Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/242)

Al-Hasan said: “Our salt has gone; how, then, can we be wholesome?”

As for His saying, exalted is He, “If you differ”: that is, if you disagree “over anything” concerning the affairs of your religion. Dispute is the divergence of opinions; its root is pulling, as though the disputants were pulling against one another and resisting each other. “Then refer it to Allah and the Messenger”: that is, to the Book of Allah and to His Messenger during his lifetime, and after his death, to his sunnah. Referring matters back to the Book and the sunnah is obligatory when their ruling is found therein; 89/b if it is not found, then the course to follow is independent legal reasoning.

It was also said that referring a matter to Allah Most High and the Messenger means that, regarding what one does not know, one should say: “Allah and His Messenger know best.” “If you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day. That”—that is, referring matters to Allah and the Messenger—“is better and best in outcome”: that is, better in final result and consequence.

الْحَسَنُ: قَدْ ذَهَبَ مِلْحَنَا فَكَيْفَ نَصْلُحُ. قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ﴾ أَيْ: اخْتَلَفْتُمْ، ﴿فِي شَيْءٍ﴾ مِنْ أَمْرِ دِينِكُمْ، وَالتَّنَازُعُ، اخْتِلَافُ الْآرَاءِ وَأَصْلُهُ مِنَ النَّزْعِ فَكَأَنَّ الْمُتَنَازِعَيْنِ يَتَجَاذَبَانِ وَيَتَمَانَعَانِ، ﴿فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ﴾ أَيْ: إِلَى كِتَابِ اللَّهِ وَإِلَى رَسُولِهِ مَا دَامَ حَيًّا وَبَعْدَ وَفَاتِهِ إِلَى سُنَّتِهِ، والرَّدُّ إِلَى الْكِتَابِ وَالسَّنَةِ وَاجِبٌ إِنْ وُجد فيهما، ٨٩/ب فَإِنْ لَمْ يُوجَدْ فَسَبِيلُهُ الِاجْتِهَادُ. وَقِيلَ: الرَّدُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَالرَّسُولِ أَنْ يَقُولَ لِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ: اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَعْلَمُ. ﴿إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ذَلِكَ﴾ أَيْ: الرَّدُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ، ﴿خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا﴾ أَيْ: أَحْسَنُ مَآلًا وَعَاقِبَةً.