Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/308)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“And We shall surely make them taste the nearer punishment before the greater punishment, so that perhaps they may return. And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the signs of his Lord, then turns away from them? Indeed, We shall exact retribution from the guilty. And We certainly gave Moses the Scripture, so do not be in doubt concerning his meeting; and We made it a guidance for the Children of Israel.”

His saying, exalted is He, “And We shall surely make them taste the nearer punishment before the greater punishment,” means: apart from the greater punishment, “so that perhaps they may return.” Ubayy ibn Ka'b, al-Dahhak, al-Hasan, and Ibrahim said: “The nearer punishment” refers to the afflictions and illnesses of this worldly life. This is also the narration of al-Walibi from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him. (1) Ikrimah narrated from him that it refers to the prescribed legal punishments. (2) Muqatil said: It was the famine in Mecca for seven years, until they ate carrion, bones, and dogs. (3) Ibn Mas'ud said: It was death by the sword on the Day of Badr, (4) and this was also the view of Qatadah and al-Suddi. “Before the greater punishment” means the punishment of the Hereafter; “so that perhaps they may return,” that is, return to faith—meaning those among them who remained after Badr and after the famine.

His saying, glorified is He, “And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the signs of his Lord, then turns away from them? Indeed, We shall exact retribution from the guilty”—that is, from the polytheists. “And We certainly gave Moses the Scripture, so do not be in doubt concerning his meeting,” means: do not be in doubt concerning your meeting Moses on the night of the Ascension. This was said by Ibn Abbas and others.

Abd al-Wahid ibn Ahmad al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Nu'aymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Isma'il informed us; Muhammad ibn Bashshar informed us; Ghundar informed us, from Shu'bah, from Qatadah, may Allah have mercy on him. Muhammad ibn Isma'il also said: Khalifah informed me; Yazid ibn Zuray' informed us; Sa'id informed us, from Qatadah, from Abu al-Aliyah, who said: The cousin of your Prophet—that is, Ibn Abbas—informed us from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “On the night I was taken on the Night Journey, I saw Moses, a dark-complexioned, tall man with curly hair, as though he were one of the men of Shanu'ah. I saw Jesus, a man of medium height and well-proportioned build, with a ruddy, fair complexion and straight hair. 75/A

(1) Reported by al-Tabari, 21:109, and by al-Suyuti in al-Durr al-Manthur, 6:554. (2) Reported by al-Tabari, 21:109, and by al-Suyuti in al-Durr al-Manthur, 6:554. (3) Mentioned by al-Qurtubi, 14:107. (4) Reported by al-Tabari, 21:109; by al-Suyuti in al-Durr al-Manthur, 6:554; and by al-Hakim, 2:414. After citing these views, Imam al-Tabari said: “The soundest view is that Allah promised these sinful deniers His threatened lesser punishment in this world, making them taste it before the greater punishment. This punishment consists of the afflictions that befell them in this world, whether the hardship of famine, killing, or other calamities. All of this is part of the lesser punishment. When Allah promised to punish them, He did not specify one kind of punishment rather than another; indeed, He afflicted them in this world with killing, hunger, hardships, and losses of wealth, thus fulfilling what He had promised them.”

﴿وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَى دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ (٢١) وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ ذُكِّرَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَا إِنَّا مِنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ مُنْتَقِمُونَ (٢٢) وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ فَلَا تَكُنْ فِي مِرْيَةٍ مِنْ لِقَائِهِ وَجَعَلْنَاهُ هُدًى لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ (٢٣) ﴾ ﴿وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَى دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ﴾ أَيْ: سِوَى الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ، ﴿لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ﴾ قَالَ أُبَيُّ بْنُ كَعْبٍ، وَالضَّحَّاكُ، وَالْحَسَنُ، وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ: "الْعَذَابِ الْأَدْنَى" مَصَائِبِ الدُّنْيَا وَأَسْقَامِهَا، وَهُوَ رِوَايَةُ الْوَالِبِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄ (١) . وَقَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ عَنْهُ: الْحُدُودُ (٢) . وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: الْجُوعُ سَبْعَ سِنِينَ بِمَكَّةَ حَتَّى أَكَلُوا الْجِيَفَ وَالْعِظَامَ وَالْكِلَابَ (٣) . وَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: هُوَ الْقَتْلُ بِالسَّيْفِ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ (٤) وَهُوَ قَوْلُ قَتَادَةَ وَالسُّدِّيِّ، ﴿دُونَ الْعَذَابِ الْأَكْبَرِ﴾ يَعْنِي: عَذَابَ الْآخِرَةِ، ﴿لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ﴾ إِلَى الْإِيمَانِ، يَعْنِي: مَنْ بَقِيَ مِنْهُمْ بَعْدَ بَدْرٍ وَبَعْدَ الْقَحْطِ. قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ ذُكِّرَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِ ثُمَّ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهَا إِنَّا مِنَ الْمُجْرِمِينَ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْمُشْرِكِينَ، ﴿مُنْتَقِمُونَ﴾ ﴿وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ فَلَا تَكُنْ فِي مِرْيَةٍ مِنْ لِقَائِهِ﴾ يَعْنِي: فَلَا تَكُنْ فِي شَكٍّ مِنْ لِقَاءِ مُوسَى لَيْلَةَ الْمِعْرَاجِ، قَالَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَغَيْرُهُ. أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّعِيمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ ﵀ قَالَ: وَقَالَ لِي خَلِيفَةُ، أَخْبَرَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ زُرَيْعٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا سَعِيدٌ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْعَالِيَةِ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ عَمِّ نَبِيِّكُمْ -يَعْنِي ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ-عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: "رَأَيْتُ لَيْلَةَ أُسَرِيَ بِي مُوسَى رَجُلًا آدَمَ طُوَالًا جَعْدًا كَأَنَّهُ مِنْ رِجَالِ شَنُوءَةَ، وَرَأَيْتُ عِيسَى رَجُلًا مَرْبُوعًا مَرْبُوعَ الْخَلْقِ إِلَى الْحُمْرَةِ والبياض، سبط ٧٥/أ

(١) أخرجه الطبري: ٢١ / ١٠٩، والسيوطي في الدر المنثور: ٦ / ٥٥٤. (٢) أخرجه الطبري: ٢١ / ١٠٩، والسيوطي في الدر المنثور: ٦ / ٥٥٤. (٣) ذكره القرطبي: ١٤ / ١٠٧. (٤) أخرجه الطبري: ٢١ / ١٠٩، والسيوطي في الدر المنثور: ٦ / ٥٥٤ والحاكم: ٢ / ٤١٤. قال الإمام الطبري بعد أن ساق هذه الأقوال: (أولى في ذلك أن يقال: إن الله وعد هؤلاء الفسقة المكذبين بوعيده في الدنيا العذاب الأدنى أن يذيقموه دون العذاب الأكبر، والعذاب: هو ما كان في الدنيا من بلاء أصابهم، إما شدة من مجاعة، أوقتل، أو مصائب يصابون بها، فكل ذلك من العذاب الأدنى، ولم يخصص الله تعالى ذكره، إذ وعدهم ذلك أن يعذبهم بنوع من ذلك دون نوع، وقد عذبهم بكل ذلك في الدنيا بالقتل والجوع والشدائد والمصائب في الأموال، فأوفى لهم بما وعدهم.