Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (8/569)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Then he left and went to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and spoke to him; but he gave him no reply, except that he said, “The people of Mecca have broken the treaty.” (1)

He then went to Abu Bakr and asked him to speak to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on his behalf. Abu Bakr replied, “I will not do so.” Then he came to Umar ibn al-Khattab and spoke to him, and Umar said, “Am I to intercede for you with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace? By Allah, if I found nothing but tiny ants with which to fight you, I would fight you with them!”

Then he went out and entered upon Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him. Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was with him, and beside her was al-Hasan ibn Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, a little boy crawling before her. He said, “O Ali, you are the most closely related of the people to me, and the nearest to me in kinship. I have come with a request, so do not let me return disappointed, as I came. Intercede for us with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”

Ali replied, “Woe to you, O Abu Sufyan! The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has resolved upon a matter concerning which we cannot speak to him.” Abu Sufyan then turned to Fatimah and said, “O daughter of Muhammad, will you not command this little son of yours to grant protection among the people, so that he may become the chief of the Arabs until the end of time?” She replied, “By Allah, my little son has not reached the age to grant protection among the people, and no one can grant protection in opposition to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”

He said, “O Abu al-Hasan, I see that matters have become severe for me, so advise me.” Ali replied, “By Allah, I know of nothing that will avail you. Yet you are the chief of Banu Kinanah, so rise and declare a general guarantee of protection among the people, then return to your land.” He said, “Do you think that will avail me at all?” Ali replied, “No, by Allah, I do not think so; but I can find no other course for you.”

Abu Sufyan then rose in the mosque and proclaimed, “O people, I have declared a general guarantee of protection among the people.” He then mounted his camel and departed. When he arrived among Quraysh, they asked, “What news have you brought?” He said, “I went to Muhammad and spoke to him, but by Allah, he gave me no reply at all. Then I went to the son of Abu Quhafah, but found no favorable response from him. Then I went to the son of al-Khattab and found him the most hostile of the people. Then I came to Ali ibn Abi Talib and found him the gentlest of them. He advised me to do something, which I did; but by Allah, I do not know whether it will avail me at all or not.” (2)

They asked, “And what did he instruct you to do?” He replied, “He instructed me to declare a general guarantee of protection among the people, so I did so.” They said, “Did Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, approve of that?” He replied, “No.” They said, “By Allah, Ali did no more than make sport of you. What you said will not avail us.” He replied, “No, by Allah, I found no alternative to that.”

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered the people to make preparations, and instructed his household to prepare his equipment. Abu Bakr entered upon his daughter Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, while she was arranging some of the equipment of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He said, “My dear daughter, has the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instructed you to prepare his equipment?” She replied, “Yes, so make your preparations.” He asked, “Where do you think he intends to go?” She replied, “I do not know.”

Then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, informed the people that he was setting out for Mecca. He commanded them to proceed with earnestness and make ready, and he said, “O Allah, keep Quraysh’s scouts and all intelligence from them, until we surprise them in their land.” (3) So the people made their preparations.

(1) The text in parentheses is omitted in manuscript B. (2) In manuscript A: “it suffices us.” (3) We catch it unawares.

