Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/410)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter give the angels female names (27), though they have no knowledge of this. They follow nothing but conjecture, and conjecture can in no way take the place of truth (28). So turn away from whoever turns away from Our Reminder and desires nothing but the life of this world (29). That is the limit of their knowledge. Indeed, your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way, and He knows best who is rightly guided (30).”

“Or does man have whatever he desires?” Does the disbeliever suppose that he will have whatever he wishes and desires, including the intercession of idols?

“Then to Allah belong the Hereafter and the present life.” It is not as the disbeliever supposes and desires. Rather, the Hereafter and the present life belong to Allah; no one possesses anything in either of them except by His permission.

“And how many an angel there is in the heavens”—whom these disbelievers worship and whose intercession with Allah they hope for—“whose intercession avails nothing except after Allah has granted permission” for intercession “to whomever He wills and is pleased with,” that is, among the people of tawhid (monotheism). Ibn Abbas said: He means that the angels do not intercede except for those approved by Allah. He used the plural pronoun in the phrase “their intercession,” although “angel” is singular, because the intent of the phrase “how many an angel” is multiplicity ⦗144/a⦘, as in His saying: “And none of you could withhold him from Us” (al-Haqqah 69:47).

“Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter give the angels female names,” that is, they call them by female names when they say, “They are Allah’s daughters.”

“Though they have no knowledge of this.” Muqatil said: “[That is,] (1) they have no certainty that they are [Allah’s daughters] (2).” “They follow nothing but conjecture, and conjecture can in no way take the place of truth.” Here, “truth” means knowledge; that is, conjecture cannot take the place of knowledge. It was also said that “truth” here means punishment—that is, their conjecture will not save them from punishment in any way (3).

“So turn away from whoever turns away from Our Reminder,” meaning the Quran. It was also said that it means faith, “and desires nothing but the life of this world.”

Then He belittled their view, saying: “That is the limit of their knowledge,” that is, this is the utmost extent of their knowledge and the measure of their intellects: namely, that

(1) Omitted in manuscript "B". (2) In manuscript "B": females. (3) In manuscript "B": “Their supposition will not save them from the punishment.”

﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّونَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَسْمِيَةَ الْأُنْثَى (٢٧) وَمَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا (٢٨) فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْ مَنْ تَوَلَّى عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَلَمْ يُرِدْ إِلَّا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا (٢٩) ذَلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ ضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنِ اهْتَدَى (٣٠) ﴾ ﴿أَمْ لِلْإِنْسَانِ مَا تَمَنَّى﴾ أَيُظَنُّ الْكَافِرُ أَنَّ لَهُ مَا يَتَمَنَّى وَيَشْتَهِي مِنْ شَفَاعَةِ الْأَصْنَامِ؟ ﴿فَلِلَّهِ الْآخِرَةُ وَالْأُولَى﴾ لَيْسَ كَمَا ظَنَّ الْكَافِرُ وَتَمَنَّى، بَلْ لِلَّهِ الْآخِرَةُ وَالْأَوْلَى، لَا يَمْلِكَ أَحَدٌ فِيهِمَا شَيْئًا إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ. ﴿وَكَمْ مِنْ مَلَكٍ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ﴾ يَعْبُدُهُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ الْكُفَّارُ وَيَرْجُونَ شَفَاعَتَهُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ ﴿لَا تُغْنِي شَفَاعَتُهُمْ شَيْئًا إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ أَنْ يَأْذَنَ اللَّهُ﴾ فِي الشَّفَاعَةِ ﴿لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَرْضَى﴾ أَيْ: مِنْ أَهْلِ التَّوْحِيدِ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: يُرِيدُ لَا تَشْفَعُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ إِلَّا لِمَنْ ﵁. وَجَمَعَ الْكِنَايَةَ فِي قَوْلِهِ: "شَفَاعَتُهُمْ" وَالْمَلَكُ وَاحِدٌ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمُرَادَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ: "وَكَمْ من ملك" ١٤٤/أالْكَثْرَةُ، فَهُوَ كَقَوْلِهِ: "فَمَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ عَنْهُ حَاجِزِينَ" (الْحَاقَّةِ-٤٧) . ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّونَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ تَسْمِيَةَ الْأُنْثَى﴾ أَيْ: بِتَسْمِيَةِ الْأُنْثَى حِينَ قَالُوا: إِنَّهُمْ بَنَاتُ اللَّهِ. ﴿وَمَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ﴾ قَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: [مَعْنَاهُ] (١) مَا يَسْتَيْقِنُونَ أَنَّهُمْ [بَنَاتُ اللَّهُ] (٢) ﴿إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلَّا الظَّنَّ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا﴾ "وَالْحَقُّ" بِمَعْنَى الْعِلْمِ، أَيْ: لَا يَقُومُ الظَّنُّ مَقَامَ الْعِلْمِ. وَقِيلَ: "الْحَقُّ" بِمَعْنَى الْعَذَابِ، [أَيْ: أَظُنُّهُمْ لَا يُنْقِذُهُمْ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ شَيْءٌ] (٣) . ﴿فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْ مَنْ تَوَلَّى عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا﴾ يَعْنِي الْقُرْآنَ. وَقِيلَ: الْإِيمَانُ ﴿وَلَمْ يُرِدْ إِلَّا الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا.﴾ . ثُمَّ صَغَّرَ رَأْيَهُمْ فَقَالَ: ﴿ذَلِكَ مَبْلَغُهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ﴾ أَيْ: ذَلِكَ نِهَايَةُ عِلْمِهِمْ وَقَدْرُ عُقُولِهِمْ أَنْ

(١) ساقط من "ب". (٢) في "ب" إناث. (٣) في "ب": (إن ظنهم لا ينقذهم من العذاب) .