Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/77)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Abu Sa‘id al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Tha‘labi informed us; ‘Abd Allah ibn Hamid informed us; Muhammad ibn Khalid ibn al-Hasan informed us; Dawud ibn Sulayman narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Humayd narrated to us; Muhammad ibn al-Fadl narrated to us; Dawud ibn Abi al-Furat narrated to us, from ‘Ali ibn Ahmad, from ‘Ikrimah, from Ibn ‘Abbas (1):

A man from the Children of Israel brought a complaint before David, peace be upon him, against one of their eminent men, saying, “This man has unlawfully taken my cattle.” David questioned him, but he denied it. David then asked the other man, “Do you have proof?” But he had no proof. David said to them both, “Leave, until I consider your case.”

Then Allah revealed to David in a dream that he should kill the man against whom the complaint had been brought. David said, “This is a dream, and I will not act hastily until I have verified the matter.” Allah revealed the same to him a second time, but he did not do so. Then Allah revealed to him a third time that he must kill him or punishment would come upon him.

David sent for the man and said, “Allah has revealed to me that I am to kill you.” The man said, “Will you kill me without proof?” David replied, “Yes, by Allah, I shall carry out Allah’s command concerning you.” When the man realized that David would indeed kill him, he said, “Do not act hastily until I tell you: by Allah, I have not been seized for this sin. Rather, I had ambushed this man’s father and killed him; it is for that reason that I have been seized.” So David ordered that he be executed, and he was executed. Thereupon the Children of Israel’s awe of David greatly increased, and his kingdom was strengthened. This is the meaning of His saying: “And We strengthened his kingdom” (4).

“And We gave him wisdom”: that is, prophethood and sound judgment in matters. “And decisive speech”: Ibn ‘Abbas said, “Clarity of expression.”

Ibn Mas‘ud, al-Hasan, al-Kalbi, and Muqatil said: He was taught judgment and discernment in adjudication.

‘Ali ibn Abi Talib said: It means that the burden of proof rests upon the claimant, while the oath rests upon the one who denies, because thereby the disputants’ arguments are brought to an end and settled.

This is also narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, who said: “Decisive speech” means witnesses and oaths (5). This was also the view of Mujahid and ‘Ata ibn Abi Rabah.

(1) Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir stated in his Tafsir, 3:32: “The exegetes have mentioned here a story, most of which is derived from Isra'iliyyat (Israelite reports). No hadith from the Infallible One, which must be followed, has been established concerning it. Ibn Abi Hatim, however, narrated a hadith whose chain is unsound, since it is narrated by Yazid al-Raqqashi from Anas. Although Yazid was among the righteous, he was deemed weak in hadith by the leading scholars. It is therefore preferable to limit oneself to merely reciting this story and to refer knowledge of it to Allah, for the Quran is true, and all that it contains is likewise true.” See Abu Shahbah, Al-Isra'iliyyat wa-al-Mawdu'at fi Kutub al-Tafsir, pp. 264-270. The report is found in the Sahih collections, though not in this wording: al-Bukhari, Book of Tahajjud, 3:51; Muslim, Book of the Prayer of Travelers, 1:498. (2) In manuscript B: “he claimed.” (3) In manuscript B: “he claimed.” (4) Recorded by al-Tabari, 23:138-139. In Al-Durr al-Manthur, 7:153, al-Suyuti also attributed it to Abd ibn Humayd and al-Hakim. (5) See al-Tabari, 23:140; Ma'ani al-Quran, 2:401.

أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الشُّرَيْحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الثَّعْلَبِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ حَامِدٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ خَالِدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ، حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ، حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ بْنُ أَبِي الْفُرَاتِ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ (١) أَنَّ رَجُلًا مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اسْتَعْدَى (٢) عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنْ عُظَمَائِهِمْ عِنْدَ دَاوُدَ ﵇ -أَنَّ هَذَا غَصَبَنِي بَقَرًا، فَسَأَلَهُ دَاوُدُ فَجَحَدَ، فَقَالَ لِلْآخَرِ: الْبَيِّنَةُ؟ فَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ بَيِّنَةٌ، فَقَالَ لَهُمَا دَاوُدُ: قُومَا حَتَّى أَنْظُرَ فِي أَمْرِكُمَا، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى دَاوُدَ فِي مَنَامِهِ أَنْ يَقْتُلَ الَّذِي اسْتَعْدَى (٣) عَلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: هَذِهِ رُؤْيَا وَلَسْتُ أَعْجَلُ حَتَّى أَتَثَبَّتَ، فَأَوْحَى إِلَيْهِ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى فَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ الثَّالِثَةَ أَنْ يَقْتُلَهُ أَوْ تَأْتِيَهُ الْعُقُوبَةُ، فَأَرْسَلَ دَاوُدُ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَوْحَى إِلَيَّ أَنْ أَقْتُلَكَ، فَقَالَ: تَقْتُلُنِي بِغَيْرٍ بَيِّنَةٍ؟ قَالَ دَاوُدُ: نَعَمْ وَاللَّهِ لِأُنْفِذَنَّ أَمْرَ اللَّهِ فِيكَ، فَلَمَّا عَرَفَ الرَّجُلُ أَنَّهُ قَاتِلُهُ، قَالَ: لَا تَعْجَلْ حَتَّى أُخْبِرَكَ، إِنِّي وَاللَّهِ مَا أُخِذْتُ بِهَذَا الذَّنْبِ وَلَكِنِّي كُنْتُ اغْتَلْتُ وَالِدَ هَذَا فَقَتَلْتُهُ، فَلِذَلِكَ أُخِذْتُ، فَأَمَرَ بِهِ دَاوُدُ فَقُتِلَ، فَاشْتَدَّتْ هَيْبَةُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ لِدَاوُدَ، وَاشْتَدَّ بِهِ مُلْكُهُ فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: "وَشَدَدْنَا مُلْكَهُ" (٤) . ﴿وَآتَيْنَاهُ الْحِكْمَةَ﴾ يَعْنِي: النُّبُوَّةَ وَالْإِصَابَةَ فِي الْأُمُورِ، ﴿وَفَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: بَيَانَ الْكَلَامِ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ، وَالْحَسَنُ، وَالْكَلْبِيُّ، وَمُقَاتِلٌ: عُلِّمَ الْحُكْمَ وَالتَّبَصُّرَ فِي الْقَضَاءِ. وَقَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ: هُوَ أَنَّ الْبَيِّنَةَ عَلَى الْمُدَّعِي وَالْيَمِينَ عَلَى مَنْ أَنْكَرَ، لِأَنَّ كَلَامَ الْخُصُومِ يَنْقَطِعُ وَيَنْفَصِلُ بِهِ. وَيُرْوَى ذَلِكَ عَنْ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ قَالَ: "فَصْلُ الْخِطَابِ": الشُّهُودُ وَالْأَيْمَانُ (٥) . وَهُوَ قَوْلُ مُجَاهِدٍ وَعَطَاءِ بْنِ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ.

(١) قال الحافظ ابن كثير في التفسير: ٣ / ٣٢ "ذكر المفسرون هاهنا قصة أكثرها مأخوذ من الإسرائيليات ولم يثبت فيها عن المعصوم حديث يجب اتباعه، ولكن روى ابن أبي حاتم حديثا لا يصح سنده لأنه من رواية يزيد الرقاشي عن أنس ﵁، ويزيد وإن كان من الصالحين لكنه ضعيف الحديث عند الأئمة فالأولى أن يقتصر على مجرد تلاوة هذه القصة وأن يرد علمها إلى الله ﷿ فإن القرآن حق وما تضمن فهو حق أيضا". راجع "الإسرائيليات والموضوعات في كتب التفسير" لأبي شهبة ص (٢٦٤-٢٧٠) وهو في الصحيح بغير هذا السياق، انظر: البخاري، كتاب التهجد: ٣ / ٥١، ومسلم، كتاب صلاة المسافرين: ١ / ٤٩٨. (٢) في "ب" ادعى. (٣) في "ب" ادعى. (٤) أخرجه الطبري: ٢٣ / ١٣٨-١٣٩ وعزاه السيوطي في الدر المنثور: ٧ / ١٥٣ أيضا لعبد بن حميد والحاكم. (٥) انظر الطبري: ٢٣ / ١٤٠ معاني القرآن: ٢ / ٤٠١.