Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/106)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

O Messenger of Allah, the Children of Israel were more honored by Allah than we are. Whenever one of them sinned, the expiation for his sin would be written upon the threshold of his door: ‘Cut off your nose and your ear; do such-and-such.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, fell silent, whereupon Allah, Exalted is He, revealed this verse. (1)

Ata' said: It was revealed concerning Nabhan the date-seller, whose kunyah was Abu Ma'bad. A beautiful woman came to him to buy dates, and he said to her, “These dates are not of good quality; I have better ones in the house.” He took her to his home, drew her close to himself, and kissed her. She said to him, “Fear Allah!” So he left her, regretted what he had done, and came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and told him about it. Then this verse was revealed. (2)

Muqatil and al-Kalbi said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, established a bond of brotherhood between two men, one from the Ansar and the other from Thaqif. The Thaqafi went out on a military campaign and entrusted the Ansari with the care of his family. One day, the Ansari bought meat for them. When the woman came to take some of it, he entered after her and kissed her hand. He then regretted it, went away, scattered dust upon his head, and wandered aimlessly. When the Thaqafi returned, the Ansari did not come out to greet him. So he asked his wife about him, and she said, “May Allah not increase the likes of him among brothers,” and described what had happened.

Meanwhile, the Ansari was roaming through the mountains, repenting and seeking forgiveness. The Thaqafi searched for him until he found him, then brought him to Abu Bakr, hoping that he would find with him comfort and relief. The Ansari said, “I am ruined,” and related the story to him. Abu Bakr said, “Woe to you! Did you not know that Allah is protective of the one who goes forth to battle in a way that He is not protective of one who remains behind?” Then the two of them went to Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, and he said the same. They then came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he said to him the same as they had said. Thereupon Allah, Exalted is He, revealed this verse: “And those who, when they commit an indecency...” (3)

That is, an ugly deed that falls outside what Allah, Exalted is He, has permitted. The root meaning of indecency is ugliness and transgression beyond the proper bounds. Jabir said: “The indecency is fornication.”

“Or wrong themselves”: this refers to acts short of fornication, such as kissing, embracing, looking, and touching.

Muqatil and al-Kalbi said: The indecency refers to acts short of fornication, such as a kiss, a touch, or a glance at that which is unlawful; or they wrong themselves through disobedience.

It was also said: They commit the indecency of major sins, or wrong themselves through minor sins.

And it was said: They commit an indecency in deed, or wrong themselves in speech.

(1) Al-Tabari narrated it, 7:219; and al-Wahidi, in Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 119, with his chain from Ata. Al-Suyuti attributed it in al-Durr al-Manthur, 2:326, to Ibn al-Mundhir from Ibn Abbas. (2) Al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 118. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar mentioned the story in al-Isabah, 6:418-419, in the biography of Nabhan al-Tammar. He said: “Muqatil ibn Sulayman mentioned in his Tafsir, from al-Dahhak from Ibn Abbas ...” He then said: “Abd al-Ghani ibn Sa'id al-Thaqafi also transmitted it at length in his Tafsir, from Musa ibn Abd al-Rahman, from Ibn Jurayj, from Ata, from Ibn Abbas. Muqatil is abandoned, and al-Dahhak did not hear from Ibn Abbas. Abd al-Ghani and Musa are both utterly unreliable.” Al-Tha'labi, al-Mahdawi, Makki, and al-Mawardi also cited this story in their Tafsirs without a chain of transmission. (3) Al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, p. 118, without a chain of transmission. Al-Kalbi is weak.

رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَانَتْ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ أَكْرَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنَّا، كَانَ أَحَدُهُمْ إِذَا أَذْنَبَ أَصْبَحَتْ كَفَّارَةُ ذَنْبِهِ مَكْتُوبَةً فِي عَتَبَةِ بَابِهِ اجْدَعْ أَنْفَكَ وَأُذُنَكَ، افْعَلْ كَذَا فَسَكَتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ (١) . وَقَالَ عَطَاءٌ: نَزَلَتْ فِي نَبْهَانَ التَّمَّارِ وَكُنْيَتُهُ أَبُو مَعْبَدٍ أَتَتْهُ امْرَأَةٌ حَسْنَاءُ تَبْتَاعُ مِنْهُ تَمْرًا فَقَالَ لَهَا إِنَّ هَذَا التَّمْرَ لَيْسَ بِجَيِّدٍ، وَفِي الْبَيْتِ أَجْوَدُ مِنْهُ فَذَهَبَ بِهَا إِلَى بَيْتِهِ فَضَمَّهَا إِلَى نَفْسِهِ وَقَبَّلَهَا فَقَالَتْ لَهُ: اتَّقِ اللَّهَ فَتَرَكَهَا وَنَدِمَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ فَأَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ لَهُ، فَنَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ (٢) . وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ وَالْكَلْبِيُّ: آخَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ رَجُلَيْنِ أَحَدُهُمَا مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ وَالْآخَرُ مِنْ ثَقِيفٍ فَخَرَجَ الثَّقَفِيُّ فِي غَزَاةٍ وَاسْتَخْلَفَ الْأَنْصَارِيَّ عَلَى أَهْلِهِ فَاشْتَرَى لَهُمُ اللَّحْمَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ أَنْ تَأْخُذَ مِنْهُ دَخَلَ عَلَى أَثَرِهَا وَقَبَّلَ يَدَهَا، ثُمَّ نَدِمَ وَانْصَرَفَ وَوَضَعَ التُّرَابَ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَهَامَ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ، فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ الثَّقَفِيُّ لَمْ يَسْتَقْبِلْهُ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ فَسَأَلَ امْرَأَتَهُ عَنْ حَالِهِ فَقَالَتْ: لَا أَكْثَرَ اللَّهُ فِي الْإِخْوَانِ مِثْلَهُ وَوَصَفَتْ لَهُ الْحَالَ، وَالْأَنْصَارِيُّ يَسِيحُ فِي الْجِبَالِ تَائِبًا مُسْتَغْفِرًا، فَطَلَبَهُ الثَّقَفِيُّ حَتَّى وَجَدَهُ فَأَتَى بِهِ أَبَا بَكْرٍ رَجَاءَ أَنْ يَجِدَ عِنْدَهُ رَاحَةً وَفَرَجًا. فَقَالَ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ: هَلَكْتُ: وَذَكَرَ لَهُ الْقِصَّةَ فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: وَيْحَكَ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يغار للغازي مالا يَغَارُ لِلْمُقِيمِ، ثُمَّ أَتَيَا عُمَرَ ﵁ فَقَالَ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، فَأَتَيَا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ لَهُ مِثْلَ مَقَالَتِهِمَا، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ ﴿وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً﴾ (٣) يَعْنِي: قَبِيحَةً خَارِجَةً عَمَّا أَذِنَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَهُ فِيهِ، وَأَصْلُ الْفُحْشِ الْقُبْحُ وَالْخُرُوجُ عَنِ الْحَدِّ قَالَ جَابِرٌ: الْفَاحِشَةُ الزِّنَا. ﴿أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ﴾ مَا دُونَ الزِّنَا مِنَ الْقُبْلَةِ وَالْمُعَانَقَةِ وَالنَّظَرِ وَاللَّمْسِ. وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ وَالْكَلْبِيُّ: الْفَاحِشَةُ مَا دُونَ الزِّنَا مِنْ قُبْلَةٍ أَوْ لَمْسَةٍ أَوْ نَظْرَةٍ فِيمَا لَا يَحِلُّ أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِالْمَعْصِيَةِ. وَقِيلَ: فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةَ الْكَبَائِرِ، أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِالصَّغَائِرِ. وَقِيلَ: فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً فِعْلًا أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ قَوْلًا.

(١) أخرجه الطبري: ٧ / ٢١٩، والواحدي في أسباب النزول ص (١١٩) بسنده عن عطاء وعزاه السيوطي في الدر المنثور: ٢ / ٣٢٦؛ لابن المنذر عن ابن عباس. (٢) أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (١١٨) وذكر القصة الحافظ ابن حجر في الإصابة: ٦ / ٤١٨ - ٤١٩ في ترجمة نبهان التمار. قال: ذكر مقاتل بن سليمان في تفسيره عن الضحاك عن ابن عباس. . . ثم قال: وهكذا أخرجه عبد الغني بن سعيد الثقفي في تفسيره عن موسى بن عبد الرحمن عن ابن جريج عن عطاء عن ابن عباس مطولا. ومقاتل: متروك والضحاك: لم يسمع من ابن عباس. وعبد الغني وموسى: هالكان. وأورد هذه القصة: الثعلبي والمهدوي ومكي والماوردي في تفاسيرهم بغير سند. (٣) أسباب النزول للواحدي ص (١١٨) بدون إسناد والكلبي ضعيف.