Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/191)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

The Children of Israel, when they grew numerous in Egypt, became overbearing toward the people, committed sins, and neither enjoined what is right nor forbade what is wrong. So Allah gave the Copts power over them, and they oppressed them until He saved them at the hand of His Prophet.

Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: When Moses’ mother’s delivery drew near, one of the midwives whom Pharaoh had appointed over the pregnant women of the Children of Israel was a close friend of Moses’ mother. When labour came upon her, she sent for her and said, “What has come upon me has come; let your affection for me benefit me today.” The midwife assisted her in giving birth, and when Moses came forth upon the ground, a light between his eyes filled her with awe. Every joint in her body trembled, and love for Moses entered her heart.

Then she said to her, “Woman, when you summoned me, I came to you intending only to kill your newborn. Yet I have found in this son of yours a love unlike any love I have ever felt for anything. So guard your son, for I believe that he is our enemy.” When the midwife left her, some watchers caught sight of her, and they came to her door intending to enter upon Moses’ mother. His sister said, “Mother, the guards are at the door!” (1) So she wrapped Moses in a rag and placed him in the blazing oven. She lost her senses and did not know what she was doing.

He said: They entered and found the oven blazing. They saw that Moses’ mother’s complexion had not changed and that no milk had appeared in her breasts. They said to her, “Why did the midwife come into your house?” She replied, “She is a close friend of mine and came to visit me.” So they left her. Then her senses returned, and she said to Moses’ sister, “Where is the boy?” She replied, “I do not know.” Then she heard the boy crying from within the oven, and hurried to him. Allah had made the fire cool and safe for him, so she picked him up. (2)

He said: Then, when Moses’ mother saw Pharaoh’s relentless pursuit of the children, she feared for her son. Allah placed it in her heart to make a small chest for him and then cast it into the river—that is, the Nile. She went to a carpenter from Pharaoh’s people and bought a small chest from him. The carpenter asked her, “What are you going to do with this chest?” She replied, “I have a son whom I shall hide in it.” She disliked lying, but did not say, “I fear Pharaoh’s plotting against him.”

After she had bought the chest, carried it away, and departed with it, the carpenter went to the slaughterers to inform them of Moses’ mother’s affair. But when he was about to speak, Allah held back his tongue, and he was unable to speak. He began gesturing with his hand, but the officials did not understand what he was saying. When his case perplexed them, their chief said, “Beat him!” So they beat him and drove him out.

When the carpenter returned to his place, Allah restored his speech to him, and he spoke. He again went to the officials, intending to inform them, but when he came to tell them, Allah took away his speech and sight: he could neither speak nor see anything. They beat him and drove him out. He fell into a valley, wandering about in bewilderment. He then made a pledge to Allah that, if He restored his speech and sight, he would not reveal his whereabouts and would remain with him, protecting him wherever ⦗61a⦘ he might be. Allah knew his sincerity, so He restored his speech and sight, and he fell down before Allah (3)

(1) In manuscript A: “the guard.” (2) Al-Qurtubi also attributes this to Wahb. It appears to have been taken from the Isra'iliyyat (reports from the People of the Book), for Wahb incorporated many of their narrations into Quranic exegesis, as al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir stated. (3) Omitted from manuscript A.

