Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/203)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Safura, and she was the one who went to seek out Moses (1). “Provided that you work for me for eight years”: that is, that you serve as my hired worker for eight years. Al-Farra’ said: This means, “Let the compensation I receive for marrying her to you be that you pasture my sheep for eight years.” The Arabs say, “May Allah reward you for your service,” meaning, “May He recompense you.” The term hijaj means years; its singular is hijjah.

“If you complete ten, it will be of your own accord”: that is, if you complete ten years, that is a favor and voluntary act on your part; it is not obligatory upon you. “I do not wish to burden you”: that is, to oblige you to complete the full ten, unless you choose to do so voluntarily. “You will find me, if Allah wills, among the righteous.” Umar said: Meaning, in good companionship and in fulfilling what I have promised.

“Moses said, ‘That is between me and you. Whichever of the two terms I complete, there shall be no injustice against me. And Allah is Witness over what we say.’” (28)

Moses said, “That is between me and you”: that is, this condition stands between me and you. Whatever service you have stipulated for me belongs to you, and what you have stipulated regarding marriage to one of them belongs to me. The matter is settled between us. This concludes the statement. Then he said: “Whichever of the two terms I complete”: that is, whichever of the two terms; the word ma is merely supplementary. “I complete” means: I fulfill it and finish it—whether the eight or the ten years. “There shall be no injustice against me”: I am not to be wronged by being required to do more than either of them. “And Allah is Witness over what we say.” Ibn Abbas and Muqatil said: He is a witness concerning what is between you and me. It was also said: He is a guardian.

Abd al-Wahid ibn Ahmad al-Mulayhi related to us; Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Na‘imi related to us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf related to us; Muhammad ibn Isma‘il related to us; Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahim related to us; Sa‘id ibn Sulayman related to us; Marwan ibn Shuja‘ related to us, from Salim al-Aftas, from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, who said: A Jew from the people of al-Hirah asked me, “Which of the two terms did Moses fulfill?” I replied, “I do not know until I go to the most learned of the Arabs (3) and ask him.” So I went and asked Ibn Abbas. He said, “He fulfilled the longer and better of the two, for when a Messenger of Allah gives his word, he fulfills it.” (4)

It was also narrated from Abu Dharr, in a report traced back to the Prophet: “If you are asked which of the two terms Moses fulfilled, say: the better and more complete of them. And if you are asked which of the two women he married, say: the younger of them. She was the one who came and said, ‘My father, hire him.’ Thus, he married the younger of them and fulfilled the more complete term.” (5)

(1) See: al-Durr al-Manthur, 6/408; Zad al-Masir, 6/216-217; Ibn Kathir, 3/386. None of the hadiths identifies the names of the younger and elder daughters. Abu Dharr's marfu hadith, stating that he married the younger one, will follow. (2) In manuscript A: Ali. (3) In al-Bukhari: Hibr al-Arab (the learned man of the Arabs). (4) Narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Shahadat, chapter: “Whoever commands that a promise be fulfilled,” 5/289-290. What is meant by the Prophet's statement is whoever possessed this quality; he was not referring to any particular individual. (5) Narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Awsat, 2/19, and by al-Khatib in Tarikh Baghdad, 2/128. Al-Haythami stated (8/203): “It was narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Saghir and al-Awsat, and by al-Bazzar in abbreviated form. In al-Tabarani's chain is Uwayd ibn Abi Imran al-Jawni, whom Ibn Ma'in and others declared weak, though Ibn Hibban deemed him trustworthy. The rest of al-Tabarani's narrators are reliable.” See also 7/88. Ibn Kathir (3/387) likewise cited it through al-Bazzar, who said: “We know of no report from Abu Dharr except through this chain.” Its chain includes Uwayd. Ibn Abi Hatim also narrated it through him, with an unusual addition.

