Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/427)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“If Allah were to take people to task for what they have earned, He would not leave a single creature upon the earth. But He delays them until an appointed term; then, when their term comes, Allah surely sees His servants.” (45)

Regarding “out of arrogance in the land”: the word “arrogance” is in the accusative as an appositive to “aversion.” And “evil plotting” means vile conduct; plotting is here qualified as evil. Al-Kalbi said: “It was their gathering together upon polytheism and to kill the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.” Hamzah recited “evil plotting” with the hamzah made quiescent, as a simplification; this was also the recitation of al-A‘mash.

“And evil plotting encompasses none but its own people”: that is, evil plotting neither befalls nor surrounds anyone but its own perpetrators. Thus, they were killed on the Day of Badr. Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The consequence of polytheism befalls none but the one who ascribes partners to Allah.” The meaning is that the evil consequences of their plotting return upon themselves.

“So are they waiting”: that is, expecting, “anything other than the way of the former peoples”—other than for punishment to descend upon them, as it descended upon the disbelievers who came before them. “You will never find any change in Allah’s way, nor will you ever find any alteration in Allah’s way.”

“Have they not traveled through the land and seen what was the end of those before them, though they were greater than them in power? Nothing in the heavens or on earth can frustrate Allah. Indeed, He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.” That is, nothing can escape Him.

“And if Allah were to take people to task for what they have earned”: for the crimes they have committed, “He would not leave a single creature upon its surface”—that is, upon the surface of the earth; this is an allusion to something not explicitly mentioned—“as was the case in the time of Noah: Allah destroyed all who were upon the earth except those who were in Noah’s Ark. But He delays them until an appointed term; then, when their term comes, Allah surely sees His servants.” Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “He means those who obey Him and those who disobey Him.”

﴿وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُوا مَا تَرَكَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ وَلَكِنْ يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ بَصِيرًا (٤٥) ﴾ ﴿اسْتِكْبَارًا فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾ نُصِبَ "اسْتِكْبَارًا" عَلَى الْبَدَلِ مِنَ النُّفُورِ، ﴿وَمَكْرَ السَّيِّئِ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْعَمَلَ الْقَبِيحَ، أُضِيفَ الْمَكْرُ إِلَى صِفَتِهِ، قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: هُوَ اجْتِمَاعُهُمْ عَلَى الشِّرْكِ وَقَتْلِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، وَقَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ: "مَكْرَ السَّيِّئْ" سَاكِنَةَ الْهَمْزَةِ تَخْفِيفًا، وَهِيَ قِرَاءَةُ الْأَعْمَشِ، ﴿وَلَا يَحِيقُ الْمَكْرُ السَّيِّئُ﴾ أَيْ: لَا يَحِلُّ وَلَا يُحِيطُ الْمَكْرُ السَّيِّئُ، ﴿إِلَّا بِأَهْلِهِ﴾ فَقُتِلُوا يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ، وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: عَاقِبَةُ الشِّرْكِ لَا تَحِلُّ إِلَّا بِمَنْ أَشْرَكَ. وَالْمَعْنَى: وَبَالُ مَكْرِهِمْ رَاجِعٌ إِلَيْهِمْ، ﴿فَهَلْ يَنْظُرُونَ﴾ يَنْتَظِرُونَ، ﴿إِلَّا سُنَّةَ الْأَوَّلِينَ﴾ إِلَّا أَنْ يَنْزِلَ بِهِمُ الْعَذَابُ كَمَا نَزَلَ بِمَنْ مَضَى مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ، ﴿فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللَّهِ تَبْدِيلًا وَلَنْ تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اللَّهِ تَحْوِيلًا﴾ ﴿أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَكَانُوا أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُعْجِزَهُ﴾ يَعْنِي: لِيَفُوتَ عَنْهُ، ﴿مِنْ شَيْءٍ فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ عَلِيمًا قَدِيرًا﴾ ﴿وَلَوْ يُؤَاخِذُ اللَّهُ النَّاسَ بِمَا كَسَبُوا﴾ مِنَ الْجَرَائِمِ، ﴿مَا تَرَكَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهَا﴾ يَعْنِي: عَلَى ظَهْرِ الْأَرْضِ، كِنَايَةٌ عَنْ غَيْرِ مَذْكُورٍ، ﴿مِنْ دَابَّةٍ﴾ كَمَا كَانَ فِي زَمَانِ نُوحٍ أَهْلَكَ اللَّهُ مَا عَلَى ظَهْرِ الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا مَنْ كَانَ فِي سَفِينَةِ نُوحٍ، ﴿وَلَكِنْ يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ بَصِيرًا﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄: يُرِيدُ أَهْلَ طَاعَتِهِ وَأَهْلَ مَعْصِيَتِهِ.