Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/89)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“These are the verses of Allah which We recite to you in truth, and Allah does not will injustice for the worlds.”

“To Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth, and to Allah all matters are returned.”

“You are the best community brought forth for mankind: you enjoin what is right, forbid what is wrong, and believe in Allah. Had the People of the Book believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.” (110)

Concerning His saying, “You are the best community brought forth for mankind,” Ikrimah and Muqatil said: It was revealed regarding Ibn Mas'ud, Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Mu'adh ibn Jabal, and Salim, the freedman of Abu Hudhayfah—may Allah be pleased with them. This was because Malik ibn al-Sayf and Wahb ibn Yahudha (1), two Jews, said to them, “We are better than you, and our religion is better than that to which you call us.” So Allah, Exalted is He, revealed this verse.

Sa'id ibn Jubayr narrated from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—regarding “You are the best community brought forth for mankind”: they are those who emigrated with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to Madinah. Juwaybir narrated from al-Dahhak: They are specifically the Companions of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him—the narrators and callers whom Allah commanded the Muslims to obey.

It is related from Umar ibn al-Khattab that he said: “You are the best community brought forth for mankind” applies to our first generations and not to our later ones.

Abd al-Wahid ibn Ahmad al-Mulayhi informed us; Abu Muhammad Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Shurayh informed us; Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi informed us; Ali ibn al-Ja'd informed us; Shu'bah informed us from Abu Hamzah: I heard Zahdam ibn Mudarrib narrate from Imran ibn Husayn—may Allah be pleased with him—from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “The best of you are my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them.” Imran said: I do not know whether the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, mentioned after his generation two times or three. He then said: “After you there will be people who betray and are not entrusted, who bear witness without being asked to testify, who make vows but do not fulfill them, and among whom corpulence will become prevalent.” (2)

Through this same chain of transmission from Ali ibn al-Ja'd, Shu'bah and Abu Mu'awiyah informed us from al-A'mash, from Dhakwan, from Abu Sa'id, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “Do not revile my Companions. By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, if one of you were to spend gold equal to Mount Uhud, he would not attain even a mudd

(1) In manuscript B: “Jews.” (2) Al-Bukhari transmitted it in The Virtues of the Companions, in the chapter “The Virtues of the Prophet’s Companions” (7:3), and in The Testimonies, in the chapter “One Must Not Testify to False Testimony.” Muslim transmitted it in The Virtues of the Companions, in the chapter “The Merit of the Companions,” no. 2535 (4:1964-65). The compiler also cited it in Sharh al-Sunnah, 14:67.

﴿تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَمَا اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِلْعَالَمِينَ﴾ ﴿وَلِلَّهِ ما في السموات وما فِي الْأَرْضِ، وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ الْأُمُورُ﴾ ﴿كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَوْ آمَنَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ لَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ مِنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ (١١٠) ﴾ ﴿كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ﴾ قَالَ عِكْرِمَةُ وَمُقَاتِلٌ: نَزَلَتْ فِي ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ وَأُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ وَمُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ وَسَالِمٍ مَوْلَى أَبِي حُذَيْفَةَ ﵃، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ مَالِكَ بْنَ الصَّيْفِ وَوَهْبَ بْنَ يَهُودَا (١) الْيَهُودِيَّيْنِ قَالَا لَهُمْ: نَحْنُ أَفْضَلُ مِنْكُمْ وَدِينُنَا خَيْرٌ مِمَّا تَدْعُونَنَا إِلَيْهِ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ. وَرَوَى سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄ ﴿كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ﴾ الَّذِينَ هَاجَرُوا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ، وَقَالَ جُوَيْبِرٌ عَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ: هُمْ أَصْحَابُ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ خَاصَّةً الرُّوَاةُ وَالدُّعَاةُ الَّذِينَ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِطَاعَتِهِمْ. وَرُوِيَ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ قَالَ: كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَكُونُ لِأَوَّلِنَا وَلَا تَكُونُ لِآخِرِنَا. أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمُلَيْحِيُّ، أَنَا أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي شُرَيْحٍ، أَنَا أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْبَغَوِيُّ، أَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْجَعْدِ، أَخْبَرَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ: سَمِعْتُ زَهْدَمَ بْنَ مضرب بن عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ ﵁ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: "خَيْرُكُمْ قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ". قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: لَا أَدْرِي أَذَكَرَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بَعْدَ قَرْنِهِ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثًا وَقَالَ: إِنَّ بَعْدَكُمْ قَوْمًا يَخُونُونَ وَلَا يُؤْتَمَنُونَ وَيَشْهَدُونَ وَلَا يُسْتَشْهَدُونَ وَيُنْذِرُونَ وَلَا يُوفُونَ وَيَظْهَرُ فِيهِمُ السِّمَنُ (٢) ". وَبِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْجَعْدِ أَخْبَرَنَا شُعْبَةُ وَأَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ ذَكْوَانَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: "لَا تَسُبُّوا أَصْحَابِي فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ أَنْفَقَ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا مَا بَلَغَ مُدَّ

(١) في ب: "يهود". (٢) أخرجه البخاري في فضائل الصحابة باب فضائل أصحاب النبي ﷺ: ٧ / ٣، وفي الشهادات باب لا يشهد على شهادة جور. ومسلم في فضائل الصحابة باب فضل الصحابة برقم (٢٥٣٥) : ٤ / ١٩٦٤ - ١٩٦٥. والمصنف في شرح السنة: ١٤ / ٦٧.