Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/216)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Allah guided them to it, “and you will be questioned” about the Quran and about what is required of you in fulfilling its due.

His saying, exalted is He: “And ask those messengers of Ours whom We sent before you: Did We ever appoint gods besides the Most Merciful to be worshipped?” They differed concerning those whom he was commanded to ask.

‘Ata’ narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas: When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was taken on the Night Journey, Allah brought forth for him Adam and his progeny from among the messengers. Gabriel gave the call to prayer and then the second call, and said, “O Muhammad, step forward and lead them in prayer.” When he had finished the prayer, Gabriel said to him, “Ask, O Muhammad, ‘those messengers of Ours whom We sent before you’”—the verse. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “I will not ask; I have been sufficiently assured.” This was also the view of al-Zuhri, Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, and Ibn Zayd. They said: Allah gathered the messengers for him on the night he was taken on the Night Journey and commanded him to ask them, but he neither doubted nor asked. (2)

Most Quran commentators said: Ask the believing People of the Book to whom I sent the prophets: did the messengers bring them anything other than monotheism? (3) This is also the view attributed to Ibn ‘Abbas in all other reports, as well as Mujahid, Qatadah, al-Dahhak, al-Suddi, al-Hasan, and the two Muqatils. This is supported by the recitation of ‘Abd Allah and Ubayy: “And ask those to whom We sent Our messengers before you.” The purpose of commanding the question was to establish before the polytheists of Quraysh that no messenger or Book ever came commanding the worship of other than Allah, exalted is He.

“And We certainly sent Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his chiefs, and he said, ‘Indeed, I am a messenger of the Lord of all worlds.’ But when he came to them with Our signs, they immediately began to laugh at them.” (46–47)

(1) Omitted from manuscript “A.” (2) Cited by al-Qurtubi, 16:94-95, on the authority of Ibn Abbas and Ibn Zayd. See also al-Tabari, 25:78. (3) Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said in his Tafsir, 4:130: “That is, all the messengers called to what you have called to ... as in His saying: ‘We certainly sent to every community a messenger, [proclaiming], “Worship Allah and shun taghut (false deities).”’ ... Ibn Jarir preferred this view.”

هُدَاهُمُ] (١) اللَّهُ به، "وسوف تسئلون" عَنِ الْقُرْآنِ وَعَمَّا يَلْزَمُكُمْ مِنَ الْقِيَامِ بِحَقِّهِ. قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَاسْأَلْ مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رُسُلِنَا أَجَعَلْنَا مِنْ دُونِ الرَّحْمَنِ آلِهَةً يُعْبَدُونَ﴾ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي هَؤُلَاءِ الْمَسْئُولِينَ: قَالَ عَطَاءٌ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: لَمَّا أُسْرِيَ بِالنَّبِيِّ ﷺ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ لَهُ آدَمَ وَوَلَدَهُ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ، فَأَذَّنَ جِبْرِيلُ ثُمَّ أَقَامَ، وَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ تَقَدَّمْ فَصَلِّ بِهِمْ، فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ قَالَ لَهُ جِبْرِيلُ: سَلْ يَا مُحَمَّدُ "مَنْ أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنْ رُسُلِنَا"، الْآيَةَ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "لَا أَسْأَلُ فَقَدِ اكْتَفَيْتُ"، وَهَذَا قَوْلُ الزُّهْرِيِّ وَسَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ وَابْنِ زَيْدٍ، قَالُوا: جَمَعَ اللَّهُ لَهُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ لَيْلَةَ أُسَرِيَ بِهِ وأمره أن يسئلهم فَلَمْ يَشُكَّ وَلَمْ يَسْأَلْ. (٢) وَقَالَ أَكْثَرُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ: سَلْ مُؤْمِنِي أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ الَّذِينَ أَرْسَلْتُ إِلَيْهِمُ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ هَلْ جَاءَتْهُمُ الرُّسُلُ إِلَّا بِالتَّوْحِيدِ؟ (٣) وَهُوَ قَوْلُ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي سَائِرِ الرِّوَايَاتِ، وَمُجَاهِدٍ وَقَتَادَةَ وَالضَّحَّاكِ وَالسُّدِّيِّ وَالْحَسَنِ وَالْمُقَاتِلِيِّينَ. يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ قِرَاءَةُ عَبْدِ الله وأبيّ: "واسئل الَّذِينَ أَرْسَلَنَا إِلَيْهِمْ قَبْلَكَ رُسُلَنَا"، وَمَعْنَى الْأَمْرِ بِالسُّؤَالِ التَّقْرِيرُ لِمُشْرِكِي قُرَيْشٍ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَأْتِ رَسُولٌ وَلَا كِتَابٌ بِعِبَادَةِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ ﷿. ﴿وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَى بِآيَاتِنَا إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِ فَقَالَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (٤٦) فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ بِآيَاتِنَا إِذَا هُمْ مِنْهَا يَضْحَكُونَ (٤٧) ﴾

(١) ساقط من "أ". (٢) ذكره القرطبي: ١٦ / ٩٤-٩٥ عن ابن عباس وابن زيد. وانظر: الطبري: ٢٥ / ٧٨. (٣) قال الحافظ ابن كثير في تفسيره: ٤ / ١٣٠ "أي جميع الرسل دعوا إلى ما دعوت إليه ... كقوله: (ولقد بعثنا في كل أمة رسولا أن اعبدوا الله واجتنبوا الطاغوت) ... واختاره ابن جرير.