Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/251)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

and a group who endured much harm from the polytheists in Mecca before they emigrated. They would say, “O Messenger of Allah, permit us to fight them, for they have harmed us.” But the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would say to them, “Restrain your hands, for I have not been commanded to fight them.” (1)

“Establish prayer and give zakah.” Then, when they emigrated to Medina and Allah commanded them to fight the polytheists, some of them found this difficult. Allah, exalted is He, said: “But when fighting was prescribed for them”—that is, made obligatory—“a group among them feared people,” meaning the polytheists of Mecca, “as they feared Allah,” that is, as they feared Allah; “or even more intensely,” meaning with greater fear. It was also said that the meaning is: with even greater fear. “And they said, ‘Our Lord, why have You prescribed fighting for us?’”—that is, jihad—“If only You would delay us for a little while!” That is, until death: why did You not leave us until we died at our appointed terms?

The scholars differed concerning those who said this. It was said that it was spoken by a group of hypocrites, since their saying, “Why have You prescribed fighting for us?” does not befit believers.

It was also said that it was spoken by a group of believers who were not firmly grounded in knowledge. They said it out of fear and cowardice, not out of conviction; then they repented. The people of faith differ in the degree of their faith.

And it was said that they were people who had been believers, but when fighting was made obligatory for them, they became hypocrites out of cowardice and held back from jihad. “Say,” O Muhammad, “the enjoyment of this world”—that is, its benefit and the enjoyment derived from it—“is little, whereas the Hereafter,” that is, the reward of the Hereafter, “is better and greater for whoever fears” associating partners with Allah and disobeying the Messenger. “And you will not be wronged even by so much as the thread within a date stone.” Ibn Kathir, Abu Jafar, Hamzah, and al-Kisa'i recited it in the third-person form, while the rest recited it in the second-person form.

Abu Salih Ahmad ibn Abd al-Malik al-Mu'adhdhin informed us; Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Mu'awiyah al-Saydallani informed us; al-Asamm informed us; Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Shakir informed us; Muhammad ibn Bishr al-Abdi informed us; Mis'ar ibn Kidam informed us, from Isma'il ibn Abi Khalid, from Qays ibn Abi Hazim, that al-Mustawrid ibn Shaddad said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The worldly life, in comparison with the Hereafter, is no more than what results when one of you dips his finger into the sea; let him see what it brings back.” (2)

(1) Al-Wahidi, Asbab al-Nuzul, pp. 159-160. Al-Nasai narrated it from Ibn Abbas in al-Sunan, 6:3; al-Hakim, 2:66, 307. (2) Muslim narrated it in The Book of Paradise, Its Description, Its Bliss, and Its Inhabitants, chapter: “The End of the World and an Explanation of the Gathering on the Day of Resurrection,” no. 2858, 4:2193.

وَجَمَاعَةٍ كَانُوا يَلْقُونَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ بِمَكَّةَ أَذًى كَثِيرًا قَبْلَ أَنْ يُهَاجِرُوا، وَيَقُولُونَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ائْذَنْ لَنَا فِي قِتَالِهِمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ قَدْ آذَوْنَا، فَيَقُولُ لَهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "كُفُّوا أَيْدِيَكُمْ فَإِنِّي لَمْ أُؤْمَرْ بِقِتَالِهِمْ" (١) . ﴿وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ﴾ فَلَمَّا هَاجَرُوا إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ وَأَمَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِقِتَالِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ شَقَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى بَعْضِهِمْ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ﴾ فُرِضَ، ﴿عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ إِذَا فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ يَخْشَوْنَ النَّاسَ﴾ يَعْنِي: يَخْشَوْنَ مُشْرِكِي مَكَّةَ، ﴿كَخَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ﴾ أَيْ: كَخَشْيَتِهِمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ، ﴿أَوْ أَشَدَّ﴾ أَكْثَرَ، ﴿خَشْيَةً﴾ وَقِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ وَأَشَدَّ خَشْيَةً، ﴿وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا لِمَ كَتَبْتَ عَلَيْنَا الْقِتَالَ﴾ الْجِهَادَ ﴿لَوْلَا﴾ هَلَّا ﴿أَخَّرْتَنَا إِلَى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ﴾ يَعْنِي: الْمَوْتَ أَيْ: هَلَّا تَرَكْتَنَا حَتَّى نَمُوتَ بِآجَالِنَا؟ . وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا ذَلِكَ، قِيلَ: قَالَهُ قَوْمٌ مِنَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ لِأَنَّ قَوْلَهُ: ﴿لِمَ كَتَبْتَ عَلَيْنَا الْقِتَالَ﴾ لَا يَلِيقُ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ. وَقِيلَ: قَالَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَمْ يَكُونُوا رَاسِخِينَ فِي الْعِلْمِ قَالُوهُ خَوْفًا وَجُبْنًا لَا اعْتِقَادًا، ثُمَّ تَابُوا، وَأَهْلُ الْإِيمَانِ يَتَفَاضَلُونَ فِي الْإِيمَانِ. وَقِيلَ: هُمْ قَوْمٌ كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ فَلَمَّا فُرِضَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ نَافَقُوا مِنَ الْجُبْنِ وَتَخَلَّفُوا عَنِ الْجِهَادِ، ﴿قُلْ﴾ يَا مُحَمَّدُ، ﴿مَتَاعُ الدُّنْيَا﴾ أَيْ: مَنْفَعَتُهَا وَالِاسْتِمْتَاعُ بِهَا ﴿قَلِيلٌ وَالْآخِرَةُ﴾ أَيْ: وَثَوَابُ الْآخِرَةِ خَيْرٌ وَأَفْضَلُ، ﴿لِمَنِ اتَّقَى﴾ الشِّرْكَ وَمَعْصِيَةَ الرَّسُولِ، ﴿وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا﴾ قَرَأَ ابْنُ كَثِيرٍ وَأَبُو جَعْفَرٍ وَحَمْزَةُ وَالْكِسَائِيُّ بِالْيَاءِ وَالْبَاقُونَ تُظْلَمُونَ بِالتَّاءِ. أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو صَالِحٍ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ الْمُؤَذِّنُ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ الصَّيْدَلَانِيُّ، أَخْبَرَنَا الْأَصَمُّ، أَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ شَاكِرٍ، أَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِشْرٍ الْعَبْدِيُّ، أَنَا مِسْعَرُ بْنُ كِدَامٍ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ أَبِي خَالِدٍ عَنْ قَيْسِ بْنِ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، حَدَّثَنِي الْمُسْتَوْرِدُ بْنُ شَدَّادٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "مَا الدُّنْيَا فِي الْآخِرَةِ إِلَّا مِثْلُ مَا يَجْعَلُ أَحَدُكُمْ أُصْبُعَهُ فِي الْيَمِّ فَلْيَنْظُرْ بِمَ يَرْجِعُ" (٢) .

(١) الواحدي في أسباب النزول ص ١٥٩ - ١٦٠، وأخرجه النسائي عن ابن عباس في السنن: ٦ / ٣، والحاكم: ٢ / ٦٦، ٣٠٧. (٢) أخرجه مسلم في الجنة وصفة نعيمها وأهلها، باب فناء الدنيا وبيان الحشر يوم القيامة، برقم (٢٨٥٨) : ٤ / ٢١٩٣.