Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/190)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

and establish them firmly in the land, and show Pharaoh, Haman, and their soldiers what they had feared at their hands. (6)

And We inspired Moses’ mother: “Nurse him; then, when you fear for him, cast him into the river. Do not fear, nor grieve. We shall surely restore him to you and make him one of the messengers.” (7)

“But We intended to favour those who had been oppressed in the land”—that is, the Children of Israel—“to make them leaders”: leaders in goodness, whom others would follow. Qatadah said: rulers and kings, as indicated by His saying, “and made you kings” (al-Ma’idah 5:20). Mujahid said: callers to goodness. “And to make them the inheritors”: that is, of the possessions of Pharaoh and his people, succeeding them in their dwellings.

“And establish them firmly in the land”: that is, settle them in the lands of Egypt and Syria, making them a place in which they could reside. “And show Pharaoh, Haman, and their soldiers”: al-A‘mash, Hamzah, and al-Kisa’i recited it as, “and Pharaoh, Haman, and their soldiers see,” with the initial letter pronounced with an open vowel; Pharaoh, Haman, and their soldiers are thus in the nominative, as they are the subject of the verb. The others recited it with the initial letter pronounced with a rounded vowel, the letter r pronounced with a kasrah, and the final letter pronounced with an open vowel, placing what follows in the accusative because the action falls upon it. “What they had feared at their hands”: fear is taking precautions against harm. They had been informed that their destruction would come at the hands of a man from the Children of Israel, and so they dreaded him. Thus Allah showed them what they had feared.

“And We inspired Moses’ mother”: this was inspiration by inner prompting, not prophetic revelation. Qatadah said: “We placed it in her heart.” (1) Moses’ mother was Jochebed, daughter of Levi, son of Jacob. “Nurse him.” They differed regarding the length of time she nursed him. It was said: eight months; and it was said: four months; and it was said: three months, during which she nursed him in her lap, while he neither cried nor moved. (2) “Then, when you fear for him”: that is, fear that he would be slaughtered. “Cast him into the river”: the river here means the sea, and what is intended is the Nile. “Do not fear”: it was said, do not fear that he will drown; and it was also said, that he will be lost. “Nor grieve” at being separated from him. “We shall surely restore him to you and make him one of the messengers.” ‘Ata’ narrated from al-Dahhak, from Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: (3)

(1) See al-Tabari, 20:29-30. (2) Imam al-Tabari (20:30) said: “The soundest view on this matter is to say that God, exalted is He, commanded Moses’ mother to nurse him; then, when she feared for him from God’s enemy Pharaoh and his troops, she was to cast him into the river. It is possible that she feared for him several months after giving birth to him. Whatever the case, she did what God revealed to her concerning him. There is no report that constitutes proof, nor any rational basis, for determining which of these possibilities occurred. Therefore, the most correct view is to state the matter as God, glorified be His praise, stated it. The river into which she was commanded to cast him was the Nile.” (3) Al-Dahhak’s transmission from Ibn Abbas is disconnected, because he did not hear anything from Ibn Abbas.

