Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/156)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

she was moved by jealousy and sent word to him, 56/ offering herself to him in marriage. The king accepted and said, “Nothing prevented me from proposing to you except that I had despaired of you.” She replied, “I have no aversion to you; you are a noble and suitable match. Gather the men of my people and ask them for my hand.” So he gathered them and proposed to them. They said, “We do not think she would do this.” He said to them, “She initiated the matter with me, and I would like you to hear her words.” So they went to her and mentioned it to her. She said, “Yes, I desire children.” Thus, they married her to him.

When she was conducted to him as a bride, she came with a large number of her attendants. When she reached him, she gave him wine to drink until he became intoxicated. Then she cut off his head and departed by night for her home. In the morning, the people found the king slain, with his head displayed at the gate of her house. They realized that the marriage had been a plot and deception on her part. So they gathered around her and said, “You are more entitled to this kingship than anyone else.” Thus, they made her their queen. (1)

Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Nuaymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Ismail informed us; Uthman ibn al-Haytham informed us; Awf informed us, from al-Hasan, from Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, learned that the people of Persia had appointed the daughter of Chosroes as their ruler, he said: “No people who entrust their affairs to a woman will prosper.” (2)

His saying, exalted is He: “And she has been given of everything”—that is, everything in equipment and resources that kings require. “And she has a magnificent throne”: a huge couch fashioned of gold and encrusted with pearls, red rubies, and green chrysolite. Its legs were of ruby and emerald, and it had seven chambers over it, each with a locked door. Ibn Abbas said: Bilqis’s throne was thirty cubits by thirty cubits, and its height was thirty cubits. Muqatil said: Its length was eighty cubits, and its height was eighty cubits. It was also said: Its length was eighty cubits, its width forty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

“I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah. Satan has made their deeds appear fair to them and has turned them away from the path, so they are not rightly guided: so that they do not prostrate themselves to Allah, who brings forth what is hidden in the heavens and the earth and knows what you conceal and what you reveal. Allah—there is no god but Him, the Lord of the Magnificent Throne.” (24–26)

He said, “We shall see whether you have spoken the truth or are among the liars.” (27)

(1) Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir referred to this account and attributed it to al-Tha'labi and others. See al-Bidayah wa-al-Nihayah, 2:21. (2) Reported by al-Bukhari in al-Maghazi, chapter: “The Prophet’s Letter to Khosrow and Caesar,” 8:126; and by the author of Sharh al-Sunnah, 10:76, who said: “They agreed that a woman is not fit to be an imam or a judge, because the imam must go out to establish the affairs of jihad and attend to the affairs of the Muslims, while the judge must appear publicly to settle disputes. A woman is awrah (something to be concealed) and is not suited to public appearance; moreover, due to her weakness, she is unable to undertake most matters. Women are deficient, whereas the imamate and judiciary are among positions of full authority; therefore, they are suitable only for men of complete capacity.” (3) In manuscript B: “air.”

