Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/401)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

by Allah, while he was on the highest horizon. Gabriel would come to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the form of a human being, just as he had come to the prophets. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, asked him to show himself in the form in which he had been created, so he showed himself to him twice: once on earth and once in heaven. As for his appearance on earth, it was at the highest horizon—by which is meant the eastern side. Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was at Hira when Gabriel appeared to him from the east and filled the horizon as far as the west. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, fell unconscious. Then Gabriel descended in human form, embraced him, and began wiping the dust from his face. This is meant by His saying: “Then he drew near and descended.” As for his appearance in heaven, it was at the Lote Tree of the Utmost Boundary. None of the prophets saw him in that form except our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. (1)

“Then he drew near and descended, (8) until he was two bow-lengths away or even nearer.” (9)

Allah’s saying: “Then he drew near and descended, until he was two bow-lengths away or even nearer”—the scholars differed concerning its meaning.

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; Abu Usamah related to us; Zakariyya ibn Abi Za’idah related to us, from Ibn al-Ashwa‘, from al-Sha‘bi, from Masruq, who said: I said to Aishah, “Then what is meant by His saying, ‘Then he drew near and descended, until he was two bow-lengths away or even nearer’?” She said: “That was Gabriel. He used to come to him in the form of a man, but on this occasion he came to him in his true created form and filled the horizon.” (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; Talq ibn Ghannam related to us; Za’idah related to us from al-Shaybani, who said: I asked Zirr about His saying, “until he was two bow-lengths away or even nearer.” He said: Abdullah—that is, Ibn Mas‘ud—informed us that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, saw Gabriel with six hundred wings. (3)

Thus, the meaning of the verse is: Gabriel then drew near, after having stood at the highest horizon of the earthly realm; he then descended to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, until he was two bow-lengths away from him, or nearer—indeed, nearer. This was the view of Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan, and Qatadah. It was also said that the wording involves an inversion, its intended sense being: “Then he descended and drew near,” since descending is the cause of drawing near. (4)

Others said: Then the Lord, exalted is He, drew near Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and descended, coming close to him until there was a distance of two

(1) See al-Qurtubi, 17:87. (2) Narrated by al-Bukhari in Bad' al-Khalq (The Beginning of Creation), chapter: “When one of you says Amin and the angels in heaven say Amin, and the two coincide, his previous sins are forgiven,” 6:313. (3) Narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Tafsir (Quranic Exegesis), Tafsir of Surat al-Najm, chapter: “Then He revealed to His servant what He revealed,” 8:610; and in Bad' al-Khalq, 6:313. (4) See al-Bayhaqi, al-Asma' wa al-Sifat, 2:187-188; al-Farra', Ma'ani al-Quran, 3:95-96.

اللَّهُ، وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ جِبْرِيلَ كَانَ يَأْتِي رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي صُورَةِ الْآدَمِيِّينَ كَمَا كَانَ يَأْتِي النَّبِيِّينَ، فَسَأَلَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنْ يُرِيَهُ نَفْسَهُ عَلَى الصُّورَةِ الَّتِي جُبِلَ عَلَيْهَا فَأَرَاهُ نَفْسَهُ مَرَّتَيْنِ: مَرَّةً فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَرَّةً فِي السَّمَاءِ، فَأَمَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَفِي الْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى، وَالْمُرَادُ بِالْأَعْلَى جَانِبُ الْمَشْرِقِ، وَذَلِكَ أَنْ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ كَانَ بِحِرَاءٍ فَطَلَعَ لَهُ جِبْرِيلُ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَسَدَّ الْأُفُقَ إِلَى الْمَغْرِبِ، فَخَرَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَغْشِيًّا عَلَيْهِ، فَنَزَلَ جِبْرِيلُ فِي صُورَةِ الْآدَمِيِّينَ فَضَمَّهُ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ، وَجَعَلَ يَمْسَحُ الْغُبَارَ عَنْ وَجْهِهِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ: "ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى" وَأَمَّا فِي السَّمَاءِ فَعِنْدَ سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَى، وَلَمْ يَرَهُ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ عَلَى تِلْكَ الصُّورَةِ إِلَّا نَبِيُّنَا مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ (١) . ﴿ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى (٨) فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى (٩) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى﴾ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي مَعْنَاهُ: أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّعِيمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا زَكَرِيَّا بْنُ أَبِي زَائِدَةَ عَنِ ابْنِ الْأَشْوَعِ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِعَائِشَةَ فَأَيْنَ قَوْلُهُ: "ثُمَّ دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى"؟ قَالَتْ: "ذَلِكَ جِبْرِيلُ كَانَ يَأْتِيهِ فِي صُورَةِ الرَّجُلِ، وَإِنَّهُ أَتَاهُ هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةَ فِي صُورَتِهِ الَّتِي هِيَ صُورَتُهُ، فَسَدَّ الْأُفُقَ" (٢) . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّعِيمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا طَلْقُ بْنُ غَنَّامٍ، حَدَّثَنَا زَائِدَةُ عَنِ الشَّيْبَانِيِّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ زِرًّا عَنْ قَوْلِهِ: "فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى"، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ -يَعْنِي ابْنَ مَسْعُودٍ-أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ رَأَى جِبْرِيلَ لَهُ سِتُّمِائَةِ جَنَاحٍ (٣) . فَمَعْنَى الْآيَةِ: ثُمَّ دَنَا جِبْرِيلُ بَعْدَ اسْتِوَائِهِ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى مِنَ الْأَرْضِ "فَتَدَلَّى" فَنَزَلَ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ، فَكَانَ مِنْهُ "قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى"، بَلْ أَدْنَى، وَبِهِ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَالْحَسَنُ وقَتَادَةُ، قِيلَ: فِي الْكَلَامِ تَقْدِيمٌ وَتَأْخِيرٌ تَقْدِيرُهُ: ثُمَّ تَدَلَّى فَدَنَا؛ لِأَنَّ التَّدَلِّيَ سَبَبُ الدُّنُوِّ (٤) . وَقَالَ آخَرُونَ: ثُمَّ دَنَا الرَّبُّ ﷿ مِنْ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ فَتَدَلَّى، فَقَرُبَ مِنْهُ حَتَّى كَانَ قَابَ

(١) انظر: القرطبي: ١٧ / ٨٧. (٢) أخرجه البخاري في بدء الخلق، باب إذا قال أحدكم "آمين" والملائكة في السماء فوافقت إحداهما الأخرى غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه: ٦ / ٣١٣. (٣) أخرجه البخاري في التفسير - تفسير سورة النجم، باب (فأوحى إلى عبده ما أوحى) ٨ / ٦١٠ وفي بدء الخلق: ٦ / ٣١٣. (٤) انظر: الأسماء والصفات للبيهقي:٢ / ١٨٧-١٨٨، معاني القرآن للفراء: ٣ / ٩٥-٩٦.