Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (1/239)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

and tortured them. Suhayb said to them, “I am an old man; what difference does it make to you whether I am with you or with others? Will you take my wealth and leave me with my religion?” They did so. He stipulated that they provide him with a riding mount and provisions, and he remained in Mecca for as long as Allah willed. Then he set out for Medina, where Abu Bakr and Umar, along with a group of men, came out to meet him. Abu Bakr said to him, “Your transaction has been profitable, O Abu Yahya!” Suhayb replied, “May yours be profitable as well, so do not regret.” Suhayb said, “What do you mean by that?” He replied, “Allah has revealed something concerning you,” and he recited this verse to him.

Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib and Ata' said: Suhayb set out as an emigrant toward the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and a group of Quraysh’s polytheists pursued him. He dismounted from his riding beast and drew out the arrows from his quiver. Then he said: “O assembly of Quraysh, you know that I am among the best archers among you. By Allah, I shall not loose a single arrow from this quiver except into the heart of one of you. By Allah, you will not reach me until I have shot every arrow in my quiver, and then struck with my sword for as long as it remains in my hand. Then do as you please. But if you wish, I will show you where my wealth is in Mecca, and you may let me go on my way.” They said, “Yes.” So he did so, and Allah revealed this verse. (1)

Al-Hasan said: “Do you know concerning whom this verse was revealed? It was revealed concerning a Muslim who encounters a disbeliever and says to him, ‘Say: There is no god but Allah,’ but he refuses to say it. The Muslim then says, ‘By Allah, I shall sell myself for Allah’s sake.’ So he advances and fights alone until he is killed.”

It was also said that the verse was revealed concerning enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Ibn Abbas said: “I consider the one who sells himself, seeking Allah’s pleasure, to be the man who rises and commands another to fear Allah. If he does not accept and sinful pride takes hold of him, he says, ‘And I sell myself for Allah’s sake,’ and fights him. Thus the two men fight one another for that reason.” Whenever Ali recited this verse, he would say, “They fought one another, by the Lord of the Ka'bah!” Umar ibn al-Khattab heard someone reciting this verse: “And among the people is he who sells himself, seeking Allah’s pleasure.” Umar said, “Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return. A man rose to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and he was killed.”

Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Abd al-Rahman ibn Shurayh informed us; Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi informed us; Ali ibn al-Ja'd informed us; Hammad ibn Salamah informed me, from Abu Ghalib, from Abu Umamah, that a man said, “O Messenger of Allah, which jihad is best?” He said, “The best jihad is to speak a word of truth before an unjust ruler.” (2)

(1) See al-Wahidi, Tafsir, 1:304; Ibn Kathir, 1:437; al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 58; and Ibn Sad, al-Tabaqat, 3:227-28. (2) Related by Abu Dawud, Kitab al-Malahim, chapter on commanding and forbidding, from Abu Said al-Khudri, 6:191; al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Fitan, chapter “The best jihad is a word of justice before an unjust ruler,” from Abu Said al-Khudri, 6:395. He said: “This is a sound, uncommon hadith through this route,” and it is corroborated by the hadith of Abu Umamah. Also related by al-Nasai, Kitab al-Bayah, chapter on the merit of one who speaks the truth before an unjust ruler, 7:161; Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Fitan, chapter on enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, 2:1329; and Ahmad, 3:19, as part of a hadith from Abu Said al-Khudri; 4:324, from Tariq ibn Shihab; and 5:251-56, from Abu Umamah.

