Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/505)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Surah al-Adiyat is Meccan. (1)

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

“By the charging steeds, panting.” (1)

Concerning His words, “By the charging steeds, panting,” Ibn Abbas, Ata, Mujahid, Ikrimah, al-Hasan, al-Kalbi, Qatadah, the two Muqatils, (2) Abu al-Aliyah, and others said: They are the horses charging in the path of Allah, panting. Panting is the sound that comes from within them when they run.

Ibn Abbas said: No animal pants except the horse, the dog, and the fox. These animals pant only when their condition is altered by exhaustion or fright. This derives from their expression, “The fire caused him to pant,” meaning that it changed his colour.

The word “panting” is in the accusative as a verbal noun; its sense is: “By the charging steeds that pant intensely.” (3) (4)

Ali said: They are the camels during the pilgrimage, racing from Arafat to Muzdalifah, and from Muzdalifah to Mina. He said that it was revealed concerning the Battle of Badr—Badr being the first military expedition in Islam (5)—and that we had only two horses: one belonging to al-Zubayr and the other to al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad. So how could they be charging horses? This was also the view of Ibn Masud, Muhammad ibn Kab, and al-Suddi.

Some of those who held that they are camels said that the word “panting” means stretching out their necks as they travel. (6)

(1) Ibn Mardawayh narrated from Ibn Abbas that Surat al-Adiyat was revealed in Mecca. See al-Durr al-Manthur, 8/599. (2) That is, Muqatil ibn Hayyan and Muqatil ibn Sulayman. (3) In manuscript B: “Arab usage.” (4) The parenthetical passage occurs later in manuscript A, at the end of the discussion of the meaning of “al-Adiyat dabhan” (the panting chargers). (5) The parenthetical passage is omitted from manuscript A. (6) Al-Tabari, 30/271-273, presented these statements—which reduce to two views—and then gave preference to the following: “The sounder of the two opinions is that of those who hold that al-Adiyat refers to horses, for camels do not pant, whereas horses do. Allah Most High has stated that they run while panting.”

سُورَةُ الْعَادِيَاتِ مَكِّيَّةٌ (١) بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا (١) ﴾ ﴿وَالْعَادِيَاتِ ضَبْحًا﴾ قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ، وَعَطَاءٌ وَمُجَاهِدٌ، وَعِكْرِمَةُ، وَالْحَسَنُ، وَالْكَلْبِيُّ، وَقَتَادَةُ، وَالْمُقَاتِلَانِ (٢) ، وَأَبُو الْعَالِيَةِ وَغَيْرُهُمْ: هِيَ الْخَيْلُ الْعَادِيَةُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ﷿ تَضْبَحُ، وَالضَّبْحُ: صَوْتُ أَجْوَافِهَا إِذَا عَدَتْ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: وَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْحَيَوَانَاتِ تَضْبَحُ غَيْرُ الْفَرَسِ وَالْكَلْبِ وَالثَّعْلَبِ، وَإِنَّمَا تَضْبَحُ هَذِهِ الْحَيَوَانَاتُ إِذَا تَغَيَّرَ حَالُهَا مِنْ تَعَبٍ أَوْ فَزَعٍ، وَهُوَ مِنْ [قَوْلِهِمْ] (٣) ضَبَحَتْهُ النَّارُ، إِذَا غَيَّرَتْ لَوْنَهُ. [وَقَوْلُهُ: "ضَبْحًا" نُصِبَ عَلَى الْمَصْدَرِ، مَجَازُهُ: وَالْعَادِيَّاتُ تَضْبَحُ ضَبْحًا] (٤) . وَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ: هِيَ الْإِبِلُ فِي الْحَجِّ، تَعْدُو مِنْ عَرَفَةَ إِلَى الْمُزْدَلِفَةِ، وَمِنَ الْمُزْدَلِفَةِ إِلَى مِنًى، وَقَالَ إِنَّهَا نَزَلَتْ فِي وَقْعَةِ بَدْرٍ، [كَانَتْ أَوَّلُ غَزْوَةٍ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ بَدْرًا] (٥) وَمَا كَانَ مَعَنَا إِلَّا فَرَسَانِ، فَرَسٌ لِلزُّبَيْرِ وَفَرَسٌ لِلْمِقْدَادِ بْنِ الْأَسْوَدِ فَكَيْفَ تَكُونُ الْخَيْلُ الْعَادِيَاتُ؟ وَإِلَى هَذَا ذَهَبَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَعْبٍ، وَالسُّدَّيُّ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُ مَنْ قَالَ: هِيَ الْإِبِلُ: قَوْلُهُ "ضَبْحًا" يَعْنِي ضِبَاحًا تَمُدُّ أَعْنَاقَهَا فِي السَّيْرِ (٦) .

(١) أخرج ابن مردويه عن ابن عباس قال: نزلت والعاديات بمكة. انظر: الدر المنثور: ٨ / ٥٩٩. (٢) يعني: مقاتل بن حيان ومقاتل بن سليمان. (٣) في "ب" قول العرب. (٤) ما بين القوسين جاء في "أ" متأخرا لآخر معنى (والعاديات ضبحا) . (٥) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "أ". (٦) ساق الطبري: ٣٠ / ٢٧١ - ٢٧٣ هذه الأقوال - التي ترجع إلى رأيين - ثم قال مرجحا: "وأولى القولين في ذلك بالصواب، قول من قال: عني بالعاديات: الخيل، وذلك أن الإبل لا تضبح وإنما تضبح الخيل، وقد أخبر الله تعالى أنها تعدو ضبحا".