Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/333)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Say, ‘Flight will not benefit you if you flee from death or killing; and then you will be allowed enjoyment only for a little while.’” (16)

“And they had already made a covenant with Allah before”: that is, before the Battle of the Trench, “not to turn their backs in flight” before their enemy; that is, not to be defeated. Yazid ibn Ruman said: They were Banu Harithah, who contemplated faltering on the day of Uhud along with Banu Salamah. When that which was revealed concerning them came down, they made a covenant with Allah that they would not return to the like of it. (1)

Qatadah said: They were people who had been absent from the Battle of Badr and saw the honor and virtue that Allah had bestowed upon the people of Badr. [They said:] (2) “If Allah causes us to witness a battle, we shall surely fight.” So Allah brought that about for them. (3)

Muqatil and al-Kalbi said: They were seventy men who pledged allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, on the night of al-Aqabah. They said, “Stipulate for your Lord and for yourself whatever you wish.” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “For my Lord, I stipulate that you worship Him and do not associate anything with Him; and for myself, I stipulate that you protect me from that from which you protect yourselves, your wives, and your children.” They said, “If we do that, what shall we have, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “You shall have victory in this world and Paradise in the Hereafter.” They said, “We have done so.” Thus was their covenant. (4)

This view is not satisfactory, for those who pledged allegiance on the night of al-Aqabah were seventy men, among whom there was neither a doubter nor anyone who would say anything like this. Rather, the verse concerns a people who made a covenant with Allah that they would fight and not flee, but then broke the covenant.

“And a covenant with Allah must be answered for”: that is, they will be called to account for it. “Say” to them: “Flight will not benefit you if you flee from the death or killing decreed for you, for when a person’s appointed term comes, he dies or is killed. And then you will be allowed enjoyment only for a little while”: that is, after fleeing, you will be allowed enjoyment only for the remainder of your appointed terms, which is but brief.

(1) Narrated by al-Tabari, 21:137. (2) The text in parentheses is omitted from manuscript A. (3) Narrated by al-Tabari, 21:137. See also Zad al-Masir, 6:363; al-Bahr al-Muhit, 7:219. (4) Mentioned by al-Qurtubi, 14:150. See also Zad al-Masir, 6:363; al-Bahr al-Muhit, 7:219.

﴿قُلْ لَنْ يَنْفَعَكُمُ الْفِرَارُ إِنْ فَرَرْتُمْ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ أَوِ الْقَتْلِ وَإِذًا لَا تُمَتَّعُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا (١٦) ﴾ ﴿وَلَقَدْ كَانُوا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ مِنْ قَبْلُ﴾ أَيْ: مِنْ قَبْلِ غَزْوَةِ الْخَنْدَقِ، ﴿لَا يُوَلُّونَ الْأَدْبَارَ﴾ مِنْ عَدُوِّهِمْ أَيْ: لَا يَنْهَزِمُونَ، قَالَ يَزِيدُ بْنُ رُومَانَ: هُمْ بَنُو حَارِثَةَ، هَمُّوا يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ أَنْ يَفْشَلُوا مَعَ بَنِي سَلَمَةَ، فَلَمَّا نَزَلَ فِيهِمْ مَا نَزَلَ عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ أَنْ لَا يَعُودُوا لِمِثْلِهَا (١) . وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: هُمْ نَاسٌ كَانُوا قَدْ غَابُوا عَنْ وَقْعَةِ بَدْرٍ [وَرَأَوْا مَا أَعْطَى اللَّهُ أَهْلَ بَدْرٍ] (٢) مِنَ الْكَرَامَةِ وَالْفَضِيلَةِ قَالُوا: لَئِنْ أَشْهَدَنَا اللَّهُ قِتَالًا لَنُقَاتِلَنَّ، فَسَاقَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِمْ ذَلِكَ (٣) . وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ وَالْكَلْبِيُّ: هُمْ سَبْعُونَ رَجُلًا بَايَعُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَيْلَةَ الْعَقَبَةِ، وَقَالُوا: أَشْتَرِطْ لِرَبِّكَ وَلِنَفْسِكَ مَا شِئْتَ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: أَشْتَرِطُ لِرَبِّي أَنْ تَعْبُدُوهُ وَلَا تُشْرِكُوا بِهِ شَيْئًا، وَأَشْتَرِطُ لِنَفْسِي أَنْ تَمْنَعُونِي مِمَّا تَمْنَعُونَ مِنْهُ أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجَكُمْ وَأَوْلَادَكُمْ، قَالُوا: فَإِذَا فَعَلْنَا ذَلِكَ فَمَا لَنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: لَكُمُ النَّصْرُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْجَنَّةُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ، قَالُوا: قَدْ فَعَلْنَا ذَلِكَ. فَذَلِكَ عَهْدُهُمْ (٤) . وَهَذَا الْقَوْلُ لَيْسَ بِمُرْضِيٍّ، لِأَنَّ الَّذِينَ بَايَعُوا لَيْلَةَ الْعَقَبَةِ كَانُوا سَبْعِينَ نَفَرًا، لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِمْ شَاكٌّ وَلَا مَنْ يَقُولُ مِثْلَ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ، وَإِنَّمَا الْآيَةُ فِي قَوْمٍ عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ أَنْ يُقَاتِلُوا وَلَا يَفِرُّوا، فَنَقَضُوا الْعَهْدَ. ﴿وَكَانَ عَهْدُ اللَّهِ مَسْئُولًا﴾ عَنْهُ. ﴿قُلْ﴾ لَهُمْ، ﴿لَنْ يَنْفَعَكُمُ الْفِرَارُ إِنْ فَرَرْتُمْ مِنَ الْمَوْتِ أَوِ الْقَتْلِ﴾ الَّذِي كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمْ لِأَنَّ مِنْ حَضَرَ أَجَلُهُ مَاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ، ﴿وَإِذًا لَا تُمَتَّعُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا﴾ أَيْ: لَا تُمَتَّعُونَ بَعْدَ الْفِرَارِ إِلَّا مُدَّةَ آجَالِكُمْ وَهِيَ قَلِيلٌ.

(١) أخرجه الطبري: ٢١ / ١٣٧. (٢) ما بين القوسين ساقط من"أ". (٣) أخرجه الطبري: ٢١ / ١٣٧، وانظر: زاد المسير: ٦ / ٣٦٣، البحر المحيط: ٧ / ٢١٩. (٤) ذكره القرطبي: ١٤ / ١٥٠، وانظر: زاد المسير: ٦ / ٣٦٣، البحر المحيط: ٧ / ٢١٩.