Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/286)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

—Exalted is He—:

“We certainly gave Luqman wisdom: ‘Be grateful to Allah. Whoever is grateful is grateful only for his own benefit; and whoever is ungrateful, then Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.’” (12)

“We certainly gave Luqman wisdom” means intellect, knowledge, acting upon it, and sound judgment in matters. Muhammad ibn Ishaq said: He was Luqman ibn Na‘ur ibn Nahur ibn Tarih, who was Azar. Wahb said: He was the son of Job’s sister (1). Muqatil said: It is mentioned that he was Job’s maternal cousin (2). (3) Al-Waqidi said: He was a judge among the Children of Israel (4).

The scholars agreed that he was a wise man and not a prophet, except for Ikrimah, who held that Luqman was a prophet. He alone held this view. Some of them said: Luqman was given the choice between prophethood and wisdom, and he chose wisdom (5).

It is related that, while he was sleeping at midday, he was called: “O Luqman, would you have Allah make you a successor on earth, judging between people with truth?” He answered the voice, saying: “If my Lord gives me the choice, I would choose well-being and would not choose the trial. But if He imposes it upon me, then I hear and obey; for I know that, if He does so, He will aid me and protect me.”

Then the angels, whom he could not see, asked him: “Why, O Luqman?” He said: “Because the judge occupies one of the most difficult and distressing positions, with injustice besetting him from every direction. If he judges justly, he is likely to be saved; but if he errs, he misses the path to Paradise. And for a person to be lowly in this world is better than to be

(1) See al-Bahr al-Muhit, 7:186. (2) See al-Bahr al-Muhit, 7:186. (3) The text within the parentheses is omitted from manuscript “A.” (4) See al-Bahr al-Muhit, 7:186. (5) Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir states in his Tafsir, 3:444: “The early generations differed over whether Luqman was a prophet or a righteous servant who was not a prophet. There are two views, the majority holding the latter view—that is, that he was not a prophet. He then mentioned several reports, some of which explicitly deny that he was a prophet, while others imply this. Some indicate that he was a servant who had experienced enslavement. He said: ‘His having been a servant who had experienced enslavement is incompatible with his being a prophet, for messengers were sent from among the noble lineages of their peoples.’ He said: ‘For this reason, the majority of the early generations held that he was not a prophet. The claim that he was a prophet is only narrated from Ikrimah, if its chain of transmission to him is authentic. Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim narrated it through Waki from Israil, from Jabir, from Ikrimah, who said: “Luqman was a prophet.” But this Jabir is Ibn Yazid al-Jufi, and he is weak. And Allah knows best.’” Ibn Kathir then said: “What Sa'id ibn Abi Arubah narrated from Qatadah regarding Allah’s statement, ‘We certainly gave Luqman wisdom,’ is that it means understanding (fiqh) in Islam; he was not a prophet, nor was revelation sent to him.” This indicates that he was a righteous servant and not a prophet.

﴿وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ أَنِ اشْكُرْ لِلَّهِ وَمَنْ يَشْكُرْ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ (١٢) ﴾ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا لُقْمَانَ الْحِكْمَةَ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْعَقْلَ وَالْعِلْمَ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ وَالْإِصَابَةَ فِي الْأُمُورِ. قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ: وَهُوَ لُقْمَانُ بْنُ نَاعُورَ بْنِ نَاحُورَ بْنِ تَارِخَ وَهُوَ آزَرُ. وَقَالَ وَهْبٌ: كَانَ ابْنَ أُخْتِ أَيُّوبَ (١) ، وَقَالَ [مُقَاتِلٌ: ذُكِرَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ ابْنَ خَالَةِ أَيُّوبَ (٢) ] (٣) . قَالَ الْوَاقِدَيُّ: كَانَ قَاضِيًا فِي بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ (٤) . وَاتَّفَقَ الْعُلَمَاءُ عَلَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ حَكِيمًا، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ نَبِيًّا، إِلَّا عِكْرِمَةَ فَإِنَّهُ قَالَ: كَانَ لُقْمَانُ نَبِيًّا. وَتَفَرَّدَ بِهَذَا الْقَوْلِ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: خُيِّرَ لُقْمَانُ بَيْنَ النُّبُوَّةِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ فَاخْتَارَ الْحِكْمَةَ (٥) . وَرُوِيَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ نَائِمًا نِصْفَ النَّهَارِ فَنُودِيَ: يَا لُقْمَانُ، هَلْ لَكَ أَنْ يَجْعَلَكَ اللَّهُ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ لِتَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ؟ فَأَجَابَ الصَّوْتَ فَقَالَ: إِنْ خَيَّرَنِي رَبِّي قَبِلْتُ الْعَافِيَةَ، وَلَمْ أَقْبَلِ الْبَلَاءَ، وَإِنْ عَزَمَ عَلَيَّ فَسَمْعًا وَطَاعَةً، فَإِنِّي أَعْلَمُ إِنْ فَعَلَ بِي ذَلِكَ أَعَانَنِي وَعَصَمَنِي، فَقَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ بِصَوْتٍ لَا يَرَاهُمْ: لِمَ يَا لُقْمَانُ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنَّ الْحَاكِمَ بِأَشَدِّ الْمَنَازِلِ وَأَكْدَرِهَا، يَغْشَاهَا الظُّلْمُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَكَانٍ أَنْ يَعْدِلَ فَبِالْحَرِيِّ أَنْ يَنْجُوَ، وَإِنْ أَخْطَأَ أَخْطَأَ طَرِيقَ الْجَنَّةِ، وَمَنْ يَكُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا ذَلِيلًا خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ

(١) انظر البحر المحيط: ٧ / ١٨٦. (٢) انظر البحر المحيط: ٧ / ١٨٦. (٣) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ". (٤) انظر البحر المحيط: ٧ / ١٨٦. (٥) قال الحافظ ابن كثير في التفسير: ٣ / ٤٤٤: (اختلف السلف في لقمان هل كان نبيا أو عبدا صالحا من غير نبوة؟ على قولين، الأكثرون على الثاني، (يعني أنه لم يكن نبيا) ثم ذكر بعض الآثار، منها ما هو مصرح فيه بنفي كونه نبيا، ومنها ما هو مشعر بذلك، وفي بعضها ما يشعر أنه كان عبدا قد مسه الرق، فقال: وكونه عبدا قد مسه الرق ينافي كونه نبيا، لأن الرسل كانت تبعث في أحساب قومها، قال: ولهذا كان جمهور السلف على أنه لم يكن نبيا، قال: وإنما ينقل كونه نبيا عن عكرمة إن صح السند إليه قال: فإنه رواه ابن جرير، وابن أبي حاتم من حديث وكيع عن إسرائيل عن جابر عن عكرمة، قال: كان لقمان نبيا، قال: وجابر هذا، هو ابن يزيد الجعفي، وهو ضعيف، والله أعلم. ثم قال ابن كثير: والذي رواه سعيد بن أبي عروبة عن قتادة في قوله تعالى: (ولقد آتينا لقمان الحكمة) أي: الفقه في الإسلام، ولم يكن نبيا، ولم يوح إليه) أ. هـ. فهذا يدل على أنه كان عبدا صالحا ولم يكن نبيا.