Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/301)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

It is also possible that this is meant to describe its severity, terror, and hardship. Ibn Abi Mulaykah said: “Abdullah ibn Fayruz, the client of Uthman ibn Affan, and I entered upon Ibn Abbas. Ibn Fayruz asked him about this verse and about His statement, ‘fifty thousand years.’ Ibn Abbas replied: ‘They are days which Allah has named. I do not know what they are, and I dislike to say concerning the Book of Allah that of which I have no knowledge.’” (1)

“That is the Knower of the unseen and the seen, the Almighty, the Most Merciful, who perfected everything that He created and began the creation of man from clay. Then He made his progeny from an extract of a humble fluid. Then He proportioned him and breathed into him of His spirit, and He gave you hearing, sight, and hearts. Little are you grateful. And they say, ‘When we have perished in the earth, shall we indeed be brought into a new creation?’ Rather, they disbelieve in the meeting with their Lord.” (6–10)

“That is the Knower of the unseen and the seen”: that is, the One who made what He mentioned of the creation of the heavens and the earth ⦗74a⦘ knows what is hidden from creation and what is manifest. “The Almighty, the Most Merciful; who perfected everything that He created.” Nafiʿ and the Kufan reciters read it as khalaqahu, with the lām carrying the short a vowel, treating it as a verb; the others read it as khalqahu, with the lām unvocalized—meaning: He perfected the creation of everything. Ibn Abbas said: “He made it precise and well ordered.” Qatadah said: “He made it beautiful.” Muqatil said: “He knew how to create everything,” as one says, “So-and-so is proficient at such-and-such,” when he knows it.

It was also said: He created every creature in its own form; He did not create some in the form of others. Thus, every creature is complete and well formed in its creation, and each of its limbs is proportioned in the manner suited to its livelihood. “And He began the creation of man from clay”: that is, Adam. “Then He made his progeny”: that is, his descendants, “from an extract”—a drop of sperm, called an extract because it is drawn forth from the human being—“from a humble fluid”: that is, a weak fluid, namely the man’s sperm. “Then He proportioned him”: that is, He fashioned his creation. “And breathed into him of His spirit.” He then returned to the subject of his progeny and said: “And He gave you,” after you had been drops of sperm, “hearing, sight, and hearts. Little are you grateful”: that is, you do not thank the Lord of these blessings by affirming His oneness.

“And they say”: that is, those who deny the Resurrection. “When we have perished”: when we have died, “in the earth,” and become dust. The origin of this usage is

(1) Al-Suyuti attributed it in al-Durr al-Manthur, 6:537-538, to Abd al-Razzaq, Sa'id ibn Mansur, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Ibn al-Anbari in al-Masahif, and al-Hakim, who graded it sahih, on the authority of Abd Allah ibn Abi Mulaykah.

وَيَجُوزُ أَنَّ يَكُونَ هَذَا إِخْبَارًا عَنْ شِدَّتِهِ وَهَوْلِهِ وَمَشَقَّتِهِ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي مُلَيْكَةَ: دَخَلْتُ أَنَا وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ فَيْرُوزَ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ عَلَى ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فَسَأَلَهُ ابْنُ فَيْرُوزَ عَنْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ وَعَنْ قَوْلِهِ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ؟ فَقَالَ لَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: أَيَّامٌ سَمَّاهَا اللَّهُ لَا أَدْرِي مَا هِيَ وَأَكْرَهُ أَنْ أَقُولَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا أَعْلَمُ (١) . ﴿ذَلِكَ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ (٦) الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ الْإِنْسَانِ مِنْ طِينٍ (٧) ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ مِنْ سُلَالَةٍ مِنْ مَاءٍ مَهِينٍ (٨) ثُمَّ سَوَّاهُ وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِهِ وَجَعَلَ لَكُمُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ قَلِيلًا مَا تَشْكُرُونَ (٩) وَقَالُوا أَئِذَا ضَلَلْنَا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَئِنَّا لَفِي خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍ بَلْ هُمْ بِلِقَاءِ رَبِّهِمْ كَافِرُونَ (١٠) ﴾ ﴿ذَلِكَ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ﴾ يَعْنِي: ذَلِكَ الَّذِي صَنَعَ مَا ذَكَرَهُ من خلق السموات والأرض ٧٤/أعَالِمُ مَا غَابَ عَنِ الْخَلْقِ وَمَا حَضَرَ، ﴿الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ﴾ ﴿الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقَهُ﴾ قَرَأَ نَافِعٌ وَأَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ: " خَلَقَهُ " بِفَتْحِ اللَّامِ عَلَى الْفِعْلِ وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِسُكُونِهَا، أَيْ: أَحْسَنَ خَلْقَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: أَتْقَنَهُ وَأَحْكَمَهُ. قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: حَسَّنَهُ. وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: عَلِمَ كَيْفَ يَخْلُقُ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ، مِنْ قَوْلِكَ: فُلَانٌ يُحْسِنُ كَذَا إِذَا كَانَ يَعْلَمُهُ. وَقِيلَ: خَلَقَ كُلَّ حَيَوَانٍ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ لَمْ يَخْلُقِ الْبَعْضَ عَلَى صُورَةِ الْبَعْضِ، فَكُلُّ حَيَوَانٍ كَامِلٌ فِي خَلْقِهِ حُسْنٌ، وَكُلُّ عُضْوٍ مِنْ أَعْضَائِهِ مُقَدَّرٌ بِمَا يَصْلُحُ بِهِ مَعَاشُهُ. ﴿وَبَدَأَ خَلْقَ الْإِنْسَانِ مِنْ طِينٍ﴾ يَعْنِي آدَمَ. ﴿ثُمَّ جَعَلَ نَسْلَهُ﴾ يَعْنِي ذُرِّيَّتَهُ، ﴿مِنْ سُلَالَةٍ﴾ نُطْفَةٍ، سُمِّيَتْ سُلَالَةً لِأَنَّهَا تُسَلُّ مِنَ الْإِنْسَانِ ﴿مِنْ مَاءٍ مَهِينٍ﴾ أَيْ: ضَعِيفٍ وَهُوَ نُطْفَةُ الرَّجُلِ. ﴿ثُمَّ سَوَّاهُ﴾ ثُمَّ سَوَّى خَلْقَهُ، ﴿وَنَفَخَ فِيهِ مِنْ رُوحِهِ﴾ ثُمَّ عَادَ إِلَى ذُرِّيَّتِهِ، فَقَالَ: ﴿وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ﴾ بَعْدَ أَنْ كُنْتُمْ نُطَفًا، ﴿السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَالْأَفْئِدَةَ قَلِيلًا مَا تَشْكُرُونَ﴾ يَعْنِي: لَا تَشْكُرُونَ رَبَّ هَذِهِ النِّعَمِ فَتُوَحِّدُونَهُ. ﴿وَقَالُوا﴾ يَعْنِي مُنْكِرِي الْبَعْثِ، ﴿أَئِذَا ضَلَلْنَا﴾ هَلَكْنَا، ﴿فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾ وَصِرْنَا تُرَابًا، وَأَصْلُهُ

(١) عزاه السيوطي في الدر المنثور: ٦ / ٥٣٧-٥٣٨ لعبد الرزاق وسعيد بن منصور وابن المنذر وابن أبي حاتم وابن الأنباري في المصاحف والحاكم وصححه عن عبد الله بن أبي مليكة.