Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/211)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

and doors for their houses, and couches on which they recline, (34) and adornments. Yet all of this is merely the enjoyment of the life of this world, while the Hereafter with your Lord is for those who fear Him. (35)

“Rather, I gave enjoyment to these people and their fathers”—meaning the polytheists in this world—and I did not hasten to punish them for their disbelief, “until the truth came to them,” meaning the Quran. Al-Dahhak said: Islam. “And a clear Messenger,” who makes the rulings clear to them—namely, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. In return for this favor, they ought to have obeyed him; yet they did not do so, but disobeyed.

This is the meaning of His statement, exalted is He: “Yet when the truth came to them,” meaning the Quran, “they said, ‘This is magic, and we disbelieve in it.’” “And they said, ‘Why was this Quran not sent down upon a great man from one of the two towns?’” They meant al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah of Mecca and Urwah ibn Masud al-Thaqafi of Taif. This was stated by Qatadah.

Mujahid said: Utbah ibn Rabiah of Mecca and Ibn Abd Yalil al-Thaqafi of Taif.

It was also said: al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah of Mecca, and from Taif, Habib ibn Amr ibn Umayr al-Thaqafi. This is also narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both. (1) Allah Most High says:

“Is it they who apportion the mercy of your Lord?”—meaning prophethood. Muqatil, 118, said: That is, do they hold the keys to messengership in their hands, so that they may place it wherever they wish? Then He said:

“It is We who have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of this world”: We made one rich, another poor, and another a king,

(1) Al-Tabari cited these views (25:65-66), then said: “The soundest view is to state the matter as Allah, exalted be His praise, stated it, reporting from these polytheists: ‘They said: Why was this Quran not sent down to a prominent man from one of the two cities?’ For it is possible that it referred to any one of these individuals; and Allah, mighty and majestic, has not provided us in His Book, nor on the tongue of His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, with evidence identifying whom among them He meant. The disagreement concerning this matter exists, as I have explained.” Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said similarly in his Tafsir (4:127-128): “... What appears is that they meant a prominent man from either of the two cities.”

﴿وَلِبُيُوتِهِمْ أَبْوَابًا وَسُرُرًا عَلَيْهَا يَتَّكِئُونَ (٣٤) وَزُخْرُفًا وَإِنْ كُلُّ ذَلِكَ لَمَّا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةُ عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ (٣٥) ﴾ ﴿بَلْ مَتَّعْتُ هَؤُلَاءِ وَآبَاءَهُمْ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْمُشْرِكِينَ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَلَمْ أُعَاجِلْهُمْ بِالْعُقُوبَةِ عَلَى الْكُفْرِ، ﴿حَتَّى جَاءَهُمُ الْحَقُّ﴾ يَعْنِي الْقُرْآنُ، وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: الْإِسْلَامُ. ﴿وَرَسُولٌ مُبِينٌ﴾ يُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ الْأَحْكَامَ وَهُوَ مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ، وَكَانَ من حق هذ الْإِنْعَامِ أَنْ يُطِيعُوهُ، فَلَمْ يَفْعَلُوا، وَعَصَوْا. وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمُ الْحَقُّ﴾ يَعْنِي الْقُرْآنُ، ﴿قَالُوا هَذَا سِحْرٌ وَإِنَّا بِهِ كَافِرُونَ﴾ . ﴿وَقَالُوا لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ هَذَا الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْقَرْيَتَيْنِ عَظِيمٍ﴾ يَعْنُونَ الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ الْمُغِيرَةِ مِنْ مَكَّةَ، وَعُرْوَةَ بْنَ مَسْعُودٍ الثَّقَفِيَّ بِالطَّائِفِ، قَالَهُ قَتَادَةُ. وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: عُتْبَةُ بْنُ رَبِيعَةَ مِنْ مَكَّةَ، وَابْنُ عَبْدِ يَالَيْلَ الثَّقَفِيُّ مِنَ الطَّائِفِ. وَقِيلَ: الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ الْمُغِيرَةِ مِنْ مَكَّةَ، وَمِنَ الطَّائِفِ: حَبِيبُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ الثَّقَفِيُّ. وَيُرْوَى هَذَا عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمَا. (١) قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَهُمْ يَقْسِمُونَ رَحْمَةَ رَبِّكَ﴾ يَعْنِي النُّبُوَّةَ، قال مقاتل ١١٨/أيَقُولُ: بِأَيْدِيهِمْ مَفَاتِيحُ الرِّسَالَةِ فيضعونها حيث شاؤوا؟ ثُمَّ قَالَ: ﴿نَحْنُ قَسَمْنَا بَيْنَهُمْ مَعِيشَتَهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا﴾ فَجَعَلْنَا هَذَا غَنِيًّا وَهَذَا فَقَيرًا وَهَذَا مَلِكًا

(١) أخرج هذه الأقوال الطبري: ٢٥ / ٦٥-٦٦ ثم قال: "وأولى الأقوال في ذلك بالصواب أن يقال كما قال جل ثناؤه مخبرا عن هؤلاء المشركين (وقالوا لولا نزل هذا القرآن على رجل من القريتين عظيم) إذ كان جائزا أن يكون بعض هؤلاء، ولم يضع الله ﵎ لنا الدلالة على الذين عنوا منهم في كتابه، ولا على لسان رسوله ﷺ، والاختلاف فيه موجود على ما بينت". وبنحوه قال الحافظ ابن كثير في تفسيره: ٤ / ١٢٧-١٢٨ " ... والظاهر أن مرادهم رجل كبير من أي البلدتين كان".