Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/202)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Dinar, said: When Moses heard this, he did not wish to go; but he was hungry and had no choice but to go. The woman walked ahead, with Moses walking behind her. As the wind blew against her garment, it outlined her figure, and Moses disliked seeing that of her. So he said to her, “Walk behind me and direct me to the road if I take a wrong turn.” She did so. When he entered upon Shuayb, he found that dinner had been prepared. Shuayb said, “Sit down, young man, and have dinner.” Moses said, “I seek refuge in Allah.” Shuayb said, “Why is that? Are you not hungry?” He replied, “Yes, but I fear that this may be compensation for what I did in watering their flocks; and we are a household that does not seek worldly compensation for any deed of the Hereafter.” Shuayb said to him, “No, by Allah, young man. Rather, it is my custom and the custom of my forefathers: we honor the guest and provide food.” So Moses sat and ate (1).

“When he came to him and related his story to him”: that is, he told him his entire story, including his killing of the Egyptian and Pharaoh’s intention to kill him. “He said, ‘Have no fear. You have escaped from the wrongdoing people’”: that is, Pharaoh and his people. He said this because Pharaoh had no authority over Midian.

“One of the two women said, ‘O my father, hire him. Indeed, the best person you can hire is the strong and trustworthy.’ He said, ‘I wish to marry you to one of these two daughters of mine, provided that you work for me for eight years. If you complete ten, it will be of your own accord. I do not wish to burden you. You will find me, if Allah wills, among the righteous.’” (26–27)

“One of the two women said, ‘O my father, hire him’”: that is, employ him to tend our sheep. “Indeed, the best person you can hire is the strong and trustworthy”: meaning, the best person you employ is one who is capable of doing the work and fulfills the trust. Her father said to her, “How do you know of his strength and trustworthiness?” She replied, “As for his strength, he lifted a stone from the mouth of the well which only ten men could lift.” It was also said: only forty men could lift it. “As for his trustworthiness, he told me, ‘Walk behind me, so that the wind does not outline your body.’”

Shuayb then said, “I wish to marry you to one of these two daughters of mine.” According to Shuayb al-Jubba'i, their names were Safura and Liya. Ibn Ishaq said that they were Safura and Sharqa. Others said that the elder was Safra and the younger Sufayra. It was said that he married him to the elder. Most held that he married him to the younger of the two, and her name was

(1) Al-Suyuti attributed it in al-Durr al-Manthur (6/407) to Ibn Asakir, on the authority of Abu Hazim. Reports narrated solely by Ibn Asakir are weak. Al-Suyuti stated in the introduction to Zawa'id al-Jami al-Saghir: “Everything attributed to Ibn Adi in al-Kamil, al-Khatib in al-Tarikh, al-Uqayli in al-Du'afa, and Ibn Asakir is weak.”

