Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/11)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

The scholars versed in the accounts of the prophets said: Jesus sent two messengers from among the disciples to the people of the city of Antioch (1). As they approached the city, they saw an old man tending a small flock of sheep. He was Habib the Carpenter, the man mentioned in Surah Ya-Sin (2). They greeted him, and the old man asked them, “Who are you?” They replied, “We are messengers of Jesus. We call you away from worshipping idols to worshipping the Most Merciful.” He asked, “Do you have any sign?” They said, “Yes. By Allah’s permission, we heal the sick and cure those born blind and those afflicted with leprosy.” The old man said, “I have a son who has been ill for years.” They said, “Take us to him, so that we may see his condition.” He brought them to his home, and they touched his son, whereupon he immediately rose up healthy, by Allah’s permission. News of this spread throughout the city, and Allah Most High healed many sick people through their hands.

They had a king—Wahb said that his name was Antiochus—who was one of the Roman kings and worshipped idols. It is related that news of them reached him, so he summoned them and asked, “Who are you?” They replied, “We are messengers of Jesus.” He asked, “What have you come for?” They said, “We call you away from worshipping that which neither hears nor sees, to worshipping Him who hears and sees.” He said, “Do you have a god besides our gods?” They replied, “Yes: the One who brought you and your gods into being.” He said, “Go now, while I consider your case.” The people then followed the two men, seized them, and beat them in the marketplace.

Wahb said: Jesus sent these two men to Antioch, but when they arrived, they were unable to reach its king. They remained there for a long time. Then, one day, the king came out, and they proclaimed Allah’s greatness and remembered Allah. The king became angry and ordered that they be imprisoned, and that each of them be flogged with one hundred lashes. It is related that, when the two messengers were denied and beaten, Jesus sent Simon Peter, the leader of the disciples, after them to support them. Simon entered the city in disguise and began keeping company with the king’s courtiers until they grew familiar with him. They informed the king about him, and the king summoned him. He was pleased with his companionship, grew fond of him, and honored him.

Then one day Simon said to him, “O King, I have heard that you imprisoned two men and beat them when they called you to a religion other than your own. Have you spoken to them and heard what they have to say?” The king replied, “I was prevented

(1) Ibn Kathir, 3:570: “It has previously been related from many of the early generations that this city was Antioch and that these three were messengers sent on behalf of Christ, Jesus son of Mary, as Qatada and others explicitly stated. This is the only view reported from the later exegetes. However, this is open to objection on several grounds. First, the apparent meaning of the narrative is that they were messengers of Allah, not messengers sent by Christ, as Allah says: ‘When We sent to them two, but they denied them, so We reinforced them with a third; and they said, “Indeed, we have been sent to you”’—up to His words: ‘Our Lord knows that we have indeed been sent to you, and upon us is only clear conveyance.’ Had they been among the disciples, they would have used wording indicating that they had come from Christ. Allah knows best. Moreover, had they been messengers of Christ, their people would not have said to them, ‘You are only human beings like us.’ Second, the people of Antioch believed in Christ’s messengers, and it was the first city whose entire population believed in Christ. For this reason, Christians considered it one of the four cities having patriarchs: Jerusalem, because it was Christ’s city; Antioch, because it was the first town whose people, without exception, believed in Christ; Alexandria, because there they established the offices of patriarchs, metropolitans, bishops, priests, deacons, and monks; and Rome, because it was the city of Emperor Constantine, who supported and consolidated their religion. Third, the account of Antioch and Christ’s disciples occurred after the Torah had been revealed.” See also al-Muharrar al-Wajiz, 13:193. (2) Manuscript B reads: “Jesus.”

