Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/251)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“They urge you to hasten the punishment; and were it not for an appointed term, the punishment would have come upon them. Yet it will surely come upon them suddenly, while they are unaware. (53) They urge you to hasten the punishment, but Hell will surely encompass the disbelievers. (54) On the Day when the punishment will envelop them from above them and from beneath their feet, He will say, ‘Taste the consequence of what you used to do.’ (55) O My believing servants, My earth is vast, so worship Me alone. (56)”

Regarding His saying, “They urge you to hasten the punishment,” this was revealed concerning al-Nadr ibn al-Harith when he said, “Rain down upon us stones from the sky.” (1)

“And were it not for an appointed term”: Ibn Abbas said: Were it not for My promise to you that I would not punish your people or annihilate them, and that I would defer their punishment until the Day of Resurrection—as He said, “Rather, the Hour is their appointed time” (al-Qamar 54:46)—the punishment would have come upon them. Al-Dahhak said: It refers to the span of their lives, for once they die, they pass into punishment. It was also said that it refers to the Day of Badr. “The punishment would have come upon them, yet it will surely come upon them”: that is, the punishment; and it was also said: the appointed term. “Suddenly, while they are unaware”: unaware of its coming.

“They urge you to hasten the punishment” is repeated for emphasis. “But Hell will surely encompass the disbelievers”: it will gather them all; none of them will fail to enter it.

“On the Day when the punishment will envelop them from above them and from beneath their feet”: that is, when the punishment envelops them, Hell will surround them, as He said, “They will have a bed of Hell beneath them and coverings above them” (al-Araf 7:41). “And He will say, ‘Taste’”: Nafi and the reciters of Kufah read it with a third-person verb, meaning that the one charged with administering their punishment will say to them, “Taste.” The others recited it with a first-person plural verb, because, since this occurs by His command, it is attributed to Him. “What you used to do”: that is, the recompense for what you used to do.

“O My believing servants, My earth is vast, so worship Me alone”: Muqatil and al-Kalbi said that this was revealed concerning the weak Muslims in Mecca. It means: If you are constrained in Mecca from openly professing faith, then leave it for the land of Medina. My earth—meaning Medina—is vast and secure. (2) Mujahid said: My earth, Medina, is vast; so emigrate and strive therein. (3) Sa'id ibn Jubayr said: If sins are committed in a land, then leave it, for My earth is vast. Ata said: If you are commanded to commit sins, then flee, for My earth is vast. Likewise, it is obligatory upon everyone who is in a town where

(1) See above, 3/351. (2) See Al-Bahr al-Muhit, 7/157; Al-Qurtubi, 13/357; Zad al-Masir, 6/281. (3) Reported by al-Tabari, 21/9.

﴿وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَلَوْلَا أَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى لَجَاءَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَيَأْتِيَنَّهُمْ بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ (٥٣) يَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ (٥٤) يَوْمَ يَغْشَاهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِنْ تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِمْ وَيَقُولُ ذُوقُوا مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ (٥٥) يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ أَرْضِيَ وَاسِعَةٌ فَإِيَّايَ فَاعْبُدُونِ (٥٦) ﴾ ﴿وَيَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ﴾ نَزَلَتْ فِي النَّضْرِ بْنِ الْحَارِثِ حِينَ قَالَ: فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ (١) ﴿وَلَوْلَا أَجَلٌ مُسَمًّى﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: مَا وَعَدْتُكَ أَنِّي لَا أُعَذِّبُ قَوْمَكَ وَلَا أَسْتَأْصِلُهُمْ وَأُؤَخِّرُ عَذَابَهُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ كَمَا قَالَ: "بَلِ السَّاعَةُ مَوْعِدُهُمْ" (الْقَمَرِ-٤٦) ، وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: مُدَّةُ أَعْمَارِهِمْ، لِأَنَّهُمْ إِذَا مَاتُوا صَارُوا إِلَى الْعَذَابِ، وَقِيلَ: يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ، ﴿لَجَاءَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ وَلَيَأْتِيَنَّهُمْ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْعَذَابَ وَقِيلَ الْأَجَلُ، ﴿بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ﴾ بِإِتْيَانِهِ. ﴿يَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ﴾ أَعَادَهُ تَأْكِيدًا، ﴿وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ﴾ جَامِعَةٌ لَهُمْ لَا يَبْقَى أَحَدٌ منهم إلا بدخلها. ﴿يَوْمَ يَغْشَاهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَمِنْ تَحْتِ أَرْجُلِهِمْ﴾ يَعْنِي: إِذَا غَشِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ أَحَاطَتْ بِهِمْ جَهَنَّمُ، كَمَا قَالَ: "لهم من جنهم مِهَادٌ وَمِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ غَوَاشٍ" (الْأَعْرَافِ-٤١) ، ﴿وَيَقُولُ ذُوقُوا﴾ قَرَأَ نَافِعٌ، وَأَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ: "وَيَقُولُ" بِالْيَاءِ، أَيْ: وَيَقُولُ لَهُمُ الْمُوَكَّلُ بِعَذَابِهِمْ: ذُوقُوا، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِالنُّونِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَمَّا كَانَ بِأَمْرِهِ نُسِبَ إِلَيْهِ، ﴿مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ أَيْ: جَزَاءَ مَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ. ﴿يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنَّ أَرْضِي وَاسِعَةٌ فَإِيَّايَ فَاعْبُدُونِ﴾ قَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ وَالْكَلْبِيُّ: نَزَلَتْ فِي ضُعَفَاءِ مُسْلِمِي مَكَّةَ، يَقُولُ: إِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِي ضِيقٍ بِمَكَّةَ مِنْ إِظْهَارِ الْإِيمَانِ فَاخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا إِلَى أَرْضِ الْمَدِينَةِ، إِنَّ أَرْضِيَ -يَعْنِي الْمَدِينَةَ-وَاسِعَةٌ آمِنَةٌ (٢) . قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: إِنَّ أَرْضِيَ الْمَدِينَةَ وَاسِعَةٌ فَهَاجِرُوا وَجَاهِدُوا فِيهَا (٣) . وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ: إِذَا عُمِلَ فِي أَرْضٍ بِالْمَعَاصِي فَاخْرُجُوا مِنْهَا فَإِنَّ أَرْضِيَ وَاسِعَةٌ. وَقَالَ عَطَاءٌ: إِذَا أُمِرْتُمْ بِالْمَعَاصِي فَاهْرُبُوا فَإِنَّ أَرْضِيَ وَاسِعَةٌ. وَكَذَلِكَ يَجِبُ عَلَى كُلِّ مَنْ كَانَ فِي بَلَدٍ يُعْمَلُ فِيهَا

(١) انظر فيما سبق: ٣ / ٣٥١. (٢) انظر: البحر المحيط: ٧ / ١٥٧، القرطبي: ١٣ / ٣٥٧، زاد المسير: ٦ / ٢٨١. (٣) أخرجه الطبري: ٢١ / ٩.