Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/115)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“And Muhammad is but a messenger. Other messengers have passed on before him. So if he dies or is killed, will you turn back on your heels? Whoever turns back on his heels will never harm Allah in the least. And Allah will reward the grateful.”

Muhammad is the one who encompasses every praiseworthy quality, for praise is deserved only by one who is complete; and abundant praise surpasses mere praise, so it is deserved only by one who has attained the utmost degree of perfection. Allah honored His Prophet and chosen servant with two names derived from His own name—the Most High: Muhammad and Ahmad. In this regard, Hassan ibn Thabit said:

Have you not seen that Allah sent His servant
with His proof—and Allah is loftier and more glorious?

He derived for him a name from His own, to exalt him:
the Lord of the Throne is Praised, and this is Muhammad.

Allah Most High says: “So if he dies or is killed, will you turn back on your heels?” That is, will you return to your former religion? “Whoever turns back on his heels”—thus apostatizing from his religion—“will never harm Allah in the least” through his apostasy; rather, he harms only himself. “And Allah will reward the grateful.”

“No soul can ever die except by Allah’s permission, at a term decreed. Whoever desires the reward of this world, We will give him some of it; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, We will give him some of it. And We will reward the grateful.” (145)

Regarding His saying, “No soul can ever die”: al-Akhfash said: The lām in “no soul” has been transposed; its underlying form is: “No soul can die.” “Except by Allah’s permission”: by Allah’s decree and predestination. It is also said: by His knowledge; and it is said: by His command. “At a term decreed”: that is, He has written for every soul an appointed term which no one can alter or postpone. The word “decreed” is in the accusative as a verbal noun; that is, He has decreed a decree.

“Whoever desires the reward of this world, We will give him some of it”: meaning, whoever seeks this world through his obedience and works for it, We shall give him from it whatever may serve as recompense for his deeds. That is, We shall give him whatever We will of it, according to what We have decreed for him, as He said: “Whoever desires the fleeting life of this world, We hasten for him whatever We will, for whomever We wish.” (Surah al-Isra, 18) This was revealed concerning those who abandoned their post on the day of Uhud in pursuit of the spoils of war.

“And whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter, We will give him some of it”: that is, whoever seeks the Hereafter through his deeds. It was said that this refers to those who remained steadfast with their commander, Abdullah ibn Jubayr, until they were killed. “And We will reward the grateful”: that is, the believing and obedient.

Abu al-Hasan Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad al-Dawudi informed us; Abu al-Hasan Ahmad ibn Musa ibn al-Salt informed us; Abu Ishaq Ibrahim Abd al-Samad al-Hashimi informed us; Abu Yahya Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Yazid ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Muqri informed us; my father informed us; al-Rabi ibn Subayh informed us, from Yazid al-Raqashi, from Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever’s intention is to seek the Hereafter, Allah will place contentment in his heart, set his affairs in order, and the world will come to him despite itself. But whoever’s intention is to seek this world, Allah will place poverty before his eyes, scatter his affairs, and nothing of it will come to him except what has been decreed for him.” (1)

(1) Reported by al-Tirmidhi in Kitab al-Qiyamah (Book of Resurrection), chapter 14, 7:165. Its chain includes Yazid al-Raqashi, who is weak. It has a corroborating report in Ibn Majah, on the authority of Zayd ibn Thabit, in Kitab al-Zuhd (Book of Asceticism), chapter “Concern for This World,” no. 4105, 2:1375. Al-Zawa'id states: “Its chain is sound, and its narrators are trustworthy.” It was also reported by Ibn Hibban, no. 72, p. 47 of Mawarid al-Zam'an, and at length by Ahmad in al-Musnad, 5:183, on the authority of Zayd ibn Thabit. The compiler also reported it in Sharh al-Sunnah, 14:331. Al-Haythami said: “Al-Bazzar reported it, and its chain includes Isma'il ibn Muslim al-Makki, who is weak.” Majma al-Zawa'id, 10:247.