"صَفُّورَةُ"، وَهِيَ الَّتِي ذَهَبَتْ لِطَلَبِ مُوسَى (١) ، ﴿عَلَى أَنْ تَأْجُرَنِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ﴾ يَعْنِي: أَنْ تَكُونَ أَجِيرًا لِي ثَمَانِ سِنِينَ، قَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ: يَعْنِي: تَجْعَلُ ثَوَابِي مِنْ تَزْوِيجِهَا أَنْ تَرْعَى غَنَمِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ، تَقُولُ الْعَرَبَ: آجَرَكَ اللَّهُ بِأَجْرِكَ أَيْ: أَثَابَكَ، وَالْحِجَجُ: السُّنُونَ، وَاحِدَتُهَا حِجَّةٌ، ﴿فَإِنْ أَتْمَمْتَ عَشْرًا فَمِنْ عِنْدِكَ﴾ أَيْ: إِنْ أَتْمَمْتَ عَشْرَ سِنِينَ فَذَلِكَ تَفَضُّلٌ مِنْكَ وَتَبَرُّعٌ، لَيْسَ بِوَاجِبٍ عَلَيْكَ، ﴿وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَشُقَ عَلَيْكَ﴾ أَيْ: أُلْزِمَكَ تَمَامَ الْعَشْرِ إِلَّا أَنْ تَتَبَرَّعَ ﴿سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ﴾ قَالَ عُمَرُ: يَعْنِي: فِي حُسْنِ الصُّحْبَةِ وَالْوَفَاءِ بِمَا قُلْتَ. ﴿قَالَ ذَلِكَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ أَيَّمَا الْأَجَلَيْنِ قَضَيْتُ فَلَا عُدْوَانَ عَلَيَّ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ (٢٨) ﴾ ﴿قَالَ﴾ مُوسَى، ﴿ذَلِكَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ﴾ يَعْنِي: هَذَا الشَّرْطُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ، فَمَا شَرَطْتَ عَلَيَّ فَلَكَ وَمَا شَرَطْتَ مِنْ تَزْوِيجِ إِحْدَاهُمَا فَلِي (٢) ، وَالْأَمْرُ بَيْنَنَا، تَمَّ الْكَلَامُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: ﴿أَيَّمَا الْأَجَلَيْنِ قَضَيْتُ﴾ يَعْنِي: أَيَّ الْأَجَلَيْنِ: وَ"مَا" صِلَةٌ، "قَضَيْتُ": أَتْمَمْتُ وَفَرَغْتُ مِنْهُ، الثَّمَانِ أَوِ الْعَشْرِ، ﴿فَلَا عُدْوَانَ عَلَيَّ﴾ لَا ظُلْمَ عَلَيَّ بِأَنْ أُطَالَبَ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْهُمَا، ﴿وَاللَّهُ عَلَى مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَمُقَاتِلٌ: شَهِيدٌ فِيمَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ. وَقِيلَ: حَفِيظٌ. أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّعِيمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحِيمِ، أَخْبَرَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَرْوَانُ بْنُ شُجَاعٍ، عَنْ سَالِمٍ الْأَفْطَسِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، قَالَ: سَأَلَنِي يَهُودِيٌّ مَنْ أَهْلِ الْحِيْرَةِ: أَيُّ الْأَجَلَيْنِ قَضَى مُوسَى؟ قُلْتُ: لَا أَدْرِي حَتَّى أَقْدُمَ عَلَى خَيْرِ الْعَرَبِ (٣) فَأَسْأَلُهُ، فَقَدِمْتُ فَسَأَلْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: قَضَى أَكْثَرَهُمَا وَأَطْيَبَهُمَا، إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذَا قَالَ فَعَلَ (٤) وَرُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي ذَرٍّ مَرْفُوعًا: إِذَا سُئِلْتَ أَيُّ الْأَجَلَيْنِ قَضَى مُوسَى؟ فَقُلْ: خَيْرَهُمَا وَأَبَرَّهُمَا، وَإِذَا سُئِلَتَ: فَأَيُّ الْمَرْأَتَيْنِ تَزَوَّجَ؟ فَقُلِ: الصُّغْرَى مِنْهُمَا، وَهِيَ الَّتِي جَاءَتْ، فَقَالَتْ يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ، فَتَزَوَّجَ أَصْغَرَهُمَا وَقَضَى أَوْفَاهُمَا (٥) .

(١) انظر: الدر المنثور ٦ / ٤٠٨، زاد المسير: ٦ / ٢١٦-٢١٧، ابن كثير: ٣ / ٣٨٦، وليس في شيء من الأحاديث تعيين اسم الصغرى والكبرى. وسيأتي حديث أبي ذر مرفوعا في أنه تزوج الصغرى. (٢) في "أ": علي. (٣) في البخاري: حبر العرب. (٤) أخرجه البخاري في الشهادات، باب من أمر بإنجاز الوعد: ٥ / ٢٨٩-٢٩٠. والمراد بقوله: رسول الله ﷺ: من اتصف بذلك ولم يرد شخصا بعينه. (٥) أخرجه الطبراني في الأوسط: ٢ / ١٩، والخطيب في تاريخ بغداد: ٢ / ١٢٨. قال الهيثمي: (٨ / ٢٠٣) : "رواه الطبراني في الصغير والأوسط، والبزار باختصار، وفي إسناد الطبراني عويد بن أبي عمران الجوني ضعفه ابن معين وغيره، ووثقه ابن حبان، وبقية رجال الطبراني ثقات" وانظر: ٧ / ٨٨ أيضا وساقه ابن كثير (٣ / ٣٨٧) من رواية البزار الذي قال: "لا نعلم يروى عن أبي ذر إلا بهذا الإسناد" وفي إسناده "عويد.." ومن حديثه رواه ابن أبي حاتم وفيه زيادة غريبة.