فَعَذَّبُوهُمْ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ صُهَيْبٌ إِنِّي شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ أَمِنْكُمْ كُنْتُ أَمْ مَنْ غَيْرِكُمْ فَهَلْ لَكَمَ أَنْ تَأْخُذُوا مَالِي وَتَذَرُونِي وَدِينِي؟ فَفَعَلُوا، وَكَانَ شَرَطَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَاحِلَةً وَنَفَقَةً، فَأَقَامَ بِمَكَّةَ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فَتَلَقَّاهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمْرُ فِي رِجَالٍ، فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَبِحَ بَيْعُكَ يَا أَبَا يَحْيَى، فَقَالَ لَهُ صُهَيْبٌ: وَبَيْعُكَ فَلَا تَتَحَسَّرْ، قَالَ صُهَيْبٌ: مَا ذَاكَ؟ فَقَالَ قَدْ أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيكَ، وَقَرَأَ عَلَيْهِ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ. وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ وَعَطَاءٌ: أَقْبَلَ صُهَيْبٌ مُهَاجِرًا نَحْوَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَاتَّبَعَهُ نَفَرٌ مِنْ مُشْرِكِي قُرَيْشٍ فَنَزَلَ عَنْ رَاحِلَتِهِ وَنَثَلَ مَا كَانَ فِي كِنَانَتِهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: يَا مَعْشَرَ قُرَيْشٍ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتُمْ إِنِّي لَمِنْ أَرْمَاكُمْ رَجُلًا وَاللَّهِ لَا أَضَعُ سَهْمًا مِمَّا فِي كِنَانَتِي إِلَّا فِي قَلْبِ رَجُلٍ مِنْكُمْ وَايْمُ اللَّهِ لَا تَصِلُونَ إِلَيَّ حَتَّى أَرْمِيَ بِكُلِّ سَهْمٍ فِي كِنَانَتِي ثُمَّ أَضْرِبَ بِسَيْفِي مَا بَقِيَ فِي يَدِي ثُمَّ افْعَلُوا مَا شِئْتُمْ، وَإِنْ شِئْتُمْ دَلَلْتُكُمْ عَلَى مَالِي بِمَكَّةَ وَخَلَّيْتُمْ سَبِيلِي قَالُوا: نَعَمْ. فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ (١) . وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: أَتَدْرُونَ فِيمَنْ نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ؟ نَزَلَتْ فِي الْمُسْلِمِ يَلْقَى الْكَافِرَ فَيَقُولُ لَهُ قُلْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ فَيَأْبَى أَنْ يَقُولَهَا، فَقَالَ الْمُسْلِمُ وَاللَّهِ لَأَشْرِيَنَّ نَفْسِي لِلَّهِ. فَتَقَدَّمَ فَقَاتَلَ وَحْدَهُ حَتَّى قُتِلَ. وَقِيلَ نَزَلَتِ الْآيَةُ فِي الْأَمْرِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيِ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ، قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: أَرَى مَنْ يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاةِ اللَّهِ يَقُومُ فَيَأْمُرُ هَذَا بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يَقْبَلْ وَأَخَذَتْهُ الْعِزَّةُ بِالْإِثْمِ، قَالَ وَأَنَا أَشْرِي نَفْسِي لِلَّهِ فَقَاتَلَهُ فَاقْتَتَلَ الرَّجُلَانِ لِذَلِكَ، وَكَانَ عَلِيٌّ إِذَا قَرَأَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ يَقُولُ: اقْتَتَلَا وَرَبِّ الْكَعْبَةِ، وَسَمِعَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ إِنْسَانًا يَقْرَأُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ ﴿وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَشْرِي نَفْسَهُ ابْتِغَاءَ مَرْضَاةِ اللَّهِ﴾ فَقَالَ عُمْرُ ﴿إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ﴾ قَامَ رَجُلٌ يَأْمُرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ فَقُتِلَ. أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَلِيحِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ شُرَيْحٍ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْبَغَوِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْجَعْدِ أَخْبَرَنِي حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أَبِي غَالِبٍ عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ أَنَّ رَجُلًا قَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيُّ الْجِهَادِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ "أَفْضَلُ الْجِهَادِ مَنْ قَالَ كَلِمَةَ حَقٍّ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِرٍ" (٢) .

(١) انظر: تفسير الواحدي ١ / ٣٠٤، ابن كثير: ١ / ٤٣٧، أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (٥٨) طبقات ابن سعد: ٣ / ٢٢٧-٢٢٨. (٢) رواه أبو داود: في الملاحم باب الأمر والنهي عن أبي سعيد الخدري ٦ / ١٩١. والترمذي: في الفتن باب أفضل الجهاد كلمة عدل عند سلطان جائر ٦ / ٣٩٥ عن أبي سعيد الخدري وقال: هذا حديث حسن غريب من هذا الوجه، (ويشهد له حديث أبي أمامة) . والنسائي: في البيعة باب فضل من تكلم بالحق عند سلطان جائر ٧ / ١٦١. وابن ماجه: في الفتن باب الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر ٢ / ١٣٢٩. وأحمد: ٣ / ١٩ جزء من حديث عن أبي سعيد الخدري - ٤ / ٣٢٤ عن طارق بن شهاب ٥ / ٢٥١-٢٥٦ عن أبي أمامة.