Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/165)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“May Allah grant you and us well-being; may Allah bless you.” It is also said that it means gentle words that will comfort their hearts.

“And test the orphans until they reach marriageable age. Then, if you perceive sound judgment in them, deliver their property to them. Do not consume it wastefully and hastily before they grow up. Whoever is affluent should refrain, but whoever is poor may take from it in a reasonable manner. And when you deliver their property to them, have witnesses present over them. Allah is sufficient as a Reckoner.” (6)

Allah Most High says: “And test the orphans…” This verse was revealed concerning Thabit ibn Rifa'ah and his uncle. Rifa'ah died, leaving behind his young son, Thabit. His uncle came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, “My brother’s son is an orphan in my care. What may I lawfully take from his property, and when should I hand his property over to him?” So Allah Most High revealed this verse. (1)

“And test the orphans”: that is, test their intellect, their religious commitment, and their ability to preserve their wealth, “until they reach marriageable age,” meaning the age of manhood and womanhood. “Then, if you perceive”—that is, see—“sound judgment in them.” The exegetes said that this means intellect, righteousness in religion, safeguarding wealth, and knowledge of how to manage it properly. Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Mujahid, and al-Sha'bi said: His property is not to be handed over to him, even if he is an old man, until sound judgment is perceived in him.

The manner of testing differs according to their circumstances. If the orphan is someone who engages in trade in the marketplace, the guardian should give him a small amount of money and observe how he handles it. If he is not someone who trades in the marketplace, the guardian should test him regarding the expenses of his household and his spending on his servants and hired workers. A woman is tested in the management of her home, the safeguarding of her belongings, her spinning, and her commissioning of spinning. Once the guardian has repeatedly observed sound management and conduct in affairs, such that the orphan’s sound judgment becomes evident to him, he should hand the property over to him.

Know that Allah Most High has made the lifting of legal interdiction from a minor, and the permissibility of handing his property over to him, conditional upon two things: reaching puberty and sound judgment. Puberty occurs through one of four signs, (2) two of which are shared by males and females, while two are exclusive to females.

The signs shared by males and females are age and nocturnal emission. As for age, once a child completes fifteen years, he or she is deemed to have reached puberty. This is based on what Abd al-Wahhab ibn Muhammad al-Khatib informed us: Abd al-Aziz ibn Ahmad al-Khallal informed us; Abu al-Abbas al-Asamm informed us; al-Rabi' informed us; al-Shafi'i informed us; Sufyan ibn Uyaynah informed us, from Abd Allah ibn Umar, from Nafi', from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: “I was presented to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the year of Uhud when I was fourteen years old, and he declined me. Then I was presented to him in the year of the Trench when I was fifteen years old, and he accepted me.” (3) Nafi' said:

(1) Al-Wahidi cited it in Asbab al-Nuzul (Occasions of Revelation), p. 137, without an isnad (chain of transmission). See also al-Durr al-Manthur, 2:437; al-Qurtubi, 5:34. Ibn Hajar likewise cited it in al-Isabah, 1:387, and said: “This is mursal; its narrators are trustworthy.” (2) In manuscript A: “the four things.” (3) Recorded by al-Bukhari in the Book of Testimonies, chapter: “The Attainment of Puberty by Boys and Their Testimony,” 5:276; and by Muslim in the Book of Leadership, chapter: “Clarification of the Age of Puberty,” no. 1868, 3:1490.

