Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/339)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

ibn Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, sent him to Banu al-Mustaliq following the campaign, as a collector of zakah. There had been enmity between him and them in the pre-Islamic period. When the people heard of his coming, they went out to receive him, honoring the command of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. But Satan suggested to him that they intended to kill him, so he became afraid of them and turned back on the road to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He said, “Banu al-Mustaliq have withheld their zakah and intended to kill me.”

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, became angry and considered launching a campaign against them. When the people learned that he had returned, they came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, “O Messenger of Allah, we heard of your envoy, so we went out to receive him, honor him, and deliver to him what we had acknowledged as Allah’s due. But he decided to turn back. We feared that a letter had reached him from you on the road because of anger you had felt toward us. We seek refuge in Allah from His anger and from the anger of His Messenger.”

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, nevertheless remained suspicious of them. He sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to them secretly with an army and commanded him to conceal his arrival from them. He said to him, “Observe them. If you see from them what indicates their faith, then collect the zakah from their wealth. But if you do not see that, then deal with them as unbelievers are dealt with.” Khalid did so. He came upon them and heard their call to prayer for the sunset and night prayers. He then collected their zakah, seeing nothing from them but obedience and goodness. He returned to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and informed him of what had happened. Then Allah, exalted is He, revealed: “O believers! If an evildoer brings you news”—meaning al-Walid ibn Uqbah (1)—“with a report”; “then verify it, lest you harm”—that is, lest you harm through killing and fighting—“a people” who are innocent, “unwittingly, and then become regretful for what you have done”: regretful for having harmed them in error.

“And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah. Were he to follow your wishes in many matters, you would certainly fall into hardship. But Allah has made faith beloved to you and adorned it in your hearts, and He has made disbelief, defiance, and disobedience hateful to you. It is they who are rightly guided.” (7)

“And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah”: so fear Allah lest you speak falsehood or give him the lie, for Allah informs him and makes him aware of your circumstances, and you would then be exposed. “Were he to follow your wishes”—that is, were the Messenger to follow you—“in many matters” concerning what you report to him, so that he judged according to your opinion, “you would certainly fall into hardship”: you would sin and perish. Hardship here means sin and destruction.

“But Allah has made faith beloved to you”: He has made it the most beloved of religions to you; “and adorned it”: He made it beautiful “in your hearts,” until you chose it and obey the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. “And He has made disbelief and defiance hateful to you.” Ibn Abbas said: This means lying. “And disobedience”: all acts of disobedience to Allah. Then the discourse shifts from direct address to narrative statement: “It is they who are rightly guided”—that is, those who are rightly guided.

(1) Recorded by al-Tabari, 26:123; Imam Ahmad, 4:279; and Abd al-Razzaq in al-Tafsir, 2:231. Ibn Kathir said, 4:209-210: “Many exegetes have mentioned that this verse was revealed concerning al-Walid ibn Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt, when the Messenger of Allah sent him to collect the zakat dues of Banu al-Mustaliq. This has been narrated through several routes, the best of which is what Imam Ahmad recorded in his Musnad from the account of the chief of Banu al-Mustaliq, al-Harith ibn Abi Dirar ...” He then cited the hadith and other reports. Al-Haythami said, 7:111: “It was narrated by al-Tabarani, and its chain includes Musa ibn Ubaydah, who is weak.”

