Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/292)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

and circumambulation of it, and the rites of Hajj. Abraham was singled out because he was accepted by all nations. It was also said: because the Prophet was sent upon the creed of Abraham, with additional matters prescribed for him.

“And Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend”—that is, one specially chosen. Intimate friendship is the purest form of affection. Al-Kalbi narrated from Abu Salih, from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him: Abraham, peace be upon him, was known as the father of guests. His dwelling stood along the road, and he would host whoever passed by. Then a year of famine struck the people, and they gathered at Abraham’s door, seeking food.

Each year, he received provisions from a friend of his in Egypt. So he sent his servants with camels to his friend in Egypt. His friend said to the servants: “Had Abraham wanted this only for himself, we would have borne the expense for him. But the same hardship that has afflicted the people has also afflicted us.”

Abraham’s messengers returned and passed by a sandy plain. They said: “[If only we] (1) loaded some of this sand, so that people might see that we had brought back provisions. We are ashamed to pass by them with our camels empty.” So they filled those sacks with soft sand, then came to Abraham and informed him, while Sarah was asleep.

Abraham was distressed because of the people at his door, and sleep overcame him. Sarah awoke after the day had advanced and said: “Glory be to Allah! Have the servants not arrived?” They replied, “Indeed they have.” She asked, “Did they bring nothing?” They replied, “Indeed they did.” She then went to the sacks and opened them, and found them filled with the finest white flour imaginable. She ordered the bakers to bake it, and they fed the people.

Abraham awoke and smelled the food. He said, “O Sarah, where has this come from?” She replied, “From your Egyptian friend.” He said, “Rather, this is from your Friend, Allah.” He said: On that day, Allah took him as an intimate friend. (2)

Al-Zajjaj said: An intimate friend is one whose love contains no defect, and intimate friendship is companionship. It was also said that it derives from a word meaning need; thus, he was called an intimate friend in the sense that he was needy of Allah, [because he directed his poverty and need to none but Allah] (3). The first explanation is more correct, because Allah’s taking Abraham as an intimate friend entails intimate friendship from both sides, whereas need cannot be attributed to both sides.

Abu al-Muzaffar ibn Ahmad al-Taymi reported to us; Abu Muhammad Abd al-Rahman ibn Uthman ibn al-Qasim reported to us; Khaythamah ibn Sulayman ibn Haydarah al-Atrabulusi reported to us; Abu Qilabah al-Raqashi reported to us; Bishr ibn Umar reported to us; Shubah reported to us, from Abu Ishaq, from Abu al-Ahwas, from Abd Allah ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “If I were to take an intimate friend, I would have taken Abu Bakr as an intimate friend. But Abu Bakr is my brother and my companion, and Allah has indeed taken your companion as an intimate friend.” (4)

“To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and Allah encompasses all things.” (126)

His statement, Exalted is He: “To Allah belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth, and Allah encompasses all things”—that is, He encompasses

(1) In manuscript B: “If I were.” (2) This is from the narration of al-Kalbi, who has already been mentioned as abandoned due to his lying. (3) The words in parentheses are omitted in manuscript A. (4) Narrated by al-Bukhari in Fada'il Ashab al-Nabi (The Virtues of the Prophet's Companions), chapter: “If I Were to Take a Close Friend,” 7:17, from Ibn Abbas, but without the words, “Allah has indeed taken your companion as a close friend”; and by Muslim in Fada'il al-Sahabah (The Virtues of the Companions), chapter: “The Virtues of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq,” no. 2383, 4:1855; and by the author in Sharh al-Sunnah, 4:77.

