Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/26)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

in their dwellings. It was also said: Had We willed, We could have turned them into stones as they sat in their dwellings, with no souls in them. “Then they would be unable to go on, nor could they return” to their former state. It was also said: they would be unable either to depart or to return.

“And whoever We grant a long life, We reverse in creation. Will they not then understand? (68) We have not taught him poetry, nor is it fitting for him. This is only a reminder and a clear Quran. (69)”

“And whoever We grant a long life, We reverse in creation”: Asim and Hamzah read it as nunakkis-hu, with the k doubled. The others read it as nankus-hu, without doubling the k; that is, We return him to the feeblest stage of life, resembling a child at the beginning of his development.

It was also said that “We reverse him in creation” means that We weaken his limbs after their strength and return them to deficiency after their growth. “Will they not then understand,” take heed, and know that He who has power to alter the conditions of a human being also has power to resurrect after death?

His saying, exalted is He: “We have not taught him poetry, nor is it fitting for him.” Al-Kalbi said: The disbelievers of Mecca said, “Muhammad is a poet, and what he says is poetry.” So Allah revealed this in denial of their claim: “We have not taught him poetry, nor is it fitting for him.” That is, poetry did not come easily to him, and he was unable to compose a line of verse in proper meter; even when he quoted a line of poetry, it would come from his tongue with its meter broken.

Abu Sa'id al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Tha'labi informed us; al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Thaqafi informed me; Ahmad ibn Ja'far ibn Hamdan narrated to us; Yusuf ibn Abd Allah ibn Mahan narrated to us; Musa ibn Isma'il narrated to us; Hammad ibn Salamah narrated to us, from Ali ibn Zayd, from al-Hasan, that the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, used to quote this line:

“Islam and gray hair are sufficient deterrent for a man.”

Abu Bakr said, “Messenger of Allah, the poet actually said:

‘Gray hair and Islam are sufficient deterrent for a man.’” (1)

[While the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, would say: “Islam and gray hair are sufficient deterrent for a man.”]

Abu Bakr and Umar then said, “We bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah. Allah, exalted is He, says: ‘We have not taught him poetry, nor is it fitting for him.’” (2)

Abd al-Wahid al-Malihi informed us; Abu Muhammad Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Shurayh informed us; Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi informed us; Ali ibn al-Ja'd informed us; Sharik narrated to us, from al-Miqdam ibn Shurayh, from his father, who said: I said to Aishah, “Did the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, ever quote any poetry?” She replied, “He used to quote from the poetry of Abd Allah ibn Rawahah.”

(1) The verse is by Suhaym Abd al-Hasshas; its first hemistich reads: “Umayrah, bid farewell if you have prepared to depart as a raider.” See al-Jahiz, al-Bayan wa al-Tabyin, 1:71; al-Mubarrad, al-Kamil, p. 585; and Ibn Kathir, al-Tafsir, 7:574, al-Sha'b edition. (2) Reported by Ibn Sad, 1:382-383; the words in parentheses have been supplied from his version. Al-Suyuti, in al-Durr al-Manthur, 7:71, attributed it to Ibn Abi Hatim and al-Marzubani in Mujam al-Shuara. Ali ibn Zayd is weak.

فِي مَنَازِلِهِمْ، وَقِيلَ: لَوْ نَشَاءُ لَجَعَلْنَاهُمْ حِجَارَةً، وَهُمْ قُعُودٌ فِي مَنَازِلِهِمْ لَا أَرْوَاحَ لَهُمْ. ﴿فَمَا اسْتَطَاعُوا مُضِيًّا وَلَا يَرْجِعُونَ﴾ إِلَى مَا كَانُوا عَلَيْهِ، وَقِيلَ: لَا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى ذَهَابٍ وَلَا رُجُوعٍ. ﴿وَمَنْ نُعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ (٦٨) وَمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ الشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرٌ وَقُرْآنٌ مُبِينٌ (٦٩) ﴾ ﴿وَمَنْ نُعَمِّرْهُ نُنَكِّسْهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ﴾ قَرَأَ عَاصِمٌ وَحَمْزَةُ: "نُنَكِّسُهُ" بِالتَّشْدِيدِ، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِفَتْحِ النُّونِ الْأُولَى وَضَمِّ الْكَافِ مُخَفَّفًا، أَيْ: نَرُدُّهُ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ شِبْهَ الصَّبِيِّ فِي أَوَّلِ الْخَلْقِ. وَقِيلَ: "نُنَكِّسُهُ فِي الْخَلْقِ" أَيْ: نُضْعِفُ جَوَارِحَهُ بَعْدَ قُوَّتِهَا وَنَرُدُّهَا إِلَى نُقْصَانِهَا بَعْدَ زِيَادَتِهَا. ﴿أَفَلَا يَعْقِلُونَ﴾ فَيَعْتَبِرُوا وَيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الَّذِي قَدَرَ عَلَى تَصْرِيفِ أَحْوَالِ الْإِنْسَانِ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى الْبَعْثِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ. قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ الشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ﴾ قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: إِنَّ كُفَّارَ مَكَّةَ قَالُوا: إِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا شَاعِرٌ، وَمَا يَقُولُهُ شِعْرٌ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَكْذِيبًا لَهُمْ: ﴿وَمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ الشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ﴾ أَيْ: مَا يَتَسَهَّلُ لَهُ ذَلِكَ، وَمَا كَانَ يَتَّزِنُ لَهُ بَيْتٌ مِنْ شِعْرٍ، حَتَّى إِذَا تَمَثَّلَ بِبَيْتِ شِعْرٍ جَرَى عَلَى لِسَانِهِ مُنْكَسِرًا. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الشُّرَيْحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الثَّعْلَبِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنِي الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الثَّقَفِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ حَمْدَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا يُوسُفُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَاهَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ يَتَمَثَّلُ بِهَذَا الْبَيْتِ: كَفَى بِالْإِسْلَامِ وَالشَّيْبِ لِلْمَرْءِ نَاهِيًا فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّمَا قَالَ الشَّاعِرُ: كَفَى الشَّيْبُ وَالْإِسْلَامُ لِلْمَرْءِ نَاهِيًا (١) [وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ: كَفَى بِالْإِسْلَامِ وَالشَّيْبِ لِلْمَرْءِ نَاهِيًا] ، فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمْرُ: أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَمَا عَلَّمْنَاهُ الشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ﴾ (٢) أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي شُرَيْحٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْبَغَوِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْجَعْدِ، حَدَّثَنَا شَرِيكٌ، عَنِ الْمِقْدَامِ بْنِ شُرَيْحٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِعَائِشَةَ: أَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَتَمَثَّلُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الشِّعْرِ؟ قَالَتْ: كَانَ يَتَمَثَّلُ مِنْ شِعْرِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ رَوَاحَةَ.

(١) البيت لسحيم عبد الحسحاس، وصدره: عميرة ودع إن تجهزت غازيا. انظره في البيان والتبيين للجاحظ: ١ / ٧١، الكامل للمبرد ص (٥٨٥) عن تفسير ابن كثير: ٧ / ٥٧٤ طبع الشعب. (٢) أخرجه ابن سعد: ١ / ٣٨٢-٣٨٣ (وما بين القوسين استدركناه منه) وعزاه السيوطي في الدر المنثور: ٧ / ٧١ لابن أبي حاتم والمرزباني في معجم الشعراء، وعلى بن زيد ضعيف.