إِنَّ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ لَمَّا كَثُرُوا بِمِصْرَ، اسْتَطَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ، وَعَمِلُوا بِالْمَعَاصِي، وَلَمْ يَأْمُرُوا بالمعروف ولم ينهو عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ، فَسَلَّطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِبْطَ فَاسْتَضْعَفُوهُمْ إِلَى أَنْ أَنْجَاهُمْ عَلَى يَدِ نَبِيِّهِ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄: إِنَّ أُمَّ مُوسَى لَمَّا تَقَارَبَتْ وِلَادَتُهَا، وَكَانَتْ قَابِلَةٌ مِنَ الْقَوَابِلِ الَّتِي وَكَّلَهُنَّ فِرْعَوْنُ بِحُبَالَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مُصَافِيَةً لِأُمِّ مُوسَى، فَلَمَّا ضَرَبَ بِهَا الطَّلْقُ أَرْسَلَتْ إِلَيْهَا فَقَالَتْ: قَدْ نَزَلَ بِي مَا نَزَلَ، فَلْيَنْفَعْنِي حُبُّكِ إِيَّايَ الْيَوْمَ، قَالَتْ: فَعَالَجَتْ قُبَالَتَهَا، فَلَمَّا أَنْ وَقَعَ مُوسَى بِالْأَرْضِ هَالَهَا نُورٌ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْ مُوسَى، فَارْتَعَشَ كُلُّ مَفْصِلٍ مِنْهَا، وَدَخَلَ حُبُّ مُوسَى قَلْبَهَا. ثُمَّ قَالَتْ لَهَا: يَا هَذَا مَا جِئْتُ إِلَيْكِ حِينَ دَعَوْتِنِي إِلَّا وَمِنْ رَأْيِي قَتْلُ مَوْلُودِكِ، وَلَكِنْ وَجَدْتُ لِابْنِكِ هَذَا حُبًّا مَا وَجَدْتُ حُبَّ شَيْءٍ مِثْلَ حُبِّهِ، فَاحْفَظِي ابْنَكِ فَإِنِّي أَرَاهُ هُوَ عَدُوُّنَا، فَلَّمَا خَرَجَتِ الْقَابِلَةُ مِنْ عِنْدِهَا أَبْصَرَهَا بَعْضُ الْعُيُونِ، فَجَاءُوا إِلَى بَابِهَا لِيَدْخُلُوا عَلَى أُمِّ مُوسَى، فَقَالَتْ أُخْتُهُ يَا أُمَّاهُ هَذَا الْحَرَسُ (١) بِالْبَابِ، فَلَفَّتْ مُوسَى فِي خِرْقَةٍ، فَوَضَعَتْهُ فِي التَّنُّورِ وَهُوَ مَسْجُورٌ، وَطَاشَ عَقْلُهَا، فَلَمْ تَعْقِلْ مَا تَصْنَعُ. قَالَ: فَدَخَلُوا فَإِذَا التَّنُّورُ مَسْجُورٌ، وَرَأَوْا أُمَّ مُوسَى لَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ لَهَا لَوْنٌ وَلَمْ يَظْهَرْ لَهَا لَبَنٌ، فَقَالُوا لَهَا: مَا أَدْخَلَ عَلَيْكِ الْقَابِلَةَ؟ قَالَتْ: هِيَ مُصَافِيَةٌ لِي فَدَخَلَتْ عَلَيَّ زَائِرَةً، فَخَرَجُوا مِنْ عِنْدِهَا، فَرَجَعَ إِلَيْهَا عَقْلُهَا فَقَالَتْ لِأُخْتِ مُوسَى: فَأَيْنَ الصَّبِيُّ؟ قَالَتْ لَا أَدْرِي، فَسَمِعَتْ بُكَاءَ الصَّبِيِّ مِنَ التَّنُّورِ فَانْطَلَقَتْ إِلَيْهِ وَقَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ ﷾ النَّارَ عَلَيْهِ بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا، فَاحْتَمَلَتْهُ (٢) قَالَ: ثُمَّ إِنَّ أُمَّ مُوسَى لَمَّا رَأَتْ إِلْحَاحَ فِرْعَوْنَ فِي طَلَبِ الْوِلْدَانِ خَافَتْ عَلَى ابْنِهَا، فَقَذَفَ اللَّهُ فِي نَفْسِهَا أَنْ تَتَّخِذَ لَهُ تَابُوتًا ثُمَّ تَقْذِفَ التَّابُوتَ فِي الْيَمِّ وَهُوَ النِّيلُ، فَانْطَلَقَتْ إِلَى رَجُلٍ نَجَّارٍ مِنْ قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ فَاشْتَرَتْ مِنْهُ تَابُوتًا صَغِيرًا، فَقَالَ لَهَا النَّجَّارُ: مَا تَصْنَعِينَ بِهَذَا التَّابُوتِ؟ قَالَتْ: ابْنٌ لِي أُخَبِّئُهُ فِي التَّابُوتِ، وَكَرِهَتِ الْكَذِبَ، قَالَ وَلَمْ تَقُلْ: أَخْشَى عَلَيْهِ كَيْدَ فِرْعَوْنَ، فَلَمَّا اشْتَرَتِ التَّابُوتَ وَحَمَلَتْهُ وَانْطَلَقَتْ بِهِ انْطَلَقَ النَّجَّارُ إِلَى الذَّبَّاحِينَ لِيُخْبِرَهُمْ بِأَمْرِ أُمِّ مُوسَى، فَلَمَّا هَمَّ بِالْكَلَامِ أَمْسَكَ اللَّهُ لِسَانَهُ فَلَمْ يُطِقِ الْكَلَامَ، وَجَعَلَ يُشِيرُ بِيَدِهِ فَلَمْ يَدْرِ الْأُمَنَاءُ مَا يَقُولُ، فَلَمَّا أَعْيَاهُمْ أَمْرُهُ قَالَ كَبِيرُهُمْ: اضْرِبُوهُ فَضَرَبُوهُ وَأَخْرَجُوهُ، فَلَمَّا انْتَهَى النَّجَّارُ إِلَى مَوْضِعِهِ رَدَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ لِسَانَهُ فَتَكَلَّمَ، فَانْطَلَقَ أَيْضًا يُرِيدُ الْأُمَنَاءَ فَأَتَاهُمْ لِيُخْبِرَهُمْ فَأَخَذَ اللَّهُ لِسَانَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ فَلَمْ يُطِقِ الْكَلَامَ وَلَمْ يُبْصِرْ شَيْئًا، فَضَرَبُوهُ وَأَخْرَجُوهُ، فَوَقَعَ فِي وَادٍ يَهْوِي فِيهِ حَيْرَانَ، فَجَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ رَدَّ لِسَانَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ أَنْ لَا يَدُلَّ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْ يَكُونَ مَعَهُ يحفظه حيث ٦١/أمَا كَانَ، فَعَرَفَ اللَّهُ مِنْهُ الصِّدْقَ فَرَدَّ عَلَيْهِ لِسَانَهَ وَبَصَرَهُ فَخَرَّ لِلَّهِ (٣)

(١) في "أ": الحارس. (٢) ذكره القرطبي أيضا عن وهب، وهو فيما يظهر متلقى عن أخبار أهل الكتاب، فإن وهبا أدخل في التفسير كثيرا من مروياتهم كما قال الحافظ ابن كثير ﵀. (٣) ساقط من "أ".