﴿وَنُمَكِّنَ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنُرِيَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَحْذَرُونَ (٦) وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى أُمِّ مُوسَى أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ وَلَا تَخَافِي وَلَا تَحْزَنِي إِنَّا رَادُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (٧) ﴾ ﴿وَنُرِيدُ أَنْ نَمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾ يَعْنِي: بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، ﴿وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً﴾ قَادَةً فِي الْخَيْرِ يُقْتَدَى بِهِمْ. وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: وُلَاةً وَمُلُوكًا، دَلِيلُهُ: قَوْلُهُ ﷿: "وَجَعَلَكُمْ مُلُوكًا" (الْمَائِدَةِ-٢٠) ، وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: دُعَاةً إِلَى الْخَيْرِ. ﴿وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ﴾ يَعْنِي: أَمْلَاكَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَقَوْمَهُ يَخْلُفُونَهُمْ فِي مَسَاكِنِهِمْ. ﴿وَنُمَكِّنَ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾ نُوَطِّنَ لَهُمْ فِي أَرْضِ مِصْرَ وَالشَّامِ، وَنَجْعَلَهَا لَهُمْ مَكَانًا يَسْتَقِرُّونَ فِيهِ، ﴿وَنُرِيَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا﴾ قَرَأَ الْأَعْمَشُ، وَحَمْزَةُ، وَالْكِسَائِيُّ: "وَيَرَى" بِالْيَاءِ وَفَتْحِهَا، ﴿فِرْعَوْنُ وَهَامَانُ وَجُنُودُهُمَا﴾ مَرْفُوعَاتٌ عَلَى أَنَّ الْفِعْلَ لَهُمْ، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِالنُّونِ وَضَمِّهَا، وَكَسْرِ الرَّاءِ، وَنَصْبِ الْيَاءِ وَنَصْبِ مَا بَعْدَهُ، بِوُقُوعِ الْفِعْلِ عَلَيْهِ، ﴿مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَحْذَرُونَ﴾ وَالْحَذَرُ هُوَ التَّوَقِّي مِنَ الضَّرَرِ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُمْ أُخْبِرُوا أَنَّ هَلَاكَهُمْ عَلَى يَدِ رَجُلٍ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَكَانُوا عَلَى وَجَلٍ مِنْهُ، فَأَرَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مَا كَانُوا يَحْذَرُونَ. ﴿وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى أُمِّ مُوسَى﴾ وَحْيَ إِلْهَامٍ لَا وَحْيَ نُبُوَّةٍ، قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: قَذَفْنَا فِي قَلْبِهَا (١) ، وَأُمُّ مُوسَى يُوخَابِذُ بِنْتُ لَاوِي بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ، ﴿أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ﴾ وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي مُدَّةِ الرَّضَاعِ، قِيلَ: ثَمَانِيَةُ أَشْهُرٍ. وَقِيلَ: أَرْبَعَةُ أَشْهُرٍ. وَقِيلَ: ثَلَاثَةُ أَشْهُرٍ كَانَتْ تُرْضِعُهُ فِي حِجْرِهَا، وَهُوَ لَا يَبْكِي وَلَا يَتَحَرَّكُ (٢) ، ﴿فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ﴾ يَعْنِي: مِنَ الذَّبْحِ، ﴿فَأَلْقِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ﴾ وَالْيَمُّ: الْبَحْرُ، وَأَرَادَ هَاهُنَا النِّيلَ، ﴿وَلَا تَخَافِي﴾ قِيلَ: لَا تَخَافِي عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْغَرَقِ، وَقِيلَ: مِنَ الضَّيْعَةِ، ﴿وَلَا تَحْزَنِي﴾ عَلَى فِرَاقِهِ، ﴿إِنَّا رَادُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ﴾ رَوَى عَطَاءٌ عَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄ قَالَ (٣) .

(١) انظر: الطبري: ٢٠ / ٢٩-٣٠. (٢) قال الإمام الطبري (٢٠ / ٣٠) : "وأولى قيل قيل في ذلك بالصواب، أن يقال: إن الله تعالى ذكره أمر أم موسى أن ترضعه، فإذا خافت عليه من عدو الله فرعون وجنده أن تلقيه في اليم، وجائز أن تكون خافتهم عليه بعد أشهر من ولادها إياه، وأي ذلك كان، فقد فعلت ما أوحى الله إليها فيه، ولا خبر قامت به حجة، ولا فطرة في العقل لبيان أي ذلك كان من أي، فأولى الأقوال في ذلك بالصحة أن يقال كما قال جل ثناؤه. واليم الذي أمرت أن تلقيه فيه هو النيل". (٣) رواية الضحاك عن ابن عباس منقطعة، لأنه لم يسمع من ابن عباس شيئا.