Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/90)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

of one of them, nor even half of it.” (1)

Others said: They are all the believers of this community.

His saying, “You were,” means: You are—just as He, Most High, says, “Remember when you were few” (al-A‘raf 7:86), while elsewhere He says, “Remember when you were few” (al-Anfal 8:26). It was also said that its meaning is: You were the best community in Allah’s sight in the Preserved Tablet. Some said that “for mankind” is connected to “the best community”; that is, you are the best of people for people.

Abu Hurayrah said: Its meaning is: You were the best of people: you bring them in chains and then admit them into Islam. (2)

Qatadah said: They are Muhammad’s community, peace and blessings be upon him. No prophet before him was commanded to fight, so they fight the disbelievers and bring them into their religion. Thus, they are the best community for mankind.

It was also said that “for mankind” is connected to “brought forth.” Its meaning is: Allah has not brought forth for mankind any community better than Muhammad’s community, peace and blessings be upon him.

Abu Sa‘id al-Shurayhi informed us; Abu Ishaq al-Tha‘labi informed us; Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Hafiz informed us; Abu ‘Ali al-Husayn ibn Muhammad ibn Hubaysh al-Muqri’ informed us; ‘Ali ibn Zanguwayh informed us; Salamah ibn Shabib informed us; ‘Abd al-Razzaq informed us; Ma‘mar informed us, from Bahz ibn Hakim, from his father, from his grandfather, that he heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say concerning the saying of Allah, Most High, “You are the best community brought forth for mankind”: “You complete seventy communities; you are the best of them and the most honored of them before Allah.” (3)

‘Abd al-Wahid ibn Ahmad al-Mulayhi informed us; Abu Ma‘shar Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Firaki informed us; Abu ‘Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Zakariyya ibn Yahya informed us; Abu al-Salt informed us; Hammad ibn Zayd informed us; ‘Ali ibn Zayd informed us from Abu Nadrah, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: “Indeed, this community completes seventy communities; it is the best of them and the most honored of them before Allah.” (4)

(1) Al-Bukhari transmitted it in The Virtues of the Companions, in the chapter “The Prophet’s Saying: ‘Were I to Take a Close Friend’” (7:21); and Muslim in The Virtues of the Companions, in the chapter “The Prohibition of Reviling the Companions,” no. 2540 (4:1967). The compiler also cited it in Sharh al-Sunnah, 14:69. (2) Al-Bukhari transmitted it from Abu Hurayrah as a mawquf report (a statement of a Companion) in the exegesis of Surah Al Imran, in the chapter “You Are the Best Nation Brought Forth for Mankind” (8:224); and with the same meaning as a marfu report (attributed to the Prophet) in The Book of Jihad, in the chapter “Captives in Chains” (6:145). (3) Al-Tirmidhi transmitted it in the exegesis of Surah Al Imran (8:352), stating: “This is a hasan hadith.” More than one narrator reported this hadith from Bahz ibn Hakim with similar wording, but did not include the phrase, “You are the best nation brought forth for mankind.” It was also transmitted by Ibn Majah in The Book of Asceticism, in the chapter “The Description of Muhammad’s Nation,” no. 4288 (2:1433); al-Darimi in The Book of Softening the Hearts, in the chapter concerning the Prophet’s statement, “You are the last of the nations” (2:313); al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak (4:84), where he stated: “This hadith has an authentic chain of transmission, though the two [al-Bukhari and Muslim] did not transmit it.” Sa'id ibn Iyas al-Jurayri also corroborated it in a report from Hakim ibn Mu'awiyah, adding material to its text. It was also transmitted by al-Tabari in his Tafsir, 2:25 and 7:104; and by Ahmad in al-Musnad, 4:447 and 5:5. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar stated in Fath al-Bari, 8:325: “It is a hasan sahih hadith.” See also Shaykh Mahmud Shakir’s notes on al-Tabari, 2:25-26 and 7:104. (4) Ibn Majah transmitted it in The Book of Asceticism, in the chapter “The Description of Muhammad’s Nation,” no. 4288 (2:1433); and Ahmad in al-Musnad, 4:447 and 5:5, on the authority of Mu'awiyah ibn Haydah. Al-Haythami said: “Ahmad transmitted it, and its narrators are trustworthy.” Majma al-Zawa'id, 10:397.

