Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/412)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

It is narrated to us from Ata’, from Ibn Abbas, concerning His saying, “except for lesser lapses,” that he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“If You forgive, O Allah, You forgive abundantly; and what servant of Yours has not committed a lesser lapse?” (1)

The basic meaning of lesser lapses and occasional commission is that which a person does from time to time, without repetition or persistence.

Others said: This is a disconnected exception, meaning: “but lesser lapses.” They did not regard lesser lapses as being among the major sins and indecencies, though they differed over its meaning. Some of them said: It refers to what had occurred in the pre-Islamic period, for which Allah will not hold them accountable. This is because the polytheists said to the Muslims, “Only yesterday, they were doing the same things with us.” So Allah revealed this verse. This was the view of Zayd ibn Thabit and Zayd ibn Aslam (2).

Others said: It refers to minor sins, such as a look, a wink, a kiss, and whatever falls short of fornication. This was the view of Ibn Masud, Abu Hurayrah, Masruq, al-Sha‘bi, and a narration from Tawus from Ibn Abbas (3).

Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abdullah al-Nu‘aymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Isma‘il informed us; Mahmud ibn Ghaylan informed us; Abd al-Razzaq informed us; Ma‘mar informed us, from Ibn Tawus, from his father, from Ibn Abbas, who said: I have not seen anything more closely resembling lesser lapses than what Abu Hurayrah related from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him:

“Allah has decreed for the son of Adam his share of illicit sexual sin, which he will inevitably encounter. The illicit sexual sin of the eye is looking; the illicit sexual sin of the tongue is speaking; the soul wishes and desires; and the private parts either confirm this or belie it.” (4)

Suhayl ibn Abi Salih also narrated it from his father, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, adding:

“The illicit sexual sin of the two eyes is looking; the illicit sexual sin of the two ears is listening; the illicit sexual sin of the tongue is speaking; the hand—its illicit sexual sin is (5) seizing; and the illicit sexual sin of the foot is walking.” (6)

(1) Reported by al-Tirmidhi in Tafsir, “Commentary on Surat al-Najm,” 9:172. He said: “This is a sound, authentic, and rare hadith; we know it only through the narration of Zakariyya ibn Ishaq.” It was also reported by al-Tabari, 27:66; and al-Hakim, 2:469-470, who said: “This hadith is authentic according to the criteria of the two Shaykhs, though they did not record it.” In al-Durr al-Manthur, 7:656, al-Suyuti also attributed it to Sa'id ibn Mansur, al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman, al-Bazzar, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Ibn Mardawayh. The verse is by Umayyah ibn Abi al-Salt. (2) Al-Tabari, 27:64, relates it from Ibn Zayd. He also reports from Zayd ibn Aslam, 27:65, the statement: “The grave sins of shirk and indecencies, including fornication: they abandoned these when they entered Islam, and Allah forgave them for the sins they had committed and fallen into before Islam.” See also Ibn Kathir, 4:257; al-Bahr al-Muhit, 8:164; al-Qurtubi, 17:108. (3) See Zad al-Masir, 8:76. (4) Reported by al-Bukhari in al-Istidh'an, chapter: “The fornication of the limbs apart from the private parts,” 11:26; by Muslim in al-Qadar, chapter: “What has been decreed for the son of Adam of his share of fornication and other matters,” no. 2657, 4:2046; and by the author of Sharh al-Sunnah, 1:136-137. (5) Omitted in manuscript “B.” (6) Reported by Muslim in al-Qadar, chapter: “What has been decreed for the son of Adam of his share of fornication and other matters,” no. 2657, 4:2047.

