Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/255)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

it is the extra lobe of a whale’s liver. If the man’s fluid precedes the woman’s fluid, the child resembles him; and if the woman’s fluid precedes, the child resembles her.’ He said, ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that you are the Messenger of Allah, O Messenger of Allah (1). The Jews are a people prone to slander; if they learn of my acceptance of Islam before you question them, they will malign me.’

The Jews then came, and he asked, ‘What sort of man is Abd Allah among you?’ They replied, ‘He is the best of us and the son of the best of us, our leader and the son of our leader.’ He said, ‘What do you think if Abd Allah ibn Salam were to accept Islam?’ They said, ‘May Allah protect him from that!’ Then Abd Allah came out and said, ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’ They said, ‘He is the worst of us and the son of the worst of us,’ and they disparaged him. He said, ‘This, O Messenger of Allah, is what I feared.’” (2)

Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abd Allah al-Na'imi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Isma'il related to us; Abd Allah ibn Yusuf related to us, saying: I heard Malik narrate from Abu al-Nadr, the freedman of Umar ibn Ubayd Allah, from Amir ibn Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, from his father, who said:

“I never heard the Prophet, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, say of anyone walking upon the face of the earth that he was among the people of Paradise, except Abd Allah ibn Salam. Concerning him this verse was revealed: ‘A witness from the Children of Israel testified to the like thereof.’” He said: “I do not know whether Malik said, ‘the verse,’ or whether this was part of the hadith.” (3)

Others said that the witness was Moses, son of Imran. (4)

Al-Sha'bi said: Masruq said concerning this verse, “By Allah, it was not revealed concerning Abd Allah ibn Salam, for the Ha-Mim surah was revealed in Mecca, whereas Abd Allah ibn Salam accepted Islam in Medina. Rather, this verse was revealed concerning an argument which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, advanced against his people. The Torah is the counterpart of the Quran: Moses bore witness to the Torah, and Muhammad, may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him, to the Criterion, the Quran; and each of the two confirms the other.” (5)

It was also said: He was a prophet from the Children of Israel who believed, while you acted arrogantly and did not believe.

“Indeed, Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.”

(1) The text within the parentheses is omitted from manuscript “A.” (2) Narrated by al-Bukhari in Kitab al-Tafsir, “Tafsir of Surat al-Baqarah,” chapter: “Whoever is an enemy to Jibril,” 8:165; and by the author of Sharh al-Sunnah, 13:372-73. (3) Narrated by al-Bukhari in Manaqib al-Sahabah, chapter: “The merits of Abd Allah ibn Salam, may Allah be pleased with him,” 7:128; by Muslim in Fada'il al-Sahabah, chapter: “The merits of Abd Allah ibn Salam, may Allah be pleased with him,” no. 2483, 4:1930; and by the author of Sharh al-Sunnah, 14:189-90. (4) See al-Bahr al-Muhit, 8:57-58. (5) Narrated by al-Tabari, 26:9-10. In support of this view, he stated (26:10): “In our view, the correct opinion regarding this is that Masruq’s interpretation is closer to the apparent meaning of the Revelation. This is because His saying, ‘Say: Have you considered: if it is from Allah and you disbelieve in it, while a witness from the Children of Israel bears witness to something like it,’ occurs in the context of Allah’s rebuke of the polytheists of Quraysh and as an argument for His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, against them. This verse is analogous to all the preceding verses. No mention had previously been made of the People of the Book or the Jews that would support the view that this verse was revealed concerning them, nor is there any indication that the discourse has shifted away from the accounts of those previously mentioned. However, reports have been transmitted from a group of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, that Abd Allah ibn Salam was intended by it, and this is the view of most exegetes. They were more knowledgeable of the meanings of the Quran, the reason for its revelation, and what was intended by it. Accordingly, the meaning is: Abd Allah ibn Salam testified; he was the witness from the Children of Israel who bore witness to something like it—that is, to something like the Quran, namely the Torah. His testimony was that Muhammad was written of in the Torah as a prophet; the Jews find this written in the Torah, just as it is written in the Quran that he is a prophet.”

