ عُمَّارًا مِنْ خَلْقِي يَعْبُدُونَنِي، وَأَفْرِضُ عَلَى عِبَادِي فَرِيضَةً يَذِفُّونَ إِلَيْكَ ذَفِيفَ النُّسُورِ إِلَى وَكْرِهَا، وَيَحِنُّونَ إِلَيْكَ حَنِينَ النَّاقَةِ إِلَى وَلَدِهَا وَالْحَمَامَةِ إِلَى بَيْضَتِهَا، وَأُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الْأَوْثَانِ وَعَبَدَةِ الشَّيَاطِينِ (٤) ثُمَّ مَضَى سُلَيْمَانُ حَتَّى مَرَّ بِوَادِي السَّدِيرِ وَادٍ مِنَ الطَّائِفِ، فَأَتَى عَلَى وَادِي النَّمْلِ، هَكَذَا قَالَ كَعْبٌ: إِنَّهُ وَادٍ بِالطَّائِفِ. وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ وَمُقَاتِلٌ: هُوَ أَرْضٌ بِالشَّامِ. وَقِيلَ: وَادٍ كَانَ يَسْكُنُهُ الْجِنُّ، وَأُولَئِكَ النَّمْلُ مَرَاكِبُهُمْ (٥)

(١) بمعنى منكوحة. (٢) أخرجه الحاكم في المستدرك عن محمد بن كعب قال: بلغنا أن سليمان.. ٢ / ٥٨٩ وهو ضعيف. (٣) ساقط من "أ". (٤) هذه الرواية وامثالها من الإسرائيليات التي كان يحدث بها وهب وكعب، وليس في ذلك نص صحيح تقوم به الحجة. (٥) قال الحافظ ابن كثير: (٣ / ٣٦٠) : "ومن قال من المفسرين إن هذا الوادي كان بأرض الشام أو بغيره، وإن هذه النملة كانت ذات جناحين كالذباب، أو غير ذلك من الأقاويل فلا حاصل لها".