ثُمَّ خَرَجَ حَتَّى أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَكَلَّمَهُ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئًا [غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: نَقَضَ أَهْلُ مَكَّةَ الْعَهْدَ] (١) . ثُمَّ ذَهَبَ إِلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ فَكَلَّمَهُ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَ لَهُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَقَالَ: مَا أَنَا بِفَاعِلٍ، ثُمَّ أَتَى عُمْرَ ابن الْخَطَّابِ فَكَلَّمَهُ فَقَالَ: أَنَا أَشْفَعُ لَكُمْ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ؟ ! فَوَاللَّهِ لَوْ لَمْ أَجِدْ إِلَّا الذَّرَّ لَجَاهَدْتُكُمْ بِهِ، ثُمَّ خَرَجَ فَدَخَلَ عَلَى عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ﵁، وَعِنْدَهُ فَاطِمَةُ بنت رسول لله ﷺ وَعِنْدَهَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ ﵄، غُلَامٌ يَدِبُّ، بَيْنَ يَدَيْهَا، فَقَالَ: يَا عَلِيُّ إِنَّكَ أَمَسُّ، الْقَوْمَ بِي رَحِمًا وَأَقْرَبُهُمْ مِنِّي قَرَابَةً، وَقَدْ جِئْتُ فِي حَاجَةٍ فَلَا أَرْجِعَنَّ كَمَا جِئْتُ، خَائِبًا، اشْفَعْ لَنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَقَالَ: وَيْحَكَ يَا أَبَا سُفْيَانَ لَقَدْ عَزَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى أَمْرٍ مَا نَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ نُكَلِّمَهُ فِيهِ، فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَى فَاطِمَةَ فَقَالَ: يَا بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ، هَلْ لَكِ أَنْ تَأْمُرِي بُنَيَّكِ هَذَا فَيُجِيرَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فَيَكُونَ سَيِّدَ الْعَرَبِ إِلَى آخِرِ الدَّهْرِ؟ قَالَتْ: وَاللَّهِ مَا بَلَغَ بُنَيَّ أَنْ يُجِيرَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ، وَمَا يُجِيرُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَحَدٌ، فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ -إِنِّي أَرَى الْأُمُورَ قَدِ اشْتَدَّتْ عَلَيَّ فَانْصَحْنِي، قَالَ: وَاللَّهِ مَا أَعْلَمُ شَيْئًا يُغْنِي عَنْكَ، وَلَكِنَّكَ سَيِّدُ بَنِي كِنَانَةَ، فَقُمْ فَأَجِرْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ، ثُمَّ الْحَقْ بِأَرْضِكَ، قَالَ أَوَتُرَى ذَلِكَ مُغْنِيًا عَنِّي شَيْئًا؟ قَالَ: لَا وَاللَّهِ، مَا أَظُنُّ، وَلَكِنْ لَا أَجِدُ لَكَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ. فَقَامَ أَبُو سُفْيَانَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي قَدْ أَجَرْتُ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ، ثُمَّ رَكِبَ بَعِيرَهُ فَانْطَلَقَ فَلَمَّا قَدِمَ عَلَى قُرَيْشٍ قَالُوا: مَا وَرَاءَكَ؟ قَالَ: جِئْتُ مُحَمَّدًا فَكَلَّمْتُهُ وَاللَّهِ مَا رَدَّ عَلَيَّ شَيْئًا ثُمَّ جِئْتُ ابْنَ أَبِي قُحَافَةَ، فَلَمْ أَجِدْ عِنْدَهُ خَيْرًا، فَجِئْتُ ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ فَوَجَدْتُهُ أَعْدَى الْقَوْمِ، ثُمَّ أَتَيْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ فَوَجَدْتُهُ أَلْيَنَ الْقَوْمِ، وَقَدْ أَشَارَ عَلَيَّ بِشَيْءٍ صَنَعْتُهُ، فَوَاللَّهِ مَا أَدْرِي هَلْ [يُغْنِينِي] (٢) شَيْئًا أَمْ لَا؟ قَالُوا: وَمَاذَا أَمَرَكَ؟ قَالَ: أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أُجِيرَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فَفَعَلْتُ، قَالُوا: فَهَلْ أَجَازَ ذَلِكَ مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ؟ قَالَ: لَا قَالُوا: وَاللَّهِ إِنْ زَادَ عَلِيٌّ عَلَى أَنْ لَعِبَ بِكَ، فَلَا يُغْنِي عَنَّا مَا قُلْتَ، قَالَ: لَا وَاللَّهِ مَا وَجَدْتُ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ. قَالَ: وَأَمَرَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ النَّاسَ بِالْجَهَازِ، وَأَمْرَ أَهْلَهُ أَنْ يُجَهِّزُوهُ، فَدَخَلَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ عَلَى ابْنَتِهِ عائشة رضي لله عَنْهَا وَهِيَ تُصْلِحُ بَعْضَ جِهَازِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَقَالَ: أَيْ بُنَيَّةُ أَمَرَكُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِأَنْ تُجَهِّزُوهُ؟ قَالَتْ: نَعَمْ فَتَجَهَّزْ، قَالَ: فَأَيْنَ تَرَيْنَهُ يُرِيدُ؟ قَالَتْ: مَا أَدْرِي. ثُمَّ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَعْلَمُ النَّاسَ أَنَّهُ سَائِرٌ إِلَى مَكَّةَ، وَأَمَرَهُمْ بِالْجِدِّ وَالتَّهَيُّؤِ، وَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ خُذِ الْعُيُونَ وَالْأَخْبَارَ عَنْ قُرَيْشٍ حَتَّى [نَبْغَتَهَا] (٣) فِي بِلَادِهَا، فَتَجَهَّزَ النَّاسُ.

(١) ما بين القوسين ساقط من "ب". (٢) في "أ" يغني عنا. (٣) نفجؤها.