Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/463)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Surah al-Sharh (The Expansion) is Meccan (1).

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

“Did We not expand for you your breast (1), and relieve you of your burden (2), which had weighed heavily upon your back (3), and raise high for you your renown (4)?”

“Did We not expand for you your breast?” That is, did We not open, broaden, and soften your heart through faith, prophethood, knowledge, and wisdom? 195/b

“And relieve you of your burden?” Al-Hasan, Mujahid, Qatadah, and al-Dahhak said: “We lifted from you what had preceded from you in the pre-Islamic period,” just as He says: “That Allah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow” (al-Fath, 2).

Al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl said: It means error and inadvertence. It was also said: the sins of your ummah, which He attributed to him (2) because of his heart’s concern for them. Abd al-Aziz ibn Yahya and Abu Ubaydah said: It means, “We lightened for you the burdens of prophethood and of fulfilling its responsibilities” (3).

“Which had weighed heavily upon your back”: it had burdened and weakened your back until a creaking sound could be heard from it.

“And raise high for you your renown”: Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Shurayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Tha‘labi informed us; Abu al-Qasim Abd al-Khaliq ibn Ali al-Mu’adhdhin informed us; Abu Bakr ibn Habib narrated to us; Abu Isma‘il Muhammad ibn Isma‘il narrated to us; Safwan—that is, Ibn Salih Abd al-Malik—narrated to us; al-Walid—that is, Ibn Muslim—narrated to us; Abd Allah ibn Lahi‘ah narrated to me from Darraj, from Abu al-Haytham, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he asked Gabriel, peace be upon him, about this verse: “And raise high for you your renown.” He said: Allah, the Most High, said: “Whenever I am mentioned, you are mentioned along with Me” (4).

(1) Ibn al-Durays, al-Nahhas, Ibn Mardawayh, and al-Bayhaqi narrated from Ibn Abbas that Surah al-Inshirah was revealed in Mecca. Some of them added: after Surah al-Duha. See al-Durr al-Manthur, 8/547. (2) Manuscript B reads: “so add it.” (3) This is its placement in manuscript A; in manuscript B, it appears after the explanation of the verse, “which weighed down your back.” (4) Recorded by al-Tabari, 30/235; Abu Yala, al-Musnad, 2/131; and Ibn Hibban, no. 1772, p. 439 of Mawarid al-Zaman. Its chain includes Ibn Lahiah, whose narrations became confused, and Darraj, who is weak.

سُورَةُ الشَّرْحِ مَكِّيَّةٌ (١) بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ (١) وَوَضَعْنَا عَنْكَ وِزْرَكَ (٢) الَّذِي أَنْقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ (٣) وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ (٤) ﴾ ﴿أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ﴾ أَلَمْ نفتح ونوسع ١٩٥/ب وَنُلَيِّنْ لَكَ قَلْبَكَ بِالْإِيمَانِ وَالنُّبُوَّةِ وَالْعِلْمِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ. ﴿وَوَضَعْنَا عَنْكَ وِزْرَكَ﴾ قَالَ الْحَسَنُ، وَمُجَاهِدٌ وَقَتَادَةُ، وَالضَّحَّاكُ: وَحَطَطْنَا عَنْكَ الَّذِي سَلَفَ مِنْكَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، وَهُوَ كَقَوْلِهِ: "لِيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ" (الْفَتْحِ -٢) . وَقَالَ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ: يَعْنِي الْخَطَأَ وَالسَّهْوَ. وَقِيلَ: ذُنُوبُ أُمَّتِكَ [فَأَضَافَهُ] (٢) إِلَيْهِ لِاشْتِغَالِ قَلْبِهِ بِهِمْ، وَقَالَ عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ يَحْيَى وَأَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ: يَعْنِي خَفَّفْنَا عَنْكَ أَعْبَاءَ النُّبُوَّةِ وَالْقِيَامِ بِأَمْرِهَا (٣) . ﴿الَّذِي أَنْقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ﴾ أَثْقَلَ ظَهْرَكَ فَأَوْهَنَهُ حَتَّى سُمِعَ لَهُ نَقِيضٌ، أَيْ صَوْتٌ. ﴿وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ﴾ أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الشُّرَيْحِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الثَّعْلَبِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ عَبْدُ الْخَالِقِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْمُؤَذِّنُ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ حَبِيبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو إِسْمَاعِيلَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا صَفْوَانُ يَعْنِي ابْنَ صَالِحٍ عَبْدَ الْمَلِكِ، حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ يَعْنِي بن مُسْلِمٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ لَهِيعَةَ عَنْ دَرَّاجٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْهَيْثَمِ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ جِبْرِيلَ ﵇ عَنْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ "وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ"؟ قَالَ: قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: "إِذَا ذُكِرْتُ ذُكِرْتَ مَعِي" (٤) .

(١) أخرج ابن الضريس والنحاس وابن مردويه والبيهقي عن ابن عباس ﵄ قال: نزلت سورة (ألم نشرح) بمكة. زاد بعضهم بعد الضحى، انظر: الدر المنثور: ٨ / ٥٤٧. (٢) في "ب" فأضفها. (٣) هذا موضوعه في "أ" وفي "ب" بعد تفسير قوله تعالى: (الذي أنقض ظهرك) . (٤) أخرجه الطبري: ٣٠ / ٢٣٥، وأبو يعلى في المسند: ٢ / ١٣١، وابن حبان برقم (١٧٧٢) ص (٤٣٩) من موارد الظمآن. وفيه ابن لهيعة وقد اختلط، ودراج ضعيف.