Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (1/312)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

The saying of the Exalted: “Allah”—is in the nominative as the subject, and its predicate is found in: “There is no deity worthy of worship except Him, the Ever-Living.” The Ever-Living is the One who remains, enduring forever; He is the One to whom life belongs, and life is an attribute of Allah, the Exalted. “The Sustainer of all”: ʿUmar and Ibn Masʿud recited it as al-qayyam, while ʿAlqamah recited it as al-qayyim; all are linguistic variants with one meaning. Mujahid said: “The Sustainer of all” is the One who oversees every thing. (1) Al-Kalbi said: He is the One who watches over every soul according to what it has earned. It was also said: He is the One who manages all affairs. Abu ʿUbaydah said: He is the One who does not cease.

“Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him.” Drowsiness is light sleep. A drowsy person is between sleep and wakefulness; one says: wasina, yasinu, wasanan, and sinatan. Sleep is the heavy state that removes strength and reason. Al-Mufaddal al-Dabbi said: drowsiness is in the head, while sleep is in the heart. Thus, drowsiness is the beginning of sleep. It was also said: drowsiness is in the head, sleepiness is in the eye, and sleep is in the heart; it is a heavy covering that falls upon the heart and prevents awareness of things. Allah, the Exalted, negated sleep of Himself because it is a defect, and He is transcendent above defects; and because it entails change, while change is not possible with regard to Him.

Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Thaʿlabi informed us; ʿAbd Allah ibn Hamid informed us; Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar informed us; ʿAli ibn Harb informed us; Abu Muʿawiyah informed us; al-Aʿmash informed us, from ʿAmr ibn Murrah, from Abu ʿUbaydah, from Abu Musa, who said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, stood among us and spoke five statements. He said: “Indeed, Allah does not sleep, and it is not befitting for Him to sleep. Rather, He lowers the measure, and the deeds of the night are raised to Him before the deeds of the day, and the deeds of the day before the deeds of the night. His veil is light; were He to remove it, the splendours of His Face would burn up all of His creation that His sight reaches.” (2) Al-Masʿudi also narrated it from ʿAmr ibn Murrah, saying: “His veil is fire.”

“To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth,” by way of ownership and creation. “Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His permission?” That is, by His command. “He knows what is before them and what is behind them.” Mujahid, ʿAtaʾ, and al-Suddi said: “What is before them” is the affair of this world, while “what is behind them” is the affair of the Hereafter. Al-Kalbi said: “What is before them” means the Hereafter, because they are proceeding toward it; and “what is behind them” is this world, because they leave it behind their backs. Ibn Jurayj said: “What is before them” is what has passed before them, and “what is behind them” is what will come after them. Muqatil said: “What is before them” is what existed before the creation of the angels, while “what is behind them” is what came after their creation. It was also said: “What is before them” is the good or evil they have sent ahead, and “what is behind them” is what they will do.

“And they encompass nothing of His knowledge”: that is, of Allah’s knowledge, “except what He wills” to make known to them. That is, they encompass nothing of the knowledge of the unseen except what He wills to disclose of that which He has informed the messengers, as Allah, the Exalted, says: “He does not disclose His unseen to anyone, except to a messenger whom He has chosen.” (36—Surat al-Jinn)

The saying of the Exalted: “His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth,” meaning that it fills and encompasses them. They differed regarding the Kursi. Al-Hasan said: It is the Throne itself.

(1) Omitted from manuscript (B). (2) Recorded by Muslim in The Book of Faith, chapter: “Regarding the statement, ‘Allah does not sleep,’ and the statement, ‘His veil is light; were He to remove it, the radiance of His Face would burn everything in His creation that His sight reaches.’” It is also cited by the author in Sharh al-Sunnah, 1:173.

قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿اللَّهُ﴾ رَفْعٌ بِالِابْتِدَاءِ وَخَبَرُهُ فِي ﴿لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ﴾ الْبَاقِي الدَّائِمُ عَلَى الْأَبَدِ وَهُوَ مَنْ لَهُ الْحَيَاةُ، وَالْحَيَاةُ صِفَةُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى ﴿الْقَيُّومُ﴾ قَرَأَ عُمَرُ وَابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ "الْقَيَّامُ" وَقَرَأَ عَلْقَمَةُ "الْقَيِّمُ" وَكُلُّهَا لُغَاتٌ بِمَعْنًى وَاحِدٍ، قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ ﴿الْقَيُّومُ﴾ الْقَائِمُ عَلَى كُلِّ ﴿شَيْءٍ﴾ (١) وَقَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: الْقَائِمُ عَلَى كُلِّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ وَقِيلَ هُوَ الْقَائِمُ بِالْأُمُورِ. وَقَالَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ: الَّذِي لَا يَزُولُ ﴿لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ﴾ السِّنَةُ: النُّعَاسُ وَهُوَ النَّوْمُ الْخَفِيفُ، وَالْوَسْنَانُ بَيْنَ النَّائِمِ وَالْيَقْظَانِ يُقَالُ مِنْهُ وَسِنَ يسن وَسَنًا وَسِنَةً وَالنَّوْمُ هُوَ الثَّقِيلُ الْمُزِيلُ لِلْقُوَّةِ وَالْعَقْلِ، قَالَ الْمُفَضَّلُ الضَّبِّيُّ: السِّنَةُ فِي الرَّأْسِ وَالنَّوْمُ فِي الْقَلْبِ، فَالسِّنَةُ أَوَّلُ النَّوْمِ وَهُوَ النُّعَاسُ، وَقِيلَ السِّنَةُ فِي الرَّأْسِ وَالنُّعَاسُ فِي الْعَيْنِ وَالنَّوْمُ فِي الْقَلْبِ فَهُوَ غَشْيَةٌ ثَقِيلَةٌ تَقَعُ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ تَمْنَعُ الْمَعْرِفَةَ بِالْأَشْيَاءِ، نَفَى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْ نَفْسِهِ النَّوْمَ لِأَنَّهُ آفَةٌ وَهُوَ مُنَزَّهٌ عَنِ الْآفَاتِ وَلِأَنَّهُ تُغَيُّرٌ وَلَا يَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِ التَّغَيُّرُ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الشُّرَيْحِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الثَّعْلَبِيُّ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ حَامِدٍ أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ حَرْبٍ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ أَخْبَرَنَا الْأَعْمَشُ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى قَالَ: قَامَ فِينَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِخَمْسِ كَلِمَاتٍ فَقَالَ: "إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَنَامُ وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لَهُ أَنْ يَنَامَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ يَخْفِضُ الْقِسْطَ، وَيُرْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ عَمَلُ اللَّيْلِ قَبْلَ عَمَلِ النَّهَارِ وَعَمَلُ النَّهَارِ قَبْلَ عَمَلِ اللَّيْلِ، حِجَابُهُ النُّورُ لَوْ كَشَفَهُ لَأَحْرَقَتْ سُبُحَاتُ وَجْهِهِ مَا انْتَهَى إِلَيْهِ بَصَرُهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ" (٢) . وَرَوَاهُ الْمَسْعُودِيُّ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُرَّةَ وَقَالَ: حِجَابُهُ النَّارُ. ﴿لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾ مُلْكًا وَخَلْقًا ﴿مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ﴾ بِأَمْرِهِ ﴿يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ﴾ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ وَعَطَاءٌ وَالسُّدِّيُّ: ﴿مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ﴾ أَمْرُ الدُّنْيَا ﴿وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ﴾ أَمْرُ الْآخِرَةِ، وَقَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ: ﴿مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ﴾ يَعْنِي الْآخِرَةَ لِأَنَّهُمْ يَقْدَمُونَ عَلَيْهَا ﴿وَمَا خَلْفَهُمُ﴾ الدُّنْيَا لِأَنَّهُمْ يُخَلِّفُونَهَا وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ، وَقَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ: مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ مَا مَضَى أَمَامَهُمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ مَا يَكُونُ بَعْدَهُمْ، وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ، مَا كَانَ قَبْلَ خَلْقِ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ أَيْ مَا كَانَ بَعْدَ خَلْقِهِمْ، وَقِيلَ: مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ أَيْ مَا قَدَّمُوهُ مِنْ خَيْرٍ أَوْ شَرٍّ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ مَا هُمْ فَاعِلُوهُ ﴿وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ﴾ أَيْ مِنْ عِلْمِ اللَّهِ ﴿إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ﴾ أَنْ يُطْلِعَهُمْ عَلَيْهِ يَعْنِي لَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ مِمَّا أَخْبَرَ بِهِ الرُّسُلَ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَلَا يُظْهِرُ عَلَى غَيْبِهِ أَحَدًا إِلَّا مَنِ ارْتَضَى مِنْ رَسُولٍ﴾ (٣٦-الْجِنِّ) قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ﴾ أَيْ مَلَأَ وَأَحَاطَ بِهِ، وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي الْكُرْسِيِّ فَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ: هُوَ الْعَرْشُ نَفْسُهُ

(١) ساقط من (ب) . (٢) أخرجه مسلم: في الإيمان - باب في قوله ﵇ إن الله لا ينام وفي قوله حجابه النور لو كشفه لأحرقت سبحات وجهه ما انتهى والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١ / ١٧٣.