Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (1/313)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “The Kursi is set before the Throne.” The meaning of His saying, “His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth,” is that its extent is like the extent of the heavens and the earth. Reports state that the heavens and the earth, in comparison to the Kursi, are like a ring cast into an open desert; and the Kursi, in comparison to the Throne, is like a ring cast into an open desert. It is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the seven heavens and the seven earths within the Kursi are like seven dirhams thrown onto a shield. (1)

ʿAli and Muqatil said: Each leg of the Kursi is as long as the seven heavens and the seven earths. It stands before the Throne, and the Kursi is borne by four angels, each of whom has four faces. Their feet are upon the rock that lies five hundred years’ journey beneath the lowest, seventh earth: one angel is in the form of Adam, the master of humankind, peace be upon him, and he asks provision and rain for mankind from year to year; another angel is in the form of the master of livestock—the ox—and he asks provision for livestock from year to year, and his face has borne an expression of grief ever since the calf was worshipped; another angel is in the form of the master of beasts of prey—the lion—and he asks provision for the beasts of prey from year to year; [and another angel is in the form of the master of birds—the eagle—and he asks provision for the birds from year to year]. (2) Some reports state that between the bearers of the Throne and the bearers of the Kursi are seventy veils of darkness and seventy veils of light, each veil being five hundred years’ journey thick. Were it not for this, the bearers of the Kursi would be burned by the light of the bearers of the Throne.

Saʿid ibn Jubayr narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that he said: By the Kursi, He meant His knowledge. (3) This is also the view of Mujahid. From this derives the name kurrasah for a booklet of knowledge. It was also said that His Kursi means His dominion and authority; the Arabs call long-established kingship a kursi. “Nor does preserving them weary Him”: that is, preserving the heavens and the earth does not burden Him or cause Him hardship. One says, “The matter adani,” meaning, “It burdened me.” “And He is the Most High”: exalted above His creation and transcendent beyond all things and all peers. It was also said: the Most High in kingship and authority. “The Magnificent”: the Great One, than whom there is nothing greater.

The saying of the Exalted: “There is no compulsion in religion.” Saʿid ibn Jubayr narrated from Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with them both: Among the women of the Ansar there would be one who was a miqlah—a woman whose children did not survive—(4) and she would vow that, if a child of hers survived, she would make him a Jew.

(1) Al-Tabari cited it in his Tafsir through another chain of transmission: Yunus narrated to me; Ibn Wahb informed us; Ibn Zayd said: My father related to me that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The seven heavens, in comparison to the Kursi, are but like seven dirhams cast into a shield.” 5:399. Muhammad ibn Abi Shaybah also narrated it in Kitab al-Arsh; Ibn Kathir attributed it to Ibn Mardawayh; and al-Bayhaqi recorded it in Al-Asma wa al-Sifat, 2:149. Its chain includes Ibrahim ibn Hisham ibn Yahya al-Ghassani, an abandoned narrator whom Abu Hatim and Abu Zur'ah declared a liar. All the chains of this hadith are weak and cannot reinforce one another because of their weakness. See Al-Nahj al-Sadid fi Takhrij Ahadith Taysir al-Aziz al-Hamid, p. 283. (2) Omitted from manuscript (B). (3) Al-Tabari reports this from him in his Tafsir, 5:397-398, as does al-Bayhaqi in Al-Asma wa al-Sifat, who said: “We also narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr, from Ibn Abbas, that he said: ‘His knowledge.’” He then said: “The remaining reports from Ibn Abbas and others indicate that what is intended is the well-known Kursi mentioned alongside the Throne.” See Al-Asma wa al-Sifat by al-Bayhaqi, 2:134-135. (4) Omitted from manuscript (B).

وَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ ﵁: الْكُرْسِيُّ مَوْضُوعٌ أَمَامَ الْعَرْشِ وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ: "وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ" أَيْ سِعَتُهُ مِثْلُ سِعَةِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَفِي الْأَخْبَارِ أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي جَنْبِ الْكُرْسِيِّ كَحَلْقَةٍ فِي فَلَاةٍ، وَالْكُرْسِيُّ فِي جَنْبِ الْعَرْشِ كَحَلْقَةٍ فِي فَلَاةٍ. وَيُرْوَى عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄ أَنَّ السَّمَاوَاتِ السَّبْعَ وَالْأَرَضِينَ السَّبْعَ فِي الْكُرْسِيِّ كَدَرَاهِمَ سَبْعَةٍ أُلْقِيَتْ فِي تُرْسٍ (١) . وَقَالَ عَلَيٌّ وَمُقَاتِلٌ: كُلُّ قَائِمَةٍ مِنَ الْكُرْسِيِّ طُولُهَا مِثْلُ السَّمَاوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَالْأَرَضِينَ السَّبْعِ، وَهُوَ بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْعَرْشِ، وَيَحْمِلُ الْكُرْسِيَّ أَرْبَعَةُ أَمْلَاكٍ، لِكُلِّ مَلَكٍ أَرْبَعَةُ وُجُوهٍ، وَأَقْدَامُهُمْ فِي الصَّخْرَةِ الَّتِي تَحْتَ الْأَرْضِ السَّابِعَةِ السُّفْلَى مَسِيرَةَ خَمْسِمِائَةِ عَامٍ، مَلَكٌ عَلَى صُورَةِ سَيِّدِ الْبَشَرِ آدَمَ ﵇، وَهُوَ يَسْأَلُ لِلْآدَمِيِّينَ الرِّزْقَ وَالْمَطَرَ مِنَ السَّنَةِ إِلَى السَّنَةِ، وَمَلَكٌ عَلَى صُورَةِ سَيِّدِ الْأَنْعَامِ وَهُوَ الثَّوْرُ وَهُوَ يَسْأَلُ لِلْأَنْعَامِ الرِّزْقَ مِنَ السَّنَةِ إِلَى السَّنَةِ وَعَلَى وَجْهِهِ غَضَاضَةٌ مُنْذُ عُبِدَ الْعِجْلُ، وَمَلَكٌ عَلَى صُورَةِ سَيِّدِ السِّبَاعِ وَهُوَ الْأَسَدُ يَسْأَلُ لِلسِّبَاعِ الرِّزْقَ مِنَ السَّنَةِ إِلَى السَّنَةِ، [وَمَلَكٌ عَلَى صُورَةِ سَيِّدِ الطَّيْرِ وَهُوَ النَّسْرُ يَسْأَلُ الرِّزْقَ لِلطَّيْرِ مِنَ السَّنَةِ إِلَى السَّنَةِ] (٢) وَفِي بَعْضِ الْأَخْبَارِ أَنَّ مَا بَيْنَ حَمَلَةِ الْعَرْشِ وَحَمَلَةِ الْكُرْسِيِّ سَبْعِينَ حِجَابًا مِنْ ظُلْمَةٍ وَسَبْعِينَ حِجَابًا مِنْ نُورٍ غِلَظُ كُلِّ حِجَابٍ مَسِيرَةُ خَمْسِمِائَةِ عَامٍ لَوْلَا ذَلِكَ لَاحْتَرَقَ حَمَلَةُ الْكُرْسِيِّ مِنْ نُورِ حَمَلَةِ الْعَرْشِ. وَرَوَى سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄ قَالَ: أَرَادَ بِالْكُرْسِيِّ عِلْمَهُ (٣) وَهُوَ قَوْلُ مُجَاهِدٍ، وَمِنْهُ قِيلَ لِصَحِيفَةِ الْعِلْمِ كُرَّاسَةٌ، وَقِيلَ: كُرْسِيُّهُ مُلْكُهُ وَسُلْطَانُهُ، وَالْعَرَبُ تُسَمِّي الْمُلْكَ الْقَدِيمَ كُرْسِيًّا، ﴿وَلَا يَئُودُهُ﴾ أَيْ لَا يُثْقِلُهُ وَلَا يَشُقُّ عَلَيْهِ يُقَالُ: آدَنِي الشَّيْءُ أَيْ أَثْقَلَنِي ﴿حِفْظُهُمَا﴾ أَيْ حِفْظُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ﴿وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ﴾ الرَّفِيعُ فَوْقَ خَلْقِهِ وَالْمُتَعَالِي عَنِ الْأَشْيَاءِ وَالْأَنْدَادِ، وَقِيلَ الْعَلِيُّ بِالْمُلْكِ وَالسَّلْطَنَةِ ﴿الْعَظِيمُ﴾ الْكَبِيرُ الَّذِي لَا شَيْءَ أَعْظَمُ مِنْهُ. قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ﴾ قَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄: كَانَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ تَكُونُ مِقْلَاةً - (الْمِقْلَاةُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ) (٤) لَا يَعِيشُ لَهَا وَلَدٌ -وَكَانَتْ تَنْذُرُ لَئِنْ عَاشَ لَهَا وَلَدٌ لَتُهَوِّدَنَّهُ

(١) أورده الطبري في التفسير برواية أخرى قال: حدثني يونس قال أخبرنا ابن وهب قال: قال ابن زيد حدثني أبي قال: قال رسول الله ﷺ: "ما السماوات السبع في الكرسي إلا كدراهم سبعة ألقيت في ترس" ٥ / ٣٩٩. ورواه محمد بن أبي شيبة في كتاب العرش، وعزاه ابن كثير لابن مردويه، وأخرجه البيهقي في الأسماء والصفات: ٢ / ١٤٩ وفيه إبراهيم ابن هشام بن يحيى الغساني: متروك كذبه أبو حاتم وأبو زرعة، وطرق الحديث كلها واهية، فلا تعتضد لضعفها، انظر: النهج السديد في تخريج أحاديث تيسير العزيز الحميد ص ٢٨٣. (٢) ساقط من (ب) . (٣) نقل ذلك عنه الطبري في التفسير: ٥ / ٣٩٧-٣٩٨، والبيهقي في الأسماء والصفات، فقال: "وروينا عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس ﵄ أنه قال: "علمه" ثم قال: وسائر الروايات عن ابن عباس وغيره تدل على أن المراد به الكرسي المشهور المذكور مع العرش، انظر: الأسماء والصفات للبيهقي: ٢ / ١٣٤-١٣٥. (٤) ساقط من (ب) .