Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (1/299)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

among the prophets of the Children of Israel until the time of Samuel, and it contained the remembrance of Allah Most High. (1) “Within it was reassurance from your Lord.” They differed ⦗42/b⦘ over what this sakinah (reassurance) was. Ali ibn Abi Talib said: “It was a rushing, fluttering wind with two heads and a face like that of a human being.” Mujahid related: “It was something resembling a cat: it had a head like a cat’s head, a tail like a cat’s tail, and two wings.” It was also said that it had two radiant eyes and two wings of emerald and chrysolite. Whenever they heard its sound, they were certain of victory. When they went forth, they would place the Ark before them: if it moved, they moved, and if it stopped, they stopped.

Ibn Abbas said: “It was a basin of gold from Paradise, in which the hearts of the prophets were washed.” Wahb ibn Munabbih said: “It was a spirit from Allah that would speak whenever they differed over anything, informing them clearly of what they sought.” (2) Ata ibn Abi Rabah said: “It was the signs they recognized and in which they found reassurance.” Qatadah and al-Kalbi said: “Sakinah is derived from stillness; that is, it was reassurance from your Lord. Wherever the Ark was, they found reassurance and tranquility in it.” (3)

“And a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron left behind,” meaning Moses and Aaron themselves. It contained two tablets of the Torah, fragments of the tablets that had been broken, Moses’ staff and sandals, Aaron’s turban and staff, and a measure of the manna that used to descend upon the Children of Israel. The Ark remained with the Children of Israel. Whenever they differed over anything, it would speak and judge between them; and when they faced battle, they would set it before them and seek victory against their enemy through it. But when they disobeyed and became corrupt, Allah set the Amalekites against them, and they overcame them and seized the Ark.

The reason for this was that Eli, the learned man who had raised Samuel, had two young sons. Eli was their religious authority and the officiant of their offerings. His two sons introduced into the offering a practice that had not previously existed. Eli’s established procedure concerning the offering was to use two hooks to draw out portions; whatever they brought out belonged to the priest who used them. But his two sons made hooks of their own. Women used to pray in the Temple, and the two of them would seize hold of them. Allah Most High then revealed to Samuel: “Go to Eli and tell him: ‘Your love for your children has prevented you from rebuking your two sons for introducing innovations into My offering and My sanctuary, and for disobeying Me. I shall surely strip the priesthood from you and your descendants, and I shall surely destroy you and them.’” Samuel informed Eli of this, and he was greatly alarmed. Then an enemy from among the peoples around them advanced against them.

(1) This discussion concerning the Ark (tabut), its form, its inheritance, and so forth, has nothing established from the Prophet. Even if the exegetical reports attributed to some Companions or Successors were authentically established, they would still be open to being true or false, for the sound establishment of a report and its attribution to a Companion in such matters does not mean that it is correct in reality. In any case, understanding the noble verses does not depend on any of what has been mentioned. And Allah knows best. (2) Nothing authentically established from the Prophet in the Sunnah indicates any of this interpretation of the sakinah (tranquility). These reports are transmitted from the People of the Book, and we have no need for any of them in interpreting the noble verse. See Shaykh Abu Shahbah, Isra'iliyyat wa al-Mawdu'at, p. 240. (3) Ibn Atiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, favored this meaning, saying: “The correct view is that the Ark contained virtuous things from the remnants and traces of the prophets. Souls would thus find tranquility, comfort, and strength in it. It is well known that Allah grants victory to the truth and to matters that are noble in His sight. Accordingly, sakinah is a noun derived from sukun (stillness), just as one says: resolve, resoluteness; and sever, severance.” Ibn Atiyyah, al-Muharrar al-Wajiz, 2:361. See also al-Tabari, Tafsir, 5:329-230.

أَنْبِيَاءُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَى وَقْتِ إِشْمَوِيلَ وَكَانَ فِيهِ ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى (١) ﴿فِيهِ سَكِينَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ﴾ اخْتَلَفُوا في السكينة ٤٢/ب مَا هِيَ قَالَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ﵁: رِيحٌ خَجُوجٌ هَفَّافَةٌ لَهَا رَأْسَانِ وَوَجْهٌ كَوَجْهِ الْإِنْسَانِ، وَعَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ: شَيْءٌ يُشْبِهُ الْهِرَّةَ لَهُ رَأْسٌ كَرَأْسِ الْهِرَّةِ وَذَنَبٌ كَذَنَبِ الْهِرَّةِ وَلَهُ جَنَاحَانِ، وَقِيلَ لَهُ عَيْنَانِ لَهُمَا شُعَاعٌ وَجَنَاحَانِ مِنْ زُمُرُّدٍ وَزَبَرْجَدٍ فَكَانُوا إِذَا سَمِعُوا صَوْتَهُ تَيَقَّنُوا بِالنَّصْرِ وَكَانُوا إِذَا خَرَجُوا وَضَعُوا التَّابُوتَ قُدَّامَهُمْ فَإِذَا سَارَ سَارُوا وَإِذَا وَقَفَ وَقَفُوا. وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄ قَالَ: هِيَ طَسْتٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ كَانَ يَغْسِلُ فِيهِ قُلُوبَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، وَعَنْ وَهْبِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ قَالَ: هِيَ رُوحٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ يَتَكَلَّمُ إِذَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِي شَيْءٍ تُخْبِرُهُمْ بِبَيَانِ مَا يُرِيدُونَ (٢) ، وَقَالَ عَطَاءُ بْنُ أَبِي رَبَاحٍ: هِيَ مَا يَعْرِفُونَ مِنَ الْآيَاتِ فَيَسْكُنُونَ إِلَيْهَا، وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ وَالْكَلْبِيُّ: السَّكِينَةُ فَعِيلَةٌ مِنَ السُّكُونِ أَيْ طُمَأْنِينَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ فَفِي أَيِّ مَكَانٍ كَانَ التَّابُوتُ اطْمَأَنُّوا إِلَيْهِ وَسَكَنُوا (٣) ﴿وَبَقِيَّةٌ مِمَّا تَرَكَ آلُ مُوسَى وَآلُ هَارُونَ﴾ يَعْنِي مُوسَى وَهَارُونَ أَنْفُسَهُمَا كَانَ فِيهِ لَوْحَانِ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَرُضَاضِ الْأَلْوَاحِ الَّتِي تَكَسَّرَتْ وَكَانَ فِيهِ عَصَا مُوسَى وَنَعْلَاهُ وَعِمَامَةُ هَارُونَ وَعَصَاهُ وَقَفِيزٌ مِنَ الْمَنِّ الَّذِي كَانَ يَنْزِلُ عَلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، فَكَانَ التَّابُوتُ عِنْدَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَكَانُوا إِذَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِي شَيْءٍ تَكَلَّمَ وَحَكَمَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَإِذَا حَضَرُوا الْقِتَالَ قَدَّمُوهُ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَيَسْتَفْتِحُونَ بِهِ عَلَى عَدُوِّهِمْ فَلَمَّا عَصَوْا وَفَسَدُوا سَلَّطَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْعَمَالِقَةَ فَغَلَبُوهُمْ عَلَى التَّابُوتِ. وَكَانَ السَّبَبُ فِي ذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ لِعَيْلَى الْعَالِمِ الَّذِي رَبَّى إِشْمَوِيلَ ﵇ ابْنَانِ شَابَّانِ وَكَانَ عَيْلَى حَبْرَهُمْ وَصَاحِبَ قُرْبَانِهِمْ فَأَحْدَثَ ابْنَاهُ فِي الْقُرْبَانِ شَيْئًا لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ لِعَيْلَى مَنُوطُ الْقُرْبَانِ الَّذِي كَانُوا يَنُوطُونَهُ بِهِ كُلَّابَيْنِ، فَمَا أَخْرَجَا كَانَ لِلْكَاهِنِ الَّذِي يَنُوطُهُ، فَجَعَلَ ابْنَاهُ كَلَالِيبَ وَكَانَ النِّسَاءُ يُصَلِّينَ فِي بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَيَتَشَبَّثَانِ بِهِنَّ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى إِلَى إِشْمَوِيلَ ﵇ انْطَلِقْ إِلَى عَيْلَى فَقُلْ لَهُ مَنَعَكَ حُبُّ الْوَلَدِ مِنْ أَنْ تَزْجُرَ ابْنَيْكَ عَنْ أَنْ يُحْدِثَا فِي قُرْبَانِي وَقُدْسِي وَأَنْ يَعْصِيَانِي فَلَأَنْزِعَنَّ الْكَهَانَةَ مِنْكَ وَمِنْ وَلَدِكَ وَلَأُهْلِكَنَّكَ وَإِيَّاهُمْ، فَأَخْبَرَ إِشْمَوِيلُ عَيْلَى بِذَلِكَ فَفَزِعَ فَزَعًا شَدِيدًا فَسَارَ إِلَيْهِمْ عَدُوٌّ مِمَّنْ حَوْلَهُمْ

(١) هذا الكلام عن التابوت وهيئته وتوارثه ... إلخ ليس فيه شيء ثابت عن النبي ﷺ، ولو ثبت ما جاء في التفسير له عن بعض الصحابة أو التابعين، فإنه يبقى محتملا للصدق والكذب، لأن ثبوت القول ونسبته للصحابي في هذه الأمور لا يعني صحته في واقع الأمر، وعلى كل حال لا يتوقف فهم الآيات الكريمة على شيء مما ذكر، والله أعلم. (٢) ليس في السنة الثابتة عن النبي ﷺ ما يدل على شيء من هذا التفسير للسكينة، وهي منقولة عن أهل الكتاب، ولسنا بحاجة إلى شيء من ذلك لتفسير الآية الكريمة، وانظر: الإسرائيليات والموضوعات للشيخ أبي شهبة ص (٢٤٠) . (٣) قال ابن عطية، ﵀، مرجحا هذا المعنى: "والصحيح أن التابوت كانت فيه أشياء فاضلة من بقايا الأنبياء وآثارهم، فكانت النفوس تسكن إلى ذلك، وتأنس به وتقوى، فالمعهود أن الله ينصر الحق والأمور الفاضلة عنده، والسكينة على هذا: فعيلة مأخوذة من السكون، كما يقال: عزم عزيمة، وقطع قطيعة". المحرر الوجيز لابن عطية: ٢ / ٣٦١. وانظر: تفسير الطبري: ٥ / ٣٢٩-٢٣٠.