Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/324)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

are compassionate and loving toward one another, like a child toward his parent, as He said: “Humble toward the believers, stern toward the disbelievers” (al-Ma'idah 5:54). “You see them bowing and prostrating”: He informed of the abundance of their prayers and their constancy in them. “Seeking bounty from Allah”: that He admit them into Paradise; “and His good pleasure”: that He be pleased with them. “Their mark,” that is, their sign, “is upon their faces from the effect of prostration.” The scholars differed concerning this mark. Some said: It is a light and brightness upon their faces on the Day of Resurrection, by which they will be recognized as having prostrated in this world. This was narrated by Atiyyah al-Awfi from Ibn Abbas. Ata ibn Abi Rabah and al-Rabi ibn Anas said: Their faces shone from the abundance of their prayers. Shahr ibn Hawshab said: The places of prostration on their faces will be like the moon on the night of its fullness.

Others said: It is their fine bearing, humility, and modesty. This was narrated by al-Walibi from Ibn Abbas, who said: It is not what you see; rather, it is the mark, disposition, bearing, and humility of Islam. This was also the view of Mujahid. The meaning is that prostration bequeathed to them the humility and fine bearing by which they are recognized.

Al-Dahhak said: It is the yellowness of the face caused by staying awake at night.

Al-Hasan said: When you see them, you would think they were ill, though they are not ill.

Ikrimah and Said ibn Jubayr said: It is the trace of dust upon their foreheads.

Abu al-Aliyah said: They prostrate upon the earth, not upon garments.

Ata al-Khurasani said: Everyone who diligently observes the five prayers is included in this verse (1).

“That,” namely, what I have mentioned, “is their description,” that is, their attribute, “in the Torah.” Here the statement ends. Then He mentioned their description in the Gospel, saying: “And their description,” that is, their attribute, “in the Gospel is like a seed that puts forth its shoot.” Ibn Kathir and Ibn Amir recited it as shata'ahu, with the ta pronounced with a fathah, while the others recited it with the ta unvowelled. Both are valid dialectal forms, like nahr and nahr. What is meant is its offshoots. One says, “The crop has put forth shoots,” when it produces offshoots. Muqatil said: It is a single plant; when that which follows it emerges, it is its shoot.

(1) Imam al-Tabari cites these views (26:110-112), then states in preference: “The soundest view is that Allah, exalted be He, has informed us that the sima (distinguishing mark) of these people, whose qualities He described as being visible on their faces from the effects of prostration, is not restricted to one time rather than another. Since this is so, it applies at all times. Thus, the mark by which they were recognized in this world was the effect of Islam: their humility, upright guidance, asceticism, demeanor, and the traces of their fulfilment of its obligatory and voluntary acts. In the Hereafter, they will be recognized by what He has informed us of: the radiance on their faces and the brightness of their hands and feet resulting from ablution, and the whiteness of their faces resulting from prostration.”