عَافَاكَ اللَّهُ وَإِيَّانَا، بَارَكَ اللَّهُ فِيكَ، وَقِيلَ: قَوْلًا لَيِّنًا تَطِيبُ بِهِ أَنْفُسُهُمْ. ﴿وَابْتَلُوا الْيَتَامَى حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغُوا النِّكَاحَ فَإِنْ آنَسْتُمْ مِنْهُمْ رُشْدًا فَادْفَعُوا إِلَيْهِمْ أَمْوَالَهُمْ وَلَا تَأْكُلُوهَا إِسْرَافًا وَبِدَارًا أَنْ يَكْبَرُوا وَمَنْ كَانَ غَنِيًّا فَلْيَسْتَعْفِفْ وَمَنْ كَانَ فَقِيرًا فَلْيَأْكُلْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ فَإِذَا دَفَعْتُمْ إِلَيْهِمْ أَمْوَالَهُمْ فَأَشْهِدُوا عَلَيْهِمْ وَكَفَى بِاللَّهِ حَسِيبًا (٦) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَابْتَلُوا الْيَتَامَى﴾ الْآيَةَ نَزَلَتْ فِي ثَابِتِ بْنِ رِفَاعَةَ وَفِي عَمِّهِ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ رِفَاعَةَ تُوُفِّيَ وَتَرَكَ. ابْنَهُ ثَابِتًا وَهُوَ صَغِيرٌ، فَجَاءَ عَمُّهُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَقَالَ: إِنَّ ابْنَ أَخِي يَتِيمٌ فِي حِجْرِي، فَمَا يَحِلُّ لِي مِنْ مَالِهِ وَمَتَى أَدْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ مَالَهُ؟ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ (١) ﴿وَابْتَلُوا الْيَتَامَى﴾ اخْتَبِرُوهُمْ فِي عُقُولِهِمْ وَأَدْيَانِهِمْ وَحِفْظِهِمْ أَمْوَالَهُمْ، ﴿حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغُوا النِّكَاحَ﴾ أَيْ: مَبْلَغَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ، ﴿فَإِنْ آنَسْتُمْ﴾ أَبْصَرْتُمْ، ﴿مِنْهُمْ رُشْدًا﴾ فَقَالَ الْمُفَسِّرُونَ يَعْنِي: عَقْلًا وَصَلَاحًا فِي الدِّينِ وَحِفْظًا لِلْمَالِ وَعِلْمًا بِمَا يُصْلِحُهُ. وَقَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ وَمُجَاهِدٌ وَالشَّعْبِيُّ: لَا يَدْفَعُ إِلَيْهِ مَالَهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ شَيْخًا حَتَّى يُؤْنِسَ مِنْهُ رُشْدَهُ. وَالِابْتِلَاءُ يَخْتَلِفُ بِاخْتِلَافِ أَحْوَالِهِمْ فَإِنْ كَانَ مِمَّنْ يَتَصَرَّفُ فِي السُّوقِ فَيَدْفَعُ الْوَلِيُّ إِلَيْهِ شَيْئًا يَسِيرًا مِنَ الْمَالِ وَيَنْظُرُ فِي تَصَرُّفِهِ وَإِنْ كَانَ مِمَّنْ لَا يَتَصَرَّفُ فِي السُّوقِ فَيَتَخَبَّرُهُ فِي نَفَقَةِ دَارِهِ، وَالْإِنْفَاقِ عَلَى عَبِيدِهِ وَأُجَرَائِهِ، وَتُخْتَبَرُ الْمَرْأَةُ فِي أَمْرِ بَيْتِهَا وَحِفْظِ مَتَاعِهَا وَغَزْلِهَا وَاسْتِغْزَالِهَا، فَإِذَا رَأَى حُسْنَ تَدْبِيرِهِ، وَتَصَرُّفِهِ فِي الْأُمُورِ مِرَارًا يَغْلِبُ عَلَى الْقَلْبِ رُشْدُهُ، دَفَعَ الْمَالَ إِلَيْهِ. وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى عَلَّقَ زَوَالَ الْحَجْرِ عَنِ الصَّغِيرِ وَجَوَازَ دَفْعِ الْمَالِ إِلَيْهِ بِشَيْئَيْنِ: بِالْبُلُوغِ وَالرُّشْدِ، فَالْبُلُوغُ يَكُونُ بِأَحَدِ ﴿أَشْيَاءَ أَرْبَعَةٍ﴾ (٢) ، اثْنَانِ يَشْتَرِكُ فِيهِمَا الرِّجَالُ وَالنِّسَاءُ، وَاثْنَانِ تَخْتَصَّانِ بِالنِّسَاءِ: فَمَا يَشْتَرِكُ فِيهِ الرِّجَالُ وَالنِّسَاءُ أَحَدُهُمَا السِّنُّ، وَالثَّانِي الِاحْتِلَامُ، أَمَّا السِّنُّ فَإِذَا اسْتَكْمَلَ الْمَوْلُودُ خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً حُكِمَ بِبُلُوغِهِ غُلَامًا كَانَ أَوْ جَارِيَةً، لِمَا أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْخَطِيبُ، أَنَا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ الْخَلَّالُ، أَنَا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ الْأَصَمُّ، أَنَا الرَّبِيعُ، أَنَا الشَّافِعِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ عَنْ نَافِعٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ﵄ قَالَ: عُرِضْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَامَ أُحُدٍ وَأَنَا ابْنُ أَرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً، فَرَدَّنِي، ثُمَّ عُرِضْتُ عَلَيْهِ عَامَ الْخَنْدَقِ وَأَنَا ابْنُ خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً فَأَجَازَنِي (٣) ، قَالَ نَافِعٌ:

(١) ذكره الواحدي في أسباب النزول ص (١٣٧) بدون إسناد. وانظر: الدر المنثور: ٢ / ٤٣٧، القرطبي: ٥ / ٣٤، وذكره ابن حجر بنحوه في الإصابة: ١ / ٣٨٧ وقال: هذا مرسل رجاله ثقات. (٢) في أ: (الأشياء الأربعة) . (٣) أخرجه البخاري في الشهادات، باب بلوغ الصبيان وشهادتهم: ٥ / ٢٧٦، ومسلم في الإمارة، باب بيان سن البلوغ برقم (١٨٦٨) : ٣ / ١٤٩٠.