أَحَدِهِمْ وَلَا نَصِيفَهُ" (١) . وَقَالَ الْآخَرُونَ: هُمْ جَمِيعُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ. وَقَوْلُهُ ﴿كُنْتُمْ﴾ أَيْ: أَنْتُمْ كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: " وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ كُنْتُمْ قَلِيلًا " (الْأَعْرَافِ -٨٦) وَقَالَ فِي مَوْضِعٍ آخَرَ: " وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ أَنْتُمْ قَلِيلٌ " (الْأَنْفَالِ -٢٦) وَقِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ فِي اللَّوْحِ الْمَحْفُوظِ وَقَالَ قَوْمٌ: قَوْلُهُ ﴿لِلنَّاسِ﴾ "مِنْ" صِلَةُ قَوْلِهِ " خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ" أَيْ: أَنْتُمْ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ لِلنَّاسِ. قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ مَعْنَاهُ: كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ النَّاسِ تَجِيئُونَ بِهِمْ فِي السَّلَاسِلِ فَتُدْخِلُونَهُمْ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ (٢) . قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: هُمْ أُمَّةُ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ لَمْ يُؤْمَرْ نَبِيٌّ قَبْلَهُ بِالْقِتَالِ فَهُمْ يُقَاتِلُونَ الْكُفَّارَ فَيُدْخِلُونَهُمْ فِي دِينِهِمْ فَهُمْ خَيْرُ أُمَّةٍ لِلنَّاسِ. وَقِيلَ "لِلنَّاسِ" صِلَةُ قَوْلِهِ "أُخْرِجَتْ" مَعْنَاهُ: مَا أَخْرَجَ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ أُمَّةً خَيْرًا مِنْ أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ الشُّرَيْحِيُّ، أَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الثَّعْلَبِيُّ، أَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْحَافِظُ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَلِيٍّ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حُبَيْشٍ الْمَقْرِيُّ، أَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ زَنْجُوَيْهِ، أَخْبَرَنَا سَلَمَةُ بْنُ شَبِيبٍ أَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ بَهْزِ بْنِ حَكِيمٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ﴾ قَالَ: "إِنَّكُمْ تُتِمُّونَ سَبْعِينَ أُمَّةً أَنْتُمْ خَيْرُهَا وَأَكْرَمُهَا عَلَى اللَّهِ ﷿" (٣) . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْمُلَيْحِيُّ، أَنَا أَبُو مَعْشَرٍ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْفِيرَكِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ زَكَرِيَّا بْنِ يَحْيَى، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الصَّلْتِ، أَخْبَرَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ زَيْدٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ زَيْدٍ عَنْ أَبِي نَضْرَةَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: "أَلَا وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ تُوَفِّي سَبْعِينَ أُمَّةً هِيَ أَخْيَرُهَا وَأَكْرَمُهَا عَلَى اللَّهِ ﷿" (٤) .

(١) أخرجه البخاري في فضائل الصحابة باب قول النبي ﷺ: لو كنت متخذا خليلا: ٧ / ٢١. ومسلم في فضائل الصحابة باب تحريم سب الصحابة ﵃ برقم (٢٥٤٠) : ٤ / ١٩٦٧ والمصنف في شرح السنة ١٤ / ٦٩. (٢) أخرجه البخاري عن أبي هريرة ﵁ موقوفا في تفسير آل عمران باب "كنتم خير أمة أخرجت للناس" ٨ / ٢٢٤ وبمعناه مرفوعا في الجهاد باب الأسارى في السلال: ٦ / ١٤٥. (٣) أخرجه الترمذي في التفسير سورة آل عمران: ٨ / ٣٥٢ وقال: هذا حديث حسن وقد روى غير واحد هذا الحديث عن بهز بن حكيم نحو هذا ولم يذكروا فيه: كنتم خير أمة أخرجت للناس وابن ماجه في الزهد باب صفة أمة محمد ﷺ برقم (٤٢٨٨) : ٢ / ١٤٣٣، والدارمي في الرقاق باب في قول النبي ﷺ: أنتم آخر الأمم: ٢ / ٣١٣ والحاكم في المستدرك: ٤ / ٨٤ وقال: هذا حديث صحيح الإسناد ولم يخرجاه، وقد تابع سعيد بن إياس الجريري بهذا في رواية عن حكيم بن معاوية وأتى بزيادة في المتن. والطبري في التفسير: ٢ / ٢٥، ٧ / ١٠٤ وأحمد في المسند: ٤ / ٤٤٧، ٥ / ٥. قال الحافظ ابن حجر في الفتح ٨ / ٣٢٥: "وهو حديث حسن صحيح". وانظر تعليق الشيخ محمود شاكر على الطبري: ٢ / ٢٥ - ٢٦ و٧ / ١٠٤. (٤) أخرجه ابن ماجه في الزهد باب صفة أمة محمد ﷺ برقم (٤٢٨٨) ٢ / ١٤٣٣، وأحمد في المسند: ٤ / ٤٤٧ عن معاوية بن حيدة ٥ / ٥. قال الهيثمي: رواه أحمد ورجاله ثقات. مجمع الوائد: ١٠ / ٣٩٧.