Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/243)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“The example of those who take protectors besides Allah is that of the spider which makes a house; but indeed the frailest of houses is the house of the spider, if only they knew. Allah knows whatever they invoke besides Him, and He is the Almighty, the All-Wise. Such are the parables We set forth for people, but none understand them except those endowed with knowledge.”

“The example of those who take protectors besides Allah”: that is, idols, from whom they hope for support and benefit. “Is that of the spider which makes a house” for itself, in which it takes shelter. Yet its house is exceedingly weak and frail: it protects it neither from heat nor from cold. Likewise, idols possess neither benefit nor harm for their worshippers. “But indeed the frailest of houses is the house of the spider, if only they knew.”

“Allah knows whatever they invoke besides Him, and He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.” The people of Basra and Asim recited it in the third-person form, in reference to the nations mentioned before it; the others recited it in the second-person form.

“Such are the parables”: that is, comparisons. A parable is a widely circulated statement that entails comparing one thing to another. What is meant is the parables of the Quran, by which He compares the conditions of the disbelievers of this community with those of the disbelievers among the earlier nations. “We set them forth”: We make them clear. “For people”: Muqatil said, “For the disbelievers of Mecca.” “But none understand them except those endowed with knowledge”: that is, none understand these parables except the scholars who receive understanding from Allah.

Abu Sa‘id al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Tha‘labi informed us; Ibn Fanjawayh informed me; Ibn Barzah informed us; al-Harith ibn Abi Usamah informed us; Dawud ibn al-Muhabbir informed us; ‘Abbad ibn Kathir informed us, from Ibn Jurayj, from ‘Ata’ and Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, recited this verse: “Such are the parables We set forth for people, but none understand them except those endowed with knowledge.” He said: “The scholar is the one who receives understanding from Allah, acts in obedience to Him, and avoids that which incurs His wrath.” (1)

(1) It was transmitted by Dawud ibn al-Muhabbar in Kitab al-Aql (The Book of Intellect), and through him by al-Harith ibn Abi Usamah in his Musnad (Bughyat al-Bahith, no. 1030), on the authority of Jabir. It was also cited by al-Tha'labi and al-Baghawi in their tafsirs, and by al-Wahidi through al-Harith. Ibn al-Jawzi included it in al-Mawdu'at (Fabricated Reports), as did Ibn Iraq in Tanzih al-Sharia 'an al-Akhbar al-Shania wa-al-Mawdua (Declaring the Sharia Free of Repugnant and Fabricated Reports). Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned it in al-Matalib al-Aliya, 3/215, among the hadiths from Dawud ibn al-Muhabbar's Book of Intellect, stating: “Al-Harith ibn Abi Usamah included them in his Musnad, and all of them are fabricated; none of them is authentic.” See: al-Kafi al-Shaf, p. 127; al-Matalib al-Aliya, 3/213, 214, and 216; al-Fath al-Samawi by al-Manawi, 2/896-897; Tanzih al-Sharia by Ibn Iraq, 1/214.

﴿مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ (٤١) إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (٤٢) وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ (٤٣) ﴾ ﴿مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْأَصْنَامَ، يَرْجُونَ نَصْرَهَا وَنَفْعَهَا، ﴿كَمَثَلِ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا﴾ لِنَفْسِهَا تَأْوِي إِلَيْهِ، وَإِنَّ بَيْتَهَا فِي غَايَةِ الضَّعْفِ وَالْوَهَاءِ، لَا يَدْفَعُ عَنْهَا حَرًّا وَلَا بَرْدًا، وَكَذَلِكَ الأوثان لا تمللك لعباديها نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا. ﴿وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ﴾ ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ﴾ قَرَأَ أَهْلُ الْبَصْرَةِ، وَعَاصِمٌ: "يَدْعُونَ" بِالْيَاءِ لِذِكْرِ الْأُمَمِ قَبْلَهَا، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِالتَّاءِ. ﴿وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ﴾ الْأَشْبَاهُ وَالْمَثَلُ: كَلَامٌ سَائِرٌ يَتَضَمَّنُ تَشْبِيهَ الْآخِرِ بِالْأَوَّلِ، يُرِيدُ: أَمْثَالَ الْقُرْآنِ الَّتِي شَبَّهَ بِهَا أَحْوَالَ كُفَّارِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بِأَحْوَالِ كُفَّارِ الْأُمَمِ الْمُتَقَدِّمَةِ، ﴿نَضْرِبُهَا﴾ نُبَيِّنُهَا، ﴿لِلنَّاسِ﴾ قَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: لِكُفَّارِ مَكَّةَ، ﴿وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ﴾ أَيْ: مَا يَعْقِلُ الْأَمْثَالَ إِلَّا الْعُلَمَاءُ الَّذِينَ يَعْقِلُونَ عَنِ اللَّهِ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الشُّرَيْحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الثَّعْلَبِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ فَنْجُوَيْهِ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ بَرْزَةَ، أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَارِثُ بْنُ أَبِي أُسَامَةَ، أَخْبَرَنَا دَاوُدُ بْنُ الْمُحَبَّرِ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبَّادُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ عَنْ عَطَاءٍ وَأَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ تَلَا هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ: ﴿وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَ﴾ قَالَ: "الْعَالِمُ مَنْ عَقِلَ عَنِ اللَّهِ فَعَمِلَ بِطَاعَتِهِ وَاجْتَنَبَ سَخَطَهُ" (١) .

(١) أخرجه داود بن المحبر في كتاب "العقل"، ومن طريقه الحارث بن أبي أسامة في مسنده (بغية الباحث برقم ١٠٣٠) من حديث جابر، والثعلبي والبغوي في التفسير، والواحدي من طريق الحارث. وأورده ابن الجوزي في "الموضوعات" وابن عراق في "تنزيه الشريعة عن الأخبار الشنيعة والموضوعة". وذكره الحافظ ابن حجر في "المطالب العالية" (٣ / ٢١٥) في أحاديث من كتاب العقل لداود بن المحبر وقال: أودعها الحارث ابن أبي أسامة في مسنده، وهي موضوعة كلها، لا يثبت منها شيء. انظر: الكافي الشاف ص (١٢٧) ، المطالب العالية: ٣ / ٢١٣ و٢١٤ و٢١٦، الفتح السماوي للمناوي: ٢ / ٨٩٦-٨٩٧، تنزيه الشريعة لابن عراق: ١ / ٢١٤.