بْنِ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ أَبِي مُعَيْطٍ، بَعَثَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَى بَنِي الْمُصْطَلِقِ بَعْدَ الْوَقْعَةِ مُصَدِّقًا، وَكَانَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَهُمْ عَدَاوَةٌ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، فَلَمَّا سَمِعَ بِهِ الْقَوْمُ تَلَقُّوهُ تَعْظِيمًا لِأَمْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَحَدَّثَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَنَّهُمْ يُرِيدُونَ قَتْلَهُ فَهَابَهُمْ فَرَجَعَ مِنَ الطَّرِيقِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ: إِنْ بَنِي الْمُصْطَلِقِ قَدْ مَنَعُوا صَدَقَاتِهِمْ وَأَرَادُوا قَتْلِي، فَغَضِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهَمَّ أَنْ يَغْزُوَهُمْ، فَبَلَغَ الْقَوْمَ رُجُوعُهُ فَأَتَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَقَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ سَمِعْنَا بِرَسُولِكَ فَخَرَجْنَا نَتَلَقَّاهُ وَنُكْرِمُهُ وَنُؤَدِّي إِلَيْهِ مَا قَبِلْنَاهُ مِنْ حَقِّ اللَّهِ ﷿، فَبَدَا لَهُ الرُّجُوعُ، فَخَشِينَا أَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا رَدَّهُ مِنَ الطَّرِيقِ كِتَابٌ جَاءَهُ مِنْكَ لِغَضَبٍ غَضِبْتَهُ عَلَيْنَا، وَإِنَّا نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ غَضَبِهِ وَغَضِبِ رَسُولِهِ، فَاتَّهَمَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَبَعَثَ خَالِدَ بْنَ الْوَلِيدِ إِلَيْهِمْ خُفْيَةً فِي عَسْكَرٍ وَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ يُخْفِيَ عَلَيْهِمْ قُدُومَهُ، وَقَالَ لَهُ: انْظُرْ فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ مِنْهُمْ مَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى إِيمَانِهِمْ فَخُذْ مِنْهُمْ زَكَاةَ أَمْوَالِهِمْ، وَإِنْ لَمْ تَرَ ذَلِكَ فَاسْتَعْمِلْ فِيهِمْ مَا يُسْتَعْمَلُ فِي الْكُفَّارِ، فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ خَالِدٌ، وَوَافَاهُمْ فَسَمِعَ مِنْهُمْ أَذَانَ صَلَاتَيِ الْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ، فَأَخَذَ مِنْهُمْ صَدَقَاتِهِمْ، وَلَمْ يَرَ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا الطَّاعَةَ وَالْخَيْرَ، فَانْصَرَفَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَخْبَرَهُ الْخَبَرَ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ جَاءَكُمْ فَاسِقٌ﴾ يَعْنِي الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ عُقْبَةَ (١) ﴿بِنَبَأٍ﴾ بِخَبَرٍ، ﴿فَتَبَيَّنُوا أَنْ تُصِيبُوا﴾ كَيْ لَا تُصِيبُوا بِالْقَتْلِ وَالْقِتَالِ، ﴿قَوْمًا﴾ بُرَآءَ، ﴿بِجَهَالَةٍ فَتُصْبِحُوا عَلَى مَا فَعَلْتُمْ نَادِمِينَ﴾ مِنْ إِصَابَتِكُمْ بِالْخَطَأِ. ﴿وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ (٧) ﴾ ﴿وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ﴾ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ أَنْ تَقُولُوا بَاطِلًا أَوْ تُكَذِّبُوهُ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُخْبِرُهُ وَيُعَرِّفُهُ أَحْوَالَكُمْ فَتَفْتَضِحُوا، ﴿لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ﴾ أَيِ الرَّسُولُ، ﴿فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ﴾ مِمَّا تُخْبِرُونَهُ بِهِ فَيَحْكُمُ بِرَأْيِكُمْ، ﴿لَعَنِتُّمْ﴾ لَأَثِمْتُمْ وَهَلَكْتُمْ، وَالْعَنَتُ: الْإِثْمُ وَالْهَلَاكُ. ﴿وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ﴾ فَجَعَلَهُ أَحَبَّ الْأَدْيَانِ إِلَيْكُمْ، ﴿وَزَيَّنَهُ﴾ حَسَّنَهُ، ﴿فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ﴾ حَتَّى اخْتَرْتُمُوهُ، وَتُطِيعُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ ﴿وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: يُرِيدُ الْكَذِبَ، ﴿وَالْعِصْيَانَ﴾ جَمِيعَ مَعَاصِي اللَّهِ. ثُمَّ عَادَ مِنَ الْخِطَابِ إِلَى الْخَبَرِ، وَقَالَ: ﴿أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ﴾ الْمُهْتَدُونَ.

(١) أخرجه الطبري: ٢٦ / ١٢٣، والإمام أحمد: ٤ / ٢٧٩، وعبد الرزاق في التفسير: ٢ / ٢٣١. قال ابن كثير: ٤ / ٢٠٩-٢١٠ "ذكر كثير من المفسرين أن هذه الآية نزلت في الوليد بن عقبة بن أبي معيط حين بعثه رسول الله ﷺ على صدقات بني المصطلق، وقد روي ذلك من طرق، ومن أحسنها ما رواه الإمام أحمد في مسنده من رواية ملك بني المصطلق وهو الحارث بن أبي ضرار ... ثم ساق الحديث وساق روايات أخرى ... وقال الهيثمي: ٧ / ١١١ "رواه الطبراني وفيه موسى بن عبيدة وهو ضعيف".