Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/176)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

in a report traced back to the Prophet: “Best in deeds” means the soundest in intellect, the most scrupulous in avoiding Allah’s prohibitions, and the swiftest in obeying Allah. 170/A

Al-Fudayl ibn Iyad said: “Best in deeds” means the most sincere and the most correct. He said: A deed is not accepted until it is both sincere and correct. Sincere means that it is done for Allah, and correct means that it accords with the sunnah.

Al-Hasan said: It means which of you is most detached from this world and most forsaking of it.

Al-Farra said: The verb denoting testing does not directly govern “which,” except with an implied expression intervening between them (1), as when one says, “I tested you in order to see which of you is more obedient.” Similarly: “Ask them which of them will guarantee that” (al-Qalam 40)—that is, ask them and consider which of them. Thus, “which” is in the nominative position as the subject, and “best” is its predicate. “And He is the Almighty,” in His punishment of those who disobey Him, “the All-Forgiving,” to those who repent to Him.

“He who created seven heavens in layers. You will never see any imperfection in the creation of the Most Merciful. So look again: do you see any flaw? Then look again and again: your sight will return to you humbled and exhausted.”

“He who created seven heavens in layers”: one layer above another, with some of them above others. “You will never see any imperfection in the creation of the Most Merciful.” Hamzah and al-Kisa’i recited it as tafawwut, with a doubled waw and without an alif, while the others recited it with a single waw preceded by an alif. Both are linguistic forms, like tahammul and tahamul, and tatahhur and tatahur. Its meaning is: O son of Adam, you will see no crookedness, disparity, or contradiction in the creation of the Most Merciful; rather, it is straight and harmonious. It derives from fawt (3), which is for some parts to be out of alignment with others due to their lack of uniformity. “So look again”: repeat your gaze; that is, look, then look again. “Do you see any flaw?”—any cracks or fissures.

“Then look again and again.” Ibn Abbas said: Time after time. “Your sight will return”: it will turn back and return to you, “humbled”—abased, humiliated, and driven away, having not seen what it sought—“and exhausted”: weary and spent, having failed to attain what it sought.

It is related from Ka‘b that he said: The lowest heaven is a restrained wave; the second is white marble; the third is iron; the fourth is yellow (4)—that is, copper; the fifth is silver; the sixth is gold; and the seventh is a red ruby. Between the seventh heaven and the seven veils are deserts of light (6).

(1) Omitted in manuscript A. (2) Ma'ani al-Quran by al-Farra', 3:169. (3) Manuscript A reads: “al-qurb” (nearness); this is a scribal corruption. (4) Manuscript B reads: “yellow.” (5) Omitted in manuscript B. (6) See al-Bahr al-Muhit, 8:298. Commenting on the report, he said: “...and the seventh [heaven] is of a white emerald; this requires an authentic transmission. Yet one who claimed to be among the righteous—though he was blind and could not see where he placed his feet—used to relate that he saw the heavens in some of the forms we have mentioned.”