وَالطَّوَافُ بِهَا وَمَنَاسِكُ الْحَجِّ، وَإِنَّمَا خُصَّ إِبْرَاهِيمُ لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ مَقْبُولًا عِنْدَ الْأُمَمِ أَجْمَعَ، وَقِيلَ: لِأَنَّهُ بُعِثَ عَلَى مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَزِيدَ لَهُ أَشْيَاءُ. ﴿وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا﴾ صَفِيًّا، وَالْخِلَّةُ: صَفَاءُ الْمَوَدَّةِ، وَقَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄: كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ ﵇ أَبَا الضِّيفَانِ، وَكَانَ مَنْزِلُهُ عَلَى ظَهْرِ الطَّرِيقِ يُضِيفُ مَنْ مَرَّ بِهِ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَأَصَابَ النَّاسَ سَنَةٌ فَحُشِرُوا إِلَى بَابِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ﵇ يَطْلُبُونَ الطَّعَامَ وَكَانَتِ الْمِيرَةُ لَهُ كُلَّ سَنَةٍ مِنْ صَدِيقٍ لَهُ بِمِصْرَ، فَبَعْثَ غِلْمَانَهُ بِالْإِبِلِ إِلَى الْخَلِيلِ الَّذِي لَهُ بِمِصْرَ، فَقَالَ خَلِيلُهُ لِغِلْمَانِهِ: لَوْ كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ ﵇ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُهُ لِنَفْسِهِ احْتَمَلْنَا ذَلِكَ لَهُ، فَقَدْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْنَا مَا دَخَلَ عَلَى النَّاسِ مِنَ الشِّدَّةِ، فَرَجَعَ رُسُلُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ﵇، فَمَرُّوا بِبَطْحَاءَ فَقَالُوا: [إِنَّا لَوْ] (١) حَمْلنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْبَطْحَاءِ لِيَرَى النَّاسُ أَنَّا قَدْ جِئْنَا بِمِيرَةٍ، فَإِنَّا نَسْتَحِي أَنْ نَمُرَّ بِهِمْ وإبلنا فارغة، فملؤوا تِلْكَ الْغَرَائِرَ سَهْلَةً، ثُمَّ أَتَوْا إِبْرَاهِيمَ فَأَعْلَمُوهُ وَسَارَةُ نَائِمَةٌ، فَاهْتَمَّ إِبْرَاهِيمُ لِمَكَانِ النَّاسِ بِبَابِهِ، فَغَلَبَتْهُ عَيْنَاهُ فَنَامَ وَاسْتَيْقَظَتْ سَارَةُ وَقَدِ ارْتَفَعَ النَّهَارُ، فَقَالَتْ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ مَا جَاءَ الْغِلْمَانُ؟ قَالُوا: بَلَى، قَالَتْ: فَمَا جَاءُوا بِشَيْءٍ؟ قَالُوا: بَلَى، فَقَامَتْ إِلَى الْغَرَائِرِ فَفَتَحَتْهَا فَإِذَا هِيَ أَجْوَدُ دَقِيقٍ حُوَارِي يَكُونُ، فَأَمَرَتِ الْخَبَّازِينَ فَخَبَزُوا وَأَطْعَمُوا النَّاسَ فَاسْتَيْقَظَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَوَجَدَ رِيحَ الطَّعَامِ، فَقَالَ: يَا سَارَةُ مِنْ أَيْنَ هَذَا؟ قَالَتْ: مِنْ عِنْدِ خَلِيلِكَ الْمِصْرِيِّ، فَقَالَ: هَذَا من عند خليلك اللَّهِ، قَالَ: فَيَوْمئِذٍ اتَّخَذَهُ اللَّهُ خَلِيلًا (٢) . قَالَ الزَّجَّاجُ: مَعْنَى الْخَلِيلُ الَّذِي لَيْسَ فِي مَحَبَّتِهِ خَلَلٌ، وَالْخُلَّةُ: الصَّدَاقَةُ، فَسُمِّيَ خَلِيلًا لِأَنَّ اللَّهَ أَحَبَّهُ وَاصْطَفَاهُ. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ مِنَ الْخَلَّةِ وَهِيَ الْحَاجَةُ، سُمِّيَ خَلِيلًا أَيْ: فَقِيرًا إِلَى اللَّهِ [لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ فَقْرَهُ وَفَاقَتَهُ إِلَّا إِلَى اللَّهِ ﷿] (٣) وَالْأَوَّلُ أَصَحُّ لِأَنَّ قَوْلَهُ ﴿وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا﴾ يَقْتَضِي الْخُلَّةَ مِنَ الْجَانِبَيْنِ، وَلَا يُتَصَوَّرُ الْحَاجَةُ مِنَ الْجَانِبَيْنِ. ثَنَا أَبُو الْمُظَفَّرِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ التَّيْمِيُّ، ثَنَا أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ، ثَنَا خَيْثَمَةُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ حَيْدَرَةَ الْأَطْرَابُلُسِيُّ، ثَنَا أَبُو قِلَابَةَ الرَّقَاشِيُّ، ثَنَا بِشْرُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، ثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ أَبِي الْأَحْوَصِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ ﵁ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: "لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلًا وَلَكِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ أَخِي وَصَاحِبِي، وَلَقَدِ اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ صَاحِبَكُمْ خَلِيلًا" (٤) . ﴿وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُحِيطًا (١٢٦) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَلِلَّهِ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُحِيطًا﴾ أَيْ: أَحَاطَ

(١) في "ب": (لو أنا) . (٢) هذا من رواية الكلبي، وقد تقدم أنه متروك لكذبه. (٣) ما بين القوسين ساقط من: "أ". (٤) أخرجه البخاري في فضل أصحاب النبي ﷺ، باب "لو كنت متخذا خليلا": ٧ / ١٧ عن ابن عباس، دون قوله "ولقد اتخذ الله صاحبكم خليلا"، ومسلم في فضائل الصحابة، باب فضائل أبي بكر الصديق، برقم (٢٣٨٣) : ٤ / ١٨٥٥، والمصنف في شرح السنة: ٤ / ٧٧.