Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (1/46)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, was asked about the saying of Allah Most High, “and fruit and fodder” (31—Surah Abasa). He replied, “What heaven would shade me, and what earth would bear me, if I were to say concerning the Book of Allah that which I do not know?”

Abu al-Darda’, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “You will not attain complete understanding until you recognize that the Quran has many possible aspects.” Hammad said: “I asked Ayyub, ‘What did Abu al-Darda’, may Allah be pleased with him, mean by this?’ He began to reflect, so I said, ‘It means that you recognize its various aspects and therefore dread venturing to speak about it.’ He replied, ‘That is it; that is it.’”

Our shaykh, the Imam, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The threat has come concerning one who speaks about the Quran according to his own opinion. This applies to one who says something about it on his own initiative and without knowledge. As for interpretation—namely, assigning a verse a plausible meaning consistent with what precedes and follows it, and not contradicting the Quran and the sunnah, through deductive inference—it has been permitted for those possessed of knowledge.

Exegesis, on the other hand, consists of discussing the occasions of revelation of a verse, its circumstances, and its account. It is permissible only on the basis of received reports, once these have been established through transmission.

The term tafsir (exegesis) derives from tafsirah, a urine specimen which a physician examines in order to uncover a patient’s illness. Likewise, the exegete uncovers the circumstances and account of a verse.

The derivation of ta'wil (interpretation) is from awl, meaning return. Thus one says, “I turned it, and it turned”; that is, “I diverted it, and it was diverted.”

Abu Bakr ibn Abi al-Haytham al-Turabi informed us; al-Hakim Abu al-Fadl al-Haddadi informed us; Abu Yazid Muhammad ibn Yahya informed us; Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Hanzali informed us; Jarir ibn ‘Abd al-Hamid narrated to us from al-Mughirah, from Wasil ibn Hayyan, from Abu Hudhayl, from Abu al-Ahwas, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “Indeed, the Quran was sent down in seven modes. Every verse has an outward and an inward aspect, and every limit has a point of ascent.” It is also narrated: “Every letter has a limit, and every limit has a point of ascent.” (1)

They differed concerning its interpretation. It was said: the outward aspect is the wording of the Quran, while the inward aspect is its interpretation. It was also said: the outward aspect is what it relates about communities that disobeyed and were consequently punished. Outwardly, then, it is a report; inwardly, it is an admonition and a warning lest anyone do what they did, and so be afflicted by what afflicted them. And it was said: the meaning of the outward aspect—

(1) Al-Tabari reported it, 1:22-23, nos. 10-11, through two weak chains. One is interrupted due to an unidentified narrator, while the other is weak because of Ibrahim al-Hijri. Ibn Ma'in and al-Nasai declared him weak, and Abu Hatim said: “He is not strong.” See al-Jarh wa al-Ta'dil, 2:131; Tahdhib al-Kamal, 2:203; al-Du'afa wa al-Matrukin, p. 40; Mizan al-I'tidal, 1:65; Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, 1:164; and Taqrib al-Tahdhib. Its opening passage is also recorded by al-Bukhari in Fada'il al-Quran, in the chapter “The Quran Was Revealed in Seven Ahruf (Modes),” 9:23; and by Muslim in Salat al-Musafirin, in the chapter “Clarification That the Quran Was Revealed in Seven Ahruf,” no. 818, 1:560. It was also reported by Ibn Hibban, no. 74. Al-Haythami said: “Al-Bazzar, Abu Ya'la, and al-Tabarani in al-Awsat reported it, with its ending abbreviated; the narrators of one of their chains are trustworthy.” Majma al-Zawa'id, 7:152. It was also reported by al-Tahawi in Mushkil al-Athar, 4:472.

وَسُئِلَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ ﵁ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى ﴿وَفَاكِهَةً وَأَبًّا﴾ (٣١- عَبَسَ) فَقَالَ: وَأَيُّ سَمَاءٍ تُظِلُّنِي وَأَيُّ أَرْضٍ تُقِلُّنِي إِذَا قُلْتُ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا أَعْلَمُ. وَقَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ ﵁: لَا تَفْقَهُ كُلَّ الْفِقْهِ حَتَّى تَرَى لِلْقُرْآنِ وُجُوهًا كَثِيرَةً قَالَ حَمَّادٌ: قُلْتُ لِأَيُّوبَ: مَا مَعْنَى قَوْلِ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ ﵁؟ فَجَعَلَ يَتَفَكَّرُ فَقُلْتُ: هُوَ أَنْ تَرَى لَهُ وُجُوهًا فَتَهَابَ الْإِقْدَامَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ: هُوَ ذَاكَ، هُوَ ذَاكَ. قَالَ شَيْخُنَا الْإِمَامُ ﵀: قَدْ جَاءَ الْوَعِيدُ فِي حَقِّ مَنْ قَالَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ بِرَأْيِهِ وَذَلِكَ فِيمَنْ قَالَ مِنْ قِبَلِ نَفْسِهِ شَيْئًا مِنْ غَيْرِ عِلْمٍ. فَأَمَّا التَّأْوِيلُ- وَهُوَ صَرْفُ الْآيَةِ إِلَى مَعْنًى مُحْتَمَلٍ مُوَافِقٍ لِمَا قَبْلَهَا وَمَا بَعْدَهَا غَيْرِ مُخَالِفٍ لِلْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الِاسْتِنْبَاطِ - فَقَدْ رُخِّصَ فِيهِ لِأَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ. أَمَّا التَّفْسِيرُ: وَهُوَ الْكَلَامُ فِي أَسْبَابِ نُزُولِ الْآيَةِ وَشَأْنِهَا وَقِصَّتِهَا، فَلَا يَجُوزُ إِلَّا بِالسَّمَاعِ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهِ مِنْ طَرِيقِ النَّقْلِ. وَأَصْلُ التَّفْسِيرِ مِنَ التَّفْسِرَةِ وَهِيَ: الدَّلِيلُ مِنَ الْمَاءِ الَّذِي يَنْظُرُ فِيهِ الطَّبِيبُ فَيَكْشِفُ عَنْ عِلَّةِ الْمَرِيضِ، كَذَلِكَ الْمُفَسِّرُ يَكْشِفُ عَنْ شَأْنِ الْآيَةِ وَقِصَّتِهَا. وَاشْتِقَاقُ التَّأْوِيلِ مِنَ الْأَوْلِ وَهُوَ الرُّجُوعُ. يُقَالُ: أَوَّلْتُهُ فَآلَ أَيْ: صَرَفَتْهُ فَانْصَرَفَ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي الْهَيْثَمِ التُّرَابِيُّ أَنَا الْحَاكِمُ أَبُو الْفَضْلِ الْحَدَّادِيُّ أَنَا أَبُو يَزِيدَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى أَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْحَنْظَلِيُّ ثَنَا جَرِيرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ عَنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ عَنْ وَاصِلِ بْنِ حَيَّانَ عَنْ أَبِي هُذَيْلٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْأَحْوَصِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ ﵁ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " إِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ أُنْزِلَ عَلَى سَبْعَةِ أَحْرُفٍ، لِكُلِّ آيَةٍ مِنْهَا ظَهْرٌ وَبَطْنٌ وَلِكُلِّ حَدٍّ مَطْلَعٌ وَيُرْوَى لِكُلِّ حَرْفٍ حَدٌّ وَلِكُلِّ حَدٍّ مَطْلَعٌ " (١) وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي تَأْوِيلِهِ، قِيلَ: الظَّهْرُ لَفْظُ الْقُرْآنِ وَالْبَطْنُ تَأْوِيلُهُ. وَقِيلَ: الظَّهْرُ مَا حَدَّثَ عَنْ أَقْوَامٍ أَنَّهُمْ عَصَوْا فَعُوقِبُوا فَهُوَ فِي الظَّاهِرِ خَبَرٌ وَبَاطِنُهُ عِظَةٌ وَتَحْذِيرٌ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ أَحَدٌ مِثْلَ مَا فَعَلُوا فَيَحِلَّ بِهِ مَا حَلَّ بِهِمْ وَقِيلَ مَعْنَى الظَّهْرِ

(١) رواه الطبري: ١/٢٢- ٢٣ برقم (١٠، ١١) بإسنادين ضعيفين، أما أحدهما: فلانقطاعة بجهالة راويه وأما الآخر: فمن أجل إبراهيم الهجري. فهو ضعيف، ضعفه ابن معين والنسائي وقال أبو حاتم: ليس بالقوي الجرح والتعديل ٢/١٣١، تهذيب الكمال ٢/٢٠٣، الضعفاء والمتروكين ص ٤٠ ميزان الاعتدال ١/٦٥ تهذيب التهذيب ١/١٦٤، تقريب التهذيب. والفقرة الأولى منه عند البخاري في فضائل القرآن، باب أنزل القرآن على سبعة أحرف: ٩/٢٣. ومسلم في صلاة المسافرين، باب بيان أن القرآن على سبعة أحرف برقم (٨١٨) : ١/٥٦٠. ورواه أيضًا: ابن حبان برقم (٧٤) ، قال الهيثمي: رواه البزار وأبو يعلى والطبراني في الأوسط باختصار آخره، ورجال أحدهما ثقات، مجمع الزوائد: ٧/١٥٢. والطحاوي في شكل الآثار ٤/٤٧٢.