Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/44)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

and offered them the choice of being killed or abandoning the recitation of the Torah and the Gospel, except for whatever they themselves had altered in them. They said, “We shall spare you the trouble of dealing with us.”

One group said, “Build a tower for us, then raise us up to it. Give us something by which we can haul up our food and drink, and we will not return to you.” Another group said, “Let us wander through the land, roaming freely and drinking as wild beasts drink. If you find us in any land, then kill us.” Yet another group said, “Build dwellings for us in the open wilderness. We will dig wells and cultivate vegetables, so that we shall neither return to you nor pass by you.”

So they did this for them. Those people remained upon the way of Jesus, peace be upon him. Then a later generation succeeded them—people who had altered the Scripture. A man among them would say, “Let us dwell where so-and-so dwelt and worship as so-and-so worshipped; let us wander as so-and-so wandered, and build dwellings as so-and-so built them.” Yet they remained upon their polytheism, unaware of the faith of those whose example they were following.

This is the meaning of His saying, exalted is He: “But monasticism—they invented it”: that is, these righteous people introduced it. “Yet they did not observe it as it ought to have been observed”—meaning those who came after them. “So We gave those among them who believed their reward”—meaning those who introduced it in seeking Allah’s pleasure. “But many of them are defiantly disobedient”—namely, those who came after them.

He said: When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was sent, only a few of them remained. One man descended from his hermit’s cell, another returned from his wandering, and the inhabitant of a monastery came forth from his monastery; and they believed in him. (1)

Then Allah, exalted is He, said: “O you who believe, fear Allah.”

“O you who believe, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger. He will give you a double portion of His mercy, make for you a light by which you may walk, and forgive you. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (28) So that the People of the Book may know that they have no power over anything of Allah’s bounty, and that all bounty is in Allah’s hand; He grants it to whomever He wills. And Allah is the Possessor of tremendous bounty. (29)”

“O you who believe, fear Allah”: this address is directed to the followers of the two Scriptures—the Jews and the Christians. It means: O you who believe in Moses and Jesus, fear Allah with regard to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and believe in His Messenger, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. “He will give you a double portion” means two shares “of His mercy”; that is, He will grant you two rewards: for your belief in Jesus, peace be upon him, and the Gospel, and for your belief in Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and the Quran.

Others said that the statement ends with His saying, “and mercy,” after which a new statement begins: “And monasticism, which they invented.” This is because they abandoned the truth: they ate pork, drank wine, and abandoned ritual ablution, the full bath after sexual impurity, and circumcision. Thus, “they did not observe it as it ought to have been observed” means obedience and the religious way; the phrase “as it ought to have been observed” alludes to something not explicitly mentioned. “So We gave those among them who believed their reward”: they are the people of tenderness and mercy. “But many of them are defiantly disobedient”: they are those who introduced monasticism. This was also the view held by Mujahid.

The meaning of His saying, “except in seeking Allah’s pleasure,” according to this interpretation, is: We did not command them, nor prescribe anything for them, except the seeking of Allah’s pleasure; and We did not command them to adopt monasticism. (2)

(1) Reported by al-Nasa'i in Adab al-Qudat, chapter: “The interpretation of Allah’s saying: ‘And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—then they are the disbelievers,’” 8:231-233; and in al-Tafsir, 2:284-387. Its chain of transmission is sound (hasan). Ibn Kathir cited it through al-Tabari’s narration, 27:239, and said: “This wording is unusual.” Ibn Kathir, 4:317. (2) Omitted from manuscript B.

وَعُرِضَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقَتْلَ أَوْ يَتْرُكُوا قِرَاءَةَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ إِلَّا مَا بَدَّلُوا مِنْهَا فَقَالُوا: نَحْنُ نَكْفِيكُمْ أَنْفُسَنَا فَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ: ابْنُوا لَنَا أُسْطُوَانَةً، ثُمَّ ارْفَعُونَا إِلَيْهَا ثُمَّ أَعْطَوْنَا شَيْئًا نَرْفَعُ بِهِ طَعَامَنَا وَشَرَابَنَا وَلَا نَرِدُ عَلَيْكُمْ، وَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ: دَعُونَا نَسِيحُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنَهِيمُ وَنَشْرَبُ كَمَا يَشْرَبُ الْوَحْشُ، فَإِنْ قَدَرْتُمْ عَلَيْنَا بِأَرْضٍ فَاقْتُلُونَا وَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ: ابْنُوا لَنَا دَوْرًا فِي الْفَيَافِي نَحْتَفِرُ الْآبَارَ وَنَحْتَرِثُ الْبُقُولَ فَلَا نَرِدُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَا نَمُرُّ بِكُمْ، فَفَعَلُوا بِهِمْ ذَلِكَ فَمَضَى أُولَئِكَ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ عِيسَى ﵊، وَخَلَفَ قَوْمٌ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ مِمَّنْ قَدْ غَيَّرَ الْكِتَابَ، فَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ يَقُولُ: نَكُونُ فِي مَكَانِ فُلَانٍ فَنَتَعَبَّدُ كَمَا تَعَبَّدَ فُلَانٌ وَنَسِيحُ كَمَا سَاحَ فُلَانٌ وَنَتَّخِذُ دَوْرًا كَمَا اتَّخَذَ فُلَانٌ، وَهُمْ عَلَى شِرْكِهِمْ لَا عِلْمَ لَهُمْ بِإِيمَانِ الَّذِينَ اقْتَدَوْا بِهِمْ، فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: "وَرَهْبَانِيَّةً ابْتَدَعُوهَا" أَيِ ابْتَدَعَهَا هَؤُلَاءِ الصَّالِحُونَ ﴿فَمَا رَعَوْهَا حَقَّ رِعَايَتِهَا﴾ يَعْنِي الآخرين الذين جاؤا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ ﴿فَآتَيْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ﴾ يَعْنِي الَّذِينَ ابْتَدَعُوهَا ابْتِغَاءَ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ "وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ" هم الذين جاؤا مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ، قَالَ: فَلَمَّا بُعِثَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَلَمْ يَبْقَ مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلٌ انْحَطَّ رَجُلٌ مِنْ صَوْمَعَتِهِ وَجَاءَ سَيَّاحٌ مِنْ سِيَاحَتِهِ وَصَاحِبُ دَيْرٍ مِنْ دَيْرِهِ وَآمَنُوا بِهِ (١) فَقَالَ اللَّهُ ﷿: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (٢٨) لِئَلَّا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَلَّا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ (٢٩) ﴾ ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ﴾ الْخِطَابُ لِأَهْلِ الْكِتَابَيْنِ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى، يَقُولُ: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِمُوسَى وَعِيسَى اتَّقَوْا اللَّهَ فِي مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ ﴿وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ﴾ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ ﴿يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ﴾ نَصِيبَيْنِ ﴿مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ﴾ يَعْنِي يُؤْتِكُمْ أَجْرَيْنِ لِإِيمَانِكُمْ بِعِيسَى ﵊، وَالْإِنْجِيلِ وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ وَالْقُرْآنِ. وَقَالَ قَوْمٌ: انْقَطَعَ الْكَلَامُ عِنْدَ قَوْلِهِ "وَرَحْمَةً" ثُمَّ ابْتَدَأَ: وَرَهْبَانِيَّةٌ ابْتَدَعُوهَا وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُمْ تَرَكُوا الْحَقَّ فَأَكَلُوا الْخِنْزِيرَ وَشَرِبُوا الْخَمْرَ وَتَرَكُوا الْوُضُوءَ وَالْغُسْلَ مِنَ الْجَنَابَةِ وَالْخِتَانَ، فَمَا رَعَوْهَا يَعْنِي: الطَّاعَةَ وَالْمِلَّةَ "حَقَ رِعَايَتِهَا" كِنَايَةً عَنْ غَيْرِ مَذْكُورٍ "فَآتَيْنَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْهُمْ أَجْرَهُمْ" وَهُمْ أَهْلُ الرَّأْفَةِ وَالرَّحْمَةِ "وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ" وهم الذين ابتدعواالرهبانية، وَإِلَيْهِ ذَهَبَ مُجَاهِدٌ. مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: "إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ" [عَلَى هَذَا التَّأْوِيلِ: مَا أَمَرْنَاهُمْ وَمَا كَتَبْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ إِلَّا ابْتِغَاءَ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ، وَمَا أَمَرْنَاهُمْ بِالتَّرَهُّبِ] (٢) .

(١) أخرجه النسائي في أداب القضاة، باب: (تأويل قول الله ﷿: ومن لم يحكم بما أنزل الله فأولئك هم الكافرون) : ٨ / ٢٣١ - ٢٣٣، وفي التفسير: ٢ / ٢٨٤- ٣٨٧ وإسناده حسن. وساقه ابن كثير من رواية الطبري: ٢٧ / ٢٣٩ وقال: "هذا السياق فيه غرابة". ابن كثير: ٤ / ٣١٧. (٢) ساقطة من "ب".