فَزِيَادَةُ كَبِدِ الْحُوتِ، وَإِذَا سَبَقَ مَاءُ الرَّجُلِ مَاءَ الْمَرْأَةِ نُزِعَ الْوَلَدُ، وَإِذَا سَبَقَ مَاءُ الْمَرْأَةِ نَزَعَتْ، قَالَ: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، [يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ] (١) إِنَّ الْيَهُودَ قَوْمٌ بُهْتٌ، وَإِنَّهُمْ إِنْ يَعْلَمُوا بِإِسْلَامِي قَبْلَ أَنْ تَسْأَلَهُمْ يَبْهَتُونِي، فَجَاءَتِ الْيَهُودُ فَقَالَ: أَيُّ رَجُلٍ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ فِيكُمْ؟ قَالُوا خَيْرُنَا وَابْنُ خَيْرِنَا، وَسَيِّدُنَا وَابْنُ سَيِّدِنَا، قَالَ: أَرَأَيْتُمْ إِنَّ أَسْلَمَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ؟ قَالُوا: أَعَاذَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، فَخَرَجَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ، فَقَالَ: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنْ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، فَقَالُوا: شَرُّنَا وَابْنِ شَرِّنَا، فَانْتَقَصُوهُ، قَالَ: هَذَا الَّذِي كُنْتُ أَخَافُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ" (٢) . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّعِيمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ مَالِكًا يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ أَبِي النَّضِرِ مَوْلَى عُمَرَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَاصٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: مَا سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ لِأَحَدٍ يَمْشِي عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ إِنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ إِلَّا لِعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلَامٍ، وَفِيهِ نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ: "وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَى مِثْلِهِ". قَالَ: لَا أَدْرِي قَالَ مَالِكٌ الْآيَةَ أَوْ فِي الْحَدِيثِ (٣) . وَقَالَ الْآخَرُونَ: الشَّاهِدُ هُوَ مُوسَى بْنُ عِمْرَانَ (٤) . وَقَالَ الشَّعْبِيُّ: قَالَ مَسْرُوقٌ فِي هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ: وَاللَّهِ مَا نَزَلَتْ فِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلَامٍ لِأَنَّ الْ حم نَزَلَتْ بِمَكَّةَ، وَإِنَّمَا أَسْلَمَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ بِالْمَدِينَةِ، وَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ فِي مُحَاجَّةٍ كَانَتْ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِقَوْمِهِ، وَمِثْلُ الْقُرْآنِ التَّوْرَاةُ فَشَهِدَ مُوسَى عَلَى التَّوْرَاةِ وَمُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ عَلَى الْفُرْقَانِ، وَكُلُّ وَاحِدٍ يُصَدِّقُ الْآخَرَ (٥) . وَقِيلَ: هُوَ نَبِيٌّ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَآمَنَ وَاسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَلَمْ تُؤْمِنُوا ﴿إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾ .

(١) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ". (٢) أخرجه البخاري في التفسير (تفسير سورة البقرة) باب: (من كان عدوا لجبريل) ٨ / ١٦٥، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٣ / ٣٧٢-٣٧٣. (٣) أخرجه البخاري في مناقب الصحابة، باب: مناقب عبد الله بن سلام ﵁ ٧ / ١٢٨، ومسلم في فضائل الصحابة، باب: فضائل عبد الله بن سلام ﵁ برقم: (٢٤٨٣) ٤ / ١٩٣٠، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٤ / ١٨٩-١٩٠. (٤) انظر: البحر المحيط: ٨ / ٥٧-٥٨. (٥) أخرجه الطبري: ٢٦ / ٩-١٠ وقال مرجحًا في: (٢٦ / ١٠) : "والصواب من القول في ذلك عندنا أن الذي قاله مسروق في تأويل ذلك أشبه بظاهر التنزيل" لأن قوله (قل أرأيتم إن كان من عند الله وكفرتم به وشهد شاهد من بني إسرائيل على مثله) في سياق توبيخ الله تعالى ذكره مشركي قريش، واحتجاجًا عليهم لنبيه ﷺ، وهذه الآية نظير سائر الآيات قبلها، ولم يجر لأهل الكتاب ولا اليهود قبل ذلك ذكر، فتوجه هذه الآية إلى أنها فيهم نزلت، ولا دل على انصراف الكلام عن قصص الذين تقدم الخبر عنهم معنى، غير أن الأخبار قد وردت عن جماعة من أصحاب رسول الله ﷺ بأن ذلك عني به عبد الله بن سلام وعليه أكثر أهل التأويل، وهم كانوا أعلم بمعاني القرآن، والسبب الذي فيه نزل، وما أريد به، فتأويل الكلام إذ كان ذلك كذلك، وشهد عبد الله بن سلام، وهو الشاهد من بني إسرائيل على مثله، يعني على مثل القرآن، وهو التوراة، وذلك شهادته أن محمدًا مكتوب في التوراة أنه نبي تجده اليهود مكتوبًا عندهم في التوراة، كما هو مكتوب في القرآن أنه نبي".