Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/45)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

the earth as callers to Allah. So Allah sent him down to her, and when he descended, the mountain blazed with light. She gathered the disciples for him, and he dispersed them throughout the earth as callers to Allah. Then Allah raised him to Himself. That night is the one on which the Christians burn incense. When morning came, each of the disciples spoke the language of those to whom Jesus had sent him. This is the meaning of His saying, “They planned, and Allah planned; and Allah is the best of planners.”

Al-Suddi said: “The Jews confined Jesus and ten of the disciples in a house. Then a man from among them entered upon them, and Allah cast Jesus’ likeness upon him.” Qatadah said: “We have been told that Jesus, the Prophet of Allah, said to his companions, ‘Which one of you will have my likeness cast upon him and be killed?’ A man among the people said, ‘I will, O Prophet of Allah.’ That man was then killed. Allah protected Jesus and raised him to Himself. Allah clothed him in feathers and light, removed from him the enjoyment of food and drink, and he flew with the angels. He is with them around the Throne—human and angelic, heavenly and earthly.”

The historians said: Mary conceived Jesus when she was thirteen years old, and gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem, in the land of Jerusalem, sixty-five years after Alexander’s conquest of the land of Babylon. Allah sent revelation to him when he reached the age of thirty, and Allah raised him from the Holy House on Laylat al-Qadr in the month of Ramadan, when he was thirty-three years old. Thus, his prophethood lasted three years. His mother Mary lived for six years after he was raised.

“When Allah said, ‘O Jesus, indeed, I shall take you and raise you to Myself, purify you from those who disbelieve, and place those who follow you above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, and I shall judge between you concerning that over which you used to differ.’” (55)

Regarding His saying, “Indeed, I shall take you and raise you to Myself”: they differed over the meaning of tawaffi (taking) here. Al-Hasan, al-Kalbi, and Ibn Jurayj said: “I shall take you and raise you to Myself in this world without death.” This is indicated by His saying, “When You took me” (al-Ma’idah 5:117), meaning: when You took me up to heaven while I was alive. For his people became Christians only after he was raised to heaven, not after his death.

According to this view, tawaffi has two interpretations. One is: “I shall raise you to Myself whole and unharmed, so that they will have obtained nothing from you.” This derives from their saying, “I took such-and-such in full” and “I received it in full,” when one takes something complete. The other is: “I shall receive you” (1), from their saying, “I took such-and-such from him,” meaning, “I received it.”

Al-Rabi‘ ibn Anas said: “What is meant by tawaffi is sleep—and every creature with eyes sleeps (2). Jesus had fallen asleep, and Allah raised him to heaven while asleep.” That is, “I shall cause you to sleep and raise you to Myself,” just as Allah said, “He is the One who takes you by night” (al-An‘am 6:60), meaning, He causes you to sleep.

(1) In manuscript “A,” it reads: “mustaslimuk” (one who submits to you). (2) Omitted from manuscript “B.”

الْأَرْضِ دُعَاةً إِلَى اللَّهِ ﷿ فَأَهْبَطَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا فَاشْتَعَلَ الْجَبَلُ حِينَ هَبَطَ نُورًا، فَجَمَعَتْ لَهُ الْحَوَارِيِّينَ فَبَثَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ دُعَاةً ثُمَّ رَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ ﷿ إِلَيْهِ وَتِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةُ هِيَ الَّتِي تَدَخَّنَ فِيهَا النَّصَارَى، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ حَدَّثَ كُلٌّ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمْ بِلُغَةِ مَنْ أَرْسَلَهُ عِيسَى إِلَيْهِمْ فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى ﴿وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ﴾ وَقَالَ السُّدِّيُّ: إِنَّ الْيَهُودَ حَبَسُوا عِيسَى فِي بَيْتٍ وَعَشْرَةً مِنَ الْحَوَارِيِّينَ فَدَخْلَ عَلَيْهِمْ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ فَأَلْقَى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ شَبَهَهُ، وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ ذُكِرَ لَنَا أَنَّ نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ عِيسَى ﵇ قَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ أَيُّكُمْ يُقْذَفُ عَلَيْهِ شَبَهِي فَإِنَّهُ مَقْتُولٌ، فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ: أَنَا يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ فَقُتِلَ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلُ وَمَنَعَ اللَّهُ عِيسَى ﵇ وَرَفَعَهُ إِلَيْهِ وَكَسَاهُ اللَّهُ الرِّيشَ وَأَلْبَسَهُ النُّورَ وَقَطَعَ عَنْهُ لَذَّةَ الْمَطْعَمِ وَالْمَشْرَبِ وَطَارَ مَعَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ فَهُوَ مَعَهُمْ حَوْلَ الْعَرْشِ، وَكَانَ إِنْسِيًّا مَلَكِيًّا سَمَائِيًّا أَرْضِيًّا، قَالَ أَهْلُ التَّوَارِيخِ: حَمَلَتْ مَرْيَمُ بِعِيسَى وَلَهَا ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً، وَوَلَدَتْ عِيسَى بِبَيْتِ لَحْمٍ مِنْ أَرْضِ أُورِي شَلِمَ لِمُضِيِّ خَمْسٍ وَسِتِّينَ سَنَةً مِنْ غَلَبَةِ الْإِسْكَنْدَرِ عَلَى أَرْضِ بَابِلَ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ عَلَى رَأْسِ ثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً، وَرَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ، وَهُوَ ابْنُ ثَلَاثٍ وَثَلَاثِينَ سَنَةً فَكَانَتْ نُبُوَّتُهُ ثَلَاثَ سِنِينَ، وَعَاشَتْ أُمُّهُ مَرْيَمُ بَعْدَ رَفْعِهِ سِتَّ سِنِينَ. ﴿إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ (٥٥) ﴾ ﴿إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ﴾ اختلفوا في بعض التَّوَفِّي هَاهُنَا، قَالَ الْحَسَنُ وَالْكَلْبِيُّ وَابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ: إِنِّي قَابِضُكَ وَرَافِعُكَ فِي الدُّنْيَا إِلَيَّ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَوْتٍ، يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: " فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي " (١١٧ -الْمَائِدَةِ) أَيْ قَبَضْتَنِي إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَأَنَا حَيٌّ، لِأَنَّ قَوْمَهُ إِنَّمَا تَنَصَّرُوا بَعْدَ رَفْعِهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ لَا بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ، فَعَلَى هَذَا لِلتَّوَفِّي تَأْوِيلَانِ، أَحَدُهُمَا: إِنِّي رَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَافِيًا لَمْ يَنَالُوا مِنْكَ شَيْئًا، مِنْ قَوْلِهِمْ تَوَفَّيْتُ كَذَا وَاسْتَوْفَيْتُهُ إِذَا أَخَذْتُهُ تَامًّا وَالْآخَرُ: أَنِّي [مُسْتَلِمُكَ] (١) مِنْ قَوْلِهِمْ تَوَفَّيْتُ مِنْهُ كَذَا أَيْ تَسَلَّمْتُهُ، وَقَالَ الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ: الْمُرَادُ بِالتَّوَفِّي النَّوْمُ [وَكُلُّ ذِي عَيْنٍ نَائِمٌ] (٢) وَكَانَ عِيسَى قَدْ نَامَ فَرَفَعَهُ اللَّهُ نَائِمًا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ، مَعْنَاهُ: أَنِّي مُنَوِّمُكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: " وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ بِاللَّيْلِ " (٦٠ -الْأَنْعَامِ) أَيْ يُنِيمُكُمْ.

(١) في "أ" مستسلمك. (٢) ساقط من "ب".