Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/9)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Reaching up to their chins”: “they” refers to their hands—even though the hands were not explicitly mentioned—because a shackle joins the hand to the neck. That is: We have placed shackles upon their hands and necks, reaching up to their chins, “so their heads are held aloft.” One whose head is held aloft is one whose head has been raised and whose gaze has been lowered. A camel is said to be qāmiḥ when it has drunk its fill of water, then raises its head and lowers its gaze. Al-Azhari said: He meant that, when their hands were shackled to their necks, the shackles raised their chins and heads; thus, their heads are raised by the lifting of the shackles.

“And We have placed before them a barrier and behind them a barrier, and We have covered them, so they do not see. (9) It is all the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them: they will not believe. (10) You can only warn one who follows the Reminder and fears the Most Merciful in the unseen. So give him glad tidings of forgiveness and a noble reward. (11) Indeed, it is We who give life to the dead, and We record what they have sent ahead and their traces; and We have enumerated everything in a clear record. (12)”

“And We have placed before them a barrier and behind them a barrier”: Hamzah, al-Kisa’i, and Hafs recited saddan with the letter sīn in the open-vowel form, while the others recited it with the closed-vowel form. “And We have covered them”: that is, We have blinded them; it is derived from covering, which means concealing. “So they do not see”: the path of guidance.

“It is all the same to them whether you warn them or do not warn them: they will not believe.”

“You can only warn one who follows the Reminder”: that is, your warning benefits only one who follows the Reminder—the Quran—and acts upon what it contains. “And fears the Most Merciful in the unseen. So give him glad tidings of forgiveness and a noble reward”: a good reward, namely Paradise. “Indeed, it is We who give life to the dead”: at the Resurrection. “And We record what they have sent ahead”: of deeds, both good and evil; “and their traces”: that is, whatever good or evil practice they institute.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever introduces a good practice in Islam which is acted upon after him shall have its reward and the like of the reward of those who act upon it after him, without that diminishing anything from their rewards. And whoever introduces an evil practice in Islam shall bear its sin and the sin of those who act upon it after him, without that diminishing anything from their sins.” (1)

(1) Part of a hadith reported by Muslim in Zakat, the chapter “Encouragement to Give Charity, Even with Half a Date or a Kind Word,” no. 1017, 2:704-705; and by the compiler in Sharh al-Sunnah, 6:159.

﴿فَهِيَ إِلَى الْأَذْقَانِ﴾ ، "هِيَ" كِنَايَةٌ عَنِ الْأَيْدِي -وَإِنْ لَمْ يَجْرِ لَهَا ذِكْرٌ-لِأَنَّ الْغِلَّ يَجْمَعُ الْيَدَ إِلَى الْعُنُقِ، مَعْنَاهُ: إِنَّا جَعَلَنَا فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ وَأَعْنَاقِهِمْ أَغْلَالًا فَهِيَ إِلَى الْأَذْقَانِ، ﴿فَهُمْ مُقْمَحُونَ﴾ وَالْمُقْمَحُ: الَّذِي رُفِعَ رَأْسُهُ وَغُضَّ بَصَرُهُ، يُقَالُ: بَعِيرٌ قَامِحٌ إِذَا رَوَى مِنَ الْمَاءِ، فَأَقْمَحَ إِذَا رَفَعَ رَأَسَهُ وَغَضَّ بَصَرَهُ. وَقَالَ الْأَزْهَرِيُّ: أَرَادَ أَنَّ أَيْدِيَهُمْ لَمَّا غُلَّتْ إِلَى أَعْنَاقِهِمْ رَفَعَتِ الْأَغْلَالُ أَذْقَانَهُمْ وَرُؤُسَهُمْ، فَهُمْ مَرْفُوعُو الرُّؤُوسِ بِرَفْعِ الْأَغْلَالِ إِيَّاهَا. ﴿وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدًّا وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدًّا فَأَغْشَيْنَاهُمْ فَهُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ (٩) وَسَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنْذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنْذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ (١٠) إِنَّمَا تُنْذِرُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الذِّكْرَ وَخَشِيَ الرَّحْمَنَ بِالْغَيْبِ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِمَغْفِرَةٍ وَأَجْرٍ كَرِيمٍ (١١) إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِي الْمَوْتَى وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا وَآثَارَهُمْ وَكُلَّ شَيْءٍ أحْصَيْنَاهُ فِي إِمَامٍ مُبِينٍ (١٢) ﴾ ﴿وَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ سَدًّا وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ سَدًّا﴾ ، قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ وَحَفْصٌ: "سَدًّا" بِفَتْحِ السِّينِ، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِضَمِّهَا، ﴿فَأَغْشَيْنَاهُمْ﴾ فَأَعْمَيْنَاهُمْ، مِنَ التَّغْشِيَةِ وَهِيَ التَّغْطِيَةُ، ﴿فَهُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ﴾ سَبِيلَ الْهُدَى. ﴿وَسَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنْذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنْذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ﴾ ﴿إِنَّمَا تُنْذِرُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الذِّكْرَ﴾ ، يَعْنِي: إِنَّمَا يَنْفَعُ إِنْذَارُكُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الذِّكْرَ، يَعْنِي الْقُرْآنَ، فَعَمِلَ بِمَا فِيهِ، ﴿وَخَشِيَ الرَّحْمَنَ بِالْغَيْبِ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِمَغْفِرَةٍ وَأَجْرٍ كَرِيمٍ﴾ حَسَنٍ وَهُوَ الْجَنَّةُ. ﴿إِنَّا نَحْنُ نُحْيِي الْمَوْتَى﴾ ، عِنْدَ الْبَعْثِ، ﴿وَنَكْتُبُ مَا قَدَّمُوا﴾ مِنَ الْأَعْمَالِ مِنْ خَيْرٍ وَشَرٍّ، ﴿وَآثَارَهُمْ﴾ أَيْ: مَا سَنُّوا مِنْ سُنَّةٍ حَسَنَةٍ أَوْ سَيِّئَةٍ. قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: "مَنْ سَنَّ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ سُنَّةً حَسَنَةً يُعْمَلُ بِهَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ كَانَ لَهُ أَجْرُهَا وَمِثْلُ أَجْرِ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ، مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَنْقُصَ مِنْ أُجُورِهِمْ شَيْئًا، وَمَنْ سَنَّ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ سُنَّةً سَيِّئَةً كَانَ عَلَيْهِ وِزْرُهَا وَوِزْرُ مَنْ عَمِلَ بِهَا مِنْ بَعْدِهِ، مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَنْقُصَ مِنْ أَوْزَارِهِمْ شَيْئًا". (١)

(١) قطعة من حديث أخرجه مسلم في الزكاة باب: الحث على الصدقة ولو بشق تمرة أو كلمة طيبة. برقم (١٠١٧) ٢ / ٧٠٤-٧٠٥، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ٦ / ١٥٩.