Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/236)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Those are the ones whom Allah has cursed; and whomever Allah curses, you will never find any helper for him.”

“Or do they have a share in dominion? If so, they would not give the people even a speck. Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty? We had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom, and We gave them a great kingdom. Among them were those who believed in him, and among them were those who turned away from him. Hell is sufficient as a blazing fire.” (53–55)

“Or do they have”—that is, do they have? The mīm is an additional grammatical element—“a share in dominion?” This is expressed as a rhetorical denial: they have no share whatsoever in dominion. Even if they did possess a share in dominion, “they would not give the people even a speck,” because of their envy and miserliness. A naqīr is the tiny spot on the back of a date stone from which the palm tree grows. Abu al-Aliyah said: It is the mark a person makes by pressing something with the tip of his finger, just as one marks a dirham.

“Or do they”—that is, the Jews—“envy people?” Qatadah said: What is meant by “people” is the Arabs: the Jews envied them for prophethood and for the honour Allah, Exalted is He, bestowed upon them through Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. It was also said that it refers to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companions. Ibn Abbas, al-Hasan, Mujahid, and a group of others said: What is meant by “people” is the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, alone. They envied him for the women whom Allah had made lawful for him, saying, “He has no concern except marriage.” This is what is meant by His saying, “for what Allah has given them of His bounty.” It was also said that they envied him for prophethood, which is what is meant by the bounty mentioned in the verse.

“We had already given the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom”: by the family of Abraham, He means David and Solomon; by the Scripture, what Allah sent down to them; and by wisdom, prophethood. “And We gave them a great kingdom.” Those who interpret the bounty as a large number of wives interpret the great kingdom, in the case of David and Solomon, peace be upon them, as a large number of wives. Solomon had one thousand women: three hundred free wives and seven hundred concubines. David had one hundred wives (1). At that time, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had only nine wives. When he told them this, they fell silent.

Allah, Exalted is He, says: “Among them were those who believed in him”—that is, in Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him—such as Abdullah ibn Salam and his companions; “and among them were those who turned away from him,” that is, they turned aside from him and did not believe in him. “Hell is sufficient as a blazing fire,” that is, as a fire in which they will burn. It was also said that the great kingdom was Solomon’s kingdom.

Al-Suddi said: The pronoun in His saying, “Among them were those who believed in him, and among them were those who turned away from him,” refers back to Abraham. This is because Abraham planted crops one year, and the people also planted crops; the people’s crops perished, while Abraham’s crops flourished. The people then came to need him, so he would say, “Whoever believes in me, I will give him.” Thus, whoever believed in him, he gave to him; and whoever did not believe in him, he withheld from him.

(1) Ibn Kathir states in al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, 2:29: “More than one of the early generations (salaf) mentioned that Solomon had one thousand women: seven hundred wives given dowries and three hundred concubines. It is also said that the numbers were the reverse: three hundred free wives and seven hundred slave women.” Al-Tabari narrated from al-Suddi that Solomon had one hundred wives. See Tarikh al-Tabari, 1:500.

