Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/490)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

May Allah have mercy on Abu Abd al-Rahman. He certainly knew that it was in Ramadan, but he disliked to tell you, lest you rely upon that. By Him who sent down the Quran to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, it is the twenty-seventh night.” We said, “O Abu al-Mundhir, how did you know this?” He replied, “By the sign of which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, informed us, and which we memorized [and retained] (1). By Allah, it [is not forgotten] (2).” He said: We asked Zirr, “And what is the sign?” He replied, “The sun rises as though it were a basin, without rays.” (3)

Among its signs is what is reported from al-Hasan in a narration traced back to the Prophet: “It is a [bright] (4), gentle night, neither hot nor cold. The following morning, the sun rises without rays.” (5)

In summary, Allah has concealed this night from this community so that they may strive in worship during the nights of Ramadan, hoping to attain it—just as He has concealed the hour in which supplications are answered on Friday, the middle prayer among the five daily prayers, His Greatest Name among His Names, and His pleasure in acts of obedience, so that they may desire them all; and His displeasure in sins, so that they may refrain from them all. He has also concealed the coming of the Hour, so that they may strive in acts of obedience out of fear that it may come.

“The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.” (3)

His saying, exalted is He: “The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months.” Ata reported from Ibn Abbas: A man from the Children of Israel was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, who had carried his weapon upon his shoulder in the path of Allah for a thousand months. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was amazed by this and wished the like of it for his community. He said, “My Lord, You have made my community the shortest-lived of communities and the least in deeds.” So Allah gave him the Night of Decree and said: “The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months”—than the thousand months during which that Israelite carried his weapon in the path of Allah—for you and for your community until the Day of Resurrection. (6)

(1) In manuscript “B”: “and We counted.” (2) In manuscript “B”: “we do not make an exception.” (3) Reported by Muslim in al-Siyam (Fasting), chapter: “The Virtue of Laylat al-Qadr and Encouragement to Seek It,” no. 762, 2:828; and by the compiler in Sharh al-Sunnah, 6:387. (4) That is, exalted. Al-Nihayah, 1:151. (5) Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf, from al-Hasan as a mursal report, 3:514; and by Abd al-Razzaq in al-Musannaf, 4:252-253. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in Fath al-Bari, 4:260: “More than one sign of Laylat al-Qadr has been reported, most of which only become apparent after it has passed. Among them is that found in Sahih Muslim from Ubayy ibn Kab—the preceding hadith. In a narration of Ahmad from another hadith: ‘like a basin’; Ahmad likewise narrated it from Abu Awn, from Ibn Masud, adding: ‘clear.’ A similar report is narrated from Ibn Abbas. Ibn Khuzaymah also narrated from him in a marfu report: ‘Laylat al-Qadr is clear, bright, and mild, neither hot nor cold...’” (6) Reported by al-Tabari, 3:289-290, and by al-Wahidi in Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 533, both from Mujahid. It was also reported by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan, 4:306, who said: “This is mursal”; he also alluded to it in Shuab al-Iman, 7:265. Ibn Kathir mentioned it in his Tafsir through Ibn Abi Hatim’s narration from Mujahid: that the Prophet, peace be upon him, mentioned a man from the Children of Israel... Its chain is disconnected, and it contains Muslim ibn Khalid al-Zanji, who was truthful but prone to errors.

رَحِمَ اللَّهُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَمَا إِنَّهُ قَدْ عَلِمَ أَنَّهَا فِي رَمَضَانَ، وَلَكِنْ كَرِهَ أَنْ يُخْبِرَكُمْ فَتَتَّكِلُوا هِيَ -وَالَّذِي أَنْزَلَ الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ -لَيْلَةَ، سَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ، فَقُلْنَا: يَا أَبَا الْمُنْذِرِ أَنَّى عَلِمْتَ هَذَا؟ قَالَ: بِالْآيَةِ الَّتِي أَخْبَرَنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَحَفِظْنَا [وَوَعَيْنَا] (١) ، هِيَ وَاللَّهِ [لَا تُنْسَى] (٢) ، قَالَ قُلْنَا لِزِرٍّ: وَمَا الْآيَةُ؟ قَالَ: تَطْلُعُ الشَّمْسُ كَأَنَّهَا طَاسٌ لَيْسَ لَهَا شُعَاعٌ (٣) . وَمِنْ عَلَامَاتِهَا: مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ رَفَعَهُ: أَنَّهَا لَيْلَةٌ [بَلْجَةٌ] (٤) سَمْحَةٌ لَا حَارَّةٌ وَلَا بَارِدَةٌ، تَطَلُعُ الشَّمْسُ صَبِيحَتَهَا لَا شُعَاعَ لَهَا (٥) . وَفِي الْجُمْلَةِ: أَبْهَمَ اللَّهُ هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةَ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ لِيَجْتَهِدُوا فِي الْعِبَادَةِ لَيَالِيَ رَمَضَانَ طَمَعًا فِي إِدْرَاكِهَا، كَمَا أَخْفَى سَاعَةَ الْإِجَابَةِ فِي يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةَ، وَأَخْفَى الصَّلَاةَ الْوُسْطَى فِي الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ، وَاسْمَهُ الْأَعْظَمَ فِي الْأَسْمَاءِ، وَرِضَاهُ فِي الطَّاعَاتِ لِيَرْغَبُوا فِي جَمِيعِهَا، وَسُخْطَهُ فِي الْمَعَاصِي لِيَنْتَهُوا عَنْ جَمِيعِهَا، وَأَخْفَى قِيَامَ السَّاعَةِ لِيَجْتَهِدُوا فِي الطَّاعَاتِ حَذَرًا مِنْ قِيَامِهَا. ﴿لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ (٣) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ﴾ قَالَ عَطَاءٌ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: ذُكِرَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَجُلٌ مَنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ حَمَلَ السِّلَاحِ عَلَى عَاتِقِهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَلْفَ شَهْرٍ، فَعَجِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لِذَلِكَ وَتَمَنَّى ذَلِكَ لِأُمَّتِهِ، فَقَالَ: يَا رَبِّ جَعَلْتَ أُمَّتِي أَقْصَرَ الْأُمَمِ أَعْمَارًا وَأَقَلَّهَا أَعْمَالًا؟ فَأَعْطَاهُ اللَّهُ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ، فَقَالَ: ﴿لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ﴾ الَّتِي حَمَلَ فِيهَا الْإِسْرَائِيلِيُّ السِّلَاحَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، لَكَ وَلِأُمَّتِكَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ (٦) .

(١) في "ب" وعددنا. (٢) في "ب" لا نستثني. (٣) أخرجه مسلم في الصيام، باب فضل ليلة القدر والحث عليه برقم: (٧٦٢) : ٢ / ٨٢٨، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ٦ / ٣٨٧. (٤) أي مشرفة، النهاية: ١ / ١٥١. (٥) أخرجه ابن أبي شيبة في المصنف عن الحسن مرسلا: ٣ / ٥١٤، وعبد الرزاق في المصنف: ٤ / ٢٥٢ - ٢٥٣، قال الحافظ ابن حجر في "الفتح" ٤ / ٢٦٠: "وقد ورد لليلة القدر علامات أكثرها لا تظهر إلا بعد أن تمضي، منها في صحيح مسلم عن أبي بن كعب - الحديث السابق - وفي رواية لأحمد من حديث: "مثل الطست" ونحوه لأحمد من حديث أبي عون عن ابن مسعود، وزاد: "صافية" ومن حديث ابن عباس نحوه، ولابن خزيمة من حديثه مرفوعا: "ليلة القدر صافية بلجة طلقة لا حارة ولا باردة. . ". (٦) أخرجه الطبري: ٣ / ٢٨٩ - ٢٩٠، والواحدي في أسباب النزول صفحة (٥٣٣) كلاهما عن مجاهد: وأخرجه أيضا البيهقي في السنن: ٤ / ٣٠٦ وقال: هذا مرسل، وأشار إليه في "شعب الإيمان" ٧ / ٢٦٥. وذكره ابن كثير في التفسير من رواية ابن أبي حاتم عن مجاهد أن النبي ﷺ ذكر رجلا من بني إسرائيل. . وهو منقطع، وفيه مسلم بن خالد الزنجي صدوق له أوهام.