أَدْرَكَتْهَا الْغَيْرَةُ فأرسلت إليه ٥٦/أتَعْرِضُ نَفْسَهَا عَلَيْهِ، فَأَجَابَهَا الْمَلِكُ، وَقَالَ: مَا مَنَعَنِي أَنْ أَبْتَدِئَكِ بِالْخِطْبَةِ إِلَّا الْيَأْسُ مِنْكِ، فَقَالَتْ لَا أَرْغَبُ عَنْكَ، كُفُؤٌ كَرِيمٌ، فَاجْمَعْ رِجَالَ قَوْمِي وَاخْطُبْنِي إِلَيْهِمْ، فَجَمَعَهُمْ وَخَطَبَهَا إِلَيْهِمْ، فَقَالُوا: لَا نَرَاهَا تَفْعَلُ هَذَا، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ: إِنَّهَا ابْتَدَأَتْنِي فَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ تَسْمَعُوا قَوْلَهَا فَجَاؤُوهَا، فَذَكَرُوا لَهَا، فَقَالَتْ: نَعَمْ أَحْبَبْتُ الْوَلَدَ. فَزَوَّجُوهَا مِنْهُ، فَلَمَّا زُفَّتْ إِلَيْهِ خَرَجَتْ فِي أُنَاسٍ كَثِيرٍ مِنْ حَشَمِهَا، فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْهُ سَقَتْهُ الْخَمْرَ حَتَّى سَكِرَ، ثُمَّ جَزَّتْ رَأْسَهُ وَانْصَرَفَتْ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِلَى مَنْزِلِهَا، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ النَّاسُ رَأَوْا الْمَلِكَ قَتِيلًا وَرَأْسُهُ مَنْصُوبٌ عَلَى بَابِ دَارِهَا، فَعَلِمُوا أَنَّ تِلْكَ الْمُنَاكَحَةَ كَانَتْ مَكْرًا وَخَدِيعَةً مِنْهَا، فَاجْتَمَعُوا إِلَيْهَا وَقَالُوا: أَنْتِ بِهَذَا الْمُلْكِ أَحَقُّ مِنْ غَيْرِكِ، فَمَلَّكُوهَا (١) . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّعِيمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، أَخْبَرَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ الْهَيْثَمِ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَوْفٌ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ ﵁ قَالَ: لَمَّا بَلَغَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنَّ أَهْلَ فَارِسَ مَلَّكُوا عَلَيْهِمْ بِنْتَ كِسْرَى قَالَ: "لَنْ يُفْلِحَ قَوْمٌ وَلَّوْا أَمْرَهُمُ امْرَأَةً" (٢) . قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَأُوتِيَتْ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ﴾ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ الْمُلُوكُ مِنَ الْآلَةِ وَالْعِدَّةِ، ﴿وَلَهَا عَرْشٌ عَظِيمٌ﴾ سَرِيرٌ ضَخْمٌ كَانَ مَضْرُوبًا مِنَ الذَّهَبِ مُكَلَّلًا بِالدُّرِّ وَالْيَاقُوتِ الْأَحْمَرِ وَالزَّبَرْجَدِ الْأَخْضَرِ، وَقَوَائِمُهُ مِنَ الْيَاقُوتِ وَالزُّمُرُّدِ، وَعَلَيْهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْيَاتٍ عَلَى كُلِّ بَيْتٍ بَابٌ مُغْلَقٌ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: كَانَ عَرْشُ بِلْقِيسَ ثَلَاثِينَ ذِرَاعًا فِي ثَلَاثِينَ ذِرَاعًا: وَطُولُهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ ثَلَاثُونَ ذِرَاعًا. وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: كَانَ طُولُهُ ثَمَانِينَ ذِرَاعًا وَطُولُهُ فِي السَّمَاءِ (٣) ثَمَانِينَ ذِرَاعًا. وَقِيلَ: كَانَ طُولُهُ ثَمَانِينَ ذِرَاعًا وَعَرْضُهُ أَرْبَعِينَ ذِرَاعًا وَارْتِفَاعُهُ ثَلَاثِينَ ذِرَاعًا. ﴿وَجَدْتُهَا وَقَوْمَهَا يَسْجُدُونَ لِلشَّمْسِ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَصَدَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ فَهُمْ لَا يَهْتَدُونَ٢٤ أَلَّا يَسْجُدُوا لِلَّهِ الَّذِي يُخْرِجُ الْخَبْءَ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تُخْفُونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ (٢٥) اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ (٢٦) قَالَ سَنَنْظُرُ أَصَدَقْتَ أَمْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ (٢٧) ﴾

(١) أشار الحافظ ابن كثير إلى هذه القصة وعزاها للثعلبي وغيره. انظر: البداية والنهاية: ٢ / ٢١. (٢) أخرجه البخاري في المغازي، باب كتاب النبي ﷺ إلى كسرى وقيصر: ٨ / ١٢٦، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٠ / ٧٦. وقال: "اتفقوا على أن المرأة لا تصلح أن تكون إمام ولا قاضيا، لأن الإمام يحتاج إلى الخروج لإقامة أمر الجهاد، والقيام بأمور المسلمين، والقاضي يحتاج إلى البروز لفصل الخصومات، والمرأة عورة لا تصلح للبروز، وتعجز لضعفها عن القيام بأكثر الأمور، ولأن المرأة ناقصة، والإمامة والقضاء من كمال الولايات، فلا يصلح لها إلا الكامل من الرجال..". (٣) في "ب": الهواء.