Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/23)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“None touch it except the purified.” (79)

“None touch it”: that is, the well-guarded Book. “Except the purified”: namely, the angels, who are characterized by purity. This was related from Anas, and it is the view of Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, Abu al-‘Aliyah, Qatadah, and Ibn Zayd: that they are the angels. Hassan narrated from al-Kalbi that they are the noble, righteous scribes.

Muhammad ibn al-Fudayl 152/A narrated from him: “None reads it except those who affirm the oneness of Allah.” ‘Ikrimah said: Ibn Abbas used to forbid allowing Jews and Christians to read the Quran.

Al-Farra’ said: “None perceives its sweetness and benefit except one who believes in it.” (1)

Others said that it means: None touch it except those purified of minor and major ritual impurity. Although the apparent wording of the verse is declarative, its intended meaning is prohibitive. They said: It is not permissible for one in a state of major ritual impurity, a menstruating woman, or one in a state of minor ritual impurity to carry or touch a written copy of the Quran. This is the view of ‘Ata’, Tawus, Salim, al-Qasim, and most scholars, and it was also held by Malik and al-Shafi‘i. Al-Hakam, Hammad, and Abu Hanifah said: It is permissible for one in a state of minor or major ritual impurity to carry and touch a written copy of the Quran. The first view is that of most jurists.

Abu al-Hasan al-Sarakhsi informed us; Zahir ibn Ahmad informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Hashimi informed us; Abu Mus‘ab informed us, from Malik, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Amr ibn Hazm, that the letter which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, wrote to ‘Amr ibn Hazm included: “No one may touch the Quran except one who is ritually pure.” (2)

What is meant here by “the Quran” is the written copy of the Quran. It is called “the Quran” by virtue of its close association and by way of broad usage. Likewise, it is related that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, “forbade travelling with the Quran to the land of the enemy,” (3) by which he meant the written copy of the Quran.

(1) Al-Farra, Ma'ani al-Quran, 3:130. (2) Malik, Al-Muwatta, Book of the Quran, chapter: The command to perform wudu for one who touches the Quran, 1:199. Ibn Abd al-Barr said: “There is no disagreement concerning Malik’s narration of this hadith as mursal (with the Companion omitted from its chain). It has also been narrated with a sound connected chain. It is a well-known document among scholars of prophetic biography and recognized by the scholars with a degree of certainty that renders an isnad unnecessary for establishing its fame. Abu Dawud narrated it in Al-Marasil, p. 131, from al-Zuhri, who said: ‘I read a document in the possession of Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Amr ibn Hazm, stating that the Messenger of Allah wrote it for Amr ibn Hazm when he appointed him over Najran.’ He then cited the hadith, which includes: ‘None may touch the Quran except one who is tahir (ritually pure).’ He then said: ‘It has been narrated with a connected chain, but it is not authentic.’” Al-Darimi also narrated it in the Book of Divorce, chapter: No divorce before marriage, 2:84. (3) Al-Bukhari, Book of Jihad, chapter: The dislike of travelling with copies of the Quran to enemy territory, 6:133; Muslim, Book of Government, chapter: The prohibition of travelling with a copy of the Quran to the land of the disbelievers when it is feared that it may fall into their hands, no. 1869, 3:1490; and al-Baghawi, Sharh al-Sunnah, 4:527.

﴿لَا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ (٧٩) ﴾ ﴿لَا يَمَسُّهُ﴾ أَيْ ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابَ الْمَكْنُونَ، ﴿إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ﴾ وَهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ الْمَوْصُوفُونَ بِالطَّهَارَةِ، يُرْوَى هَذَا عَنْ أَنَسٍ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، وَأَبِي الْعَالِيَةِ، وَقَتَادَةَ وَابْنِ زَيْدٍ: أَنَّهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ، وَرَوَى حَسَّانُ عَنِ الْكَلْبِيِّ قَالَ: هُمُ السَّفَرَةُ الْكِرَامُ الْبَرَرَةُ. وَرَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بن الفضيل ١٥٢/أعَنْهُ لَا يَقْرَؤُهُ إِلَّا الْمُوَحِّدُونَ. قَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ: وَكَانَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ يَنْهَى أَنْ يُمَكَّنَ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ. قَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ: لَا يَجِدُ طَعْمَهُ وَنَفْعَهُ إِلَّا مَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ (١) . وَقَالَ قَوْمٌ: مَعْنَاهُ لَا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ مِنَ الْأَحْدَاثِ وَالْجَنَابَاتِ، وَظَاهِرُ الْآيَةِ نَفْيٌ وَمَعْنَاهَا نَهْيٌ، قَالُوا: لَا يَجُوزُ لِلْجُنُبِ وَلَا لِلْحَائِضِ وَلَا الْمُحْدِثِ حَمْلُ الْمُصْحَفِ وَلَا مَسُّهُ، وَهُوَ قول عطاء وطاووس، وَسَالِمٍ، وَالْقَاسِمِ، وَأَكْثَرِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ، وَبِهِ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَالشَّافِعِيُّ. وَقَالَ الْحَكَمُ، وَحَمَّادُ، وَأَبُو حَنِيفَةَ: يَجُوزُ لِلْمُحْدِثِ وَالْجُنُبِ حَمْلُ الْمُصْحَفِ وَمَسُّهُ. وَالْأَوَّلُ قَوْلُ أَكْثَرِ الْفُقَهَاءِ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ السَّرَخْسِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا زَاهِرُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الْهَاشِمِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُصْعَبٍ عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ حَزْمٍ أَنَّ فِي الْكِتَابِ الَّذِي كَتَبَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِعَمْرِو بْنِ حُزْمٍ أَنْ لَا يَمَسَّ الْقُرْآنَ إِلَّا طَاهِرٌ (٢) . وَالْمُرَادُ بِالْقُرْآنِ: الْمُصْحَفُ، سَمَّاهُ قُرْآنًا عَلَى قُرْبِ الْجِوَارِ وَالِاتِّسَاعِ. كَمَا رُوِيَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "نَهَى أَنْ يُسَافَرَ بِالْقُرْآنِ إِلَى أَرْضِ الْعَدُوِّ" (٣) . وَأَرَادَ بِهِ الْمُصْحَفَ.

(١) معاني القرآن للفراء: ٣ / ١٣٠. (٢) أخرجه الإمام مالك في الموطأ، كتاب القرآن، باب الأمر بالوضوء لمن مسَّ القرآن: ١ / ١٩٩. وقال ابن عبد البر: "لا خلاف عن مالك في إرسال هذا الحديث. وقد روي مسندا من وجه صالح. وهو كتاب مشهور عند أهل السير، معروف عند أهل العلم معرفة يستغنى بها في شهرتها عن الإسناد. ورواه أبو داود في المراسيل صفحة: (١٣١) من حديث الزهري قال: قرأت صحيفة عند أبي بكر بن محمد بن عمرو بن حزم ذكر أن رسول الله ﷺ كتبها لعمرو بن حزم حين أمره على نجران وساق الحديث وفيه ... ولا يمسن القرآن إلا طاهر. ثم قال: روي مسندا ولا يصح". ورواه الدرامي في الطلاق، باب لا طلاق قبل نكاح: ٢ / ٨٤. (٣) أخرجه البخاري في الجهاد، باب كراهية السفر بالمصاحف إلى أرض العدو: ٦ / ١٣٣، ومسلم في الإمارة، باب النهي أن يسافر بالمصحف إلى أرض الكفار إذا خيف وقوعه بأيديهم برقم: (١٨٦٩) : ٣ / ١٤٩٠ والمصنف في شرح السنة: ٤ / ٥٢٧.