Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/12)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“And clustered banana trees (29), and extended shade (30), and water poured forth (31).”

“Clustered banana trees”: that is, bananas; its singular is talhah, according to most commentators. Al-Hasan said: It does not mean bananas; rather, it is a tree with pleasant, cool shade. Al-Farra and Abu Ubaydah said: Among the Arabs, talh refers to large thorny trees.

Majalid (1) narrated from al-Hasan ibn Sad that a man recited in the presence of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him: “And clustered banana trees.” Ali said, “What has the banana tree to do with it? Rather, it is ‘clustered fruit-spathes.’” He then recited, “whose fruit-clusters are dense.” I said, “O Commander of the Faithful, it is written in the mushaf with the letter ha; will you not alter it?” He replied, “The Quran is not to be tampered with today, nor altered.” (2)

“Clustered” means layered and heaped together, laden with fruit from its beginning to its end, with no trunk left exposed. Masruq said: “The trees of Paradise are entirely fruit, from their roots to their outermost branches.”

“And extended shade”: everlasting shade, not displaced by the sun. The Arabs describe anything unceasing as “extended.”

Abu Ali Hassan ibn Said al-Manii informed us; Abu Tahir Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Mahmash al-Ziyadi informed us; Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn al-Husayn al-Qattan informed us; Abu al-Hasan Ahmad ibn Yusuf al-Sulami related to us; Abd al-Razzaq related to us; Mamar informed us from Hammam ibn Munabbih, who said: Abu Hurayrah related to us that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “In Paradise there is a tree in whose shade a rider may travel for one hundred years without traversing it.” (3)

Ikrimah narrated from Ibn Abbas concerning His words, “And extended shade”: “It is a tree in Paradise at the base of the Throne. The people of Paradise will go out to it and converse beneath it. Some of them will long for the diversions of the worldly life, whereupon Allah, Exalted is He, will send upon it a wind from Paradise, which will set that tree in motion with every form of worldly amusement.” (4)

“And water poured forth”: water that is continuously flowing without a channel and never ceases. 150/b

(1) Manuscript B reads: Mujahid. (2) Recorded by al-Tabari, 27:180-181, and Ibn al-Anbari in al-Masahif; see also Kanz al-Ummal, 2:519. Ibn Kathir, 4:289, attributed it in abridged form to Ibn Abi Hatim. This report is unsound, as al-Tibi pointed out: “How could the Commander of the Faithful—may Allah ennoble his countenance—approve of an alteration in Allah’s Book, which is widely circulated among the people? Or how could it be supposed that the transmitters, narrators, and scribes of the Noble Quran had deliberately done so or overlooked it? Especially when Allah Most High has guaranteed its preservation. Glory be to You! This is a monstrous slander.” See al-Alusi, Ruh al-Ma'ani, 27:141. (3) Recorded by Abd al-Razzaq in al-Musannaf, 11:417; al-Bukhari, Bad al-Khalq, chapter: “What has been related concerning the description of Paradise and that it has been created,” 6:319-320; Muslim, al-Jannah, chapter: “In Paradise there is a tree in whose shade a rider may travel for one hundred years without crossing it,” no. 2826, 4:2175; and al-Baghawi in Sharh al-Sunnah, 15:207. (4) Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, 4:290-291, attributed it to Ibn Abi Hatim and said: “This is an unusual report, and its chain of transmission is good, strong, and sound.”