قَالَ الْعُلَمَاءُ بِأَخْبَارِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ: بَعَثَ عِيسَى رَسُولَيْنِ مِنَ الْحَوَارِيِّينَ إِلَى أَهْلِ مَدِينَةِ أَنْطَاكِيَةَ (١) فَلَمَّا قَرُبَا مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ رَأَيَا شَيْخًا يَرْعَى غُنَيْمَاتٍ لَهُ وَهُوَ حَبِيبٌ النَّجَّارُ، صَاحِبُ يس (٢) فَسَلَّمَا عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ الشَّيْخُ لَهُمَا: مَنْ أَنْتُمَا؟ فَقَالَا رَسُولَا عِيسَى، نَدْعُوكُمْ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ الْأَوْثَانِ إِلَى عِبَادَةِ الرَّحْمَنِ، فَقَالَ: أَمَعَكُمَا آيَةٌ؟ قَالَا نَعَمْ نَحْنُ نَشْفِي الْمَرِيضَ وَنُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَالْأَبْرَصَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ، فَقَالَ الشَّيْخُ: إِنَّ لِي ابْنًا مَرِيضًا مُنْذُ سِنِينَ، قَالَا فَانْطَلِقْ بِنَا نَطَّلِعْ عَلَى حَالِهِ، فَأَتَى بِهِمَا إِلَى مَنْزِلِهِ، فَمَسَحَا ابْنَهُ، فَقَامَ فِي الْوَقْتِ -بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ-صَحِيحًا، فَفَشَا الْخَبَرُ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ، وَشَفَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَى أَيْدِيهِمَا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْمَرْضَى، وَكَانَ -لَهُمْ مَلِكٌ قَالَ وَهْبٌ: اسْمُهُ إِنْطِيخَسُ -وَكَانَ مِنْ مُلُوكِ الرُّومِ يَعْبُدُ الْأَصْنَامَ، قَالُوا: فَانْتَهَى الْخَبَرُ إِلَيْهِ فَدَعَاهُمَا، فَقَالَ: مَنْ أَنْتُمَا؟ قَالَا رَسُولَا عِيسَى، قَالَ: وَفِيمَ جِئْتُمَا؟ قَالَا نَدْعُوكَ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ إِلَى عِبَادَةِ مَنْ يَسْمَعُ وَيُبْصِرُ، فَقَالَ: لَكُمَا إِلَهٌ دُونَ آلِهَتِنَا؟ قَالَا نَعَمْ، مَنْ أَوْجَدَكَ وَآلِهَتَكَ. قَالَ: قُومَا حَتَّى أَنْظُرَ فِي أَمْرِكُمَا، فَتَبِعَهُمَا النَّاسُ فَأَخَذُوهُمَا وَضَرَبُوهُمَا فِي السُّوقِ. قَالَ وَهْبٌ: بَعَثَ عِيسَى هَذَيْنِ الرَّجُلَيْنِ إِلَى أَنْطَاكِيَةَ، فَأَتَيَاهَا فَلَمْ يَصِلَا إِلَى مَلِكِهَا، وَطَالَ مُدَّةُ مُقَامِهِمَا فَخَرَجَ الْمَلِكُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَكَبَّرَا وَذَكَرَا اللَّهَ، فَغَضِبَ الْمَلِكُ وَأَمَرَ بِهِمَا فَحُبِسَا وَجُلِدَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا مِائَةَ جَلْدَةٍ، قَالُوا: فَلَمَّا كُذِّبَ الرَّسُولَانِ وَضُرِبَا، بَعَثَ عِيسَى رَأْسَ الْحَوَارِيِّينَ شَمْعُونَ الصَّفَا عَلَى إِثْرِهِمَا لِيَنْصُرَهُمَا، فَدَخَلَ شَمْعُونُ الْبَلَدَ مُتَنَكِّرًا، فَجَعَلَ يُعَاشِرُ حَاشِيَةَ الْمَلِكِ حَتَّى أَنِسُوا بِهِ، فَرَفَعُوا خَبَرَهُ إِلَى الْمَلِكِ فَدَعَاهُ فَرَضِيَ عِشْرَتَهُ وَأَنِسَ بِهِ وَأَكْرَمَهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ: أَيُّهَا الْمَلِكُ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ حَبَسْتَ رَجُلَيْنِ فِي السِّجْنِ وَضَرَبْتَهُمَا حِينَ دَعَوَاكَ إِلَى غَيْرِ دِينِكَ، فَهَلْ كَلَّمْتَهُمَا وَسَمِعْتَ قَوْلَهُمَا؟ فَقَالَ الْمَلِكُ: حَالَ

(١) قال ابن كثير: ٣ / ٥٧٠ "وقد تقدم عن كثير من السلف أن هذه القرية أنطاكية، وأن هؤلاء الثلاثة كانوا رسلا عند المسيح عيسى بن مريم ﵊ كما نص عليه قتادة وغيره وهو الذي لم يذكر عن واحد من متأخري المفسرين غيره، وفي ذلك نظر من وجوه: (أحدها) أن ظاهر القصة يدل على أن هؤلاء كانوا رسل الله ﷿ لا من جهة المسيح ﵇ كما قال تعالى: "إذ أرسلنا إليهم اثنين فكذبوهما فعززنا بثالث فقالوا إنا إليكم لمرسلون -إلى قوله- ربنا يعلم إنا إليكم لمرسلون. وما علينا إلا البلاغ المبين" ولو كان هؤلاء من الحواريين لقالوا عبارة تناسب أنهم من عند المسيح ﵇ والله تعالى أعلم، ثم لو كانوا رسل المسيح لما قالوا لهم "إن أنتم إلا بشر مثلنا". (الثاني) أن أهل أنطاكية آمنوا برسل المسيح إليهم وكانوا أول مدينة آمنت بالمسيح ولهذا كانت عند النصارى إحدى المدائن الأربعة اللاتي فيهن بتاركة، وهن القدس لأنها بلد المسيح، وأنطاكية لأنها أول بلدة آمنت بالمسيح عن آخر أهلها، والإسكندرية لأن فيها اصطلحوا على اتخاذ البتاركة والمطارنة والأساقفة والقساوسة والشمامسة والرهابين ثم رومية لأنها مدينة الملك قسطنطين الذي نصر دينهم ووطده. (االثالث) أن قصة أنطاكية مع الحواريين أصحاب المسيح بعد نزول التوراة". وانظر: المحرر الوجيز: ١٣ / ١٩٣. (٢) في "ب" عيسى.