﴿أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَمَنْ يَلْعَنِ اللَّهُ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ نَصِيرًا﴾ ﴿أَمْ لَهُمْ نَصِيبٌ مِنَ الْمُلْكِ فَإِذًا لَا يُؤْتُونَ النَّاسَ نَقِيرًا (٥٣) أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ النَّاسَ عَلَى مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ فَقَدْ آتَيْنَا آلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَآتَيْنَاهُمْ مُلْكًا عَظِيمًا (٥٤) فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ صَدَّ عَنْهُ وَكَفَى بِجَهَنَّمَ سَعِيرًا (٥٥) ﴾ ﴿أَمْ لَهُمْ﴾ يَعْنِي: ألَهُمْ؟ وَالْمِيمُ صِلَةٌ ﴿نَصِيبٌ﴾ حَظٌّ ﴿مِنَ الْمُلْكِ﴾ وَهَذَا عَلَى جِهَةِ الْإِنْكَارِ، يَعْنِي: لَيْسَ لَهُمْ مِنَ الْمُلْكِ شَيْءٌ وَلَوْ كَانَ لَهُمْ مِنَ الْمُلْكِ شَيْءٌ، ﴿فَإِذًا لَا يُؤْتُونَ النَّاسَ نَقِيرًا﴾ لِحَسَدِهِمْ وَبُخْلِهِمْ، وَالنَّقِيرُ: النُّقْطَةُ الَّتِي تَكُونُ فِي ظَهْرِ النَّوَاةِ وَمِنْهَا تَنْبُتُ النَّخْلَةُ، وَقَالَ أَبُو الْعَالِيَةِ: هُوَ نَقْرُ الرَّجُلِ الشَّيْءَ بِطَرَفِ أُصْبُعِهِ كَمَا يَنْقُرُ الدِّرْهَمَ. ﴿أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ النَّاسَ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْيَهُودَ، وَيَحْسُدُونَ النَّاسَ: قَالَ قَتَادَةُ: الْمُرَادُ بِالنَّاسِ الْعَرَبُ، حَسَدَهُمُ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى النُّبُوَّةِ، وَمَا أَكْرَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِمُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ. وَقِيلَ: أَرَادَ مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ وَأَصْحَابَهُ، وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَالْحَسَنُ وَمُجَاهِدٌ وَجَمَاعَةٌ: الْمُرَادُ بِالنَّاسِ: رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَحْدَهُ حَسَدُوهُ عَلَى مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَهُ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ، وَقَالُوا: مَا لَهُ هَمٌّ إِلَّا النِّكَاحُ، وَهُوَ الْمُرَادُ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ: ﴿عَلَى مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ﴾ وَقِيلَ: حَسَدُوهُ عَلَى النُّبُوَّةِ وَهُوَ الْمُرَادُ مِنَ الْفَضْلِ الْمَذْكُورِ فِي الْآيَةِ، ﴿فَقَدْ آتَيْنَا آلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ﴾ أَرَادَ بِآلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ: دَاوُدَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ، وَبِالْكِتَابِ: مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَبِالْحِكْمَةِ النُّبُوَّةَ ﴿وَآتَيْنَاهُمْ مُلْكًا عَظِيمًا﴾ فَمَنْ فَسَّرَ الْفَضْلَ بِكَثْرَةِ النِّسَاءِ فَسَّرَ الْمُلْكَ الْعَظِيمَ فِي حَقِّ دَاوُدَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ ﵉ بِكَثْرَةِ النِّسَاءِ، فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ لِسُلَيْمَانَ أَلْفُ امْرَأَةٍ ثَلَاثُمِائَةِ حُرَّةٍ وَسَبْعُمِائَةٍ سُرِّيَّةٍ، وَكَانَ لِدَاوُدَ مِائَةُ امْرَأَةٍ (١) ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَّا تِسْعُ نِسْوَةٍ، فَلَمَّا قَالَ لَهُمْ ذَلِكَ سَكَتُوا. قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ﴾ يَعْنِي: بِمُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ، وَهُمْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ وَأَصْحَابُهُ، ﴿وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ صَدَّ عَنْهُ﴾ أَعْرَضَ عَنْهُ وَلَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِهِ، ﴿وَكَفَى بِجَهَنَّمَ سَعِيرًا﴾ وَقُودًا، وَقِيلَ: الْمُلْكُ الْعَظِيمُ: مُلْكُ سُلَيْمَانَ. وَقَالَ السُّدِّيُّ: الْهَاءُ فِي قَوْلِهِ ﴿مَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ صَدَّ عَنْهُ﴾ رَاجِعَةٌ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ زَرَعَ ذَاتَ سَنَةٍ، وَزَرَعَ النَّاسُ فَهَلَكَ زَرْعُ النَّاسِ وَزَكَا زَرْعُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ﵇، فَاحْتَاجَ إِلَيْهِ النَّاسُ فَكَانَ يَقُولُ: مَنْ آمَنَ بِي أَعْطَيْتُهُ فَمَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ أَعْطَاهُ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يُؤْمِنْ بِهِ مَنْعَهُ.

(١) قال ابن كثير في البداية والنهاية: ٢ / ٢٩ "وقد ذكر غير واحد من السلف أنه كانت لسليمان من النساء ألف امرأة، وسبعمائة بمهور، وثلاثمائة سراري. وقيل: بالعكس: ثلاثمائة حرائر وسبعمائة من الإماء". وروى الطبري عن السدي أنه كان لسليمان مائة امرأة. انظر: تاريخ الطبري: ١ / ٥٠٠.