Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (2/293)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

all things by His knowledge.

“They ask you for a ruling concerning women. Say: ‘Allah gives you a ruling concerning them, and concerning what is recited to you in the Book regarding orphan girls to whom you do not give what has been prescribed for them, though you desire to marry them; and concerning the oppressed children; and that you deal justly with orphans. Whatever good you do, Allah is surely Knowing of it.’” (127)

His statement, Exalted is He, “They ask you for a ruling concerning women. Say: ‘Allah gives you a ruling concerning them,’” to the end of the verse: Al-Kalbi related from Abu Salih, from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him: This verse was revealed concerning the daughters of Umm Kujjah and their inheritance. The account has already been mentioned at the beginning of the surah. (1)

Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: It concerns an orphan girl under a man’s guardianship, of whom he is the guardian. If she possesses beauty and wealth, he desires to marry her while giving her less than the customary dowry. But if her lack of wealth and beauty makes her undesirable to him, he leaves her.

In another narration, she said: It concerns an orphan girl under a man’s guardianship who shares in his property. He is disinclined to marry her because of her unattractiveness, yet he dislikes marrying her off to someone else, lest that person acquire a share in his property. Thus, he keeps her confined until she dies, so that he inherits from her. Allah therefore forbade them from doing so. (2)

His statement, Exalted is He, “They ask you for a ruling,” means: they ask you concerning women. “Say: ‘Allah gives you a ruling concerning them, and concerning what is recited to you in the Book’”: it was said that this means, “He gives you a ruling concerning what is recited to you.” It was also said that it means, “We give you a ruling through what is recited to you.” That is, Allah gives you a ruling concerning them, and His Book gives you a ruling concerning them. This is His statement, Exalted is He: “Give the orphans their property.”

His statement, “regarding orphan girls,” is an annexation of a thing to itself, since by “orphans” He meant women. “To whom you do not give” means: whom you do not give. “What has been prescribed for them” means: their dowries. “Though you desire to marry them” means: you desire to marry them because of their wealth and beauty, while giving them less than their dowries.

Al-Hasan and a group of scholars said that it means: that you give them their rightful share of inheritance, for they did not used to grant inheritance to women. “Though you desire to marry them” means: you refrain from marrying them because of their unattractiveness.

“And concerning the oppressed children” means: He gives you a ruling concerning the oppressed children, who are the young ones: that you give them their rights, for they did not used to grant inheritance to children. This refers to what is recited to you in the passage concerning orphans, in His statement: “Give the orphans their property.”

(1) See above, the exegesis of Allah's saying: “For men is a share of what parents and close relatives leave behind” (Surah al-Nisa, verse 7). (2) See al-Bukhari, al-Tafsir, chapter: “And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphans,” 8:239.

عِلْمُهُ بِجَمِيعِ الْأَشْيَاءِ. ﴿وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاءِ قُلِ اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ فِي يَتَامَى النِّسَاءِ اللَّاتِي لَا تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الْوِلْدَانِ وَأَنْ تَقُومُوا لِلْيَتَامَى بِالْقِسْطِ وَمَا تَفْعَلُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِهِ عَلِيمًا (١٢٧) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاءِ قُلِ اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ﴾ الْآيَةَ: قَالَ الْكَلْبِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ﵄: نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ فِي بَنَاتِ أُمِّ كُجَّةَ وَمِيرَاثِهِنَّ وَقَدْ مَضَتِ الْقِصَّةُ فِي أَوَّلِ السُّورَةِ (١) . وَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ﵂: هِيَ الْيَتِيمَةُ تَكُونُ فِي حِجْرِ الرَّجُلِ، وَهُوَ وَلِيُّهَا فَيَرْغَبُ فِي نِكَاحِهَا إِذَا كَانَتْ ذَاتَ جَمَالٍ وَمَالٍ بِأَقَلَّ مِنْ سُنَّةِ صَدَاقِهَا، وَإِذَا كَانَتْ مَرْغُوبَةً عَنْهَا فِي قِلَّةِ الْمَالِ وَالْجَمَالِ تَرَكَهَا، وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ هِيَ الْيَتِيمَةُ تَكُونُ فِي حِجْرِ الرَّجُلِ قَدْ شَرَكَتْهُ فِي مَالِهِ فَيَرْغَبُ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَهَا لِدَمَامَتِهَا وَيَكْرَهَ أَنْ يُزَوِّجَهَا غَيْرَهُ فَيَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهِ فِي مَالِهِ فَيَحْبِسُهَا حَتَّى تَمُوتَ فَيَرِثُهَا، فَنَهَاهُمُ اللَّهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ. (٢) قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَيَسْتَفْتُونَكَ﴾ أَيْ: يَسْتَخْبِرُونَكَ فِي النِّسَاءِ، ﴿قُلِ اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ وَمَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فِي الْكِتَابِ﴾ قِيلَ مَعْنَاهُ وَيُفْتِيكُمْ فِي مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ، وَقِيلَ مَعْنَاهُ: وَنُفْتِيكُمْ مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ، يُرِيدُ: اللَّهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ وَكِتَابُهُ يُفْتِيكُمْ فِيهِنَّ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿وَآتُوا الْيَتَامَى أَمْوَالَهُمْ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﴿فِي يَتَامَى النِّسَاءِ﴾ هَذَا إِضَافَةُ الشَّيْءِ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ لِأَنَّهُ أَرَادَ بِالْيَتَامَى النِّسَاءَ، ﴿اللَّاتِي لَا تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ﴾ أَيْ: لَا تُعْطُونَهُنَّ، ﴿مَا كُتِبَ لَهُنَّ﴾ مِنْ صَدَاقِهِنَّ، ﴿وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ﴾ أَيْ: فِي نِكَاحِهِنَّ لِمَالِهِنَّ وَجَمَالِهِنَّ بِأَقَلَّ مِنْ صَدَاقِهِنَّ، وَقَالَ الْحَسَنُ وَجَمَاعَةٌ أَرَادَ أَنْ تُؤْتُونَهُنَّ حَقَّهُنَّ مِنَ الْمِيرَاثِ، لِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا لَا يُوَرِّثُونَ النِّسَاءَ، وَتَرْغَبُونَ أَنْ تَنْكِحُوهُنَّ، أَيْ: عَنْ نِكَاحِهِنَّ لِدَمَامَتِهِنَّ. ﴿وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الْوِلْدَانِ﴾ يُرِيدُ: وَيُفْتِيكُمْ فِي الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الْوِلْدَانِ وَهُمُ الصِّغَارُ، أَنْ تُعْطُوهُمْ حُقُوقَهُمْ، لِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا لَا يُوَرِّثُونَ الصِّغَارَ، يُرِيدُ مَا يُتْلَى عَلَيْكُمْ فِي بَابِ الْيَتَامَى مِنْ قَوْلِهِ ﴿وَآتُوا الْيَتَامَى أَمْوَالَهُمْ﴾

(١) انظر فيما سبق، تفسير قوله تعالى "للرجال نصيب مما ترك الوالدان والأقربون" الآية (٧) من سورة النسارة. (٢) انظر البخاري في التفسير - باب "وإن خفتم أن لا تقسطوا في اليتامى": ٨ / ٢٣٩.