لِبَعْضٍ، كَالْوَلَدِ مَعَ الْوَالِدِ، كَمَا قَالَ: "أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ": (الْمَائِدَةِ-٥٤) : ﴿تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا﴾ أَخْبَرَ عَنْ كَثْرَةِ صَلَاتِهِمْ وَمُدَاوَمَتِهِمْ عَلَيْهَا، ﴿يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِنَ اللَّهِ﴾ أَنْ يُدْخِلَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ، ﴿وَرِضْوَانًا﴾ أَنْ يَرْضَى عَنْهُمْ، ﴿سِيمَاهُمْ﴾ أَيْ عَلَامَتُهُمْ، ﴿فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ مِنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ﴾ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي هَذِهِ السِّيمَا: فَقَالَ قَوْمٌ: هُوَ نُورٌ وَبَيَاضٌ فِي وُجُوهِهِمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُعْرَفُونَ بِهِ أَنَّهُمْ سَجَدُوا فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَهُوَ رِوَايَةُ عَطِيَّةَ الْعَوْفِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ عَطَاءُ بْنُ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ وَالرَّبِيعُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ: اسْتَنَارَتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ مِنْ كَثْرَةِ مَا صَلُّوا. وَقَالَ شَهْرُ بْنُ حَوْشَبٍ: تَكُونُ مَوَاضِعُ السُّجُودِ مِنْ وُجُوهِهِمْ كَالْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ. وَقَالَ آخَرُونَ: هُوَ السَّمْتُ الْحَسَنُ وَالْخُشُوعُ وَالتَّوَاضُعُ. وَهُوَ رِوَايَةُ الْوَالِبِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: لَيْسَ بِالَّذِي تَرَوْنَ لَكِنَّهُ سِيمَاءُ الْإِسْلَامِ وَسَجِيَّتُهُ وَسَمْتُهُ وَخُشُوعُهُ. وَهُوَ قَوْلُ مُجَاهِدٍ، وَالْمَعْنَى: أَنَّ السُّجُودَ أَوْرَثَهُمُ الْخُشُوعَ وَالسَّمْتُ الْحَسَنُ الَّذِي يُعْرَفُونَ بِهِ. وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: هُوَ صُفْرَةُ الْوَجْهِ مِنَ السَّهَرِ. وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: إِذَا رَأَيْتَهُمْ حَسِبْتَهُمْ مَرْضَى وَمَا هُمْ بِمَرْضَى. قَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ وَسَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ: هُوَ أَثَرُ التُّرَابِ عَلَى الْجِبَاهِ. قَالَ أَبُو الْعَالِيَةِ: إِنَّهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ عَلَى التُّرَابِ لَا عَلَى الْأَثْوَابِ. وَقَالَ عَطَاءٌ الْخُرَاسَانِيُّ: دَخَلَ فِي هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ كُلُّ مَنْ حَافَظَ عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ (١) . ﴿ذَلِكَ﴾ الَّذِي ذَكَرْتُ، ﴿مَثَلُهُمْ﴾ صِفَتُهُمْ ﴿فِي التَّوْرَاةِ﴾ هَاهُنَا تَمَّ الْكَلَامُ، ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ نَعْتَهُمْ فِي الْإِنْجِيلِ، فَقَالَ: ﴿وَمَثَلُهُمْ﴾ صِفَتُهُمْ، ﴿فِي الْإِنْجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ﴾ قَرَأَ ابْنُ كَثِيرٍ، وَابْنُ عَامِرٍ: "شَطَأَهُ" بِفَتْحِ الطَّاءِ، وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ بِسُكُونِهَا، وَهُمَا لُغَتَانِ كَالنَّهْرِ وَالنَّهَرِ، وَأَرَادَ أَفْرَاخَهُ، يُقَالُ: أَشْطَأَ الزرع فهو مشطىء، إِذَا أَفْرَخَ، قَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: هُوَ نَبْتٌ وَاحِدٌ، فَإِذَا خَرَجَ مَا بَعْدَهُ فَهُوَ شَطْؤُهُ.

(١) أورد هذه الأقوال الإمام الطبري: ٢٦ / ١١٠-١١٢ ثم قال مرجحًا: "وأولى الأقوال في ذلك بالصواب أن يقال: إن الله تعالى ذكره أخبرنا أن سيما هؤلاء القوم الذين وصف صفتهم في وجوههم من أثر السجود، ولم يخص ذلك على وقت دون وقت. وإذ كان ذلك كذلك، فذلك على كل الأوقات، فكان سيماهم الذي كانوا يعرفون به في الدنيا أثر الإسلام، وذلك خشوعه وهديه وزهده وسمته، وآثار أداء فرائضه وتطوعه، وفي الآخرة ما أخبر أنهم يعرفون به، وذلك الغرة في الوجه والتحجيل في الأيدي والأرجل من أثر الوضوء، وبياض الوجوه من أثر السجود.