Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/380)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

before the disbelievers of Mecca, without their saying, “A sorcerer or a madman!” 140/b

“Did they enjoin this upon one another? Rather, they are a transgressing people. So turn away from them; you are not to blame. And remind them, for the reminder benefits the believers. I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (53–56)

Allah Most High says: “Did they enjoin this upon one another?” That is, did the earlier generations instruct the later ones—and did they mutually agree—upon denying the messengers? The interrogative particle here is for rebuke. “Rather, they are a transgressing people.” Ibn Abbas said: “Their transgression, through what I had granted them and made abundant for them, led them to deny you.” “So turn away from them”: that is, turn away from them. “You are not to blame”: there is no blame upon you, for you have conveyed the message and have not fallen short in what you were commanded to do.

The exegetes said: When this verse was revealed, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, grieved, and it weighed heavily upon his Companions. They thought that revelation had ceased and that the punishment had drawn near, since the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had been commanded to turn away from them. So Allah Most High revealed: “And remind them, for the reminder benefits the believers.” Their hearts were then comforted. (1)

Muqatil said: Its meaning is: Admonish the disbelievers of Mecca through the Quran, for the reminder benefits those among them whom Allah knew beforehand would believe. (2) Al-Kalbi said: Admonish those of your people who have believed through the Quran, for the reminder benefits them.

“I did not create jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” Al-Kalbi, al-Dahhak, and Sufyan said: This applies specifically to those from both groups who obey Him, as is indicated by Ibn Abbas’s recitation: “I did not create jinn and mankind—from among the believers—except to worship Me.” Then He says elsewhere: “We have certainly created for Hell many of jinn and mankind” (al-Araf 7:79).

Others said: I created the blessed among jinn and mankind only for My worship, and the wretched among them only for disobeying Me. This is the meaning of the statement of Zayd ibn Aslam, who said: It is according to that upon which they were predisposed, whether wretchedness or blessedness.

Ali ibn Abi Talib said: “Except to worship Me” means: except that I command them to worship Me and call them to My worship. This is supported by His saying: “They were commanded only to worship one God” (al-Tawbah 9:31).

Mujahid said: “Except that they may know Me.” This is preferable, because had He not created them, His existence and His oneness would not be known, as indicated by His saying:

(1) Reported by Ishaq ibn Rahawayh in his Musnad from Mujahid. Al-Busiri made no comment on it and said: “Ahmad ibn Mani reported it with a chain whose narrators are trustworthy.” It was also reported by al-Tabari from Qatadah. See: Al-Matalib al-Aliyah, 3:378, together with the editor’s annotation; Tafsir al-Tabari, 27:11. (2) Omitted from manuscript “A.”

مِنْ قَبْلِ كُفَّارِ مَكَّةَ، ﴿مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا قَالُوا سَاحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ﴾ . ١٤٠/ب ﴿أَتَوَاصَوْا بِهِ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ طَاغُونَ (٥٣) فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ فَمَا أَنْتَ بِمَلُومٍ (٥٤) وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَى تَنْفَعُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (٥٥) وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ (٥٦) ﴾ قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَتَوَاصَوْا بِهِ﴾ ، أَيْ: أَوْصَى أَوَّلُهُمْ آخِرَهُمْ وَبَعْضُهُمْ بعضًا بالتكذيب وتواطؤا عَلَيْهِ؟ وَالْأَلْفُ فِيهِ لِلتَّوْبِيخِ، ﴿بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ طَاغُونَ﴾ ، قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: حَمَلَهُمُ الطُّغْيَانُ فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتُهُمْ وَوَسَّعْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ عَلَى تَكْذِيبِكَ، ﴿فَتَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ﴾ ، فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ، ﴿فَمَا أَنْتَ بِمَلُومٍ﴾ ، لَا لَوْمَ عَلَيْكَ فَقَدْ أَدَّيْتَ الرِّسَالَةَ وَمَا قَصَّرْتَ فِيمَا أُمِرْتَ بِهِ. قَالَ الْمُفَسِّرُونَ: لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ حَزِنَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَاشْتَدَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ، وَظَنُّوا أَنَّ الْوَحْيَ قَدِ انْقَطَعَ، وَأَنَّ الْعَذَابَ قَدْ حَضَرَ إِذْ أَمَرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَنْ يَتَوَلَّى عَنْهُمْ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَى تَنْفَعُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾ ، فَطَابْتُ أَنْفُسُهُمْ (١) . قَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: مَعْنَاهُ عِظْ بِالْقُرْآنِ كُفَّارَ مَكَّةَ، فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَى تَنْفَعُ مَنْ [سَبَقَ] (٢) فِي عِلْمِ اللَّهِ أَنْ يُؤْمِنَ مِنْهُمْ. وَقَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: عِظْ بِالْقُرْآنِ مَنْ آمَنَ مِنْ قَوْمِكَ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَى تَنْفَعُهُمْ. ﴿وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ﴾ ، قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ وَالضَّحَّاكُ وَسُفْيَانُ: هَذَا خَاصٌّ لِأَهْلِ طَاعَتِهِ مِنَ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ، يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ قِرَاءَةُ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: "وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنْسَ -مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ -إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ"، ثُمَّ قَالَ فِي أُخْرَى: "وَلَقَدْ ذَرَأْنَا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ"، (الْأَعْرَافِ-٧٩) . وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: وَمَا خَلَقْتُ السُّعَدَاءَ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ إِلَّا لِعِبَادَتِي وَالْأَشْقِيَاءَ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا لِمَعْصِيَتِي، وَهَذَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، قَالَ: هُوَ عَلَى مَا جُبِلُوا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الشَّقَاوَةِ وَالسَّعَادَةِ. وَقَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ: "إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ" أَيْ إِلَّا لِآمُرَهُمْ أَنْ يَعْبُدُونِي وَأَدْعُوَهُمْ إِلَى عِبَادَتِي، يُؤَيِّدُهُ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: "وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا". (التَّوْبَةِ-٣١) . وَقَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: إِلَّا لِيَعْرِفُونِي. وَهَذَا أَحْسَنُ لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ لَمْ يَخْلُقْهُمْ لَمْ يُعْرَفْ وُجُودُهُ وَتَوْحِيدُهُ، دَلِيلُهُ: قَوْلُهُ

(١) أخرجه إسحاق بن راهويه في مسنده عن مجاهد، وسكت عنه البوصيري وقال: "رواه أحمد بن منيع بسند رواته ثقات"، وأخرجه الطبري عن قتادة. انظر: المطالب العالية: ٣ / ٣٧٨ مع حاشية المحقق، تفسير الطبري: ٢٧ / ١١. (٢) ساقط من "أ".