Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (7/442)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“The sun and the moon move by precise calculation (5), and the stars and the trees prostrate (6). He raised the heaven and set the balance (7), so that you may not transgress in the balance (8). Establish weight with justice, and do not give short measure (9). And He laid out the earth for all creatures (10); therein are fruits and palm trees with sheathed fruit (11).”

Concerning “The sun and the moon move by precise calculation,” Mujahid said: Like the rotation of a millstone. Others said: They move according to a reckoning and through stations which they do not exceed. This was said by Ibn Abbas and Qatadah. Ibn Zayd and Ibn Kaysan said: By them, times and lifespans are reckoned. Were it not for the night and day, the sun and the moon, no one would know how to calculate anything. Al-Dahhak said: They move according to a determined measure. The term ḥusbān may be the verbal noun of ḥasibtu (“I reckoned”), like ghufrān (forgiveness), kufrān (ingratitude), rujḥān (preponderance), and nuqṣān (deficiency); it may also be the plural of ḥisāb (reckoning), like shubhān and rukbān (riders).

“And the stars and the trees prostrate”: najm refers to plants that have no stem, whereas trees are those that have stems and remain through the winter. Their prostration is the prostration of their shadows, as He says: “Their shadows incline to the right and to the left, prostrating to Allah” (al-Nahl 48). Mujahid said: The najm is the celestial star, and its prostration is its rising.

“And He raised the heaven”: above the earth. “And set the balance”: Mujahid said that the balance here means justice. That is, He commanded justice, as indicated by His saying, “So that you may not transgress in the balance,” meaning: do not exceed the bounds of justice. Al-Hasan, Qatadah, and al-Dahhak said that it refers to the instrument by which things are weighed, through which fairness is attained and each person receives his due. The root meaning of weighing is determining a measure. “So that you may not transgress” means: lest you incline to injustice, wrong others, and exceed what is right in weighing.

“Establish weight with justice”: with fairness. Abu al-Darda and Ata said: It means, set the pointer of the scale straight with justice. Ibn Uyaynah said: Setting it straight is done by the hand, while justice is in the heart. “And do not give short measure”: do not diminish the balance, nor give short measure or short weight.

“And He laid out the earth for all creatures”: for the creatures whom He has spread throughout it.

“Therein are fruits”: that is, various kinds of fruit. Ibn Kaysan said: It means the innumerable blessings from which they take enjoyment. “And palm trees with sheathed fruit”: the coverings in which the fruit is contained, for the fruit of the palm remains in a sheath until it splits open. The singular is kimm. Anything that covers something is called a kimm or kimmah; hence the sleeve of a shirt, and a skullcap is also called a kummah. Al-Dahhak said: “With sheathed fruit” means: with coverings. Al-Hasan said: Their sheaths are their fibrous coverings. Ibn Zayd said:

﴿الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ (٥) وَالنَّجْمُ وَالشَّجَرُ يَسْجُدَانِ (٦) وَالسَّمَاءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الْمِيزَانَ (٧) أَلَّا تَطْغَوْا فِي الْمِيزَانِ (٨) وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا الْمِيزَانَ (٩) وَالْأَرْضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلْأَنَامِ (١٠) فِيهَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَالنَّخْلُ ذَاتُ الْأَكْمَامِ (١١) ﴾ ﴿الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ﴾ ، قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: كَحُسْبَانِ الرَّحَى. وَقَالَ غَيْرُهُ:أَيْ يَجْرِيَانِ بِحِسَابٍ وَمَنَازِلَ لَا يَعْدُوَانِهَا، قَالَهُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وقَتَادَةُ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ وَابْنُ كَيْسَانَ: يَعْنِي بِهِمَا تُحْسَبُ الْأَوْقَاتُ وَالْآجَالُ لَوْلَا اللَّيْلُ وَالنَّهَارُ وَالشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ لَمْ يَدْرِ أَحَدٌ كَيْفَ يَحْسِبُ شَيْئًا. وَقَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: يَجْرِيَانِ بِقَدَرٍ، وَالْحُسْبَانُ يَكُونُ مَصْدَرُ حَسَبْتُ حِسَابًا وَحُسْبَانًا، مِثْلُ الْغُفْرَانِ وَالْكُفْرَانِ، وَالرُّجْحَانِ وَالنُّقْصَانِ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ جَمْعُ الْحِسَابِ كَالشُّبْهَانِ وَالرُّكْبَانِ. ﴿وَالنَّجْمُ وَالشَّجَرُ يَسْجُدَانِ﴾ ، النَّجْمُ مَا لَيْسَ لَهُ سَاقٌ مِنَ النَّبَاتِ، وَالشَّجَرُ مَا لَهُ سَاقٌ يَبْقَى فِي الشِّتَاءِ، وَسُجُودُهُمَا سُجُودُ ظِلِّهِمَا كَمَا قَالَ:"يَتَفَيَّؤُ ظِلَالُهُ عَنِ الْيَمِينِ وَالشَّمَائِلِ سُجَّدًا لِلَّهِ" (النَّحْلِ-٤٨) قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: النَّجْمُ هُوَ الْكَوْكَبُ وَسُجُودُهُ طُلُوعُهُ. ﴿وَالسَّمَاءَ رَفَعَهَا﴾ ، فَوْقَ الْأَرْضِ، ﴿وَوَضَعَ الْمِيزَانَ﴾ ، قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: أَرَادَ بِالْمِيزَانِ الْعَدْلَ. الْمَعْنَى: أَنَّهُ أَمَرَ بِالْعَدْلِ يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَلَّا تَطْغَوْا فِي الْمِيزَانِ﴾ ، أَيْ لَا تُجَاوِزُوا الْعَدْلَ. وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ وقَتَادَةُ وَالضَّحَّاكُ: أَرَادَ بِهِ الَّذِي يُوزَنُ بِهِ لِيُوصَلَ بِهِ إِلَى الْإِنْصَافِ وَالِانْتِصَافِ، وَأَصْلُ الْوَزْنِ التَّقْدِيرُ "أَلَّا تَطْغَوْا" يَعْنِي لِئَلَّا تَمِيلُوا وَتَظْلِمُوا وَتُجَاوِزُوا الْحَقَّ فِي الْمِيزَانِ. ﴿وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ﴾ ، بِالْعَدْلِ، وَقَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ وَعَطَاءٌ: مَعْنَاهُ أَقِيمُوا لِسَانَ الْمِيزَانِ بِالْعَدْلِ. قَالَ ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ: الْإِقَامَةُ بِالْيَدِ وَالْقِسْطُ بِالْقَلْبِ، ﴿وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا﴾ ، وَلَا تَنْقُصُوا ﴿الْمِيزَانَ﴾ ، وَلَا تُطَفِّفُوا فِي الْكَيْلِ وَالْوَزْنِ. ﴿وَالْأَرْضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلْأَنَامِ﴾ ، لِلْخَلْقِ الَّذِينَ بَثَّهُمْ فِيهَا. ﴿فِيهَا فَاكِهَةٌ﴾ ، يَعْنِي: أَنْوَاعَ الْفَوَاكِهِ، قَالَ ابْنُ كَيْسَانَ: يَعْنِي مَا يَتَفَكَّهُونَ بِهِ مِنَ النِّعَمِ الَّتِي لَا تُحْصَى، ﴿وَالنَّخْلُ ذَاتُ الْأَكْمَامِ﴾ ، الْأَوْعِيَةُ الَّتِي يَكُونُ فِيهَا الثَّمَرُ لِأَنَّ ثَمَرَ النَّخْلِ يَكُونُ فِي غِلَافٍ مَا لَمْ يَنْشَقَّ، وَاحِدُهَا كِمٌّ، وَكُلُّ مَا سَتَرَ شَيْئًا فَهُوَ كِمٌّ وَكِمَّةٌ، وَمِنْهُ كُمُّ الْقَمِيصِ، وَيُقَالُ لِلْقَلَنْسُوَةِ كُمَّةٌ، قَالَ الضَّحَّاكُ: "ذَاتُ الْأَكْمَامِ" أَيْ ذَاتُ الْغُلُفِ. وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: أَكْمَامُهَا: لَفِيفُهَا. [وَقَالَ ابْنُ زَيْدٍ: