Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/493)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Surah al-Bayyinah

Meccan. (1)

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

“Those who disbelieved among the People of the Book and the idolaters were not to desist until the clear proof came to them: a Messenger from Allah, reciting purified scriptures, containing upright writings.”

“Those who disbelieved among the People of the Book”—namely, the Jews and Christians—“and the idolaters”—that is, the worshippers of idols—“were not to desist,” meaning, to cease from their disbelief and polytheism. The linguists said: it means to depart and separate. One says, “I detached the thing, and it became detached,” that is, it separated.

“Until the clear proof came to them.” Its wording is in the future tense, but its meaning is past: until the clear proof came to them—the manifest evidence—meaning Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. He came to them with the Quran, making their errors and ignorance clear to them and calling them to faith.

Thus, this verse concerns those from the two groups who believed. Allah informs that they did not cease from disbelief until the Messenger came to them and called them to faith; then they believed, and Allah saved them from ignorance and misguidance.

He then explained the clear proof, saying: “A Messenger from Allah, reciting”—that is, reading—“purified scriptures”: books. What is intended is the written content contained in those scriptures, namely the Quran, for he would recite it from memory, not from a written book. His words, “purified,” mean free from falsehood, lies, and fabrication.

“Containing”—that is, within the scriptures—“upright writings,” meaning the verses and rulings written therein, which are just and straight, without any crookedness.

“And those who were given the Book did not divide until after the clear proof came to them. And they were commanded only to worship Allah, devoting the religion sincerely to Him, inclining solely to the truth; to establish the prayer and give zakah. That is the upright religion.”

He then mentioned those among the People of the Book who did not believe, saying:

(1) Ibn Mardawayh narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas that Surah Lam Yakun was revealed in Medina. See al-Durr al-Manthur, 8:585. (2) The text within parentheses is omitted from manuscript “B.” (3) Manuscript “B” reads: “their error.” (4) Manuscript “B” reads: “a book.”

سُورَةُ الْبَيِّنَةِ مَكِّيَّةٌ (١) بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ مُنْفَكِّينَ حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ (١) رَسُولٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ يَتْلُو صُحُفًا مُطَهَّرَةً (٢) فِيهَا كُتُبٌ قَيِّمَةٌ (٣) ﴾ ﴿لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ﴾ وَهْمُ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى، ﴿وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ﴾ وَهُمْ عَبَدَةُ الْأَوْثَانِ، ﴿مُنْفَكِّينَ﴾ [مُنْتَهِينَ عَنْ كُفْرِهِمْ وَشِرْكِهِمْ، وَقَالَ أَهْلُ اللُّغَةِ] : (٢) زَائِلِينَ مُنْفَصِلِينَ، يُقَالُ: فَكَكْتُ الشَّيْءَ فَانْفَكَّ، أَيِ: انْفَصَلَ، ﴿حَتَّى تَأْتِيَهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ﴾ لَفْظُهُ مُسْتَقْبَلٌ وَمَعْنَاهُ الْمَاضِي، أَيْ: حَتَّى أَتَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ، الْحُجَّةُ الْوَاضِحَةُ، يَعْنِي: مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ، أَتَاهُمْ بِالْقُرْآنِ فَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ [ضَلَالَاتِهِمْ] (٣) وَجَهَالَتَهُمْ وَدَعَاهُمْ إِلَى الْإِيمَانِ. فَهَذِهِ الْآيَةُ فِيمَنْ آمَنَ مِنَ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ، أَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَنْتَهُوا عَنِ الْكُفْرِ حَتَّى أَتَاهُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَدَعَاهُمْ إِلَى الْإِيمَانِ فَآمَنُوا فَأَنْقَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْجَهْلِ وَالضَّلَالَةِ. ثُمَّ فَسَّرَ الْبَيِّنَةَ فَقَالَ: ﴿رَسُولٌ مِنَ اللَّهِ يَتْلُو﴾ يَقْرَأُ ﴿صُحُفًا﴾ كُتُبًا، يُرِيدُ مَا يَتَضَمَّنُهُ الصُّحُفُ مِنَ الْمَكْتُوبِ فِيهَا، وَهُوَ الْقُرْآنُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ يَتْلُو عَنْ ظَهْرِ قَلْبِهِ لَا عَنِ [الْكِتَابِ] (٤) ، قَوْلُهُ: ﴿مُطَهَّرَةً﴾ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ وَالْكَذِبِ وَالزُّورِ. ﴿فِيهَا﴾ أَيْ فِي الصُّحُفِ، ﴿كُتُبٌ﴾ يَعْنِي الْآيَاتِ وَالْأَحْكَامِ الْمَكْتُوبَةِ فِيهَا، ﴿قَيِّمَةٌ﴾ عَادِلَةٌ مُسْتَقِيمَةٌ غَيْرُ ذَاتِ عِوَجٍ. ﴿وَمَا تَفَرَّقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ (٤) وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَذَلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ (٥) ﴾ ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ مَنْ لَمْ يُؤْمِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ فَقَالَ:

(١) أخرج ابن مردويه عن ابن عباس قال: نزلت سورة (لم يكن) بالمدينة، انظر: الدر المنثور: ٨ / ٥٨٥. (٢) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "ب". (٣) في "ب" ضلالتهم. (٤) في "ب" كتاب.