Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/201)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Ibn Ishaq said: Moses pressed through the people and moved them away from the mouth of the well, then watered the two women’s sheep. It is also related that, when the people had returned with their sheep, they covered the mouth of the well with a stone which only ten men could lift. Moses came, lifted the stone by himself, and watered the two women’s sheep. It is said that he drew a single large bucketful and prayed for blessing in it, and all the sheep drank their fill from it (1). This is indicated by His saying:

“So he watered their flocks for them, then withdrew into the shade.”

“So he watered their flocks for them, then withdrew into the shade and said, ‘My Lord, I am truly in need of whatever good You may send down to me.’ Then one of the two women came to him, walking modestly. She said, ‘My father invites you so that he may reward you for watering our flocks for us.’ When he came to him and related his story to him, he said, ‘Have no fear. You have escaped from the wrongdoing people.’” (24–25)

“So he watered their flocks for them, then withdrew into the shade”: the shade of a tree. He sat in its shade because of the intense heat, while he was hungry. “My Lord, I am truly in need of whatever good You may send down to me”: that is, food. “Truly in need”: the linguists say that the preposition lām here carries the sense of ilā (“to”); in Arabic, one may say that a person is needy using either construction. Thus, he meant: I am needy and in want of whatever good—namely, food—You may send down to me. He was asking for food because of his hunger.

Ibn Abbas said: He asked Allah Most High for a piece of bread with which to sustain himself. Al-Baqir said: He said this while he was in need even of half a date. Sa‘id ibn Jubayr reported from Ibn Abbas: Moses said, “My Lord, I am truly in need of whatever good You may send down to me,” although he was among Allah’s most honored creatures, yet he was reduced to needing half a date. Mujahid said: He asked Him for nothing but bread (2).

They said: When the two women returned to their father early, before the other people, with their sheep full-uddered and well-fed, he said to them, “What has brought you back so quickly?” They replied, “We found a righteous man who took pity on us and watered our sheep for us.” He said to one of them, “Go and invite him to come to me.”

Allah Most High says: “Then one of the two women came to him, walking modestly.” Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said: She was not one of those brazen women who constantly go out and come in (3). Rather, she came veiled, having drawn the sleeve of her garment over her face out of modesty. “She said, ‘My father invites you so that he may reward you for watering our flocks for us.’” Abu Hazim, Salamah ibn

(1) Al-Firyabi, Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf, Abd ibn Humayd, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, and al-Hakim—who graded it authentic—narrated a report from Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, concerning this matter. Ibn Kathir cited it in abbreviated form. See: al-Musannaf, 11/530-531; al-Mustadrak, 2/407; al-Tabari, 20/64; al-Durr al-Manthur, 6/405; and Ibn Kathir, 3/385. None of the reports cited by the Quran commentators contains a hadith traceable to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, concerning indications of Musa's strength, such as his lifting the stone covering the well, which, they claimed, could only be lifted by twenty, forty, or more or fewer men. Rather, the shepherds were watering their flocks, and Musa either moved them aside and watered for the two women, or watered for them alongside the shepherds. Nor is there any need for the reports related by many commentators as supposed indications of his trustworthiness—namely, that he told the young woman, “Walk behind me and direct me to the road,” lest he see her. All of this is needless contrivance and an attempt to dispel a suspicion that does not exist. Musa, peace be upon him, was chaste in his gaze and pure in disposition, and she was likewise. Chastity and trustworthiness do not require all this contrivance; rather, chastity is evident in ordinary, simple conduct, without affectation or artifice. See: Fi Zilal al-Quran, 5/2687-2688. (2) See these reports in al-Durr al-Manthur, 6/406-407. Allah knows best concerning all of this, for none of them contains a report from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. (3) A salfa woman is one who is brazen toward men and sharp-tongued.

وَقَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: إِنَّ مُوسَى زَاحَمَ الْقَوْمَ وَنَحَّاهُمْ عَنْ رَأْسِ الْبِئْرِ، فَسَقَى غَنَمَ الْمَرْأَتَيْنِ. وَيُرْوَى: أَنَّ الْقَوْمَ لَمَّا رَجَعُوا بِأَغْنَامِهِمْ غَطَّوْا رَأْسَ الْبِئْرِ بِحَجَرٍ لَا يَرْفَعُهُ إِلَّا عَشَرَةُ نَفَرٍ، فَجَاءَ مُوسَى وَرَفَعَ الْحَجَرَ وَحْدَهُ، وَسَقَى غَنَمَ الْمَرْأَتَيْنِ. وَيُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ نَزَعَ ذَنُوبًا وَاحِدًا وَدَعَا فِيهِ بِالْبَرَكَةِ، فَرَوَى مِنْهُ جَمِيعُ الْغَنَمِ (١) ، فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ: ﴿فَسَقَى لَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى إِلَى الظِّلِّ﴾ ﴿فَسَقَى لَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى إِلَى الظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ (٢٤) فَجَاءَتْهُ إِحْدَاهُمَا تَمْشِي عَلَى اسْتِحْيَاءٍ قَالَتْ إِنَّ أَبِي يَدْعُوكَ لِيَجْزِيَكَ أَجْرَ مَا سَقَيْتَ لَنَا فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ وَقَصَّ عَلَيْهِ الْقَصَصَ قَالَ لَا تَخَفْ نَجَوْتَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ (٢٥) ﴾ ﴿فَسَقَى لَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى إِلَى الظِّلِّ﴾ ظِلِّ شَجَرَةٍ، فَجَلَسَ فِي ظِلِّهَا مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْحَرِّ وَهُوَ جَائِعٌ، ﴿فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ﴾ طَعَامٍ، ﴿فَقِيرٌ﴾ قَالَ أَهْلُ اللُّغَةِ اللَّامُ بِمَعْنَى "إِلَى"، يُقَالُ: هُوَ فَقِيرٌ لَهُ، وَفَقِيرٌ إِلَيْهِ، يَقُولُ: إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ، أَيْ: طَعَامٍ، فَقِيرٌ مُحْتَاجٌ، كَانَ يَطْلُبُ الطَّعَامَ لِجُوعِهِ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: سَأَلَ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى فِلْقَةَ خُبْزٍ يُقِيمُ بِهَا صُلْبَهُ. قَالَ الْبَاقِرُ: لَقَدْ قَالَهَا وَإِنَّهُ لَمُحْتَاجٌ إِلَى شِقِّ تَمْرَةٍ. وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: لَقَدْ قَالَ مُوسَى: ﴿رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ﴾ وَهُوَ أَكْرَمُ خَلْقِهِ عَلَيْهِ، وَلَقَدِ افْتَقَرَ إِلَى شِقِّ تَمْرَةٍ. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: مَا سَأَلَهُ إِلَّا الْخُبْزَ (٢) . قَالُوا: فَلَمَّا رَجَعَتَا إِلَى أَبِيهِمَا سَرِيعًا قَبْلَ النَّاسِ وَأَغْنَامُهُمَا حُفَّلٌ بِطَانٌ، قَالَ لَهُمَا: مَا أَعَجَلَكُمَا؟ قَالَتَا: وَجَدْنَا رَجُلًا صَالِحًا رَحِمَنَا فَسَقَى لَنَا أَغْنَامَنَا، فَقَالَ لِإِحْدَاهُمَا: اذْهَبِي فَادْعِيهِ لِي. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَجَاءَتْهُ إِحْدَاهُمَا تَمْشِي عَلَى اسْتِحْيَاءٍ﴾ قَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ ﵁: لَيْسَتْ بِسَلْفَعٍ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ (٣) خَرَّاجَةً وَلَّاجَةً، وَلَكِنْ جَاءَتْ مُسْتَتِرَةً قَدْ وَضَعَتْ كُمَّ دِرْعِهَا عَلَى وَجْهِهَا اسْتِحْيَاءً، ﴿قَالَتْ إِنَّ أَبِي يَدْعُوكَ لِيَجْزِيَكَ أَجْرَ مَا سَقَيْتَ لَنَا﴾ قَالَ أَبُو حَازِمٍ سَلَمَةُ بْنُ

(١) أخرج الفريابي، وابن أبي شيبة في "المصنف"، وعبد بن حميد وابن المنذر، وابن المنذر، وابن أبي حاتم، والحاكم -وصححه- عن عمر ابن الخطاب رضي عنه أثرا في ذلك، وساقه ابن كثير مختصرا. انظر: المصنف: ١١ / ٥٣٠-٥٣١، المستدرك: ٢ / ٤٠٧، الطبري: ٢٠ / ٦٤، الدر المنثور: ٦ / ٤٠٥، وابن كثير: ٣ / ٣٨٥، وليس في شيء من الروايات التي ساقها المفسرون أي: حديث مرفوع إلى النبي ﷺ في دلائل قوة موسى ﵇، كرفع الحجر الذي يغطي البئر، وكان لا يرفعه -فيما قالوا- إلا عشرون أو أربعون أو أكثر أو أقل ... إنما كان الرعاء يسقون فنحاهم موسى وسقى للمرأتين أو سقى لهما مع الرعاء. ولا حاجة لما رواه كثير من المفسرين عن دلائل أمانته من قوله للفتاة: امشي خلفي ودليني على الطريق خوف أن يراها.. فهذا كله تكلف لا داعي له، ودفع لريبة لا وجود لها، وموسى ﵇ عفيف النظر، نظيف الحس، وهي كذلك، والعفة والأمانة لا تحتاجان لكل هذا التكلف، فالعفة تنضح في التصرف العادي البسيط بلا تكلف ولا اصطناع!. انظر: في ظلال القرآن: ٥ / ٢٦٨٧-٢٦٨٨. (٢) انظر هذه الروايات في الدر المنثور: ٦ / ٤٠٦-٤٠٧، والله أعلم بهذا كله، فليس في شيء منها خبر عن النبي ﷺ. (٣) السلفع من النساء: الجريئة على الرجال، السليطة.