Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/164)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Qatadah said: It was because he was impressed by its description when the hoopoe described it, and he wished to see it. (1) Ibn Zayd said: He wished to have it altered and changed in order to test her intelligence thereby. (2)

“A powerful ifrit (a mighty jinn) said, ‘I will bring it to you before you rise from your seat, for I am surely strong and trustworthy enough to do so.’ (39) The one who had knowledge from the Book said, ‘I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.’ Then, when he saw it settled before him, he said, ‘This is by the grace of my Lord, to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. Whoever is grateful is grateful only for his own benefit, and whoever is ungrateful—then indeed, my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Most Generous.’ (40)

“An ifrit from among the jinn” is a powerful and rebellious one. Wahb said: His name was Kudhiya. (3) It was also said: Dhakwan. Ibn Abbas said: An ifrit is one who is shrewd. Al-Dahhak said: He is wicked. Al-Rabi said: He is coarse. Al-Farra said: He is strong and fierce. It was also said that he was Sakhr, a jinn, and that he was as large as a mountain, setting his foot where his sight reached its furthest limit. “I will bring it to you before you rise from your seat,” that is, from the assembly in which you judge. Ibn Abbas said: Every morning, he held an assembly in which he judged (4) until the end of the day. “And I am surely strong and trustworthy enough to do so,” that is, strong enough to carry it and trustworthy regarding the jewels it contained.

Solomon said, “I want someone faster than this.” So “the one who had knowledge from the Book” said this. 57/b They differed concerning his identity. Some said (5) that he was Gabriel. It was also said that he was an angel through whom Allah supported His Prophet Solomon, peace be upon him. Most exegetes said that he was Asaf ibn Barkhiya, a righteous and truthful man who knew the Greatest Name of Allah: when Allah is invoked by it, He answers, and when He is asked by it, He grants.

Juwaybir and Muqatil narrated from Al-Dahhak, from Ibn Abbas, that Asaf said to Solomon after he had prayed, “Extend your eyes until your sight reaches its furthest limit.” Solomon extended his eyes and looked toward the right. Asaf then supplicated, and Allah sent the angels, who carried the throne beneath the earth, ploughing a furrow with it until the earth split open with the throne before Solomon.

(1) Al-Qurtubi also cites this from Qatada; see 13:203. (2) Reported by al-Tabari, 19:160-161. See also al-Qurtubi, 13:203; Zad al-Masir, 6:173. It is also narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr. (3) In al-Tabari, Wahb said that his name was Kuzan. However, there is no authentic report from the infallible Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, regarding this, and there is no benefit in investigating the name. Allah knows best. (4) The text within the parentheses is omitted in manuscript A. (5) See these views in al-Tabari, 19:162-163; al-Durr al-Manthur, 6:360-361; Zad al-Masir, 6:175; Ibn Kathir, 3:365.

وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: لِأَنَّهُ أَعْجَبَتْهُ صِفَتُهُ لَمَّا وَصَفَهُ الْهُدْهُدُ، فَأَحَبَّ أَنْ يَرَاهُ (١) . قَالَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ: أَرَادَ أَنْ يَأْمُرَ بِتَنْكِيرِهِ وَتَغْيِيرِهِ لِيَخْتَبِرَ بِذَلِكَ عَقْلَهَا (٢) . ﴿قَالَ عِفْرِيتٌ مِنَ الْجِنِّ أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَقُومَ مِنْ مَقَامِكَ وَإِنِّي عَلَيْهِ لَقَوِيٌّ أَمِينٌ (٣٩) قَالَ الَّذِي عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِنْدَهُ قَالَ هَذَا مِنْ فَضْلِ رَبِّي لِيَبْلُوَنِي أَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ وَمَنْ شَكَرَ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّي غَنِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ (٤٠) ﴾ ﴿قَالَ عِفْرِيتٌ مِنَ الْجِنِّ﴾ وَهُوَ الْمَارِدُ الْقَوِيُّ، قَالَ وَهْبٌ: اسْمُهُ كُوذَى (٣) وَقِيلَ: ذَكْوَانُ، قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: الْعِفْرِيتُ الدَّاهِيَةُ. وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: هُوَ الْخَبِيثُ. وَقَالَ الرَّبِيعُ: الْغَلِيظُ، قَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ: الْقَوِيُّ الشَّدِيدُ، وَقِيلَ: هُوَ صَخْرَةُ الْجِنِّيِّ، وَكَانَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ جَبَلٍ يَضَعُ قَدَمَهُ عِنْدَ مُنْتَهَى طَرَفِهِ، ﴿أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَقُومَ مِنْ مَقَامِكَ﴾ أَيْ: مِنْ مَجْلِسِكَ الَّذِي تَقْضِي فِيهِ، [قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: وَكَانَ لَهُ كُلَّ غَدَاةٍ مَجْلِسٌ يَقْضِي فِيهِ] (٤) إِلَى مُنْتَهَى النَّهَارِ، ﴿وَإِنِّي عَلَيْهِ﴾ أَيْ: عَلَى حَمْلِهِ، ﴿لَقَوِيٌّ أَمِينٌ﴾ عَلَى مَا فِيهِ مِنَ الْجَوَاهِرِ، فَقَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ: أُرِيدُ أَسْرَعَ من هذا. فـ ﴿قَالَ الَّذِي عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ﴾ ٥٧/ب وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ (٥) هُوَ جِبْرِيلُ. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ مَلَكٌ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ أَيَّدَ اللَّهُ بِهِ نَبِيَّهُ سُلَيْمَانَ ﵇. وَقَالَ أَكْثَرُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ: هُوَ آصف بن برخيا، وَكَانَ صَدِيقًا يَعْلَمُ اسْمَ اللَّهِ الْأَعْظَمِ الَّذِي إِذَا دُعِيَ بِهِ أَجَابَ وَإِذَا سُئِلَ بِهِ أَعْطَى. وَرَوَى جُوَيْبِرٌ، وَمُقَاتِلٌ، عَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: إِنَّ آصَفَ قَالَ لِسُلَيْمَانَ حِينَ صَلَّى: مُدَّ عَيْنَيْكَ حَتَّى يَنْتَهِيَ طَرْفُكَ، فَمَدَّ سُلَيْمَانُ عَيْنَيْهِ، فَنَظَرَ نَحْوَ الْيَمِينِ، وَدَعَا آصَفُ فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ فَحَمَلُوا السَّرِيرَ مِنْ تَحْتِ الْأَرْضِ يَخُدُّونَ بِهِ خَدًّا حَتَّى انْخَرَقَتِ الْأَرْضُ بِالسَّرِيرِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ سُلَيْمَانَ.

(١) ذكره القرطبي عن قتادة أيضا، انظر: ١٣ / ٢٠٣. (٢) أخرجه الطبري: ١٩ / ١٦٠-١٦١، وانظر: القرطبي: ١٣ / ٢٠٣، زاد المسير: ٦ / ١٧٣، وهو مروي عن سعيد بن جبير أيضا. (٣) في الطبري عن وهب قال: اسمه كوزن، وليس في ذلك خبر صحيح عن المعصوم ﷺ ولا فائدة من البحث في معرفة هذا الاسم والله أعلم. (٤) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ". (٥) انظر هذه الأقوال في: الطبري: ١٩ / ١٦٢-١٦٣، الدر المنثور: ٦ / ٣٦٠-٣٦١، زاد المسير: ٦ / ١٧٥، ابن كثير: ٣ / ٣٦٥.