Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/134)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“O believers, do not let your wealth or your children distract you from the remembrance of Allah. Whoever does so—it is they who are the losers. (9) And spend from what We have provided for you before death comes to one of you, and he says, ‘My Lord, if only You would delay me for a little while, so that I may give in charity and be among the righteous.’ (10)”

Allah, exalted is He, says: “O believers, do not let your wealth or your children distract you”—that is, do not let “your wealth or your children” preoccupy you “from the remembrance of Allah.” The exegetes said that this means the five prescribed prayers. Its parallel is His saying: “Neither commerce nor trade distracts them from the remembrance of Allah” (al-Nur, 37). “Whoever does so,” meaning whoever is distracted by his wealth and children from the remembrance of Allah, “it is they who are the losers.”

“And spend from what We have provided for you.” Ibn Abbas said: This refers to the zakah due on one’s wealth. “Before death comes to one of you,” and he asks to be returned. “And he says, ‘My Lord, if only You would delay me’”—that is, if only You would grant me respite. It was also said that the particle la is supplementary, so that the statement conveys a wish: if only You would delay me. “For a little while, so that I may give in charity”—that is, give charity and pay the zakah on my wealth—“and be among the righteous,” meaning among the believers.

Its parallel is His saying: “and whoever among their fathers was righteous” (al-Ra'd, 23; Ghafir, 8). This is the view of Muqatil and a group of scholars. They said that the verse was revealed concerning the hypocrites. It was also said that the verse [was revealed] (1) concerning the believers.

What is meant by righteousness here is pilgrimage. Al-Dahhak and Atiyyah narrated from Ibn Abbas, who said: “There is no one who dies possessing wealth without having paid its zakah, and who was able to perform the pilgrimage but did not do so, except that, at death, he asks to be returned.” He recited this verse (2) and said: “And be among the righteous.”

Abu Amr recited it as wa-akuna (“and that I may be”), with the conjunction, and with the accusative ending on the final nun, as the result of the wish and in accordance with the form of fa-assaddaqa (“so that I may give in charity”). He said: “The conjunction was omitted from the written text of the Quran only for brevity.”

The others recited it as wa-akun (“and be”), with the jussive ending, coordinated with fa-assaddaqa as it would be if the particle fa were absent, for without fa it would be in the jussive: “If You delay me, I will give in charity and be [among the righteous].” It is also written in the Quranic text with the conjunction omitted.

(1) Added from manuscript B. (2) Recorded by al-Tirmidhi in Tafsir, “Commentary on Surat al-Munafiqun,” 9:220-221; and by al-Tabari, 28:118. In al-Durr al-Manthur, 8:179, al-Suyuti also attributed it to Abd ibn Humayd, Ibn Abi Hatim, al-Tabari, and Ibn Mardawayh.

﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ (٩) وَأَنْفِقُوا مِنْ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنِي إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (١٠) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ﴾ ، لَا تَشْغَلْكُمْ ﴿أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ﴾ ، قَالَ الْمُفَسِّرُونَ يَعْنِي الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسَ، نَظِيرُهُ قَوْلُهُ: "لَا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ" (النُّورِ -٣٧) ﴿وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ﴾ ، أَيْ مَنْ شَغَلَهُ مَالُهُ وَوَلَدُهُ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ ﴿فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ﴾ . ﴿وَأَنْفِقُوا مِنْ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ﴾ ، قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: يُرِيدُ زَكَاةَ الْأَمْوَالِ، ﴿مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ أَحَدَكُمُ الْمَوْتُ﴾ ، فَيَسْأَلُ الرَّجْعَةَ، ﴿فَيَقُولَ رَبِّ لَوْلَا أَخَّرْتَنِي﴾ ، هَلَّا أَخَّرْتَنِي أَمْهَلْتَنِي. وَقِيلَ: "لَا" صِلَةٌ، فَيَكُونُ الْكَلَامُ بِمَعْنَى التَّمَنِّي، أَيْ: لَوْ أَخَّرْتَنِي، ﴿إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ﴾ ، فَأَتَصَدَّقَ وَأُزَكِّي مَالِي، ﴿وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ﴾ ، أَيْ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. نَظِيرُهُ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: "وَمَنْ صَلَحَ مِنْ آبَائِهِمْ" (الرَّعْدِ -٢٣) (غَافِرٍ -٨) ، هَذَا قَوْلُ مُقَاتِلٍ وَجَمَاعَةٍ. وَقَالُوا: نَزَلَتِ الْآيَةُ فِي الْمُنَافِقِينَ. وَقِيلَ: [نزَلَتِ] (١) الْآيَةُ فِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ. وَالْمُرَادُ بِالصَّلَاحِ هُنَا: الْحَجُّ. وَرَوَى الضَّحَّاكُ، وَعَطِيَّةُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: مَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ يَمُوتُ وَكَانَ لَهُ مَالٌ لَمْ يُؤَدِّ زَكَاتَهُ وَأَطَاقَ الْحَجَّ فَلَمْ يَحُجَّ إِلَّا سَأَلَ الرَّجْعَةَ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ. وَقَرَأَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ (٢) وَقَالَ: "وَأَكُنْ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ" قَرَأَ أَبُو عَمْرٍو "وَأَكُونَ" بِالْوَاوِ وَنَصَبَ النُّونَ عَلَى جَوَابِ التَّمَنِّي وَعَلَى لَفْظِ فَأَصَّدَّقَ، قَالَ: إِنَّمَا حُذِفَتِ الْوَاوُ مِنَ الْمُصْحَفِ اخْتِصَارًا. وَقَرَأَ الْآخَرُونَ: "وَأَكُنْ" بِالْجَزْمِ عَطْفًا عَلَى قَوْلِهِ "فَأَصَّدَّقَ" لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ الْفَاءُ، لِأَنَّهُ لَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ فَاءٌ كَانَ جَزْمًا. يَعْنِي: إِنْ أَخَّرْتَنِي أَصَّدَّقْ وَأَكُنْ، وَلِأَنَّهُ مَكْتُوبٌ فِي الْمُصْحَفِ بِحَذْفِ الْوَاوِ.

(١) زيادة من "ب". (٢) أخرجه الترمذي في التفسير - تفسير سورة المنافقين: ٩ / ٢٢٠ - ٢٢١، والطبري: ٢٨ / ١١٨. وعزاه السيوطي في الدر المنثور: ٨ / ١٧٩ أيضا لعبد بن حميد وابن أبي حاتم وللطبري وابن مرودية.