دِينَارٍ: لَمَّا سَمِعَ ذَلِكَ مُوسَى أَرَادَ أَنْ لَا يَذْهَبَ، وَلَكِنْ كَانَ جَائِعًا فَلَمْ يَجِدْ بُدًا مِنَ الذَّهَابِ، فَمَشَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ وَمَشَى مُوسَى خَلْفَهَا، فَكَانَتِ الرِّيحُ تَضْرِبُ ثَوْبَهَا فَتَصِفُ رِدْفَهَا، فَكَرِهُ مُوسَى أَنْ يَرَى ذَلِكَ مِنْهَا، فَقَالَ لَهَا: امْشِي خَلْفِي وَدُلِّينِي عَلَى الطَّرِيقِ إِنْ أَخْطَأْتُ، فَفَعَلَتْ ذَلِكَ، فَلِمَا دَخَلَ عَلَى شُعَيْبٍ إِذَا هُوَ بِالْعَشَاءِ مُهَيَّأً، فَقَالَ: اجْلِسْ يَا شَابُّ فَتَعَشَّ، فَقَالَ مُوسَى: أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ، فَقَالَ شُعَيْبٌ: وَلِمَ ذَاكَ أَلَسْتَ بِجَائِعٍ؟ قَالَ: بَلَى، وَلَكِنْ أَخَافُ أَنْ يَكُونَ هَذَا عِوَضًا لِمَا سَقَيْتُ لَهُمَا، وَإِنَّا مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتٍ لَا نَطْلُبُ عَلَى عَمَلٍ مِنْ أَعْمَالِ الْآخِرَةِ عِوَضًا مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، فَقَالَ لَهُ شُعَيْبٌ: لَا وَاللَّهِ يَا شَابُّ، وَلَكِنَّهَا عَادَتِي وَعَادَةُ آبَائِي، نُقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، وَنُطْعِمُ الطَّعَامَ، فَجَلَسَ مُوسَى وَأَكَلَ (١) . ﴿فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ وَقَصَّ عَلَيْهِ الْقَصَصَ﴾ يَعْنِي: أَمْرَهُ أَجْمَعَ مِنْ قَتْلِهِ الْقِبْطِيَّ وَقَصْدِ فِرْعَوْنَ قَتْلَهُ، ﴿قَالَ لَا تَخَفْ نَجَوْتَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾ يَعْنِي: فِرْعَوْنَ وَقَوْمَهُ، وَإِنَّمَا قَالَ هَذَا لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ لِفِرْعَوْنَ سُلْطَانٌ عَلَى مَدْيَنَ. ﴿قَالَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَأْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ الْأَمِينُ (٢٦) قَالَ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُنْكِحَكَ إِحْدَى ابْنَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ عَلَى أَنْ تَأْجُرَنِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ فَإِنْ أَتْمَمْتَ عَشْرًا فَمِنْ عِنْدِكَ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَيْكَ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (٢٧) ﴾ ﴿قَالَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ﴾ اتَّخِذْهُ أَجِيرًا لِيَرْعَى أَغْنَامَنَا، ﴿إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَأْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ الْأَمِينُ﴾ يَعْنِي: خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَعْمَلْتَ مَنْ قَوِيَ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ وَأَدَّى الْأَمَانَةَ، فَقَالَ لَهَا أَبُوهَا: وَمَا عِلْمُكِ بِقُوَّتِهِ وَأَمَانَتِهِ؟ قَالَتْ: أَمَّا قُوَّتُهُ: فَإِنَّهُ رَفَعَ حَجَرًا مِنْ رَأْسِ الْبِئْرِ لَا يَرْفَعُهُ إِلَّا عَشَرَةٌ. وَقِيلَ: إِلَّا أَرْبَعُونَ رَجُلًا وَأَمَّا أَمَانَتُهُ: فَإِنَّهُ قَالَ لِي امْشِي خَلْفِي حَتَّى لَا تَصِفَ الرِّيحُ بَدَنَكِ. ﴿قَالَ﴾ شُعَيْبٌ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ: ﴿إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُنْكِحَكَ إِحْدَى ابْنَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ﴾ وَاسْمُهَا "صَفُّورَةُ" وَ"لَيَا" فِي قَوْلِ شُعَيْبٍ الْجُبَّائِيِّ، وَقَالَ ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: "صَفُّورَةُ" وَ"شَرْقًا" وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُمَا: الْكُبْرَى "صَفْرَاءُ" وَالصُّغْرَى "صُفَيْرَاءُ". وَقِيلَ زَوَّجَهُ الْكُبْرَى. وَذَهَبَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ إِلَى أَنَّهُ زَوَّجَهُ الصُّغْرَى مِنْهُمَا وَاسْمُهَا

(١) عزاه السيوطي في الدر (٦ / ٤٠٧) لابن عساكر عن أبي حازم، وما انفرد به ابن عساكر من الرواية فهو ضعيف، قال السيوطي في مقدمة زوائد الجامع الصغير: كل ما عزي لابن عدي في الكامل والخطيب في التاريخ والعقيلي في الضعفاء وابن عساكر.. فهو ضعيف.