وَرُوِّينَا عَنْ عَطَاءٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ: "إِلَّا اللَّمَمَ"، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "إِنْ تَغْفِرِ اللَّهُمَّ تَغْفِرْ جَمَّا وَأَيُّ عَبْدٍ لَكَ لَا أَلَمَّا" (١) . وَأَصْلُ "اللَّمَمِ وَالْإِلْمَامِ": مَا يَعْمَلُهُ الْإِنْسَانُ الْحِينَ بَعْدَ الْحِينِ، وَلَا يَكُونُ إِعَادَةً، وَلَا إِقَامَةً. وَقَالَ آخَرُونَ: هَذَا اسْتِثْنَاءٌ مُنْقَطِعٌ، مَجَازُهُ: لَكِنِ اللَّمَمَ، وَلَمْ يَجْعَلُوا اللَّمَمَ مِنَ الْكَبَائِرِ وَالْفَوَاحِشِ، ثُمَّ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي مَعْنَاهُ، فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: هُوَ مَا سَلَفَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ فَلَا يُؤَاخِذُهُمُ اللَّهُ بِهِ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قَالُوا لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ: إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا بِالْأَمْسِ يَعْمَلُونَ مَعَنَا؟ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ. وَهَذَا قَوْلُ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ، وَزَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ (٢) . وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: هُوَ صِغَارُ الذُّنُوبِ كَالنَّظْرَةِ وَالْغَمْزَةِ وَالْقُبْلَةِ وَمَا كَانَ دُونَ الزِّنَا، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، وَمَسْرُوقٍ، والشعبي، ورواية طاووس عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ (٣) . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَلِيحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ النَّعِيمِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلَانَ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عن ابن طاووس عَنِ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: مَا رَأَيْتُ أَشْبَهَ بِاللَّمَمِ مِمَّا قَالَهُ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ: "إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ عَلَى ابْنِ آدَمَ حَظَّهُ مِنَ الزِّنَا أَدْرَكَ ذَلِكَ لَا مَحَالَةَ، فَزِنَا الْعَيْنِ النَّظَرُ، وَزِنَا اللِّسَانِ النُّطْقُ، وَالنَّفْسُ تَتَمَنَّى وَتَشْتَهِي، وَالْفَرْجُ يُصَدِّقُ ذَلِكَ وَيُكَذِّبُهُ" (٤) . وَرَوَاهُ سُهَيْلُ بْنُ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، وَزَادَ: "الْعَيْنَانِ زِنَاهُمَا النَّظَرُ، وَالْأُذُنَانِ زِنَاهُمَا الِاسْتِمَاعُ، وَاللِّسَانُ زِنَاهُ الْكَلَامُ، وَالْيَدُ [زِنَاهَا] (٥) الْبَطْشُ، وَالرِّجْلُ زِنَاهَا الْخُطَى" (٦) .

(١) أخرجه الترمذي في التفسير - تفسير سورة والنجم: ٩ / ١٧٢ وقال: "هذا حديث حسن صحيح غريب لا نعرفه إلا من حديث زكريا بن إسحاق"، والطبري: ٢٧ / ٦٦، والحاكم: ٢ / ٤٦٩-٤٧٠ وقال: "هذا حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين ولم يخرجاه"، وعزاه السيوطي في الدر المنثور: ٧ / ٦٥٦ أيضًا لسعيد بن منصور، والبيهقي في الشعب، والبزار وابن المنذر وابن أبي حاتم وابن مردويه. والبيت لأمية بن أبي الصلت. (٢) ذكره الطبري: ٢٧ / ٦٤ عن ابن زيد، وذكر عن زيد بن أسلم: ٢٧ / ٦٥ قوله: "كبائر الشرك والفواحش: والزنى، تركوا ذلك حين دخلوا في الإسلام، فغفر الله لهم ما كانوا ألموا به وأصابوا من ذلك قبل الإسلام". وانظر: ابن كثير: ٤ / ٢٥٧، البحر المحيط: ٨ / ١٦٤، القرطبي: ١٧ / ١٠٨. (٣) انظر: زاد المسير: ٨ / ٧٦. (٤) أخرجه البخاري في الاستئذان، باب زنا الجوارح دون الفرج: ١١ / ٢٦، ومسلم في القدر، باب قدر على ابن آدم حظه من الزنا وغيره برقم: (٢٦٥٧) : ٤ / ٢٠٤٦ والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١ / ١٣٦-١٣٧. (٥) ساقط من "ب". (٦) أخرجه مسلم في القدر، باب قدر على ابن آدم حظه من الزنا وغيره، برقم: (٢٦٥٧) : ٤ / ٢٠٤٧.