وَمُحَمَّدٌ هُوَ الْمُسْتَغْرِقُ لِجَمِيعِ الْمَحَامِدِ، لِأَنَّ الْحَمْدَ لَا يَسْتَوْجِبُهُ إِلَّا الْكَامِلُ وَالتَّحْمِيدُ فَوْقَ الْحَمْدِ، فَلَا يَسْتَحِقُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُسْتَوْلِي عَلَى الْأَمْرِ فِي الْكَمَالِ، وَأَكْرَمَ اللَّهُ نَبِيَّهُ وَصَفِيَّهُ بِاسْمَيْنِ مُشْتَقَّيْنِ مِنَ اسْمِهِ ﷻ (مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَحْمَدَ) وَفِيهِ يَقُولُ حَسَّانُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ: أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَرْسَلَ عَبْدَهُ ... بِبُرْهَانِهِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَى وَأَمْجَدُ وَشَقَّ لَهُ مِنَ اسْمِهِ لِيُجِلَّهُ ... فَذُو الْعَرْشِ مَحْمُودٌ وَهَذَا مُحَمَّدُ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿أَفَإِنْ مَاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انْقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَابِكُمْ﴾ رَجَعْتُمْ إِلَى دِينِكُمُ الْأَوَّلِ، ﴿وَمَنْ يَنْقَلِبْ عَلَىعَقِبَيْهِ﴾ فَيَرْتَدَّ عَنْ دِينِهِ، ﴿فَلَنْ يَضُرَّ اللَّهَ شَيْئًا﴾ بِارْتِدَادِهِ وَإِنَّمَا يَضُرُّ نَفْسَهُ، ﴿وَسَيَجْزِي اللَّهُ الشَّاكِرِينَ﴾ ﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ كِتَابًا مُؤَجَّلًا وَمَنْ يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَنْ يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الْآخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَسَنَجْزِي الشَّاكِرِينَ (١٤٥) ﴾ ﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ﴾ قَالَ الْأَخْفَشُ: اللَّامُ فِي ﴿لِنَفْسٍ﴾ مَنْقُولَةٌ تَقْدِيرُهُ: وَمَا كَانَتْ نَفْسٌ لِتَمُوتَ، ﴿إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ﴾ بِقَضَاءِ اللَّهِ وَقَدَرِهِ، وَقِيلَ: بِعِلْمِهِ وَقِيلَ: بِأَمْرِهِ، ﴿كِتَابًا مُؤَجَّلًا﴾ أَيْ: كَتَبَ لِكُلِّ نَفْسٍ أَجَلًا لَا يَقْدِرُ أَحَدٌ عَلَى تَغْيِيرِهِ وَتَأْخِيرِهِ، وَنُصِبَ الْكِتَابُ عَلَى الْمَصْدَرِ، أَيْ: كَتَبَ كِتَابًا، ﴿وَمَنْ يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا﴾ يَعْنِي: مَنْ يُرِدْ بِطَاعَتِهِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَعْمَلْ لَهَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا مَا يَكُونُ جَزَاءً لِعَمَلِهِ، يُرِيدُ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا مَا نَشَاءُ بِمَا قَدَّرْنَاهُ لَهُ كَمَا قَالَ: " مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعَاجِلَةَ عَجَّلْنَا لَهُ فِيهَا مَا نَشَاءُ لِمَنْ نُرِيدُ " (سُورَةُ الْإِسْرَاءِ -١٨) نَزَلَتْ فِي الَّذِينَ تَرَكُوا الْمَرْكَزَ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ طَلَبًا لِلْغَنِيمَةِ، ﴿وَمَنْ يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الْآخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا﴾ أَيْ أَرَادَ بِعَمَلِهِ الْآخِرَةَ، قِيلَ: أَرَادَ الَّذِينَ ثَبَتُوا مَعَ أَمِيرِهِمْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ حَتَّى قُتِلُوا. ﴿وَسَنَجْزِي الشَّاكِرِينَ﴾ أَيِ: الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الْمُطِيعِينَ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الدَّاوُودِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُوسَى بْنِ الصَّلْتِ أَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَبْدُ الصَّمَدِ الْهَاشِمِيُّ، أَنَا أَبُو يَحْيَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْمُقْرِئِ، أَنَا أَبِي، أَنَا الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ صُبَيْحٍ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ الرَّقَاشِيِّ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ﵁ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ: "مَنْ كَانَتْ نِيَّتُهُ طَلَبَ الْآخِرَةِ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ غِنَاهُ فِي قَلْبِهِ وَجَمَعَ لَهُ شَمْلَهُ وَأَتَتْهُ الدُّنْيَا وَهِيَ رَاغِمَةٌ، وَمَنْ كَانَتْ نِيَّتُهُ طَلَبَ الدُّنْيَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ الْفَقْرَ بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ وَشَتَّتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرَهُ وَلَا يَأْتِيهِ مِنْهَا إِلَّا مَا كُتِبَ لَهُ" (١) .

(١) أخرجه الترمذي في القيامة باب رقم (١٤) : ٧ / ١٦٥ وفيه يزيد الرقاشي وهو ضعيف وله شاهد عند ابن ماجه من حديث زيد بن ثابت في الزهد باب الهم في الدنيا برقم (٤١٠٥) : ٢ / ١٣٧٥ قال في الزوائد: إسناده صحيح ورجاله ثقات. وأخرجه ابن حبان برقم (٧٢) ص (٤٧) من موارد الظمآن وأحمد في المسند: ٥ / ١٨٣ مطولا عن زيد بن ثابت. وأخرجه المصنف في شرح السنة: ١٤ / ٣٣١. قال الهيثمي: رواه البزار وفيه إسماعيل بن مسلم المكي وهو ضعيف. مجمع الزوائد: ١٠ / ٢٤٧.