﴿وَطَلْحٍ مَنْضُودٍ (٢٩) وَظِلٍّ مَمْدُودٍ (٣٠) وَمَاءٍ مَسْكُوبٍ (٣١) ﴾ ﴿وَطَلْحٍ﴾ أَيْ: مَوْزٍ، وَاحِدَتُهَا طَلْحَةٌ، عَنْ أَكْثَرِ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ. وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: لَيْسَ هُوَ بِالْمَوْزِ وَلَكِنَّهُ شَجَرٌ لَهُ ظِلٌّ بَارِدٌ طَيِّبٌ. قَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ وَأَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ: الطَّلْحُ عِنْدَ الْعَرَبِ: شَجَرٌ عِظَامٌ لَهَا شَوْكٌ. وَرَوَى [مَجَالِدٌ] (١) عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ قَالَ: قَرَأَ رَجُلٌ عِنْدَ عَلِيٍّ ﵁: "وَطَلْحٍ مَنْضُودٍ" فَقَالَ: وَمَا شَأْنُ الطَّلْحِ؟ إِنَّمَا هُوَ: طَلْعٌ مَنْضُودٌ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ: "طَلْعُهَا هَضِيمٌ" قُلْتُ: يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِنَّهَا فِي الْمُصْحَفِ بِالْحَاءِ أَفَلَا تَحَوِّلُهَا؟ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ لَا يُهَاجُ الْيَوْمَ وَلَا يُحَوَّلُ. (٢) وَ"الْمَنْضُودُ" الْمُتَرَاكِمُ الَّذِي قَدْ نُضِّدَ بِالْحَمْلِ مِنْ أَوَّلِهِ إِلَى آخره، ليست هو سُوقٌ بَارِزَةٌ قَالَ مَسْرُوقٌ: أَشْجَارُ الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ عُرُوقِهَا إِلَى أَفَنَائِهَا ثَمَرٌ كُلُّهُ. ﴿وَظِلٍّ مَمْدُودٍ﴾ دَائِمٌ لَا تَنْسَخُهُ الشَّمْسُ وَالْعَرَبُ تَقُولُ لِلشَّيْءِ الَّذِي لَا يَنْقَطِعُ: مَمْدُودٌ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَلِيٍّ حَسَّانُ ابن سَعِيدٍ الْمَنِيعِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو طَاهِرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَحْمِشٍ الزِّيَادِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ الْقَطَّانُ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ السُّلَمِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "فِي الْجَنَّةِ شَجَرَةٌ يَسِيرُ الرَّاكِبُ فِي ظِلِّهَا مِائَةَ عَامٍ لَا يَقْطَعُهَا" (٣) . وَرَوَى عِكْرِمَةُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ: ﴿وَظِلٍّ مَمْدُودٍ﴾ قَالَ: شَجَرَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ عَلَى سَاقِ الْعَرْشِ يَخْرُجُ إِلَيْهَا أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ فَيَتَحَدَّثُونَ فِي أَصْلِهَا وَيَشْتَهِي بَعْضُهُمْ لَهْوَ الدُّنْيَا فَيُرْسِلُ اللَّهُ ﷿ عَلَيْهَا رِيحًا مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ فَتُحَرِّكُ تِلْكَ الشَّجَرَةَ بِكُلِّ لَهْوٍ فِي الدُّنْيَا (٤) . ﴿وَمَاءٍ مَسْكُوبٍ﴾ مَصْبُوبٍ يَجْرِي دَائِمًا فِي غَيْرِ أُخْدُودٍ لا ينقطع ١٥٠/ب

(١) في "ب" مجاهد. (٢) أخرجه الطبري: ٢٧ / ١٨٠ - ١٨١، وابن الأنباري في "المصاحف " كنز العمال: ٢ / ٥١٩، وعزاه ابن كثير: ٤ / ٢٨٩ لابن أبي حاتم =مختصرا. وهي رواية غير صحيحة كما نبه على ذلك الطيبي: وكيف يقر أمير المؤمنين كرم الله وجهه تحريفا في كتاب الله تعالى المتداول بين الناس؟ أو كيف يظن بأن نقلة القرآن الكريم ورواته وكتَّابه من قبل تعمدوا ذلك أو غفلوا عنه؟ هذا، والله تعالى قد تكفل بحفظه. سبحانك هذا بهتان عظيم. انظر: روح المعاني للآلوسي: ٢٧ / ١٤١. (٣) أخرجه عبد الرزاق في المصنف: ١١ / ٤١٧، والبخاري في بدء الخلق، باب ما جاء في صفة الجنة وأنها مخلوقة: ٦ / ٣١٩ - ٣٢٠، ومسلم في الجنة، باب إن في الجنة شجرة يسير الراكب في ظلها مئة عام لا يقطعها برقم: (٢٨٢٦) : ٤ / ٢١٧٥، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٥ / ٢٠٧. (٤) عزاه الحافظ ابن كثير: ٤ / ٢٩٠ - ٢٩١ لابن أبي حاتم، وقال: "هذا أثر غريب، وإسناده جيد قوي حسن".