Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/365)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

was obligatory upon him. But when this verse was revealed, that obligation was lifted from him, and the choice regarding them was left to him.

Abu Razin and Ibn Zayd (84) said: This verse was revealed when some of the Mothers of the Believers became jealous concerning the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and some of them requested an increase in maintenance. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, kept apart from them for a month, until the Verse of Choice was revealed. Allah, Exalted is He, then commanded him to give them the choice between this world and the Hereafter: to release whomever chose this world, and to retain whomever chose Allah, His Messenger, and the Abode of the Hereafter—on the condition that they would remain Mothers of the Believers and would never be married thereafter; and on the condition that he might draw close whomever of them he wished and defer whomever he wished. Thus, they would be content whether he allotted them time or did not, whether he allotted time to some of them rather than others, or whether he gave some of them preference over others in maintenance and the apportionment of time. The matter in this regard was left to him, to do as he wished. This was among his special prerogatives, and they accepted it and chose him on this condition. (1)

They differed as to whether he excluded any of them from the apportionment of time. Some said: He excluded none of them. Rather, despite what Allah had granted him in this matter, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, treated them equally in the apportionment of time, except for Sawdah, who was content to forgo her right to a share of his time and gave her day to Aisha.

Others said that he excluded some of them.

Jarir related from Mansur, from Abu Razin, who said: When the choice was revealed, they feared that he might divorce them. So they said, “O Prophet of Allah, take from our wealth and our persons whatever you wish, and leave us as we are.” Thereupon this verse was revealed. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, deferred some of them and drew others close to himself. Among those whom he drew close were Aisha, Hafsah, Zaynab, and Umm Salamah, and he apportioned his time equally among them. He deferred five of them: Umm Habibah, Maymunah, Sawdah, Safiyyah, and Juwayriyyah; and he allotted them time as he wished. (2)

Mujahid said: “You may defer whomsoever of them you wish” means: you may set aside whomever of them you wish without divorcing her, and you may take back whomever you wish after setting her aside, without renewing the marriage contract.

Ibn Abbas said: You may divorce whomever of them you wish and retain whomever you wish.

Al-Hasan said: You may refrain from marrying whomever you wish and marry whomever you wish from among the women of your community.

He also said: Whenever the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, proposed to a woman, no one else could propose to her until the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, left her.

(1) See: Al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul (Occasions of Revelation), p. 413, attributing this view to the Quranic exegetes. (2) Reported by al-Tabari, 22/26; and by al-Wahidi in Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 414.

فِي الْقَسْمِ كَانَتْ وَاجِبًا عَلَيْهِ، فَلَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ سَقَطَ عَنْهُ وَصَارَ الِاخْتِيَارُ إِلَيْهِ فِيهِنَّ. قَالَ أَبُو رَزِينٍ، وابن زيد ٨٤/أنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ حِينَ غَارَ بَعْضُ أُمَّهَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَطَلَبَ بِعَضُهُنَّ زِيَادَةَ النَّفَقَةِ، فَهَجَرَهُنَّ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ شَهْرًا حَتَّى نَزَلَتْ آيَةُ التَّخْيِيرِ، فَأَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ ﷿ أَنْ يُخَيِّرَهُنَّ بَيْنَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأَنْ يُخْلِّيَ سَبِيلَ مَنِ اخْتَارَتِ الدُّنْيَا وَيُمْسِكَ مَنِ اخْتَارَتِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَالدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ، عَلَى أَنَّهُنَّ أُمَّهَاتُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَا يُنْكَحْنَ أَبَدًا، وَعَلَى أَنَّهُ يُؤْوِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ مِنْهُنَّ، وَيُرْجِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ، فَيَرْضَيْنَ بِهِ قَسَمَ لَهُنَّ أَوْ لَمْ يَقْسِمْ، أَوْ قَسَمَ لِبَعْضِهِنَّ دُونَ بَعْضٍ، أَوْ فَضَّلَ بِعَضَهُنَّ فِي النَّفَقَةِ وَالْقِسْمَةِ، فَيَكُونُ الْأَمْرُ فِي ذَلِكَ إِلَيْهِ يَفْعَلُ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ، وَكَانَ ذلك من خصائص فَرَضَيْنَ بِذَلِكَ وَاخْتَرْنَهُ عَلَى هَذَا الشَّرْطِ (١) . وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي أَنَّهُ هَلْ أَخْرَجَ أَحَدًا مِنْهُمْ عَنِ الْقَسْمِ؟ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: لَمْ يُخْرِجْ أَحَدًا، بَلْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ -مَعَ مَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ لَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ-يُسَوِّي بَيْنَهُنَّ فِي الْقَسْمِ إِلَّا سَوْدَةُ فَإِنَّهَا رَضِيَتْ بِتَرْكِ حَقِّهَا مِنَ الْقَسْمِ، وَجَعَلَتْ يَوْمَهَا لِعَائِشَةَ. وَقِيلَ: أَخْرَجَ بَعْضَهُنَّ. رَوَى جَرِيرٌ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ أَبِي رَزِينٍ قَالَ: لَمَّا نَزَلَ التَّخْيِيرُ أَشْفَقْنَ أَنْ يُطَلِّقَهُنَّ، فَقُلْنَ: يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ اجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ مَالِكَ وَنَفْسِكَ مَا شِئْتَ وَدَعْنَا عَلَى حَالِنَا، فَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ، فَأَرْجَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَعْضَهُنَّ وَآوَى إِلَيْهِ بَعْضَهُنَّ، وَكَانَ مِمَّنْ آوَى إِلَيْهِ عَائِشَةُ، وَحَفْصَةُ، وَزَيْنَبُ، وَأُمُّ سلمة، فكان قسم بَيْنَهُنَّ سَوَاءً، وَأَرْجَى مِنْهُنَّ خَمْسًا: أُمَّ حَبِيبَةَ، وَمَيْمُونَةَ، وَسَوْدَةَ، وَصَفِيَّةَ وَجُوَيْرِيَةَ، فَكَانَ يَقْسِمُ لَهُنَّ مَا شَاءَ (٢) . وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: "تُرْجِي مَنْ تَشَاءُ مِنْهُنَّ" يَعْنِي: تَعْزِلُ مَنْ تَشَاءُ مِنْهُنَّ بِغَيْرِ طَلَاقٍ، وَتَرُدُّ إِلَيْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ بَعْدَ الْعَزْلِ بِلَا تَجْدِيدِ عَقْدٍ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: تُطَلِّقُ مَنْ تَشَاءُ مِنْهُنَّ وَتُمْسِكُ مَنْ تَشَاءُ. وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: تَتْرُكُ نِكَاحَ مَنْ شِئْتَ وَتَنْكِحُ مَنْ شِئْتَ مِنْ نِسَاءِ أُمَّتِكَ. وَقَالَ: كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا خَطَبَ امْرَأَةً لَمْ يَكُنْ لِغَيْرِهِ خِطْبَتُهَا حَتَّى يَتْرُكَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ.

(١) انظر: أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٤١٣) عازيا للمفسرين. (٢) أخرجه الطبري: ٢٢ / ٢٦، والواحدي في أسباب النزول ص (٤١٤) .