مَرْفُوعًا: " أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا" أَحْسَنُ عَقْلًا وَأَوْرَعُ عَنْ مَحَارِمِ اللَّهِ، وَأَسْرَعُ فِي طاعة الله ١٧٠/أ وَقَالَ فُضَيْلُ بْنُ عِيَاضٍ "أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا" أَخْلَصُهُ وَأَصْوَبُهُ. وَقَالَ: الْعَمَلُ لَا يُقْبَلُ حَتَّى يَكُونَ خَالِصًا صَوَابًا الْخَالِصُ: إِذَا كَانَ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّوَابُ: إِذَا كَانَ عَلَى السُّنَّةِ. وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: أَيُّكُمْ أَزْهَدُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَأَتْرَكُ لَهَا. وَقَالَ الْفَرَّاءُ: لَمْ يُوقِعِ الْبَلْوَى عَلَى "أَيٍّ" [إِلَّا] (١) وَبَيْنَهُمَا إِضْمَارٌ كَمَا تَقُولُ بَلَوْتُكُمْ لِأَنْظُرَ أَيُّكُمْ أَطْوَعُ (٢) . وَمِثْلُهُ: "سَلْهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ بِذَلِكَ زَعِيمٌ" (الْقَلَمِ-٤٠) أَيْ: سَلْهُمْ وَانْظُرْ أَيَّهُمْ فَـ"أَيُّ": رُفِعَ عَلَى الِابْتِدَاءِ "وَأَحْسَنُ" خَبَرُهُ ﴿وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ﴾ فِي انْتِقَامِهِ مِمَّنْ عَصَاهُ ﴿الْغَفُورُ﴾ لِمَنْ تَابَ إِلَيْهِ. ﴿الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا مَا تَرَى فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَنِ مِنْ تَفَاوُتٍ فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ هَلْ تَرَى مِنْ فُطُورٍ (٣) ثُمَّ ارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ يَنْقَلِبْ إِلَيْكَ الْبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ (٤) ﴾ ﴿الَّذِي خَلَقَ سَبْعَ سَمَاوَاتٍ طِبَاقًا﴾ طَبَقًا عَلَى طَبَقٍ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ ﴿مَا تَرَى فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَنِ مِنْ تَفَاوُتٍ﴾ قَرَأَ حَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ: "مِنْ تَفَوُّتٍ" بِتَشْدِيدِ الْوَاوِ بِلَا أَلِفٍ، وَقَرَأَ الْأَخَرُونَ بِتَخْفِيفِ الْوَاوِ وَأَلِفٍ قَبْلَهَا. وَهُمَا لُغَتَانِ كَالتَّحَمُّلِ وَالتَّحَامُلِ وَالتَّطَهُّرِ وَالتَّطَاهُرِ. وَمَعْنَاهُ: مَا تَرَى يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ فِي خَلْقِ الرَّحْمَنِ مِنَ اعْوِجَاجٍ وَاخْتِلَافٍ وَتَنَاقُضٍ بَلْ هِيَ مُسْتَقِيمَةٌ مُسْتَوِيَةٌ. وَأَصْلُهُ مِنَ "الْفَوْتِ" (٣) وَهُوَ أَنْ يَفُوتَ بَعْضُهَا بَعْضًا لِقِلَّةِ اسْتِوَائِهَا ﴿فَارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ﴾ كَرِّرِ النَّظَرَ، مَعْنَاهُ: انْظُرْ ثُمَّ ارْجِعْ ﴿هَلْ تَرَى مِنْ فُطُورٍ﴾ شُقُوقٍ وَصُدُوعٍ. ﴿ثُمَّ ارْجِعِ الْبَصَرَ كَرَّتَيْنِ﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: مَرَّةً بَعْدَ مَرَّةٍ ﴿يَنْقَلِبْ﴾ يَنْصَرِفْ وَيَرْجِعْ ﴿إِلَيْكَ الْبَصَرُ خَاسِئًا﴾ صَاغِرًا ذَلِيلًا مُبْعَدًا لَمْ يَرَ مَا يَهْوَى ﴿وَهُوَ حَسِيرٌ﴾ كَلِيلٌ مُنْقَطِعٌ لَمْ يُدْرِكْ مَا طَلَبَ. وَرُوِيَ عَنْ كَعْبٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: السَّمَاءُ الدُّنْيَا مَوْجٌ مَكْفُوفٌ وَالثَّانِيَةُ مَرْمَرَةٌ بَيْضَاءُ وَالثَّالِثَةُ حَدِيدٌ وَالرَّابِعَةُ [صَفْرَاءُ] (٤) وَقَالَ: نُحَاسٌ وَالْخَامِسَةُ فِضَّةٌ وَالسَّادِسَةُ ذَهَبٌ وَالسَّابِعَةُ يَاقُوتَةٌ حَمْرَاءُ بَيْنَ [السَّمَاءِ] (٥) السَّابِعَةِ إِلَى الْحُجُبِ السَّبْعَةِ صَحَارِي مِنْ نُورٍ (٦) .

(١) ساقط من "أ". (٢) معاني القرآن للفراء: ٣ / ١٦٩. (٣) في "أ" القرب: وهو تصحيف. (٤) في "ب" صفر. (٥) ساقط من "ب". (٦) انظر:البحر المحيط: ٨ / ٢٩٨ وقد عقب على الرواية فقال: " ... والسابعة من زمردة بيضاء،يحتاج إلى نقل صحيح، وقد كان بعض من ينتمي إلى الصلاح - وكان أعمى لا يبصر موضع قدميه - يخبر أنه يشاهد السماوات على بعض أوصاف مما ذكرنا ".